# My .177 cal pellet gun not killing rabbits.



## ParkerBoy

Hi i was wondering why you think my pellet guns not killing rabbits iv been shooting them right behind the right shoulder it takes 4 shots to bring them down. Iv heard that rabbits have really thick skin but when you skin them they come a part like nothing. Squirrels go down like nothing i dont get it it shoots 1000 fps.thanx


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## minipyro23

...


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## gray squirrel

what gun do u have


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## Sniper_911

are you positive of where you are hitting the rabbits? if so then, you are probably just hitting the shoulder blades or other hard bone. i wouldnt recomend shooting them there anywhere. i say tag them in the front on the chest, or head shots at the base of the head and neck are perfect.


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## ParkerBoy

I always thought that people were just talking out of there *** when they said rabits hav tough skin. But now im starting to belive them. i know im hitting them cause you see the rabbit jump, and if you miss them they just stay there.iv been shooting 
Gamo Rocket Ballistic Tip


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## Cleankill47

ParkerBoy,

The Rockets aren't really ballistic tips, they just have a metal ball there for an added supposed 'punch', but I've found that they don't work as well as regular hunting pellets. Use some round nose or some hollow point pellets that can expand, and you'll start to drop them on the spot.

Also, I think you may be shooting them a little to high and too far forward. Try bringing your shots to the crease of the muscle in the front leg, and about 1/2 an inch back and down from that spot. Let me know how you do.

:sniper:


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## weasle414

Here's a bit of advice my dad gave me when I picked up rabbit hunting. The first 3 rabbits I shot where right behind the shoulder and I lost all of them. They ran off and died in a hole in the ground and I never got them so what Pops told me to do was shoot AT the shoulder. It breaks their shoulders so they can't run off. I've lost very few rabbits this way and it's very effective. A good shot to the brain or brain stem is also a good quick way of doing them in, but those shots are tricky and take a bit of practice and frustration to master. But just try to shoot them right on the shoulder. If the pellet goes all the way through, the rabbit will be flopping around in the same area untill you can get ahold of it and finish it. If it only goes through one shoulder, it'll be scooting in circles untill it hits a tree or rock or building. Those are good times to run up, grab it, and wring it's neck.


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## Bore.224

Yep get a .22 LR. 22 WMR or maybe a .410 shotgun.

Pellet gun no good for hunting!

Stop lisiting to the BS posted here by pellet gun kids!!!!!


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## DVXDUDE

I've never shot a rabbit in the chest with a pellet gun. I always go for the head. I have a .22 pellet gun and I pop em past 20 yards right in the head. they drop on the spot, barely make a move. Never wanted to risk it with a chest shot, i'd rather miss the head shot. lots of times i can get a second shot without them knowing, thats if i miss of coarse


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## gentleman4561

i have killed rabbits with my gamo shoot them in the head if you can. if not try to break the shoulder


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## squirrel_assasin

Bore.224 said:


> Yep get a .22 LR. 22 WMR or maybe a .410 shotgun.
> 
> Pellet gun no good for hunting!
> 
> Stop lisiting to the BS posted here by pellet gun kids!!!!!


man dude you can sure talk alot of bs for somthing you have no idea about I use a shadow 1000 gamo pellet rifle 177 cal use gamo pointed tips and when I shoot a richerdson ground squirrel I drop it 1 shot same for ravens and rabbits jack and cottontail even killed a barn cat that was eating my birds in my aviary and I take vital shots somtimes head and they always drop never even gotta finish it off 
not all of us have the privalage to live out in the country and shoot a 22 lr we have it alot tougher we have neighbors to think about its also illeagle to shoot a 22 or a shot gun were I live all we got is pellet rifles and if used correctly they can be quit deadly 
:sniper:

parkerboy heres my advice befor you start shooting at critters practice get a soda or beer can and set it the distance you useually are from what your ganna shoot put a lil dirt in it so when your bullet hits it it dont fall over take a black arker and put a spot about a 1/2 inch on the can and dont shoot an animal till you can hit that spot every time then make a head neck or vitals shot on the critter


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## ParkerBoy

my pellet gun is way to in accuretim just going to use the odd 6


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## Bore.224

squirrel_assasin ..... as a matter of fact I do know what I am talking about. Yes I know kills can be made with pellet guns, but the one shot kills you talk about are rare.

Pellet guns usually have cheap scopes and mounts and are inaccurate as well, not to mention sadly underpowered.

In my opinion it is inhumane to use pellet guns for hunting, if you can not use a shotgun or a .22 LR you should most likley should not be flining pellets around either.


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## squirrel_assasin

rare I take one every day i go out and my gun is not inaccurate and the scope is a 80 dollar pellet rifle scope 3-9 by 38



Bore.224 said:


> squirrel_assasin ..... as a matter of fact I do know what I am talking about. Yes I know kills can be made with pellet guns, but the one shot kills you talk about are rare.
> 
> Pellet guns usually have cheap scopes and mounts and are inaccurate as well, not to mention sadly underpowered.
> 
> In my opinion it is inhumane to use pellet guns for hunting, if you can not use a shotgun or a .22 LR you should most likley should not be flining pellets around either.


