# benjamen 397pa should i buy a scope?



## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

i just got a benjamen 397pa and let me say one hell of a tack driver... and unbeleevable accuracy its sighted in at 10 yards and comes down again at 40 yards dam good power to 800fps advertised actual fps is 774 with crossman 7.9 grain pellets which are hollow points... ive killed 2 squirrels so far with it almost instant kills on both and my question is... do i really need a scope?


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

I don't know rookie, with your olympic grade iron sight skills I would just stick with those if I was you.


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## BandHunter (Dec 17, 2003)

Hey rookie. For squirrel hunting sometimes it is nice to have a scope to look up in the trees and pick them out a little better with.. If I was going to be using a pellet run or a .22 to hunt I would want a scope on it..Just my 2 cents though..
Bandhunter


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

i think ill get one of thsoe cheap 4power scopes cause i can usually see where they are in the trees ill most likely get one


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## stolenbase (Aug 23, 2003)

no affence guys and maybe im wrong..but isnt it illegal to use a pellet rifle? and a little cruel?


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

Actually they have more than enough power to hunt, as widely shown in Europe, and they are limited to 12 fpe. Also, it is legal in most areas to my knowledge.


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

shooting squirrels and such with an air rifle is not a cruel practice in fact its better then using a 22 oddly enough because a 22 is to fast for squirrels so it just passes through them with my benjamen i can get instant kills out to 60 yards and with my shadow 1000 decent squirrel kills out to 75 yards


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

the_rookie said:


> shooting squirrels and such with an air rifle is not a cruel practice in fact its better then using a 22 oddly enough because a 22 is to fast for squirrels so it just passes through them with my benjamen i can get instant kills out to 60 yards and with my shadow 1000 decent squirrel kills out to 75 yards


You don't know much about .22's do you? Just because it passes thru doesnt mean it didnt expand fully and do much more trauma due to impact than an airgun.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Choice of bullets in a .22 make a huge difference on if they kill quickly or not. I have shot flicker tails and strippers most of my life. It was not uncommon to have flicker tail hit in the belly to run around for a couple days from solids.

When I switched to a hollow point it stopped this from happening. Shooting a pellet gun on squirrels is regulated by state laws I do believe. I am not sure if ND has any restrictions upon this or not. I do know that WI prohibited it unless the gun was capable of certain FPS.

So MT when Rookie spoke he was speaking correctly on certain types of bullets. Had a guy a few years back not realize he was shooting FMJ bullets out of his .06 during deer season. He had been shooting coyotes with them and got them mixed up.

The buck he hit twice through the lungs went a long ways and took a long time to die. We where lucky to find it. It would be nice to keep the bickering off the main forum and keep it in the Politics.


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

thank u ron that was the point i was trying to get across


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

He said .22, and did not specify. My point was that even though a hollow point .22 will pass through it will deliver many many times the energy of a pellet gun.


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

with hollow point 177 caliber pellets which i use it will go to a 24 or 25 caliber pending how close i am and the point is that its better if the pellet stays in the squirrel the more damage done u do not want a exit hole


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