Will some of these AR AK look alikes actually kill varmits at 400-500 fps?

[SmokenMirrors]

So maybe I came to the wrong forum? Two simple questions really. 1. I want to shoot the squirrels and possums and 2. just curious really as to why a pellet gun has to be heavier than a serious gun that shoots real bullets. The Gamo puts 7 and 10 grain pellets through one inch boards, not ply wood either. The groups are pretty consistent just not always in the same place, like the group moves around, maybe it' me lol. I have killed tons of black birds with it and a couple squirrels and one possum but also have missed a few, i don't like to miss is all. not going to competitions or to a range to prove anything, I only take real guns to the range, to me a pellet gun is just for the varmints and sorta of a toy as well imo. Don't mean to offend anyone if your more serious about them just that for me if I'm spending thousands of dollars and I do that often but it's not for a pellet gun but a real one that shoots real bullets lol. 

Thank you

You didn't come to the wrong forum, you just apparently wrote your post when everyone was too many drinks deep for the night, LOL.

One thing you haven't mentioned is the scope you are using. It is entirely possible the guns POI is changing, but it could also be the scope. 

To the CO2 guns you mentioned. Those are replica toys for shooting tin cans. They will not have good repeatable accuracy and enough power to kill a squirrel, let alone a possum. I think you should be looking at .22 cal min for possum as they are bigger and pretty tough - if you post in the Hunting forum you'll get better answers for the appropriate calibers and power for the quarry your want to get. Then based on that we can start looking at rifles in your preferred price range to get the job done.

Thanks for the reply, i kinda figured they were more of a kids fun gun , I had a couple growing up too. The scope is the factory scope and not too good past 10 yards, I have a Bug Buster I want to mount but have not looked for the adapter or whatever it takes to mount it yet, i do think that will help a bunch too, most shots are 15-25 yards. The .177 has plenty of knock down power and did kill one possum but was closer range and a head shot. Again thanks

 

[SmokenMirrors]

You'll want to look at MV and ME to make your determination. I've taken quite a few squirrels with a MV between 960 FPS and 860 FPS at 30 to 35 yards using a 14.3gr .22 pellet. I do not believe with an MV of 400-500 FPS you'd be able to take a pest at 30 to 35 yards. At those velocities I believe you're going to be looking at some significant drop. For example, when shooting my 50 yard spinner with an MV of 600 FPS the spinner barely deflects and the pellet drop is significant causing me to adjust elevation significantly.

I think you're going to need something in the 800 FPS range to dispatch a pest at 30 yards or more. Calculate your FPE and you'll know for sure. The folks limited to 12 FPE I know successfully pest.

Hope this helps

Gonna mount the Bug Buster first, the gun has plenty of power even with the 10+ grain pellets. I think the scope may help a lot with the accuracy, my 59 year old eyes ain't 20/20 anymore lol. Thanks

 

[Guest]

I got a UTG Bug Buster on my Brocock Concept Lite, I love it, great little scope and inexpensive as well. Happy shooting!

 

[noexcuse4you]

Why do you want to kill opossums? They’re beneficial!

 

[elh0102]

For illustration, a 10 grain pellet at 500 fps generates about 6 fpe. Will that kill squirrels and possums? Probably, with a perfectly placed shot, which means very close, given the extreme trajectory of such a slow projectile. I think such a weapon is inadequate for your needs, and you would end up with missed or crippled animals. Since you need to hit a small target to achieve a clean kill, I think 12 fpe is a reasonable minimum to have both the threshold accuracy and power needed. 

 

[SmokenMirrors]

For illustration, a 10 grain pellet at 500 fps generates about 6 fpe. Will that kill squirrels and possums? Probably, with a perfectly placed shot, which means very close, given the extreme trajectory of such a slow projectile. I think such a weapon is inadequate for your needs, and you would end up with missed or crippled animals. Since you need to hit a small target to achieve a clean kill, I think 12 fpe is a reasonable minimum to have both the threshold accuracy and power needed. 

Thanks for that info and that's exactly why I was asking. I want to make sure there are no wounded critters running around, I want to be sure they are dead so the Gamo has plenty for that, just need to get a better scope for accuracy first and then maybe a better gun if I can't get it to shoot consistently.

 

[Odoyle]

Poison food will do the trick very effectively.

OR! Just bait THIS and shoot them point blank if they are still alive.