24 replies to this topic

[crazyhorse]

Today I took my Umarex 850 Magnum .177 out to hunt squirrels...a friend in Texas had recently tuned this rifle increasing power from factory stock 760 FPS to 810 FPS..(.this ia a CO2 powered air rifle which i used for shooting squirrels out to 40 yards max). My first two squirrels I got at about 35 yards using JSB Exact 8.4 Gr pellets. As I was leaving the area,I spotted a squirrel on a rock and lasered him at 70 yards with my Nikon 550...standing next to a fence post,I took the first shot and missed the squirrel,but noticed the pellet had kicked up dust just over his head...so I adjusted my hold just a tad lower and hit him on the second shot. When I walked up he was DOA...No visble blood...but I finally found the entry wound (Pic of my gloved finger below). Also..I was trying out a new Bug Buster 6X32AO Mil Dot scope made by Leapers..I was so pumped I called my wife on the cell and said..."Judy...you won't believe what I just did with the 850....She said..."Did you shoot an Elk..?? " My wife has a great sense of humor..!!!Pictures:This was my shooting position..the fence post provided a good steady rest for this shot..the squirrel was on a boulder beyond the fence you see in the picture...and it was an uphill shot...

[dirtgimp]

good shootin........

[PredatorMaster]

[Rimrock]

Great.

[crazyhorse]

This now will be the "range" limit for taking squirrels with this rifle...my ballistic calculator indicates at impact on that squirrel, energy was 6FT/LBS at 561 FPS.....also,I found just an entry wound...no exit wound,but the pellet pentrated enough to knock out his fuse box...lol..I might add that I use to take squirrels in the head...the last few I've taken were in the shoulder area...and all of them fell limp...no twitching,flopping around and very little blood,if any...nice clean kills...

[A17Shooter]

6 ft lbs is pretty tiny. As long as you can place the shot correctly it seems like it will work. Good Shooting.

[VarmintAir]

Outstanding shot. I think you're right, seventy yards sounds like it's probably the outer limits for that gun pellet combo. Isn't it fun picking stuff off with airguns at distances that many folks think of as .22rf territory.

[THE KNOT]

I love it, nice shot pic's look good last one has me thinking about shots i would like to take ,alot of people have no idea what these guns can do but when they see it they are quiet surprized . A few of my friends have bought springers for pest birds since seeing my gamo Varmint hunter . With a wad cutter i'am solid out 50 yrd's but thats my limit for grey's i have dropped grackles from 70 yards with it when i get off a good shot

[crazyhorse]

Outstanding shot. I think you're right, seventy yards sounds like it's probably the outer limits for that gun pellet combo. Isn't it fun picking stuff off with airguns at distances that many folks think of as .22rf territory.

I understand your passion for this sport much better now after that shot..LOL....I could have easily taken my Mac 1 Discovery 22 out there to hunt instead because it has much longer range..,but I wanted to find out what I could do with this tuned CO2 .177 rifle....This experience has taught me alot about ballistics.....the area I hunt squirrels is very difficult because most burrows are around rock/boulders out in the open..so this means shots at 60 + yards.....get very few at under 40...The 850 is a fun rifle to shoot because of the 8 shot magazine...and is very accurate with the solid steel rifled barrel...and that little Bug Buster 6x32 mil dot worked just great...

[ShooterJohn]

That is some fine shooting and like discussed above it's even more exciting when done with an airgun. It's is amazing what a small pellet can do at that distance. That was a long shot for sure but attempting them is half of the fun. I tried those shots all of the time as a kid with my Sheridan with open sights. Some times you get lucky and that kept me coming back. Nice property you have to hunt there.

[crazyhorse]

6 ft lbs is pretty tiny. As long as you can place the shot correctly it seems like it will work. Good Shooting.

I agree I may have pushed it a bit at that range as the pellet penetrated but did not go completely through.However,I find the below information useful off an airgun site for minimun lethal energy:Approx. Point of Impact Energy/Velocity for small game Energy- FPE...............Velocity- .177 cal.Sparrow...........2 FPE.........................340 FPSSquirrel............3 FPE..........................415 FPSCottontail..........5 FPE............................515 FPSJackrabbit..........8 FPE..........................670 FPS

[crazyhorse]

I love it, nice shot pic's look good last one has me thinking about shots i would like to take ,alot of people have no idea what these guns can do but when they see it they are quiet surprized . A few of my friends have bought springers for pest birds since seeing my gamo Varmint hunter . With a wad cutter i'am solid out 50 yrd's but thats my limit for grey's i have dropped grackles from 70 yards with it when i get off a good shot

I need to now set up a range chart for shooting uphill/downhill so my mil dot holds are corrected for those instances...the terrain I hunt sometimes presents shots around 20-30 degrees from level...that is the reason I missed that squirrel on the first shot....the pellet went over his head....

