best gun for a newbie

[alcamy22 7]

hey guys i need some advice from you if possible ive recently moved house and now have a total of 30000 acres of land at my disposal all interlocking now all the farmers have asked me to look after the fox rabbit and grey squirrel population now i have the lurchers for rabbits foxes but was considering an air rifle for the squirrells which could also do for rabbits too but was wondering which one

 

forgive my ignorance used to shoot a .22 when younger

 

can you get a airrifle that holds multiple pellets

 

any help much appreciated

[Col_c88 41]

I started on a springer.. BSA Lightning XL and loved that gun..kinda wish i didnt sell it sometimes. it was my first ever gun so just goes to show how user friendly it was..i asked around alot the same question and 99% of the answers were get a decent springer... when i moved to PCP i found how much easier it was and i think alot of that was thanks to the springer if im honest with you.

 

also.. 30000 acres.. nice o.0

Edited June 24, 2011 by Col_c88

[alcamy22 7]

thanks mate yea it was crazy only started going down last year asked one farmer he seen how careful i was livestock gates fences etc i even told him i broke his fence but had repaired it before he seen it so he gave my number to all adjoining farmers and they all rang me crazy i realistically have to much the also want me to look after deer to but ive no gun or licence thats what ill look at after getting the airrifle

[Ideation 8,216]

30,000 acres. . . .. i'm not being a dick mate, but if you are really going to do the job and sort the tree rats proper, then no amount of air gun shooting is going to cut it, same for lamping the rabbits and fox solo. Unless there id not much about? If there is, on land that size, your going to need a f**k load of traps for the squirrels and a rifle for the foxes and rabbits. If not and they are keen on the pests being controlled, you'll end up losing it.

[Rommels 7]

thanks mate yea it was crazy only started going down last year asked one farmer he seen how careful i was livestock gates fences etc i even told him i broke his fence but had repaired it before he seen it so he gave my number to all adjoining farmers and they all rang me crazy i realistically have to much the also want me to look after deer to but ive no gun or licence thats what ill look at after getting the airrifle

 

For a starter Air rifle I'd go for something like an Air Arms s410 (or the carbine version) started with the with the carbine myself not long ago and know many that use them in .177 also... great guns.

 

Accuracy wise spot on.. was out @ 65 yards shooting at 20mm targets in strong winds (15/20) after some practice with expert guidance , so should keep you occupied.

 

As for the rest FAC .243 + If I'm not mistaken for Deere, take a look at the FAC section and perhaps join basc for insurance etc?

Edited June 24, 2011 by Rommels

[alcamy22 7]

30,000 acres. . . .. i'm not being a dick mate, but if you are really going to do the job and sort the tree rats proper, then no amount of air gun shooting is going to cut it, same for lamping the rabbits and fox solo. Unless there id not much about? If there is, on land that size, your going to need a f**k load of traps for the squirrels and a rifle for the foxes and rabbits. If not and they are keen on the pests being controlled, you'll end up losing it.

 

i completely agree on ur above comment i said in my previous post that realistically i have too much however i will be getting some hunting buddies to help me i have also made farmers aware of the reality of having just me walking the land so they agreed to allow 2 other people walk the land also only 2 lads i really trust and who are proper dog men the farmers didnt have anyone really walking there land apart from the odd poacher so there happy ill be walking it regularily

[alcamy22 7]

30,000 acres. . . .. i'm not being a dick mate, but if you are really going to do the job and sort the tree rats proper, then no amount of air gun shooting is going to cut it, same for lamping the rabbits and fox solo. Unless there id not much about? If there is, on land that size, your going to need a f**k load of traps for the squirrels and a rifle for the foxes and rabbits. If not and they are keen on the pests being controlled, you'll end up losing it.

 

i completely agree on ur above comment i said in my previous post that realistically i have too much however i will be getting some hunting buddies to help me i have also made farmers aware of the reality of having just me walking the land so they agreed to allow 2 other people walk the land also only 2 lads i really trust and who are proper dog men the farmers didnt have anyone really walking there land apart from the odd poacher so there happy ill be walking it regularily

 

 

also all farmers staunchly against any type of poison even livestock friendly ones so dogs and guns are the only options and ive only ever had lurchers and terriers never a gun or gun dog so this is all very new to mee

[Ideation 8,216]

30,000 acres. . . .. i'm not being a dick mate, but if you are really going to do the job and sort the tree rats proper, then no amount of air gun shooting is going to cut it, same for lamping the rabbits and fox solo. Unless there id not much about? If there is, on land that size, your going to need a f**k load of traps for the squirrels and a rifle for the foxes and rabbits. If not and they are keen on the pests being controlled, you'll end up losing it.

