First some boring background: I recently planted a 30 ft tree (by crane) that two squirrels decided to nest in. There are far better, older, sturdier, trees for them in the immediate area. No idea why they chose this one. They built one nest, I tore it down. They built a second, I tore it down. They built a third and now it's war. I generally like squirrels but the problem is they strip young surrounding branches to build a nest (over a hundred stripped branches) and create a bare damaged limb (called a lion's tail). I'm trying to grow this tree full, not strip it bare. Now I need those twits dead. There is no squirrel specific poison that's sold in stores. I could set cage traps but several add up to a couple hundred bucks easily. Snap traps don't work on squirrels. They freak out with the trap on their head and shake it off. My last option was an airgun but I need something loaded and ready to go. That eliminates CO2 because it can't be stored charged. Springers take too long to load and pump plus critters seem to know what the pump sound means: danger. I thought a break-barrel Swarm Maxxim with a 10-pellet mag was a decent answer, but now I learn the magazine can't be stored loaded without damaging the internal spring. Also, the stock scope took me 80 rounds to dial in to where I was hitting bullseyes with the reticle on a 5/8" flo orange dot at 20 yards using JSB Stratons. But today I tried to hit a resting squirrel at approx 20 yards and it didn't flinch - meaning my shots were too far off. So what gives? Are scoped airguns just for target games at a fixed distance and predetermined conditions? Can PCPs be stored pumped and ready to go? I need a fast reliable solution. Also, the Swarm scope shows me three orange bullseyes on one 6" black circular target. Like a kaleidoscope effect but I'm totally sober! Yet only the orange dot is duplicated, not the entire target. Can someone explain that? I have very little airgun experience. The Swarm scope is my first. I feel like I can do better with a fiber optic site. Any advice is appreciated.
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Back to the drawing board
- Thread starter HiwaKika
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PCP are preferred to remain pressurized from what I have been reading. I was able to take a squirrel earlier this week with my ruger impact max that is a nitro piston. I was able to shoot at it twice as first shot missed then second shot was in the head at 20 yards. Make sure your scope is tightly mounted. Squirrel you really need to be patient maybe bate them on a table for one like another member has done and had great success.
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No problem leaving a Co2 rig charged at all. Any of them with a sealed pressure tube ( not just the cart holding gas) like the QB78 - a great value in airguns - are good to go.
John
John
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I kept CO2 in my Walther 1894 lever action and it was dead every time I needed it.
I might give it another shot tomorrow with a fresh cartridge. The QB78 looks fun. Thank you.
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The scope rattled loose during initial setup. Today it was tight. Tomorrow I will redial in the scope. Really wish the Swarm had a fiber optic sight as a fallback.
Will definitely look into PCP. Thank you!
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my 1000x spring piston has claimed a few fatty squirrels so far ranging from 10yd to 30yd and is an instant kill every time, using both fixed sights and 4x32 barska contour. 950fps/7.9cphp. and gave a raccoon a quickly fatal brain hemorrhage from 40yd. with that being said I've taken cottontails from 10ft to 10yd with my 400fps umarex xpc/xbg co2 pistol, which I leave a 12g canister in at all times for 2+ years now.
so it really boils down to shooting ability and knowing your rifle/powerplant. also take note to sighted elevation differences and different pellet type trajectories. gravity plays different effects on upward/downward shooting angles in airguns and pellet weights/shapes.
so it really boils down to shooting ability and knowing your rifle/powerplant. also take note to sighted elevation differences and different pellet type trajectories. gravity plays different effects on upward/downward shooting angles in airguns and pellet weights/shapes.
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Well, I know my Nitro Piston rifles can remain charged for quite a while, without damaging it.
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U know.if I was in ur shoes .I would get a maximus in 22..very acurite.and not expensive. Alex
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I dont understand how a springer takes too long to load and pump? If you know where they live and hang out just wait til they come out and load your gun and shoot them. If your looking for a good excuse to give the wife to spend money on a PCP and gear I totally get it. Just blame us. lol. But a quality springer will do the job just fine. Most of us used pumpers and springers for years with no issues. Good luck.
