Dropped 3 sparrows yesterday in about a five minute time span.
One at a range of about 25', another at 45' and the last one
at about 60'. All from 10' to 40' up in the big silver leaf
maple tree. Goobie the cat watched and sprang into action on
each one as they hit the ground. Man that cat consumes a sparrow
snack fast! LOL

I was using/shooting one of my two QB/TF 6 .177 side-lever mini-
carbine springers (both with cut to 8" bbls) with Millet SP1 (3 MOA)
red-dot sights mounted on top. Both like Beeman (H&N) Silver Bear
HPs and shoot them at about 600 fps MV. Quiet little thumpers with
a tad more 'juice' than most Diana P5Ms and HW45 .177 springer
pistols. Plus they cost a lot less than those pistols and come with
built-in or factory attached folding shoulder stocks. Both with decent
accuracy - a dime sized target at 25 yds. ain't no biggie on a calm
clear day.

I've lubed them, added a little weight to the pistons and shimmed
the breech seals. Also cut the bbls to 8", recrowned and added a
Beeman Muzzle Weight. 18" OAL when shoulder stock is folded. Piston
seals are leather - I cleaned and soaked them and cleaned the compression
tube but no honing. Soon I'll try a cut JM Global Tarantula spring to
see if I can get the MV up to near or at mid 600s or so. Airwad Dave
claims his modded QB/TF 6s do 630-650 fps MV with CPLs so I know it's
possible. His also are cut to 8" bbls. Man that's in R7 .177 power
territory or so! Got to love it in a very compact springer package!

Herb

Heh, sparrows....

So this Sunday, the wife and kid left for church. I'm a heathen, so I stay home... I was plinking away at some paper at 20yds, just trying to get my groups down to size with my '34 in .177, shooting CP HP's. Was doing just lovely, I gotta say, grouping around 1/2". An english sparrow landed in the feeder nearest the target. I plinked some more. He didn't move. Temptation got the better of me, and I swung the crosshairs onto his chest.

The feeder is a 3 story afair, with each storey being about a 6" cube. When that CP HP hit him (just right of centre chest), I couldn't believe it. I couldn't have made a better mess if I'd have forced an M80 down the sparrow's throat! It looked like a brown cloud in the feeder, with fluff drifting out on the morning breeze. It had snowed the night before, so the walls of the feeder were flocked with wet snow, and the feathers froze instantly in it. Took some doing to remove them all. Would never have guessed there was that much feather on a sparrow!

Made a beautiful WHOP-THack! as the hp bored a tunnel thru the bird and buried itself in the back wall...

Sorry for the OT post, but you brought it back to me just like that!

J

Both you guys. I could see what you were doing lol.

Herb, excellent points you made about the rifle. I want you to know someone here is listening haha. I like what you're interested in doing too.

Harv

Jason you are on topic as in SPARROWS! LOL

Man a few days ago I "blew up" a sparrow 50ish feet
away with my IZH MP513M .22 carbine shooting a Crow
Mag HP. Shoots CMs about 680ish fps MV. Side center
mass breast hit turned the little flapper inside out
with a loud WHACK!

My IZH MP513M .22 has the bbl cut to 12" with a Beeman
Muzzle Weight attached. Millet SP1 red-dot on top makes
it the most potent light weight and compact springer I've
ever owned. About 7 lbs., 40" OAL and top end of 18 FPE.

Herb

to both sparrow hunters! I 'll try and remember that next time I shoot one, not to do it when everything is frozen so that the feathers don't stick everywhere

I don't have a bird feeder and don't like baiting, but I do get some of them now and then and some starlings come around every few weeks but they are very skiddish and keep their distance when I approach the window. I got a starling back in October or late September in the chest with an 18.2gr Crow Magnum at 22yds I think it was, and it did a number on it. Seemed like the CM expanded well before exiting. I have no doubt it was the quickest kill I had experienced, completely instantaneous on impact.

I have a hard time hearing the "thwak" or "crack" or "thump" most of the time, unlike you guys, because the pellet strikes pretty much the same time I hear the loud report from the 350. I only hear the pellet strike sometimes (not always) if the quarry is at least 25yds out. Anything closer and I 'm deprived of the impact sound

Diana 350 Mag .22
Hammerli 850 .22
A few Crosman CO2 & Pump .177