Can a BB gun kill a bird?

GatorFarmer · Aug 28, 2015

Something of a spin off from the topic of eating pigeons. Obviously Little Ralphie was at risk of losing an eye from his Red Ryder. But many a pop culture reference was a classic TV moment of Opie, the Beaver, who ever, killing a bird with their BB gun and feeling guilty.

The box of the trusty Red Ryder suggests a max velocity in the 350 fps range. Pellet guns for tree rats used to be, if memory serves, suggested as adequate for pests only at 700 fps or more, and that with a heavier lead projectile.

Thus a simple question, can a BB gun, particularly the humble Red Ryder, actually deliver clean and reliable kills on birds? And what about big game such as the ever devious busy tailed tree rat?

Note that man song bird species are protected by treaty, but "invasive" species like the house sparrow are exempted. Here in Wyoming you can shoot them to your heart's content...be it with a pellet gun or a .50 BMG

b_san · Aug 28, 2015

Many a grackle and squirrel has fallen to the mighty Crosman Pumpmaster. 4 or 5 pumps is all that's needed... or so I hear.

BC38 · Aug 28, 2015

As a youngster I killed a few birds with my Daisy. Nothing bigger than a blue-jay though. Squirrels, nope, no way. I don't think you could kill one of them with a spring operated BB gun even if you hit them in the eye.

Birds have very light, fragile, hollow bones, light musculature (except for the breast muscles they use for flying), and thin, exposed skin between their individual feathers. This makes them enough of a soft target for the BB to penetrate.

Rodents are mammals and have much denser bones, heavier musculature, and thicker fur-covered skin - especially once they get above a certain size. A lever action spring powered BB gun just doesn't have enough penetration to kill a rodent bigger than a field mouse.

They'll sure send 'em scramblin though. Nothing like a BB to the butt to scare one into the next county!

THE PILGRIM · Aug 28, 2015

Red Ryder- small birds, absolutely.
Larger birds like pigeons- my FIL had a Benjamin pump-up that took many flying rats off his house.

Red Ryder was from Pagosa Springs, CO.
At least his creator Fred Harman was.
Little Beaver was a Jillarilla Apache from nearby Dulce, NM.

wbraswell · Aug 28, 2015

Your post sounds strange to me. I think everyone I grew up with killed birds with a Daisey BB gun. I don't know about the RR, but the longer same type lever Daiseys and the Spittin Image 94 and 22 were no problem for small birds. Robin or Jay sized is about max and you might need to polish them off. Crows, fuggetaboutit. I've shot a Crow with a single pump Chinese pellet gun, square in the breast, made a good thump when it struck. He just staggered a little on the limb, lost a feather or two, and flew off.

S42N8 · Aug 28, 2015

Pretty sure the statute has run its course, so... Yes, the Crosman Pumpmaster has sent many a grackle to its maker. Being there's no forensic evidence is merely a plus.

sipowicz · Aug 28, 2015

When it falls on the ground check its heart beat. If it's not beating, then yes, it can kill a bird. If it's still beating, call a vet.

S&WIowegan · Aug 28, 2015

As a kid on the farm, I constantly stalked sparrows with my deadly Daisy Red Ryder lever action. The BB will kill them. The problem is accuracy and distance. I found ways to get close.

Happy Hunting.

loknload · Aug 28, 2015

Got many a bird and squirrel with my Crossman

Black_Sheep · Aug 28, 2015

Speaking from experience, a Red Ryder will take down small birds but it's ineffective on geese...

Rustyt1953 · Aug 28, 2015

I know a BB will penetrate my little brother's lip and cause a bright discoloration on my backside.

GatorFarmer · Aug 28, 2015

Thanks to the TV and media of the era, I was not allowed a BB gun under the theory that it was dangerous, losing an eye and all that being the parental hysteria in that pre internet area. Though my mostly absent father gave me a bolt action Remington .22 when I about 12, I mostly had to wait until I was 18 whereupon I promptly purchased a Chinese AK clone of the type once cheaply and widely available. They cost less than a German magnum air rifle at the time. Thus I missed out on all the first hand hunting of snakes, mice and birds otherwise so common in rural Michigan.

The Red Ryder, now made in China, is a recent purchase for my own children who shoot it at paper. It replaced a multi pump Crossman that discouragingly did not want to feed BBs well at all. Curiously, there was a picture of a crow with crosshairs over it on the Crossman box with pest control a listed application.

I actually would have thought a Red Ryder being able to kill anything were a myth initially, were it not for accounts here and elsewhere of it being the terror of sparrows on many a farm.

snowman · Aug 28, 2015

Another farm boy here to testify that BBs are sufficient to bring flying pests down. As has been stated, there are size limitations. My experience was largely confined to sparrows and starlings.

Andy

italiansport · Aug 28, 2015

I killed multiple birds up to pigeon size, many chipmunks and small snakes with my Daisy pump gun.
Jim

GatorFarmer · Aug 28, 2015

Rustyt1953 said:
I know a BB will penetrate my little brother's lip and cause a bright discoloration on my backside.

My wife claims to still have a BB lodged in her leg thanks to the nefarious mischief of her cousin Turkey.

shaggist · Aug 28, 2015

Sparrows, Blue Jays, Robins, and other similar sized birds were susceptible to 'death by BB' when I was a boy. If it moved, I'd shoot at it. I inadvertently killed one of my neighbor's chickens when I meant to shoot it in the butt to hear it squawk and shot it in the eye instead. I shot at squirrels a lot and got them nervous enough to move to other neighbor's yards and leave our pecan tree alone. So, YES, BBs can kill, or put your eye out. Look Out, Ralphie!

b_san · Aug 28, 2015

This little guy had chewed his way into my downdraft stove outlet and made it into the kitchen. He was eating blueberry bagels on the kitchen floor and scared the **** out of my wife in the morning. Tried to trap him to no avail and the next day he tried to make it back in to the newly repaired outlet and refused to be scared off, just sat chittering on the deck rail. So he was taken at about 25 feet with a Crosman on 4 pumps, right through the heart...

BearBio · Aug 28, 2015

While guiding, we had a competitive air rifle marksman come out. During the afternoon lull, we would shoot ground squirrels. He had consistent kills at 75 yards, using his Walther match rifle.

Also, two guys on the next ranch over consistently shot cottontails with Blue Cross rifles at 40-50 yards (head shots only).

Lewis and Clark took air rifles with them. I think they took some deer with them.

Red Ryder? Probably not as consistent but at close range?????

DWalt · Aug 28, 2015

Back in my childhood days, many sparrows fell to my Red Ryder Daisy. I don't think I ever shot any birds larger than that. For sure, a BB gun will not kill a rat. I have tried many times to do that. A rat just keeps going.

BAM-BAM · Aug 28, 2015

Thread Drift:

Funny never had a BB gun....Dad started me with an old Steven's Favorite and at 10 got a Remington 511X Scoremaster......for Christmas.

Never shot birds either........ "chippies" by the thousands........but never birds.......

seems strange now................never owned a BB or pellet gun.....

Now; back to our regular programing........

Can a BB gun kill a bird?

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