N/A Cheapest option for groundhogs

Why not the Umarex Komplete in .22; around $200.00. It uses 3600 psi Nitrogen cylinders. For the occasional use, it would make sense. The nitrogen cylinders are about $12.00 each, but like you said, you don't want to get into the sport, so just an occasional investment.

There was also a nice .25 marauder on classifieds. Im in same spot as you cant comment on classifieds yet.

There is a guy selling refillable cylinders for the Komplete too for about $100.

I like SPA guns for less expensive ones. I have 5 but one does not currently work (gross manufacturing error but I wouldn't worry about that, they are generally reliable). They are all bullpups which are a little more expensive, pushing $500. A less expensive option that is similar except for length would be the Stoeger Ranger or Scout. I would get the Scout because it is not so long. I would get the 25 caliber. Groundhogs can push 10 lbs and I shot a raccoon about that weight with my P35-22 and it worked but I would use my 25 next time one shows up (and I did and it worked better). Airgun Revisions has Stoegers too, I saw a Scout for $319.

A hand pump is totally doable for pesting. You will need to pump hundreds of times to get it full initially but then you have about 50 shots which should last awhile. PCPs should hold air for years. If they do not, you can return them. Refills are also a lot less pump strokes than an initial fill. You will need to use some air to get it sighted in so you will probably do at least one refill but after that you should be set. My "better" hand pump is a cheap one from Amazon. No need to spend even $100.

I recommend JSB (or FX) 25.4 grain and H&N Baracudas to try. If you had to pick one, I would get FX 25.4s. 2 of my 3 25 caliber SPA barrels like them a lot.

My favorite "cheap" scopes are the Hawke Vantage line. A 3-9 is a good all around but for shots within 30 yards or so the 2-7 would be fine (that is what is on my Prod).

Normally, "cheapest option" happens to be very expensive.

You rather try to make a reasonable good deal that fullfil your needs with good percentage of risk.

GerryR said:

Why not the Umarex Komplete in .22; around $200.00. It uses 3600 psi Nitrogen cylinders. For the occasional use, it would make sense. The nitrogen cylinders are about $12.00 each, but like you said, you don't want to get into the sport, so just an occasional investment.

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I can’t believe I’m actually going to say that gun is a perfect fit for something but I have to agree. It’s perfect for this. You will just have to get proficient enough for a headshot in .22 for sure. You can usually post up on a groundhog hole and wait them out and get pretty close. I killed one with a .22 Airacuda max. One in the head and it went nowhere.

Even Walmart has the Komplete/cylinders. Other stores have the 3622 Crosman w/ handpump for about the same price.

While looking at the nitrogen cylinders, discovered that Tippman C-3 used to exist; It did 50,000 paintball shots off one 480cc tank of propane.

Komplete apparently makes about the same fpe as a Notos. I think that is too light for a 5-10 lb animal. The raccoon I shot with my P35-22 got hit with nearly 32 fpe and still took 3 shots to be gone. The second was between the eyes. It was only about 10 lbs. I'd rather use a 40 fpe 25 caliber (or more). My P35-25 was less than 45 fpe when I hit one between the eyes and it was immediate lights out. Size was similar. I'm not saying a 25 fpe 22 can't kill a groundhog, just that it may take multiple hits to expire.

@JimD Average fps of the HAWKi Thunder 25.3 gn pellets out of my Komplete is 718.8 fps, so 29 fpe; this is muzzle energy. I don't know the down-range energy. I suspect your P35-25 is 45 fpe at the muzzle also (?). It would be nice to now what the acceptable fpe is for different size small game, squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs, etc, for a clean kill. Then the down-range energy could be calculated, and you would know what can be humanely killed with a particular gun. I haven't chrono'ed the pellets at 40 or 50 yards, yet, but it seems like a good idea. (I'd use a .22lr or magnum after 50 yds. in any case!)

Gerry, you are asking a sensible question but there is no consensus answer. I give answers based upon my experience but others have different experience and different answers. The difference between my 32 fpe and your 29 fpe at the muzzle (in both cases) is not significant in my opinion. My point was that at 32 fpe I took 3 shots to kill a 10 lb raccoon. Maybe with better placement it could be done with less. But based upon that I think lower energy 22s are great for rabbits and squirrels (and that has been my experience) but a little weak for bigger small game. My P35-25 reference was also a muzzle energy but the 25 caliber has both higher fpe and also makes a bigger hole. I once had my P35-22 and P35-25 at the same fpe (32). I couldn't really see a difference on squirrels but I think on a larger animal the 25 may be a bit better even at the same fpe. Both worked great. 28 clean kills between the two (with none lost).

