the question of power ?

[Vana2]

Interesting thread, good to read how others feel about power and use. As a direct response to the OP, I would not use a rimfire (or even an airgun over 10 fpe) in a suburban environment. I'd resort to traps to get rid of pests and shooting paper in a typical backyard doesn't require a lot of power.

Now I'll add my comments to the gist of the thread...

I live on 10 acres in a rural area and can pretty much shoot anything up to centerfire rifles. My backstop will easily handle my 30-06.

I keep a .22 Impact and .22 Panthera tuned to moderately high power levels (40 and 60 fpe) for larger pests (groundhogs, raccoons and porcupines) and longer range plinking. Most of my PCPs are 30ish fpe and I think that's lots for the shooting I do.

The Panthera has a pleasant little "recoil" that I like to feel so I understand where people like shooting more powerful airguns. Still, I feel that many, for what ever reason, buy way more power than they really need.

For close range light pesting (squirrels) in the backyard I use a .22 caliber Crown down-tuned to about 15 fpe and that still results in pass-through on most shots. I wouldn't use it in a suburban environment.

As said above, I'd resort to traps to get rid of pests rather than getting into a bad situation with neighbors or the authorities.

I'm tending to lower power airgun these days. I typically plink (off-hand) at less than 50 yards. 30 fpe is plenty and I'll often shoot at closer range with low power springers and 10 meter target guns... saves an old guy from walking all that way to check the target

Cheers!

 

[rcarlisle]

Less power is better for me. My shooting is mostly plinking and target shooting, so I don't need much in my 1 acre lot. I keep a 17FPE and a 6-7FPE tune on my Dreamtac. Most of my shooting is at the lower level because I've moved my targets in closer due to new neighbors. My 1701P warmed me up to moderate and low powered .177s. Now I am thoroughly addicted to it.

 

[Chris_K]

We will shoot CCI 22 Short CBs in our semi-rural yard with precautions and infrequently. The charts say 29 gr projectile at 710 fps for 32 fpe at the muzzle and 24 fpe at 100 yds though it all depends on you barrel specs. We will only shoot in one direction with these and won't use them for pesting. I really do prefer my airguns for my yard, my stuff maxes around 30 fpe but I generally shoot them tuned for 20 fpe.

 

[EPG]

I have these stupid pests that keep walking in front of my target when I’m shooting 30 and 40 Yard Challenge cards…

… it would probably take more than 20ft/lbs to eradicate these pests, lol…

 

[JimD]

I get deer in the backyard occasionally but not while I'm shooting. I've had pesky birds land on the pellet trap while I was shooting, however. They sometimes relieve themselves on it too. If I notice them and get on them in time, they don't get to do it again.

 

[bigHUN]

My detuned to minimum L2 sending 16gn Hades at 750 fps and that 19 fpe still makes two holes in a gray squirrel at close distance. I know and I am very careful what I am doing in backyard.

 

[Franklink]

Was recently running some 34-35 fpe slugs through expansion testing.....and quite surprised by the results.

From shooting prairie dogs and watching the slugs skip through the dirt after going all the way through them, I knew over penetration was occuring. Knowing pdogs are a somewhat "soft" target (think rabbit) I attributed much of that excessive penetration to the nature of these critters.

So, the 34-35fpe slugs had no issues traversing 6-10 inches of water (various bottles) at 92-93 yards and still continuing on and raising dust downrange. I even laid down a couple of 16ounce soda bottles, with the bottoms facing me and full of water, and also at 92-93 yards. Same thing, slug penetrated through the harder plastic of the bottom of the bottles, traversed the water, and neatly punctured the far side and kept going.

I would have surmised that, at 90+ yards downrange, 6-10inches of water would stop a slug that only had 34-35fpe at the muzzle. And I would have been wrong.

Now, to bring it back to this topic, my little .20/18.9gr slugs, at 910fps and 34-35fpe, are 3.23 times LESS powerful than the subsonic rimfire noted in the original post.

And this isn't only a slug concern. I've shot prairie dogs with 19fpe pellets at 60-80 yards and watched the same rock skipping on water effect the pellet has in the dirt as it skips downrange after perforating the pdog.

They're "just" airguns is dangerous ground to be walking, especially as the fpe goes up and up and up as time goes on....