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Crow's and 12 ft lb air rifle.

  • 09-10-2022 10:43am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭


    At what kind of distance can a crow be killed with a 12 ft lb air rifle?



Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 293 ✭✭skipking


    around 40yards with a head shot .theres a lot of drop with a 12ftlb set up targets at different distances learn your pellet drop and get a rangefinder



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    How far with a body shot.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,027 ✭✭✭deeksofdoom


    FFS, your wasting your time with a body shot, head shots or nothing. Where are you planning on shooting these crows anyway?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    In and around farmyards.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,027 ✭✭✭deeksofdoom


    Well then you'll have a lot of fun with these.... they are lethal for headshots!



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 561 ✭✭✭Asus1


    Why are you getting 12 ft-lb air rifle,why not just get a rifle shooting a bit harder.I had a gamo in 22 and I got a fella that was into Airsoft and had a chronograph and we measured it was putting out between 18-19 ft-lb.

    I used to shoot rabbits with it around the 40yrd mark but would always go for head.If I was buying again I'd go .17 as the 22 was a bit loopy over 50yrd for crows and they are hardy yokes.Id have one in the safe if no licence was needed.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Just wondering how hard it was to kill them. Would they stand still long enough for a head shot. 40 yds is a good distance.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 561 ✭✭✭Asus1


    I used to chest shoot crows with I think jsb Jumbo's at max 50yrd and most dropped on the spot but some took off then fell from the sky.

    I would never have tried head shooting them as their head is a small target and I knew I wasn't a good enough shot.Mine was a Springer so not the best you can buy in comparison to PCP rifle's .

    I also used it to dispatch mink in cages and it did the job fine and safely



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    50 yds is a good distance. I presume hitting them from the side is a non runner. The wing feathers can be hard. But as you said it was more than 12 ft lbs.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 290 ✭✭Mississippi.




    if this link works "extremetaz " gave a good comprehensive answer on the subject on 18/2/18.

    I plink therefore I am



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 244 ✭✭alan86


    Just to give my own 2 cents. I have a weihrauch hw110 in .22. I use this mostly in around farmyards for crows. To answer your question on would they stay still long enough for a head shot they mostly definitely do. I have often shot one and another crows 10ft away didn't even fly away and I would in turn shoot the second crow as well. For me I try to keep them in around the 30 to 40 meter range as I have the rifle zeroed at 30 meters. I find body shots can work but once you start getting closer to the 40m mark it's not a clean kill. I find what works best in farmyards is stake it out and find the locations they hang out and then either make a hide or use existing structures to get within a clean kill range instead of taking shots too far out and not having clean kills. One of the keys here is to ensure you have a pellet that matches your rifle well for accuracy.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,174 ✭✭✭fiestaman


    You'll need to be a sharp shooter to head shoot a crow at 40yrds with a pellet, any breeze and your missing. 12ftlbs on crows will have to be head shots so I'd say about 20-25yrds. Stick up a €1 coin size target and see can you hit it 100% each time at different distances. As said above if your going to go sub12 ftlbs a .17 might be better as there is Savage drop in a .22 sub12 pellet. If it were me I'd be going with an FAC .22 and shoot jsb hades or h&n barracuda hunter extreme pellets which will be up around 30ftlbs and chest shoot out to 50yrds. From first hand experience they will drop on the spot. Using domed pellets won't drop them with chest shots at that distance as they don't dump enough energy. Crows are hardy and need a good shot placement to drop them. No point taking pop shots and birds flying off to die slowly. In the end, HOW FAR is as far as you can hit a €1 coin 10 out of 10 shots without missing, that will tell you the distance



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Excellent into there. How far out will the FAC air rifle shoot flat. If a 12 ft lb air rifle can kill out to 30-40m it would cover most farm yards. But the 30 ft lb would kill better. Would it be safe to shoot upwards with an FAC air rifle?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,174 ✭✭✭fiestaman


    I zero my fac at 50yrds. About 1" drop from there to 60. I wouldn't shoot past that and it would have to be ideal conditions if I did. You'd have a second zero at about 20yrds and anything between 20 and 50 you'd be holding under. Shooting up depends where you are, if you know there is noting between you and say 200yrds then the pellet will have lost all energy by then. Of course its not recommended to shoot up but if you know its safe...make your own mind up. I shoot pigeons in barns with jsb hades pellet and on full power at 15yrds and they dump all enery in the bird with a chest shot and will not hole sheeting at that distance. 50yrds is a long way resting on a gate or a wall or sticks, sitting at a bench with bipod and sandbag is easy but real world shooting with air rifle requires good shot placement as there is no ballistic tip to blow up, your relying on hitting vital organs to kill the target.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Would a lower power setting in a barn not be sufficient at 15 yds in a shed. Have you ever tried slugs or similar in your air rifle?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,174 ✭✭✭fiestaman


    No, for hades and hunter extremes you want speed so that when the pellet hits the target it dumps all its energy on impact. 16gr at 900fps is lethal, busts pigeons or rats. No, no time for slugs, if I want slug capabilities il go buy a .22lr again. Slugs are a gimmick in air rifles



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Out of interest what kind of air rifle are you using fiestaman and how many shots are you getting out of a fill on full power.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,174 ✭✭✭fiestaman


    Fx crown. I've had others over the years. Around 70 shots for 250bar fill



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    70 isn't too bad. What size bottle is on it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,174 ✭✭✭fiestaman


    480cc. I run a 380mm barrel. More air required the shorter the barrel. 600mm barrel would double that shot count. Assuming. 22 of course



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    That's interesting that the shorter the barrel is more air is required. How many filled do you get from your air tank presuming that is how you fill it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,174 ✭✭✭fiestaman


    Yes, that's how it works. Longer barrel creates more speed with same amount of air used with short barrel. So if you want to send a pellet at a given speed of 900fps then you must use more air behind the pellet with a shorter barrel to achieve this, add a long barrel then less air is required to get same speed.

