pest eradication

bigalf · Mar 24, 2014

Hello Shooters:
Me and another Army buddy want to get into Pellet rifles. We have seen videos of hunting smaller game with them, like chipmunks, rabbits and groundhogs. Does Maryland allow pellet rifles for pest eradication? And does anyone have these pest that would like a few to be taken out from their property. I have shot a few ground hogs on a farm in VA because the farmer said their dens are dangerous to his cows. On that land we were using 22-250's and 7mm-rem mag. Over kill, but we just wanted to shoot at some greater distance.

remrug · Mar 24, 2014

You can shoot grondhogs with anything lethal.Just remember the discharge of firearms laws.Pellet guns do apply.Rabbits are considered game animals in Md.They can only be shot when in season.They must be cleaned ans eaten.Not wasted and left to rot.Im not sure about chipmunks but I dont think you are allowed to kill them.You are allowed to kill starlings,english sparrows , feral pigeons and rats.

bigalf · Mar 24, 2014

I guess I should have read a little more, I realize Groundhogs are open all year, now. We would LOVE to help a farmer out and kill some pigs for them.

Joseph · Mar 25, 2014

I think most people on this forum can handle their own pest problems.

amoebicmagician · Mar 25, 2014

MD allows it, and I do it all the time.

I started plinking around with my buddy's beeman pellet rifle a few years ago, and was not too impressed with the accuracy...

So I decided to clean it and give her another shot.

So I gently cleaned out the rifling, which did not seem to have any lead stuck in it really, and then lubed her up.

The next time I brought her out she shot DEAD NUTS ACCURATE.

As near as I can tell the ballistol soaked into the seals allowing for a much tighter fit between gasket and piston, which I believe may have been leaking before.

After the first shot there was literally smoke or vapor wafting out of the muzzle and the report was MUCH louder than the previous times I shot the rifle.

So after jury-rigging a rail on there for a scope (finding out later that there was a proprietary dovetail on top of there that I took to be decorative) I found I could easily hit squirrel sized targets out to about 70 yards with the 4x scope I put on there.

So anyways, my buddy gave me the rifle as a birthday gift a few years ago, and now it has accounted for many a pest and small varmint, and even though I've bought pellet rifles since then, that one is still my favorite, and as far as I can tell the most accurate.

wilcam47 · Mar 25, 2014

I think chipmunks are federally protected...I could be wrong though.

E.Shell · Mar 25, 2014

amoebicmagician said:
MD allows it, and I do it all the time.

I started plinking around with my buddy's beeman pellet rifle a few years ago, and was not too impressed with the accuracy...

So I decided to clean it and give her another shot.

So I gently cleaned out the rifling, which did not seem to have any lead stuck in it really, and then lubed her up.

The next time I brought her out she shot DEAD NUTS ACCURATE.

Not surprising. I have two 5mm Beeman airguns and they are both extremely accurate.

As near as I can tell the ballistol soaked into the seals allowing for a much tighter fit between gasket and piston, which I believe may have been leaking before.

After the first shot there was literally smoke or vapor wafting out of the muzzle and the report was MUCH louder than the previous times I shot the rifle.

This loud report is caused by 'dieseling', the burning of a petroleum based lubricant under the large amount of compression.

Dieseling raises pressures and will ultimately damage the air rifle. Spring piston airguns like this should NOT get petroleum based lubes for this reason. Get oil designed for spring piston guns.

So after jury-rigging a rail on there for a scope (finding out later that there was a proprietary dovetail on top of there that I took to be decorative) I found I could easily hit squirrel sized targets out to about 70 yards with the 4x scope I put on there.

So anyways, my buddy gave me the rifle as a birthday gift a few years ago, and now it has accounted for many a pest and small varmint, and even though I've bought pellet rifles since then, that one is still my favorite, and as far as I can tell the most accurate.

I used to have telephone pole about 50 yards from a window that attracted every starling that flew by. I'd roll them off the top of that thing almost every time, LOL.

