Air rifle for pest control

[DoggyDaddy]

I too started with the Crosman pellets. They are great for plinking and break in. Your air rifle might group very well with them. I found that my rifle liked H&N Terminator. Every air rifle is different in how it shoots with different pellets, kinda like .22LR cartridge rifles. Each shooter has his/ her different accuracy standards, too.

Just ordered a tin of the Terminators, and a tin of Beeman pointed pellets. Also ordered this sample pack of H&N's:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/H-And-N-Hu...606569?hash=item3fe1c335e9:g:2AIAAOSwtcZbh7MV

I wasn't impressed with the Crossmans. Just did a rough sight in with them and groups were 1" at about 40 yards. Hoping to do better than that.

 

[BE Mike]

Just ordered a tin of the Terminators, and a tin of Beeman pointed pellets. Also ordered this sample pack of H&N's:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/H-And-N-Hu...606569?hash=item3fe1c335e9:g:2AIAAOSwtcZbh7MV

I wasn't impressed with the Crossmans. Just did a rough sight in with them and groups were 1" at about 40 yards. Hoping to do better than that.

That looks like a great sample pack. H&N are very high quality. 1" accuracy at 40 yards is probably good enough for squirrels, but I found that the H&N pellets will deliver more consistent accuracy than the Crosman. Of course, I was having scope problems at the same time and switching scopes and pellets at once didn't let me know which item (pellet or scope) made the biggest difference in my improved accuracy. One good thing is that it seems that .22 caliber is preferable to .177 caliber for pest control.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Dang it, ruined my streak. Was up to 5/5 and took a partially obstructed shot between a finch bag and a suet block. I hit the suet block. See why barrier blind performance is so important???

I feel your pain. Wife was *****ing at me last night (about something else, not because of me) so I had to sit and listen. The whole time one of the bunnies that has been eating my veggies was hanging out in the yard behind ours. I was watching him the whole time out the bedroom window.

In the time it took me to walk downstairs, cock the barrel and add a pellet to the chamber and walk outside, he was gone. Something must have spooked him in the meantime.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

That looks like a great sample pack. H&N are very high quality. 1" accuracy at 40 yards is probably good enough for squirrels, but I found that the H&N pellets will deliver more consistent accuracy than the Crosman. Of course, I was having scope problems at the same time and switching scopes and pellets at once didn't let me know which item (pellet or scope) made the biggest difference in my improved accuracy. One good thing is that it seems that .22 caliber is preferable to .177 caliber for pest control.

I was surprised how pricey they are! Definitely not the pellets of my childhood! But then again, being a single shot, I'm not going to be burning through them very fast even just plinking. I can tell that the Gamo scope is cheap, but I'll see how it holds up before I put any more money into a better optic.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Once I get everything dialed in, I'll probably break out the little steel paddle target thingy I've got. It should fit in the little firewood cubby built into the bbq pit on my shed and that will make a perfect backstop.

 

[freekforge]

I'm able to get 32ish yards in my little side/backyard range. I have a stack of 4x6s for my 20yd and the 32 has a slanted steel plate backstop. I've welded up a bunch of little targets to put at various ranges. I also made little orange targets to put out in the yard to verify zero and find my holdovers from my blind (my bedroom window). I've been destroying the starlings and house sparrows

 

[churchmouse]

I'm able to get 32ish yards in my little side/backyard range. I have a stack of 4x6s for my 20yd and the 32 has a slanted steel plate backstop. I've welded up a bunch of little targets to put at various ranges. I also made little orange targets to put out in the yard to verify zero and find my holdovers from my blind (my bedroom window). I've been destroying the starlings and house sparrows

I finally got the little bastages that nested up in the shower vent. The got behind the wall vent and built a nest. I cant bust them in there without collateral damage to the house so patience required.

Bingo. Both are now down and out.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Well dang it. They canceled my order for the H&N sample pack (out of stock), so I ordered some Hatsan Vortex to try.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hatsan-Vor...559845&hash=item3da322bfe1:g:Or8AAOSw3oVevFv8

 

[tv1217]

Here is my pest control. She is close to 8 feet long now. She helps with birds, mice, and chipmunks. She's been around for about 5 years now. The rest of her is not visible in this picture.
View attachment 87201

Nice, we need more people like you. Too many of the "I don't know what it is, so it must die" types in this state...or country.

 

[femurphy77]

I loved my old Crossman 760! Had one as a kid, plus another Crossman in .22. Not sure the model number of the .22 but it looked similar to a Benjamin - big and chunky.

ETA: Now that I think about it, the .22 might not have been a Crossman. Been 50 years ago and I've slept since then.

ETA 2: Looks like it might have been a 120.

I've got two or three Benjamins in similar styling; one in .20 and one .22 IIRC. I picked up a Marauder at auction a couple of years ago for $80 although it does have a slow leak. I'll probably take care of that though this week thanks to house arrest. I've also got a Benjamin 242 and an H9A both in .22. I picked up the H9A at a garage sale a couple of years ago for $5 but it needs to be overhauled as the PO oiled the pump at some point. You can barely pump it as the O-ring is sticking so bad inside the pump barrel. Many a spider has gone on to that big spider web in the sky as a result of that 242!

