Ever considered hunting with an airgun? I use mine EVERY day, and I think you should too. Here’s why…
I just got into airguns during the COVID craze. Sky high ammo prices, limited availability, and a limited budget due to furloughs at work caused me to reevaluate my hobbies. I had a huge void that firearms used to fill, but I could no longer go to the range twice a week like I had been doing.
Innovation stems from necessity. Enter the PCP rifle.
I had a few break-barrel pellet rifles previously, but they were just for plinking. Seemed like they had plenty of power, but just weren’t accurate enough for serious shooting. I wanted something that I could take care of pests in my yard (I’m in city limits with houses all around), and not only dispatch pests, but be very accurate with my work so as not to affect my neighbors. Pests include squirrels, English Sparrows, and European Starlings.
Going off of advice from a coworker, I picked up a Benjamin Marauder .22cal PCP (Precharged Pneumatic) rifle. Cost was about $450, and pellets are about $0.04/rd. Immediately I noticed how accurate this rifle was. I could shoot a Tic-Tac at 30yds consistently. In no time, I was taking head shots on English Sparrows at 25yds. For scale, a sparrow head is about an inch square. The first few times I thought I was lucky, but then I realized that I’ve just unlocked my shooting ability with a REALLY accurate rifle. And did I mention how quiet they are?!
From there, I saw the capability of this platform, so I went bigger. I purchased an FX Dreampup in .30cal. Big difference in power output, but a big difference in money too (about $1,200). With this one, I have shot out to 100yds and consistently hit a 1” X 2” target with light wind. At 50yds, this rifle puts 44.75gr pellets in the same hole. Traveling at 865fps, with only a 2fps deviation, slinging a 44.75gr projectile yields about 75fpe. This is a perfect combination for raccoons, groundhogs, and coyotes. Yes, coyotes.
I’m continuing to experiment and gain more knowledge about this platform. It really seems like the possibilities are endless.
Below are just a few pictures of my rifles with some “trophies”.
I just got into airguns during the COVID craze. Sky high ammo prices, limited availability, and a limited budget due to furloughs at work caused me to reevaluate my hobbies. I had a huge void that firearms used to fill, but I could no longer go to the range twice a week like I had been doing.
Innovation stems from necessity. Enter the PCP rifle.
I had a few break-barrel pellet rifles previously, but they were just for plinking. Seemed like they had plenty of power, but just weren’t accurate enough for serious shooting. I wanted something that I could take care of pests in my yard (I’m in city limits with houses all around), and not only dispatch pests, but be very accurate with my work so as not to affect my neighbors. Pests include squirrels, English Sparrows, and European Starlings.
Going off of advice from a coworker, I picked up a Benjamin Marauder .22cal PCP (Precharged Pneumatic) rifle. Cost was about $450, and pellets are about $0.04/rd. Immediately I noticed how accurate this rifle was. I could shoot a Tic-Tac at 30yds consistently. In no time, I was taking head shots on English Sparrows at 25yds. For scale, a sparrow head is about an inch square. The first few times I thought I was lucky, but then I realized that I’ve just unlocked my shooting ability with a REALLY accurate rifle. And did I mention how quiet they are?!
From there, I saw the capability of this platform, so I went bigger. I purchased an FX Dreampup in .30cal. Big difference in power output, but a big difference in money too (about $1,200). With this one, I have shot out to 100yds and consistently hit a 1” X 2” target with light wind. At 50yds, this rifle puts 44.75gr pellets in the same hole. Traveling at 865fps, with only a 2fps deviation, slinging a 44.75gr projectile yields about 75fpe. This is a perfect combination for raccoons, groundhogs, and coyotes. Yes, coyotes.
I’m continuing to experiment and gain more knowledge about this platform. It really seems like the possibilities are endless.
Below are just a few pictures of my rifles with some “trophies”.
I mostly use JSB Hades pellets that look like the Fallout Shelter symbol on the head. They expand really nicely and make a loud POP when they hit. Over penetration is definitely an enemy in my situation.
