i got the henry 22 lever for under 500 it was on sale 99 off. digging thru my stuff i found an old red field 3x9 scope LOL still looks clear as a bell.
Upvote 0
N/A old man that is newby to air guns
- Thread starter banjopicker
- Start date
ok good 4 you ,one shot kills.when you want a good springer get the R-9.....for fun and shooting smaller stuff.
.
.
Upvote 0
GTA stalwart Mark611 has bagged dozens of groundhogs out to 70 yards or so with his Diana 460 Mag .22 cal. That would be my choice for the job, as well, being one of the most accurate as well as most powerful coilspring guns around.
I think you could score a used 460 Mag for 300 USD.
I think you could score a used 460 Mag for 300 USD.
Upvote 0
Am I reading your profile right? You are 123 years young? Way to go and still shooting, I'm impressed!I too are an OLD MAN and just the thought of a hand pump increases my pain !
Upvote 0
no just feel like it most days,,,since i retired the timing worked out where my MOL got covid and double pneumonia at the same time.. she almost died
and after 3 weeks in the hospital she could not look after herself anymore. so we moved her in with us and my wife still works full time in the health care business so i am my MOL caregiver .. not much time for any of my fun stuff now . and its made me old . 68 going on 98 somedays. but not 123 LOL. BY THE WAY,, I UPDATED MY PROFILE
Last edited:
Upvote 0
A break barrel will be too loud and not powerful enough for many situations.
A suppressed subsonic 22LR would be my choice can the suppressor will be the most expensive item.
High powered PCP Airguns can do the job but not as cheap or easy as the rimfire.
Upvote 0
He also claims to shoot as well as Si Pittaway
. I've killed dozens of them too. Most of them on my friend's cattle ranch and a couple here. The closest was here at the house at 18 yards with a 15 fpe 22 cal Hw95. Head shot, DRT. So it is possible. The furthest was here at 320 yards with a 223. Centermass and still crawled a bit. I've shot them anywhere in between those distances with 22lr, 17 hmr and 223. Under 50 yards a 22lr will work ok, 50-100 yards a 17 HMR will do. 100+ yards, a 223 or better. Counting on making every head shot on a small live animal at any distance past 30 or 40 yards with a pellet gun is irresponsible. That goes for longer distances with heavier equipment as well. You can't always cherry pick your environmental conditions, live animals can move at any time and us regular humans are subject to making any number of errors.
Whatever weapon you choose it has to be capable of passing through or quickly damaging the vitals. Diehard varmint shooters use hi speed fragmenting bullets and take body shots. They basically grenade the internals. Believing you're making every head shot on a small animal at 50 plus yards (with anything) is delusional. At least it is for us regular human beings. Especially with piston airguns
Upvote 0
Heads, or more accurately brains, are a tiny target, and also a fast-moving one. A jaw hit, or a nose hit, will be nothing short of torture for the game animal.
Luckily, there is no need for brain shots when you use enough of a gun and pellet. A 20 - 30 fpe, .22 or .25 cal springer will take even large small game cleanly with body shots, where the target is both much larger as well as slower moving. A usual reaction to such a hit is a short run and quick expiration without much ado. There is zero chance of surviving a pencil-sized hole straight through the heart/lungs area. That has been my experience over the years, out to 60 yards.
Luckily, there is no need for brain shots when you use enough of a gun and pellet. A 20 - 30 fpe, .22 or .25 cal springer will take even large small game cleanly with body shots, where the target is both much larger as well as slower moving. A usual reaction to such a hit is a short run and quick expiration without much ado. There is zero chance of surviving a pencil-sized hole straight through the heart/lungs area. That has been my experience over the years, out to 60 yards.
Upvote 0
Sorry for the double post, but I feel the need to stress that a R9 / HW95 or similar-spec gun cannot clear the situational bar presented in my previous post. Shooting at a 20 lb.+ animal with winter fur on, at 20 yards on up, a 14 - 15 fpe ME .22 cal pellet will be dragged down by the fur, which encases the pellet as it enters the body, sometimes dropping penetration to only two inches or so. At 20 fpe and up, this issue evaporates, and the pellets fly through the winter fur and ribs on both sides, making reliable, quick kills.
Upvote 0
I pretty much agree with most everything you said. Woodchucks are usually a problem and hunted here as nuisance animals in summer. They're seldom over 20lbs but they're tough critters. I'd still personally prefer a firearm over a piston gun for them. I know you're not in the US. Out of curiosity, what type of small game are you hunting that's 20 plus pounds with winter fur?
Upvote 0
