Spec Me An Air Pistol

wolfie138

wolfie138

wolfie138

Soldato
Joined
8 Jun 2013
Posts
4,463
looking to get back to plinking, perhaps a bit minor vermin control. will probably be only able to practice every couple weeks, if that has any impact on leaving a CO2 cartridge loaded for long periods of time. looking to spend a max of around £200~250, less would be good.

tia
 
no, I just mentioned because i didn't want a load of CO2 recommendations if leaving the weapon unused for a couple of weeks would be problematic for that type. i'm open to anything [heh heh, etc]
 
wolfie138 said:
looking to get back to plinking, perhaps a bit minor vermin control. will probably be only able to practice every couple weeks, if that has any impact on leaving a CO2 cartridge loaded for long periods of time. looking to spend a max of around £200~250, less would be good.

tia
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What vermin are you looking to control with this and what environment will the air pistol be used in?

Been a good few years since I used an air pistol, but the rule of thumb used to be “.177 for accuracy and .22 if you have a mouse problem”. My experience with self-loading CO2 weapons is, that like airsoft GBBs, they’re far from quiet shooting and not a good idea for back garden use.
 
Best not to hunt with an air pistol, they are limited to just 6ftlb which is a bit lacking on the power side (and accuracy) to always land a clean killer blow. Better stick to a rifle for that.
 
ttaskmaster said:
Does it have to be CO2?
I picked up an old 1978 model .22 Webley Hurricane in lovely condition. Shoots beautifully and is perfect for back yard plinking. Would highly recommend one!
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I used to have one, was great for plinking in the garden range. It's not going to worry much vermin though, but it can make a dog biscuit explode in a puff of dust, which was my preferred target :P
 
Why shoot magpies and squirrels anyway? Can you explain what specific problems they cause you, which leave you no option but to blast them in the head with a lump of metal?

Just stick to plinking please. Leave the pest control to people who know what they are doing and are using the correct equipment to dispatch them quickly and humanely without causing unnecessary suffering.
 
wolfie138 said:
magpies, squirrels probably. I was assuming the 22 would be the better options.
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Apologies for not replying sooner.

A legal air pistol can’t fire a pellet with sufficient muzzle energy to make clean body shot kills on those animals. Feathers are like organic Kevlar vests and squirrels are extraordinary tough little sods.

Your next problem is that, unless you’re looking to spend a bunch of money on a match pistol designed for target shooting, they’re not accurate enough for reliable headshots. The other issue with .177 match pistols is that they often provide somewhat less than 6 ftlbs as they only need to stabilise the pellet for a 10 metre (usually indoor) range.

TL:DR - air pistols aren’t a humane option to control any vermin bigger than a mouse.
 
ttaskmaster said:
**** me.... If that's what people here are gonna be like, then I pity the poor ***** in the Newbie section asking for PC component advice!!

Rather than berate the guy, perma-ban him and condemn him to hell, for wanting to legitimately and legally hunt vermin (in the case of grey squirrels, at least), perhaps you would have been better placed to start with some practical and helpful advice so he does learn?
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People asking for PC advice are not planning to use their PC to kill innocent animals for sport are they?
 
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