Pistol for rat dispatch

[trappa 518]

I just bought a Wembley tempest for squirrel dispatch. I wanted a Springer and not gas cartridge but just realised it's 3.5ft/lb after purchase. Anyone used one for squirrel and rat dispatch?? Will be shooting them at a range of 6 inch so not that interested in power just need it to do the job. Thoughts?

[Torquemada 288]

At that range with that power you should be fine providing you get the shot placement right. Remember anything 6 foot pounds in a pistol at close range then you are risking severe ricochets and rebounds so a medium power pistol is actually the way to go to save yourself!

[trappa 518]

Never thought of it like that, cheers. Just didnt want to get to a garden to kill a squirrel and it takes three shots. TBH i wouldnt have bought it had i known it was only 3.5ft/lb but ive just shot into my fence and the pellet stuck in, so a rat or squirrel inches away should be fine........i think. haha

[myersbg 1,385]

3.5ft pound is definitely NOT enough for grey squirrels  

[myersbg 1,385]

53 minutes ago, Torquemada said:

At that range with that power you should be fine providing you get the shot placement right. Remember anything 6 foot pounds in a pistol at close range then you are risking severe ricochets and rebounds so a medium power pistol is actually the way to go to save yourself!

If your placement is right you should not get ricochets, also recommend use of a trapping comb

[trappa 518]

Ye myersberg, i have a comb type thing. So you dont think it will kill a squirrel at 6 inch? Im really not sure here. I would have thought it would kill it at a matter of inches. Im going to need to trap one and try it, just not in a customers garden

[LuckOrJudgement 437]

I use a gas crosman 2240 for close range despatch. It's rated at 6ftlbs and to be honest I wouldn't want to use anything less, even point blank. 

As much as I hate rats, shooting a cornered one that's shrieking and squeaking is a bit of a head-f**k.. Kill traps are always better in my opinion.

[Torquemada 288]

A 12-ft lb rifle can kill a pigeon or a squirrel at 30 yds. You're talking about killing a captive mammal at distances under a foot. 6 ft pounds is way way overpowered for that distance. 

[myersbg 1,385]

12 hours ago, Torquemada said:

A 12-ft lb rifle can kill a pigeon or a squirrel at 30 yds. You're talking about killing a captive mammal at distances under a foot. 6 ft pounds is way way overpowered for that distance. 

WRONG !!!!

[Torquemada 288]

I have a Springer pistol at about that power and it works fine.

[Deker 3,478]

I have shot a few rats on Glue Boards with a pistol, but never in a cage.   Lots of squirrels in live traps and the power as such isn't an issue, its keeping the buggers still enough to put the shot in the right place!

A FULL powered pistol may have the edge in the event of the shot being slightly off!

 

[Deker 3,478]

On ‎15‎/‎02‎/‎2019 at 19:42, trappa said:

Ye myersberg, i have a comb type thing. So you dont think it will kill a squirrel at 6 inch? Im really not sure here. I would have thought it would kill it at a matter of inches. Im going to need to trap one and try it, just not in a customers garden

Hadn't noticed you had a cage comb, they still wriggle like buggery in my experience, best of luck!!

As a matter of interest I use my old BSA Magnum for this job, I honestly don't know what it puts out but I get the impression about 3-3.5ft lb on a good day, its certainly not 6, …...works for me!

Edited February 18, 2019 by Deker

[Nicepix 5,650]

I have an old, 1970's Weihrauch HW70 break-barrel .177 air pistol that I occasionally use for dispatching rats in cage traps and a bit of garden plinking. Once I also used it at 3 to 4 metres on free range rats in a neighbour's garden. I might have been lucky, but four shots equalled four dead rats. All head shots on still targets and all went down in the same manner as when hit by the pellet from an 11 ft-lb Prosport at greater distances. I don't do it regularly. It was a one-off due to circumstances, but it does show that even a 3 ft-lb pistol at short range can kill a rat.

I wouldn't consider using it on grey squirrels though even if we had any over here.

[Staffy1 54]

Should dispatch a rat or squirrel at zero feet  no issues , just looking at another my self had a old SMK pistol but power is so slow it wont go through a can at zero inches !!!, looking to pick up a daisy powerline pistol for rat dispastch , no squirrels as we have reds on Isle of Wight

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Your pistol will be just fine mate .Used a tempest for years as a young un and shot stuff from ducks to well ,bigger than squirrels .Upgraded to a hurricane  Didn’t know they still did them tbh .