Headshots Not Killing

[DeepEarth 104]

Got a mate who's asked me to ask on here. Basically he's getting head shots with his air-rifle, but the rabbits are running off. I suggested to get it's power tested (chronod?), if not all I can think of is shot placement or the pellets he's using aren't good enough? What do you lads reckon?

[Flow 18]

What calibre?

[matt_hooks 188]

Firstly, stop shooting at rabbits until the problem is sorted.

 

Now a few questions.

 

What range are they being shot at?

 

How does he know he's hitting them in the head?

 

What is the rifle, and in which caliber?

 

Answer those and then we might be able to offer an opinion.

[Lewis Ste 245]

You nailing them with paintball guns? hahaha

[zini 1,939]

If they are kits, dont forget a kits brain is about 15mm max when they are very young and will run off a bit if you dont get it right in the brain properly.

 

For some reason kits always seem to kick more in my experience once shot well. Anyone else witnessed this?

 

That one i shot with Davy and Chaz the other day at 43 metres on the golf course was hit with a .22 in the head cleanly and it still kicked and moved its legs even with its brains hanging out its skull.

 

If you watch the footage again on our channel you see the zoomed in close up of the brains coming out its head but its legs are still moving.

 

Strange thing isnt it?

[davyt63 1,845]

What calibre?

 

it shouldn't matter!!

[Flow 18]

You're right mate I shouldn't, I was just curious because I've seen a few runners over the past month shot with a .177.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Flow

[mally 832]

I've been out tonight with an air arms s200 in .177 8 headshot rabbits and all but one picked on the spot, the other kicked for 10 seconds and was picked in the hedge bottom. I aim just behind the eye if the rabbits are side on, if there facing away from me with the head up i put one at the back of there head 1/2" lower than the base of there ears. There's no doubt the .22 does hit them harder but the .177 will kill cleanly if you know there limitations.

[Phantom 631]

I try not to shoot kit's in the brain any more. It's distressing to see them flapping about for ages

The brain is also very maliable and almost like a gel, it tends to just hang out of the hole, even though it's well and truely dead, the CNS of a kit seems to take forever to shut down! They also seem to reach unnatural height when they flap about! I've seen them reach over a meter in the air sideways!

 

Now I generally go for heart and lung shots on the kits, they may run a couple of feet or just roll over, but the CNS seems to shut down much quicker with a heart/lung shot thus no flapping around.

 

Tony

[mally 832]

I try not to shoot kit's in the brain any more. It's distressing to see them flapping about for ages

The brain is also very maliable and almost like a gel, it tends to just hang out of the hole, even though it's well and truely dead, the CNS of a kit seems to take forever to shut down! They also seem to reach unnatural height when they flap about! I've seen them reach over a meter in the air sideways!

 

Now I generally go for heart and lung shots on the kits, they may run a couple of feet or just roll over, but the CNS seems to shut down much quicker with a heart/lung shot thus no flapping around.

 

Tony

 

I've shot hundreds of rabbits with .22 .177 air rifles as well as rifles too mate, and i only ever go for a head shot, yes the cockers jump about a bit but there dead. I took a friend of a friend out one evening who was a member of 3 or 4 air rifle clubs he shot 3 rabbits in 1 1/2 hrs (missing at least 3!!) by the time he'd messed about with range etc they had buggered off!! i'd have shot at least 12. 2 of the ones he shot were what i'd call clean head shots the other he shot in the chest and it took us 10 minutes to find the bugger in the long grass and it was 12 feet from where he shot it.

 

My Dad made sure i was able to shoot before allowing me to shoot any live targets, i started shooting feral pigeons and grey squirrels around the farm under his supervision on saturday mornings, when he was confident i was safe etc i was allowed to walk around the hedgerows for rabbits etc. The only time i was told off was when i shot a hare by mistake and i was made to go and give it his boss and apologise for my mistake. I never take on a shot i have doubts in and never will, too many people out there do it and cause suffering, these people have no respect for the quarry in my opinion.

[robwelsh 354]

Ye,kit iv shot..just the one, it went mental.. I checked my zero straight after it..horrible in It

[Mawders 595]

Might be kits it might just be his rifle is majorly underpowered. Milegajo posted a vid on here before where he hit a rabbit in the head from about 30 odd yards for the rabbit to bowl over, get up and hop away with a headache, don't think it even penetrated it's head, turns out his rifle dropped to 3ft/lb so had even less at the target end!

[robwelsh 354]

So did it just drop while out shooting..or was it 3ft lb when zeroing it lol

[Pelletpower 203]

So did it just drop while out shooting..or was it 3ft lb when zeroing it lol

good question

[Mawders 595]

It was a stealth, I believe it just dropped!