Air rifles for anything more than squirrels is not part of my world, today. As a kid I put squirrels, rabbits, quail, and doves on the table with Benjamin and Crosman pellet rifles. Today I like REAL guns. I like the noise. No suppressors. I like the recoil, to a certain extent. I like to smell the powder, even though it smelled better as a kid. Especially paper shotgun shells. I still like to smell Hoppes #9. I believe in starting kids with air guns, but I don`t want to hunt with them. Just me. Ya`ll enjoy them.
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Deer hunting with an air rifle?
- Thread starter UptaCamp
- Start date
This guy tested one of these Texas big-bore air rifles over a chronograph.
He got widely varying velocities. In his first several shots from a fresh air tank nominally at 3000 psi, his first couple shots were in the 630 f.p.s. range, and then the subsequent shots began going up in velocity (?) until a peak was reached around 920 f.p.s. After these several shots were fired, the tank pressure dropped significantly and the velocity dropped back to the middle 800's range. All his shooting was done with .45 caliber lead bullets (pellets) weighing 166 grains.
MY CONCLUSION: These airguns hit at least as hard as a .38 special snub-barreled revolver using 158 grain ammo. Both that .38 snubby and the big hunting air rifle will hit with about 140 or 150 foot-lbs. of energy. But, if you get lucky and your take that hunting shot at a moment when your airgun is generating peak velocity, THEN your airgun his more like a .357 magnum, with over 300 foot/lbs. of energy.
I've heard that the minimum caliber / gun combo for humane deer hunting would be a .357 magnum handgun, and even then you should only take your shots at fairly close range-- basically archery distance.
A 5" or 6" barreled .357 magnum revolver will launch Federal 158 grain JHP bullets at 1250 f.p.s. (per the "BallsticsByTheInch" website, and looking at the real-life gun tests).
That equates to 550 foot pounds of energy.
So, I don't think I'd go sport hunting whitetail deer with an airgun that sometimes hits with 140 foot/ lbs, although sometimes, just a few shots later, it can sling lead with 320 foot/ lbs. of kinetic energy.
This air rifle sounds like a decent coyote/ fox / raccoon gun, if you can get those critters close enough to the gun.
A 5" or 6" barreled .357 magnum revolver will launch Federal 158 grain JHP bullets at 1250 f.p.s. (per the "BallsticsByTheInch" website, and looking at the real-life gun tests).
That equates to 550 foot pounds of energy.
So, I don't think I'd go sport hunting whitetail deer with an airgun that sometimes hits with 140 foot/ lbs, although sometimes, just a few shots later, it can sling lead with 320 foot/ lbs. of kinetic energy.
This air rifle sounds like a decent coyote/ fox / raccoon gun, if you can get those critters close enough to the gun.
That's fair and I respect your viewpoint. My interest lies in my ability to hunt on land that is restricted from hunting with firearms. I live within the city limits of Gainesville and there is a healthy population of deer that I would enjoy having options above archery hunting.
Saw a video a couple years back where a guy took a full grown bison with an air gun. I'll stick to deer rifles and calibers to take deer.
Makes sense. Good huntin`to ya`.
It's certainly not a firearm.
But, it's also not an approved weapon for deer hunting.
In the eyes of the law, it would be like you hunted deer with a baseball bat,
or dug a pit trap for the animal.
Hunting it is only legal when you use the approved weapons,
and I don't think Georgia has changed its rules to allow for deer hunting with airguns.
But, it's also not an approved weapon for deer hunting.
In the eyes of the law, it would be like you hunted deer with a baseball bat,
or dug a pit trap for the animal.
Hunting it is only legal when you use the approved weapons,
and I don't think Georgia has changed its rules to allow for deer hunting with airguns.
