Air Rifles any suggestions

[StPatron]

I've popped Suburban Squirrels and Feral Cats with .177 Air Rifle Pellets, and it's quick.

Mind explaining the danger to your life or property that the feral cats presented? I'm not aware of any "suburban" areas where intentional killing of cats won't get you a quick trip in the paddy wagon with charges of animal cruelty.

A know-it-all Pal shoots Subsonic .22 Ammo in a nice Rifle in his Suburban Neighborhood to dispatch nuisance Wildlife.

Discharging of a firearm within city limits usually applies to .22 rifles, not pellet rifles. It's based on the gun, not the decibels. If one cares to be a law-abiding citizen, that's not the answer.

[Kevin & Sandy]

I have a Ruger, prolly about the same as a Gamo. One pump and your ready to go.

Buy several kinds of pellets and see which one you and your gun like best. Each different kind/brand of pellet may affect your point of aim slightly.

I bought the pellets with a bb mounted in the tip. I shot an old paperback book with it and it nearly penetrated the whole thing, 200 sheets of paper!

Then I had some skunky beer that had sat in the garage in a cooler for tooooo long, I lined up nine cans in a row and the pellet went through 5 and was found inside the sixth can. The bb tipped pellets penetrate.

[Dale M.]

Air guns are NOT quiet or gentle to shoot...

MY Gamo Big Cat (.177 cal) has more recoil and is as loud as my .22 cal with "shorts".....

Do not expect accuracy to be very good with new "air rifle", it takes 100-200 pellets though it before it "breaks in" and settles down to be accurate. Also accuracy will depends on weight of pellet (anywhere for 8 to 12 grains) and shape of pellet.... One has to try a assortment of pellets to find the shape/weight gun likes best.... So far I'm down to a 7/8 inch circle at 50 ft ...

Stay away from any "cheap" (Daisy) pellets...

Dale

[glenpinpat]

any air gun will not be sufficient unless at point blank range to quickly kill a fox. You are much better off with a 22 rifle or a hmr 17. You best bet would be to get a loacal trapper to set a trap. At this time of year the fur is worth something. Patrick

[Moho]

I've popped Suburban Squirrels and Feral Cats with .177 Air Rifle Pellets, and it's quick.

Mind explaining the danger to your life or property that the feral cats presented? I'm not aware of any "suburban" areas where intentional killing of cats won't get you a quick trip in the paddy wagon with charges of animal cruelty.

What I was thinking (or the squirrels for that matter). I'm not a crazy animal rights activist but killing any animal without the use for consumption, or one that is a danger to your well being or substantial damage to property is ridiculous. I'm all for guns and hunting (if you consume the animal) but not senseless killing.

The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest. ~Henry David Thoreau

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. ~Thomas A. Edison

[canned o minimum]

I have a client who won't even kill a RAT !.. Me...a rat or a squirrel.. same thing ! How much is YER crop worth ?

[Dan & Julie CO]

Thanks for the response. So many air rifles can be over whelming

The Other Day We let the girls out of their run for a little, and that's all it took our guard was down,we heard the chickens and it wasn't normal sure enough a fox jumped the fence. It killed our smallest girl Louise we were outside fast and scared the fox off. "without Louise" We round up the others back into the run and within a 1/2 hour it was back My wife scared it off before I could get a shot off with my 22. In the moment I would not have hesitated but hind sight and a little investigation we are within city limits and would have broke the law.
The fox in question went after a friends chickens about a mile away from us and took their neighbors rooster, and has been making the rounds of other homes of friends. It's a Big fox looks more like a coyote in size. My wife was really upset and I'm Pissed. I know the Cycle of Life yada yada yada
Well I'm now the Foxes Predator "all is fair love and war" the girls give us eggs.

[DrCrash]

Discharging of a firearm within city limits usually applies to .22 rifles, not pellet rifles. It's based on the gun, not the decibels. If one cares to be a law-abiding citizen, that's not the answer.

Thats not true in Ohio and I would suspect there either.

The ORC Ohio revised code says a fire arm is anything that launches a projectile from any means, air , gunpowder , springs ect. A slingshot carries the same charge and fine as a .308 deer rifle.

[Eddielbs]

Well I have a .22 cal benjamin silver streak. And it's a right respectable little air rifle. BUT I wouldn't even try to use it on a fox. If I was looking to get something for killing a fox it would be the HMR .17 cal. I have a savage in this caliber it's really a sweet shooting little gun for the price tag.

[StPatron]

Thats not true in Ohio and I would suspect there either.

And, your suspicions would be wrong. Sorry. The ability to use a pellet gun within city limits was what prompted the original question. Very common in this part of the country.

Slingshots outlawed there? You're kidding me, right?

[DrCrash]

get this kids using Airsoft or even nerf guns here in the own yards could be subject to discarging a firearm charge. A wristrocket will get you a 250$ fine. Dont ask how I know this.

[8ball_99]

Sorry that whole only kill for consumption sounds good in theory.. Feral cats do in fact carry a TON of disease. So do possums, raccoons and other critters. If you have pets or any kind of animals on your property. Hell if you have kids.. Its common since to keep other critters away. Trapping them and taking them down the road just makes them someone else's problem.
We have chickens, fish pond, horses, dogs, a cat, ect, ect. I'll shoot Your dog if its in my field running my horses. Its also 100% legal here.
Raccoons eat my fish, Foxes go for our chickens. Coyotes kill my goats. Dogs chase my horses. Rabbits eat our garden.. I shoot them ALL.. Lucky enough I don't live in the city limits so I can shoot them with a .22 short or a 308... I shoot blue jays to cause they are mean to all the other birds..

[S. Heisley]

slowcowboy wrote:

normal city laws won't allow chickens in city limets.

They are starting to allow it. The City of Redding, CA allows a home owner within city limits to keep 4 or 5 hens but no roosters.

[StPatron]

DrCrash...
Bum deal! You have my sympathies. Living there would be a major adjustment after living for so many years with less restrictive laws. I really thought you were pulling my leg, pardon my ignorance.

I have a situation similiar to what the OP has. A wooded acreage within the city limits and have quite a few animals I feed. At one time, opossum's were a threat and I became very familiar with the legal options for protecting my property. The local "dog catcher" tried trapping which wasn't successful. Then, they contacted the state wildlife guys. They showed no interest in trapping or protecting the opossum's and advised me to shoot as many as I could. A pump air rifle is very effective out to about 50 feet, at least for this aging geezer. If I remember correctly, the tally reached eighteen before the dust settled. One shot to the skull, quick, humane kills.

My suggestion to the OP would be to try contacting the local authorities for trapping options, then go from there. In the meantime, Slow's advice is good as any. Sorry to hear of your tragedy.

[Dan & Julie CO]

I have open space behind our property and then another subdivision beyond I am allowed 10 chickens where we live, have 5 now.
I haven't been hunting in awhile with that being said growing up with My Dad being in law enforcement. I learned from the age of 8 yrs to shoot everything from the 22 I own to assault rifles AR180 AR15's to everything in between I also once shot a rabbit with an 400mag with hot loads
too many pieces sorry for the visual.
I just don't want to be on the wrong side of the Law we looked into it the police said no on the 22 game and fish said I have the right to protect me and Mine. I live in a somewhat rural area farms livestock, people are on the increase encroaching with their homes.I have always been respectful in regards to firearms and the laws governing. I am hoping to eat my cake and have it to I just don't wanna draw to much attention when the next opportunity arises