English Sparrows

[Ryden]

I've still got a big supply of RWS Meisterkügel so that's what i use, but they're really not up to standard past 20m

 

[Jeb Stuart]

We have an infestation of English Sparrows that swarm our suburban yard. I’ve got little use for invasive exotic species and figure they make decent targets. We’re outside the city limits so I’ll get that bit out of the way. If we were out in the country a 20 gauge with a light load of #9 would fix it in short order, but I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t win over the neighbors.

I’m looking for recommendations for an inexpensive (under $75) pellet rifle or pistol. It should be sufficiently accurate at 20 yards or less to hit a small and not particularly tough target. I have a Benjamin 392 that has been the end of many garden raiding squirrels but it is 1) too powerful for little birds and 2) not pumping correctly (a story for another post). Plus it’s an excuse to get a .177 rifle, right?

Most of my experience is with pumps, but I’m open to other options if quieter or of better quality. I grew up with the Crosman 760 to harass squirrels but generally think a rifled barrel would be better. The Daisy 880 sounds decent on paper but I’ve read they’re fairly fragile. The Crosman 1377 sounds interesting too. Probably others I’ve not thought of too. Any experience would be helpful here.

Are you talking about English Sparrows or Grackles? I have never seen a invasion of English Sparrows, I do see many invasions of Grackles and have shot many over the years. The English Sparrow in a invasive species but are little birds that you can take down with a BB gun. The Grackle (black Birds) require a pellet gun. They are also very smart. You never get a second shot. A disgusting Bird that invades the next of American song Birds and destroys millions each year.And I am sure they are not the friend of the Farmer.

One way to get a second shot or shoot more than one at a time is this. I yell out "Freeze Grackels". They will freeze long enough for that second shot.

 

[fpgt72]

Well, if you're a new air gunner, you shouldn't hunt!
Practicing on live targets is a whipping offence in my book, certainly it was in my dad's
Yes, a springer can have a steeper learning curve than a PCP but no matter what gun you get you have to practice first and the SAG I recommended will make that KZ after a tin of pellets has settled it down.
(It's also known branded as the Beeman RS at twice the price)

If you want something powerful and accurate enough to hunt sparrows on the cheap, then I have a hard time thinking of something other than a break barrel springer.

I'd use my scoped FWB 300 but that's not in the OP's budget even if he'd probably love it.
The FX Cutlass is excellent for stalking rabbits and loads of fun going through the mags putting pellets downrange at the fall down targets untill you have to get out the pump, but for sparrows, a chair and table on the porch and a bipod on the FWB is ideal.

The thing people forget is that birds are built real light.....you don't need a great deal to deal with them. IIRC the OP had a 392/397, this is the perfect bird gun inside and outside of buildings. I use my 2200 (old crosman) for this work as I can just pump the thing up 7 times and get birds inside the barn, off tractors....no through shots, no broken glass.

While I am not sure I would go to BB's, birds are not that stout.

 

[Cvans]

We live about 3/4 mile from a large grain elevator. We have English Sparrows coming out our ears. One pair of Sparrows will completely fill all the compartments with nesting materiel on one side of the Purple Martin house. Disgusting little buggers.

 

[jmorris]

Are you talking about English Sparrows or Grackles? I have never seen a invasion of English Sparrows,

It was these by the hundreds in our trees.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

It was these by the hundreds in our trees.

View attachment 861817

Interesting. I have never seen them flocked like that. Seen them all the time in small numbers.

 

[Ryden]

It's quite facinating that it could be such a pest as an introduced species.
In Europe it went in steep decline after WWII due to the mechanization of farming, a main staple of their diet was seeds and cereal from horse droppings.
They're quite harmless (here at least) but in cities they're called flying rats as they scavenge in bins around restuarants.
They make huge mixed flocks with Tree Sparrows and syndry sparrows

 

[fpgt72]

It's quite facinating that it could be such a pest as an introduced species.
In Europe it went in steep decline after WWII due to the mechanization of farming, a main staple of their diet was seeds and cereal from horse droppings.
They're quite harmless (here at least) but in cities they're called flying rats as they scavenge in bins around restuarants.
They make huge mixed flocks with Tree Sparrows and syndry sparrows

Same with starlings, they are all over the place......there are places in the US where lion fish are just destroying the native fish.....put something where it is not intended to be and you get things you never thought would happen.

I remember years ago these little turtles are popular pets (think late 70's early 80's) it seemed every child wanted one of these little turtles....I would guess they are 2-5 cm in size.....(why you guys can't use an easy base 12 system and want to stick with that silly metric thing I have no idea)

Anyhoo.......as with most things children want they did not want it for long and with the option of mom and dad taking care of the animal or "setting it free"....or better yet, giving it a burial at sea (flush it down the toilet) you can guess many just let the animal loose.....this raised holy hell in the local population of the native turtles in florida....to the point they checked cars coming into the state for a while. It is still a pretty big mess, but not like it was 30 years ago....and nothing like the lion fish deal is now.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

It was these by the hundreds in our trees.

View attachment 861817

Cruious, what state do you live in? Like I mentioned, I have never seen them in flocks like that. Are they seasonal?

 

[jmorris]

Texas. Only time we ever had them bad was in the two sycamore trees. Don’t know why, cut them down and kept 6 pecan trees and a couple other smaller trees but they never came back in numbers.

 

[tmd16556]

Thanks for the advice. I’ve decided that for now repairing the 392 and adding an old 4x scope I have lying around is the right step. I do think there are some good ideas for next time I come across a little extra spending money I may look at anew 177 to complement the 392.

 

[Cvans]

In SD Squirrels are known as tree rats and English Sparrows as tree mice. It's about impossible to keep them out of out buildings and they will take over any kind of bird house that's put up. Native birds don't hardly stand a chance at the bird feeders in the winter. The thing they don't seem to like is sunflower seeds. They will land in the yard in groups of 20 or more at a time.
Have I mentioned I don't like them?????

