Air Gun for Dispatching Raccoons?

[spiffwilkie]

I've come to find raccoons checking out my chicken coop at night over the last week, and I'm not too keen on that. I live in the city of Memphis, and am unable to discharge a firearm. Therefore, I would like to get an air gun that would be capable of taking out a raccoon at close range. I have a trap, and am planning on dispatching any of the critters that decide to take up residence in said trap.
I've been told that an ~1100 fps .22 with a 27 grain pellet should take care of the raccoon, no problem, but I wanted to run that past the chicken folks over here. Does anyone have experience taking out these masked demons with an air gun? Does anyone have a recommendation for a specific brand or model? Any input is much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Dogfish]

I have killed MANY coons and possums with my .22 caliber pellet gun. Get one that shoots 900+ FPS. They will run you $250 on up. A tac light with a pressure switch is a great addition for night shooting. Get an airgun specific scope, Beeman is a good mfg. PyramidAir.com is where you should start looking. Beeman or RWS are what you should buy. It won't be cheap, but it will last. My Webley is 10 years old and has taken over 700 barn pigeons, 100's of crows, 20+ coons, and as many possums. I go for head shots only. Beeman Silver Bear pellets.

This was about a 15 yard shot this morning.

 

[Howard E]

Small Farm:

Unless you specifically want to try the air rifle (as a novelty?), I'd suggest you stick with the .22 rifle. You can get a single shot pink Cricket for a little over $100. Really good, accurate air rifles will cost 3X to 4X that, plus the scope. Anything shooting less than 500 fps is going to be marginally effective on anything much larger than a sparrow. Most rifles in that range are intended to be youth plinkers. Great fun on bottle caps, etc, but not something I'd want to hunt with. I have a Beeman R7, which is the gold standard of small plinkers.....nearly capable of putting 5 shots through the same hole at 10 meters.....but even it exceeds the 500 fps limit. To be lethal at that velocity means a large caliber.....like .22 or even .25.......and you won't have much range due to the large drop from the low velocity. Maybe 50 feet? If they capped you at 500 fps, they didn't intend for you to do anything serious with it.

Until a person is exposed to the fascinating world of air rifles, most would not believe what is out there. And most would not believe how much the good ones cost. Like $500 and up.

Or go really large........

http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/

 

[feliciamckee]

I agree, an air gun or pellet/bb gun will not do the trick (I have both) We use live traps and take them to the shelter for them to dispose of in a legal and humane way. It is more work, I know...but I can't bring myself to kill them. I have trapped 10 coons in the last 2 months. They can't get close to my chickens, but they do like the garden and dig in my compost bin!

Everyone else has suggested to me to use a .22 I am in TN as well, your laws my be similar to mine, but I do live in the county. Our local animal control officer told me in person that we are NOT allowed to "haul them off" we could be trasporting a rabid animal to another location unknowingly. We are not allowed to kill them either do to the fact, if they do happen to have rabies, they need to be disposed of properly.

 

[ChickenHopper]

I had one of my RIRs attacked on Halloween night. Bought this shortly afterwards. Took one coon out last night with this air rifle. Plenty strong to take out a raccoon. Very easy and super accurate with a scope and attachable game spotter. Takes out crows too. They drop like rocks. This gun fills with a scuba tank to 3000 psi. I shoot a 24 grain pellet at ~1150 fps with a muzzle energy greater than 40ft/lbs. It's noisy unmuzzled. Those of you saying it can't be done with an air rifle have no clue. These are not toys.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Hatsan_BT65_SB_Elite_Air_Rifle_Black_TH_Stock/2963

 

[REDNECK TRAPPER]

I've shot them with a gamo big cat .177 but it took 8 shots. Since your in the city I would get a few live traps and bait them with cat food and marshmallows. If you do catch one just place your shot right below the ear and should kill it with a few shots

 

[centrarchid]

BY dispatching I assume you are shooting at extreme close range at a target that is also restrained.

 

[Dayrel]

I don't think that 500fps will be effective to dispatch animals of any size. You want a minimum of 900fps. Wait until you get your license for either a .22 air rifle or .22 rimfire.

 

[Tully Mars]

instead of creating a new thread am just going to ask the question here.

recently they changed the laws, letting us dispatch fur bearing animals with air guns (where i live) also letting us use them on upland game birds and animals such as rabbits. (before i know guys used a .22LR for all those species know we can use lighter air guns)

now i got my trapping licence so i can sell the pelts of the animals i have to dispatch (mostly raccoons) and i also use rat traps for weasels when there in season. all in all i enjoyed the history of trapping and got into it.

now am looking for an air gun, to use to dispatch animals such as raccoons (there the biggest animal am going after this year.) as a .22 can cause a bit of damage to the pelt. but am also looking for a good air rifle that i can use to hunt upland game birds and rabbits with. (and maybe some muskrats)

so what would some good recommendations be? i should note i live in Canada meaning air guns over 500FPS need a fire arms licences to require (i should be getting mine with in the next few months i hope) also looking for one that will not break the bank.

thanks itsasmallfarm out.

Don't waste your time with an air rifle. As another member said 500fps and under are paper punchers. Can you kill with it? yes, but the game your are wanting to hunt are too large for that small of a weapon. The first rule of hunting is to be ethical, meaning a clean kill with out undue suffering of the animal. A 500fps air rifle will not do that on the size of animals you are wanting to go after. You mentioned that you are getting your firearm license shortly. As a life long hunter and outdoorsman I urge you to wait until you have that and then purchase a proper rifle. I would go with a .22LR, but if you have your heart set on an air rifle, get something in .22 cal with 1,200 or above FPS rating. Many even come with suppressors already mounted to the rifle so they are quiet. Unless you score a deal, you will be looking at around $250-300.00 US for a quality one.
Hope this helps.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Wow, 500 fps cap is sad. I had a pump action Daisy 880 when a boy. It had more power than that and only good for squirrels. At least you can purchase a better airgun after obtaining a license. Most of Europe has a 12 ft-lbs limit which is what a pump Daisy or Crossman can do. Some countries even have a ban on .257 caliber. You can have a .25 pellet rifle then you can have .35 cal and up big bores. No .257 or 30 cal big bores as they perform too well. It's healthy for government to be afraid of it's population, unhealthy to control it.

A good hunting airgun for up to raccoon size if shot in 100 ft is Hatsan 95. You can pick up an air ram (vortex) Hatsan for less than $200. .22 or .25 caliber will do the trick. It's 20 ft-lbs break barrel gun. That will put a 13-15 grain .22 pellet around 750 ft per second. If your dispatching coons in a trap that's all you need.