The Ultimate Rat Gun

[Zebra13]

Gents,

Of late, I have spent most of my waking hours watching rat hunting videos on YouTube, so much so that I'm beginning to talk with a British accent, and use words like "cracking", and terms like "a useful piece of kit". Gawd... does ratting look like about as much fun as one could have with their clothes on...

Well, the other day I was telling a friend about these videos and he said he has a rat problem under his chicken coop. Upon hearing this, I realized...and I'm sure you just did as well...this was the perfect justification to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a rat specific PCP air rifle equipped with a night vision scope. Gotta help a friend out, right?

So I started thinking about the rifle and what I would want my ultimate rat gun to entail. So far, I've come up with:



A high shot count. Who wants to have to stop and air-up during a ratting frenzy?

The ability to be tuned down for indoor/barnyard ratting scenarios.

A good trigger.

Accurate (kinda goes without saying)

Good, AFFORDABLE magazines. I'm no tightwad, but something about 90 dollar magazines really chaps my arse. And I think one would want a goodly number of magazines as who wants to stop and reload mags during a ratting frenzy?

Something that aquits itself well to shooting off of a bench and tripod, i.e., something that looks like a traditional rifle and not a spaceship.

22 caliber, as it may be called on to dispatch bigger critters at some point.

Side lever.



When I picture this gun, I keep coming back to the Brocock Sniper HR (I LOVE the look of that rifle), except the magazines are stupid expensive. Another thought is the Wildcat III, but I'd have to check one out in person to ascertain its "rifleness". Or, sticking with the Brits way of doing things, a Weihrauch HW100 or an AA 510, but I'd have to investigate adjustability and shot count...

So, what say you? Any other features worth noting? What would be your ultimate rat gun?

Thanks for your replies,

Justin



Moderator: This topic could have gone in a couple different forums. As my ultimate rat gun will be a PCP, I put it here. If it is more appropriate in another forum, my apologies.

 

[Glem.Chally]

Shot capacity should play into it.

Impact suits my needs perfectly.

Made this a few days ago from 2 rat sessions at a dairy farm. 

https://youtu.be/ZC7M3qI_U1Y

 

[gendoc]

AV avenger .22 and the pard-08

adjustability to anything you need to shoot pesting at night, within reason of course.....

a medium dollar NV scope and a entry level pcp that performs quite well.

i have the avenger and an atn x-sight 4k-pro and a sightmark photon.

they all work great. but that pard-08 i hear is just absurd in functionallity !!!

 

[L.Leon]

My Bantam Sniper HR .22 has proven to be an efficient rat killer. Kills from 15 to 55 yards, many, many kills at 40-45 yards. I almost feel sorry for the rats in my crosshairs, NOT! Mine has six transfer port settings. Which helps on the sub 20 yard shots.

 

[TylerE.]

I bought a used .177 FX Crown for my "night" gun that I demolish Starlings with. Shot count, adjustability, lightweight. I grabbed a couple used mags off of the classifieds and go to town on the "black shiny scourge"! I opted to go with a nitesite viper so that I wouldn't have to change scopes if I wanted a non-digtial daytime scope. Also, not having to hunch over my gun for extended amounts of time is also great. The nitesite makes it more like a video game, just point and shoot.

I also have a Brocock sniper XR and love it too. I think that either one would serve you well. I do like that the FX mags hold more and don't let me close it on an empty chamber. Not a biggie, but I hate wasted air on the 11th shot from the Brocock. If you decide to get the Brocock, I have a few mags that I would sell you. I bought a used gun that came with 6 mags and I have never found a use for them all at once. Good luck and have fun in the research, that is half the fun! 

 

[biohazardman]

I would think that the Prod would be a good start and made in USA. Very lightweight, small in size and not overly powerful so less likely to damage things. Only eight shots in the magazine but magazines are very inexpensive so you can have allot of them. Parts are readily available and Crosman service is excellent.

https://www.crosman.com/benjamin-marauder-air-pistol-22

I think the SK-19, partly made in the USA, with fast, semi-auto, fallow ups, would be the ultimate rat gun. I'm trying to get mine set up to do the job but getting it to shoot lighter weight pellets accurately at reasonable, under 700fps velocities has been a problem thus far. It has done great with medium and heavy pellets though. Think I just need to find the perfect pellet.



