What can you hunt with a sub 12 ft air rifle at close range?

[Ricklin]

Yeah they are like those goats that faint lol

There are bunny rabbits and jack rabbits. I often found myself considering calibers larger than .22 for jackrabbits, heck the bunny rabbits? The rifles report just might give them heart failure.
Jack rabbits are kinda the Coyote of the rabbit world. they are tough!

 

[Ballisticboy]

Thanks to Airgun Depot:

View attachment 513782

I don't know where Airgun Depot got those figures from, but in the UK, 3FPE has been shown as plenty to kill a rabbit with a headshot with no run off. The key skill here is the stalking of the prey into a range at which you can be confident of an instant kill. To us, that is the difference between a good, humane hunter and an incompetent one.

 

[coastal drifter]

There are bunny rabbits and jack rabbits. I often found myself considering calibers larger than .22 for jackrabbits, heck the bunny rabbits? The rifles report just might give them heart failure.
Jack rabbits are kinda the Coyote of the rabbit world. they are tough!

and wery wery fast.

 

[JimD]

My first pcp was a marauder pistol. Original tune was about 13 fpe. I lost 2 or 3 squirrels out of the first half dozen I thought I hit. I might has missed some of them or hit them poorly but after a retune to 18 fpe I had none run off out of 12 or so. But if I had to use a 12 fpe gun I would but I would be more careful with placement.

I have also taken >30 with 30-40 fpe guns and I think the squirrels drop faster on average and there seems to be more margin for non ideal placement. But these guns can carry 500 yards or more so they are not for every situation.

Currently I'm using a 18 fpe 177 and it works great if I place the shot reasonably well. I like 177 for lower power guns both for trajectory and penetration. I took one at 37 yards away with this gun earlier this month. DRT.

 

[coastal drifter]

My first pcp was a marauder pistol. Original tune was about 13 fpe. I lost 2 or 3 squirrels out of the first half dozen I thought I hit. I might has missed some of them or hit them poorly but after a retune to 18 fpe I had none run off out of 12 or so. But if I had to use a 12 fpe gun I would but I would be more careful with placement.

I have also taken >30 with 30-40 fpe guns and I think the squirrels drop faster on average and there seems to be more margin for non ideal placement. But these guns can carry 500 yards or more so they are not for every situation.

Currently I'm using a 18 fpe 177 and it works great if I place the shot reasonably well. I like 177 for lower power guns both for trajectory and penetration. I took one at 37 yards away with this gun earlier this month. DRT.

Thats a lot of power for a 177, what weight pellets are you using

 

[A.G.R]

I don't know where Airgun Depot got those figures from, but in the UK, 3FPE has been shown as plenty to kill a rabbit with a headshot with no run off. The key skill here is the stalking of the prey into a range at which you can be confident of an instant kill. To us, that is the difference between a good, humane hunter and an incompetent one.

A good hunter tries, a poor hunter expects.

 

[dv8eod]

But if I had to use a 12 fpe gun I would but I would be more careful with placement.

That statement right there pretty much covers most of the problem.
It shouldn't matter how much power a gun generates, put the time in to ensure you know where to aim as well as being able to hit that point.
There are a lot of people who just think more is better, but in reality that ain't always the case. I have been hearing on a regular basis lately "I'll use a .30 because it gives some leeway on placement." How is that being fair to the game being taken? That leeway can just as easily go the other way, and then the target suffers.

 

[JimD]

I use H&N baracuda match 10.6 grain pellets in my P35-177 for hunting. It came tuned to shoot them over 900 fps at max hammer spring. I'm pushing the a little under 900.

I think having some margin for less than ideal placement is a good idea when it can be done safely not because my guns are inaccurate or I don't know where they shoot but because squirrels move a lot and wind is tricky. I might mess up too. I'd rather have the more powerful gun so the animal still dies quickly if hit. But guns that carry 500 to 700 yards are not very safe everywhere and so I use less powerful guns too.

 

[Just Zack 2]

I set up my .177 D34 for sub 12ftlbs, was (& still is) wonderfully accurate. Kept 99% of my shots within 25 to 30 yards, or there abouts. Worst thing I ever did was shoot it over the chronograph. I had no issues but found power eventually dropped to just above 8.5ftlbs... I did replace the spring but probably could have kept it in there and aside from slightly better trajectory with new spring, there was no real difference in results on game and/or pests in my area... talking smaller critters like pine squirrels, chippers, hosps & maybe occasional rabbit if the cat didn't get to it first. None of these are particularly tough.