alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Have a look at gas/co2 powered air-rifles. You need abt 12 ft lbs of energy to kill a rabbit at the sort of distance you're going to get a shot at.
A MUCH cheaper alternative is an anti-rabbit fence. It's just chicken wire about 1 metre high, but dug in for about 25 cm at about a 45 degree angle on the outer edge to stop the little buggers digging under it!

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Dave T-S is your man

P1Fanatic

You are correct in saying you need no licence for an air-rifle, unless of course its over the legal limit of 12ft/lbs. Depends on the range you want to shoot at. I would suggest for someone who has no experience and for the job in hand that an air rifle is the best way to go.

You'll need a full power rifle with a decent telescopic sight on it (zoom lens for that sort of range). I would go for .22 calibre for its stopping power as rabbits are pretty damn big. However it all depends on how much you want to pay and if its just to 'cull' rabbits.

I would also make sure that you get the farmers permission in writing as you won't want to start shooting then find out he's denying ever allowing you to shoot on his property (it happens no matter how well you know the farmer).

Happy Hunting!

Simon.

mj

if you tell me where you are, i'll come round and do it for you.

cheers,

mj

Brendan Hughes

To kill a rabbit cleanly with an air rifle you should be able to put 9 out of 10 shots into a 50p piece at 25 yards, as that's the size of its head and the usual range that an air rifle will manage.

.22 calibre almost certainly better than .177.

CO2 models flippin expensive (easily twice the price of a spring powered gun; got my Weirauch mended this summer, gunshop spring guns going 150-400, CO2 guns 400-650 pounds!!) but I heard they have zero recoil, therefore more accurate. Recharge them every ?70 shots from a dive bottle, your gunshop will probably do it.

We discussed gun laws in Puff's pigeon thread a month or so ago! 50ft from a public highway I believe. Not sure if that includes walkers' rights of way over farmland?!

Shotgun licence a different procedure from firearms. If you get either, I believe the police check your house for security, ie make sure you have lockable downstairs windows etc. Not sure this is a requirement, but ISTR Dad did it when getting his.

We don't shoot rabbits anymore, we just keep two hungry cats and my son plinks at tin cans

BJH

Tim Bomford

Shot gun licences are not to difficult to apply for. You need 2 referees of good social standing and not paid for references (like your local doctor now tries to charge for). They should have known you for at least 2yrs I think it is. You will need to have an approved cabinet to store your guns in, bolted to a solid wall. The cost of a shot gun certificate has just gone up to £40 from £13ish.....should pay more attention as have just renewed! They will ask you why you want a gun but cannot really object to clay shooting, rough shooting or vermin destruction (in your case). It is up to you if you want to own a gun or not.

FAC's are harder to come by (Firearms certificate). You have to show why you want one. In my case it is for vermin destruction. The land I shoot has been inspected by the Police to look at boundaries, footpaths etc. I have also had to produce a letter of written permission from the landowner to say it's ok for me to shoot there and they also go round and interview the landowner too.

It all depends how serious you are really. For now I'd just get an air rifle but for serious rabbit control I use a silenced .22 rimfire rifle at night with a lamp. With this I cleared a problem golf course in 2 weeks!

Tim

yoza

What gun laws

If you chop a bit off the end of your DB shotgun,you dont need a licence,PS an over and under doesnt perform as well as a side by side after a haircut.Just incase you need to know.

AnDy_PaNdY

Tim, just out of interest, do the landowners pay you for each rabbit / rat etc you shoot or do you do it for the sport / challenge.

Tim Bomford

Do it for the food! No....don't get paid, they like to think of it as doing ME a favour! yeah right

AnDy_PaNdY

Typical farmers

ustolemyname??stevieturbo

iTrader: (1)

Im not big on gun laws, as over here we are allowed fu*k all. Even air guns of any sort are illegal without a license, which are very difficult to obtain. While in England a while ago, I bought a co2 Stealth air rifle, 0.25, which is filled from a diving bottle. It was sec hand, came with silencer and sight, for £350. I dont think it would have any problems killing a poor wee fluffy bunny. Also bought a couple of co2 pistols, though they dont have much power ( helped by a few mods though )
FFS if the police had caught us when we got off the boat at home, we would really have been in the **** !!

P1Fanatic

How much have you got to spend?

GM

Used to know a guy who kept his cats in fresh rabbit meat using a high power catapult.........

IWatkins

To spend ? Well, don't really have a budget as I don't really know the subject of air rifles at all, so haven't really set myself one.

It would have to be new as this is the sort of thing I would never buy second hand, so I guess I'm looking at a few hundred quid minimum with a decent sight ?

P1Fanatic

You can't go wrong with a Weihrauch - german build quality. My brother has a HW98K break barrel which is very nice and accurate. I'd suggest a Theoben but they are a bit more pricey (nearer £400 without scope) and more of a 'second' rifle.

