Other Is 15.89 jsb .22 pellet at 930-940 fps enough for Raccoon headshot

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I’ve shot a lot of raccoons with my first pcp Royale 400 shooting 18gr 30 fpe. With distance out to 40 yards. I always tried to get them at about 25 yards. I preferred the side profile head shot. I do remember taking one with a heart and lung, it jumped straight up like three feet then fell and died in the same spot I shotnit. You’re a tad over 30fpe from the muzzle with those pellets. All the 22 rifles I’ve had that are capable of getting and 18 gr to 30 fpe have shot them better than 15gr. But that’s just my mileage.
 
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sure, a good square headshot you can drop almost anything with even less power .. in the real world though theres lots of variables and more often than not, i like a 'blanket middle' shot that is gonna hit the head to the chest or neck no matter what .. banking on a critter sitting still and presenting the perfect shot with your adrenalin levels off the charts on top of it while your critter remains a viable target isnt conducive to a sure stop .. neither is a .22 or even a .25 on something as large as a big coon .. alittle larger like .30 -.35 now, starts eliminating the variables and how much room you got to play with, its gonna penetrate deep into something important no matter what most likely and anchor it .. so .22 yeah, 1/2 are likely to run off ... .35 most wont make it out of a 2 foot circle lol ..
 
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I had a serious problem with them tearing into my roof. I tried several head shot led pellets and literally saw several coons just shake it off and continue doing their business. I switched to hard tipped ammo like red flights and it was instant lights out death dance with head shots. I was using a .22 maurader at max power. It's actually what got me into pcps 15 years ago.
 
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Thanks for all the input! I have an ulterior motive though. Recently my dead squirrels were disappearing during the daytime and it took me a while to find out where they were going. Usually them disappeared overnight so I though probably a cat or something, but never during daylight hours. The daytime disappearances had me stumped until one day I shot a possum (it was accidental) and set it out in my back yard grass. After a short while I caught something happening out of the corner of my eye and it was a Bald Eagle tearing into the possum. I sat and watched national geographic in my back yard for a fair bit while the Eagle had lunch. I caught the Eagle swooping for the squirrel yesterday but that was a smash and grab, not sit and dine. The Crows weren't much help either...they pestered that Eagle like crazy.

So, if I get a coon, and drop him straight down, there's a good chance at another show while the eagle dines....
 
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I live on a lake and have seen an eagle pluck a fish out of the lake several times but I have not seen them go for a land animal. But I do have a hawk that comes by some and it scares the squirrels off big time. I saw the hawk on one side of a tree one time when a squirrel was on the other side of the tree. The squirrel had more patience than the hawk and stayed still until the hawk flew away. I think there is an adult raccoon hanging around too and I've seen a possum and a fox. Plus there are feral cats. I do my best to see that nothing I shoot runs off but if it happens, there are animals that probably appreciate the "treat".
 
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I am going with a big no on the OPs question, not enough horsepower on tap. Some raccoons die hard. I would want a heavier pellet to reduce ricochet possibility and to ensure penetration through the skull and deeper penetration elsewhere. Something like a JSB 34 at 900 fps generally puts a raccoon down.

I usually give raccoons a pass. I did have to take a large male down recently. He kept trying to pull my bluebird houses down despite having a stove pipe baffle on the poles. He also got up on the deck and when my wife stepped outside he hissed at her and did not run off. So he got a .25 34 grain in the noggin at 30 yards one night and he went down fast. There are several others that behave so I let them be.

But again, raccoons can die hard and if the animals getting off your property is a problem I would recommend another removal method. I have used the live traps and then shoot them in the trap. I do not relocate them as that can be cruel and illegal and unethical.
 
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3Crows said:
I am going with a big no on the OPs question, not enough horsepower on tap. Some raccoons die hard. I would want a heavier pellet to reduce ricochet possibility and to ensure penetration through the skull and deeper penetration elsewhere. Something like a JSB 34 at 900 fps generally puts a raccoon down.

I usually give raccoons a pass. I did have to take a large male down recently. He kept trying to pull my bluebird houses down despite having a stove pipe baffle on the poles. He also got up on the deck and when my wife stepped outside he hissed at her and did not run off. So he got a .25 34 grain in the noggin at 30 yards one night and he went down fast. There are several others that behave so I let them be.

But again, raccoons can die hard and if the animals getting off your property is a problem I would recommend another removal method. I have used the live traps and then shoot them in the trap. I do not relocate them as that can be cruel and illegal and unethical.
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I learned a lot in this thread about raccoons. I was not aware of how thick their angular skull was and the importance of shooting head on vs. a side view for a shot between the eyes and the ear. I did find this out the hard way a couple of times with my own experience. I also agree that smaller weight pellets and less powerful rifles, may have more ricochet potential and less penetration of their thick skin and skulls. I also experienced this same thing.

If I could revise my initial answer, I would now tend to agree with using a .25 cal or .30 caliber ( or even a HP .22 caliber ) with larger pellets than a 15.89. The 34G was a great pellet in my .25 Taipan Long and in retrospect, may have saved me some aggravation.
 
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You can shoot them between the eyes but a dense projectile with some energy behind it is required. Most of us all learned the hard way because we were trying to deal with them long before topics like this were floating around.

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Yes more power never hurts. The funny thing is the only coons I have ever had run off or try to get away have all been chest shots with high power rifles. 2 coons with my 22 lr and one with my .30 cal impact. They all died within 30 yds but all my head shot coons with my lowly .22 cal 18 fpe and .25 cal 35 fpe setups died where they were standing. My experience may not be the same as someone else but thats to be expected since the other persons experience is with their shooting ability and their rifles accuracy, Their understanding of anatomy, shot placement and when to shoot or not to shoot. Its up to the individual if they can get the right results with their experience, ability and their equipments ability. I wouldnt even think twice about grabbing my .22 18 fpe again to take a coon out of a tree at 25 yds or less.
 
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frosterrj said:
Peanut bandits eating my squirrel food/bait but wasn't sure this was enough power at 20-22 yards for a clean kill. Couldn't risk a wounded one jumping the fence to neighbors yard then croaking...
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a decent head shot and the coon is still on its feet but dazed then follow up gangland style works also , did it plenty of times in Oak
Park IL ( lot size 35 feet wide and 120 feet deep .) shot @ 25 feet with a Tempest .177 7.2 grain wadcutters , they either dead on the spot or sat there brain 1/2 gone . not the best thing to do but i didn't know adult air guns existed . I thought the Tempest was just that .

I always tried to put the pellet in through the eye and out of the opposite ear angle shot , not that it exited with the Tempest but it sure killed them .
 
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