Of all the birds we have around the yard, sparrows are the least liked. They seem to have had a bumper crop of young this year.
I’ve decided it’s time to do some plinking and picked a couple boxes of these up this morning. Now to grab a chair in the shade near a little loose bird seed, maybe enjoy a cold one between shots.
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I could see my self enjoying a cold one and plinking some unwanted birds. I’ve been battling the bunnies at my place. I thought I was winning and just this morning leaving at 430 I seen 6 more out by the garden area.
I’ve been battling the bunnies at my place. I thought I was winning and just this morning leaving at 430 I seen 6 more out by the garden area.
The rabbits are freaking savages at my house this summer. They are completely destroying three hostas I have on the side of the house. I’ve tried trapping them with a snare. No luck. I have a pellet rifle but I can’t get a good shot at them where they are at that side of the house either. The dog tries chasing them but she fails miserably lol.
At least they can’t get at my garden. I’ve got fencing around that. Maybe I need fencing around the hostas.
My neighbor hit one with his mower the other night, so at least one is dead. He said it ran out from some brush right in front and was “sliced and diced.”
I can tell already that I need more shells and more beer. Maybe a twenty-yard shot and birdie was dead. My pellet guns make more noise than this shot cartridge.
I can tell already that I need more shells and more beer. Maybe a twenty-yard shot and birdie was dead. My pellet guns make more noise than this shot cartridge.
I bought some subsonic rounds for the same thing. But I will have to look in to these rounds as well
There has been a bumper crop of rabbits this year, I mean wow. However I have no garden so not really bothering me, I guess I have enough weeds growing in the back yard to keep them from eating any plants so far. They can eat as many of those as they want. I have let my backyard go the last couple of years cause I’m waiting until my older springer passes to get it back in shape like the front yard.
Hopefully you can get your shots to within about 10 feet, otherwise the pattern will likely be far too loose for a bird that size.
But I hope you prove me wrong 
I can tell already that I need more shells and more beer. Maybe a twenty-yard shot and birdie was dead. My pellet guns make more noise than this shot cartridge.
Didn’t see this. Are you able to repeat that with the same results thus far?
I usually just use a .177 pellet gun or .22 with CB shorts(sounds like a cap gun). I killed hundreds of cowbirds, starlings, and house sparrows under the feeders with those back in the day.
Three at that distance thus far. This leaves no hole if a miss is experienced. #12 shot is very tiny and doesn’t have the energy to mess up anything solid at the distances I am plinking the birds. Pattern-wise I haven’t tried one on paper to establish that and so far the repeatability seems fine inside of that 19-20 yard mark. This rifle has a barrel 22″ long with 1/16 rifling so it’s not near as fast as some of the .22 cals with 1/9 rifling which I think would cause the shot string to unwind awful fast and scatter more.
I did wait until nobody was on the walking path in either direction and popped one at the pond in the creek behind us about 35 yards away and it hardly disturbed the water, yet bird taken out to about 20 yards drop right now.
Bearcat, I have shot several different brands of sub-sonic and so called “quiet” rounds on paper. I suggest you shoot a pattern on paper before slinging them at critters because none of what I have shot punch holes anywhere near the best patterns done with the CCI mini-mag [9/16″ X 1/2″] and the Aguila Hollow-points [3/8″ X 1/2″] at 50 yards. Even 25 yards they toss a much looser group. When you find one that you like for your gun, pattern it so you can make the adjustments. CCI’s quiet rounds with the three piece fracturing bullet are about the worst for grouping at any distance, but that bullet really messes a rabbit’s bean up.
Bagged myself a red squirrel yesterday. Saw the little bugger climb up a tree and loaded the pellet gun and went on the prowl. Walked to the tree and thought maybe he jumped to another tree and escaped. Nope. He was just sitting there staring at me. I shot and he rocketed up the tree like 20 feet and I thought I missed only to seem him plummet to the ground deader than a doornail. Saw another one today walking down the trim on my shed, but couldnt get a shot because the dang inflatable pool was in the background.
Those reds have a very short lifespan in this neighborhood.
Those reds have a very short lifespan in this neighborhood.
