Looking for recomendations on an air rifle for back yard pest control. I am in town, so would need something not too loud. I have a pretty good fence so not worried about neighbors seeing me. But dont want them hearing me. In the past year the amount of rabbits running around the neighborhood has exploded. My back yard is full of rabbit shit, and they have started tearing up my yard by digging holes. They are in my backyard every day. So need a good pellet rifle to take care of that problem.
- Thread starter BiggBeans
- Start date
All depends on how much you're willing to spend.
I would recommend at least .20 caliber, .22 is far more common.
In most places, air rifles can be suppressed and many are available with integrated suppression.
If you just want to shoot an occasional shot, you can make do with a break action, if you are thinking multiple targets, you'll need a pcp.
Fwiw, cb caps are pretty quiet with sufficient pop for the job.
Most city ordinances prohibit the discharge of air rifles within the city limits.
For something under 200, look at some of the Gamo offerings
I would recommend at least .20 caliber, .22 is far more common.
In most places, air rifles can be suppressed and many are available with integrated suppression.
If you just want to shoot an occasional shot, you can make do with a break action, if you are thinking multiple targets, you'll need a pcp.
Fwiw, cb caps are pretty quiet with sufficient pop for the job.
Most city ordinances prohibit the discharge of air rifles within the city limits.
For something under 200, look at some of the Gamo offerings
Ive been thinking about an FX impact. Or one of the brocock rifles. But i wouldnt have anywhere to refill the bottles. I live in rural ks. So no scuba shops, no paintball places, and i really dont know if the fire dept. would be willing to refill my bottles. So been leaning more towards a break barrel because of this.
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Damn it would probably take like 500 strokes to fill up an fx impact 480cc bottle lol
or, maybe get one of these....an owl moved into the neighborhood and haven't seen a baby bunny or chipmunk since.
But think of the health benefits.
I know someone makes a 12 volt model.
It doesn’t take a whole lot to kill a rabbit. I can’t tell ya how many I killed with a crossman .177 air rifle. It’s just like anything else, shot placement. Upper torso or head.
Local stores carry the “whisper”.
Whichever you choose shoot match grade pellets.
Local stores carry the “whisper”.
Whichever you choose shoot match grade pellets.
Be sure you are aware of the local "firearm" laws. In my county even discharge of a paint ball gun on your own property is a violation. I was reported by a neighbor for "shooting at houses."
Buy yourself a couple of used scuba tanks and fill the gun off them. Then take a trip to somewhere once in awhile and full the scuba tanks.
Doc
.22 caliber...
I have killed groundhogs, lots of birds... made some lucky long shots on starlings too.
I tried a skunk in a live trap but dropping caged skunks in an old stock tank works better.
They cant hold their breath.
Its a single cock spring piston, and it stacks pellets one on top of another once you find what it likes, mine even likes the cheaper crossman pellets.. I have a cheap 4-12 airgun scope that have had no issues with.
www.airgundepot.com
I have killed groundhogs, lots of birds... made some lucky long shots on starlings too.
I tried a skunk in a live trap but dropping caged skunks in an old stock tank works better.
They cant hold their breath.Its a single cock spring piston, and it stacks pellets one on top of another once you find what it likes, mine even likes the cheaper crossman pellets.. I have a cheap 4-12 airgun scope that have had no issues with.
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years ago i planted a giant garden and the rabbits destroyed the plants i had just put in, i bought a 177 cal break open and i went out at night with a good hand held light and shot them. they would pop in the air about 3 ft spin in circles and died its all you need. be aware of your locale game laws i dont know of any states that rabbits are not a protected game animal with seasons and the fine can be large. i feed all the animals around around my residence these days we might be eating them before its all over.
Pellet rifles are way louder than suppressed .22, but an air rifle with their “suppressor” that they come with that make them quiet. Ship to your door too. Don’t fall for those crossman, daisey, whatever pellet rifles that claim “whisper” or whatever, they are loud
Same where I live. Shooting an air rifle is no different than any other weapon.
