# Any pellet rifle enthusiast around here?



## Guest (Dec 30, 2006)

Been thinking of buying me a high speed pellet rifle to try my luck squirrel hunting with. My question is will a 1000 fps rifle kill a squirrel? Or should I go for a 1200 fps rifle? 

At my local wally world I can buy a 1000 fps. pellet rifle for around $125. But I would have to order from Cabela's if I want a 1200 fps pellet rifle and they run from $150 to $180. There's one that is a 1600 fps. rifle and it cost $429.00.-Too rich for my blood!

Or, should I locate a 22 rifle that I can easily load and unload one bullet at a time in the chamber. The reason why I ask this is cause the rifle that I am gonna use is to be carried on a bicycle with a gun rack mounted on the handle bars. I'm gonna do some road hunting in some game reserves around here and want to be able to hop off the bike fast, load the rifle fast, and shoot the squirrel. Since I can't carry a loaded rifle my 22 rifle with a tubular magazine would take too long to load and unload when I see a squirrel. The rifle needs to be simple and I'm thinking a fast break over pellet rifle might do the trick. 

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject


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## insanity (Aug 22, 2004)

Oh yea it'll kill em.
I used to have one that shot 1100FPS. Bet it would have shot threw a cars wind shield. Wish i had it back.

Got to wondering myself since I've had trouble finding another decent one with high FPS. (for my sons b-day) 
Ran across this site with a little description about it. May explain why some of the guns cost quite a bit but shoot slow.
http://www.pyramydair.com/site/articles/velocity/

You may want to check your game laws. Here they would consider a bike a vehicle. And you would have to dismount and move 100ft (i think it is) off the road in order to shoot legally.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Pellet guns will kill squirrels if you use the right pellets, but I'd go with the 22. Ive had the best luck with pointed pellets, but nothing works as well as a 22 hollowpoint for a quick kill. You could use a 22 with a removable clip for quick loading and unloading. A Ruger 10/22 would do great and holds 10 rounds. If you dont mind a TINY gun you could get a Chipmunk. Its made for kids but shoots good and weighs less than some handguns. It would be handy on a bike.
http://www.roguerifle.com/Rifles.htm


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## tallpaul (Sep 5, 2004)

FPS is highly OVERATED in myopinion. My 700 TRUE FPS HW is a true game getter. There is also a differnce between Pest control and actual hunting. Accuracy and consistancy is worth more to me that the "HYPE" And the 1200 plus FPS in pellet guns IS HYPE and done with specialty pellets and "creative" advertising. 

Look around here http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/


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## tallpaul (Sep 5, 2004)

r.h. in okla. said:


> The reason why I ask this is cause the rifle that I am gonna use is to be carried on a bicycle with a gun rack mounted on the handle bars. I'm gonna do some road hunting in some game reserves around here and want to be able to hop off the bike fast, load the rifle fast, and shoot the squirrel. Since I can't carry a loaded rifle my 22 rifle with a tubular magazine would take too long to load and unload when I see a squirrel. The rifle needs to be simple and I'm thinking a fast break over pellet rifle might do the trick.
> 
> Thanks for your thoughts on the subject


Actually readin the rest of this I am wondering if road huntin is even LEGAL in yer state? Its NOT HERE.... if what ya want to do is legal and a pistol was legal to hunt with I would likely go that route myself .
It also may or may not be legal to hunt with the pellet gun or a rifle there. You may want to research it.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

I have a Crossman 2200 magnum air rifle that shoots under 500 FPS. With a pointed pellet it will knock down squirels no problem. I'd still rather use a .22 rimfire, maybe like a CCI stinger for such small game. Fast, flat, flying, with a light bullet. Not that everyone shouldn't have an air rifle or two.


