I live fairly close (cycling distance) to a few sizeable farms and I'd like to offer my services to them as a pest controller. Trouble is, I've zero experience of hunting - but I do have a lovely Weihrauch HW57 and the ability to shoot straight with it (no scope, yet).

Before I go out, make a tit of myself and enrage the farmers, what sort of things should I be looking to do?

SFW

Wah aside, first tip would be, dont go hunting with an air rifle, you cannot be sure of a kill, and as such you would just be injuring whatever you shoot, so therefore, controlling nothing.

I dont think there is an air rifle capable of taking a Rabbit for example, cleanly, with a guaranteed kill when hit.
Pidgeons, maybe, if you hit them right, but honestly, a .22 rimfire or better, is the only none large bore weapon capable of doing the old pest control job.

Plus, farmers tend to have shotguns anyway, so a pointless task.

1. BASC insurance
2.Find a local shoot and go see the gaekeeper, offering to join the beating team. This may lead to an introduction to a famer or an offer from the keeper to shoot the rats etc around his pens.
3.Visit the farmers dressed smartly and be patient when they are rude; you probably will always come at the wrong time as they are always busy!
4.See if there are any air rifle shooting clubs (avoid 'Field Target' clubs as they are all to a man d*cks)

Good luck

Originally Posted by Gren

Wah aside, first tip would be, dont go hunting with an air rifle, you cannot be sure of a kill, and as such you would just be injuring whatever you shoot, so therefore, controlling nothing.

I dont think there is an air rifle capable of taking a Rabbit for example, cleanly, with a guaranteed kill when hit.
Pidgeons, maybe, if you hit them right, but honestly, a .22 rimfire or better, is the only none large bore weapon capable of doing the old pest control job.

Plus, farmers tend to have shotguns anyway, so a pointless task.

Congratulations- 3 paragraphs without a single accurate piece of information contained within them! More rabbits are killed with an airrifle than any other method. Damn I think you've just wah'd me!

Originally Posted by Gren

Wah aside, first tip would be, dont go hunting with an air rifle, you cannot be sure of a kill, and as such you would just be injuring whatever you shoot, so therefore, controlling nothing.

I dont think there is an air rifle capable of taking a Rabbit for example, cleanly, with a guaranteed kill when hit.
Pidgeons, maybe, if you hit them right, but honestly, a .22 rimfire or better, is the only none large bore weapon capable of doing the old pest control job.

Plus, farmers tend to have shotguns anyway, so a pointless task.

You're talking shiite

Originally Posted by Gren

Wah aside, first tip would be, dont go hunting with an air rifle, you cannot be sure of a kill, and as such you would just be injuring whatever you shoot, so therefore, controlling nothing.

.

Barret is the way forward

Originally Posted by Taffnp

Originally Posted by Gren

Wah aside, first tip would be, dont go hunting with an air rifle, you cannot be sure of a kill, and as such you would just be injuring whatever you shoot, so therefore, controlling nothing.

.

Barret is the way forward

I'll see your Barret and raise you a JP233 :D

Originally Posted by PrinceAlbert

Originally Posted by Gren

Wah aside, first tip would be, dont go hunting with an air rifle, you cannot be sure of a kill, and as such you would just be injuring whatever you shoot, so therefore, controlling nothing.

I dont think there is an air rifle capable of taking a Rabbit for example, cleanly, with a guaranteed kill when hit.
Pidgeons, maybe, if you hit them right, but honestly, a .22 rimfire or better, is the only none large bore weapon capable of doing the old pest control job.

Plus, farmers tend to have shotguns anyway, so a pointless task.

You're talking shiite

He is inded, but sadly with the introduction of NAMBLA, he may be closer to the truth than he realises.

The effective range of any half-decent air rifle is 50 yards - that's enough to give you a head-shot on Mr Bunny on all but windy days using something like a pre-charged Weihrauch, Air Arms, BSA, Falcon (my favourite) and others.

12ft/lb of energy is the legal power limit, and most good air rifles will come in at around 11.6ft/lb (they err on the side of caution) - which is still sufficient for a killing blow of between 4 and 6ft/lb at 50 yards, depending on the ballistic coeffiency.

Pellets to use? I'd suggest something like the Air Arms Diabolo Hunter or Field, Accupel, Daystate, or JSB Exact. Make sure your pellet is of the domed variety - best profile for downrange retention of energy.

I would suggest that you zero your rifle at a mean range, like 30 yards, and make sure you fire at every range from 10 yards to 60 to find out what the hold-over and under is for each range either side of 30 yards in 5 yard increments - write it down if needed.

Hope this helps.

Edited to add: For those of you who want to further evaluate the performance of pellets, air rifles at varying energies, I'd recommend you download 'Chairgun' which is an air rifle ballistics program - with some VERY useful features.

try this site,,, http://www.airgunforum.co.uk/forums/...ht=airgun+laws