[SJ1]

I need a silent pistol for getting rid of pests in the yard: squirrels, blue jays and such. There is a no-firearms in the city ordinance here. A friend recommended a spring pistol that shoots pellets.

Can you recommend something? It's okay if it's a single-shot pistol.

Just needs to kill the dang things.

Thanks. :)

[BlindJustice]

Crossman H9 - hand pump - NOMORE THAN 8 PUMPS is stressed
I got the deluxe model - 525 fps - regular one was 40? fps less. It's the
.177 cal pellet, single shot. I didn't do my homework as they are
also available in .20 & .22 pellets. It was $60 and a tin of 250 pellets is
less than $5. It's not totally silent but fairly discreet and
with the weight of the projectile the pellets won't carry as far as a 20 gr.
.22 cal rf CB cap. - make sure of your backstop. Field of FIre and all that.

I keep the Magpies at Bay,I don't mind the squirrels - but Magpies aren't
nice to other bird's chicks etc. my nieghbor nurtures a
momma quail and her little brood every spring, they keep coming back.
and they're cute.

Randall

[XDKingslayer]

GAMO. 'nuf said.

[pinetree64]

I have the Benjamin from Cabelas (Crossman made?). Also a hand pump, 22cal. It is a big pistol with lots of power relatively speaking. Very nice gun for $129, now $149. However, I mostly use a cheap $29 Crossman rifle that is propped up my my garage. Squirrels in the woods are fine until they move into your house.

[foghornl]

I have a Crossman .177 pellet single-shot that looks like the old Rem XP-40 (???) bolt-action pistol. Don't remeber the modle number, but I'll try to look it up this weekend.

[SJ1]

I have a C02 air rifle which I can use for the varmints right outside the front door. I'm looking for something I can use discreetly outside, as in the neighbors won't see it or hear it.

Also, I've heard the it'd be better to use .22 pellets.

The squirrels chew up everything. I'm tired of trapping and drowning them. I sometimes use D-Con mixed in p-nut butter, but I'd rather have them dead right there and then pack them up and take them to the dumpster.

[thales]

The Beeman P-1 is my pellet pistol. It is a spring air pistol that takes one motion to cock, with two power levels. Pull the lever part way for less power, less recoil, less noise and more accuracy. Pull it all the way for full power.
It has the same balance and grip as a 1911. Accurate enough for entry level competition (0.1" groups at 10 meters) Being a spring-air design it has a bit more recoil than the pump-up models, but much more convenient at power levels greater than mouse-fart.

[thales]

P.S.: It's available in several calibers, including .22.

[Pilot]

I have a Beeman P-1 also and highly recommend them. I also have a Webley Tempest bought when Beeman use to market them exclusively. I don't know if they are availalbe anymore however. The Beeman P3 looks interesting also, but its a pneumatic not a spring piston, but less expensive than the P-1

Here are some good alternatives:

http://www.airgundepot.com/beeman-air-pistols.html

[mainmech48]

I'd add a ditto to the Crossman or Benjamin pumper vs. a springer in a pistol. The springers are faster to make ready but the ones with equal power and accuracy potential are generally both heavier and more expensive.

CO2 is nifty for rapid firing, but the gas cartridges are rather costly and the mechanisms tend to be relatively intricate and those in some makes and models can be somewhat fragile.

In all the cases it's not a good idea to keep them in an immediately ready to fire condition for long periods. Springers can lose spring power if left compressed too long, pneumatics can damage seals and CO2 can bleed-off plus damage seals and harm delicate valve systems.

IMO, the pneumatics offer the best compromise of initial cost, accuracy, ruggedness and longevity for the dollar.

[SJ1]

Thanks for posting. You all are great!

I was thinking of getting a spring pistol for killing squirrels. Some have said that even the .22 pellets just aren't strong enough to kill them. Would I be better off with BB bullets in my Winchester? About halfway down the page, there are BB bullets listed here: http://www.22ammo.com/rws.html

I'm trying to find something quiet that will get rid of varmints.

I have a CO2 air rifle that uses .177 pellets. Can't imagine those killing a squirrel. I've been using it to learn to shoot. So far, just at paper.

[mainmech48]

Are you talking about .22 "BB Caps"? The term means "bulleted breach" and there are much better alternatives. CCI Long CB (conical bullet) caps, Aquila Colibri and Super Colibris are all better choices, much more accurate and and the projectiles have more mass than any conventional air rifle pellet.

Even with those the amount of muzzle energy generated is minute - about 7 to 11 ft/lbs.

These 'bb caps' evolved from the old Flobert caps that were used in the generally inexpensive pistols and longarms sold for the "parlor shooting" games that were popular in the mid-to-late 19th century.

Squirrels are surprisingly tough and tenacious little critters. Even with full power .22 LR RF ammo a well executed head shot is the only 100% reliable 'instant' kill. An indifferently placed body shot will quite often result in them escaping to a slow and painfull death.

Unless you're capable of making perfect head shots every time I'd give air rifles a pass where tree rats are concerned.

I don't know how it is where you are, but here in Indiana and in most other surrounding states squirrels aren't considered "varmints". They're game animals and as such subject to seasons, weapons and licensing requirements set by law. In many cities and towns any sort of "hunting" is completely forbidden and killing one, even in your yard, could be costly should one of the neighbors choose to complain to the local police.

