Those of you with the high power magnums. I would like to know what type of critters you are hunting for curiousity sake. we hunt many things here. Grouse, Squirrels, Marmots, Rabbit and most pest regulated birds such as starlings etc. All of the critters here are shot on private land as many of them are regulated as non vermin. I am using the RWS 54 .22cal and I find it has a lot more wallop than the .177 but does have much more drop over a long distance and you need to practice alot more to be in the kill zone. I guess .177 and .22 cal are equally matched as each calibre is to one another due to thier pro's and cons.
LT

but that's about it. We had a problem with rats and squirrels getting in our attic so I bought a .22 cal. RWS48 to take care of the squirrels. Man, at around 20 ft/lbs. muzzle energy, it drops those squirrels like a rock! But its a little too much for shots under about 15 yds., I get occasional through shots closer than that. I have a .177 Benjamin to take care of rats. Also had screens put up around the roof line to keep them out of the attic. Of course once I got the RWS, I decided I needed another springer, so bought an R9 in .177, and now have a .22 cal. HW95 on order. We also quit feeding the birds in our backyard to help get rid of the rodents, remove the easy food source and they tend to move on, so I rarely see starlings or crows anymore. We now have a family of foxes living in the drainage ditch/easement out at the rear property line, and a coyote that wanders through on occasion, that help to keep the rodents and other critters at bay. The squirrels learned quickly to stay in the front and side yards where I can't shoot them because of neighboring houses being so close. Now that the rodents seem to be somewhat in check we'll start feeding the birds again, which should bring a few more targets back to the yard. I'd love to stretch out the RWS, I'm limited to about 30 yds. max in our backyard. A friend has a horse/exotic bird/exotic animal farm in Monroe, GA about a half hour east of us, but so far I haven't been able to talk him into letting me come out and deal with the pests around his place.

Thanks for the reply,

Sounds like you have a few different pellet rifles around to do the job with. I can't do any shooting in my back yard at all due to houses etc. I have to drive for about 1/2 hour to private property but there plenty of pest to deal with. I have the RWS 54 .22 cal, RWS 34 in .177 and a RWS 24 in .22 for plinking, good guns, I like em but would like to try some of the other brands but they aren't readily available at our gun shops.
Good shooting


LT

the only gunshop that I know sells any of the higher end air rifles in Atlanta is way overpriced on everything I've ever looked at, air or powderburning, so I quit going to them a long time ago. I prefer the sidelever RWS to the barrel cockers, just from an ergonomic standpoint, but I think Beeman/HW's quality is a little better. The R9 is more accurate than I am, but a bit too light for me to hold steady offhand. Offhand groups over about 20 yds are way over an inch. I'm having it tuned and a barrel sleeve installed that should bring the weight up about a pound. The HW95 is basically the same as an R9, but in .22, I got it mainly for plinking and too close for a scope pest control, so it should be OK without having to add any weight.