.177 farmyard hunting....

[rhyslightnin]

That is what daystates run at from new

(Snigger!)

[Stillburning]

I've been interested to try the polymags but the expense (particularly with the need to re zero) has put me off.

Thinking about it again in my HW100T .177 AA Diabolo fields have proved to be accurate and capable of a clean kills out to 25m which is the maximum I am happy with for live quarry so not much benefit in using anything else for my own situation.

I hadn't noticed "through shots" on the rats, it does tend to be dark and I'm not looking too closely - but never noticed any damage to adjacent machinery/buildings in the light of day after.

[woodmister]

just buy a .25 cal like i did...

little bsa ultra was the best thing i ever bought.

[peddy]

For hunting I always use bisley mags in .177. Just shot a large rat in the back garden that wished I didn't!

[rabbitwrecker]

Rhys, at barn and yard ranges - 10-20 yards - wadcutters, hollowpoints and Polymags (assuming you hit the spot) will all deliver a clean kill. They are all more than capable of going through-and-through at close range, especially in .177 and while they may make more noise on impact, your quarry is no more dead - remember, sound energy is wasted energy.
I've tried them all and always come back to a quality roundnose brand. Hobby, for example, can be highly effective, but don't ride the breeze very well and exotics such as Polymag are very expensive, while being no more effective than a domed design.
The only real way to reduce the risk of overpenetration is to reduce the ME of the rifle. I use a 7 ft/lb HW30s for such work and even this can go all the way through on occasion.

[bill57]

I remember trying out H&N Hollwpoints (I think they were initially marketed as Beeman) many years ago, in anticipation of Dirty Harry style kills on rabbits (well I was young!).

When I tested them, the only time they "mushroomed", ie. the front cavity opening and folding backwards, was when fired into very dense material like plasticine or putty. When recovered from shot quarry, they showed no more noticeable deformation than a round or flat head pellet. This was at 12 ft-lb levels; they may well perform better at higher velocities.