are pellet guns really getting that popular for hunting? or is it just the kiddos again?

Question

i didnt know if i had missed a new fad or if its just the kids asking about the only thing they are allowed to play with. is it getting popular? or do the kids just wanna " know what it will do?"

Answer 1

Considering the pellet guns that they are asking about, I'm pretty sure it's just kids. Some of the serious pre-charged hunting pellet guns that serious air rifle hunters use cost more than a lot of center fire deer rifles, and I haven't seen anybody ask about any of those.

Answer 2

Plenty of kids use real guns. I do, But I use a pellet gun in the ongoing woodpecker war. Pellet guns arn't a new "fad". Crosman is just mass producing a ton of different pellet guns. It's impossible to use a pellet gun in real hunting. It would just piss the deer off or something. The biggest animal you can kill with a pellet guin is a rabbit.



P.S Actually, I didn't know that. I Iooked on my states website and the species is not on the protected list.My species is not migratory but residential.

I will do a little more research though.



P.S I don't shoot them for fun my family has me do a ton of random jobs.

Answer 3

The questions I find here are probably at least 50% kids thinking their under powered BB and sometimes pellet guns are ok to take pot shots at what ever little animal they have a lot of. You'll see a lot of those answered with the fact that it would be more humane clubbing them with the stock than shooting anything. The other popular one is dropping an anvil on them. You could get well in excess of 50 or even 100 ft-lbs from an anvil but less than 2 ft-lbs from your average BB gun.



I bought my newest airgun with the idea of large pest removal in mind. While it isn't urban,where I live is still suburban and discharge of firearms would be a problem legally. That rules out every other gun i own because they make a lot of noise. So far I'm winning the groundhog war and every kill has been as humane as I could make it. Not one has moved from the spot where it was shot. I grew up with different airguns and firearms so the airgun was a natural choice once I found out it was legal for hunting where I live. This perhaps covers another 25% or more questions using airguns for quiet pest removal. Few of them are after anything larger than squirrels so they really don't get into anything "high powered" as far as airguns go. Pest removal is covered under hunting regulations in most states. So technically pest removal is hunting. Sometimes you have to look for nuisance animals in the regulations and they are often open season if they are causing various problems. There is a few places that even have a bounty on some pests.



Probably less than 5% are from serious hunters. After all, if you can use a .22LR, most would chose that over an airgun in many circumstances. Even the price vs accuracy would favor firearms in almost all cases. The challenge of airgun hunting is you have to get much closer for a good clean kill. I've had to pass on shots that I could have easily pulled off with a .22LR, .17HMR or .22mag. Keep in mind that pest removal and hunting is virtually the same though pests tend to be much closer to houses and other buildings. Which is another reason for airguns over firearms.



By choosing a low powered (.177 1200fps) airgun, you can have plenty of power for anything up to squirrels. By choosing one of the magnum powered airguns you can go up to groundhogs, jack rabbits and even raccoons. These are all generally break barrel airguns. By choosing a PCP, you can get some impressive power that can exceed .22LR standards as well as larger calibers with even more power. There are airguns that are more than capable of taking down a deer though an equivalent firearm would be much cheaper.



Knowing what any particular airgun will do will require further investment in a chronograph and perhaps ballistics software. While any number of people can give ballpark numbers here, It doesn't quite illustrate the actual limits. Mostly though it is close enough with an added margin for overkill.



Shadow Wolf

Answer 4

It depends on where in the world you live really. However generally speaking I'd say airgun hunting is getting more popular.



In the US hunting with air-rifles is becoming more popular slowly. I attribute this to the fact that younger shooters/hunters are being exposed to modern airguns that are more powerful and accurate than what were available 30-40 years ago. (The old Daisy Red Ryder only put out about 1.5 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. A modern spring-piston airgun typically puts out about 15 ft-lbs of muzzle energy and PCP airguns can produce even higher power levels.) So these younger shooters/hunters realize that modern airguns have sufficient power for small game... However the rise in popularity is slow because of the relatively easy access to firearms for hunting, the relatively low interest in small game hunting today, and the residual attitude that airguns are toys not serious hunting tools.



In other parts of the world, like the UK for example, hunting with air-rifles is extremely popular. That's because due to the strict gun laws in places like the UK, airguns represent the easiest and cheapest way to hunt with a gun or to shoot in general. So they have been much more accepting of airguns for hunting and actually are leading us in that area by a considerable margin since they're more willing to experiment.



As for the questions we get here... It's a mixed bag. Sometimes it is just kids asking if their new airgun is powerful enough to shoot some random animal they've seen around the house. Sometimes it's someone (maybe a kid, maybe a young adult, maybe an older adult) who wants to start hunting wanting to know if something they already have will work (which in this economy is understandable since even a cheap .22 rifle or single-shot shotgun is expensive to someone barely getting by). And sometimes it's an airgun enthusiast wanting to expand what he/she already does with an airgun. The only way to know for sure is to actually read the question and see what the person says.

Answer 5

The use and popularity of airguns(both pellet and big bore) has increased, but it's a slow growth not a tidal wave.



As an example. Just 2-3 years ago Gunbroker.com would have 400-500 total airguns for sale now they regularly have 2,500+ >I fully realize that's not just due to the increase in airgun popularity



The airgun forums have grown.



There are more airgun shows and the existing ones have become larger



>>"Airguns are toys"<< **

I have found that if someone spends a bit of time with a high quality air rifle, it tends to change their opinion.



** Obviously, not everyone says that, but if I had a dollar for every time i've heard it...



YA airgun questions - Yep, almost all of them come from young, first time buyers/shooters/hunters

Answer 6

I have a Diana Model 48 .22 with a nice scope. It cost more than my Savage 917 SS or any of my Mossberg 500s.



I have used it for feral cats, wild turkey, rabbit and squirrel. It is quiet enough to use near people. No hearing protection required.



My .22s are more powerful and versatile. And cheaper.



To answer your question, the recent questions are from the kiddos.

Answer 7

It is mainly just because most of the kid's get them for the birthdays; and shoot protected birds in their backyards with them...



But I do know a few people who pick up .22 caliber pellet guns to teach there children to shoot and for them to use for small game before their parents feel they are ready for a .22 lr.

Answer 8

I have not seen any increase in "conventional" hunter's using pellet guns here in the USA. Personally I have never seen anyone hunting with one in the field, nor have I ever talked to someone that uses one for anything but pest control around their urban garden.

Answer 9

I have absolutely zero use for a pellet gun for hunting purposes.



I agree that some pellet guns can be used for target practice to hone one's skills affordably. But otherwise, I just don't see how a pellet rifle can make a clean humane kill on a small game animal.

Answer 10

Well, airguns are still illegal for hunting in my state. Although they'll probably approve that before Sunday hunting.

Answer 11

well in an urban area where you cannot shoot your .22 is when i use a pellet gun

Answer 12

I won't hunt with one,I have no need to.