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  #1  
Old 11-24-2019, 07:04 PM
Qaz Qaz is offline
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I enjoy varmint hunting with a flat shooting rifle, but I love lobbing a chunk of lead at below or around 1000fps at a squirrel or ground hog and hitting it in the head. Two hundred yards, 22lr 38gr PMC Moderators, one shot, ground hog dropped where he stood on a bet.

I have stopped by several high end (PCP) air rifle shops and looked at the 25, 30 and 357 caliber rifles. I can understand the advantage of shooting Diabolo pellets and their reduced range. But when you start using lead bullets in an air rifle and velocities are up around 900-1000fps, how is that better than shooting a firearm using subsonic lead loads? The air arms Texan in 357 shoots between 900-1000fps with lead bullets, you can load a 357mag down to 920fps in lead. The sales man said that the firearm shoots farther and hits harder because of a better bullet B/C than the air gun, momentum is momentum right? Looking at the two bullets side by side of the same weight, they look the same.

Qaz

Last edited by Qaz; 11-25-2019 at 12:21 AM.
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  #2  
Old 11-24-2019, 09:09 PM
TinMan TinMan is offline
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Maybe the sales man meant recoil?
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  #3  
Old 11-24-2019, 09:22 PM
Eric Mayer Eric Mayer is offline
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There are two reasons I shoot airguns.

1) It allows me to hunt areas I typically would not be able to with a firearm (even subsonic/suppressed). Case in point was yesterday at a local dairy near me. I received permission to hunt pest birds (Starling, Pigeon & Eurasian Dove) around the perimeter of the dairy, but my shots would be taking place near and above the cows in various pens. Some of the pens are covered, so any noise would not only come from the weapon, but also from the sound deflecting off the bottom of the large, aluminum, covers. The only reason I was allowed to hunt this dairy, was because of my small caliber airguns. I was able to kill a lot of birds, without even a small reaction from the cows in my area.

This same reason repeats itself on other permissions, whether it be farms, workshops, or around the houses on the properties I am shooting. I have the same number of permissions to shoot airguns, as I do firearms. It really expands your opportunities.

2) I use airguns for small and now, big game. I worked to get big bore airguns approved for the use of hunting large game here in Idaho. This fall season was the first time in the State's history that airguns were allowed for this type of hunting.

For me, moving to a tool like an airgun makes it more of a challenge while I'm hunting. Just like archery, muzzle-loader and handgun hunting, it takes practice and skill to kill something like an Elk with an airgun. I killed a cow elk with a ML last year and hope to put another on the ground next month with an airgun.
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Old 11-25-2019, 12:54 AM
georgeld georgeld is offline
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So many new tricks Eric.

I ONCE killed a bull elk with my .22 too.

Damned sure not an elk rifle!

I remain to be convinced on such hunting with a airgun.

Although: Same cal, same slug, same wt, same velocity === same results
I'd think.

Hope you kill 'em and don't wound and let 'em get away to suffer.
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Old 11-25-2019, 02:26 AM
Eric Mayer Eric Mayer is offline
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I'm shooting a Western Bushbuck in .45 caliber. The bullet selection will be either a 475 grain producing 600fpe, or a 365 grain producing 550fpe, at the muzzle. Better ballistics pushed me towards the 365 grain bullet, which is traveling at 950fps out of the Bushbuck. All shots will be kept within the 125 yard mark.

Big bore airguns are approved for hunting big game in many states. Idaho is just the latest. With education, I am hoping to guide hunters towards using the most efficient and ethical rifles, calibers and bullets. I do so through the education of hunter safety educators and wildlife law enforcement here in Idaho.
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  #6  
Old 11-25-2019, 12:01 PM
csterner csterner is offline
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sounds like you like it a bit better there than Commifornia, eh Eric? Glad you made it out. Keep us informed on the air gun stuff and post pics!
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  #7  
Old 11-25-2019, 06:59 PM
Daryl Daryl is offline
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Air rifles opened up gopher shooting around the out buildings for us. For years, we refused to shoot around the buildings (& horses) with our rimfires and centre fires. The rancher wanted those rats gone, so one year I took a Weirhauch .177 M97 with me. I killed over 200 gophers(Columbia Ground Squirrels) in a couple & 1/2 hours with that air rifle with the maximum range of 56 yards on one of them. Most shots were inside 30 yards. It was mostly loading and shooting as quickly as I could. My buddy left his 1 ton diesel truck running and no gophers were spooked by the rifle's noise. The truck pretty much covered that.

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Old 11-25-2019, 09:40 PM
Qaz Qaz is offline
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It is really surprising how little fpe is required to take animals ethically if the pellet or bullet is placed correctly. I have been using a pneumatic and under cocking springer similar to Daryls for years on pigeons, rats, squirrels and even ground hogs on occasion. I now want to step up to PCP, 25cal maybe, but the barrels that shoot diabolo pellets, don't shoot the bullets well. That was the reason for my original question. An air rifle that shoots bullets steps up the killing power of the caliber. But it is hard for me to compare air rifle power to a firearm of equal power. I hope I am saying that right. I pulled the trigger on a Daystate 25cal with a shrouded barrel and it was freakishly quiet. The salesman said it would kill coyotes to 100yds easily. So is a 257cal, 35gr bullet @ 900fps out of a airgun equal to a 25acp, 35gr round @ 900fps?
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  #9  
Old 11-25-2019, 11:52 PM
Harmon Harmon is offline
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I get permission to hunt cattle farms for crow with my 17Rem suppressed, and it doesn’t phase the cattle the least bit.the farmers I talk with worry more about richochet, tha is where my 17 with 25gr vmax do much better than anything else. It would be hard to hunt crows consistently with an air rifle.
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  #10  
Old 11-26-2019, 02:56 AM
georgeld georgeld is offline
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Daryl, 410, Qaz:

Those are good stories, am happy for you guys getting that much
shooting.

Only one thing: THOSE AIN'T Bull ELK!
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