I used to, from my living room, out thru a door at small cardboard silhouette targets, but my new neighbors are nosey, paranoid type.
.22lr bolt rifle.
22lr CB cap ammo.
Nothing else required and will be quieter than a pellet rifle.
I used to use this exact setup in Southern California....about 5 blocks from Disneyland, so you know it's quiet.
22lr CB cap ammo.
Nothing else required and will be quieter than a pellet rifle.
I used to use this exact setup in Southern California....about 5 blocks from Disneyland, so you know it's quiet.
If you know any Mexicans. Get them to shit in your backyard! It’s a deterrent to rodents!
A good break barrel in the caliber that you like will do the job. I have 3 Weihrauch’s a HW97 .177, HW95 .25 and a HW30 .177. Id stay away from the .20 cal pellet guns just for the fact that finding pellets can be difficult.
How much do you want to spend? My EdGun in .177 is plenty powerful and very quiet. Have been using it for neighborhood pests for a few years now. If you don't want to go the PCP route, go with a good spring gun such as the AA Tx200 or HW97K. A .177 is more than adequate for taking rabbits, and typically the pellets are easy to find.
Ebay you can find a 4500 psi tank for around $75. A Tuxing or Yung Hang compressor for around $250. Then a fill assembly of some kind, usually around $75 or so.
Ebay you can find a 4500 psi tank for around $75. A Tuxing or Yung Hang compressor for around $250. Then a fill assembly of some kind, usually around $75 or so.
The fx stuff is nice : ). Buy it, a tank and a compressor and never look back if you can swing it. You can get sub 10 fps ES with an impact or crown with like 0 hard work lol and sub 5 or better with a little time and effort... shit these days the 22lr barely comes out since getting ammo is so idiotic with it.
14.3g cheapie crosman pellets, lightly sorted to remove obvious junk, were sub MOA out to 75 yards from the crown this weekend, provided the wind was kind lol. Reliably hitting 100ish yard cans if the wind was not swirling too much. Love the little 22 cal for cost and that they are easy to find. If you cast.... slugs in 22, 25, 30 or 35 cal really get interesting.
Otherwise, for cost and simplicity a benjamin marauder, with an additional moderator like a donnyfl is very quiet and plenty effective at 35 yards or beyond on pests like that depending how you set it up. Their pistol/carbine version is super handy, definitely a favorite. A little louder, but ultra compact and can easily be hand pumped with its small tank and not be annoying. Expect around 30 shots per fill tuned for medium power. Ive had 2 and they were plenty accurate and ran about 625fps in 22 cal while being quiet and easy on air. Shooting bottle caps at 25 or 30 yards is no problem even with cheapie pellets.
An airforce talon is notable too for in town work. Bigger tank, single shot will eat anything including light cast bullets. It costs more than the marauder, but it can bring a lot more power to the table and change barrels etx. 22 cal 30g cast slugs at 900 fps are a blast. Adding a moderator will make it pretty quiet. More power and more shots per fill than marauder, but louder.
14.3g cheapie crosman pellets, lightly sorted to remove obvious junk, were sub MOA out to 75 yards from the crown this weekend, provided the wind was kind lol. Reliably hitting 100ish yard cans if the wind was not swirling too much. Love the little 22 cal for cost and that they are easy to find. If you cast.... slugs in 22, 25, 30 or 35 cal really get interesting.
Otherwise, for cost and simplicity a benjamin marauder, with an additional moderator like a donnyfl is very quiet and plenty effective at 35 yards or beyond on pests like that depending how you set it up. Their pistol/carbine version is super handy, definitely a favorite. A little louder, but ultra compact and can easily be hand pumped with its small tank and not be annoying. Expect around 30 shots per fill tuned for medium power. Ive had 2 and they were plenty accurate and ran about 625fps in 22 cal while being quiet and easy on air. Shooting bottle caps at 25 or 30 yards is no problem even with cheapie pellets.