Then there is the other ultimate. The Impact like Glem shows is a great gun for the job. Mine is shooting at .25 slugs at 74fpe at the moment but I do have a 500mm .177 barrel kit for it and with a valve spring change I think it may shoot the .177 again? Something I will have to try again someday soon.

So many choices there are I wish you luck at getting the best you can.

 

[JungleShooter]

Gents,
[...] Upon hearing this, I realized... and I'm sure you just did as well... this was the perfect justification to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a rat specific PCP air rifle equipped with a night vision scope. 

Gotta help a friend out, right?

So, what say you?

Justin,

thanks for brightening my day with the lines above!!  



And coming to the forum to ask your fellow AG nuts to help you spend your money, well, you came to the right place, because.... we gotta help a friend out, right?!



Hope you'll find your perfect rig! 

And if you're looking for perfectly ridiculous justifications to buy gear... — how about a dual setup: NV AND thermal? That way you can track them even when their hiding!



Matthias 

 

[Healthservices]

I have the same setup as biohazard except in .22 I also have the same issues with slowing the pellets down. Too light a pellet and you will hear the loud crack of the pellet as it breaks the sound barrier. Too little air presure and the semi auto action does not advance.. So I use a heavier pellet. It is so nice to be able to make a quick follow-up shot. But the magazine is so slow to load compared to a fx.

I also use the fx impact compact. It is nice to have a back up magazine just sitting there. One fill of the tank will last you the night. 

 

[Hoggnutz]

AV Avenger in either .177 or .22 caliber. At $300 it has the features and accuracy of a gun easily $1000 more expensive. I've owned several of the $1000+ pcp guns and the Avenger has more features than all of the individual guns I've owned.

Saving a grand leaves you enough money to get that night vision scope and the synthetic stock won't mind being drug through the muck and mire out in the chicken yard.

Good luck!



Hogg

 

[Odoyle]

The FX Impact and Brocock Sniper HR (Actually the unregulated Bantam HiLite feels a lot lighter to me) Both triggers around the same league when set properly. Scratch the Bantam HiLite it's not a side lever...

KET NOTE- They are repeatable when their power are adjusted via distinct power clicks rather than free spinning dials. 

Advantage Brocock (either Sniper HR and Bantam HiLite unregulated) more pellet friendliness including cheap Crosman CPHPs and price. The CARM magazines cost 1/3-1/2 factory magazines too and don't seem to negatively affect accuracy and tells you when you are out of ammo.

Bottle guns typically give you tons more shots than tube guns. The HW100/110 are not friendly to adjust power up and down in the field. The AA S510 has a non detent power dial that just spins so it's a guess to go back to the other power unless it's bottomed at min or max.

 

[Blejda]

What you need is 12 fpe hw100 or hw 110.

Plenty of power and accuracy for rats out to 50y.12 fpe versions are short and have over 100 shoits per fill. My hw 110 gave me 130 shoots per fill. They are very quiet with factory moderator. Not very expensive magazines. Weichrauch quality.Btw The new hw110 laminate looks amazing. 

Regards Marko

 

[Odoyle]

HW100/110 (buy 2) one 12fpe for ratting and the second one a full power version for bigger critters.

First rate A+ triggers.

 

[Dingfelder]

AV avenger .22 and the pard-08

adjustability to anything you need to shoot pesting at night, within reason of course....

a medium dollar NV scope and a entry level pcp that performs quite well.

i have the avenger and an atn x-sight 4k-pro and a sightmark photon.

they all work great. but that pard-08 i hear is just absurd in functionallity !!!

I'm pretty partial to this. Got an Avenger in .177 and .25, not .22, but the adjustability is through the roof and the shot count is very high. Got a PARD NV008lrf and I love the thing for night vision or otherwise.