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Have to throw in another vote for the .22 Maximus for the money and what your wanting to do it would be a great option
the Maximus hunter comes with a very usable mil dot scope and rings and can be had from crosman for sub $200
hunter model also comes with a threaded muzzle so adding an ldc to quiet things down is a snap Other mods are also easily done on this rifle and though it is a single shot at 20 yds almost nothing in the small game community will stand a chance
Buy the maxi hunter using crosman s 25% off coupon code and order it on Friday for free shipping and you have a great pcp for around $165
add e bay hand pump for $35-45 and your shooting pcp s on the cheap
Mine shoots lights out to 40 yds anytime and isn't pellet picky at all
pcpfan37
the Maximus hunter comes with a very usable mil dot scope and rings and can be had from crosman for sub $200
hunter model also comes with a threaded muzzle so adding an ldc to quiet things down is a snap Other mods are also easily done on this rifle and though it is a single shot at 20 yds almost nothing in the small game community will stand a chance
Buy the maxi hunter using crosman s 25% off coupon code and order it on Friday for free shipping and you have a great pcp for around $165
add e bay hand pump for $35-45 and your shooting pcp s on the cheap
Mine shoots lights out to 40 yds anytime and isn't pellet picky at all
pcpfan37
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I actually have a XBG. Got it to scare off raccoons. Left it charged for over a year. Haven't touched it in a long while. Will test it today. Also have a 40XP that I never touch.
I want my shots to go precisely where I sight the crosshairs at any height, angle, or distance (within the gun's reach) without readjusting the scope. Are you saying I can't have that? Curves, sliders, changeups, and knucklers are for a different sport. A gun that can't shoot straight is useless unless you're aiming at a pod, flock, or herd, etc.
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Have to throw in another vote for the .22 Maximus for the money and what your wanting to do it would be a great option
the Maximus hunter comes with a very usable mil dot scope and rings and can be had from crosman for sub $200
hunter model also comes with a threaded muzzle so adding an ldc to quiet things down is a snap Other mods are also easily done on this rifle and though it is a single shot at 20 yds almost nothing in the small game community will stand a chance
Buy the maxi hunter using crosman s 25% off coupon code and order it on Friday for free shipping and you have a great pcp for around $165
add e bay hand pump for $35-45 and your shooting pcp s on the cheap
Mine shoots lights out to 40 yds anytime and isn't pellet picky at all
pcpfan37
Interesting. There's a 20% off Tuesday code but free shipping is only on Fridays (over $149) and only one code is allowed per purchase. Didn't see a 25% off code.
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You may be able to set your scope's zero range so that you have a relatively long "point blank range" so that the pellet will hit withing half an inch of your point of aim. However, you are not going to get everything you said you want. The problem is, you are looking through a scope, and light travels in a straight line (for our purpose), but pellets follow a ballistic trajectory, which is a curve. Furthermore, at angles above 45 degrees or so, gravity has much less effect on trajectory as it relates to your line of sight. So, no, you can't have that. But I do think that if your ranges are less than 50 yards, but greater than 15, you can have something that is pretty close. A lot of us here that hunt squirrels go for head shots, and that requires more precision. Heart/lung shots, however, are bigger kill zones, and if that is what you are going for, you should be able to find an acceptable setup. As far as you comment about a gun that can't shoot straight being useless, well, no gun that pushes a projectile shoots straight. Every projectile follows a curve. It's just that at our slower velocities, us airgunners have to be much better shooters to hit our target, and being a better shooter can't be a bad thing. Hope you find something that fits the bill, and that in the process, you catch the fever most of us here consider a normal part of life!
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Springers work for the first shot if the critter isn't gone by the time you pump it. Pumping again for the next shot usually scares off the animal. I got a squirrel once with a Daisy 880 bb right behind the ear first shot. It was a one shot situation. I also had a camo Daisy 856 pellet that was dead accurate - no scope. Both guns no longer hold pressure. Granted, those were cheap guns but pumping and loading one pellet at a time is too slow. Haven't tried to camp out and wait for squirrels to show up. Maybe that's what it'll take eventually. Squirrels pass through here daily but my shot angles are limited by homes and humans on a jogging trail. I just want something accurate and ready to go. Thanks.
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OP, your post is...interesting. I have had two Swarms, both in .22, and my neighbor has one in .177. I would consider them ideal for your purposes once you tank the scope supplied with it. I got an inexpensive Hammers 3-9X32 AO for about $56 on Amazon for each of those rifles, and they work extremely well. All of the magazines are left loaded, with no perceived damage at all, either to the spring or to the retaining O-ring. And if they damaged? No biggie...I'll just buy more at $13.00 a pop.