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## Bore.224

well we all can't be squirrel_assasin's :lol:


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## daisy1894hunter

uke: bore 224 i have a beeman 1000 with no scope just sights and kill squirrels from 110 yards andkill them every time with one shot :homer:


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## Bore.224

100 Yards :lol: I bet you cant break a coke bottle at 50 feet with your pellet gun. Do you know what 100 yards is? Or even a coke bottle now that I think of it. :eyeroll:


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## jrricher

Daisey, I have been hunting a long time and have used a 980 fps biathalon air rifle, used @ 50 yards max because it can't flip the target past that, we shot a 2" target from the prone and 4" standing and it was a very difficult shot even at the range with low heart rate. These are perhaps the most accurate air rifles with open site and I would not even think to try a squirl at that range unless it was that ON A Range in totally controlled conditions from a rest, come on!


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## coyote_buster

If you are that good of a shot, how high do you aim.


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## Woogie_man

ok ... with the regards to your pellet gun that you have.... DON'T USE IT! When you are looking at an air rifle to hunt with don't get caught up with the velocity.. You normaly only need around 500-800 fps, that is in .177, to kill a rabbit, or what ever at a decent distance. When the pellet is going that fast it has very little accuracy, and it will also just go straight through the animal. Unless you hit a vital organ or something you will just injure the animal and it will run off. Now I know there are probably gonna be ablot of people that are gonna disagree with me but do some research.... look at some of the hunting pages for air rifles.. you will commonly see that they are usually around that speed i said.. now if you are gonna use a .22 cal pellet then 1000 fps is still getting up there.. because once a pellet get close to 1000fps it is getting close to the speed of sound. And for a pellet that will just tumble. you will be able to get decent accuracy out of it but at distance it will do no damage to the target.

If anyone doesn't belive me just do some research and i can give some websites if people are currious. With every company so worried about an air rifle that will shoot over 1000 + fps.. Speed isn't everything with an air gun.

I have been using an air rifle to hunt with for around 4 years now. And i thought that the faster the pellet is moving the better it was.. I have a beeman ST1000T that shoots a .177 pellet at 1000fps. It doesn't kill a damn thing unless you hit it in the head. Now my QB98 shoots at around 600 fps.. i haven't missed a shot and every animal i hit with it...goes down. Just remember the faster it goes, the less knock down power it has. Because if it goes straight through the animal.. it isn't gonna do anything.


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## bmxfire37

your right...after abouty 700FPS they start to go off by more and more thats why olymic shooters use 500-700 FPS my 600 i can do rabbits at a fair distance and squriels right out of trees


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## coyote_buster

it is not just velocity, it is energy


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## mfreeman451

I gave up using my .177 beeman a while ago and bought a cheap 120$ Ruger 10/22. It's a great little rifle and very accurate, I only use iron sights and I have no problem at all. I used to put in tons of lead into rabbits and still have to finish them off with a knife or something, but no more of that.


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## Cleankill47

Ignorance is astounding in some people...

First of all, there is nothing inhumane about a pellet rifle. They have more than enough potential and generate plenty of energy when the right pellet is used. Don't believe me? Look up what Lewis and Clark carried on their expedition for _*deer*_, and you may begin to understand.

Parkerboy:

Pellet type and construction is more important than rifle type, especially when dealing with different animals. Both squirrels and rabbits require a pellet with a domed or hollow point, something that will slow down on impact enough to deliver all of its energy to the target without blowing all the way through. For this, I recommend Beeman's Bearcub, Silver Bear, and Gold Coated Hollowpoints, or Benjamin Diabolo pellets. All of these have the proper design and weight for the type of shots and the type of animal you will be going after with you having a rifle that fires at 1000 fps.

Also...

jrricher, I highly doubt if your biathlon rifle is 980 fps, as most competition air rifles are almost half of that because of velocity affecting accuracy. Also, don't forget that you were most likely using wadcutter pellets, not exactly known for accuracy in the field, and that the design of your rifle and the method of it's use precludes the possibility of firing very comfortably; it probably has a long barrrel and counterweights, both of which will cause you to waver when shooting and cause difficulties in acquiring a satisfactory sight picture.

