# Slaughter by pellet gun



## fireweed farm

I've got a fairly high powered pellet gun (490' per second). I'm told kills small animals with ease. Has anyone killed their rabbits this way? Was it instant? Thank you.


----------



## OldHippyWitch

I use a high powered pellet gun to dispatch my rabbits. A good clean shot behind the ears aimed forward towards the nose and it's over except for the twitching. The light goes out instantly from their eyes.


----------



## Haven

There are rabbit slaughter vids on youtube using pellet guns.

Also check out "rabbit wringer" on youtube.


----------



## HendricksHearth

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have any specific pellet gun recommendations? 

For the OP, I have been told by several people that it is instant with the high-powered types, but you have to put the barrel at the right angle. With any method it is a good idea to have a backup plan just in case they move at the last possible second, etc. 

Best of luck,

Lauren


----------



## Caprice Acres

I use a bb gun to dispatch rabbits. The idea is to shoot between the ears on the forehead, and then cut out the throat as quickly as possible. You want the heart still working when you cut out the throat, so that they bleed out well. Plus, if the pellet DOESN'T kill them you want to be sure of it. I've never had any respond to a bb gun as if they weren't dying. Of course, don't expect them to go limp immediately... they will kick, shudder, move like any other dying animal. I wait till they're done kicking, then hang them from their back legs.


----------



## a7736100

I've had some that just drop dead but I don't know yet where exactly I shot it. Next time it happens I'm going to try to find where exactly the pellet went in. It's hard to shoot a moving target as I'm using an air rifle with the rabbit moving in the pen.


----------



## MaggieJ

I use a pellet gun at point blank range, aiming at the back of the neck, just below the skull. Most of the time it works great... Occasionally I have had to give a second shot to be sure. The rabbit will kick, but it is just reflexes. After a few, you can tell quite easily.


----------



## Shade26000

My son and I both use a Gamo pellet rifle. I place the first shot from the back of the head in between the ears. If the rabbit does not drop right away my son follows up with a second shot point blank to the skull where ever he can. It might be over kill but I just hate the thoughts of one going thorough pain. I was culling by myself one time and the rabbit moved causing the pellet to only catch the side of the skull... lets just say it was not preaty nor was it easy to get a second shot with the rabbit spinning and kicking.


----------



## switchman62

fireweed farm said:


> I've got a fairly high powered pellet gun (490' per second). I'm told kills small animals with ease. Has anyone killed their rabbits this way? Was it instant? Thank you.


I don't know about one that shoots at 490 fps. We had one that was around 1000 fps and it worked great. Just my opinion but, once you learn how to do it, broomsticking works best. I haven't had a mishap for a long time doing it this way. 

Dave


----------



## seanbo

+1 on the broomstick. You could always use a BOOMstick!


----------



## Pony

mygoat said:


> I use a bb gun to dispatch rabbits. The idea is to shoot between the ears on the forehead, and then cut out the throat as quickly as possible. You want the heart still working when you cut out the throat, so that they bleed out well. Plus, if the pellet DOESN'T kill them you want to be sure of it. I've never had any respond to a bb gun as if they weren't dying. Of course, don't expect them to go limp immediately... they will kick, shudder, move like any other dying animal. I wait till they're done kicking, then hang them from their back legs.


That's pretty much how we do it. 

Don't like to broomstick, as it damages the neck meat and, well.... There's an "ick" factor in it for me. I much prefer the pellet gun and then a quick slit of the jugular.


----------



## InBox485

I've been lurking for a bit, but I joined to share my experience in pellet vs rabbit.

I'm just getting into breeding so I havn't slaughtered any, but I've used pellet guns for hunting. My firm rule is I won't take a shot I'm not confident will hit the head, and so far I've never missed (knock on wood).

I've used a .22 pellet rifle rated for 950 fps. With a hollow point pellet, the pellet sails right through, and the rabbit would give a single jump or kick before checking out. I tried shooting the pellets skirt first to get a varmint grenade effect, and it still went through but the rabbit didn't even flinch and the skull had multiple fractures and the brain was obliterated. The thing just rolled over. I've stuck with skirt first ever since whenever the shots are less than 15 yards.