 

[femurphy77]

Here is my pest control. She is close to 8 feet long now. She helps with birds, mice, and chipmunks. She's been around for about 5 years now. The rest of her is not visible in this picture.
View attachment 87201

We had one of those for awhile, the wife didn't appreciate it being around so I'm not sure if it moved on naturally or with a little help from her. She can be taught though, I saw her out mowing one day and make a sudden stop then back up and go around something. She said it was a snake about 5 feet long and since the local rabbit population had been using her garden as an all you can eat buffet she decided to let nature take it's course.

 

[freekforge]

Doggydaddy my hatsan loves the 14.66 pellets. My Benjamin prefers the lighter hatsan pellets I can't remember the weight off hand but it's the blue tin

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Doggydaddy my hatsan loves the 14.66 pellets. My Benjamin prefers the lighter hatsan pellets I can't remember the weight off hand but it's the blue tin

Hopefully mine will like one of the 3 types I have coming. I was bummed about the sample pack being out of stock. It had a nice variety of styles and weights.

 

[DadSmith]

We had one of those for awhile, the wife didn't appreciate it being around so I'm not sure if it moved on naturally or with a little help from her. She can be taught though, I saw her out mowing one day and make a sudden stop then back up and go around something. She said it was a snake about 5 feet long and since the local rabbit population had been using her garden as an all you can eat buffet she decided to let nature take it's course.

Rat or Black Snake won't mess with you it will move away. I've never had a problem with them. Copperhead, and even garter snake's are more aggressive than the Rat/Black snake. Besides they are constrictors none venomous/poisonous. Copperheads get taken out because i have grandchildren that play outside.

 

[freekforge]

I think im going to go ahead and start another thread on pellet guns so i dont keep threadjacking

 

[Cameramonkey]

I think im going to go ahead and start another thread on pellet guns so i dont keep threadjacking

Please do. I'm getting my Hatsan 95 out and trying to figure it all out as far as what it likes to eat.

 

[churchmouse]

I think im going to go ahead and start another thread on pellet guns so i dont keep threadjacking

Its is all about pellet guns in here boys. Have at it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Its is all about pellet guns in here boys. Have at it.

OK. So anyone else running a Hatsan 95? What do you find it is most accurate with? I found one guy who seemed to be very diligent. However he is totally incompetent in the field of writing/communication:

0.304” at 10 yards, dime size at 35 yards with Crosman Premiere 15.6 gr Hollow point, dime size at 30-40 yards, 1/2″ at 20 yards, 1/4″ at 50 feet, 1/4″ at 50 yards, zero in 100 feet (with the Premiere Ultra Magnum 10.5 gr domed, 10.65 gr Beeman Kodiak dome and 8.3 gr RWS superdome), 1/4″ at 100 feet, 0.75” at 30 yards, 1/4″ at 14 yards, 1/2″ at 35 yards, 1/2″ at 25 yards with 18.21 gr Beeman Crow Magnum,same hole at 30 yards, 1” at 42 yards, nickel size at 35 yards, 2” at 40 yards, 1.073” at 10 meters with Beeman Kodiak, 0.648” at 10 meters with JSB 15.9 gr dome Exact Jumbo, 1.548” at 10 meters with Predator, 1.218” at 25 yards, with Beeman Kodiak, 1.208” at 25 yards with JSB Exact dome 15.9 gr, dime size at 20 yards, 1/4″ at 40 to 45 feet, dime size 20 yards, 1” at 40 yards, nickel size at 15 yards, quarter size at 25 yards, 1/4″ at 18 yards, 1/4″ at 14 yards with Crosman Premiere Hollow Point, 1/2″ at 14 yards with Gamo Pro Magnum, 1/2″at 14 yards with Stoeger X field, 1/2″ at 14 yards with Stoeger X Power, 1/2″ at 14 yards with JSB Exact Diabolo, and 1” at 32 yards. Furthermore, Hatsan 95 can hit a target at 45meters, hit 500ml bottle at 95 meters, kill coon at 45 yards, hit water bottle at 100 yards with RWS Superfield 10.3 gr, kill squirrel at 50 feet, blow right through 3/4″ plywood with Crosman 14.3 gr, go through 270 page text book, hit blue jay at 20 meters, go through 1/2″ plywood at 30 yards, shoot through 3/4″ plywood at 25 yards, pierce through 0.5” solid board at 50 feet, penetrate 3/4″ pine board at 10 meters with JSB Match Diabolo Exact King 25.4 gr, and knock the squirrel from the tree at 65 yards.

I even tried to paste that soup into notepad and break it apart. I still couldnt make heads or tails of it. I literally got a headache trying to translate his work.

 

[BE Mike]

OK. So anyone else running a Hatsan 95? What do you find it is most accurate with? I found one guy who seemed to be very diligent. However he is totally incompetent in the field of writing/communication:



I even tried to paste that soup into notepad and break it apart. I still couldnt make heads or tails of it. I literally got a headache trying to translate his work.

I don't believe in going cheap with regards to pellets, as the accuracy of the pellet is the most important factor in air rifle shooting. I recently saw a video that recommended H&N Fleld Target Trophy 5.5's pellets. They also suggested upgrading the scope for the Hatsan 95. As usual manufacturers who include a scope with any rifle, usually provide the cheapest piece of junk that they can find.