Lung shooting bunnies.

[LordGamebore 0]

I'm taking my .22 springer out lamping soon, and while it's accurate, I'm not comfortable taking headshots whilst standing incase of wounding. Are lung/chest shots ok? Surley a rabbit with a .22 sized whole through both lungs isn't going far due to rapid blood and oxygen loss. John Darling advocated either head or chest shots.

 

Cheers.

[matt_hooks 188]

A 12 ft.lb air rifle will kill a rabbit with a chest shot at short range, but not further than about 15 or 20 yards. There is too much bone to guarantee a clean kill, the chances are that you'll shatter the shoulder, but not kill it outright and it will die in considerable pain. Head shots are the only realistic way forward (neck and spine shots can be effective, but tend to do a lot of meat damage, and need to be MORE accurate than a headshot!)

 

If you're not confident of hitting the kill zone, then I'd recommend not shooting live quarry at all until you've had more practice.

 

Other option is to use a set of shooting sticks, bipod or tripod.

[LordGamebore 0]

A 12 ft.lb air rifle will kill a rabbit with a chest shot at short range, but not further than about 15 or 20 yards. There is too much bone to guarantee a clean kill, the chances are that you'll shatter the shoulder, but not kill it outright and it will die in considerable pain. Head shots are the only realistic way forward (neck and spine shots can be effective, but tend to do a lot of meat damage, and need to be MORE accurate than a headshot!)

 

If you're not confident of hitting the kill zone, then I'd recommend not shooting live quarry at all until you've had more practice.

 

Other option is to use a set of shooting sticks, bipod or tripod.

 

Hi mat,

Can you use shooting sticks with a spring rifle?

[Alan Clark 7]

No reason why not, once cocked there is no need to have part of the exterior of the rifle move so it can rest on a set of sticks just like any other rifle.

[Buster321c 1,010]

I'm taking my .22 springer out lamping soon, and while it's accurate, I'm not comfortable taking headshots whilst standing incase of wounding. Are lung/chest shots ok? Surley a rabbit with a .22 sized whole through both lungs isn't going far due to rapid blood and oxygen loss. John Darling advocated either head or chest shots.Cheers.

 

If your not comfortable with head shots , what makes you think you will be accurate enough to hit with a clean heart shot in the dark ?

 

 

Also John Darling was an experianced , and very well respected shooter , and very good at whet he did .

 

 

Can you use shooting sticks with a spring rifle?

 

 

Personally i would not advocte this . Have you ever shot a springer off a bi-pod ? There is a reason why you hold a spring rifle differently than a PCP . You must `absorb ` some of the kick from the spring , try it and see what you think .

 

 

Practise is you best bet , as shooting in the dark is a very diofferent ballgame .

[whippeter69 88]

Hi mate just to add a bit of expericance here.

 

Lung/chest shooting rabbits is fine but, like deer they may run a bit and roll over dead. This has happend quite a few time while lamping with a friend. We have lost a few rabbit as they have gone under the cover but normally a chest shot is taken when we cant get closer to the rabbiot or the head is a too smaller target at the range.

 

Try and get as close as possible to the rabbit before you shoot it, if it starts to run, stop, turn the lamp off and wait a few seconds, the light up the rabbit and place the lamp in front of it and start walking again, this way you get as close as possilbe making a head shot easier and will kill a rabbit on the spot.

 

Theres nothing worse than coming back from a nights lamping a loosing a few to the cover.

 

My guide line is,

 

Get as close as you possibly can for a head shot, and if you can get a shot at the head, aim for the chest.

[mikeyblue 28]

My Two-penneth,

 

I will only take head shots on bunnys, that way I know for sure its lights out, no questions. If you aren't comfortable taking head shots standing, how about slowly adopting the kneeling position. If well practiced a very steady platform to take a clinical headshot.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Mikey.

[pianoman 3,587]

Hi Lordgamebore.

 

Just to say do not attempt to use a set of sticks or a purpose-made bipod as a solid rest for shooting a spring rifle. The felt-recoil runs in two directions at once and, as much of it is vibration from the spring and piston punching forwards, the rifle will jump sharply about and upwards from a solid rest and you will never achieve accuracy, no matter how much you try to get a working zero. From what you are saying in your post, you are lacking a bit of confidence to take a precision shot on the head and brain area. Heart and lung shots are only effective if you know EXACTLY where they are and can get your rifle to comfortably bear on the spot

 

My advice, as with the other lads here is, hold off shooting live quarry until you can hit a two-pence piece standing, sitting and kneeling at differing ranges, It's just a matter for practice. Better yet, develope a method of shooting from a relaxed and comfortable prone position, where you know the rabbits will be entering and exiting the field from. Static lamping is just as effective as static hunting in the dusk and dawn hours.

