Are rats tough

[pieinthesky]

I have never shot rats before but I have a friend who has a rat problem in her chicken run and asked me if I could shoot them.

I set up at 7pm and they started coming out at 8pm. I shot 3, each time it took half an hour before they came out again.

The range was 12m which is my secondary zero, I was aiming at the chest area and am pretty certain I hit all three. At that range I couldnt miss

Two of them jumped then ran off, the third flipped on its back twitching and squeeled for a few seconds then turned over and ran off!

When I got home I set up a target at the same range and the rifle was OK.

Are they normally this tough?

[Chastiser]

what were you shooting them with? an air rifle i presume, but what calibre? .177 may not have enough stopping power as indeed rats are tough little critters.

[scrubber]

Yes, very tough critters !!!! When I used to shoot them, I aimed for head shots only (not easy I will admit ) : that did the business. One shot, one kill (or a lot of misses )

[MeetTheGeeks]

You cant kill them with 1.77 unless your standing on them. .22 is the better option mate, hit them in the chest area and they will jump but die a few seconds afterwards. They are tough, like squirrels....

[Gordo-uk]

Tough and clever, I have them blocking the sewer pipe so they can feed........ I think they will be around after I'm gone

[Leeroy37]

If it's a .177 use head shots also wat pellets are you using? You want to release all the energy into the rat not just go right through it try flat heads I used to use rws hobby's in .22 for close range rats. A farmer I knew used to put his pellets in backwards at very close range not something I'd try though lol

Lee

[zorro]

Head shots, .22

[Leeroy37]

Idea rat and crow round gotta be a .17 hmr defo get no runners!!

[Leeroy37]

Head shots, .22

+1

[parbajtor]

What pellets are you using? And what rifle? Hollow points deliver a full whack, as do the heavier pellets.
Target pellets may be too light for the job. http://www.gunmart.net/accessories_r...nting_pellets/
When you say chest area, are you referring to the bit directly between the front legs?
Heart and lungs are slightly lower down the body than expected and a front on
chest shot right between the paws is likely to hit the clavicle or top of the sternum.
You want to be aiming for what on humans would be around the solar plexus.
http://bclee.net/skeleton.html centre mass of the first floating rib.
Or just shoot them in the brain box.

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...3095426AAvaeVw
http://www.viriato.net/airgunning/hunting/sr.html

[sarj]

What pellets are you using? And what rifle? Hollow points deliver a full whack, as do the heavier pellets.
Target pellets may be too light for the job. http://www.gunmart.net/accessories_r...nting_pellets/
When you say chest area, are you referring to the bit directly between the front legs?
Heart and lungs are slightly lower down the body than expected and a front on
chest shot right between the paws is likely to hit the clavicle or top of the sternum.
You want to be aiming for what on humans would be around the solar plexus.
http://bclee.net/skeleton.html centre mass of the first floating rib.
Or just shoot them in the brain box.

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...3095426AAvaeVw
http://www.viriato.net/airgunning/hunting/sr.html

yes it's always good to know the anatomy of your prey

[John56]

Head shots, .22

+1
Whilst rats are vermin, like every other creature you shoot they deserve a quick clean death. A .22 in the head (not face) is a pretty sure kill, hitting them in the body is not. Even with a head shot I usually put a 2nd pellet into them just to make sure. I've never hunted them with a .177 and don't intend to so I cannot comment.

One thing I will say is that a rats nervous system can keep them moving for some time even when dead. I was sitting in a trailer shooting rats that were feeding on a handful of corn I had placed on one of their runs about 15 yards away. I had already shot 5 or 6 from that position when I hit another in the side of the head. This one rolled over and ended up facing towards me but still twitching so as usual I put another pellet right into the centre of it's forehead and the damned thing leapt 3 feet into the air and ran off!!!!! I'm certain it was dead after the first shot, it just didn't know it.

[mr doyle]

Spent my weekends pest controlling farms when I was a lad.
20p a crow and 30p a rat. Used a Weirach HW80 in 22 with no scope and it done the job. Later fitted an Ox spring (which basically turned my air rifle into a firearm) and the rats kind of went splat. Used Diablo and Titan pellets, not sure if you can still get them. Then I got two terriers and made a lot more money..
Almost forgot, my mate used a Diana 52 in .77 and he had not bother. Again he used Titan pellets which had a steel tip.

[ANDYLASER]

I used to use a pump action .410 as a ratty gun.

[zorro]

The trauma of a heavy pellet delivered to the head will usually break the spinal chord in the neck, job done.