I just got a .177 hw45. Think its enough for rats? I can easily get 5-8 yards on them.
5fpe enough for rats?
- Thread starter vmaxpro
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A rats scull is thin, so if at 5-8 yards you can hit them in the scull with the hw, then for me yes.
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...depends upon where you hit them...
...Is a 7mm enough for elephants...???...was for Walter D.M. Bell...
Walter D.M. Bell has become a legend among elephant hunters due to his great success in the ivory trade during the golden age of hunting in East Africa. He is known as “Karamojo” Bell due to his numerous safaris through this remote wilderness area in North Eastern Uganda. He is famous for perfecting the brain shot on elephants, dissecting their skulls and making a careful study of the anatomy of the skull, so he could predict paths of bullet travel from a shot at any angle in order to reach the brain. Using mostly 6.5mm and 7mm caliber rifles, he was an advocate of shot placement over big bore power for killing efficiently.
W.D.M. Bell and His Elephants (chuckhawks.com)
W. D. M. Bell - Wikipedia
...Is a 7mm enough for elephants...???...was for Walter D.M. Bell...
Walter D.M. Bell has become a legend among elephant hunters due to his great success in the ivory trade during the golden age of hunting in East Africa. He is known as “Karamojo” Bell due to his numerous safaris through this remote wilderness area in North Eastern Uganda. He is famous for perfecting the brain shot on elephants, dissecting their skulls and making a careful study of the anatomy of the skull, so he could predict paths of bullet travel from a shot at any angle in order to reach the brain. Using mostly 6.5mm and 7mm caliber rifles, he was an advocate of shot placement over big bore power for killing efficiently.
W.D.M. Bell and His Elephants (chuckhawks.com)
W. D. M. Bell - Wikipedia
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I hunt squirrels with 6-7fpe out to 25 yards. You'll be fine.
That gun is REALLY PURDEE. What is it?
OP, I have shot them, poorly with too little light, and YES they do stink horribly when they run off and die. You have to get a prefect noggen shot only. They don't just flop over that easily.
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Squirrels are a lot tougher than rats! So, if 6-7 fps will take a squirrel at 25 yards, I think you'll be fine with 5 fps at the range you will be shooting them. Also, in my experience, a heart/lung shot on a rat will drop them just as easily as a head shot, with less chance of missing.
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I like wadcutters for this too. Crow Magnums as well if your gun likes them. They may be a bit too heavy though.
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I hunt squirrels with 6-7fpe out to 25 yards. You'll be fine.
That gun is REALLY PURDEE. What is it?
OP, I have shot them, poorly with too little light, and YES they do stink horribly when they run off and die. You have to get a prefect noggen shot only. They don't just flop over that easily.
It's an old FWB 300 Mini. The stock is beech instead of the walnut all on these Minis, and someone refinished this one at some point. They are great guns, but I don't like them much for hunting. The sled system doesn't like shooting at steep angles, and the anti-beartrap ratchet makes a ton of racket when cocking it. The accuracy is there, and the stock fit is great though.
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Got a squirrel at 43 yards with crosman pointed pellet 650fps at muzzle or 7 fpe. At 15 yards a crosman 7.9 hollow point pellet 550fps at muzzle or 5.5 FPE can punch through 1/2 inch wet pine board. So at 5-8 yards 3-4 fpe or 450-500FPS will still be more than plenty for rats.
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good to know! I live in the desert and these damn rats are everywhere in the palm trees against the house. So im hopin the hw45 gets it done!
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Post pictures of your haul! you should get an ATN scope and go to town!!!! Or a cheap ebay infrared scope camera. I got all the crap because I watched way too many youtube videos and I only occasionally catch rats in my rat traps and I shot couple of them that were still barely alive and got pass through with 600 fps and can't even find the pellets after. I say 500 fps out to 30 yards shouldn't be a problem! In some ways I'm jealous you got rats!!! hahaha
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I went rat shooting last nite, used a 10 meter pistol (450 fps, 8 grain wadcutter) and a FX crown dialed back to 7 ft lb's. Wadcutters are the most humane (by a long shot, to use a pun) and I've "doubled" rats with the Crown. Two rats, one shot while they were standing together.
My friend and I took over 30 rats- no complaints from the vermin and minimal damage to the barn. The outside, interior walls are sheet rocked and both guns will penetrate through them.
Anything more than 7 ft lbs, and there is a danger of penetrating through the old barns wood, ventilating it and possibly striking farm animals in other paddocks within.
Go for it!
My friend and I took over 30 rats- no complaints from the vermin and minimal damage to the barn. The outside, interior walls are sheet rocked and both guns will penetrate through them.
Anything more than 7 ft lbs, and there is a danger of penetrating through the old barns wood, ventilating it and possibly striking farm animals in other paddocks within.
Go for it!
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At that distance 5fpe at the muzzle is more than enough to kill rats. Heart or head shots.
Precision/accuracy is the key.
Also, I would not necessarily recommend wad cutters at that fpe and distance. Pass through is not going to be a huge issue, so domed pellets will do just fine.
There is not going to be much expansion from WC or HP pellets at that velocity anyway, if any.
Precision/accuracy is the key.
Also, I would not necessarily recommend wad cutters at that fpe and distance. Pass through is not going to be a huge issue, so domed pellets will do just fine.
There is not going to be much expansion from WC or HP pellets at that velocity anyway, if any.
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I stopped trying for head shots after having to use a finishing shot too often on bad head shots and sometimes have a maimed target run off to die a slow death where I could do nothing. Heart/lung shots give a slightly larger kill zone and result in more clean kills for me. Head shots are impressive, but harder to make consistently with clean kills. If you can make them, go for it!
If you can use a higher caliber than .177 and higher fpe, then you can explode the target. I don't have that luxury where I shoot so accuracy/precision is key with the smaller .177 caliber and lower fpe.
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Got 6 last night! 5fpe was more than enough. I actually used the half cock feature for 380fps for the ones against the house and even that dropped them pretty good. I used a mix of rws hobby and polymags. Couldnt tell much difference so stuck with the cheaper hobbys. The ones in the tops of the palm trees were the best I think the fall to the ground killed them quicker than the shot lol. Ive got to limit the mice and rats here, they bring in rattlesnakes and Ive got little kids here. Which brings me to my next question, is 5fpe enough for rattlesnakes? 
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WAY TO GO!!! At under 15 yards just use the cheapest pellets you can find, get crosman hollowpoint which is the cheapest pellets I can find and damn effective.
rattlers or snakes in general are pretty fragile so 5FPE to the head should be more than enough but their brain is TINY! That or just a good old fashion shovel because the smaller ones are damn near impossible to spot let along shoot.
rattlers or snakes in general are pretty fragile so 5FPE to the head should be more than enough but their brain is TINY! That or just a good old fashion shovel because the smaller ones are damn near impossible to spot let along shoot.
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If I saw a rattler first thing I'd grab my 25 LCS SK19 and flick that happy switch (full auto)!!!
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I seriously feel like Im 12 again, and the best part is my wife loves me to shoot rats they destroy vehicles here. I picked off one tonight right in the dome, and another body shot. Honestly, the gto pellets are kickin butt! But kinda pricey, so Im gonna shoot these up and go back to some wadcutters.
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