Using an air gun to control rabbits
Ed Cook says airguns can be efficient in dealing with his old foe in many situations
My first air rifle was Weihrauch HW77K in .22 calibre. My father bought it for my ninth birthday. I shot a considerable amount of rabbits with it, as well as other vermin, which helped my father in his job as a gamekeeper.
Prehistoric
My old ‘clanger’ spring-loaded airgun seems prehistoric by comparison to the modern ones, which look like pieces of art as well as possessing deadly accuracy.
These days I tend to use FAC-rated (firearms certificate) versions as they have a bit more ‘whack’ than the legal limit 12ft/ lb versions that don’t need licences, though are a safer option in many instances over a rimfire rifle.
For jobs in large gardens, paddocks or built-up areas, an FAC air rifle can often be the best solution to a rabbit problem. The power can vary from the various calibres available — such as the .117, .20, .22, .25, .30 — but they are all capable of killing rabbits. In some you can
manually turn the power up or down, which can be handy.
I have recently bought a Rapid Air Weapons gun in .30-calibre. I am particularly impressed with its accuracy and ability to put pellet on pellet at 60m. It delivers a healthy smack and a clean kill.
Two good friends I shoot with frequently use .22 rifles, one a Daystate, the other an FX Impact. Both have accounted for a good number of rabbits while also being very quiet.
These pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) airguns are very accurate and each of the aforementioned brands have become well known in the target world, as well as for pest control and hunting.
There is big difference between using a centrefire and an airgun and you have to remember that the pellet will drop over distance; the less power combined with a heavier weight pellet means it will be a bit more ‘loopy’. This isn’t really a problem if you use the air rifle frequently and get to know what it does at certain ranges with certain pellets and certain power. Scopes with in-built rangefinders such as the Pard NV008 LRF have been game changers for such calibres.
Discreet
Two of us recently sat in a large garden with a FAC .30 and a .22. We started shooting at 8pm and by the time we had finished by 11pm, we had accounted for 26 rabbits — a considerable number for such an area. This was the most suitable and discreet way to reduce the population quickly on the plot in question.
Little did my father know what he started all those years ago when I turned nine.