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A lot of typical adult pellets guns are now made as .177 cal, and are strong enough to pass through a 2x4 at 10-15 yards. These are your standard pellet guns purchased at Wal-Mart and dicks sporting goods for under $100. I have a .22 cal pellet gun, the only difference (besides the type of projectile) between a pellet gun and a riffle is the powering mechanism, ie gun powder versus spring or air .A .22 cal pellet gun is no more or less humane that a .22 cal riffle. Both handle a .22 caliber sized projectile with close to the same amount of force. A .177 cal pellet gun, as mentioned above, shoots a smaller projectile at a much higher speed and is less humane than a larger caliber riffle. The smaller riffle is less human because a smaller sized projectile at a higher speed will pass through an animal (in and out) without an immediate death and less trauma, causing the animal a slow and drawn-out death. Larger caliber, like a .22 cal projectile at a slower speed, will not pass through and will break apart inside resulting in higher trauma and a faster death. This is why a .177 cal is often sold for plinking (target shooting) and a .22 for hunting small game and pest control. Lots of gun information. Like I said, pellet guns are not toys. If you intend to fire at an animal, which I would do at this point if it injured my birds, make sure you are prepaired to find it and make sure it is dead. If its not dead, but injured, you will need to take appropriate action. Basically, what I am trying to get at, is even if you intend to just 'sting' an animal with a weapon, you could very easily inadvertently cause very serious damage. Even a BB gun can kill a squirrel or a bird from 10-15 yards. I don't think anyone is assuming anything. This forum is used to help gain and share accurate information so that we can all make smart choices about raising our animals.
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