cross bows your view

[mrcharly]

I was responding to a post about shooting rabbits and squirrels.

Shooting deer-sized animals with blunts would be criminal. Broadheads only, please, and used pretty much as you describe. Never shot anything that size myself, but acquaintances did - the favoured target area was lungs/heart, with a very sharp broadhead.

 

[H2497]

We only need a license for airguns if the power of the rifle exceeds 12ft/lbs. Which is to say around 600fps in .22 and 750-800 fps in .177

More than enough for vermin out to 70+ yards if your marksmanship is upto scratch

70+ yards with a sub-12 ft lb air rifle - that's amazing.

 

[Dannytsg]

At 70+ Yards you must have a very accurate shot. I myself wouldn't even attempt anything over 35-40 yards with a sub 12ft/lb rifle out of respect that the pellet could drift with wind and not hit exactly where i want it too.

 

[HillBill]

I used to shoot for a living at distances of upto 1.5 miles when i was in the military. 70 yards is spitting distance.

Anyone can shoot at any range. You just need to practice at that range. Mil dots help.

At 70+ Yards you must have a very accurate shot. I myself wouldn't even attempt anything over 35-40 yards with a sub 12ft/lb rifle out of respect that the pellet could drift with wind and not hit exactly where i want it too.

 

[H2497]

I used to shoot for a living at distances of upto 1.5 miles when i was in the military. 70 yards is spitting distance.

Anyone can shoot at any range. You just need to practice at that range. Mil dots help.

That's a long way. What military rifle did you shoot to 1.5 miles with?

 

[HillBill]

That's a long way. What military rifle did you shoot to 1.5 miles with?

My baby...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGM_Hécate_II

 

[H2497]

I see! You were in the French army then?

That's some shooting! 2.4km must be right at the limit of .50 BMG.

 

[HillBill]

French Foreign Legion mate ( hence my avatar)

Never did much shooting out to 1.5 miles, and when we did it was training for taking aircraft out of commission on the ground. Never had to use it though.

I see! You were in the French army then?

That's some shooting! 2.4km must be right at the limit of .50 BMG.

 

[mrcharly]

I used to shoot for a living at distances of upto 1.5 miles when i was in the military. 70 yards is spitting distance.

Anyone can shoot at any range. You just need to practice at that range. Mil dots help.

Too modest, mate. Being able to repeat position, hold, trigger control - practice can improve it, but some people are gifted (I'm not).

 

[HillBill]

I was always a good shot, i got my marksmanship in cadets the first time i'd ever fired a rifle (.22 rimfire, open sights 25 yards, 5 shot group under a 2p)

Got chosen for sniper training the first time i fired a rifle in the Legion. Attained the qualification of Tireur d'elite pretty much straight away, Which is the top shooting level in the French forces. As such i was paired with the above rifle.

Too modest, mate. Being able to repeat position, hold, trigger control - practice can improve it, but some people are gifted (I'm not).

 

[Dannytsg]

I used to shoot for a living at distances of upto 1.5 miles when i was in the military. 70 yards is spitting distance.

Anyone can shoot at any range. You just need to practice at that range. Mil dots help.

I am fully aware of the importance of pratice as I myself have been shooting since I can remember. My point mainly lies at the humaneness of the kill out past 40 yards with a sub 12ft/lb rifle. If i rember correctly there are widely available programs that can show the deceleration of a specific pellet from a specific rifle out to different ranges and also show the energy with which it will impart of its target.

 

[HillBill]

Yeah, Chairgun is what i used to use, it isnt bad really. One of the things i used it a lot for was zero crossover. As in zeroing your rifle at 13 yards (secondary zero) so that primary is at 30 for example. I only had a shot garden at the time, so found this very handy.

You only need 4ft/lbs at the POI to head job a bunny(less probably). Plenty of energy left at 70 for that. A hit in the head at 70 will drop a rabbit as cleanly as a hit in the head at 30. The shooting isn't much more difficult either as long as you know your hold overs or you adjust your scope to compensate for drop off.

I am fully aware of the importance of pratice as I myself have been shooting since I can remember. My point mainly lies at the humaneness of the kill out past 40 yards with a sub 12ft/lb rifle. If i rember correctly there are widely available programs that can show the deceleration of a specific pellet from a specific rifle out to different ranges and also show the energy with which it will impart of its target.

 

[Dannytsg]

Well if you can guarantee your proficiency out to that distance then I applaude you but I for one will never take a shot on anything more than 50 yards away regardless of how good my aim or holdover is and regardless of the power of my rifle out of respect that I may not think i'd make a clean kill. Last thing I want is little bunny doing the hop-flip and scuttering away down a burrow to die a slow death because of a misplaced pellet due to distance/windage etc.

Anyway we digress from the main topic.

 

[HillBill]

. Last thing I want is little bunny doing the hop-flip and scuttering away down a burrow to die a slow death

That happens at close range with .177 more often than i like. Clean head shots too. I stopped using .177 as a hunting calibre due to this very thing.

Based on your opinion then would you shoot rabbits at 20 yards with .177? As i get far more runners in this scenario, than at 70 with .22

 

[Dannytsg]

Having shot and owned .177, .20, .22 and .25 I must have to say that i prefer .20 as I find it flies as well as .177 but has an impact of nearer .22 so is ideal for me.

I used to take bunnies out to 45 yards using my modified xs78 in .177 that consistently shot 11.5ft/lbs. I modified it to shoot air as opposed to CO2 so i didn;t have to worry about temperature fluxuations affecting the output power.

I only ever had one bunny do a hop-flip at about 30 yards right outside its burrow but luckily for me by the time it hit the deck it was scrambled enough for me to retrieve it.

 

[HillBill]

I've never tried a .20, though have always had the urge to buy one. Just to see what its like. I do like the concept of it though, and the fact that you can get different weight pellets to emulate either .177 or .22. I've always been a .22 guy though, never shot targets with air rifles so never really bothered with .177 until they became popular due to HFT and everyone raving about them. Bought a few over the years but was always dissapointed with their hunting performance compared to .22. I would never dream of shooting at 70 with a .177 as the ft/lbs drops off rapidly beyond 50.

Having shot and owned .177, .20, .22 and .25 I must have to say that i prefer .20 as I find it flies as well as .177 but has an impact of nearer .22 so is ideal for me.

I used to take bunnies out to 45 yards using my modified xs78 in .177 that consistently shot 11.5ft/lbs. I modified it to shoot air as opposed to CO2 so i didn;t have to worry about temperature fluxuations affecting the output power.

I only ever had one bunny do a hop-flip at about 30 yards right outside its burrow but luckily for me by the time it hit the deck it was scrambled enough for me to retrieve it.

 

[Dannytsg]

Well with a .177 rifle firing dead on 12ft/lbs firing a 7.9 grain pellet the energy at 70 yards drops to around 5 ft/lbs in a no wind situation. I wouldn't attempt anything past 50 yards with either to be honest.

 

[HillBill]

Fair enough mate.

 

[santaman2000]

That's a long way. What military rifle did you shoot to 1.5 miles with?

This link is no longer the record; it was surpassed by a British sniper but unfortunately I cain't link that one. www.snipercountry.com/Articles/KillingShot_2430Metres.asp

 

[H2497]

You're right it was a B&R Corporal in 2009 with a .338. Lots on wiki if you're interested. Time of flight would have been as much as 6 seconds at that distance.