maximum distance

[hw97k 36]

hi lads just wondering if any one knows the max distance a bsa ultra in .177 or .22 is effective . i wont be shooting past 35 or 40 yds at max,just want to know if they are up to hunting at that distance cheers.

[fry 209]

if you hit a critter in the head at those distances thier dead. unless the ultra has power issues.

[clubshot 22]

Not forgetting that in Sub 12FP you are dropping pellets after 35 metres in .22

 

BOB/R

[hunter1989 91]

hi lads just wondering if any one knows the max distance a bsa ultra in .177 or .22 is effective . i wont be shooting past 35 or 40 yds at max,just want to know if they are up to hunting at that distance cheers.

 

hi buddy

 

you basically answered your own question

 

its not about the distance its about the shot placement

 

some people will take shots further than 35-40 yards

 

atb steve

[Rake aboot 4,935]

Not forgetting that in Sub 12FP you are dropping pellets after 35 metres in .22

 

BOB/R

 

Not quite sure what this means,?

In both 177 and 22 your pellet starts to drop the second it leaves the muzzle.

You can shoot past 35 mts with 22. Fair enough ,you are extending the normal hunting range at distances past this, but it can be done if you take the time to become competent.

At the mo my 177 is zeroed at 30 mtr and I shoot out beyond that. And a 22 will kill just as well at the same distances.

 

ATB

[matt_hooks 188]

A 12 ft.lb .22 air rifle will have sufficient energy to kill a rabbit out past 60 yards. However, the accuracy and pellet drop at that range means it's not a good tool for those ranges. The limiting factor, as hunter says, it's not the energy retained, it's the shot placement.

 

There are people on here who are perfectly capable of killing crows and rabbits out past the 40 yard mark, some are capable of the necessary shot placement at greater distances. It's down to how good you are, and how much practice you have with the rifle. I struggle with the air rifle at the moment, because I've got used to the trajectory of the .22LR. Practice is the key, and I wouldn't consider using the air rifles for any hunting until I'd spent a good amount of time relearning the trajectory.

[pianoman 3,587]

A sub 12-ft/lb .22 rifle will lob a .22 pellet out to an average 415 metres Best Trajectory Range.

 

It will retain enough energy to kill a rabbit at over 330.

 

Take a THOROUGH and I mean THOROUGH understanding of the principles of Marksmanship. A thorough understanding of your rifle's handling. A thorough knowledge of the trajectory characteristics of your pellet, including it's performance in all air conditions.

 

And you will hit a rabbit dead through the head at 200 yards and over.

 

Most here will not have the ability or even the capability.

 

It's a matter of the lung capacity you were born with and your level of pulses /heartbeat control, knowing how to breathe through the shot and knowing how to relax all tension to help you stabilise your whole body as a precision shooting platform. And put in years and years of practice doing it till, you know your rifle, your scope and ammo and your shooting characteristics and nuances better than you know your wife and children.

 

Any of the above is NOT what this sport of air rifle hunting is about, as far as the average shooter is concerned. :no:

 

It should only serve to tell you confidently that, your sub 12 ft/lb air rifle is well up to the task of humanely killing a small animal at the range YOU are most comfortable at. And the range you are most comfortable at, to hit a killzone no bigger than a 2p piece is the one you MUST shoot to and no other.

 

If your best reliable hunting range is 30 yards, then 30 yards is YOUR maximum. Practice on 50-60 yard paper targets and small stones to increase your capability range to 35-40.

 

When you can put 10 rounds clean through a 5p sized disc at 60 metres, you will find even a 45 metre rabbit's head and brain area will look like a barn door!

 

But if you are not prepared to put in a shitload of practice, practice and practice some more. Forget increasing your effective range and stay well within what you are used to.

 

But above all. Have fun!

 

Simon

[burny2011 12]

A sub 12-ft/lb .22 rifle will lob a .22 pellet out to an average 415 metres Best Trajectory Range.

 

It will retain enough energy to kill a rabbit at over 330.

 

Take a THOROUGH and I mean THOROUGH understanding of the principles of Marksmanship. A thorough understanding of your rifle's handling. A thorough knowledge of the trajectory characteristics of your pellet, including it's performance in all air conditions.

 

And you will hit a rabbit dead through the head at 200 yards and over.

 

Most here will not have the ability or even the capability.