Really there are multiple options so don't get excited if people crow about their choice and put down others - that's just human nature. This does have a balance I have come to respect more in my tiny time playing with airguns though -- put as much thought into the scope and it's purpose as the gun. The PARD NV008 is a really interesting thing. And so is the Avenger, especially at its price point and even just as a learning tool. I also agree that it is nice to have a gun you can scuff up without breaking your heart. Hey, it costs 300 ... if it's not forever beautiful ... who is? If the gun wears out, you will probably still have the great scope to put on something else that the adjustability of the Avenger has taught you more about than you ever would have learned otherwise, especially that cheap.

Re caliber, for rats .177 is more than enough, and if shooting inside, you don't want a lot of power anyway. Gotta preserve your walls/roofs and keep ricochets down to pretty much nothing. If you want to move up in power, you can always adjust the Avenger, or even use slugs. Just saying you don't need to be blasting rats with a .25 or even a .22. Squirrels, well, there's where you learn to be a good shooter if all you've got is a .177. Or try slugs. Or both.

The Avenger is far from the only smart solution, though. I just do like the combo and price point. Then again if I didn't own it, I might be telling people who did that they were full of baloney. Human nature, probably. Or maybe just mine. You decide.

 

[Odoyle]

It is always good to be well educated on everything in general before spending your hard earned money regardless of cost and alternatives so there's absolutely no surprises down the road and always be mindful of their weak points and know all of it before hand. A contingency plan to have a source to purchase improved replacement parts is always a good thing to have as well. 

 

[bucketboy]

HW100/110 (buy 2) one 12fpe for ratting and the second one a full power version for bigger critters.

First rate A+ triggers.

If you want a dedicated rat gun them power is not needed for several reasons, shot count will be much higher, pass throughs and subsequent building damage will be much less and it will be waaaay quieter.

while bullpups may look the part they are not really suited for close range rat work, the scope height makes it more difficult to compensate for hold over/under, and although they are more compact they also are taller, not what you want in a confined space. Rat guns need to be extremely robust, at some point you will bash it into something,

Although I don’t own one, I 100% agree with mr Blejda and mr Odoyle, the hw100 in sub 12fpe .22 fits your requirements perfectly My preferred rat gun is a rapid, it has everything on your list except the side lever but it does have a higher shot count and spare buddy bottles can be carried fo increase shot count further.

Rat shooting never gets boring, it is the sport of kings, if shooting around commercial chickens sheds then you are very likely to need more that 1 tin of pellets.



Bb 

 

[Hobbyman2007]

Hands down HW100 .22 in sub 12 ft/lbs. I recently got my hands on a 2006 S model that was in decent shape but needed a reseal. Great guns , easy to work on , lots of shots at low power, super accurate , regulated ( that works )look great and built like a tank. Hate to sound like a broken record but Weihrauch really needs to come out with a .25 cal version. 

I should add that bringing down in power is very simple , lower the regulator and hammer spring tension to get the hammer to free flight and your set. They can be bought brand new from the CanadianAirgunForum store for 950USD plus shipping lots of models to choose from. 

 

[S97]

Ok,

Not the ultimate by any means and frankly it's kinda ghetto.

My night gun is a nova freedom 22 that shoots AVS slugs pretty darn good on low power. On the top of it I'm rocking an ATN 4k 3x14 and on the end is a Donnyfl Sumo. It's long, It's heavy, it shoots great from a tripod.

 

[JWilson]

This works.

 

[ghoststalker]

A springer will handle rats (and squirrels) easily, no need for air, single load no expensive magazines required at all, looks very traditional, no need to spend ridicules amount of money. But it sounds like really , you WANT to do all those things, and there’s no fault in that. 

 

[qball]

I say an impact with dual tanks, night vision(extra batteries), tripod and at least 20 spare high capacity mag in .177 at sub 12 FPE configuration. You will run out of rats before you run out of air and pellets in one session!