Good rabbit hunting gun?-suggestions

From Leicestershire, 38 posts

Originally posted by Groundsman on 18 Sep 2005 2:30 AM
The SMK B2 is an absolutely dreadful air rifle. Frankly,....



You are absolutely right; the only reliable way to kill a rabbit with a B2 is to deliver a heavy blow to its head using the rifle butt!
You should not hunt with a B2 - period.

From Colchester, 2 posts

Originally posted by Coffey6 on 23 May 2004 7:09 PM
I live in the uk and i'm new to shooting and own a petty chinese break barrel pistol and am looking to upgrade to a small rifle or powerful pistol that can do the job of taking out rabbits from 15m - 25m. I have a rather small to medium budget of around £90 max. Looked at various rifles and a few pistols like the Weihrauch hw45 (found one on ebay for £40 but got removed from the site), crosman american classic and a range of weihrauch rifles.



Has any one got any suggestions on good guns?





yes mate find a rifle you like the looks of see what the power is go for the max limit just so you no when you have hit it you will kill it in one shot i personaly dont use an air rifle for rabbits i use 12 bore shot gun with size 6 cartriges and if you have had a bad day use number 1 cartriges that is what you use for goose shooting and it can be quiet a laught but find a gun you like save up for it and buy it

From Maryland, 100 posts

What is all this 35 yard Max hunting distance stuff about.



I live in the United States, so there are no boundries on airgun power. I use a .177 cal Gamo Shadow 1,000 w/ 10.6gr Beeman Kodiak pellets, & I can kill a squirrel w/ 1 shot 90% of the time (the 10% was when my scope was loose, so I don't know if you'd count that).



It seems that all of your airguns listed are chambered in .22cal, is there a specific reason? I just got out of a debate thet concluded either cal is good.

From Newcastle Upon Tyne, 5 posts

im afraid the simple answer is spent a bit more money. i have a weihrauch hw90 which is a geat rifle and powerful to boot ! it has a Theoben gas ram system instead of a spring and can be charged up to about 30ft lbs (with a F.A.C) but if your budget does not allow, a friend of mine is getting perfectly good results with a gamo spring rifle (spanish make) but also you can get SMK chinese rifles. shooting snobs will say all Chinese rifles rubbish but I dont agree.The SMK XS20 looks like a cracking good rifle Buy the best you can afford but that doesn't have to be hundreds of pounds.
Have a look at gunsandtackle.com or better yet give them a ring as they do complete starter combo deals including smk XS20 rifle, ammo, scope, gun cover for about £135

From Newcastle Upon Tyne, 5 posts

im afraid the simple answer is spent a bit more money. i have a weihrauch hw90 which is a geat rifle and powerful to boot ! it has a Theoben gas ram system instead of a spring and can be charged up to about 30ft lbs (with a F.A.C) but if your budget does not allow, a friend of mine is getting perfectly good results with a gamo spring rifle (spanish make) but also you can get SMK chinese rifles. shooting snobs will say all Chinese rifles rubbish but I dont agree.The SMK XS20 looks like a cracking good rifle Buy the best you can afford but that doesn't have to be hundreds of pounds.
Have a look at gunsandtackle.com or better yet give them a ring as they do complete starter combo deals including smk XS20 rifle, ammo, scope, gun cover for about £135

From Newcastle Upon Tyne, 5 posts

im afraid the simple answer is spent a bit more money. i have a weihrauch hw90 which is a geat rifle and powerful to boot ! it has a Theoben gas ram system instead of a spring and can be charged up to about 30ft lbs (with a F.A.C) but if your budget does not allow, a friend of mine is getting perfectly good results with a gamo spring rifle (spanish make) but also you can get SMK chinese rifles. shooting snobs will say all Chinese rifles rubbish but I dont agree.The SMK XS20 looks like a cracking good rifle Buy the best you can afford but that doesn't have to be hundreds of pounds.
Have a look at gunsandtackle.com or better yet give them a ring as they do complete starter combo deals including smk XS20 rifle, ammo, scope, gun cover for about £135

From Mankato, MN, 4110 posts

Generally a typical hunting springer should at least hit inside 1 inch at 25 yards and inside 2 inches at 50 yards. At 12 ftlbs you may not want to hunt rabbits past 30 yards or so. So most air rifles at 12 ftlbs may be ok for bunnies. So read the reviews and get what you want.

A gamo tends to have good repeutation and make an excellent first air rifle. I like the cfx model in a .22 with a scope. Also, a mendoza rm 600 .22 cal. and a scope for a break barrel. Probably looking at 100 to 150.00BP depending on scope. Chinese air rifles are ok...for hunting.....good power for the money..but they may not last as long and their accuracy/quality can vary. No matter what, buy from a place that is repitable and has a good return policy. Any air gun manufacturer can have defects in their lines.

From Cheadle, Staffordshire, 81 posts

I know I will get loads of negative posts now but............................
I have an SMK XS 78 and find if the range is short, it is good for putting bunnies in the bag but it must be an eye shot or not bother. I thorght after bowling over a few bunnies at first, there was not enough power as they were flicking and twitching all over the place, until my mate with a Career 747 (15fp) came shooting with me one day. At the same range, his gun made no differance, so to me it is shot placement rather than outright power. I am saving up for a Falcon Prarie b bull barrel, but until that materialises, I will still use my 78. I had a meteor given me a few months ago and I find it a very accurate gun with plenty of power. May try it on fur this week and let you know what happens.

From Ipswich, 3298 posts

The power difference between the SMK and the BSA are about 2 ft/lbs ish, the meteor isn't really powerfull eneugh. 15 ft/lbs for a career isn't very much, I hope he has an FAC for that!

From Mankato, MN, 4110 posts

smk xs 78 lucky to get 7 to 8 ftlbs. A crosman 2260 lucky to hit 9 to 10 ftlbs. I would try huning a rabbit with anything less than 12 ftlbs in a .22 cal. rws/umarex 850 at 11 to 12 ftlbs. CO2 accurate...but the I prefer a little power too. FAC range may have a multi pump bengamin sheridan 392 a little above 12 ftlbs in a multi pump .22 cal.

As with any air rifle, a good shot is essential, but so is having enough power too.