An airforce talon is notable too for in town work. Bigger tank, single shot will eat anything including light cast bullets. It costs more than the marauder, but it can bring a lot more power to the table and change barrels etx. 22 cal 30g cast slugs at 900 fps are a blast. Adding a moderator will make it pretty quiet. More power and more shots per fill than marauder, but louder.
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That sucks, makes me all the more glad for where I am blessed to live. Shoot a BMG from the deck? No problem. 10 PM unsuppressed NV rifle practice? No problem. ;-)
When I lived in Orange County, Calif, I shot a feral cat in my back yard. Regular 22 rifle, no suppression or any of that. The trick is you have to use stealth mode, like drawn curtains, barely open the door/window, don't stick the barrel way out, just fire, retract, and wait for any interest to die down. Even if it's heard, no one knows where it came from or is even sure of what it was. Of course one thing that helps there is that everyone has 6-7 foot high concrete block walls surrounding their lot, so it's actually much more private than suburbs with much larger lots, but where tall fences are considered abnormal and unfrendly. Another factor is that, to do it once is one thing, doing it repeatedly would be quite another.
He'll be back soon asking what to shoot the mexicans with.
I've had one of these in .22 for about 20 years. Super reliable.
www.airgundepot.com
Plenty of power, but a bit loud.
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Plenty of power, but a bit loud.
don't need much to kill Squirrels and bunnies used to use our cheap daisy 40.00 bb gun to do them in .
“Someone in our neighborhood “ has a $150 2Watt laser pointer that stings out to ~50 yards and is pretty effective in shooing critters.
It’s all about the Benjamins... 
Jk that ole girl is retired.
These days I use a Gamo break barrel it’s more than enough to kill small things, put pellets straight through a squirrel.
Jk that ole girl is retired.
These days I use a Gamo break barrel it’s more than enough to kill small things, put pellets straight through a squirrel.
What were those air-guns that Lewis and Clark carried with them? Might apply here....
I had one just like it as a kid! Mine had a tubular magazine above the barrel that held 50 or so 22 caliber lead balls! Killed lots of game with it!
Its best to state a budget right off!
Here's some info...
PCP's require an air source which means a hand pump, or air tank which means you need a store to fill it, or a special high psi compressor that you own to fill it with, or a buddy with a special high psi compressor to take advantage of, or maybe even a rented nitrogen tank with a regulator.
High pressure hand pumps can involve a lot of effort to fill the reservoir on a pcp gun so its usually the best idea to have a gun with a small volume reservoir!
Dive shops and paint ball shops can fill tanks meant for compressed air. You can buy used tanks but they need to be hydro'ed every 5 years or a shop won't fill the tank. Its around $50 to get this service done and older tanks often have a service life so be careful what you buy.
There are some reasonably powerful Co2 guns as well as the normal not so powerful ones. Going this way is easier to get into than pcp and offers a soft recoil impulse. The main problem is temps affecting the Co2.
Then there's spring piston guns. These have some negatives but what doesn't, right??!! #1 the spring slamming forward is a bit annoying. #2 these are more hold sensitive than pcp's or Co2 guns. When shooting at larger targets its not a big deal but the smaller the target the harder it is to reliably hit unless you have excellent form and hold the gun the same way every time. Also screws come loose because of the vibration and scopes are more prone to break. Personally there aren't many springers I like anymore because of the mentioned annoyances. I prefer the FWB 300s which is an old Olympic air rifle and at only 6 fpe, or the RWS 54 which is around 16-20 fpe, both of these have recoil-less systems in them. BTW I lived in Germany as a kid for 3 years and had nice Diana springers which I wore out.
I sold all my spring piston guns except one youth model in case a kid comes by my place....
Instead I bought mostly pcp's but I bought a FWB 601 too for close in plinking which is a single shot single stroke pneumatic. It compresses air with one pump for almost 6 fpe of energy and is an absolute delight to shoot and is super precise. Anschutz has their Super Air 2001 and 2002 series which are also nice and back in the day were created to compete which the FWB 600-to 603 series guns and are easier to put a scope on.
