A good gun for rating

[Shifty76]

Asking for a friend, back in the day like ten years ago the crossman rat catcher was the one to go for, is this still the case?.

[SpringerPete]

Artemis CP2 is like a modern day Crosman, it's got a magazine. Similar otherwise in terms of power and accuracy.

I think it's a good cheap option for blasting in the barns.

[chimpy leon]

Springer - HW30
PCP - BSA ultra

[Born Again]

For close barn work my choice would be a short break barrel .22 with either a low profile holo/red-dot sight or a low mag low mounted scope. It's surprisingly difficult to kill a rat when he's poked his head out of his hole 5ft from you and you have a scope mounted 1.5" above the bore that won't focus below 15ft.

[angrybear]

It might be in that specific cheap CO2 class of carbine.
But there are are plenty of way better "guns for ratting" depending on what the situation is,
ie clearing a farm yard takes a different rifle to knocking over the odd rat in a back garden.

[TonyL]

A mixture of all of the above.

Despite the cheap (initial) price, light weight and "knock-about gun" demeanour of the Crosman Ratty, I'd always be a bit wary over velocity fluctuation with varying temperatures affecting point of impact and I'm also, personally, not enthused over the idea of storing the gun with CO2 remaining.

For shorter range duties only I'd go HW30S. For higher power requirements but still retaining light weight, the HW99. But, to be fair, there will be lots of cheaper and medium range springers well capable of fulfilling the task, especially at the shorter ranges generally encountered (subject to different uses, as above). And I'd go along with the Ultra for the PCP recommendation.

[Rocket launcher]

Any .25

[Jonjon79]

My preference for most shooting is .177 but, the best rifle I ever had for ratting was a .22 S10 - the bigger slower pellets definitely put them down quicker. I've never had a .25 on them but, I imagine that would work very well.

When I get another ratting permission, I'll go and pick up a 2250 👍

[MartynB]

Leishey 2 with Hobbies if they're accurate in it, fast fire and hard hitting

[grieva]

Any .25

That's the way to go.

[mdunn]

A verminator in .22.atb mick

[angrybear]

A verminator in .22.atb mick

Certainly in the top 5.

[where's it gone]

Apart from the right gun, the right pellet should be of consideration as is what distance you're taking the shot. Flathead pellets seem to do the business.

[Steyr]

Leishey 2 with Hobbies if they're accurate in it, fast fire and hard hitting

Great gun. And very cheap too.......

[Steyr]

The last type of gun I would use for ratting would be a springer.

I would always go multishot pcp.

There are now a huge range of short carbines and bullpups much more suited to confined conditions but which are full length barrels for longer range.

.177 is absolutely fine if you use the right style of pellet for the distance.

So I use an HP for close and a dome for longer as the none domed pellets usually start to open up when you press distance.

I do not agree a pellet has to be super heavy. In the domed, I use 7.9 express and it folds quarry especially at mid and longer ranges. Up close, they are too drilling and certain species can makexa dash. For me that was always woodies. HPs proved to be a game changer for .177 close. If you prefer a wide selection of weights then .177 and .22 will give wider choices.

I have never been convinced by .20.

I see a place for .25 as a specialist barn clearer but not much else sub 12 FPE