All of the Swarms I have shot might not be bona fide tack drivers, but all are extremely accurate. They are certainly more than accurate enough to shoot squirrels at twenty yards! But, you do have to work with the rifle, in the style in which you will be shooting. For instance, I'm referring to accuracy shooting off a rest...if I switch to offhand shooting suddenly, I'm not gonna claim that I, personally, will drive tacks with that rifle! I might resort to a Trigger Stick for in the field accuracy, but honestly, for tree shooting, I've always used shotguns!
I'm not certain if you're in a rural or urban setting, but might I suggest that if you're out in the country, away from prying neighbors, a conventional shotgun might actually be the most practical and direct way to solving your problem! If you're in a city, well...carry on. Use that Swarm! It's up to the task, and you already have it! Use it!
All of the Swarms I have shot might not be bona fide tack drivers, but all are extremely accurate. They are certainly more than accurate enough to shoot squirrels at twenty yards! But, you do have to work with the rifle, in the style in which you will be shooting. For instance, I'm referring to accuracy shooting off a rest...if I switch to offhand shooting suddenly, I'm not gonna claim that I, personally, will drive tacks with that rifle! I might resort to a Trigger Stick for in the field accuracy, but honestly, for tree shooting, I've always used shotguns!
I'm not certain if you're in a rural or urban setting, but might I suggest that if you're out in the country, away from prying neighbors, a conventional shotgun might actually be the most practical and direct way to solving your problem! If you're in a city, well...carry on. Use that Swarm! It's up to the task, and you already have it! Use it!
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Great post, thank you. So basically airgunners are playing air golf with pellets. Aiming off target to hit the target is an art form. Is that the concept?
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I'm near Los Angeles - not rural - so shotguns are out. Have you experienced the triplicated bullseye I described? Maybe the stock scope doesn't like flo orange or something. Without a fixed sight I need a trustworthy scope but wasn't planning on sinking a lot of money into eliminating a few squirrels. This is a journey I didn't expect. I agree the Swarm should be adequate. Your advice is appreciated.
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No, I didn't experience the bullseye that you did, but that may be an issue with eye relief...or simply that the supplied scope is...simply put...garbage. I hear ya regarding not wanting to spend money, but I'll make an observation...for what you have spent on your Swarm, you could have used that $200 on those traps you mentioned in your first post! So, I suspect, like me, you might be wanting to be a little more 'sporting' about the problem!
I'm in a urban area north of LA, and I understand the 'no shotgun' issue for certain! I have found the Hammers scope to be quite adequate and reliable from Amazon, although Amazon's packaging leaves MUCH to be desired! As I step up in scope quality in my airgun journey, I'm stepping away from Amazon because of their crappy packaging, and buying my scopes from Pyramyd Air, and as time goes along, probably from other vendors, as well. Yes, it takes much longer to get my merchandise, unless I wanna pony up the big bux, but when it gets here, it's safe and sound!
So, in short, I suggest you stick with your Swarm, get a good scope for it, don't worry about the magazines, and learn how to drive tacks in the shooting style that you'll be using on them thar varmints! You'll have a lotta fun along the way!
I'm in a urban area north of LA, and I understand the 'no shotgun' issue for certain! I have found the Hammers scope to be quite adequate and reliable from Amazon, although Amazon's packaging leaves MUCH to be desired! As I step up in scope quality in my airgun journey, I'm stepping away from Amazon because of their crappy packaging, and buying my scopes from Pyramyd Air, and as time goes along, probably from other vendors, as well. Yes, it takes much longer to get my merchandise, unless I wanna pony up the big bux, but when it gets here, it's safe and sound!
So, in short, I suggest you stick with your Swarm, get a good scope for it, don't worry about the magazines, and learn how to drive tacks in the shooting style that you'll be using on them thar varmints! You'll have a lotta fun along the way!
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I'm pretty sure that rat poison will off a squirrel. Buy a cuppla pieces of 2" or 3" ABS or PVC pipe between 2' and 3' long, put a tee with a threaded plug in the middle. Lay the contraption close to where said squirrels hang out and stake it down. Put some poison in the tee part by removing the threaded plug in the middle and replacing once done. Only small animals/rodents can get into the pipe far enough to eat the poison, dogs, cats, etc, can't reach the poison because they are too big to get into the small pipe, so are safe.
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Quote from hiwikaka
Interesting. There's a 20% off Tuesday code but free shipping is only on Fridays (over $149) and only one code is allowed per purchase. Didn't see a 25% off code.
What’s real interesting is the 25% off code is at
the top of the forum page above this very thread
Pcpfan37
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