Vintage Rat killer

[hookerball]

Com on!

What was the first rat you ever shot with a airgun?

Mine was while fishing in a local deep quary and i used a .177 BSA club Airsporter.
I sold that trusty gun years later and wished i kept it!
It was nearly bright silver in the worn out metal work but had a
beautiful 3 peice yellow canary stock.
The gun was so accurate you could split hairs!

Whats yours?

atb
Hookerball.

[harry mac]

Webley Hawk MkII. A bunch of us used to go down to a sewage plant in Anston, in the days (1979/80) when a group of lads with airguns raised hardly any eyebrows at all.

[johnbaz]

I've never shot a rat

John..

[Marsh.]

Hi, I went to the town tip with a mate in the 60s (a lot) I had a very nice Webley Mk3 and my mate had a Diana Model 27. I sold the Mk3 in the 70s
I think I lived with that gun most of the time in the 60s, when not with girls
Marsh.

[barryeye]

It was 51 years ago and I was 11. We were on holiday at my grandmother’s house in Chester le Street County Durham. Dad allowed me to accompany him on my first real hunting trip along the banks of the river Weir. He was armed with his trusty .177 Improved Model.D and I with my first ever air rifle a British made .177 Diana Model 22. My rifle was crap but I knew no better. Dad’s hunting method was to go where you think the rats are and then wait still and in total silence till one turns up. Not very exciting for an 11 year old. After what seemed an eternity dad dropped a decent sized water rat that had just hauled itself from the river on to a low willow branch.
Dad then decided that he wanted to change the ambush position and explore up river. He was relieved when I suggested that I would let him go alone and amuse myself as I walked back to the house. With dad gone I stared at the floating body of the dead rat and then felt inspired to put another pellet in to it. This was followed by another and then another. The dead rat was knocked free of the willow branches and started to float down river. I followed on the river bank putting shot after shot into the body. Tales grow with time but I think I can honestly say that I put 20 plus shots into and a few around that poor creature.
School holidays over I got some kudos by telling my London school mates that I had shot a rat. Of course I did not tell them all the story.

Barry

[Bessa]

First rat i shot was actually very late into my shooting career.
Just dont get them on moor land around the Bodmin area really unless in farm buildings.
I have (and still have) a small copse shoot.....mainly squirrel and Rook. Occasional crow and Woody but most of my shooting is club open target and vintage field target.
However about 8 years ago a large rat had occupied a log windfall to the rear of the stream at the back of my parents garden and i decided to shoot it.
Took him at about 15 paces with a .177 BSF 55....straight through the shoulder.

[MattyBoy]

In my back garden with a .22 Innova running at 11.7

at a mere 10 metres the rat never knew what hit it in the back of the head while it munched on peanut butter smeared on a house brick

Overkill you could say and I was tempted to use my Arnie 250 Match Target which runs at 5.8

Cheers

[Gareth W-B]

.
Shot my first one hundred or so rats circa 1975 with a BSA Super Meteor .177 on open sights at around 10 yards (30 foot).

[edbear2]

No dead stuff please

It's not permitted on this forum

Cheers

Does that include all the near dead in this section

[Gareth W-B]

Does that include all the near dead in this section

Cheeky.