Pellet guns

Pellets

I have always wanted a shotgun. They are perfect for small game hunting, like birds, squirrels, and other cute little animals that we have here and that I would for some reason want to shoot. The difficulty is that we only have three and a half acres, with houses in all directions, and a limited amount of trees. And the fact that shotguns are expensive, and I never have much money. So I needed something else. I tried using a blowgun, but found that what birds we have left (our cats eat most of them), were too smart to get within the range of my blowgun. [my breath isn't that strong, although Mom seems to think that the very smell of it would knock a bird out of a tree] Anyway, the blowgun didn't work. I tried my Red Rider BB gun, and though it did kill one bird, I don't know how, because it barely punctures tin cans at twenty feet. I needed something stronger. So, as I researched it, I found something called a pellet gun. Instead of tiny round copper spheres it shot ultra mini molded lead bullets. Some of these guns were able to shoot at speeds exceeding 1200 fps (feet per second)! Now that may not sound like a lot, but believe me, it is, 'cause these guns were rated for killing coyotes. I found that there were several basic kinds of pellet guns; pump action, break barrel, CO2 powered, and PCP.

Pump action means that for each shot you have to pump the gun a certain number of times, depending on how much power you want the shot to have. You can get up to 1000 fps with the pump, but you have to pump it like twenty times. These guns are the cheapest, and you can get a good one for around sixty dollars.

Pump Action rifle

Break barrel is in my opinion the best, as you can get up to 1200 fps with the right kind of pellets. To cock a break barrel you simply have to pop the top of the barrel with your hand, and then pull it down until it clicks. You insert a pellet into the breach, and then swing it back up. A good break barrel rifle can be purchased for around a hundred dollars.

Break Barrel rifle

CO2 powered means that the gun is powered by a cartridge of pressurized carbon dioxide. These guns do not need to be cocked, but every so many shots you have to insert a new CO2 cartridge. A CO2 gun can be purchased for around eighty dollars.

CO2 powered revolver

PCP stands for Pre-charged Pneumatic. These guns are powered by an on board reservoir, which must be refilled every so often from a large air tank. These guns are the highest powered, most accurate, and most expensive, prices often exceeding three hundred dollars.

PCP powered rifle, with air tank.

I think that the best guns are the break barrel, as they don't use any external power and they only have to be pumped once. So, after a lot of research I went and bought a Crosman Phantom break barrel pellet rifle for about a hundred bucks.

Doesn't it look awesome! All the metal parts are black, with a black synthetic stock. It has fiber optic front and rear sights, an adjustable rear sight, and a trigger safety. It also has a removable butt pad and dovetail rails for a scope or laser. The one thing that I didn't like is that the rear sight is not only hard to use, but it is very cheaply made. I eventually went and bought an eight dollar Daisy scope at Walmart, which works pretty well. The gun is pretty accurate, and very powerful. With my bb gun, if you shot at a soda can, it would make a loud pop and the can would go flying. When you shoot at a soda can with this gun, you barely hear anything and the can doesn't even move. As an experiment, I lined up five soda cans in a row, then walked twenty feet away. I then shot through the row of cans. The pellet went through all five of them, and none of the cans even moved. Wow. This thing would definitely kill something. Now I just have to find something to shoot at, which is easier said than done. As before mentioned, our cats have rid our land of all small creatures that live on the ground, all small creatures that live in the air, and all small creatures that live in the trees. Hmm, doesn't leave many options. Guess I'll have to kill some cats.




Disclaimer: So far I have only killed one bird, and I do not go around all the time shooting birds, squirrels, and anything else that moves. Whatever I kill I have to gut, clean, cook and eat. Mom has also put the chickens and cats off limits. Bummer.