Decent scopes - can't go wrong with either tasco or simmons for around £50. Get a zoom one so you can change magnification (3x-9x zoom is most common).

Speak to your local gun shop and I'm sure they can sort you out a package deal with rifle, scope (dont forget mounts), gunbag, ammo and a silencer would be a good idea (doesnt necessarily quieten just stops the noise travelling to the intended target/quarry).

Simon.

Clarebabes

Poor little bunnies

sebastian

I got a second hand Weirauch HW797K for £160, couple of years ago, very powerful and accurate, mega build quality and this model is not break barrel so accuracy is enhanced. Other makes I ve tried seem like toys in comparison. After a service and new spring it shoots like a dream. Your arm will ache initially due to feverish, excited reloading but you get used to that.

IWatkins

Weirauch sounds like the recommend then I'll drop into my local gun shop over the weekend.

ClareBabes,
Yes, I know, I'm a heartless nasty git. I'm not actually too happy about having to shoot them either, but it has to be the fastest, cleanest way to bring down their numbers.

We tried snares, which worked quite well. It would just be that I would get out there to find rabbits trapped and in pain, which isn't fun at all.

Local council vermin people suggested that they may be able to do something, but I would guess that might be the introduction of mixi which is really nasty for the animal.

I think using an air gun would be the quickest, cleanest and least suffering for the animal. If you saw the damage they have been causing (on a year by year basis), I hope you would understand that something needs to be done.

Cheers

Ian

MarkO

Mmm. Lovely in pie though.

frisby

For control of Rabbits in your situation, an Air rifle is a more suitable tool than a shotgun:

1. You walk into a shop and buy an Airgun off the shelf....no ID no Police checks (not that these are unecessary but you want to have minimum hassle and solve your Rabbit problem quickly). etc etc.

Storage
You can store an Air Rifle under the bed or in the loft. A shot gun requires a hefty steel cabinet wall mounted for storage which must be located in the loft or similar and costs a few hundred £'s.

Cost
An Air pellet costs 1p whilst a shotgun cartridge costs about 8-10p depending on the amount bought.

Noise factor
As you will be doing the shooting in close proximity to houses, as little noise as possible is required to keep the neighbours happy. A shotgun is very loud and is likely to unsettle neighbours. A silenced Air Rifle is very quiet so your neighbours aren't disturbed. More importantly addressing the problem in hand, one shot froma shotgun and all the Rabbits will go to ground for quite a while. With an Air Rifle, rabbits aren't distrubed much by the noise, so you rid your garden of the problem quicker.


As mentioed above, make sure the farmer is happy for you to reduce the rabbit population, and make sure he informs the police that someone will be culling rabbits on his land. Also make sure your neighbours know what is happening. A call to the police by someone who's seen a man in a field with a gun usually warrants an armed police arrival - I've seen it happen.

Also worthwhile joining BASC as you are part of a recognised field sports organisation which brings with it insurance and advise.


If I can be of any more help, just ask. If I lived near you, I would have come and shown you the ropes myself.

regards

stu

Brendan Hughes

May I add that (some?) shotguns are also a pig to maintain; after each use you have to spend 10 mins cleaning the inside of the bore so it doesn't corrode.

You REALLY don't want to try shooting a shotgun from your bedroom window, either

BJH

Mike Tuckwood

Get a couple of ferrets Ian?

IWatkins

We and our neighbours have a big problem with rabbits at the moment. Basically coming into the gardens from the open farmers field behind and trashing the plants etc.

Farmer suggests (as his crops are also suffering) that if I wanted to shoot the rabbits in his field that would be fine. He won't use a gun of any kind himself as he is scared of them.

Now, there is no risk of hitting anybody as the field faces away from our gardens that also face away from the nearest road, i.e. rural

So, if I got an air gun (of any type), I'm led the believe there is no restriciton on owning them. However, if I wanted to get a shotgun or a .22 rifle, I would need a licence ?

Basically, I've no idea what the law is, nor what would need to be done to stay within the law with any of the weapons mentioned.

Can anyone suggest a resource ?

Cheers

Ian

[Edited by IWatkins - 9/10/2002 3:33:14 PM]

IWatkins

Thanks for all the advice.

Yes, we have tried rabbit fencing, but they just dig under it or go around it. Never really find where they get in though We have tried poisons, but they don't go for it, we have tried all sorts. This has been going on for over five years now.

Sounds like a good air rifle will do the job and a lot less hassle than a firearm. To be honest, I wouldn't really be that happy having a firearm in the house anyway.

I guess a trip to the lcoal gun shop is the best way to find out about which to get ? I don't want to spend a fortune as it is for this task only rather than any pleasure.

I used to target shoot in my youth as my dad was an instructor in the Army. Wonder if my aim is any good now I'm getting old ?

Cheers

Ian

[Edited by IWatkins - 9/10/2002 11:17:14 PM]