 

It's a matter of the lung capacity you were born with and your level of pulses /heartbeat control, knowing how to breathe through the shot and knowing how to relax all tension to help you stabilise your whole body as a precision shooting platform. And put in years and years of practice doing it till, you know your rifle, your scope and ammo and your shooting characteristics and nuances better than you know your wife and children.

 

Any of the above is NOT what this sport of air rifle hunting is about, as far as the average shooter is concerned. :no:

 

It should only serve to tell you confidently that, your sub 12 ft/lb air rifle is well up to the task of humanely killing a small animal at the range YOU are most comfortable at. And the range you are most comfortable at, to hit a killzone no bigger than a 2p piece is the one you MUST shoot to and no other.

 

If your best reliable hunting range is 30 yards, then 30 yards is YOUR maximum. Practice on 50-60 yard paper targets and small stones to increase your capability range to 35-40.

 

When you can put 10 rounds clean through a 5p sized disc at 60 metres, you will find even a 45 metre rabbit's head and brain area will look like a barn door!

 

But if you are not prepared to put in a shitload of practice, practice and practice some more. Forget increasing your effective range and stay well within what you are used to.

 

But above all. Have fun!

 

Simon

[burny2011 12]

well said ,so all that above on bord i started with a 5p at 20 yards as a kid my dad would not let me shoot at anything till i could hit it 8 times out of 10 try that mate and then work your way up to what you wont to

[fry 209]

200 yards with a 12 pound air rifle that would be some shot i cant ever see me doin that

[pianoman 3,587]

I've done it fry but, I cannot stress enough how still the breeze must be and how much you really have to know everything about your kit and yourself to attempt such shots. And built from a basic zero of just 30 metres. Your rifle's barrel alone has to be superbly accurate, the action fitting perfectly with the stock. Not a loose screw anywhere. I've probably shot extreme range air rifle successfully on live targets only a few times when the conditions were absolutely perfect. My FAC HW80 full length .22 has done most of them, including long shots taken before it was tuned. It was the extreme range capability of this rifle at just under 12 ft/lbs muzzle energy that lead me to both experimenting with just how far a decent air rifle can shoot to, and my accuracy shooting with it.

 

These days I use the extra power of FAC air to get the pellet to the rabbit faster over the usual, sensible ranges and reduce the possibility of a rabbit that can bolt faster that the shot can hit decisively. It still happens though, even then!

 

But, the other evening before last, I hit a spinal heart/lung shot on a rabbit with my sub 12 ft/lb HW77 at over 100 metres distance. There is a phenominal amount of kinetic energy delivered to an impacting shot from a plunging down-angle. It can produce quite alarming levels of fatal entry wound damage. You also need to keep your pellets out in warm sunlight and your rifle unloaded until the moment you are going to shoot as this heats the pellet up and helps expansion more efficiently in the breech and on being propelled in the rifling lands down the barrel. The rabbit is just far away enough not to hear your rifle being cocked as you always must shoot into wind, regardless of range. With any breeze at your back to carry it, your slightest sound will be picked up, if not your actual scent!

 

ATB

 

Simon

Edited March 19, 2011 by pianoman

[garfield 23]

@ pianoman, what's the retained energy in sub 12ftlb at 100yrd's and what cal are you using?

Edited March 19, 2011 by garfield

[77 si 21]

Not forgetting that in Sub 12FP you are dropping pellets after 35 metres in .22

 

BOB/R

 

Not quite sure what this means,?

In both 177 and 22 your pellet starts to drop the second it leaves the muzzle.

You can shoot past 35 mts with 22. Fair enough ,you are extending the normal hunting range at distances past this, but it can be done if you take the time to become competent.

At the mo my 177 is zeroed at 30 mtr and I shoot out beyond that. And a 22 will kill just as well at the same distances.

 

ATB

 

Spot on

[fry 209]

Not forgetting that in Sub 12FP you are dropping pellets after 35 metres in .22

 

BOB/R

 

Not quite sure what this means,?

In both 177 and 22 your pellet starts to drop the second it leaves the muzzle.

You can shoot past 35 mts with 22. Fair enough ,you are extending the normal hunting range at distances past this, but it can be done if you take the time to become competent.

At the mo my 177 is zeroed at 30 mtr and I shoot out beyond that. And a 22 will kill just as well at the same distances.

 

ATB

i thought they went up first an then dropped

[secretagentmole 1,701]

So did I! The parabolic trajectory and all that, hang on, ah found it!

 

Trajectory etc explained!

 

It was discussed at length on this thread!