Thread: Recommended air rifle & scope for possum / rabbits

Yet just the other month I shot a possum out of tree 177 no issues.
In the past have shot possums up north with 22lr and had it take a swipe at me after it feel to the ground. Watched them circle down the tree after a twig got in way and deflected the shot slightly.
The fpe and accuracy of the shot are the deciding factors at the end of day. Knowing your gun and its limitations is essential for any kill. A 22lr is not a cure for bad shot placement, or ricochet of a twig.
I've also just taken out a possum with a low powered air pistol .22 because it was within a couple of meters very low in tree. The fpe at range was well high enough and the accuracy was to close to miss. Anything more would have required the 177 I'm using as I'm between 22 hunting rifles.
I77 is not a calabar I prefure for hunting, but because I understand the limitations of my air rifles 177 is not a calabar I'm scared to use and to good effect.

I can certainly recommend one of these if a springer is what your after. Perfect in .177 for feathers & deadly accurate to about 50m. As others have suggested, Dave is a wealth of knowledge & will help with what you need. The Niko Sterling on this one is all you need & very affordable.Zero has not moved after a full tin of pellets.

Originally Posted by SL600

I can certainly recommend one of these if a springer is what your after. Perfect in .177 for feathers & deadly accurate to about 50m. As others have suggested, Dave is a wealth of kAttachment 218981nowledge & will help with what you need. The Niko Sterling on this one is all you need & very affordable.Zero has not moved after a full tin of pellets.

Sorry, but what gun is that?

Originally Posted by mintjberry

Sorry, but what gun is that?

Weihrauch HW97K

Originally Posted by SL600

Weihrauch HW97K

Nice, but outside my price range

Having shot possums in the chest with 22LR hollow points and seen them still standing, I would agree that they are hard to kill.

My young fell has a stoeger .22 gas piston was under $400 for package
No issues with it at all shoots great and has got an impressive rabbit kill tally with longest kill on rabbit at 40 yards
For what you plan to use it for I would consider something like this

Shot placement is the key when hunting with airrifles. The distance at which you can reliably hit within a 2cm circle is your max distance for shooting at game or pest species. Good wind and range estimation are critical. For rabbits, hare, and probably possum, the best place to hit them is between the eye and the base of the ear. Birds like pigeon, crow, magpie can also be taken with heart-lung shots.