pellet gun recommendation

[juanbenae]

well to circle back on a few things here..

i did not hit the dam thing the other night and it's been back last night and again this morning. after setting up a target and trying to sight the pistol pellet gun in it was off way more than i thought or could compensate for. it's been put away until friend's kids come visit. maybe with their good eyesight and steady hands they can do more than i could with it.

so, it is definitely a gray tree squirrel after looking over photos of both them and ground squirrels. bummer is in doing research in CA the gray squirrel is considered a game animal and can not be "hunted" with a pellet gun and since that's the case it requires a hunting license. nothing about season was noted. it also said if you can prove one is doing property damage and get fish & game to buy in they can be trapped and relocated, but still not taken with a pellet gun. i get it in that maiming one causing it's slow death is cruel and understandable. funny thing was it was suggested they be hunted with a shotgun, but "one must endure a lot of shot in the meat" after doing so... haha! im betting the beverly hillbilly's are behind the need for this designation..

well with all that said this thing still needs to go and with that in mind i looked over the offerings from Gamo as Nick suggested. since i needed to go the 10 miles to town today i figured i stop by Big 5 and see what they had and all be dammed they had 3-4 different Gamo models. looked a couple over and got one for $140 bucks before tax. pretty solid unit and as Nick suggests VERY accurate. i did not even put the scope on it and took it out with some targets and in like a dozen shots it was pretty dialed in from 40'. my arch rival gray squirrel thus far has been open for a shot at <40' so it's gunna work for now and i hope to bag him soon. thanks for the heads up Nick i might have been skeptical had you not mentioned the brand. single pump too which is cool.

only bummer knowing what i know now about taking a gray im much more leery of pinching shots off at it with my neighbor's house being 100 yards or so away. he's a dick that has had run ins with the other 4-5 neighbors in the general vicinity over the years and everybody hates him. it's been a number of things from snitching on my dope growing neighbor (has a card and is legal to grow), to *****ing about stupid stuff, to just be very self centered. i have not had any major run ins with him to this point so i don't want fish & game rolling up to be the 1st... to this end im leaving use targets up in a couple prominent spots so if they roll up i can claim simply target shooting....

wish me luck on getting the lil basturd w/o having to meet the local game warden...

[juanbenae]

correction. i ended up with a hatsan .177 unit. they had gamos, and the one i looked at must have been mis tagged. very accurate none the less and ill see how it hold up. the reviews are pretty encouraging and the price was right.

[craigster59]

The only thing that sucks is you need at least 3 squirrels for a decent stew. Cliff probably has a great recipe, but you gotta braise it, don't let him talk you into "sous vide".

[cabmandone]

I should have added that I tend to use the Crossman Premier round tip "hollow point" pellets in mine. It seems to like them the best. I tried the ones with the pointed tip but they seemed to fly a bit erratic. I can't have erratic when the starlings are in the trees!

Glad you like the one you bought! I've had really good luck with mine. BTW, seems like a pic of the new varmint...err...target slayer is in order here man!

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by cabmando

I should have added that I tend to use the Crossman Premier round tip "hollow point" pellets in mine. It seems to like them the best. I tried the ones with the pointed tip but they seemed to fly a bit erratic. I can't have erratic when the starlings are in the trees!

Glad you like the one you bought! I've had really good luck with mine. BTW, seems like a pic of the new varmint...err...target slayer is in order here man!

im only posting the vermin i trap according to the rules & regs..... i recently found you can't hunt with a pellet gun...



in looking over the doc that came with the piece it explained the differing pellet characteristics when in flight and behavior when on the target. interesting stuff.

[cabmandone]

Who is hunting? It's self defense! "It was comin right at me! I had no choice"

[john70t]

https://breakthematrix.com/video-cowardly-and-cruel-maryland-deputy-shoots-and-kills-groundhog-running-toward-him/
A Maryland deputy was recorded on video shooting and killing a groundhog after it charged towards him

[vash]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

im only posting the vermin i trap according to the rules & regs..... i recently found you can't hunt with a pellet gun...



in looking over the doc that came with the piece it explained the differing pellet characteristics when in flight and behavior when on the target. interesting stuff.

that looks like a California Ground squirrel to me. and they climb trees great.

does it have a light tan "saddle" patern across the shoulders? i cant tell from that "died of natural causes" pic you posted.

[juanbenae]

that was a gopher from the turf area.

no sign of the gray that's been tormenting me since yesterday AM. must have heard i armed up...

to coax it back i swept it's mess on the patio up... every time ive swept it shows back up that evening or the next morning. it only works when the weather is cool early AM or late evening.

[Evans, Marv]

When you get it, skin it, clean it, and fry it up like chicken. I used to do that as a kid. Good eatin!

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

When you get it, skin it, clean it, and fry it up like chicken. I used to do that as a kid. Good eatin!

my american sportsman neighbor said the same thing. he suggested i wait until 9/14 when the gray squirrel season opens and he'd be right over to get it fir eatin...

[beatnavy]

In our area I think they recommend waiting until the first frost before hunting and eating squirrel. There's some parasite that squirrels can get (that you don't want) that goes away after that.

'Course if you're just huntin' 'em....

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

New Jersey administrative code stipulates that air guns, including pellet guns, constitute firearms and must be registered with the State Police. Using a pellet without registering it with the State Police is illegal. New Jersey State Police provides a form for voluntary registration of previously owned firearms which have been obtained legally (either under a previous law or in a different jurisdiction). People wishing to purchase a new gun must first obtain a license and permit to purchase one before registering the gun.

So registration is voluntary but using an unregistered one is illegal. Huh?

I think Murphy just signed some sort of order banning pellet/BB/air rifles sales in NJ? I don't recall exactly what he did but something making sales either illegal or near impossible.

[vash]

NJ is ridiculous. a red ryder BB gun is not a firearm. there isnt any "fire".

i wonder if you need to register slingshot and archery stuff.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by beatnavy

In our area I think they recommend waiting until the first frost before hunting and eating squirrel. There's some parasite that squirrels can get (that you don't want) that goes away after that.

'Course if you're just huntin' 'em....

i watched a documentary on amazon called the wild & wonderful whites of West Virginia produced by johnny knoxville about a local family that was white trash crazy interesting. interesting like a car wreck. white was the family's sir name and im pretty sure they would be immune to any parasite a squirrel would have...

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by vash

NJ is ridiculous. a red ryder BB gun is not a firearm. there isnt any "fire".

i wonder if you need to register slingshot and archery stuff.

Sure is. The good news is the magazine capacity restriction didn't hold up in Cali, maybe that now gets challenged here in NJ and other states.

Here is an even better one. We have all sorts of restrictions in NJ. 10 round magazines, No threaded barrels, No suppressors or flash hiders. No suppressor on a BB/pellet gun and same magazine capacity, 80% lowers/frames are prohibited. Toy guns cant be black, gray, silver, etc. and must have a red stripe painted on the side. You must apply for a permit for every hand gun you purchase and you can only purchase one hand gun every thirty days. But, move here from another state, you don't need to notify the state of the weapons you are brining in. I assume all the other laws still apply, but you could move here bring 100 hand guns with you and not need to notify or register them.

[juanbenae]

as cliff would say "poof gone"