Here too usually but they have been very evasive for me this year.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jimmy Jones wrote:</div>
I can tell already that I need more shells and more beer. Maybe a twenty-yard shot and birdie was dead. My pellet guns make more noise than this shot cartridge.Didn’t see this. Are you able to repeat that with the same results thus far?
4 shots at tweeties, four dead tweeties. Liking this stuff a lot. Like I said, I need more ammo. lol
I used a range finder on the furthest killing shot and it was almost 17 yards. I found out yesterday that if there is much of any breeze shots had to be kept well under that furthest kill shot.
Good deal. Cci makes good .22 ammo. Their CB short sub-sonic round is awesome too.
Even though those shot shells are sometimes referred to as “rat shot,” I haven’t had any luck on squirrels with them. Even my arch nemesis—the red squirrel— laughed at me after I shot. And this is out of a long bolt action, not pistol.
For those I think you need to be pretty close for any penetration.
Good deal. Cci makes good .22 ammo. Their CB short sub-sonic round is awesome too.
Even though those shot shells are sometimes referred to as “rat shot,” I haven’t had any luck on squirrels with them. Even my arch nemesis—the red squirrel— laughed at me after I shot. And this is out of a long bolt action, not pistol.
For those I think you need to be pretty close for any penetration.
I do not think the #12 shot will bother a red. Chipper doubtful too.
I’m looking at these shot shells as small
bird medicine. Where the pesky little Schmitz like to enjoy life is where I can’t use a conventional cartridge with a bullet. This #12 shot doesn’t harm much after say 15 yards, except an unwanted sparrow. There’s one on the neighbors garage roof that was ranged at 17+ yards. Wind, or breeze even, has been the biggest issue with the shot shells. Unless, like you mentioned, the fuzzy or feathered target is 10 yards or less.
Why do you guys want to kill everything? I must be missing something. I prefer that wildlife lives.
sparrows are disease caring mean little SOB’s!!!! they’ll go in a birdhouse and kill ruin other intended birds nests and eggs!!!
i close my houses up after the wrens and bluebirds leave. i dont have many sparrows around….i dont put out millet type feed they like. the wont eat safflower or sunflower seeds and that is all i feed the birds!!!1
Yep Glenn- we stopped using millet long ago and the once numerous sparrows all but disappeared from our feeders. We feed black oil sunflower, sometimes blended with safflower, in the big feeder. Then we have a thistle bag and suet cages.
We have so many birds we probably go thru a gallon to 1.5 of sunflower per day and a suet cake every 2 days. The two hummingbird feeders(12-15oz?) need to be filled about every four days, but then again they see a lot of use from downy peckers and orioles too.
Front yard is like an aviary lol
Mr. Kylo- read up on the species I listed and you’ll understand why I used to shoot them. I kind of gave up on that fight years ago though becasue I am question how much difference one guy with a pellet gun can make, weighed against the effort and time wasted.
As far as red squirrels, I used to shoot them when I saw them, then for years gave them a break because “they can’t be that bad…”. What do I get for that? Two messed up boats and an incapacitated vehicle in less than 6 months. Yep, now it’s back to war.
I ended up with a foot of pine cones in my shed one year because of a red squirrel I didn’t know was around. My neighbor got it when he saw that it was chewing a hole into his attic. He didnt think we should kill animals either…until then. Never really had a problem with sparrows, but the starlings had a bounty when I was a kid.
I ended up with a foot of pine cones in my shed one year because of a red squirrel I didn’t know was around. My neighbor got it when he saw that it was chewing a hole into his attic. He didnt think we should kill animals either…until then. Never really had a problem with sparrows, but the starlings had a bounty when I was a kid.
I believe it about the pine cones! Should have seen the amount of walnuts I had to pull out of all my boat compartments this spring… it was surreal. Not to mention all the chewed wires/hoses. They also chewed up a couple spark plug wires/fuel injector wires in my 4runner and tore up some of the heat shield insulation. Mice and red squirrels are so destructive.
yep..red skurrels get lead poisoning and the mice either get trapped or we got all kinds of bait boxes out. and there usually empty spring and fall.
last 2times i went to the cabin i set traps got 22 hanging!! 
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