Multi pumps - I have an old Crossman 140 multi pump in 22 cal as well. If you can find one they go for less than $200 and are good for hunting cans or small game not too far away. With 8 pumps its about 13 fpe. The problem is you'll need to get it rebuilt if it hasn't been already because these are older guns. Benjamin and Sheridan have their multi pumps too. When pumping and closing the pumping arm these make a clacking sound which scares off critters so that needs to be done beforehand.
My best pcp air rifle did this at 98Y with slugs/swaged lead bullets. At least a couple times a month I'm shooting steel out to 300Y with it as well.
The airgun industry has exploded in the last 4 years , lot's of good deals out there , if you want to get in the pcp [the dark side] addiction, I would suggest the Artemis storm rider in 22 and a Chinese hand pump , I started out with a Benjamin 25 cal marauder , later got the storm rider and for a entry level pcp hard to beat , easy to hand pump and with a rocker 1 moderator very quite, ow if you want to go all in by all means get a FX and a Alken compressor , but I'd test the water's first.
Doubt this is very backyard friendly, but apparently the PCP world has a 20 gauge shotgun.
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www.pyramydair.com For a cheap pcp, I’d look at the air Venturi avenger and add an airgun suppressor for minimum noise (Donnyfl and 0db are good ones).
If you don’t want a pcp because of needing an air source, something like the Seneca dragonfly is a multi pump that is a good option. It’s also threaded for a suppressor. It produces plenty of power to kill bunnies with headshots and if you use jsb hades pellets in it you’d likely get away with good center mass hits.
I bought a Diana am03 stealth (gas piston break barrel) to deal with critters in my yard (mostly English sparrows and collared doves) and I wish it was quieter. Great gun, super accurate and I keep the song birds from getting kicked out of their nests with it no problem, but spring or gas piston guns are very hard to keep quiet.
Whatever you get try the jsb hades pellets. Other than slugs (which require a ton of power) they’re the absolute best hunting pellets out there.
Sorry for the long post hope this helps.
If you don’t want a pcp because of needing an air source, something like the Seneca dragonfly is a multi pump that is a good option. It’s also threaded for a suppressor. It produces plenty of power to kill bunnies with headshots and if you use jsb hades pellets in it you’d likely get away with good center mass hits.
I bought a Diana am03 stealth (gas piston break barrel) to deal with critters in my yard (mostly English sparrows and collared doves) and I wish it was quieter. Great gun, super accurate and I keep the song birds from getting kicked out of their nests with it no problem, but spring or gas piston guns are very hard to keep quiet.
Whatever you get try the jsb hades pellets. Other than slugs (which require a ton of power) they’re the absolute best hunting pellets out there.
Sorry for the long post hope this helps.
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WOW, this makes it easy, now all I need is to find a .177 air gun!
I use a Nitrogen tank for purging HVAC linesets while brazing, so all set there!
I would go in that direction and NOT go with a scuba tank. Steve123 is correct that a scuba shop won’t fill your tank unless the visual inspection and hydro test is up to date. This will add much cost and PIA trouble when a simple fix is easier. Get a silenced air rifle and shoot those things like we did when I was a kid, or, a 22 with a little can and sub Sonics is such a joy to shoot. Of course I would never advise you to break the law. Never! 
Which case you could have just shot the Mexican, let the critter eat him then wait for the critter to die
Old school gets the job done, looks like somebody beat me to it but here you go......can't beat the classics......not a single piece of plastic on them and they hit with authority. The Bluestreak sends .20 caliber pellets at a little over 600 FPS while the old Benjamin honks with .22 pellets at 750 FPS. Lots of choices out there just wanted to jump in with my deep thoughts from from a shallow mind..........I even considered a slingshot just to test my skills.... ...lots of fun on beer cans!
