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Groundhogs, is .22 cal and 30 FPE enough?

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patrick_b

patrick_b

Member
Jun 23, 2015
14
1
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We have groundhog issues and I have an old .22 FX Cyclone shooting 16g JSB's at 920 FPS. I shot two a couple of years ago and both were (what I assumed) good shots. I can shoot from a supported position at 25 yds and got solid hits (first time right behind the ear and 2nd between ear and eye). In both cases, the animal got back to his hole. Since then I've decided against any new attempts. Would something like the Hades pellets or 25g JSB's help or am I simply underpowered?

In addition to the massive holes in the yard, they sure like our old pool cover. Note, he's still alive and well.



https://youtu.be/ppURdSdsQvQ




 
I shoot 18g pellets at about 880 fps to dispatch chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and groundhogs all the time. No issue at all as long as you have good shot placement. Head shots all day long with my pcps.
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Agreed about all the other animals. I can easily see that I'm humanely taking all but the Groundhogs. Since they made it back to their hole, I just don't know if they are suffering or not, even though I see good head impact.

Do your headshots on groundhogs drop them or are they getting away back to the den. Squirrels do the typical jump but I can always find them close by. It's the unknown that I question with the groudhogs so I've left them alone.



Thanks for your thoughts.
 
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A good headshot will drop them in their tracks out to 50 yards. A glancing hit, or fringe hit won’t do it. Maybe that’s why they got back to their holes? As you described your shots you probably got pass thrus and those two chucks expired shortly after being hit. Last chuck I shot at 30 yards with an JSB 18 a perfect headshot saw it clearly through the scope. It took a headlong dive into its hole and died right at the entrance.



So in answer to your question, yes a 30 FPE .22 is enough for chucks at sensible distances.
 
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A good headshot will drop them in their tracks out to 50 yards. A glancing hit, or fringe hit won’t do it. Maybe that’s why they got back to their holes? As you described your shots you probably got pass thrus and those two chucks expired shortly after being hit. Last chuck I shot at 30 yards with an JSB 18 a perfect headshot saw it clearly through the scope. It took a headlong dive into its hole and died right at the entrance.



So in answer to your question, yes a 30 FPE .22 is enough for chucks at sensible distances.
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Exactly, as I said, placement is key! A headshot is not a head shot if it grazes or wings off the animal. A headshot is a shot placement that is going through the skull, into the brain. With that, the animal is going down. 100 percent. 
 
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I've shot several with 28fpe with a good ear shot....JSB Hades is what I've been using this year in my old FX Thor. 

James from Michigan 
1569602536_8129159285d8e3be86ae982.91361442_20190625_121942.jpg

 
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I've shot several with 28fpe with a good ear shot....JSB Hades is what I've been using this year in my old FX Thor. 

James from Michigan 
1569602536_8129159285d8e3be86ae982.91361442_20190625_121942.jpg
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That's a beauty! Incidentally I had an old FX Tarantula in walnut like that. It was a tack driver but I just couldn't get used to the forward cocking. Once I got a cyclone with the Biathlon mechanism, I was hooked. 


 
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Thanks gents! I have some Hades incoming but will also go for the ear shot going forward. As @L.Leon said, they could’ve expired in seconds after being hit as I can watch the impact through the scope. It’s just that I’m not 100% sure because they dive into their hole. 


Appreciate the discussion.
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IMO, with a good placed head shot, 30fpe is more than enough. Similar weight, quality pellet brand types really doesn't matter as long as they're pinpoint accurate in your gun. I've taken out chucks at 25 yards or more with cheap domed Crosman pellets 22 @24fpe 14.3 grain pellets.

If you get a real head shot in, there is no diving into the hole. After a head shot small fur bearers can't lift their head they are brain dead with only the spine sending signals to kick uncontrollably for a few seconds, mostly back legs. Actually, if any small fur bearer lifts its head even a little after you shoot it, thats a good way to know they are just wounded and need a second.

No way after a devastating head/brain shot can a critter find his way back to his burrow. Might fall in it unintentionally after kicking around if its close within a few feet. But doubt that could happen twice as it did to you. Nope you missed, it happens to all of us at some point.

Thats why for pest removal I like to bait them so they stay put eating and you can observe their feeding rhythm then take your time knowing they won't be moving their head for a few seconds.. Because thats all it takes is little head movement to make a graze or miss. IMO baiting for pests its the humane way to go...