I'm not sure what the lower limit is for getting an effective head shot, but if your pellet gun is .177 caliber, that sounds like it is on the really weak side. Test it on a phone book. It should go through at least 1/2" of the book or I wouldn't even consider it. If you do decide to get a new pellet gun I've been really happy with the Titan GP from Walmart with the nitro piston. Being able to shoot the pellet skirt first means that even if you don't hit the sweet spot of the brain, the pressure wave will get it. One of the skirt first shots I took went through the eye and out the bridge of the nose. That shouldn't have directly dropped the rabbit, but it too didn't even flinch.


----------



## Bearfootfarm

> Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have any specific pellet gun recommendations?



A 22 cal with *at least *500 FPS, or a .177 with 1000 FPS should work with a shot to the back of the skull


----------



## HendricksHearth

Thanks so much for the information- I'll narrow my search to that range. I don't care for the broomstick method myself.. this thread is full of great information. 

Thanks!

Lauren


----------



## nzw tom

I use a cheap pellet gun that I bought at one of those traveling tool sales (i own a better one too). The cheap one works great. have not had a problem. Sometimes I also use a 22 rifle with shorts in it.

I used to use the pipe, but found I had alot of blood clots in the neck/ shoulder area. Maybe I was hitting too hard.


----------



## Mtviking

This is probably too old of a thread to put my two cents in. But I dispatched my first litter today and I did NOT like the hopper popper it’s was awkward and they squirmed half way out three times and I had to try again with them screaming it was a horrible first experience processing my first rabbits. I’m a hunter and have harvested lots of animals but that was the worst thing I’ve ever done. I’ll never use that method again. Plus it bruised the shoulder meat. I’m sure there’s a learning curve and my problems were user error but I won’t put another one of my rabbits through that. Half of them went like it should’ve but it still bruised meat and just didn’t seem like a good way. They were already a bit stressed just trying to get the rod in their necks so they weren’t calm at all when the end came. I’m getting an air rifle and a little pen. They can be eating some tasty treats to keep them distracted and I’ll end it quick and instant.


----------



## Bearfootfarm

I hit them on the back of the head with a flat pry bar.
It's as quick as a bullet but more safe, and there's no blood.


----------



## [email protected]

me too. I held them by both hind feet with one hand and used a piece of a hoe handle and struce them at the base of the skull.
An old man once told me that rabbits are natures smorgasboard.
they will do everything in their power to not get caught, but once caught are easy for a predator to kill with getting hurt themselves.
I only had one scream at me. at that time I didn't know they could make a sound.. scared the bejeebers out of me for a moment..
I was about 12 years old..
.........jiminwisc......


----------



## HendricksHearth

I never updated this from 2011 (has it really been that long?), but we did buy a pellet rifle and dispatched many rabbits of all ages and sizes cleanly and humanely. Works great, thanks everyone.


----------



## muleskinner2

Bearfootfarm said:


> I hit them on the back of the head with a flat pry bar.
> It's as quick as a bullet but more safe, and there's no blood.


I always used a stick of firewood. Stun them, then cut the head off and hang them up to bleed out.


----------



## kotori

In case anyone looks at the wide disparity of FPS for pellet rifles here (490 fps vs 1000 fps) I'd like to point out that pellet rifles come in two common sizes, .17 and .22. Force = mass * acceleration, so for a .177 to have the same power, it must go faster. heres a link -- it mostly is talking about in hunting, but the same principles apply. https://www.pyramydair.com/article/Airgun_Hunting_April_2012/83

If you don't want to visit the page, here is the most pertinent excerpt : "The recommended lower limit for a hunting airgun is one that produces 12 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. That equates to a .177-caliber pellet gun shooting a lead pellet weighing 7.9 grains at 827 f.p.s. at the muzzle or a .22-caliber air gun shooting a 14.3-grain pellet at 615 f.p.s. at the muzzle."

An even lower-tech way of doing it would be by slingshot -- some hunting slingshots have very similar foot-pound energies at short distances.


----------

