Advice needed please...Regarding Lightweight Air Rifle for Rat control...Thanks

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I have had a Webley Axsor for 18 years:

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It's a .22 with 8 shot magazine, CO2 powered and filled to 180 psi, using a diving cylinder, which lasts years - no manual pumping! The cylinder has to be tested every so often, mind.

It's a great gun and I would recommend it, but it not at all light. Very powerful and has taken out rats at 25m in the UK ... no rats around here, but too many bl**dy moles ... and, yes, I have tried the Jasper Carrot method with the shotgun, but without the revolving stool. :)

You get used to the weight of the gun, as in everything. For small vermin, it is very effective.
For the OP , some places will convert old fire extinguishers into reservoirs for the same purpose.
 
Hi Eddie I've got a .22 Diana I've had some time wil send picture if I can, if you want it it's a break action air rifle with a scope I've got it up for £50 if you want to try it for £35 I'll post it to you, PM me. Peter. If you don't like it send it back for a refund,. P. Also a box of 200 .22 pellets (slugs), to go with it.👍
Hi Peter...That's very kind of you...I would like to have it....How would you like me to Pay...I can do PayPal if that's ok....I'm on the Isle of Wight so Hermes courier would probably be best...not sure if your allowed to post it...Please let me know the total cost with postage...and how you would like to be paid...Cheers Matey! Best wishes Eddie

Is it any lighter than the rifle you have? The original objective as I recall.......
 
This one weighs about seven pounds, I do have a Webley Falcon which is slightly smaller but the same weight, they are not high powered like gas guns or pumps, it's original with about 15 /20 lbs, ft.torque, still legal without a high power licence. Good fun. P
PS will kill most garden intruders except people , cows, and horses, Rats knocks em over dead no nonsense!
 
This one weighs about seven pounds, I do have a Webley Falcon which is slightly smaller but the same weight, they are not high powered like gas guns or pumps, it's original with about 15 /20 lbs, ft.torque, still legal without a high power licence. Good fun. P
PS will kill most garden intruders except people , cows, and horses, Rats knocks em over dead no nonsense!

I think you may misunderstand how air rifle ratings etc work.

There are many gas (CO2) or compressed air (PCP) powered rifles that are designed to operate at or just below the 12ft/lbs limit. Some are certainly available as "high powered" versions far in excess of 12 ft/lbs but the fact they operate via a compressed gas source is not relevant.

If your Webley is operating at 15/20 ft/lbs then it requires a Firearms Certificate to own and use as it exceeds the 12 ft/lb limit.
 
For the OP , some places will convert old fire extinguishers into reservoirs for the same purpose.

@Pontoneer, can you PM me a bit more detail please, a friend has an air rifle where he uses a scuba cylinder to re-fill the rifle's bottle so has to get it refilled and certified, I have a couple of old fire extinguishers which might be a suitable and cheaper alternative for him.

All I know about his air rifle is that it's light, has a multi shot magazine, cost him about £600 and is lethal at 20-30m against things like squirrels, and has a silencer so is so quiet the prey do not react if there's more than one - he's also sighted it in really well so he's very accurate with it! The rats that used to appear thanks to next door's chickens are history, as are grey squirrels in his garden (which end up in his friend's cooking!!), wish I'd had something similar at our old house where rabbits were a problem!

BTW @ioweddie, you should update your thread on MBOA to show you've bought something!
 
Thankyou DSM my Webley is probably 12 ft lbs. And same for Diana series 70, they are both old rifles and conform to regulations at that time. Eg; youn must be at least 60 ft, from a road and fire away from direction:, never point at anyone , usual stuff. Should be ok in big box. Time was you could sell anything.
 
What you want is a .22 PCP rifle, I have an S200, a czech made lightweight, 12ft lb, max UK limit, perfect for rats...
 
Thankyou DSM my Webley is probably 12 ft lbs. And same for Diana series 70, they are both old rifles and conform to regulations at that time. Eg; youn must be at least 60 ft, from a road and fire away from direction:, never point at anyone , usual stuff. Should be ok in big box. Time was you could sell anything.

They may have been modified by previous owners if bought second hand, it was quite common to change the spring and unless tested no one would ever know!

The problem with the higher powered type, licensing aside is that at the range most people shoot prey at the pellet velocity might be so high that it passes through your target rather than distributing the energy within and that may preclude a clean dispatch.

Using a 12 bore for rat hunting tends to leave little evidence :)
 
@Pontoneer, can you PM me a bit more detail please, a friend has an air rifle where he uses a scuba cylinder to re-fill the rifle's bottle so has to get it refilled and certified, I have a couple of old fire extinguishers which might be a suitable and cheaper alternative for him.