[crazyhorse]

That is some fine shooting and like discussed above it's even more exciting when done with an airgun. It's is amazing what a small pellet can do at that distance. That was a long shot for sure but attempting them is half of the fun. I tried those shots all of the time as a kid with my Sheridan with open sights. Some times you get lucky and that kept me coming back. Nice property you have to hunt there.

This transition to airguns has been fun...and work sorting out dope for them..I use online calculators,then test & verify in the field on targets before taking game...The area I hunt is in Cleveland Nat'l Forrest...no one out there during the week....I circled the spot (red) I shot this squirrel from in pic..One of my "hides"....waitng for squirrels to come out...there are squirrel burrows beyond that fence..and shooting them thru those 12" openings is neat trick...and that is chain between the posts..

[Bone]

Nice shot! What kind of rest are you using? Looks like it works well.

[ratassassin]

That was a long shot. Nice going.RA

[crazyhorse]

Nice shot! What kind of rest are you using? Looks like it works well.

For that squirrel shot,I used the metal support next to the wood fence post(see pic below)...I just rested the rifle in my gloved left hand...out in the open,I use my old camera tripod from kneeling position...at my age,I need a good steady support....especially for shots over 30 yards...

[DagoRich]

Nice shot!! Nice gun also. My furthest shot on a squirrel is thirty yards, the length of my backyard.

[crazyhorse]

When I first bought the 850, I never attempted to shoot a squirrel over 30 yards...then I got one tuned by a friend in Texas and found I could hit my POA consistently on target at 50 yards...I actually debated in my mind whether I should attempt that 70 yard shot...but conditions were perfect...no wind...good rest for steady aim and the 6x Bug Buster gave me a clear sight picture..

[mackeralboy]

Crazyhorse, Great shooting! I'm envious that you have so much free time to go out and fine tune all your airguns. I know it sure makes a big difference reaching out to those longer ranges.

[crazyhorse]

Weather has shut me down...!!! So I'm sitting here at the puter running more ballistic calc's so when the weather improves,I can go out for more field testing...which I combine with hunting..lol...I've yet to complete testing long range shots with the Discovery .22....done some 100 yard preliminary stuff...need to catch a calm/no wind day.....and finish 70 yard and then try 100 some more..My goal is to establish maximum effective range for my 850, Disco and R9....think I can safely say my tuned 850 max effective range is 60+ yards on JSB 8.4 gr domes..my factory stock 850 is 30 yards...(Squirrels/cottontails).At least I quickly figured out how I missed that squirrel on the first shot that morning..based on my mistake the pellet went over his head by almost 2"...learning fast on these air guns...lol...

[zippy1970]

thats a SICK shot !!!!!! way to go . i used to love air guns until i lived in the city of la and they were / are a big no no . still got a few tree rats with it shooting from inside to limit the noise from firing .

[philsmalley]

I am doing research before buying an air rifle for pest control. I have a large population of grey squirrels, crows, and chipmunks on 2 acres of wooded property. I was convinced that I need a .22 cal for squirrels in particular, but this discussion and others I've seen in the past couple of days are causing me to reconsider. Are the ballistic characteristics of the .177 cal superior to the .22 cal such that the greater "punch" of the .22 cal is offset? I'd have to pay upwards of $300 on the wrong air rifle.

[crazyhorse]

You can easily take squirrels in .177 caliber out to 30 yards .....I did it many times with my factory stock Umarex 850 using Crosman Premier Lights(7.9 gr Domes) before I got it tuned. This is just my opinion, but if you need to shoot squirrels at longer ranges than 30-40 yards, you must consider something other than a break barrel to get the accuracy. So the "power plant" you choose is important.Break barrel "spring guns"...most are difficult to shoot accurately beyond 40 yards because of the "double recoil..CO2,PCP's and Pump Pneumatics are easier as there is no recoil to speak of...Either .20 or .22 caliber is better for "all around" hunting small game at longer ranges..

[zippy1970]

the only time I had a hard time with the airpistol "ethically " killing was with some bigger rats . biggest body was about 12" . the first 1 I hit , dead in the chest / ribcage , went down but twiched for awhile . when tossing him i noticed a huge , swollen spot on his chest where I hit him . after that i used .22lr snake shot . clean kills from there on . distance was 6 ' . pistol was .177 10 meter target pistol . Andy

[ShooterJohn]

That's only about 450 fps on the 10 meter air pistols. If you shoot them in the head it works. They're great for shooting English Sparrows the little pests. I use a IZH Baikal and shoot their eye out.  IZH_46M.JPG   39.5K   28 downloads