Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Your favorite gun for small game?

Dear Dan,

Just thought I would share a photo of my favorite small game gun as well since we both like bottom eject pump guns. Full up it goes about 10 1/2 pounds (not including wheels and undercarriage) and once you get it moving rarely have a problem stopping your swing. A full combat load is 50 shells in 2 bandoliers slung in Pancho Villa fashion and 25 more in a trap bag around the waist. My ammo carrier rarely complains, if she did I would shut off her cell phone service. Throwing 2 1/4 oz lead loads I get good results on quail, dove, snakes, chipmunks and those pesky pigeons in the barn rafters that poop all over the place. I even got a goose one year with this gun and didn't even fire a shot (Yes I have witnesses and no don't ask how). Truth be known the only reason I use it is because I can't get my hands on an 8 bore at a reasonable price.

Best wishes
Bart

Marlin 22 mag

Henry levergun in .22 chambering. I mounted a Bushnell 1.5-4.5X scope and it's a deadly outfit for rabbits and squirrels. This rifle was designed by ERMA of Germany many years ago, but Henry bought the patent. - Sherwood

Can you tell me a little about your air rifle? I am interested in them, but find them expensive and intimidating. I have had an rws 22 that was too loud and a air arms s410 that had to go back to manufacturer too many times.

Is yours quiet? Does it actually kill the squirrel cleanly? What does it weigh?

Thanks!

It's a Weihrauch HW100S, .22 caliber. This one is rated at 50 Joules or 38 ft lbs of muzzle energy. It is superbly accurate with the 18 grain JSB and 21 grain H&N Baracuda Match pellets. It's a heavy rifle, scoped it weighs a bit over nine pounds. It doesn't feel that heavy shooting it as the stocks design is a great fit for me. A reservoir fill will yield 28 shots. The magazines are a metal rotary disc which hold 14 rounds so a fill does two mags. The reservoir is 175 cc and the fill pressure is 200 Bar or 2900 psi. I have overfilled it 10% without any negative affects which yielded seven more shots. It is a long gun, with a 24" or 610mm barrel plus the moderator. The firing report is exceptionally quiet, just a low "spikt". The hammer spring tension could be lowered some for less power and more shots per fill but I've left it as it came as I'm happy with the performance as is. Head shots are easy with the accuracy and flat trajectory.

Air supply for PCP rifles is part of the game. I have another rifle, an Evanix AR6, Korean made revolver rifle that I bought back in 2009. When I got it I got an 80 cubic foot aluminum 200 Bar scuba tank, then in 2010 added an 80 cubic foot 232 Bar steel tank. A few years ago I got a 4 stage hand operated pump. I have a JTS Comp 1 portable compressor ordered. Quality pellets cost less than quality rimfire ammunition but then you have the cost of supplying the air pressure to operate the guns so I doubt that you save much money in an airgun versus rimfire comparison, maybe some in the long run. You do get quiet, safer in built up areas due to lighter projectiles with much shorter travel ranges and less energy than .22 LR bullets and you get away from firearms. No fooling with FFL transfers. Plus no carbon rings, no gunpowder fouling, no first shot cold barrel flyers, etc.

Airguns of Arizona is the primary retailer of Weihrauch pcps in the USA, I think that they carry the whole line. FX has a Dreamline Classic Walnut that is a nice too.

That's unusual for an Air Arms rifle to be having that much trouble, they are high quality guns.

Shoulder buster! Bet you don't need a second shot.

Like this?

[img]https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...eries/18667559/remington-33#Post18667559[/img]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. That is a nice air rifle you have.

I got the s410 based on the recommendations of my gun club, they have a monthly air rifle silhouette match and there are a bunch of folks there who know air rifles well. Unfortunately, my particular rifle had major problems from the beginning one of which it just would not hold air. I am not up to date on all the nomenclature of air rifles so I did not follow everything that was done to fix it, but one thing that was done was the replacement of the entire "action". I think airgunners call it the block. The could not get it to work by just replacing seals, so eventually just replaced the entire thing. Pyramid air held up to their warranty and eventually got it to work, so I have no fault with them, but sending it back so many times was a pain. I finally gave up and sold it to another club member.

I would like to replace it, as there is nothing like being able to shoot at home, but am reluctant. I do think they air rifles are the future though, given how crowded the woods are becoming.

my very 1st gun as young kid was a Savage 24 22LR/410 ,then when i was 30 years old i Purchased another Savage 24 22mag /20 gauge i may own some expensive rifles and Perazzi shotguns but to be honest that cheap old Savage 24 is still my favorite rifle/shotgun i now own 4 of them the last two are a 22mag./410 , 223 /20ga.

One of my favorites is a Browning a bolt in .22 Hornet. I bought it almost 30 years ago. At the time I was doing a lot of chuck shooting. It made a perfect gun for shooting around houses and barns. I had it a few years and retired. Since I have shot some forest grouse, tree squirrels, cottontails by the truck load, and 5 wild turkeys. Don't hunt those areas in more but it still gets used shooting gophers and prairie dogs. If we have cottontails and someone wants a mess, it is great for head shooting bunnies. Not many folks these days enjoy fried cottontail..

Dayum, that thing could win WW3 with one shot!

50-100-450

Or 40–50 Sharps bottleneck…

Browning A-Bolt .22 Mag

I was scrolling through and saw the beautiful wood and a classy old lever gun and knew it was shrapnel before I read the post!

If I’m “hunting” and just out unwinding in the woods I’m most apt to take a CZ bolt action 22 suppressed. If I want to fry me up a mess of squirrels and I’m serious… my old wal mart 870 express I brought home the day I graduated HS and some 6shot and a tight choke.

Pithy