Scope Recomendation

[ztirffritz]

I'm trying to help a friend with a rat problem. He has a hazelnut grove next to his house and it is overrun with rats and mice and they're getting into his house. I tried to use my DIY nightvision system to help him out, but the distances are too close to focus. I'd be shooting between 2-35 yards. They have no fear of humans, but I need to be able to see them to shoot them. At 4-5 yards my scope works, but anything closer I can't focus on it. So I need something with a short focus distance. During the day I could just shoot them with open sites, but I night I need the scope cam.

 

[gorgata]

really you can use a fixed power scope with a red or green light if there not scared of humans that should be cheap and quite effective

 

[MarkUK]

Rats are fast learners. 2 yards unlikely to stay 2 yards for long.

From left field:

If you got a pair of cheap 2.0 strength reading glasses (we have poundland, perhaps you have dollarland where everything is a dollar) with the largest lens you can find.

Make a clip on scope objective lens cover with a cutout such that the main area of a reading lens totally covers it.

Then, you can pop the scope's reading glasses on whenever it needs to do close-up work.

This post may seem like a joke, but I think it would work.

As an alternative, if you have plenty of light or Infrared illumination to work with at night, then putting -say - a half inch aperture over your objective may give you enough depth of field to be able to focus close-up.

 

[srserl]

The UTG Bugbuster series of scopes is the closest focusing that I know of, and they only focus down to 3 yards. I would probably be using iron sights and a light. Or you could just not take the really close shots.

 

[Beach-gunner]

Stop on the ground and the rats will scurry away and end up 5 to 10 yds is my suggestion.

 

[NMshooter]

Does your new Maximus have open sights? At that range you may get a BB gun with open sights.

 

[T3PRanch]

Shoot them for fun but if serious damage is being caused build a "Bucket Trap". I wiped out 250 mice the last week in December with one.

Thurmond

 

[Projectx]

I had a red dot sight on my 2240 it worked well at close range.

 

[cally88]

Set up lights and illuminate the whole area and use open sights or use a bucket trap (might be harder than usual with all the food available)

 

[DuncanHynes]

Take photos, I can imagine rats only 2 yards away, is a safe backstop the issue? Why cant you go out and shoot another direction, I just dont follow. Why cant these issues happen to me!? ☺ Watch for fleas! Get the ones 10 yards and out I guess.

 

[Dan25]

Im with Cally, set up lights and back off to where you can focus with what you have or use irons for close work. If you have a bolt action 22 rim fire you could use some colibre (sp) rounds that are much weaker than a standard pcp but only good very close.

 

[ztirffritz]

This is in a residential area so firearms are out. Officially air guns are too, but I'm bending that rule. I might suggest a bucket trap. Not a bad idea. 

 

[zebra]

For targets that small at that close range, you are much better off with a laser sight. The fast target acquisition will be helpful for small fast moving prey. You can use a scope and a laser at the same time so you have short and medium range covered. It's also a cheap solution.

 

[AZBOBCAT]

Inside of 20 yds use a cheap red dot you are not having to deal with hold over or under much st the distance your shooting.

 

[ztirffritz]

OK, so my .22 P-rod has a scope for a Crossbow on it. Turns out that one is able to focus at the distances I need. I'm building an attachment for the night vision kit on it now. Should be ready as soon as the replacement lens comes for the camera. Then I'll have two NV equipped riffles and I can move the one on the .25 Marauder to the Bulldog if I should ever need it.