As for shooting groundhogs with them, it is very hard to achieve a clean kill with the smaller calibers. .177s and 5mm require brain shots to stop them instantly, although lung shots will kill them in a minute or so. A .22 or .25 is better for larger stuff.

AlpineDude67 · Mar 25, 2014

You need to check the county/city rules wherever you plan to shoot. Basically, there are state level rules for firearms and those apply everywhere and would trump any local laws. But the same thing doesn't apply when you are dealing with air guns. There really aren't any state rules - so local rules apply. Some areas, like much of MoCo, ban their use. Most places are fine, but a few aren't - so make sure wherever you are is ok.

E.Shell · Mar 25, 2014

wilcam47 said:
I think chipmunks are federally protected...I could be wrong though.

Not sure how interested the feds are in this, but in Maryland, if it is NOT listed as a game animal or unprotected species, you may not harass it in any way.

Vrablic · Mar 29, 2014

If you are really interested in airguns you can shoot mine to give you examples

If you are really interested in airguns you can shoot mine to give you examples. Im looking for people to shoot with. I have multiple fill tanks also. I have a custom springer 48 fully tuned in 177 and a pcp 25 cal 24 inch barrel that shoots 60 grain cast bullets in mid 900's

bigalf said:
Hello Shooters:
Me and another Army buddy want to get into Pellet rifles. We have seen videos of hunting smaller game with them, like chipmunks, rabbits and groundhogs. Does Maryland allow pellet rifles for pest eradication? And does anyone have these pest that would like a few to be taken out from their property. I have shot a few ground hogs on a farm in VA because the farmer said their dens are dangerous to his cows. On that land we were using 22-250's and 7mm-rem mag. Over kill, but we just wanted to shoot at some greater distance.

54rndball · Mar 31, 2014

I have a Weihrauch HW30s in .177 cal. It is a very well-made spring piston air gun. All metal construction with the excellent, adjustable Rekord trigger. It is not cheap, but high quality. I have used it to bag mostly starlings and a few english sparrows. Once I dropped one off a telephone wire with a hold-over scope shot. Good shooting fun! It might work on squirrel with a head shot, but I haven't tried that. Go for the dome shaped pellets, not hp or wadcutters.

sxs · Apr 3, 2014

If you're interested in airguns to somehow circumvent firearms laws, be careful. For most intent and purposes the laws are the same as for cartridge firearms regarding hunting with them and, as someone else alluded, they might be covered by local laws since I don't think pre-emption always covers them. If you're just considering them for reduced noise, try a 22 with CCI CB caps. If your gun won't feed short CBs well, get the CCI Long CB Caps. They give you about 700 ft /sec with a 40 gr bullet and do a nice job on squirrels and rabbits. You hear just a little more than the firing pin falling when fired from a rifle. I once hunted squirrels with a buddy who used a Marlin 39 lever with CB caps. He loved hunting with them because the noise was so low, the squirrels would have trouble determining where a shot came from and he could often get a second shot without panicking the squirrel. CB's are WAY more quiet when shot through a rifle than most higher powered air-rifles. Another friend I knew was even able to shoot Long CBs from a Marlin Semi-auto. Short CBs, for him and his gun at least, would hang up the action (extract the brass but not clear the action causing jams), but long CBs wouldn't cycle enough to fully extract the brass from the chamber and he would just have to use the bolt handle to cycle the shells singly. FWIW, I think most air rifles and even full power 22's are very marginal on groundhogs IMHO. Groundhogs aside, I have a 22 cal Crossman 160 (purchased from cmp 20+ years ago) that drops rabbits very well and also does a good job on squirrels. I used Beeman or RWS pointed lead pellets. An old friend of mine was impressed with it when using it to clean bunnies out of his garden one year. His Crossman 760 pump would kill them, but they would occasionally run off or kick around...in other words, not a clean kill. My twin cylinder CO2 powered Crossman 160 took 'em readily out to about 30 or so yds. Nevertheless, if noise was my only real concern, I would use CB caps.

