I have been hunting for over 25 years. It is a way of life for me and my family. After years of hunting, the tiny .22LR has always been a "squirrel" gun and nothing more. Yes, I have killed many animals much larger than a squirrel with a .22LR, but only because it was at hand when something had to die. Yet after watching a .22LR kill hogs and cattle for slaughter, take down yotes while squirrel hunting, and tons of raccoons with dogs thrashing the trees they were in, the .22LR is still only good for squirrels?? At over 100fpe from a standard length rifle barrel, the .22LR has more energy than nearly all but the big bore air rifles. Wait a minute...... how can an airgun kill anything?? After a number of years hunting and pesting with airguns, I realize that my collection of .22 rimfires has alot more capability than I have given them prior!!
So, airgun hunting is my thing. I love hunting with airguns. I have taken everything from coyotes down to mice and small pest birds with an airgun. My old mentality regarding how much power is needed to take a critter has changed ALOT since becoming an "Airgun Hunter". I still believe that there is no replacement for plenty of FPE and big calibers still make big holes, but a precision shot from an airgun will flip the switch on alot of animals!! Remember that airguns DO require precise shot placement to kill anything. There is no hydro shock or massive impact trama that exists with most any firearm. We have to rely on placing a pellet with the precision of a brain surgeon removing a tumor. So, if the pellet hits its mark, how much energy(FPE) do we need to humanely kill critters?
Pest birds such as sparrows and starlings need very little energy to be cleanly killed. I find that alomst any airgun is capable of killing pest birds at respectable ranges per the guns capability. Rabbits, squirrels, and similarly sized critters take more FPE than pest birds but they don't require alot of energy "if" you hit them in the right spot. I have found as little as 5fpe even from a .177 is ample to take out critters in this size range. Animals like raccoon and oppossum can be killed with as little as 5fpe but that tends to be the "one in a million" shot. I would prefer a minimum of 15-20fpe for clean kills, but 15-20fpe at point of impact, not at the muzzle!! 30fpe at POI will make animals in this size range instant dead. For coyote sized animals, I want a minimum of 30fpe at POI but I prefer 40fpe at POI and will take ALL the energy I can get for animals in this size range!! I will say that 50 FPE at POI with a properly placed pellet "should" kill any medium sized animal you could ever dream of killing and maybe some larger.
My mileage may vary from yours, but hope this gives a decent guideline for "what it takes" to humanely kill a certain sized critter. Keep in mind that my numbers are solely based on pellets that impact the "kill zone". Properly placed shots will be key to get the most bang out of whatever FPE(energy) your airgun has to offer.
So, airgun hunting is my thing. I love hunting with airguns. I have taken everything from coyotes down to mice and small pest birds with an airgun. My old mentality regarding how much power is needed to take a critter has changed ALOT since becoming an "Airgun Hunter". I still believe that there is no replacement for plenty of FPE and big calibers still make big holes, but a precision shot from an airgun will flip the switch on alot of animals!! Remember that airguns DO require precise shot placement to kill anything. There is no hydro shock or massive impact trama that exists with most any firearm. We have to rely on placing a pellet with the precision of a brain surgeon removing a tumor. So, if the pellet hits its mark, how much energy(FPE) do we need to humanely kill critters?
Pest birds such as sparrows and starlings need very little energy to be cleanly killed. I find that alomst any airgun is capable of killing pest birds at respectable ranges per the guns capability. Rabbits, squirrels, and similarly sized critters take more FPE than pest birds but they don't require alot of energy "if" you hit them in the right spot. I have found as little as 5fpe even from a .177 is ample to take out critters in this size range. Animals like raccoon and oppossum can be killed with as little as 5fpe but that tends to be the "one in a million" shot. I would prefer a minimum of 15-20fpe for clean kills, but 15-20fpe at point of impact, not at the muzzle!! 30fpe at POI will make animals in this size range instant dead. For coyote sized animals, I want a minimum of 30fpe at POI but I prefer 40fpe at POI and will take ALL the energy I can get for animals in this size range!! I will say that 50 FPE at POI with a properly placed pellet "should" kill any medium sized animal you could ever dream of killing and maybe some larger.
My mileage may vary from yours, but hope this gives a decent guideline for "what it takes" to humanely kill a certain sized critter. Keep in mind that my numbers are solely based on pellets that impact the "kill zone". Properly placed shots will be key to get the most bang out of whatever FPE(energy) your airgun has to offer.
