.22 rat shot

[Ottoshot]

If you wanted to shot rats indoor, in a barn senario, what would you use?

Pellet gun? .22 shorts? .22 rat shot?

Would I have to worry about ricochet with the .22 shorts? or is the .22 caliber the wrong choice and should I just stick with a pellet gun?

 

[Capt. Capsize]

I think rat shot would be good on running rats within 10 feet. .22 or pellet rifle would be the most reliable on sitting rats. Ricochet should not be an issue unless shooting around concrete or steel. .22's will most likely go through barn sides and be dangerous. Pellet rifle would be safe and effective and make it more sporting.

 

[Fast Frank]

I've never been too impressed with rat shot.

For one thing, it's pretty weak. It won't break a beer bottle, for instance.

"But will it kill a rat" you might ask.

Well, that's the second problem.

Trying to get a shot on a running rat you just scared out of hiding is not easy. you will get about two seconds at the very most before he's gone, and the little bugger won't run in a straight line at all.

Lead him? yeah, right. just as soon as you tell me what direction he's going to run, I'll get right on it!

I've tried it several times and had ZERO luck.

Sniping the little thieves is easier, and can be fun too.

Get some dry dog food and feed them for a couple of days in a spot you can shoot from hiding.

A pellet gun will work, but it needs to be a pretty good one.

I shot several with a Crossman 177 cal pump up, and had them run away.

That's fine if all you want is dead. They probably only went a short distance before they died.

If they run under your house, however, their stinking carcass might cause problems.

I shot this one with a .25 cal Beeman, and he died right there in his tracks.



I say forget the rat shot, and the ambush hunting styles.

Snipe those suckers with a good pellet gun and have some fun with it!

 

[moosehunt]

If you're not worried about holes in your barn, a .22 would be my choice. Maybeso a pellet gun, dunno, never had one. If you don't want new ventilation holes, I'd try .22 shotshells. (Maybeso that's what you're calling "rat shot"? I've never heard that term before). I've killed quite a few sitting pigeons at up to about 50' with them--course they may not drop on the spot--but some likely will. Have fun!

 

[jmorris]

.22cb caps in a lever/pump action.

 

[savetheclaypigeons]

I consistently shoot chipmunks in my backyard with a .177 in the head at about 20-30 yards. Uncommon to see so much as a twitch. I'd try that and .22 CB's. That's what the squirrels get. Just about as much noise as an airgun but seems to be as lethal as a regular .22. I shoot it from a old bolt action that takes shorts and longs. Practice by glueing bottle caps on a piece of paper and nailing it to a tree or wood box and watch them fly. I imagine chipmunks are fairly similar to rats. In the summer if I have a bit of time and want to thin out the herd will put a pile of corn or bird seed on the ground with a back stop and watch them flock in
since everyone loves pics: .22 long, .22 cb short and .177




Anyone ever try a .22 cb cap?

 

[Myles]

.22 rat shot is pitiful stuff - works dandy on small snakes and mice, not so well on rats.

If you can find them, the old BB-Caps, and CB-Caps were ideal! I'm not talking about the CCI CB short cartridges.

I haven't seen them in years. They were imported from Germany, I believe. (EDIT: Flobert from RWS) I used to buy them at the local hardware store. They came packed in a round tin, like snuff. Nothing but a tiny casing (About half the length of a short), primer, and either a round ball (BB) or a pointed conical bullet (CB).

That, or find a cheap pellet rifle at a yard sale.

 

[atomchaser]

Try CB longs or Aquila Super Colibris. Not much more noise than a pellet gun and plenty enough for rats.

 

[stiab]

Ricochet should not be an issue unless shooting around concrete or steel. .

That is really not the case. Both pellet guns and .22 rat shot can richochet off almost any flat service, such as plywood, barn stalls, front porch posts, etc., even tin cans when they hit flush.

 

[ArmedBear]

This thing, with .22 CB Longs in it. Wear safety glasses. And CB's penetrate wood. They make a mess of things if you're not careful.

http://www.bwefirearms.com/gatling.html

 

[Savage Shooter]

I have use a .22cal bb gun for rats and it didn't work at all itjust ticked them off.

My dad worked at an elevator for years and being that rats love grain they had A LOT of rats. One a slow day they would go on rat hunt they used one of to weopons a .22lr pistol and a 1911 .45 colt with hollow points so it would disentigrate on impact. this most likely would not be smart in a city but this was in the country and thus was allowed. they would crawl under the loading platform that the trucks use with a maglite in one hand a a pistol in the other said it was great fun. I asked ehy in the world you would us a .45 for rats he said it was tight quarters and if the rat was still alive if you didn't get a good shot he wasn't a happy camper and might attack you.

