air rifle help

uptherebels

I have an uncle who is a farmer who has an infestation of pidgeons in the sheds on his property.This is a problem as pidgeons can pass on variuos diseases to livestock e.g TB.So he was advised by other farmers to get an air rifle to clear them out.Does anyone know an air rifle that would be suited for this and if it can be bought in cork?
thanks in advance

foxhunter

uptherebels wrote: »

I have an uncle who is a farmer who has an infestation of pidgeons in the sheds on his property.This is a problem as pidgeons can pass on variuos diseases to livestock e.g TB.So he was advised by other farmers to get an air rifle to clear them out.Does anyone know an air rifle that would be suited for this and if it can be bought in cork?
thanks in advance

Most air rifles in this country are suited to the job you need to do.
They will start in the region of €350 upwards and you should be able to pick one up down your way easily enough.
Go to any dealer down in cork they will have something on the shelf no doubt.
I think the Villian is down your way maybe he can help.

Sparks

Yup, your bog standard daisy break-barrel .22 air rifle would do the job admirably, and most dealers seem to have an old one stashed in the back of the lockup taking up room.

uptherebels

how powerful would one of them be?wold it make holes in the roof of the shed?would the pellet ricochet?

Sparks

Well, a Diana 34 would be about 12 ft/lbs (and I've seen them for around €150). Will it go through the roof? Depends on the roof Will it ricochet? Depends on what you hit it off.

uptherebels

well the roof is corrugated metal,the rest of the shed is concrete walls and floor but there would be some iron girders holding up the roof.
So I should tell him not to shoot while in the shed.

Sparks

Depending on the thickness of the metal and how much rust there is, there's a chance he could punch through allright, but it'd suck the energy right out of the pellet in doing so. If he hit a girder at the right angle, he'd definitely ricochet. I think you could still use it in the shed, but I'd definitely not do it with anyone else in there, and I'd definitely wear eye protection at all times, stout trousers and a jacket.
And I'd try very hard not to miss!

meathstevie

Sparks wrote: »

Depending on the thickness of the metal and how much rust there is, there's a chance he could punch through allright, but it'd suck the energy right out of the pellet in doing so. If he hit a girder at the right angle, he'd definitely ricochet. I think you could still use it in the shed, but I'd definitely not do it with anyone else in there, and I'd definitely wear eye protection at all times, stout trousers and a jacket.
And I'd try very hard not to miss!

+1 Pest control people use airrifles especially for this kind of circumstances.

uptherebels

thanks for the info.

recipio

:rolleyes: I'm guessing you want a bog standard spring air rifle. Most will come from UK distributers anyway and will be set up for a power output of about 12 ft/lbs. This would 'dent' newish galvanized metal and put a hole in anything rusty -even after passing through a pigeon.
I'd try some hollow point pellets eg Bisley Pest Control. If thats too powerful your only option is to fit a weaker spring. Good hunting.