:sniper:


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## dustin flewelling

okay guys, i have a beeman ss650 and that thing is so frickin accurate cuz it has a very nice scope and the ported muzzle brake increases accuracy so much its like a sniper rifle. its that accurate. it shoots 700 fps and me and ma buddies rabbit hunt sometimes. my friend has a crosman that shoots 1000 fps and it cant hit anything worth a damn. and the projectile goes right through the rabbit! i suggest buying beemans around the 700 fps range. GET A BREAK ACTION!!!! daisy pump pellet guns suck. i loaded over 15 shots into its vitals, 5 shots into its head. it didnt die from the pellets hitting it-it bled to death. i was thinking what a ripoff. daisy pump pellet guns, or any pump pellet gun for that matter, is no good for rabbits. it can kill a squirrel easy,(i know because i ripped its heart out with a flat tip) but they have no power. a break action has a very powerful spring, and momentarily in the compression chamber, air is heated to around 2000 degrees farenheit. thats power. but keep in mind your muzzle velocity range. dont go too high so it rips right through the rabbit, but dont go too low so it doesnt do much potential damage. beemans are beautiful guns, but it also has a reputation for exquisite accuracy. 8) :sniper:


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## Cleankill47

dustin flewelling,

Your friend would do a whole lot better if he were to use a heavier pellet, preferably a hollow point that stabilized better at the higher velocities.

This happens a lot of times with pointed pellets that are made cheaply of inferior lead. Get a good brand of pellets from a reputable company.

I've said it before, I'll say it again, I've never gone wrong with Beeman Gold Coated-Hollowpoints.....

:sniper:


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## Woogie_man

if you are using an air rifle that is shooting fast .... the heavier the pellets the better... try and go for the heaviest pellets that you can get.

And i am suprised that "no one" has been on bad mouthing air rilfes... Heck i grew up out in the country and perfer an air rifle, and now that i will live in town when i get back, Iraq has put a dent in my hunting time. Air rifles have and are being used all around the world to do alot of hunting. We are just really lucky here in the US to have the second ammendment.

All you have to do is go to google and search. You will find more than one person on there talking about hunting, as well as pics that PROVE you can hunt animals humainly with an air rifle.

With a proper air rifle, as well as pellet selection, you would be able to hunt most things that you could hunt with a normal fire arm. That is with in reason... now i don't think you would want to go out and hunt a lion or a elephant with an air rifle. But there are many people who have been on hunts for large game with air rifles


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## dustin flewelling

hey guys, im just replying again on the beeman thing, dont get a beeman ss650 (they are very nice, and accurate) cuz theyre not very well made. the locking mechanism when u pull the barrel down, it doesnt work that well...im wonderin, should i buy a crosman phantom 1000? is it accurate?
email me i guess...at [email protected]


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## deerblazer93

its the pellets i shot 2 fox squirrels and it took 4 or 5 shots and when i shoot them with regular pointed copperheads they go down like a bag of shat.


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## rabbithunter33

hello parkerboy if you want to take a rabbit down on the spot with the pellet gun i always shoot them in the head right behind the eye the it works as long u hit them and not miss what kind of pellet gun do you have? and i use flat head pellets and ointed hunting pellets


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## Rogergendron1

I joined just to respond to this old post lol

Your not killing them because of your ammo !!!

Lets say your gun is a 177 rated at 1000 fps with light 5grain pba ammo, like most are ... They use light pba aloy pellets to get the fps up and most are 5grain.

If you are useing those light 5gran pba pellets to get the fastest fps then your hunting will suffer here is why

A 5 grain pellet fired at 1000 fps hits with only 11 foot pounds of energy lol not enoug to kill a rabit !!!,you need around 15_20fpe

You need to use a heavyer pellet. You see if you use a heavyer pellet it will slow your mussle velosity down a bit say to 800fps but it will deliver more energy to the taget because of its wieght !!

So try out the beeman silver speer they are pointed heavy 11grain pellets, they wil move slower say 800fps but hit harder

Would you rather hit a rabit with a 5grain 1000 fps aloy pellet and deliver 11foot pounds of energy and wound it or hit a rabit with an 11 grain pellet at 800 fps deliver 22 foot pounds of energy and kill it instantly !!!


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## Rogergendron1

I have a powerline 1000 in 177cal and when I use 10 to 12 grain pointed pellets I have no problem taking rabbits in a single shot from 75 feet away !!!! of course my guns rated 1000 fps velosity suffers but the fpe gained is all tbat matters in huntin

If I aere to try and hunt with light pba ammo or light 5_7 grain pellets the rabit would simply hop away wounded ... Not enough energy delivered to kil it

Ps I can kil rabits up close using the same ammo in a pellet pistol only rated for 600fps !!!!

Fps means didly squat lol its all about fpe delivered to target !!


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## Rogergendron1

again I cannot stress this enough that lightweight PBA super fast, is garbage for hunting sure it comes out very fast is good for target shooting

but take this into account try shooting a lightweight PBA ammo at 1200 feet per second a1 inch thick pine board it will bearly penetrate with pnly 10_11 fps of energy. then using the same gun fire a heavyweight pellet around 10 to 12 grains at that same board from the same rifle. I guarantee you it will blasts the hole right through the one inch thick pine bored this is because even know the pellet is twice as heavy and is moving a bit slower it is delivering more than 2 times the amount of energy into the target

I guess the point here is find a high-quality heavy weighted pellet to use to hunt do not use lightweight what colors of PBA in munition to hunt small game

I really like the Beaman Silver Arrows they are11grain and suitable for most magnum springers


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