    Can't answer that 100% but I'd reckon 1000+ shots maybe close to 1500, not sure though, never actually done that test



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    What size air tank have you.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,174 ✭✭✭fiestaman


    12ltr 300bar



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    12 Litre is big. Does it cost the same to fill a 7 ltr as a 12 ltr.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 545 ✭✭✭tikkamark


    Agree with fiestaman,the fac pcp’s are lethal stopping power…Ive had air arms heavy 18gr .22 dome pellets drop grey crows stone dead at .50y and pellets go straight through the chest cavity and exit.Speaking from experience with the pcp headshots on any quarry be it rats crows magpies ect are the norm it just takes patience/concealment for the quarry to be calm enough to keep the head still for a few seconds.My rifle is the Air arms ultimate sporter variable power,awesome tool it is,I can shoot rats all night 80-90 shots on power level 2 or when longer distance is required usually shooting magpies/crows i up it to power 5-32ft lbs but obviously lowers shot count to about 30 shots per fill.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    What would be the maximum distance for killing crows.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 598 ✭✭✭slipperyox


    I know air rifles have their place, and I've had some. But with the availability of various 22lr rounds, the 22lr is better and cheaper.

    Ratshot, and the myriad of 22 bullet grains and charge loads that mimic an air rifle, make it extremely versatile.

    I don't have one at the moment, and miss the ratshot for inside sheds, using a 17hmr for rats at the moment and I hit quite a few during the year around farms.


    Paying for scuba tanks etc just makes it more complicated, expensive, and the bloody drop of air rifles ballsistics is frustrating to say the least.

    Regardless, I really appreciate a springer or gas ram as an all in one package.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 545 ✭✭✭tikkamark


    If you start doing serious vermin control around farmyards or industrial settings like a recycling Center ect that’s where a good pcp air rifle comes into it’s own.

    A .22lr or .17hmr has way too much penetration and noise to make them any way serious of a tool in those situations.The other problem is cost,on a good night on the rats I could easily fire 90 pellets that gets expensive quickly if I’m out a few nights in a row.

    The other major positive for the pcp is accuracy at distances from 10y to 40y they can and do put a pellet into pellet consistently and all while being whisper quiet.All you will hear is pellet impact noise from a pcp with a shrouded barrel.

    Its hard for someone that hasn’t used or seen a good pcp in action to understand how good they are.Yeah there expensive enough to first get setup with a tank and scope ect but once up and running pellets are dirt cheap €12 for a 500 tin of jsb hades or air arms pellets

    Minktrapper

    They would drop a crow out to 60-70y easily enough- with enough practice and a laser rangefinder to get your pellet drop you’d drop a crow further but wind would make things more complicated.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Thanks for that Tikka.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    I can't get any accurate low powered .22 LR bullets. They lose all accuracy after 20 yds. With a PCP accuracy should be good out to 60yds and beyond. Without the power of a subsonic.22LR.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,074 ✭✭✭clivej


    12fb air rifle at 40y the pellet is hitting at a very steep angle, at least 30 degrees, more even, IMO. You need to know the distance very well to adjust your poa



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Yes. Knowing distance would be vital.


    Any of ye know what hammer spring adjustment does to an air rifle.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 293 ✭✭skipking


    adjusts the power



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Any idea how it adjusts power. I thought it just released air in to the barrel.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 293 ✭✭skipking


    what gun have you i have a fx dreamline screw in hammer spring to increase power out to decrease power if you want more air you open the regulator a bit.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    I am trying to understand how the hammer spring works. I know it can be adjusted. So you are saying all it does is release more air to give more power to the pellet. I thought you would release all the air every time the trigger was pulled.


    Anybody got a single shot/mini magazine for the FX Dreamline Lite. Your thoughts on them.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,804 ✭✭✭recipio


    Increasing the spring tension gives a few more microseconds to allow the regulator to dump it's air. On the upper end rifles like the FX the regulator is actually adjustable anyway and is the best way to increase power. On older PCP's the power of the hammer was important as many did not have a regulator , just a simple knock open valve so the 'dwell time ' was a fraction longer.

    Don't have an FX but all the FX guns look great. I'd say a power level of about 30 ft/lbs is optimal for farmyard shooting. A good source for compressed air would be handy and the cheaper Chinese compressors have come down in price in recent years.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,012 ✭✭✭minktrapper


    Thanks for that.It would be ok to say that the adjustment screw on the FX would be to fine tune the hammer spring to a particular pellet.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,804 ✭✭✭recipio


    Exactly. FX led the way by fitting a pressure gauge just for the regulator. Check out AirArmsHuntingSA on the tube for what can be done with FX rifles .They seem to wind the regulator up to 120 bar and beyond and get unbelievable results.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,391 ✭✭✭extremetaz


    As above - depends on the rifle.

    If it's a PCP then adjusting the spring can release more power - but it can also lead to valve bounce which reduces efficiency (shots per fill).

    If it's a regulated PCP then the regulator is the better place to make any adjustment and leave the hammer spring alone.



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