An RWS 350 has a similar power level to these rifles and so I wondered - does an RWS 350 Magnum only drop about 17-18" or so at ~100 yards? That doesn't really seem like very much to me and if so the power should also still be up there enough to kill most small game based on those charts.
I must admit I never thought I should even be considering shooting it at those ranges.
I'm not too keen on long range hunting with airguns
September 9 2008, 4:37 AM
100 yards is asking a lot of a pellet and its rifle. As I've stated elsewhere, on paper things may look adequate but try some test media at 100 yards and see what you can reasonably expect. I do know that some targets posted (most all by pcp's) show very good range accuracy at 100 yards, I'm not so sure what a springer can accomplish. And those were shot benched under near-ideal conditions, not in the great outdoors where range estimation, shooting angle and other variables come into play. My guess is, unless the game is very susceptible to shock, you would end up wounding more than a clean kill. Even .22lr is not that effective much past a football field's length. No flame intended, just my two cents.
I would have to agree with what Redfeather said but and I say BUT,if you go to youtube and punch in 350 magnum,there is a video of some guys shooting a 350 at 100 yrds and they are hitting a tin coffee can and the pellets are going thru the can. Its a great video BUT as Redfeather stated,that is a lot to ask from a airgun. Check out the video and report back. Im interested in what all have to say on this.
Thank you for your replies. As always this board is a great source (BTW, I also own a PCP).
I was not expecting great accuracy - just curious really if the pellet drop distance is less than 20" as those charts seem to indicate.
I grew up on the other side of the pond shooting < 12ft/lbs rifles - my teenage rifles seemed pretty much useless beyond about 50 or 60 yards or thereabouts.
By then they would start to drop lots and power-wise they would only leave a small dent in a (1970's) tin can.
Those charts seem to show that a 30ft/lb rifle still has ~12ft/lbs at 100 yards! That's impressive to me and I know is enough to punch right through the same target (it is UK muzzle velocity which by the way is quite effective for hunting).
You should not be doing any hunting at 100yds with a Springer. The chances of wounding the animal (or hopefully missing) are like 1000 to 1. You have to try and get as close as possible when hunting with a Springer. It's our responsibility to see that the kill is quick and humane.
The 350 .22 has about an average of 22.5-23ft-lbs of Muzzle energy (not 30fpe) with most pellets. Some strong ones 23-24+fpe, and some "weaker ones" 21 or so. In any case if you look at the Straightshooters tests they conducted, the 350 still has 13-14fpe left at 50yds with the higher BC pellets like CP, JSB Jumbo & Kodiak. That would translate to about 7fpe on impact at 100yds. Enough to bring down a squirrel, rabbit & birds or go through a tin can. The main thing is that you can't just hit these animals anywhere with 7ft-lbs and expect them to go down. They must be hit in the head or at least the heart/lung area. So it's best avoiding long range shots with airguns because shot placement is of the utmost importance if you want to recover your quarry and not have it suffer and expire later in its hole or nest.
I would imagine plinking would be fun with a Springer at 100yds, but I wouldn't hunt at that distance. That's what PCP's are for
I pretty much agree, No hunting at that range but it would still be challengeing and fun to target shoot cans and stuff . just to see what she would do and how she responds.
I have one in 22 but havent had the chance to get her out in the open just yet.
I'd be very interested in hearing what you discover if you try it.
I think that it would be especially interesting to try out different pellets to see how each performs at long distance on fairly standard targets like some large tin cans.
I'm guessing that the comparative accuracy and power of different pellet types would produce quite a few surprises at those extreme distances.
BTW, I have heard that domed pellets are the best at long range and that pointed pellets and flat faced pellets become quite inaccurate.
I regularly take ground squirrels out at 100 yards with my 350M .22. Distance verified with laser rangefinder. CPDome pellets, predators go a little wild at that distance and wadcutters no way. I've done a 125 yard shot a few times, but thats really tough. Easier shots at 50~75 yards.
