lamping

[ferretman121 1]

i have got a new air rifle and was just wondering would this be ok to use when lamping for rabbits? sorry if im being thick . also would a ordinary torch be okay to use or should i get a propper lamp (again sorry for being thick) thanks guy

[darren watson 14]

what rifle is it?, and no, i dont think a torch is strong enough to lamp with, unless you have super-eyes.

[ferretman121 1]

850 airmagnum? and the torches are powerful 1 is a 1 million candle power and the other is 5 million

[darren watson 14]

if the rifles full power it'll take whatever legal quarry. i just dont think a normal torch'll do the job, you'll need summat a bit more substantial.

[ferretman121 1]

sorry what do you mean by full power?

[ftm 3,357]

you will need a gun lamp or someone to hold a hand held lamp it takes a bit ov getting used to but can be very effective in the control ov rats and rabbits

[Rake aboot 4,929]

sorry what do you mean by full power?

 

The legal limit for a non FAC air rifle in the UK is 12 ft/lbs. This is measured with a device called a chronograph.

To be suitable for hunting a rifle really needs to be at the upper end of that scale and be putting out around 10.5 plus.

If you are unsure then please dont try and kill anything with it until you know.

 

You need to be confident with the gun and yourselves ability to place shot after shot in the kill zone on any quarry you aim at.

 

Now, to the main event ! you will not get many fans of Co2 guns for hunting on here.

The power delivery is not very stable and tends to drop off sharply and most(not all) fail to reach the power levels discussed above, you are aiming to kill animals so make sure you have the right tool to do the job.

 

As most will tell you (especially this week) I am no fan of budget guns that can`t make the grade BUT I know the Umarex is not a cheap gun,,,,unfortunately I have limited experience of CO2 guns, but have to say that the ones I`ve used were not up to it in my opinion.

 

Hope I don`t sound like I`m pissing on your chips too much, but really , make sure your happy with what you want to do as there is nothing worse than watching a rabbit limp away into the bush knowing it`s your fault,..

 

Other than that, welcome to THL and this IS the place for the best advice so stick around

 

ATB

[ftm 3,357]

have to agree mate dont shoot owt that you cant kill cleanly

[rossy08 33]

hi and welcome.

 

you gun should be produsing the right power, however as stated earlyer co2 is temperature tollerent so at this time of year may not be the best sorce of power for a lamping rifle.

 

ie,,

co2 guns of all types are designed for use in the temperatur range of 40'f-100,f or 5,c-38,c.

 

if the temp is lower than 5,c the gun will start to loose power,more power the colder it gets.

 

if like a lot of the lads on hear,of late you would be out lamping in up to minus 10.

 

this also means that if you have zeroed you rifle at normal temps say 15,c then you go out in the colder night time, you poi (point of impact) will have changed,due to the power of the gun changing.

 

and if you cant predict your poi thenyou should not be shooting at live animals.

 

sorry to rain on your parade there a little pal.

 

atb

Andy

[HEAD SHOT 1]

Not a ideal rifle for hunting,more of a plinking at cans rifle (sorry to say but true) and very expensive to run the co2 fills.

You can get air conversions for these but it would be probably cheaper to just buy a pcp or a springer.

If you can work out how many shots you get before the power decreases (co2 runs out) and hit a 2 quid sized target consistently then go for it.practice makes perfect,full power is not every thing,I have a few rifles set at 10ft/ibs and under that are super accurate and consistent.

Your problem is co2 with this rifle,there expensive too.You could of got a decent springer or budget pcp for the money.

 

If you can get a mount to mount the lamp to your scope and either have a hand bag or big pocket for the battery go for it,as long as you can see there ye reflection you can hit there head.Its all about the eye reflection with lamping and not the full lit up quarry.

 

Cheap maglite will work well as you dont have to carry a battery.

Edited February 4, 2011 by HEAD SHOT

[ferretman121 1]

thanks very much everyone for your advice it has been very appreciated