Ideal rat shooting rig?

[lightning22]

that sounds like a good setup. very cheap mags for these guns so you could have 5 or 6

I've got 4

[Craig-P]

I'm not over convinced that hollow point .22lr's at 100fpe 'open up' and provide anymore benefit than solids - let alone .22 pellets at 12fpe...
Plus the selection of hollow point ammo that I'm aware of has less than good quality issues...

[triballofts]

hi hit them hard with .25 or they will run at you any good 12flb .25 will stop them up to 25 yards graham

[Geordie]

hi hit them hard with .25 or they will run at you any good 12flb .25 will stop them up to 25 yards graham

Err - not quite

.25 is an excellent ratting cal, but I've taken hundreds of 'em with .177 and .22 without problems

Still need to hit them right with a .25 as well.

[Chris St. MH]

To echo what Craig has said, I find that .22LR HP Subs (that do around 100fpe as Craig pointed out) very seldom open up - HVs are a bit better, but nothing like V-MAX ballistic tips out of a .22WMR which is very humane on rabbit sized game. The downside is up here they're 30p a round. I've had rats run off after solid body/chest hits with .22LR Lapua HP subs. To be honest, HPs are such a pain to get here in Orkney thanks to the whole S.5 thing (TNT don't deliver here) that I've gone over to solids with the LR.

I often only get to see the rat fleetingly (for example moving between rocks on a beach) so surgical shot placement isn't something I acheive very often. I totally agree that magazines are a pain in the **** if you're doing any kind of volume shooting with an airgun - more magazines just means more to fill up when they run out. Airgun mags are also a lot fiddlier to reload in the field than rimfire.

[triballofts]

yea your right to stop any thing dead you have to hit it in the right place i just think .25 has a bit more punch at close range or is it just me graham

[Craig-P]

with .177 i just find you have to let them present a shot rather than guns blazin. the larger calibre is better. if your re zeroed at say 20 yards people should be able to hit the head of a rat anything between 5 and 25 yards surely. also if you shoot for the head and miss the chances are you will either hit the heart/lungs or completely miss. you could get a hw100k when they are available. they look good for rats because of size and the mags are good. if you want you can put the single shot adaptor on it

I've never once been out and had a rat 'present' itself in any shape or form mate, some ran out from under my feet and sat a few inches away - others sat on piles of rubbish 40 odd yards away ( impossible to get nearer to due to...that's right, more piles of rubbish and rats ).
So show me a rifle that's zeroed at these maximum ranges and therefore able to pin point the small areas of head/heart etc and I'll buy 100 of them.
We were paid to get rid of rats from three refuse sites, quite lucky I suppose. So after 2 years of trying out various kit and rejecting a good deal of it, we came up with the ideal stuff for our needs - but even with gear tailored for the job, you're still going to get runners or have mishaps - fact. Another fact is, choosing a single shot, .22 rifle will definately cut down on the runners and help you to deal with the ones that are 'struggling'.

[Chris St. MH]

yea your right to stop any thing dead you have to hit it in the right place i just think .25 has a bit more punch at close range or is it just me graham

In the right place OR very hard - and we're talking at least 200ft/lb hard.

[Craig-P]

To echo what Craig has said, I find that .22LR HP Subs (that do around 100fpe as Craig pointed out) very seldom open up - HVs are a bit better, but nothing like V-MAX ballistic tips out of a .22WMR which is very humane on rabbit sized game. The downside is up here they're 30p a round. I've had rats run off after solid body/chest hits with .22LR Lapua HP subs. To be honest, HPs are such a pain to get here in Orkney thanks to the whole S.5 thing (TNT don't deliver here) that I've gone over to solids with the LR.

I often only get to see the rat fleetingly (for example moving between rocks on a beach) so surgical shot placement isn't something I acheive very often. I totally agree that magazines are a pain in the **** if you're doing any kind of volume shooting with an airgun - more magazines just means more to fill up when they run out. Airgun mags are also a lot fiddlier to reload in the field than rimfire.

'...You can be my wing man anyday...'

[Rabbit Sniper]

My Falcon lighthunter 8 shot is ideal, its for sale at the moment. For pics look at my sig.

[stevew71]

I usually use .25 Spitfire, .22 S200 or .410 shotgun (you could get a moderated .410 if required). .22 Stealth with NV is fun too

[Guesty]

yea your right to stop any thing dead you have to hit it in the right place i just think .25 has a bit more punch at close range or is it just me graham

Sounds like a .25 Spitfire Carbine is just the job! I'll get it posted ASAP.

Matt.

[triballofts]

yea cheers matt more rats than you can wave a stick at graham

[Lefty Gunz]

I used to use a s16 .22 with a lazer zeroed for about 5 yrd for quick blatting but i found as many of you have that unless you hit these buggers in the head they tend to run/crawl off to die. They usually had just enough life/adrenaline to make it to some cover then promptly dropped dead.

Anyway, i found that with the trajectory of a .22 and the rats being at various ranges i was struggling to hit them in the head.
Thats why i now use my aas200 multi shot in .177 with a xvd. You can wait for the rat to present you with a nice shot with out worrying about spooking them. Also, the trajectory of the .177 makes it all too simple to hit them right between the eyes or in the temple and then its lights out. I am a firm believer in shot placement, imo, it doeasnt matter if you hit it with a flat, domed, pointy, hollow point, expensive, cheap, blue, red etc as long as its in the right spot.

Although i do miss the laser for those really close ones

[RichardH]

Anything less than surgical headshots from a bench rest at a maximum of 10 yards is inhumane.

Meanwhile in the real world.

Richard