Air rifle's for pest control

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BAM-BAM

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Not a "firearm"...so hope this is the right place.....................

I've shot .22s for close to 55years now...... never shot or owned a bb gun or air rifle........................

Thinking about one for pest control..... up to raccoon size..... to drive them out of the yard.

How loud are they?

Thoughts and suggestions welcome.............................
 
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My little Dasiy Powerline 880 surprised me. Kinda loud.
I tried killing a ground hog with it. No luck. Just runs away.
Now with squirrel's, using Premier Destroyer pellets deadly out to 30-40 ft.
 
For raccoon sized varmits, I would recommend a .22 cal pellet gun. Look at the Benjamin pump air guns. They are actually pretty loud tho. The quietest thing to use would be a bolt action .22 long rifle capable of shooting shorts. Then use the CCI CB shorts, or CB longs. In my old Targetmaster Model 41, all you hear is the firing pin hitting the brass case. More of a click than a bang.
 
I bought an air rifle for this purpose on my city lot. Much of the ammo is shaped for speed and I was getting a pretty loud sharp report. I bought blunt nosed ammo to slow it down and the noise report was much improved.
 
I'm thinking an air rifle might be inhumane on a raccoon. There just isn't enough weight in a 22 pellet to do the job fast enough. For smaller critters it's fine. I shoot squirrels with my .17 RWS and they go down.

For raccoons if you want good medicine get a cheap 22 bolt rifle and some sub sonic ammo (>1100 fps).

This link works for me.

Page not found | Aguila Ammunition

Of course that won't work if you live in town.
 
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BAM-BAM said:
Not a "firearm"...so hope this is the right place.....................

I've shot .22s for close to 55years now...... never shot or owned a bb gun or air rifle........................

Thinking about one for pest control..... up to raccoon size..... to drive them out of the yard.

How loud are they?

Thoughts and suggestions welcome.............................
Click to expand...

Like a soft clap. Good idea . . .
 
bigwheelzip said:
Air guns are great for pest control. Good variety of ammo for different purposes, from scaring to elimination.

Sound study:

Decibel ranking of airguns - Straight Shooters Precision Airguns

Looked around a bit for a good varmint air gun with a reputation for being quiet. The Benjamin Marauder has that reputation.

Benjamin Marauder Accuracy Review 100 Yards (.25) - YouTube
Click to expand...

Yes, that is a beautiful rifle. I always wanted one but......

It's around $439 Plus a hand air pump $180 and a cardiac arrest or a air tank (scuba pressure) several hundred

Optics optional;)
 
If you can find one get a Sheridan Blue Streak. It may have to be used because I don't think they make them any more. They shoot a 5mm pellet and the power depends on how many times you pump it. I find 3 pumps to be good for a quiet, close range (15 yards or so) critter getter. At 8 or 9 pumps it really packs a punch.

Mine is close to 50 years old and still works great. It looks like heck from a lifetime of storage in a barn but it still kills rats, squirrels, bunnies, etc., on a regular basis.
 
bigwheelzip said:
Looked around a bit for a good varmint air gun with a reputation for being quiet. The Benjamin Marauder has that reputation.
Click to expand...

Rule3 said:
Yes, that is a beautiful rifle. I always wanted one but...It's around $439 Plus a hand air pump $180 and a cardiac arrest or a air tank (scuba pressure) several hundred. Optics optional;)
Click to expand...

I'm sure it's a great gun, but as Rule3 says, look at the price. I genuinely don't know a soul who'd pony up $400-$600 for the Benjamin and accessories simply to scare coons out of the yard. And note that the OP just wants to scare 'em away...not kill them. Really don't even need penetration...just sting the coons a bunch.

Cheaper seems best in this situation.

Then again, coons have good memories...they might decide they don't like being stung by an air rifle. They might come lookin' for you one night.

giphy.gif
 
"I'm sure it's a great gun, but as Rule3 says, look at the price. I genuinely don't know a soul who'd pony up $400-$600 for the Benjamin and accessories simply to scare coons out of the yard."

I'm with you on this. My little Crosman was $29.95 but that was about 6 years ago. Problably gone up some but I bettcha it's still 40 bucks or less. I love the pump action. You can pump it to the muzzle velocity you need. I've never had it over 8 pumps but that possum didn't take another breath or another step with one head shot.
 
I'm thinking an air rifle might be inhumane on a raccoon. There just isn't enough weight in a 22 pellet to do the job fast enough.
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree, the .22 regularly takes full sized Jack rabbits out to 50 yards dropping them in their tracks, squirrels at the same distance are through shots.

If anything, and you're just looking to drive them away rather than killing them, the Marauder is too powerful.

If you just want to sting them and scare them off, get a full auto airsoft, I use those on the cats that like to try and prey on the birds in my yard when the dogs are inside.

Now THATS fun!
 
Not sure on the noise level but the Sheridan blue streak is good. As a kid, I had a Crossman pump up .22 and a friend had a Sheridan. He pumped it less times then me and hit harder on birds. I was at 10 pumps (max) and he was at 6 pumps (max). The solid 5mm pellets worked great. Not sure how long you can leave it sit pumped up before it starts to leak.

The break barrel guns are good as far as cocking the gun and putting a pellet in the barrel. When needed, close the barrel and shoot. No stored air to weaken seals. Larry
 
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