Rabbit hunting

[Rabbiter12...2 16]

Am looking to hunt rabbits at night +100yds. Any gun suggestions, (FAC air rifle/ rife)? how old do you have to be to get an fac? and is it worth getting a night vision scope add on or just stick to lamping?

thanks

Daniel

[philpot 4,927]

Hi Daniel and welcome aboard. Can I ask, how old are you and do you shoot at the moment and if so with what, air rifle, shotgun or shoot with someone else using their gear. It might help to understand what you do at present before offering any advice.

Phil

[Rabbiter12...2 16]

Age 14

sub 12ft-lb break barrel air rifle (Webley Excel) 

(have a shotgun license bun no shotguns in my name yet, my dad has a pump that I use with him)

Have done lamping with my uncles 17HMR with him

Do I need even need an fac or just stick to the current break barrel?

thanks a lot 

[philpot 4,927]

Well Daniel, it is open to debate whether  you need an fac rifle and perhaps you should join us in the 'Airguns' section as we have loads of very experienced guys who shoot rabbits with air rifles every week and in a number of cases, very large bags with sub 12 rifles.

Let us talk about an fac license first. You can apply for an fac ticket at 14 but you will need a parent to counter sign your application and you will need a seperate cabinet as your dad, I assume, doesn't have a ticket so any fac rifle you have must be locked and only you can get access. That is the law.  It is proberbly very unusual to have a young man like you whose dad is not already an fac ticket holder which makes it a bit more tricky and it would be well worth your while for you to phone your firearms officer to seek his / her advice.

This is the application form so you and your dad can have a look through.   https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/667450/Form_201_-_21_Nov_2017_-_PDF.pdf

 

Now before you kick the humble sub 12 air rifle into touch, I need to tell you that there are plenty of guys who shoot sub 12 rifles out to 70 mts with the right rifle and considerable experience. The springer air rifles in most cases need tuning in order to make them as accurate as they need to be as a hunting tool and I am not so sure you will get that from your air rifle which is another reason to come into the 'airguns' section where there will be better advice than I can offer because I am not a springer man at all, don't like them very much but.......................the right rifle, tuned, with loads of practice and well suited pellets, you would have a tool for the job.

100mts is a long way and whilst a few of us with fac air rifles shoot out to this and more are doing so with pcp rifles costing a heavy lump of money. A few of us use FX Impact  and Crown fac air rifles in fac costing upto £1800 before you add a scope or night vision so perhaps more than you have I am guessing. The answer is to get closer to the quarry rather than try for 100mts + which is down to learning everything about the land you are shooting and where you can lay in wait for them to come out. This is what most people do even with fac depending on the land and circumstances.

A tuned springer or a pcp rifle is a very capable tool to use against rabbits, rats, pigeons, crows and squirrels so it is perhaps better to have a think about if you really need to go the fac route and think again if you could afford to buy a better rifle than you have at the moment but having said that, there may well be some experienced guys on the other section that can advise if your gun can be tuned and how or suggest which springer would be better for you. If you go for a pcp rifle, there are loads to choose from which will offer you a great hunting gun.

One other point, you will pay a lot of money for an fac air rifle, as they are not cheap. Some people will tell you they are cheap to pick up but I have not found this to be the case.

 

Time to think and talk to dad about what to do next or over the coming months.

Good luck Daniel and hope to see you in the airgun section soon.

Phil

 

 

[Rabbiter12...2 16]

Thank you very much

i think you are right and I will stick to the air rifle, try to limit the range.

I will continue to lamp and maybe get a night vision attachment later

thanks again

daniel 

[David.evans 5,323]

Phil 

that’s a great bit of advice, and I would say thanks for putting the time in to reply in great detail 

atb mate 

[lllluke1 328]

What Philpot said