Another reason for different opinions is the difference between taking brain and body shots. I think there is general agreement that brain shots take less fpe for clean kills. But they take more accuracy too and more discipline to turn down other shots. My second shot on the raccoon with my 22 hit the brain, I could see it leaking out. His heart still took awhile to stop so I put another in his neck. My one shot with the 25 was to the brain and stopped the raccoon immediately. Could have been subtle difference in where the shots landed but I think a bigger hole helped too.

I haven't shot any groundhogs. I haven't seen any. I killed a 5+ lb armadillo with the P35-22 and it took 3 shots too. The first was not well placed, however. I plan to use the 25 on them too if another comes around. I also killed about a 8 lb turtle with a 18 fpe 177 too. 1 clean brain shot did it.

With ideal shot placement I think a 29 fpe 22 will give a clean kill on a groundhog. But I don't think it gives you much room for less than ideal placement. That is where a bigger hole and more fpe may be the difference between the animal getting away wounded or needing more shots and just being DRT.

Jim

MongooseV8 said:

Id look at a Barra 250z I think. Something like an Urban will work, but your range will be limited to about 60yds max due to the lower power. A Kratos or Cayden from AR would also be a good option.

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how big is this backyard? I have a 250z in .25 doing about 65fpe right now it is not backyard friendly unless your backyard is real big. Even the .22 will do like 35-38FPE straight out of the box shooting pellets. I LOVE the 250z with all my heart and I could recommend it for so so so many reasons but this ain’t one of them…it’s $450 and long as a fence post.

OP
Go get an Umarex Komplete. For $200 you’ll get everything you need in the box. The 2 nitro bottles it comes with will be more than enough. The factory scope is trash but the gun is simple, bulletproof, powerful and unreasonably accurate for what it is. I dropped an 11-12lbs Fox from 20y back in feb. 25-30FPE is more than enough for a groundhog as long as your aim is decent.

AirJoe said:

Well, I need to post 10 times to DM on the classifieds, so might as well ask about what I'm here for. I need to get rid of about 5 or 6 groundhogs. Plenty of open space in my yard, I've read .25cal is ideal, but .22 cal is usable. I don't hunt; I only need it for pests. What's the most inexpensive option for dealing with them effectively?

EDIT: Someone suggested opening up the yard to local hunters, so if you're in the Pittsburgh area drop me a line.

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Message sent !!!!!!!!!

AirJoe said:

I got a lucky shot and killed one with a .177 once. I just threw it over the hill. There are foxes and hawks around.

I don't want to make them someone else's problem and I would never drown an animal. That's extremely cruel.

Thanks, I was looking at Umarex as an option. I read some opinions that prefer Gamo as well.

Thanks, replied

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Some people love gamo but I mostly hear negatives tbh. A lot of pcp guys have no use for the Komplete..understandably… but that gun is why I’m here now lol. I liked shooting it so much I had to get a real pcp with more power for coyotes. But for ground hogs it’s savage. People will say use the jsb 18.1s but the 15.89s are better in this gun… but the gamo red fire with the ballistic tip hit way harder than they have any right to…. Either way the gun is simple and effective.

Just don’t be surprised if you fall in love haha. I was a pretty serious(also seriously bad) fly fisherman and backpacker before rediscovering my love of shooting. 2025 has been all airguns all the time for me haha

AirJoe said:

I got a lucky shot and killed one with a .177 once. I just threw it over the hill. There are foxes and hawks around.

I don't want to make them someone else's problem and I would never drown an animal. That's extremely cruel.

Thanks, I was looking at Umarex as an option. I read some opinions that prefer Gamo as well.

Thanks, replied

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I would never drown an animal either . just stating an option depending on your situation .

I’ll provide you some context from someone who got into this hobby the same way you may be about to. I needed a tool to eliminate groundhogs. I went into it looking to do it as affordably as possible. Now over 15 years later I am in this as a full on hobby and have probably spent close to $10,000 in it. I don’t regret it, but it was not what I planned . . .

