Pistol for pest elimination and general fun

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If I didn't already have a rimfire I might buy one to fill the void but If all I was doing was shooting small pests around the garden I'd look into a quality .177 pellet gun. Find the most accurate and quietest model you can get. Rifle or pistol, pick your favorite.

A Ruger 10/22 rifle with hand fed super colibris was more quiet than a Crosman Quest 1000 .177 springer rifle. It was powerful but noisy. Fired from 6" revolver the super colibris and the Crosman were roughly the same though the report is quite different. The air rifle and the Ruger look just as "real" from a distance and the springer was louder, even though it was the legal choice for a 5 acre farm near the road.

If you're just playing around try the Beeman P17 pellet pistol. They are a ton of fun and mine worked great 15-20 yards on vermin, even a couple closer rabbits with a head shot. They are cheap and quiet with a nice trigger. You may be impressed with what can be done with a $35 pellet gun a few thousand pellets. With .22 remaining scarce and often overpriced the air gun option may sound even better.

http://www.airgundepot.com/beeman-p17.html
 
Lots of info, no decision yet :)

I'm not really concerned with price and availability of .22 ammo. Won't shoot much anyway.

If I go with air gun - it will be something like Beeman R9.

From what I can hear - if I want pistol it will be
http://www.ruger.com/products/2245ThreadedBarrel/models.html
+ suppressor

I'm not really digging this gun. And how accurate and quiet it will be (suppressed)?

Or just go with nice rimfire bolt rifle from CZ, for some reason I like CZ lately.
 
i have no idea how a supressor affects accuracy, but with the right optics that gun will do what you want at 50 yards.

but, if you want a nice trigger, you will have to add at least a quality sear.
most people add the whole volquartsen accurizing kit.
if you don't like the gun, maybe you won't feel like doing the extra work, but it's needed if you want a 2 lb trigger.
 
I'm just thinking it's too much attention for basic pest problem :)

If it was nice stainless MKIII with threaded barrel - OK. But plastic frame...

Can't think why I need rimfire rifle. I can use shotgun anywhere I would use it here in MO. As a matter of fact - they won't allow rimfires hunting suirell/rabbit within 100 miles from STL.

Looks like I just need decent airgun. Not magnum though. .22 PCP I had was shooting through the squirell at 25 yards, I killed bunch of ground hogs at 30-40 yards. Probably medium-power .17 springer will be just a ticket.
 
i'm a fan of springers. my super cheap vantage 1200 [$67 on sale] took a bunny at 15 yards with a body shot. hit the spine.
so, head shoot to 25 yards would work.

mind you, you can get something pretty n fun for more money.
i lust after the dianas.
i can't afford one tho. i'm pouring tons of cash into this 22/45, since my shooting needs thousands of rounds to improve.
 
Diana is too heavy IMO. I had 54 and it was scope killer. Yes, magnum. But this power not really needed. Diana 48 is the same, but without recoil control
 
i was looking at the 34. yeah, it's heavy, but i might be able to cock it easier. to cock my vantage, i have to put the butt on the ground n use both hands. what do you think is better?
i have no interest in filling guns from scuba tanks. if i want that much power i prefer fire arms.
i'm a rimfire person.
 
In my experience side-cocking much better/easier. And PCP is even better, but there is a cost to it. Sold mine mostly because too much money were tied into setup. There is Benjamin Discovery PCP - you can pump it or use CO2
 
i have enow plain looking guns.
i got the low end 22/45 for a working gun, because i knew it would get beat up. it's great for lugging around while i do chores.
killed 2 rattlers with it. one wanted to kill me.
but i have promised myself my next gun will have pretty wood n steel.
i have room for guns i can take care of n protect.
 
Katitmail said:
From what I can hear - if I want pistol it will be
http://www.ruger.com/products/2245ThreadedBarrel/models.html
+ suppressor

I'm not really digging this gun. And how accurate and quiet it will be (suppressed)?
Click to expand...

