Last November marked me getting into modern air guns with the purchase of a Benjamin Maruder Pistol. Since then I have been target shooting with it, doing some mods, and figuring out optics for it.
Last night marked its first kill. We have had a rat visiting our bird feeder, and likely living under the yurt we have built and due to these comforts of living he seems to have grown rather larger. If I could trust a rat to only live in the ground and eat outside this wouldn't be an issue, as we all know, you never trust a rat.
The first night we saw it too late and he didn't come back into visual for a shot, but he seems to be a regular at 9pm. So the following night I set out a piece of plywood with some peanut butter smeared on it and set up a rest, the laughable part of this hunt is the rats route cuts under our front door ramp, so I simply had the front door open, a bench rest set up, and the target was a paltry 5 yards away, hunting for the comfort of my own home!
The hour was a quarter to 9 and I was set up, practice shot placed the kill zone at a 4 dot hold over and I was ready. But the kids were not, I have a 3 and 5 year old that I read a story to every night, and so I took a quick recess. In that time I handed the gun off to my southpaw wife. She has never shot the marauder pistol before, i'm not sure why, I shoot it plenty out in our yard, love how quiet air guns can be, but she has done plenty of rimfire pistols and rifles.
So, there I was reading to the kids and I hear the gentle bark of the marauder pistol (the thing is so quiet, you can hardly call it a bark or report) I go check in, and there is the rat writhing on the ground, as they do when a pellet has gone straight through the brain pan. The rat had come out and scurried over past the bait board to the edge of our arbor and stood looking out away from my wife. Probably confirming the coast was clear before he went to indulge in the new glory of peanut butter and bird seed, but the pellet cut those dreams of his short, it went through the back of the skull and exited out behind the right eye, a perfect head shot.
One may think I was a little disappointed to not have gotten the kill myself, but really I wasn't. Couldn't be prouder. Gun is the Benjamin Marauder Pistol .22, customized stock, with the Osprey global Standard 3-9x40 scope mil dot retical.
Should have taken pictures to share, but I as of yet am still having issues uploading photos. Using the fast upload and image button sends me an error every time.
Last night marked its first kill. We have had a rat visiting our bird feeder, and likely living under the yurt we have built and due to these comforts of living he seems to have grown rather larger. If I could trust a rat to only live in the ground and eat outside this wouldn't be an issue, as we all know, you never trust a rat.
The first night we saw it too late and he didn't come back into visual for a shot, but he seems to be a regular at 9pm. So the following night I set out a piece of plywood with some peanut butter smeared on it and set up a rest, the laughable part of this hunt is the rats route cuts under our front door ramp, so I simply had the front door open, a bench rest set up, and the target was a paltry 5 yards away, hunting for the comfort of my own home!
The hour was a quarter to 9 and I was set up, practice shot placed the kill zone at a 4 dot hold over and I was ready. But the kids were not, I have a 3 and 5 year old that I read a story to every night, and so I took a quick recess. In that time I handed the gun off to my southpaw wife. She has never shot the marauder pistol before, i'm not sure why, I shoot it plenty out in our yard, love how quiet air guns can be, but she has done plenty of rimfire pistols and rifles.
So, there I was reading to the kids and I hear the gentle bark of the marauder pistol (the thing is so quiet, you can hardly call it a bark or report) I go check in, and there is the rat writhing on the ground, as they do when a pellet has gone straight through the brain pan. The rat had come out and scurried over past the bait board to the edge of our arbor and stood looking out away from my wife. Probably confirming the coast was clear before he went to indulge in the new glory of peanut butter and bird seed, but the pellet cut those dreams of his short, it went through the back of the skull and exited out behind the right eye, a perfect head shot.
One may think I was a little disappointed to not have gotten the kill myself, but really I wasn't. Couldn't be prouder. Gun is the Benjamin Marauder Pistol .22, customized stock, with the Osprey global Standard 3-9x40 scope mil dot retical.
Should have taken pictures to share, but I as of yet am still having issues uploading photos. Using the fast upload and image button sends me an error every time.