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## bgak47 (Sep 4, 2003)

I use my Beeman air rifle mostly for target shooting, but it would certainly kill a squirrel within about 25 yards. I'm not too sure that I'd want to be riding around the backroads of Oklahoma on a bicycle with any kind of rifle r.h. I don't think that its legal to shoot from a vehicle here, & a bike might be considered to be a vehicle. You might want to check about how far off the road that you need to be before you shoot. I used to kill a lot of squirrels & rabbits with my Benjamin pump air rifle when I was a kid. A great advantage of them is that they are quiet. Lewis & Clark took an air rifle along on their 1803 Expedition & used it successfully on small game. I just bought a Ruger Mod. 99 lever-action in .22mag with a nice 3X9 variable power scope for squirrels. Its been a great success & it certainly works for me with my 59yr old eyes.


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2006)

Thanks for the web links everyone. They were good reading and I learned a thing or two that I didn't know before.

Road hunting is illegal here in Oklahoma so long as you are shooting from a vehicle or in the road. But if you stop, park, and walk into the woods 50ft. you are no longer road hunting. And that's what I would be doing. Quietly bicycling down the road and when I see a squirrel inside the forrest I would pull over and make a mad dash over toward the critter. At that moment I would load and cock the airgun or 22 rifle. However, if no one is there to see or hear me shoot, how are they gonna know I was road hunting?  

The only place I would be able to do this kind of hunting is at my nearby wildlife game reserves where I would have access to the land. If doing this on my county dirt roads I would have to have permission from every land owner where I see a squirrel. "That's not possible".


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## bgak47 (Sep 4, 2003)

r.h. ... I'm glad that you have these places to hunt! Lots of my neighbors in SE OK use 4-wheelers to hunt our dirt roads & fire breaks. Some still use horses. I'm glad to hear that someone is considering using a bicycle. My little 17 acre holding doesn't require me to use any kind of transport beyond my feet, but it does provide enough squirrels for an occasional tastey dinner.


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## swamp man (Dec 25, 2005)

tallpaul said:


> FPS is highly OVERATED in myopinion. My 700 TRUE FPS HW is a true game getter. There is also a differnce between Pest control and actual hunting. Accuracy and consistancy is worth more to me that the "HYPE" And the 1200 plus FPS in pellet guns IS HYPE and done with specialty pellets and "creative" advertising.
> 
> Look around here http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/


Stop sayin' things I agree with,Paul...........I'm gettin' creeped out.

It's true that airguns almost NEVER perform to their advertised velocities.Ever notice that it's usually stated as "UP TO(whatever)FPS"?
I've had good results on squirells and rabbits with velocities well under 1000 FPS,and have whacked more than I can remember with an old powerline 880,which probably comes in somewhere around 600 FPS,or thereabouts.I have a Gamo 220 hunter that advertises between 1000 and 1100 fps,and it's a wrecking machine on tree rats.

Huntin' with an airgun is all about knowing the limitations of the gun,and shot placement.I take little stock in the hype over the pointed,hollow point,magnum,or any of the other "hunting"pellets.Any way ya' cut it,something that weighs in a 6-8 gr,and traveling at airgun velocities,simply doesn't deliver much in the way of ft lbs.The best pellet for hunting is the one your rifle fires most accurately.I've never had an airgun that liked the pointed pellets.


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

r.h. in okla. said:


> Or, should I locate a 22 rifle that I can easily load and unload one bullet at a time in the chamber. The reason why I ask this is cause the rifle that I am gonna use is to be carried on a bicycle with a gun rack mounted on the handle bars.


bicycle pellet rifle hunting on on logging or near side roads is an appealing idea. It's quiet and often the game don't get that spooked. I get very close to grouse, prairie chickens, and hares nearby the roads on a bike, though mostly I 'hunt' them with camera. A pellet rifle is quiet, which is one nice thing over a .22. I wouldn't get too carried away about velocity. I'd want the foot pounds for better killing capacity. On squirrels at close range, you'll kill them if your pellet gun is accurate. I'd go also with hollow points. 