.....I even considered a slingshot just to test my skills.... ...lots of fun on beer cans!I think many of us when we were kids have had experience hunting with our BB guns at 3 fpe and pellet guns (mine was around 8 fpe) as far as killing small game. Well small game can be a sparrow or mouse, or critters the size rabbits. We found out that head shots weren't easy and often body shots resulted in wounded critters that flew or ran off. Most of my shots were inside 25Y and 25Y was a long way off back then.
I bring this up because I feel like using as much energy as you can get away with helps in putting critters DRT. 20-30 fpe seems like a sweet spot at normal airgun distances. It's enough power without going too crazy. I mean crazy in a good way, lol, but the downside is the more power you have the more dangerous an errant projectile can get, as well to get that power will require more air usage.
It doesn't sound like much power when one compares to a 22rf at 100-130 fpe but 20 fpe is much more power than 8 fpe is!!!
For about 19 years I used 20ish fpe .177 cal pcp's for hunting, a 10.5 grain domed pellet at 935 fps. What I liked is a flat trajectory compared to the airguns I used when I was a kid so range estimation wasn't as critical and it'll drop a jack rabbit DRT or soon after when hit well inside 40Y.
Then I got a 30 fpe 22 cal pcp, a 18gr domed pellet at 910 fps. There's a noticeable difference in impact sound and how game reacts.
Then I got a 25 cal which sent 25gr domed pellets at 900 fps which is 45 fpe. I started using a lot more air and began getting more concerned with somehow causing harm to people or property so I was much more mindful of far away consequences that could result from an errant shot.
Then got a 30 cal using 44gr pellets at 910 fps, about 80 fpe. I treated it like I would a 22rf. Man those pellets smack a critter hard but you use a lot of air too.
Me - If I lived in a neighborhood I'd stay inside 20 fpe.
If I had a little leeway as far as neighbors go I'd use the 30fpe 22 cal.
With both I'd use a good moderator to reduce sound.
The airgun in my pic is 60 fpe and with the brake is louder than a 22rf. The pellet barrel sends 25gr 22 cal pellets at 965 fps. A jack rabbit at 100Y is an easy shot if the wind is normal and plenty of power to DRT.
Pellets blow a huge amount compared to a 22rf at 100Y, this was in fluctuating 8-13 mph winds not using any wind flags but guessing the best I could based off observing grass and mirage. See here in the pic how wide my group was at 100Y using this gun and those pellets which have a .051 G1 BC! Also notice how small the vertical is.
Eh, it gets to the point that using a 22rf just makes a lot more sense in most ways when hunting but there's something fun about experimenting with airguns and not having to worry about a bullet causing problems down range way out there.
I bring this up because I feel like using as much energy as you can get away with helps in putting critters DRT. 20-30 fpe seems like a sweet spot at normal airgun distances. It's enough power without going too crazy. I mean crazy in a good way, lol, but the downside is the more power you have the more dangerous an errant projectile can get, as well to get that power will require more air usage.
It doesn't sound like much power when one compares to a 22rf at 100-130 fpe but 20 fpe is much more power than 8 fpe is!!!
For about 19 years I used 20ish fpe .177 cal pcp's for hunting, a 10.5 grain domed pellet at 935 fps. What I liked is a flat trajectory compared to the airguns I used when I was a kid so range estimation wasn't as critical and it'll drop a jack rabbit DRT or soon after when hit well inside 40Y.
Then I got a 30 fpe 22 cal pcp, a 18gr domed pellet at 910 fps. There's a noticeable difference in impact sound and how game reacts.
Then I got a 25 cal which sent 25gr domed pellets at 900 fps which is 45 fpe. I started using a lot more air and began getting more concerned with somehow causing harm to people or property so I was much more mindful of far away consequences that could result from an errant shot.
Then got a 30 cal using 44gr pellets at 910 fps, about 80 fpe. I treated it like I would a 22rf. Man those pellets smack a critter hard but you use a lot of air too.
