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

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ioweddie

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

I live in a rural area on the Isle of Wight...have a lovely big garden....We feed the birds...lots of visitors to the bird feeders...Goldfinches...Green Finches...Black Caps...Bull Finches...plus all the normal garden birds...

Unfortunately we also have quite a few rats...I borrowed an air rifle from a friend...and managed to get a few quite big ones....however the gun is very heavy and needs to be supported....I am thinking about buying my own one....not sure about any in particular....can anyone advise me please....Thanks Eddie
 
For occasional use ,on a budget and without needing a licence....

Gamo Whisper X in .177. This 24 Joule light composite stock rifle does the job well. Buy from a gun dealer who will set you up with the correct (and surprisingly cheap) scope for the distances you have in mind and you will be OK...the rats ..less so.

Or this...but the rats have to be at least a few hundred yards away with this bad boy !!!

shoot 1.jpg
 
Those bigger ones were cats.
I suggest you don't give the dog a haircut.
 
Humane traps and finish the rats with your existing rifle.
Unless you intend making a sport out of it.
 
Eddie

I suggest you make an appointment to go to a gun shop, explain your needs,, what range you are shooting over etc and let them suggest suitable models.

Like anything in life there is a huge range in terms of price, quality etc. Good professional advice and the ability to actually handle different types is invaluable in making a choice.
 
'Lightweight' will be CO2 powered .177 repeater. With those, you have to be close and get a second (at least) shot in or you have merely (and cruelly) injured it. Even with a punchy .22 with them caught in a trap I'm shooting them at least twice at point blank range to ensure their prompt demise and not extend their agony.
Traps and a punchy rifle (or drowning if you have the facility) every time.
 
For occasional use ,on a budget and without needing a licence....

Gamo Whisper X in .177. This 24 Joule light composite stock rifle does the job well. Buy from a gun dealer who will set you up with the correct (and surprisingly cheap) scope for the distances you have in mind and you will be OK...the rats ..less so.

Or this...but the rats have to be at least a few hundred yards away with this bad boy !!!

View attachment 97760
Lapua .338 or am I over egging the cake; difficult to judge the exact case size?!
 
I remember I found a rat behind the tumble dryer. I had noticed an odd smell starting and after a few days I realised it was near the dryer. I slowly pulled the dryer out and the smell got stronger, so I was on to something. As I got the dryer out further I looked down the back and there it was, a rather large rat just laying there. I wasn't sure if it was sleeping :dk: so I got a broom and poked it.... it didn't move, I poked it again in case it was in a deep sleep... it still didn't move. So I assumed it was no more! I used the end of the broom to move it out and scooped it up with a dustpan and put it in a black bag.
 
I remember I found a rat behind the tumble dryer. I had noticed an odd smell starting and after a few days I realised it was near the dryer. I slowly pulled the dryer out and the smell got stronger, so I was on to something. As I got the dryer out further I looked down the back and there it was, a rather large rat just laying there. I wasn't sure if it was sleeping :dk: so I got a broom and poked it.... it didn't move, I poked it again in case it was in a deep sleep... it still didn't move. So I assumed it was no more! I used the end of the broom to move it out and scooped it up with a dustpan and put it in a black bag.

That's the kind of thing that can happen when they are injured not killed. If they die of having been bait poisoned the stench is unbearable.

MissyD - what would you have done if it had been alive and leapt up the broom?
I had a mouse caught in a water bucket trap and thought I'd do it a favour by pushing it down (with those grabs that the hospital give you to put your socks on with when yo are injured) rather than leave it 'swimming' to the point of exhaustion. The sod of a thing climbed the grab and took off across the kitchen. Never again!
 
That's the kind of thing that can happen when they are injured not killed. If they die of having been bait poisoned the stench is unbearable.

MissyD - what would you have done if it had been alive and leapt up the broom?
I had a mouse caught in a water bucket trap and thought I'd do it a favour by pushing it down (with those grabs that the hospital give you to put your socks on with when yo are injured) rather than leave it 'swimming' to the point of exhaustion. The sod of a thing climbed the grab and took off across the kitchen. Never again!


What would I have done? I'd have been alittle surprised and just hoped that it would have run out of the door
 
A neighbour caught a rat in a trap set for a squirrel.
I don't know the power of his air rifle but it took 3 pellets with the barrel of the rifle up to the bars of the cage to finish it off, with the rat flying at the end of the barrel to try to bite it.
 
Many many moons ago, when we were living and working in Dukhan, Qatar, I was at work, wife found a rat in the kitchen, closed the door and pursued it with a broom until eventually she hit it hard enough (and enough times) to kill it. I was amazed, as at the slightest sign of a mouse she's claws into the ceiling, shrieking!
 
.177 HMR rifle is the most effective and lightest weapon for the job. It is a firearm, however its a high velocity weapon so humane kill is guaranteed, and also the rounds disintegrate (frangible) on impact greatly reducing the risk of ricochet which is the main problem ratting in a confined space. Polymer stocks make them much lighter and cheaper to buy than a good, light weight air rifle, however cost per kill will be more to due to price of rimfire cartridges.

Outside of a psychotic Jack Russel or Patterdale Terrier, definitely the best weapon for the job.

Which is the best.17 HMR bolt-action rifle? - Shooting UK
 
For occasional use ,on a budget and without needing a licence....

Gamo Whisper X in .177. This 24 Joule light composite stock rifle does the job well. Buy from a gun dealer who will set you up with the correct (and surprisingly cheap) scope for the distances you have in mind and you will be OK...the rats ..less so.

Or this...but the rats have to be at least a few hundred yards away with this bad boy !!!

View attachment 97760
I'm sorry but the OP cannot legally own a 24 Joule air rifle in the UK - unless he has a Fire Arms Certificate.
He will be in big trouble if he is caught - possibly in prison.
The most powerful air rife he can own in the UK without an FAC is 12ft lb / 16 Joule or 6 ft lb / 8 joule for a pistol.
 
.177 HMR rifle is the most effective and lightest weapon for the job. It is a firearm, however its a high velocity weapon so humane kill is guaranteed, and also the rounds disintegrate (frangible) on impact greatly reducing the risk of ricochet which is the main problem ratting in a confined space. Polymer stocks make them much lighter and cheaper to buy than a good, light weight air rifle, however cost per kill will be more to due to price of rimfire cartridges.

Outside of a psychotic Jack Russel or Patterdale Terrier, definitely the best weapon for the job.

Which is the best.17 HMR bolt-action rifle? - Shooting UK


Thanks for that...I don't want to appear too dumb...but as I have virtually no knowledge or experience of buying a gun...I have a few questions:
Is it a repeater ie 10 slugs...is it a gas powered or typical fold down type...does it have a scope and finally can I get one under £200...
I'm researching the net but hoped you could give me specific answers...Thanks So much for your time...stay safe Eddie
 
I've had a Crosman Ratcatcher .22 Co2 powered gun for years , packs a fair old punch up to about 20 metres. It's small & lightweight and comes with a basic telescopic sight. I've never shot at anything that's alive but I've slaughtered a good few tin cans over the years.
If you want to get as many shots off as possible , slightly less power than the Ratcatcher and fires BB's , get an MP40 replica , Co2 powered 50 shots in the magazine , just keep pressing the trigger and you'll empty the mag in no time. Plenty of videos on utube , but the full auto version is not available in th UK.
 

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