One more thing...not tryin' to bust your chops...but I don't see why you would want to shoot chipmunks unless they were somehow damaging something. They are not an invasive species, nor a game animal or even vermin...at least in usual sense of the term.

Maverick0313 · Apr 3, 2014

Will the pellet/air guns stop a muskrat?

Sundazes · Apr 3, 2014

Google "chipper dipper"

smdub · Apr 3, 2014

sxs said:
I have a 22 cal Crossman 160 (purchased from cmp 20+ years ago) that drops rabbits very well and also does a good job on squirrels.

FWIW, An old C160 (I also have one) can only manage about 600fps on a warm day. Modern .22s (esp PCPs) will about double that w/ 4x the energy. Great little gun. Not quiet.

Maverick0313 said:
Will the pellet/air guns stop a muskrat?

Airguns can take bear, bison, and other large game. Just depends on how big you want to go.
http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/

willy · Apr 3, 2014

There are plenty of starlings, which need thinning. I have an old 160 .22 that has the screw to increase FPS, love that gun. It just wont feed hollow points. I try to stick to invasive species. I have a hatsan 125 in .22 that destroys rabbits at 50-75 yards, but so will a rock from a slingshot.

My wife has 5 bird feeders and in the spring I'm on duty to keep the starlings out of the bluebird houses. I am passing the torch to my 10 year old.

I really prefer .17hmr for ground hogs. I get to hunt 600 acres, if I promise to come out this time of year and take out all the ground hogs and during the summer. Not a bad deal. We drive around in a Jeep and shoot out the window.

sxs · Apr 5, 2014

smdub said:
FWIW, An old C160 (I also have one) can only manage about 600fps on a warm day. Modern .22s (esp PCPs) will about double that w/ 4x the energy. Great little gun. Not quiet.

Airguns can take bear, bison, and other large game. Just depends on how big you want to go.
http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/

Never chronied any airgun...but I saw some reference when I looked into it once upon a time (Years back) that the 160 would shoot 650-700ft/sec and took it as gospel. It does seem significantly more powerful than most of the lesser expensive Crossman and Daisy Lineup which were most often kids toys.

I did find this after you comment prompted me to look around a bit : http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2012/08/crosmans-160-part-1/

It says the 160 gets about 600 - 656 ft/sec on a warm day (80F), All I know is, it will readily kill a rabbit or squirrel, and, yes! the darn this is very noisy! CBs through a 22 rifle are much quieter. Also, the thing is pretty darn accurate...except often the last shot or 2 or sometimes 3 as the CO2 cartridges are emptied. Did you get yours from CMP? I bought my first in a group buy from CMP for something like $25 back in the late 80's or early 90's. A few years later I came across one at a gun show for just $30 and picked it up. At this point I haven't shot them for at least 10 or more years. Once my kids were solid into cartridge guns, they would by far rather shoot a 22.

Blacksmith101 · Apr 5, 2014

Maverick0313 said:
Will the pellet/air guns stop a muskrat?

Here are some pictures of game taken with big bore air guns so I would say the right gun would take a muskrat.

http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/

rico903 · Apr 14, 2014

E.Shell said:
Not surprising. I have two 5mm Beeman airguns and they are both extremely accurate.This loud report is caused by 'dieseling', the burning of a petroleum based lubricant under the large amount of compression.

Dieseling raises pressures and will ultimately damage the air rifle. Spring piston airguns like this should NOT get petroleum based lubes for this reason. Get oil designed for spring piston guns.I used to have telephone pole about 50 yards from a window that attracted every starling that flew by. I'd roll them off the top of that thing almost every time, LOL.

Ballistol is not petroleum based.

rico903 · Apr 14, 2014

smdub said:
FWIW, An old C160 (I also have one) can only manage about 600fps on a warm day. Modern .22s (esp PCPs) will about double that w/ 4x the energy. Great little gun. Not quiet.

Airguns can take bear, bison, and other large game. Just depends on how big you want to go.
http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/

Steve-what's the material you put in the pellet stop box you showed me? Duct seal or something like it?

pest eradication

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