 

[B.Mauser]

Walmart has pointed hunting pellets in .177.

Kills a lot better than the regular pellets.

I like the Co2 Powered handgun by Crossman. Killed quite a few rats with it.

That pistol and pointed pellets are 1 shot kills on rats.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I've used quite a bit of .22 rat shot. But I also like making .45 Colt rat shot cartridges. Basically, you drop a couple or three grains of Bullseye in the case, then seat a gas check all the way down. Pour in the shot, then use another gas check upside down and crimp as normal. I've used both 8s and 9s and both are devastating.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Rat shot is a very close up round from a .22. Shoot an alum. can with one at 5 feet and you will see what I'm talking about. Useless in my opinion.

 

[ambush]

I vote .22LR. It's all I ever used on rats and it's always worked. Used to be a lot of pig farms around where I grew up. At nighttime, I would tape a flashlight to the bottom of the barrel and go out and have a ball. Rats love night, they were everywhere.

 

[Harley Quinn]

My vote would be for a pellet gun, using the pointed pellet that is available.
I like the .177 myself others say the .22. Your choice now lots of answers

Snake shot or rat shot would not be a choice, set up bait and use a nice accurate rifle. Good practice for patience and learning to hunt

 

[LAK]

Whether rat shot, .22LR, pellet gun or BB - I would always use eye protection.

Odd things can happen when low velocity projectiles strike wood. I have had air rifle pellets come straight back, and seen some LV bullets from handguns do the same.

 

[mbt2001]

Try CB longs or Aquila Super Colibris. Not much more noise than a pellet gun and plenty enough for rats.

+1 on that

Rat shot is good too, but the effective range is like 15 feet. Beyond that, nothing. But yeah, rat shot can work well.

I have a crossman bb gun that I picked up for $25.00. I bought it when rats started nesting under my deck. I walked outside and saw like 4 running to hide under the deck. The Benjamin pellet gun I have just doesn't have a high rate of fire for a multiple target scenario. The crossman is smaller and handier, has a higher rate of fire. In any event I use BB's on the rats, 15 foot shots at most and it worked fine. 6 - 7 pumps, no more mouse.

Put on eye protection... Ricochets are a danger in enclosed areas.

 

[Corey ACP]

.22

I have never heard of , "rat shot" but when I was a kid, I killed dozens of barn rats with .22 LR shot shells. These were made with extra long brass cases that were crimped into a point at the end, not plastic capsules like some revolver rounds. These .22 shot cartridges worked well in a bolt action rifle but would not cycle in a semi-auto rifle.

If I recall correctly, most shots were 10-15 yards inside a barn milking area or in the chicken coop.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I used to use those when I was a kid.

Most recently, though, I bought some capsulated shot -- there was a bird that would sit on the coping outside our bedroom window at night and call, and call, and call and %$#@.

At first, I'd just rap on the window. Then he learned that didn't mean diddly, so I would flick on the porch light. When he got used to that, I'd go out on the porch and run him off.

It finally got where nothing would run him off. I got some ratshot, and aiming carefully, put a few into the coping near him. But he got used to that, too.

One dark night, he was whip-poor-willing his brains out, I opened the door and shot in his general direction. The next morning, he was still there -- the shot capsule didn't break up, and went completely through him.

 

[BIGR]

I have killed alot of rats inside barns and corn cribs with rat shot in a .22 revolver. A .177 would probably be a good choice also.

 

[45crittergitter]

I use a centerfire pistol with rat shot.

 

[Old Sarge]

I can verify what LAK just stated. Many years ago, I was using a Benjamin Air Rifle, to shoot rats in the barn. Sitting on a square hay bale, I shot a rat on one of the timbers a few feet away. It was in the wintertime, and I had a thick jacket on. The bullet richocheted back from probably a nailhead, and went thru the jacket on my shoulder, making a hole, but missing my body. Whew, I learned a good lesson, to be very careful after that. Rat survived.

 

[redneck2]

We used to have pest contests in FFA...(hey, I'm a farm boy.....what can I say?)

I used LOTS of .22 shot when I was a kid, and I mean a LOT. Works pretty well up to the rafters of a barn even on pigeons. Maybe the new stuff is different. As noted above, ours was the over length .22 LR case with the end crimped shut. We used it at the stock yards and city dump. Any rat within 25-30 feet was dead.

One thing that may make a big difference is that we used a really old bolt action that had about zero rifling. If you have good rifling, it swirls the shot and makes a donut shaped pattern that's empty in the middle.

Long time ago, a company used to market smooth barrel .22's that had a little slinger deal mounted on the fore end. It would launch a mini version of a clay bird.

If you search around, you can still find smooth barrel .22s for shot.