If that is not something you want to risk, and you truly want the cheapest option, then it might even be cheaper to just go down the path of hiring a pest control company. The options of inviting friends to take care of the problem for you is a great one. The groundhogs could be elusive and it could take time. Trapping and dispatching will be the easiest.

If you chose the Airgun path and face the decision of .22 vs. 25 caliber, both can do the job, with the edge going to .25 obviously. With both calibers, I have had what I thought were excellent shots result in the animal running off. The most extreme example of that was one that I hit with what I thought was a good headshot, resulting in a backflip and legs twitching in the air, and I thought I was done. But then it hopped up and ran off behind cover quickly to die somewhere else, so I missed my chance for a second shot. Groundhogs are hard to kill. After that I made it a rule to always hit them with a second shot as fast as as I could. Now I use my 22 Huben semi auto, hit them in the head, and then immediately pop them two or three more times to make sure they’re fully anchored. That is something that is very hard to do with a lever or bolt action repeater, but easy with the Huben - they never move more than a few feet now.

To minimize the risk of spending too much, I actually suggest spending a bit more upfront. The better a gun you get, the happier you will be with the purchase in the long run. I’m not saying go and buy a top-of-the-line rig, but don’t cheap out. Get a good repeater, because you’re going to need to take more than one shot in many cases. And you can start with a hand pump if you want to - it will get the job done, but if you end up wanting to shoot more, you’ll likely end up buying a direct fill compressor. And once you have that, the decision to buy another gun is a lot easier - even justified. And then rabbit hole is entered . . .

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Have you some fun and get an Avenger 25 and go after them hogs!

My second PCP was a Avenger 25 and I still have it. It is tuned for about 50 fpe shooting 34 grain JSB or FX pellets. It would be a great groundhog rifle IMHO. I don't shoot it much, however, because it is so long. But I made a stock for it that fits me recently and may shoot it more. If you like longer guns it would be a reasonable choice.

I like short guns. So I would get a Stoeger Scout or Bullshark. The Bullshark is more but shorter because it's a bullpup. I have one in 22. I do not have a Scout. The Scout or Bullshark should make around 45 fpe and be quite accurate. I've shot a 198 this year with my Bullshark and with my P35-25 on the 30 yard challenge. A bullshark in 25 should be about $450 and a 25 caliber Scout about $350. In my opinion, these are not cheap guns. They are accurate and a pleasure to use. I enjoy shooting them. There are cheaper PCPs but some do not come in 25 caliber and I worry they might not be as enjoyable to shoot. I like reasonably light crisp trigger pull, for instance. These guns will will have a crisp trigger with a little adjustment. Pull weight varies more than I like but they are safe with a pull weight that varies from about half a pound and a pound. They can be adjusted lower but tend to go off on their own if you try for 1/4 lb. Low end guns typically do not have very good triggers making them harder to shoot accurately. The trigger on my Caiman is better and it cocks with less effort and more smoothly too. But it costs 3 times as much. And it is not more accurate.

A handpump at least initially is very reasonable to keep cost down. I handpumped my Prod at first. But hand pumping my Avenger got me to looking at and buying first a compressor and then a bottle. But I shoot lots of targets. If I only pested I think I could be happy hand pumping. It shouldn't need to be done often after initial pellet testing and scope sight in.

I’m also here for my 10 comments and looking for something to take out groundhogs quickly and quietly.

PneuBoob said:

I’m also here for my 10 comments and looking for something to take out groundhogs quickly and quietly.

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Quietly starts getting expensive.
A lot of $150+ moderators on the market.
A few under $75, Reximex Silent Force if you can find one is pretty effective.

Gun
Low price: Niksan Ozark or Elf. Under $400 accurate and adjustable
Also Umarex Notos and Barra 250z

Bit higher price: AirForce Talon
Umarex Zelos
Reximex Throne 2

High price: for groundhog?

AirJoe said:

Well, I need to post 10 times to DM on the classifieds, so might as well ask about what I'm here for. I need to get rid of about 5 or 6 groundhogs. Plenty of open space in my yard, I've read .25cal is ideal, but .22 cal is usable. I don't hunt; I only need it for pests. What's the most inexpensive option for dealing with them effectively?

EDIT: Someone suggested opening up the yard to local hunters, so if you're in the Pittsburgh area drop me a line.

Click to expand...