All I know about his air rifle is that it's light, has a multi shot magazine, cost him about £600 and is lethal at 20-30m against things like squirrels, and has a silencer so is so quiet the prey do not react if there's more than one - he's also sighted it in really well so he's very accurate with it! The rats that used to appear thanks to next door's chickens are history, as are grey squirrels in his garden (which end up in his friend's cooking!!), wish I'd had something similar at our old house where rabbits were a problem!

BTW @ioweddie, you should update your thread on MBOA to show you've bought something!
I don’t have first hand knowledge, but a friend who is a shooter told me it is quite a popular thing
 
I don’t have first hand knowledge, but a friend who is a shooter told me it is quite a popular thing

I cannot imagine that using an expired extinguisher bottle for storing highly compressed air is anything but an accident waiting to happen.

We are looking at very different pressure requirements, fire extinguishers if filled with a propellant will generally use Nitrogen or in some cases dried air to remove moisture and prevent internal corrosion and therefore weakness of the structure. Diving cylinders commonly are designed to hold 200 to 240 bar of pressure, that is why they have to be checked and certified for that particular use.

Fire extinguishers are designed for much lower pressures circa 30 to 50 bar.

You would also need to remove the outlet from an extinguisher bottle and presumably weld in a new valve assembly? The heat from welding is likely to cause a change in structural integrity.
 
That mirrors my thoughts when I read about it, not even sure i'd expect a fire extinguisher to be at 30-50bar (435-725psi). My water and foam ones with air bladders inside were only at 120psi, not sure what the powder and CO2 ones were.
 
That mirrors my thoughts when I read about it, not even sure i'd expect a fire extinguisher to be at 30-50bar (435-725psi). My water and foam ones with air bladders inside were only at 120psi, not sure what the powder and CO2 ones were.
The higher figure I quoted for Fire extinguishers was, I believe, a test figure, when filled for the use the pressure is considerably lower.
 
I cannot imagine that using an expired extinguisher bottle for storing highly compressed air is anything but an accident waiting to happen.

We are looking at very different pressure requirements, fire extinguishers if filled with a propellant will generally use Nitrogen or in some cases dried air to remove moisture and prevent internal corrosion and therefore weakness of the structure. Diving cylinders commonly are designed to hold 200 to 240 bar of pressure, that is why they have to be checked and certified for that particular use.

Fire extinguishers are designed for much lower pressures circa 30 to 50 bar.

You would also need to remove the outlet from an extinguisher bottle and presumably weld in a new valve assembly? The heat from welding is likely to cause a change in structural integrity.
Regardless, I’ve heard of it being done .

moisture and corrosion must also occur in air compressor receiver tanks , yet few will be regularly inspected; I periodically drain water from the screw in the bottom of mine , but that’s about it .
 
Regardless, I’ve heard of it being done .

moisture and corrosion must also occur in air compressor receiver tanks , yet few will be regularly inspected; I periodically drain water from the screw in the bottom of mine , but that’s about it .
I have no doubt Derek but just because people do it does not make it safe or advisable though.

Also Air compressor tanks do not operate at anything like the pressure of a Certified and Tested Scuba tank I imagine so no real comparison?
 
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The higher figure I quoted for Fire extinguishers was, I believe, a test figure, when filled for the use the pressure is considerably lower.
Had a quick trawl on tinternet - 12g Co2 powerlets for airguns are rated 850 psi , scuba cylinders rated at 3000psi and Co2 fire extinguishers rated at 850 psi so I wouldn't fancy pressurising a fire extinguisher anywhere near 3000 psi , might make a bit of a bang .:eek:
7. A powerlet and a large CO2 tank have the same internal pressure at the same temperature.
This is a difficult concept to grasp, but it's the reason CO2 powerlets are such a wonderful power source. They hold enough liquid for many shots, yet they're small enough to be very handy.
 
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Had a quick trawl on tinternet - 12g Co2 powerlets for airguns are rated 850 psi , scuba cylinders rated at 3000psi and Co2 fire extinguishers rated at 850 psi so I wouldn't fancy pressurising a fire extinguisher anywhere near 3000 psi , might make a bit of a bang .:eek:
7. A powerlet and a large CO2 tank have the same internal pressure at the same temperature.
This is a difficult concept to grasp, but it's the reason CO2 powerlets are such a wonderful power source. They hold enough liquid for many shots, yet they're small enough to be very handy.
It's the difference in volume due to the change of state from liquid to gas.

And for sure, putting 3000 psi into a fire extinguisher or an air compressor receiver is unlikely to end well.
 
And this is why you should only use a humane trap outside.
Mr Toady was not best pleased this morning at his overnight incarceration, but he would have been a lot less happy if he had been squished by a snap trap.
As @Bellow says, best is a humane trap, and you can then deal with them as you wish.
Mr Toady was last seen crawling under the stoop.

oh, and it goes without saying. Check them at least twice a day.
 

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