Small Bird Hunting: Hard Impact or Expansion

[Trekker]

I have had a problem with house sparrows eating up my grass seed. I have been shooting my pellet gun for 7 years and am a good shot but I had never tried shooting the house sparrows. I am worried that I might shoot a bird and it get away only to die on another persons property from its injury. I nearly had this happen the first time I shot one when the bird jumped over my fence and into my neighbors yard, I managed to get that one but next time I might not be so lucky (I was using a less powerful daisy powerline 35). Now to the question:



When hunting small birds like house sparrows is it better to use a pellet that transfers as much energy to the bird as possible (like a wad cutter) or a pellet that expands like a hollow point? 

I am currently using a crosman 2100 shooting crosman premier hollow points or crosman domes. I also use crosman destroyers but feel that their shape does not lend to as good of an accuracy as domes do at a range. 

 

[Jheikkila]

Those birds are not very big in size. A well placed shot with any kind of pellet will do the trick. I have shot some with a few different air guns and pellet combos and all have worked good. I’m not a expert but if your getting a direct head or chest shot and they are flying away it may be a power issue not a pellet issue. I have used jsb domes and crossman pellets both with success.

 

[cea1960]

You want a pellet to dump it's energy rather than a pass through. I don't think there's enough mass for any kind of expansion. I use wadcutters and when less than 25yds, destroyers as my .177 2400KT shoots them accurately enough out to 25yds.



.177 destroyer from 13yds. 7fpe at the muzzle.

 

[markT]

I killed over 900 last year over sunflowers. I used a FX Streamline (177) on lowest power setting. Hit them dead center with JSB's. They won't go anywhere but down. Good luck

ck. 

 

[nervoustrig]

A wadcutter is the best short-range (max 25-30 yards) option in my experience. It will be more forgiving of a slightly misplaced shot. Granted I’ve also removed a lot of house sparrows with domed pellets at only 5-6fpe at the muzzle, but I have to take care that the shot is well placed center mass, or the head if I have a good rest.

 

[Grin_Reaver]

I killed over 900 last year over sunflowers. I used a FX Streamline (177) on lowest power setting. Hit them dead center with JSB's. They won't go anywhere but down. Good luck

ck.

So you shot an Ostrich worth of sparrows in weight.wow

 

[Guest]

Mark T, the bird in the picture looks like a female house finch to me. 

 

[markT]

I always thought they were English Sparrows.. they destroyed two of my three dove fields that were planted in Clearfield Sunflower. I did have a lot of yellow finches in the field too but did not shoot them.