Katitmail said:
If it was nice stainless MKIII with threaded barrel - OK. But plastic frame...
Click to expand...

Don't want a plastic grip frame? How about this Ruger from Lipsey's?
http://www.lipseys.com/itemdetail.aspx?itemno=RUMKIII512GFS

Take off the flash hider and install a suppressor.
 
Susieqz, do u have gas or spring? Gas pistons are considered easier to cock than spring rifles. If I am walking to or from my target, I can cock my Nitro Venom without letting go of my grip and just holding the rifle like a pistol In the air. But if I am standing still I would normally just set the butt against my hip.

If you are vertically challenged it might help to shorten the buttstock a bit to where u can set it on your hip.
 
glo, i have the spring, that's why i got it for $67. no one wants them.
i'm 5'8'' so i could do the hip cock thing if the gun would let me.
i have no idea what the cocking effort is supposed to be. it is never mentioned in the ads.
still,it's very powerful.
 
For those that think there's a diff in CB short vs long in report...........CCI shows them as the same bullet and FPS wise. The reason they make them in two length, even though the "pop" is the same, is probably for feeding issues.

My bud's 39A bobbles shorts often, longs work slick as a whistle.

If the "pop" aint the same............
 
Ive shot a number of critters around the house with this.....

?tn=936369689.jpg

Using 147 grain subsonic loads, and wetting the can, its quieter than my 177 pellet rifle. More like a pneumatic nail gun. Ive shot a couple of possums in my car port with it, without ear plugs, and my son, whos bedroom window is in the carport, thought I dropped something. He was right. :D

I use this for critters in the garden and edge of the yard, 50-75 yard shots.....

?tn=405263490.jpg

I usually shoot it from the floor of the carport as well, and again, without ear plugs. The suppressor kills the muzzle blast by about 95%, but you do still get a "crack" from the round going down range. Its still quieter than a .22, and not much louder than the .177.

Between shooting for over 50 years and a couple of "loud" work environments over the years, my ears are pretty much shot. If I shoot a .22 in my carport, Im pretty much deaf for a couple of days after. Thats how effective the suppressors are. Even quick, multiple shots arent an issue.
 
Katitmail said:
I'm just thinking it's too much attention for basic pest problem :)

Can't think why I need rimfire rifle. I can use shotgun anywhere I would use it here in MO. As a matter of fact - they won't allow rimfires hunting suirell/rabbit within 100 miles from STL.
Click to expand...

Wow, where did you get that information???? I sure hope that was an exaggeration. If not, you are sadly misinformed. I live 60 or 70 miles west of St. Louis in a very rural area and can hunt anywhere I desire with a .22, centerfire rifles, handguns of any caliber, etc. There are no state laws or general conservation regulations stating what you are saying.

Now, when you get into the St. Louis County suburban municipalities, there are city regulations against shooting firearms and perhaps some suburban MDC conservation area rules regulating weapons on those particular surburban sites. Perhaps that is what you are refering to.

You stated you are considering a Beeman R-9. This would be a suberb choice. I have one in .20 caliber and find it very well made, accurate, and deadly.
 
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100 miles maybe too much :) But if you look at concervation areas around STL - they prohibit centerfires everywhere (shotgun only). They allow rifles for deer season, but not for general small game hunting. At one point I wanted to try hunt with an airgun and this is NO as well because it's a rifle even though pellet killing range is about the same as shotgun with small pellets..
 
Airguns of Arizona has an HW95 (same as R9) for $300+shipping. That, in 177, with a UTG 3-12x40AO Hunter Scope would be my choice for pest and plinking. Fun for field target too. You could go higher $ on the scope, but the UTG is decently bright and holds up to springer recoil.
 
If single shot on the pests and quiet is important, there are companies such as Gammo and others who have pellet rifles with suppressors built on the end of the barrel that don't require any sort of tax stamp.
 
Ended up getting something completely different. I wanted this pellet rifle before, now I got it. It's not light, but it should be quiet and safe. And very accurate: FWB 300S
 
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