Pellet Guns

[Mickey328]

Hope this is a good place to post...figured that folks who are familiar with hunting should know quite a lot about guns....I know pretty much nothing

After looking at numerous ways to dispatch rabbits to dress for meat, we've decided we'd prefer to shoot them rather than club them. So, we're on the lookout for a pellet gun for the task. Could anyone recommend one for me? It will need enough power to kill immediately, but it will be at point blank range. Would a hand gun be sufficient, or would we need to go to a rifle type? DH has hunted some with a .22 but I've never even pulled a trigger. He'll be doing most of the slaughtering and cleaning, but I need to learn as well.

Thanks for any advice!

Mickey

 

[SSDreamin]

I saw a clever hook type of deal, on MEN I think it was, that is a quick, kinder way to dispatch rabbits. DH said we'd definitely use it once we get rabbits. As I recall, you slide the rabbit in, then pull down and out quickly. Easy for even someone like me to use, and as painless as possible for the rabbit. I'll try to look around for it, to post for you, or maybe someone here knows of a link to something similar?

 

[Mickey328]

Thanks SS...I'll look forward to checking it out.

 

[SSDreamin]

Found it!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/multimedia/image-gallery.aspx?id=2147497613&seq=7

Hope this helps/gives you another option.

 

[Mickey328]

Thanks so much for finding that! I've seen similar things and am afraid that I'd do it wrong, causing them pain I'm a wimp. It might be different if I could watch someone in person, but I'd be afraid that I wouldn't pull hard enough and have to do it again while the poor thing was suffering. I really don't have qualms about killing something for food, but I feel responsible to do it as humanely as possible. That's why I figured a bullet in the brain while they're unaware would be the kindest thing.

 

[chickenjoe]

I would use pellet rifle vs the handgun. They have more fps than the handgun. If your looking for cheap alternative, use the crossman 760. It a multi pump.

 

[Mickey328]

Thanks Joe. I'm so inexperienced that I have no idea how much fps I need, so I thought I'd better ask. As far as we plan, dispatching rabbits with the barrel pretty much touching the head will be the only thing it will be used for. So, we'd rather not invest a lot but we do want it to be powerful enough to take them out with just one shot.

 

[Andy J]

My only experience with pellet rifles is with a Benjamin pump in .22 caliber I've had since I was a kid.I'm 60 now and it still shoots well today.I've killed many squirrels with it.It shoots like a .22 out to about 25 yards.Plenty of power to kill a rabbit.

 

[Icu4dzs]

I shot a skunk in my garage with it twice and it didn't even hurt him. I think it stung a bit cause he raised his tail but had no idea where to point that tail. He came in the garage several nights later so I've got to come up with some other method. I shot at him with a .22 pistol and put a nice hole in my garage wall, (luckily nothing else) and decided to try the pellet gun. It is a .17 rather than .22. You can get pellets of either size so check when you get it. My pellet is a target shooter. You bend the barrel and it is done. The multi-pump ones can achieve a significantly better force to the round and that will kill but only at a very small distance.
I think that the device in the MEN looked like a much more reliable method and then you don't have to be concerned with the pellet, etc.
Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis, Fratres Aeterni
Trim sends
//BT//

 

[Mickey328]

Thanks y'all. I really appreciate the input!

Mickey