what distances out of a air pistol

[Adam-RunningDog 1]

ive scoured the intenet and looked for the answer but i get loads of different answers but on the american sites their guns are tuned up to stupid poundage so dont really know the right answer, well the thing is i want a new air pistol for shooting rats in barns where i have permission and some close range pigeon shooting.

I dont really know if a pistol is suitable but i am still currious what i killing range for rats i could get out of a legal 6 ft/lb .22 or .177 air pistol and what sort of grouping could i get would be most apreciated with an answer thanks adam

[stubby 175]

pistols are ok for shooting rats in dustbins, Id say for indoor work its got to be a king ratcatcher, they can be customed up a bit, but for close up work they are Ideal

[ponte 222]

Not suitable at all for pigeons....most pistols, other than precharged tend to be well under the 6fp limit..

[Coney 3]

pistols are ok for shooting rats in dustbins, Id say for indoor work its got to be a king ratcatcher, they can be customed up a bit, but for close up work they are Ideal

 

 

[ChrisJones 7,975]

Best spring pistol is the Weihrauch HW45. It's as near to the legal limit as you can get, in the UK. Benjamin Sheridan do the EB .22, which is CO2. It's also close to the limit and a little more forgiving to the shooter. I wouldn't bother with anything else, IMHO. You can buy expensive PCP target pistols which are great for competition but not something you want to drop in a muddy field.

 

Distance is all relative. It depends purely on how you are as a shooter. How much practice you put in. What pellets you use, pretty much the same standards as rifle shooting. You can get very good groupings if you're prepared to put the time in to shoot the pistol, and learn it's quirks. The American market is much different, as they don't have limitations on ft/lbs. Something like a Ruger Single Six, in .22LR, would be great for small game, over here, but thanks to successive governments we're left with what have. Americans know their guns but it doesn't translate very well to the British market.

 

Generally your distances will be much shorter, using a pistol, although a decent marksman will be able to use the consistent ft/lbs from the above pistols to get fairly decent results.

 

The main thing is that pistols require alot of practice to get the best out of them. This is why people buy expensive ones, put a tin of pellets through them, say they're shit, and then sell them on. The engineering is the same quality as the manufacturers rifles but the power is restricted for the legal requirements of the UK. This usually means you can get good second hand deals if you shop around. I got around this ratting dilemma by getting a BSA Lightning in .25 calibre. I had the barrel shortened and the stock modified. Combined with a short range scope I found it more than adequate for close range rats and it didn't cost too much to do either. I bought second hand and with scope and gunsmith fees it cost me just short of the cost of a new HW45.

[Adam-RunningDog 1]

cheers guys might get a ratty like them alot or mate get a lightening like you said pal, thanks