# Air Rifle for Woodchucks



## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

What size air rifle can be/should be used when taking woodchucks.


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

So am I not suppose to use a highpowered air rifle for a woodchuck. Or do yall not know the answer to the question.


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## PiercedOne (Sep 7, 2007)

As big a rifle as you have!!!! 
My boss at work has them really bad in his yard every year and he has a cheap gamo and he says biggest thing is to A) hit them in the head and B) make the shots as close as poss.
He ususally gets about 10 to 15 a year. 

IMO I would think its more the penetration of the bullet/pellet you use than anything. As long as your gun is shooting above 1000fps but if not then I would think bullet/pellet type would be critical. 



By the way im no expert but I did stay at a holiday inn once. :tdo12:


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## TSPham (Nov 4, 2004)

As a little kid, I had a hard time killing a big male with a pump Sheridan shooting .20 Sheridan conicals around 700 fps (these things were hard and barely mushroomed). I must have shot it a bunch of times from 25-30 yards in the head before calling it "dead".

A few years ago, my dog cornered a young one in my garage that a RWS 36 fininshed easily with a single shot to the head (fires soft .177 at around 1000 fps). This was a point blank range.

I would use something large and heavy pellets that offered good penetration---a .22 caliber if you were purchasing one just for this.

I've also killed one as a kid throwing a softball sized rock at one point-blank. Killed one a few years ago chasing it down in a 2 acre lawn with a baseball bat...missed on the forehand swing, but caught it with a backhand when it dodged around me....my wife laughed it up good watching that chase. I've also chased them up trees twice...you never would think they could climb, but they do. Just get yourself between them and the hole, and you can outrun them.


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

I am going to use it only for taking woodchucks and maybe some backyard target shooting. 

What is the distance of travel of a high powered pellet gun. That is the other thing I have to consider.


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## TSPham (Nov 4, 2004)

See this site: http://www.velocitypress.com/air_rifle_ballistics.shtml

I've killed birds at 50 yards with pellet guns. I practically lived in the woods with my Sheridan when I was barely old enough to handle it....it took 2 hands holding the gun between my legs to pump it 8 times and took both hands to cock the bolt, but I shot everything from sparrows to raccoons with that thing before I was a teenager (I would never recommend them for *****).

Now, I'm spoiled by the RWS guns, but don't have the time/drive to shoot them. Gone over to archery more, still killing birds and critters with arrows now.


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## ibthetrout (Sep 24, 2003)

bigcountrysg said:


> I am going to use it only for taking woodchucks and maybe some backyard target shooting.
> 
> What is the distance of travel of a high powered pellet gun. That is the other thing I have to consider.


Use your bow! My brother took one out of my garden a couple years ago that way.


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

ibthetrout said:


> Use your bow! My brother took one out of my garden a couple years ago that way.


I did that last year the dang thing took off with the arrow sticking through him. Ended up loosing the arrow but I know the stupid thing died eventually.


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## ibthetrout (Sep 24, 2003)

bigcountrysg said:


> I did that last year the dang thing took off with the arrow sticking through him. Ended up loosing the arrow but I know the stupid thing died eventually.



Ya know we had the same thing happen. Funny thing is we were sure he went down the hole with the arrow. After a hour of digging a hole about 3-4 feet deep in my yard we found that smelly bastage and he had no arrow. After looking around for 20 minutes it was buried in the grass, went clean through. So I guess I understand as that arrow was not cheap.


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## Jet08 (Aug 21, 2007)

I had a .20 cal or 5mm that killed just about anything I shot with it. That walnut stock was a hell of a load as a young kid...


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## Roosevelt (Sep 21, 2007)

I use a Gamo "Hunter 440?" I'm not 100% sure of the model but it's 1000fps and .177 cal. I use the "superdome" style pellets w' the rounded tip. The ones I'm using now are crosman 10.5 grain. They put a serious wallop on anything I hit. These pellets seem to be the perfect combo for that rifle. Both Gamo and RWS make a similar pellet.

The flat tipped and pointed pellets are for the birds. I'd rather use bb's. I would only do head shots on anything I shoot. I've killed everything from doves to Groundhogs with pretty good success once I started doing head shots only. I had a few rabbits get away early on taking chest shots. I'm sure they died but the goal was to catch and eat them, not let em run off in their hole and kick it. 

I used to, when a kid, have a crosman 766? pump that was 795 fps. With bb's that rifle was deadly. It was just a lil weak for ***** and groundhogs though, but it would take em down.


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## Alexx (Sep 12, 2008)

I would use a .22 that shoots 1000 fps


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## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

i have a .144 remington summit 1100fps single shot. my wife took out a big chuck with it at about 20-25yds with field pellets. Judging by what it can do to a squirrel, i would say 35yds is doable, probably more.


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## NittanyDoug (May 30, 2006)

bigcountrysg said:


> I did that last year the dang thing took off with the arrow sticking through him. Ended up loosing the arrow but I know the stupid thing died eventually.


Big, let me know man. I have a Gamo, I think a whisper quiet that I need to get shot in. I need to get a chuck for a game dinner and my in-law's usually have a bunch of young ones running around. I just haven't done much other than unbox and mount the scope to it. I know it's over 1000 fps.


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## Wildone (Aug 8, 2008)

Depends on how big of a caliber you go with. There are air riffles that will kill a Buffalo.


http://www.bigborebob.com/


http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/Career_Dragon_Slayer_Air_Rifle_50_cal_p/shin-sung-career-dragon-50.htm


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## uptracker (Jul 27, 2004)

Some impressive specimems......

http://www.gamousa.com/family.aspx?familyID=37

http://www.rwsairguns.com/

http://www.airgundepot.com/


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