If you can do that comfortably and repeatedly I'm impressed - based on what was said earlier the rifle certainly has the required power to do the job at that range.
BTW, I need to get some of those Crosman Premiers - I have quite a large collection of different pellets that I've tried but none of those yet. Heard a lot about them!
I am sure that many people are far better shots than me and so what is a comfortable shooting range for one person is not going to be a comfortable range for another.
I like to exclusively do head shots (usually squirrels) these days and so I would stick to experimenting with hitting targets at those distances because I know that I'm not good enough to hit a critter right in the head at that distance. But I also wouldn't assume that there aren't other shooters much better than me who can.
That's why we have a sniper school and a selection program
The good thing about head shots with squirrels, is that if you miss, you either miss completely or hit it in the neck/upper body. Those kind of shots result in a quick kill most of the time. I've had to use followup shots but thats pretty rare. They usually tumble over and are either dead or die very quickly thereafter. Dont like to see anything suffer.
I'm a huge fan of the head/neck shot. Infact, I usually aim at the base of the head/top of the neck. I have yet to hit one in the neck that went more than a few feet. Head shots usually drop them right in their tracks. I cant tell you how many body shot squirrels I've had run off and then found dead later or did not find at all.
The ft./lbs needed for a quarry kill is simply the ft./lbs needed to penetrate the vital organs of the prey in question, with enough "shock" to kill it humanly, regardless of whether it is at 10 yards or 150 yards.
The thing in question here really is; Can you deliver the required accuracy with the particular rifle and your skill to CONSISTENTLY and confidently hit the required target area? If someone CAN group well enough with the 350 magnum at 100 yards, than that is still within THEIR effective range, for a given set of conditions(bench rested, wind conditions, altitude, humidity, etc...)
An AFFECTIVE RANGE for hunting is the absolute limit in which a particular rifle AND it's shooter can deliver the limit accuracy and ft./lbs for the quarry in question. IE, a squirrel, starling or pigeon requires 3 ft./lbs delivered to their kill zone and a rabbit requires 5 ft/lbs to their kill zone, etc...
A squirrel and rabbit require 1 1/2" groups targeted to the vital areas.
Tom Gaylord states that a better way to determine effective range for hunting is to insure that the required ft./lbs are met at a distance where you can still get consistent 1" groups, as this will pretty much cover most birds as well as small game.
Do you really believe it?
I don't! They even shot the rifle without a bench rest! And, how do you know the pellets trespassed the coffee can? Probably they went through..., but the filming doesn't show it.
Bob,
My first shoot with air guns was when I was five with a Fucil Argentino de Aire,(Churrinche)
Now I own a bit bigger colection.
Is very possible to do a clean shoot@ 100 yard with a 1.000fps air gun, all depends in the Marks man and also the make of the weapond in hand, wind etc...
Two weeks a go I was in a farms friend in Altoona PA and dispatch a ground hog @ seventy one yard clean head shoot. All depend in your avility to shoot,practice.
Please forgime for my poor Inglish.
Sincerely,
sergio
I remember back when the beanfield deer rifles like the Sendaro became popular. One respected gun mag writer summed it up this way. Fellow says, holding forth his rifle and high powered scope combination, "I've got a four hundred yard rifle here!" To which the writer replied, "Yes, but are you a four hundred yard rifle shooter?" As I probably said before (and not originally), if you can't hit it, you can't kill it. Because a gun is physically capable of putting out so and so FPS at one hundred yards doesn't mean it can do it repeatedly nor accurately (for hunting purposes). Look at Johannes' posts about the indoors hundred meter shoots where there are a few springers challenging PCP's. Hard enough to do on an enclosed range where you don't have to dope the wind. Plus the range there is known. Got to be able to correctly judge yardage in the great outdoors, which is why most hunters zero for a mid-point and rely on trajectory to remain within an effective range. 17" drop is kind of a wide margin for error when talking about small targets.