Me - If I lived in a neighborhood I'd stay inside 20 fpe.
If I had a little leeway as far as neighbors go I'd use the 30fpe 22 cal.
With both I'd use a good moderator to reduce sound.
The airgun in my pic is 60 fpe and with the brake is louder than a 22rf. The pellet barrel sends 25gr 22 cal pellets at 965 fps. A jack rabbit at 100Y is an easy shot if the wind is normal and plenty of power to DRT.
Pellets blow a huge amount compared to a 22rf at 100Y, this was in fluctuating 8-13 mph winds not using any wind flags but guessing the best I could based off observing grass and mirage. See here in the pic how wide my group was at 100Y using this gun and those pellets which have a .051 G1 BC! Also notice how small the vertical is.
Eh, it gets to the point that using a 22rf just makes a lot more sense in most ways when hunting but there's something fun about experimenting with airguns and not having to worry about a bullet causing problems down range way out there.
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I have one of the Gamo bone collector bull whisper .177 rifles which I bought for the same reasons as OP. I'd say it's marginal at best, could never get what I would call accuracy out of it beyond 10yd after trying 6 different pellets. It's loud as hell and most rabbits required a follow up shot or a trip out into the yard for the coup de grace. Suppressed subsonic 22lr is much quieter/more accurate/lethal.
I know OP probably isn’t really looking any more but the pcp air rifles are awesome. I bought a used Benjamin Kratos that the previous owner converted to .177 from .25 cal and an air tank that the local paintball field will fill for $10. I sold a big boomer rifle and took the minox zp5 off of it and put it on the Kratos. Starlings hate it. Never duplicated the shot (not even relatively close), but whacked one through the throat (2nd shot) off a telephone pole at 94 yards.
I had a Crosman pump-up .22 cal pellet rifle. think it was the Model 140. Best I recall, it was pretty accurate. I can remember laying waste to starlings, some less-evil birds, and the occasional squirrel that were picking clean my Granddad's cherry trees. In retrospect, I doubt if much of my shooting was at 20 yards, but I remember I could hit standing shotgun shells (empties) pretty regularly at a fair distance. No specific recommendation, but I'd think there would be plenty of satisfactory options in your price range.
Y’all are really shooting pests with a .177?
I shot a squirrel with a crossman once. Hit him right in front of the eyes. He jumped up about two feet, scurried around a fence and went up a tree.
I also caught a rat in a trap, put the muzzle of the pellet gun right to the back of its head and fired. Same thing. I wound up drowning him.
As far as I’m concerned, those things are useless for everything but dispatching beer cans and maybe small birds.
I shot a squirrel with a crossman once. Hit him right in front of the eyes. He jumped up about two feet, scurried around a fence and went up a tree.
I also caught a rat in a trap, put the muzzle of the pellet gun right to the back of its head and fired. Same thing. I wound up drowning him.
As far as I’m concerned, those things are useless for everything but dispatching beer cans and maybe small birds.
We're talking "semi-tame" suburban rabbits? In which case you can get relatively close, it won't take much. I've killed a bunch with only a .177 Benjamin pistol that was just poking along speed wise. Mostly head shots, but a few lung shots just to see how well it would work. My experience was they didn't run, even when lung shot. They just sat there until they expired. I recall one running about ten feet and stopping in some brush. (This was Nov/Dec , maybe they'd do something different in other times of the year, dunno.)
It wasn't pest eradication, and not really hunting, it was about eating and having little money.
It wasn't pest eradication, and not really hunting, it was about eating and having little money.
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I dispatched several tame rabbits a neighbor released (barnyard not pets not allowed in HOA). One shot, one kill with a .177 target rifle - albeit I was no more than 10 meters/yards away. Enjoyable until the county police paid me a polite, friendly visit. LE suggested I stop my night-time excursions because a neighbor called and said I was shooting at the houses. I wanted to drop a few live ones in his yard but that would have been an escalation, so I just dumped some dog turds in his yard.
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