I picked up a nice little russian made semi auto .22 at a gun show several years ago. It's a deadly little squirrel gun with open sights. It's small, light weight and handy. For $50 I couldn't go wrong, and it's been a fun little rifle using cheap ammo for pesty squirrels around and even the odd woodchuck. So, maybe check out some gun shows and you might get lucky without spending much money for a nice used .22.


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## tallpaul (Sep 5, 2004)

swamp man said:


> Stop sayin' things I agree with,Paul...........I'm gettin' creeped out.
> 
> It's true that airguns almost NEVER perform to their advertised velocities.Ever notice that it's usually stated as "UP TO(whatever)FPS"?
> I've had good results on squirells and rabbits with velocities well under 1000 FPS,and have whacked more than I can remember with an old powerline 880,which probably comes in somewhere around 600 FPS,or thereabouts.



Hey my .50 cal airrifle only shots the 170 gr RB at about 800 fps or so... it is hard on 2x4's anyhow  but its not 1000fps


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## james dilley (Mar 21, 2004)

The air rifle I bought is from the flea market. Cost $15.00 and it shoots hard enought to go into A sheet of plywwod .It will Kill pigeons at 75 feet .So it should kill tree rats. Its A 177 cal.


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## Guest (Jan 1, 2007)

FLEA MARKET! Thanks Dilley! I'll have to check out the local flea markets and pawn shops and see what kind of air rifles they might have for extra cheap!


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

blue streak or silver streak by sharedian they were baught by croosman but it is the best pelet rifle for small game for the money 100 to 125 my neighbor and several freinds had them make short work of squirrel.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

hey and for some fun try shooting rabit in the garden if you hit them in the ear they do a back flip ear meaning right down the ear canal. 

that is the only way i get good kills out of my cheap china air rifel for 20.00 that and inside 30 feet beond 50 it just bouces off thier hide


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## commomsense (Sep 5, 2005)

I got a Benjamin Sheridan 397 made by crosman.I use it to keep rabbits,squirrels,ground squirrels.starlings,pigeons and crows out of my garden and bird feeder.It shoots .177 pellets somwhere in the mid to low 700s and has plenty of power and accuracy to kill those pests out to 40 yds.


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

I bought one of the 1000 fps Crosman air rifles from Wally world a few years ago (1000X with scope). Plenty of knock down for squirrels. The biggest problem is accuracy...try a few different types of pellets to see which performs best. I started with hollow points thinking they would be best for hunting. The performance was pitiful...I think they tumble...couldn't do better than a 4" group at 20 yards. I've since switched to pointed target pellets. They perform better...now the group is 1-2" at the same distance.


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2007)

[ They perform better...now the group is 1-2" at the same distance.[/QUOTE]

That's not bad! I'm not sure I could do any better with my 22 rifle. And crossman is the one I'm thinking of going with since I could get one at my local wally world. Still haven't had a chance to check out the pawn shops yet. I want to do that first before purchasing a new one.


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## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

I grew up with a simple cheap daisy 880 seldom shot pellets as they were a pain to load and didnt improve the accuracy IMO. it claimed 780 or 860 fps .
My best friend had one too they were cheep to shoot using BBs .
We never had a problem getting game , rabbits squirrles, frogs,snapping turtles and lots of birds. never had a pellet actually penitrate any game but you could always frind the BB well embeded . If we ran out of BBs it wasnt unheard of to use a locust thorn (we were evil children and carried heaven forbid pocket knives as well as pellet guns) I miss seing 10 and 12yrolds walking towards the RR bridge with a fishing pole in one hand and a pellet gun in the other.
Granted we used them every day . we never had a bit of trouble plinking pennies from 50ftand with in 20ft could shoot a lit firecracker fuse before it set the cracker off . one of out favorite moving targets for practice was those little black water beetle that dart around , If you can get to where you can hit those from 30+ft with a bb your a good shot


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