Quote Originally Posted by Campbell
...I seem to be hitting the rats but they run off. A few nights ago I used a H&N .177 H point which did the trick, instantly. The problem with the H points is they appear not to be as accurate as my Air Airs.
That's odd? - between me and my shooting buddy we've shot over 5,000 rats last year - pretty much all of them with .177 JSB's or variants of.

If ratty is side on I go for a head shot just behind the eye - I tend to find they go motionless for about 5-10 seconds before twitching, but it's not often they run off. If I'm presented with a head on shot I tend to aim high chest. The extra penetration of the .177 causes alot of tissue damage as it cuts through mr rattus and they tend to drop like a stone on the spot. Head shots head on can actually be deflected by the rat's skull so I go for neck/high chest in those cases.

I've tried H points, .22's, .25's (I've had a good old experiment on what works best) and to be honest, I find the best pellet choice is the one you can place the most accurately - calibre doesn't matter and I've also tried .22's upto about 20fpe - no more effective than a 12fpe .177 in my experience.