 

ATB

 

Simon

[matt_hooks 188]

If you can use a set of sticks for a full bore rifle, then why should a springer, with far less recoil, present much of a different problem? Granted, the lock time is longer, but if you use them properly, using them to steady your hand, and resting the gun on your hand in the normal way, then they are a great tool. The only problem occurs when you try and rest directly on the sticks. I use a tripod set of sticks with all my rifles, from .22 air rifle up to .243, and have great results with all of them.

 

I use a tripod set, but some people prefer a bipod set. That is what I mean when I say a bipod, not the Harris type bipod. I would never use a bipod fixed to a springer, as different surfaces will give varying POI, but a pair of shooting sticks, hand rested on them and gun rested on hand, is a great solution.

 

As long as you can make a humane kill the vast majority of the time, then what aids you use is neither here nor there. I still maintain that a headshot on a rabbit is the most likely way to a humane kill. That doesn't mean a heart/lung shot isn't an option, if you can get in close enough. I've taken a few where the rabbit has decided not to put it's head up for me to shoot. I would still say that the head shot actually gives a larger kill zone, and less chance of a wounding shot, than a chest shot on a rabbit when using a legal limit air gun. Of course, if you are using something more powerful, like a .22LR or even a higher powered FAC air rifle, then a chest shot might well be a good option as the higher terminal power helps to ensure proper penetration past the ribs and other bones in that area, though I would still prefer a headshot with those when available.

[8shot 191]

i think lung shots are cruel.....i use to do it when i was a kid and 99 percent would either make it back to the burrow

or be so far in brambles you couldnt get to them

 

you would imagine that the pellet would go through the lungs

but all it takes is to hit a rib and its a slow cruel death

 

head shots or no shot is the way

[farmerkev09 105]

if your finding it hard keeping steady try using a laser it seams to make me concentrate more and there handy when out lamping

 

 

atb farmer

[stillair1 16]

I'm taking my .22 springer out lamping soon, and while it's accurate, I'm not comfortable taking headshots whilst standing incase of wounding. Are lung/chest shots ok? Surley a rabbit with a .22 sized whole through both lungs isn't going far due to rapid blood and oxygen loss. John Darling advocated either head or chest shots.

 

Cheers.

Body shots with a 12ftlb air will be ineffective, as will trying to shoot a springer off sticks. Springers need to float in the firing cycle to obtain best accuracy due to the two way action of the recoil phase in piston guns.

Point of zero for a spring gun may well change with the position used, so check your zero with the position you will be using to hunt.

[cocpops 19]

Lots of interesting comments. Just like to add chest shots cause a fair bit of bruising to the meat

in particular if the pellet ends up in the spine. Shooting with a springer your unlikely to be

shooting out much further than 35/40 yards and with a bit practise head shots should be the norm.

 

PS. I very very rarely ever loose a rabbit now! not because my shootings improved but because I got

a cocker spaniel pup. Seriously the best thing I`ve bought in 10 years shooting. Great fun training

her, and amazed at how good they are out in the field. Anything wounded is picked up quickly and brought

in. Think about getting one, the kids`ll love it as well.

[lamperman 12]

i dont now how we managed years ago without pcp s and the likes

 

if sticks help you then use them iv shot hundreds of rabbits of a stick with a hw

practice practice practice

[DIVERD 34]

I agree with all that has been said about chest shots not stopping rabbits quickly. When i did a lot of air gun shooting i discovered that the only effective way of stopping them everytime was head shots.

 

Now with a .22 RF i still find that rabbits bounce about and often make it back to the burrow after chest shots, there are times when only a chest shot is possible. Now, as i get older and no longer need to shoot something every time i take a gun out i make sure i only hear shoot rabbits, it has so many advantages. I also use CCI segments, which i find absolutly superb, though expensive.

 

Getting back to air rifles, a PCP with a bipod is as accurate a rifle as you could ever want, I was very sucessful with mine and really enjoyed getting in close to the target, which is less necessary with more powerful guns. I never had the same degree of sucess with a springer, I am no expert on them, but i think the recoil is slower and allows more movement than a CF, so is less able to be used from a fixed bipod.

 

I think practice is vital with any rifle. My little syndicate have a range day every month, and vary this with trying to get tiny tight groups, through to shooting small balloons at long range. We do this to compare the balistics programmes theory to actual pracice results. Can i suggest you practice firstly by getting your rifle to shoot small groups at a set range, say 25mtr, groups the size of a golf ball maximum. Then try this sloghtly closer and slightly further away. as long as you are still accurate at ranged 5mtr either way you will be fine. If you can do this then head shots should hold no fear for you.

 

Hope this helps

 

D