 

i completely agree on ur above comment i said in my previous post that realistically i have too much however i will be getting some hunting buddies to help me i have also made farmers aware of the reality of having just me walking the land so they agreed to allow 2 other people walk the land also only 2 lads i really trust and who are proper dog men the farmers didnt have anyone really walking there land apart from the odd poacher so there happy ill be walking it regularily

 

 

also all farmers staunchly against any type of poison even livestock friendly ones so dogs and guns are the only options and ive only ever had lurchers and terriers never a gun or gun dog so this is all very new to mee

 

I'm not knocking you mate, and sounds like you are onto a good thing, if they are happy for whatever help you can give

 

I just meant that if you had been given the permission and they expected the vermin controlled, then it would be fecking nuts. There is an estate across from me that is under 1000 acres, and with all the shooting, trapping etc done, there is still a squirrel problem.

 

With rabbits, 30,000 acres can hold 1000's and 1000's, which no amount of dogging will ever clear, same with foxes.

 

And when they become lamp shy, then a rifle will be your only option.

 

To successfully control that kind of land, you would need to be driving out pretty much every night with rifles and truck, and running a trap/snare line that was huge, a long with all the ferreting and digging you could manage to cram in

 

Lurchers, while great, are a fairly inefficient means of controlling vermin.

 

As for the deer on 30,000 acres, you will def need a suitable rifle, a game dealer that can take a shit ton, and a big freezer room

 

To do pest control proper on that size land would need a few folk employed full time

 

Good luck to you

[Feilder 0]

Im a farmer myself, when a farmer wants his pests controlled and they get someone in the dont expect the hole population of wildlife to wiped out overnight, they understand it will take a while, shooting and dogs is the way forward as livestock can get stuck in traps and die very quickly, You may go out every other night and only shoot 4 rabbits, that may not sound like alot for the size of land, but you have to remeber that pests will get sick and eventualy and move on. Also land that big will cause arguments and much more if there is a variety people trying to controll the vermin so thats why they will stick to one guy, so it isnt impossible to get the vermin numbers down it just takes a little planning and time, if anything its pure jealusy of land.

Scott

[millsy44 72]

This post is gunna go down hill pretty sharpish, thats my guess, pop corn at the ready.....lol

[gurtwurz 792]

well, going back to the original question, if you want a good multi shot rifle theres plenty to pick from mate, as long as youre aware that charging gear will set you back about £150 on top of your rifle. as far as pcp's go, any air arms will see you right, starting from an s200 with mag conversion, through the very well acclaimed s410 series to the 510's.

bsa scorpians, or scorpian T10's are pretty good, or the ultra multi shot are all good value for money, (although you dont get so many shots from the air cylinders) or if you want lots of shots, and accuracy then think about spending serious money on a theoben rapid or bsa R10 mk 2. hw100's are amazing accuracy wise, but dont give you so many shots.

 

alternatevely, get a HW80 or HW95 springer, you wont get multiple shots, but you will get a solid and dependable workhorse rifle that you only need to buy pellets for,and shouldnt let you down in any conditions.

 

 

or if youre feeling flush, but not flush enough to go pneumatic, get an air arms pro sport and you'll be popping quarry off left right and centre and enjoying the best british(and best looking) spring rifle out there.

 

between you and your pals, i hope you enjoy your vast permission, and stay on top of things enough to keep it.

 

all the best, wurz

[Ideation 8,216]

Im a farmer myself, when a farmer wants his pests controlled and they get someone in the dont expect the hole population of wildlife to wiped out overnight, they understand it will take a while, shooting and dogs is the way forward as livestock can get stuck in traps and die very quickly, You may go out every other night and only shoot 4 rabbits, that may not sound like alot for the size of land, but you have to remeber that pests will get sick and eventualy and move on. Also land that big will cause arguments and much more if there is a variety people trying to controll the vermin so thats why they will stick to one guy, so it isnt impossible to get the vermin numbers down it just takes a little planning and time, if anything its pure jealusy of land.

Scott

 

 

As said, i wouldn't want this post to go downhill, and end in some kid of silly argument.

 

But i would like to say that it is NOT anything to do with land jealousy, i was merely engaging in a discussion and possibly giving some advice ( i have more land than i can handle here at it's a lot less than 30,000 acres).

 

Whilst i agree that some farmers do not wish all pests to be eradicated totally, it is i feel a sensible suggestion that an air rifle and a couple of lurchers in the hands of 1 or 2 people in their free time is not going to make even a noticeable impact on the rabbit, fox, deer, squirrel population of 30,000 acres. And whilst some may not wish for eradication, unless you are lucky enough to have a farmer who's just giving you the land for a bit of sport, most of them do wish to see SOME kind of positive improvement to their land.

 

A large piece of land controlled by several individuals will not always (or even often) cause arguments, and most farmers / landowners with that size piece of land, do not stick to one person at all.

 

Anyhow, enough said on the matter

 

To the original question, i'd get a good quality pcp, such as a HW100.

[ftm 3,357]

rapid 7 or hw100 will do the job mate i assure you

[millsy44 72]

Daystate, i have the Air ranger with a 500cc bottle on, im getting 350+ shots per 220bar charge, deadly accurate and consistent, just abit pricey. Good luck with what ever you choose

 

Atb peter

[secretagentmole 1,701]

BSA Super Ten, accurate, quiet and a good number of shots per fill!