Baiting for chucks works good, because many times they stand right up giving you a great target like below... Cantaloupe in front of a backstop at your perfect spot. Your misses will be far and few between.

jmo

1569609249_11808494095d8e5621624c15.26133113_baitedgroundhog.jpg

 
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@acs


Great image you posted. Very helpful. Based on the circle I think I’m missing the brain. One of my shots hit to the right and just below the ear. Certainly possible the other was a bit off as well. 
I got my first farm permission in 2004 but haven’t been shooting at all over the last 6-7 years. Clearly a groundhog is not something I should be shooting at if I’m only shooting once or twice a year. 
Nice to know I have plenty of gun just need more scope & trigger time. 

I just picked up the rifle this summer after a long break. The cyclone still stacks pellets if I do my part. Thanks for the info. 


1569612406_17757242345d8e62766ae8c3.55517584_47E673FE-2D54-4B54-B615-C8168F9ED1D6.jpeg




 
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Using acs circle is a perfect target display, I hit one at 25 yards at eight o clock on his circle. I was shooting 880 fps with the 33.95's 25 cal Cricket. The chuck dropped in his tracks. I walked up to the chuck standing about a foot away he rose and entered his hole. I was surprised as there was a puddle of blood about 4 inch in diameter. I went back to the truck grabbed an old home made gaff with a 8/0 salmon hook mounted on an old CB antenna. I fished him out, he was dead with a pass thru. I've fished out many that had enough left to make it back to their hole. If you retrieve them from the hole others will return. The most effective, and foregiving shot is when they are facing away, a brain -spine shot. Prior to the 25 many fell to a 22 Cricket, I limited my shots to sub 50 yards.
 
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JSB's are soft lead pellets. You will get better penetration with an harder alloy pellet as in the H&N Baracuda Match 21.12 grain pellets. I am basing this on well over 250 groundhogs shot over a three year period at the Nursery I used to work. This is with air rifles shooting between 23 and 33 fpe. The extra weight and harder lead will help with less than perfect shot placement. Bill
 
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Just got this big guy at 35 yards with the new Benjamin maurader. 22 with LW barrel. He didn't move an inch from where he was shot. As said above it comes down to the shooters ability to put pellet in the right place. I knew someone that used a .177 pellet out of a condor put a 100 lb. hog down on the spot in Hawaii. 

Pellet used was 18.13gr JSB at 876 fps. I swapped out the Hawke scope pictured here for my SWFA ss 12x42

1569713117_12617914565d8febdd61f621.01660357_20190921_204231.jpg
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1569713086_17942706495d8febbed2be40.73302251_20190928_191551.jpg

 
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 This topic of the best pellet for groundhogs comes up ever so often. People continue to say it is all about pellet place which in part is true. Then they show a picture or tell about the few groundhogs they have shot. However the other important aspect is penetration which means you will be using dome pellets because you want penetration not expansion. If you are using a soft lead pellets like a JSB you will get less than consistence performance because they will flatten or glance off with other than that perfect shot placement. I am basing my observations on comparative pellet penetration testing and dozens of groundhogs killed. Since we are hunting and shooting in the field it does not always allow for perfect shot placement. Then why would anyone want to use a pellet that is marginal for the task allowing little margin for error is beyond me when you can use a pellets with better penetration and performance. If not you will get results like the original poster mentions. Bill
 
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This topic of the best pellet for groundhogs comes up ever so often. People continue to say it is all about pellet place which in part is true. Then they show a picture or tell about the few groundhogs they have shot. However the other important aspect is penetration which means you will be using dome pellets because you want penetration not expansion. If you are using a soft lead pellets like a JSB you will get less than consistence performance because they will flatten or glance off with other than that perfect shot placement. I am basing my observations on comparative pellet penetration testing and dozens of groundhogs killed. Since we are hunting and shooting in the field it does not always allow for perfect shot placement. Then why would anyone want to use a pellet that is marginal for the task allowing little margin for error is beyond me when you can use a pellets with better penetration and performance. If not you will get results like the original poster mentions. Bill
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I have personally never have an airgun that liked the Baracuda Match pellets, they always seem to like JSB's the best. I will have to give them a try again with the new setup and see if the LW barrel likes them. 
 
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