What air rifle should i get for pest control?
Provided your gun delivers enough impact energy to kill cleanly, it doesn’t really make much difference if you use a .177 or .22 caliber air-rifle for small game, within reason. Both are capable of killing small game at relatively close range (15-30 yards). At longer range (40+ yards) a .22 caliber pellet’s greater weight means it will perform better since it will retain more energy, penetrate more deeply, and leave a larger wound channel. Since you referenced a price in pounds, I’m going to assume you’re British. That means that unless you have a firearms license, you’ll be limited to rifles generating 12 ft-lbs or less of muzzle energy. However you’ll need a rifle that can generate at least 5 ft-lbs of impact energy for rabbits. You’ll probably want something in the 9-12 ft-lbs of muzzle energy range. You can find a number of rifles in this category which can still take game including: – the Crosman 2100 – the Daisy 22SG – the Benjamin 397 – the Benjamin 392 – Beeman HW30 – Crosman 1