 

[fpgt72]

In SD Squirrels are known as tree rats and English Sparrows as tree mice. It's about impossible to keep them out of out buildings and they will take over any kind of bird house that's put up. Native birds don't hardly stand a chance at the bird feeders in the winter. The thing they don't seem to like is sunflower seeds. They will land in the yard in groups of 20 or more at a time.
Have I mentioned I don't like them?????

I live in the country.....really in the middle of an old corn field, there are no trees close to the house that are not there for looks. There are woods all around the field and those are full of squirrels.....every once and a while one will think about making a run across the field....they usually don't make it.....hawk or other bird of pray will nail it....keep the grass short and they get the field mice as well.

Pretty interesting having friends over for dinner and looking out the window and seeing a hawk tear a squirrel apart and eat it about 10 feet away from you....makes for some good dinner talk.

 

[Cvans]

makes for some good dinner talk.

I'll bet it does.

 

[jmorris]

Thanks for the advice. I’ve decided that for now repairing the 392 and adding an old 4x scope I have lying around is the right step.

I rebuilt one a few years ago, it’s not difficult if you have the right tool.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/benjamin-franklin-rebuild.740397/

If you have as many as we did, you need to swap arms when you pump it up or you’ll walk sideways with the one body builder arm and the normal one opposite.

 

[1066]

As a boy, living in the UK in the 1950's, sparrows and starlings were a real pest and we were encouraged to shoot them by the local farmer. I was lucky enough to have a Diana Mod. 27, a well made, accurate break barrel rifle and knocked them over by the dozen but made no impact on the numbers. Another method was to make a V of a couple of planks of timber, throw in a couple of handfuls of grain and shoot down the length with my single shot, bolt action 410. Not very sporting but at the time it as like being infested with mice.

Unfortunately now, the small bird population over here is in a serious decline, over the last 20 years or so the starlings/sparrow flocks have gone, not due to shooting - almost all birds are protected and although wood pigeons, crows etc. can be controlled you need a reason to do it..

 

[OrangePwrx9]

I recommend the Crosman 2100B multi-pump rifle. They go for $70 at Pyramyd Air. Caliber is .177, barrel is rifled, and they are accurate to 20 yds.

Top it with a Crosman 410 4X15 Targetfinder scope for another $12.

I've got 2 of them, both are so accurate they're boring, but the triggers aren't great and there's a lot of plastic. You can order direct from Crosman in Bloomfield, NY. Crosman usually has refurb 2100s on hand. One of mine is a refurb and cost just $39. You can get the scope there too, though their website is hard to use/order from until you get used to it.

Another negative, Crosman ships FedEX and require a signature for an air gun. Pyramid ships UPS, no signature required.

Actually, I think your 392, once repaired, will be right for the job; but I understand the lust for a new gun.

 

[tmd16556]

The 392 is back up and running again with a $16 kit from Pyramid Air. It was easier to repair than the Crosman 760 I rebuilt a few years back. The front sight blade is wider than the sparrow so the next step is mounting the old Tasco and zeroing it.

 

[fpgt72]

I recommend the Crosman 2100B multi-pump rifle. They go for $70 at Pyramyd Air. Caliber is .177, barrel is rifled, and they are accurate to 20 yds.

Top it with a Crosman 410 4X15 Targetfinder scope for another $12.

I've got 2 of them, both are so accurate they're boring, but the triggers aren't great and there's a lot of plastic. You can order direct from Crosman in Bloomfield, NY. Crosman usually has refurb 2100s on hand. One of mine is a refurb and cost just $39. You can get the scope there too, though their website is hard to use/order from until you get used to it.

Another negative, Crosman ships FedEX and require a signature for an air gun. Pyramid ships UPS, no signature required.

Actually, I think your 392, once repaired, will be right for the job; but I understand the lust for a new gun.

I agree but like the little extra mass a 22 gives you.....too bad our 22 MSP options are not that many....I love my old 2200's

 

[Cvans]

.I love my old 2200's

Takes very little work to install a 2260 barrel on these and then you have a real tack driver.

 

[bearcreek]

1) too powerful for little birds

Are you eating them? Why does it matter how powerful the rifle is?

 

[Armored farmer]

Night-time birding with bb guns was a common sport for us farm boys.
Grab a flashlight and a bb gun and hunt the barns and sheds for spatsies.
In high school, the FFA had a pest contest to see who cou,d "eradicate " the most birds.
Wow, times have changed.
Btw , I had a Daisy Spittin' Image saddle ring lever action bb gun.

 

[fpgt72]

Are you eating them? Why does it matter how powerful the rifle is?

If he is shooting them indoors then it can be a real issue.....steel siding on metal barns is not that stout ask me how I know......I also have a few dents in equipment....lucky no shattered glass, just a little damage.

Birds are built light, it does not take much to down them.....why I like as much mass as I can get and like the pump 22.....if there was a msp 25-30 I would use that.

 

[tmd16556]

Not really planning on eating them. Although someone has been from the feathers I found. Probably cats or hawks. I still need to zero the scope then they’re in trouble. The latest hare-brained scheme is making tiny shot shells with #9 birdshot. The spread is probably terrible at 10 yds with the rifled barrel. I’ll probably do it anyway since I have everything I need lying around.

 

[Grayrock]

"I have a Benjamin 392 that has been the end of many garden raiding squirrels but it is 1) too powerful for little birds " If it will take down a squirrel, then a sparrow will be no problem, in fact a MORE humane end to their days. I had an old Benjamin 310 that was responsible for many a chichi bird's demise in my youth. Still have it, but it needs new seals.