Shooting rats... What is needed?

whm1974 said:

True story, the first time I've seen .22 LR shotshells for sale, I actually thought they were for shooting Mice and Rats...

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Arnt they?

I tend to want 500-650fps from my airguns that I use for shooting live stuff.

MyDMy qb78 repeater delivers 800 with jsb exacts, and is lethal on everything id shoot an airgun at. Downside, it punches thru stuff like rats with some authority left.

whm1974 said:

If I do recall .177 and .22 lead airgun pellets are the most commonly used in Rat Shooting due to low prices of the pellets. With .22 being preferred.

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for mice it dosent really matter, they small lol. Ive hit a few rats that weighed a 1/2 pound or more, and those really want a .22 at 500+fps. The JSB exact i shoot arnt exactly cheap, bout the same as bulk minimags actually, but the airguns quietern, and wont punch thru as much stuff.

I still have issues with them eating my chicken food, and crapping in the garage....not to mention digging under the house. cant poison cause the cats and dogs eat them if they catch em.

whm1974 said:

True story, the first time I've seen .22 LR shotshells for sale, I actually thought they were for shooting Mice and Rats...

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You were correct. They are for shooting mice and rats.

whm1974 said:

Like a said, I have yet to so much see a single rat in the City where I live. And I been here most of my life. So I'm assuming that rats are well controlled?

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Might be well controlled or they might just be secretive. Rats are sneaky, you won't see them just walking out and about. They're almost entirely nocturnal in many cases, especially in cities.

When young was a pro rat hunter for my uncle with my scoped 22 rf bolt Marlin, he would take me and drop me off at the garbage dump half hour before sundown and come back after supper for me, rifle, ammo, binoculars, water were my gear, I had a real rat blind, rifle is very quiet with suppressor and standard vel ammo. My cousin Sandi was my spotter also she shot many with my rifle rather dad's rifle. We had several 100 rat days.

I do remember the comic book ads on hunting rats and win a 22 rifle for rat tails most rural home here had a trash dump usually in a ditch or ravine so safe to shoot in, my rat bling was a slightly elevated platform where we shot down all the time, we even shot 22rf shorts back then as to price and the mag would hold more, I spent many a happy evening in that blind with my cousin..

Sheridan Blue Streak=rat medicine

Ultralight frangible 38 special +P.
Blast big chunks out of them!
If the trauma doesnt kill 'em immediately they'll at least be converted from 4 legged into a 2 legged bloody mess and die a few minutes later.

As far as snakeshot goes, it's useless on more than small birds and snakes, and tends to spread into a donut pattern within 8 or 10 feet...which leaves the middle hollow...right where you were aiming. Frangible ammo is often a joke when it comes to determined angry bipeds, but it seems to me it would be great for medium sized rodents.

STI said:

When young was a pro rat hunter for my uncle with my scoped 22 rf bolt Marlin, he would take me and drop me off at the garbage dump half hour before sundown and come back after supper for me, rifle, ammo, binoculars, water were my gear, I had a real rat blind, rifle is very quiet with suppressor and standard vel ammo. My cousin Sandi was my spotter also she shot many with my rifle rather dad's rifle. We had several 100 rat days.

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Picked you up after supper!
So all you got out of it was measly cold leftovers? Or did you eat what you shot?

Many years ago, about 53 or so (I am 73) I shot rats in my uncle’s barn in Salem, Ohio. I used a .22 LR JC Higgins rifle and usually “bagged” about 20 per hunting exposition. A lot of fun and helped him out. Then he got some barn cats and they handled the problem.

Offhand McFlan said:

Picked you up after supper!
So all you got out of it was measly cold leftovers? Or did you eat what you shot?

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Cared less about supper heck peanut butter was and is still fine, I do sure wish I could do all that again and my spotter was still alive with me, we sure had many great times rat hunting..

This will do the trick
http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=51

STI said:

Cared less about supper heck peanut butter was and is still fine, I do sure wish I could do all that again and my spotter was still alive with me, we sure had many great times rat hunting..

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I'm just kidding! Hats off to you and the pasttimes that you lived for, and those you shared them with.

I'm pushing 50 and my family is gradually dying off leaving me more and more alone except for me, my son and my wife. I can't roam or explore or even work the way I used to and the world is a mess and freedom is on trial. My only real aspiration is to prepare my son for a life where he will be even more alone when we are also gone. He will only have a few cousins in this country to call family until and if he makes his own. I tend not to spend much time thinking about the old days, although I do still appreciate the same things I always have. Some people truly mutate into something very different than they were in their youth. I have not, even though Ive had to shift gears considerably.

Septicdeath said:

This will do the trick
http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=51

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I had one of those years ago, it was an amazingly nice rifle for the cost.

$175 dollars and tuned by Mike. You will get a rifle that shoots beautifully. Possibly the best air rifle deal available.

This is my rating gun for around my place
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/hatsan-shotgun-mod.863465/