[SJ1]

Mainmech48, you're the second person to tell me that pellets won't get rid of squirrels without a good head shot. Several have recommended using .22 bullets in BB, CB, and Super Colibri.


I will definitely found out what the ordinances are.

Thank God no one has tree rats in this neighborhood. May be it's due to all the stray cats.

I do appreciate all the help and information. You all are great. :)

It'd be nice if there were an old-fashioned shooting parlor/gallery around. I think there still was one where I lived in San Francisco years ago. Am planning to test the BB, CB, and Super Colibri at the range soon.

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Several issues:

In *most* cities, the definition of "firearm" includes air guns.

WHY do you need a pistol, not a rifle? A rifle is superior in all respect except concealability, and spring piston air "pistols" are HUGE, and entirely unconcealable anyway, so sounds like you need a rifle (or a non-springer pistol).

If you do end up going with, for whatever reason, this very powerful RWS 5-G magnum:

http://www.pyramydair.com/p/rws-model-5g-magnum-air-pistol.shtml

which is indeed a nice value/choice in a springer air pistol, just be sure and not buy a used one made earlier this year between Feb and May - in other words, beware this recall notice:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=379074

Finally, this is a better choice than a springer airgun for an air HANDgun, and is plenty powerful enough to kill birdies:

http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=556

(same thing as the Weirauch HWP40)

That's what I use if I need to keep a low profile out in the yard in suburbia.

[mainmech48]

"Tree rats" is a slang term for squirrels here in the rural/suburban midwest.

In my town we have to get 'creative' when it comes to dealing with the pesky rodents (as well as the rabbits in our gardens and the deer destroying our shubbery) as all of them are protected (game animals) species.

Sonic devices, unpleasant scent/taste producing products, motion-sensitive powered 'scare crow' devices, predator-shaped decoys and similar ploys are big sellers in these parts.

While a lot of us were raised in rural/farm settings and have few qualms about using more "active" measures on the ones that ignore our less drastic attempts at discouraging their depradations, many of our neighbors seem to regard them as quasi-pets or charming little Disneyesque characters integral to the illusions of 'country living' that brought a lot of them here in the first place.

While safely conducted recreational use of air arms on one's own property isn't, as yet, forbidden here in our town complaints about "somebody using a gun" (as they're generally phrased in the bulk of them) are an annoying distraction from their more pressing concerns for the local police.

While they might be sympathetic to the folks trying to enjoy some harmless recreation, their job is to keep things peaceful and that's often most easily accomplished by oiling the squeakiest wheel, as it were.

The killing of, or even a complaint about someone attempting to harm, a protected species inside the city limits even on one's private property is another matter entirely.

That involves state laws as well as local ordinances and they are required to investigate them, make arrests and notify the DNR if violations are found.

Some folks of my acquaintance have found themselves hip-deep in some seriously expensive legal doo doo when a neighbor reported that they were shooting at rabbits in their vegetable garden or squirrels in the bird feeder.

Cheaper and less hassle by far to buy a couple of "Hav-A-Hart" live traps and transport the pests out of town. Annoying and basically futile, but legal and free from the potentially dire consequences that killing them on the spot can get you.

[SJ1]

I have this CO2 rifle: http://www.crosman.com/site/listing/1029 and was considering getting something quieter.

I often set a Hav-A-Hart trap with peanut butter and do catch some this way.

I don't feed the birds and have a solar-powered owl with light-up eyes and a worthless hoot.

Thanks for all your help. I have some things to test!

Where I live there are tree rats and squirrels. Two different varmints. Many a woman traps tree rats that get in the attic and drowns them. I had a neighbor who spent an entire year setting traps in her attic to get rid of them.

[Thunder496]

+1 for the Aguila Super Colibri

They are a primer only round. When shot from a rifle (Henry lever) they sound like a pellet gun, are accurate, and will punch trough the side of a dog food can (or kill a squirrel) @ 25 yd. Ironically they are only recommend for pistols. Out of a Ruger single six they make a nice “pop”, shoot about 6" low and only dent the can. They will dirty up your gun so clean it before you go back to full power ammo. Also be sure it is the Super Colibri, the Colibri is slower and the bullets are not lubricated.

[OFT]

I don't know where you live but where I'm at blue jays are protected and squirrels are game animals even though there is no season. Check you state game laws so you won't get into trouble.

[Ol` Joe]

I`d look into the laws of your state, both firearm and game.
My state considers anything with a rifled bore projecting a pellet or larger then .177 cal as a "firearm" and the same permits and rules apply to them as to a regular cartridge fireing pistol.
All song birds are protected, and the ones that are legal targets require a small game license. Squirrels are only legal dureing specific hunting seasons and again a license is needed.
Discharge of firearm in my city limits is strictly prohibited. Remember a 22 cal air pistol is concidered a firearm. I`d hate to see you get in trouble over shooting a blackbird that some neighbor lady has been feeding, and seeing you plink.....

[Sport45]

You've been given some good advice. I'll throw in my 2 cents. What you are talking about is an exercise in futility. Other than the possible satisfaction you may get from shooting the critters you won't make a dent in the population. There will always be another in line to come into your yard. Poison bait just attracts them. They are not smart enough to figure out that their buddy died a few hours after eating the stuff.