 
Another rat falls to the 177
Still there was no way I would use one on rabbits. I still longed for a 22 version. If only I had a 22 full length S10BB. My life would be complete. I would never ever want for anything ever again and I’d be the happiest man alive.
Someone upstairs must have heard me. I found an absolute gem of a gun in 22, I came about some spare cash and I was asked if I could go and clear some rabbits. That’s what I call timing. So then there were two.
I can only shoot one at a time, but I take both with me. Usually I go up the rabbit fields first, do a couple of hours and then return to the barns for some rat action.
That was the plan of action the day Mr Allen, came up to assist me with some pictures and if there was time, get a bit of shooting action in.
Once we arrived at the shoot, I decided that the best plan of action was to show Mr Allen around the shoot. We wandered around the corner, where I had built a hide, as I pointing out where the rats hung out. I had been up at the shoot most of the day by now and there was still bait lying on the ground from earlier on in the day. As if to highlight that point a rat was refuelling himself on one of the baited areas.
“why did you place the hide there ?” Asked Mr Allen.
“well basically it gives me two areas to focus on, there’s one there under that trough, and the area up there, where the main action is, Its baited in three places where the rats run through openings, to get under the big trough. From the hide cos they cant see me, it slows them up enough on the open ground for me to shoot them”
“Do you know how far that is?” quizzed Mr Allen, I think he actually knew and was just checking to see if I did. As I have already said I cant judge distances.
“20,25 yards “? I answered, I had no idea, in my eyes it’s just that far. Out came a range finder and Mr Allen laughed.
“Close” he said, “its 40 yards to the first patch of bait and nearer 58 yards to the last one”
Ok, I don’t actually know I just shoot them there and it seems to work.
And that just it, it worked. I take numerous rats from there and just get on with it. If someone said I want you to make a really difficult shot, drop a rat at 58 yards. I’d probably never hit it. Say something like that and I couldn’t hit a cow with a banjo. But without knowing I was shooting at greater distances. I’m not saying it’s the calibre. It’s been more necessity at the shoot. The building of a new cowshed, meant I couldn’t sit where I used to as it’s full with cows and pooh. The rats had got wiser, my presence meaning not so many of them went back alive. So I have to spot them and scope them much further out these days. It just all happened whilst I shot the 177.
As if to prove the point a rat darted out on the furthest point and I scoped him up fast. I was mid conversation and his head was in my scope. I start the pull on the trigger, it reached the biting point of no return where you make the choice of ease or squeeze. Squeeze,
No sooner as I do that, ratty lifts its head and is off. The pellet slams the bait where his head was. A whisp of milled grain dust curls up signalling the miss.
You can’t compensate for chaos.
We wander up the track as I continue the guided tour. To make up for the miss I spied a rat behind some gates leaning against a wall. Rifle up, scoped up, thud. The pellet slams home, with a satisfying thunk and a squeak.. Then I hear it hit the dirt on the other side. I watch the rat make it a few paces and keel over dead in a place where I cant get to him. That I had found happened quite a bit at closer ranges with the 177. It was brilliant at the longer stuff with them steaming straight over, but closer in, the pellet would regularly exit and hit dirt on the otherside. The rats wouldn’t drop instantly but would make a break for it before they realised they were actually dead and rolled over. Mr Allen noticed too, it look like overkill at close range with 177 on the legal limit
I’m guessing, but I think this is why:
-Any calibre pellet has more power at a closer range.
-Because it’s smaller, on contact there is less to slow a 177 down, less surface = less resistance.
-So because there is more power and less to slow it down it goes through
-If something goes though something it creates less of a shockwave then if it stops. A lack of thump. If you punch through a board you make a hole in it. If you slap it with a hand you wont make a hole, but the force will generally knock it over.
Meaning that at close ranges with the 177 there is not enough of a shockwave to knock the rat over. At the longer distances the pellet had slowed, so when it hits there wasn’t as much power, and it stops creating a thump. 22 is a bigger pellet, so it meets more resistance on contact and that helps it stop giving it more thump at a closer range I think. Still with me cos that’s the physics bit over I think. Oh dear now I’ve entered into the never-ending debate. Oooops.
Of course pellet shape, size, weight, and what they are made off are all going to play factors. I would expect that a lighter more super duper streamlined minimal drag 22 pellet would perform more like a .177 and like wise a hefty house brick that goes splat on impact 177 more like a 22. Thing is, today with all the technological advances, everyone knows of someone who shoots 22 in the target field and gets better results then someone using 177 or someone who can drop woolly mammoths at 60 yards with 177 headshots. Its not some dark art, its more a case of getting used to your gun and how it shoots. A simple thing like changing pellet type completely changes the way a gun shoots no matter what calibre. Something I found out last weekend when I used some different pellets for a change. After 3 missed shots I went back to my usual brand and was smack on the money again. When I run out of the usual brand I’ll try a tin of the others and re-zero first.
So I guess I have decided on what colour I’m pinning to the mast. Its magnolia. It’s a good neutral colour and that’s what I feel best sums it all up. The only answer I can find to what’s best is. . . . . they are both the same. Yes the pellets do behave differently from each other but modern kit minimise those differences. I suspect that it would be a lot different with open sighted springers. But today’s gear levels the arena. A zero’d gun on brand x pellets at 40 yards is a zero’d gun on brand x pellets at 40 yards no matter what calibre or what you shoot. So I’m going to go with know your kit, know your gun, the pellets you use and your capabilities. What is best, will be what feels the best for you. I use both and I can quite happily say that I shoot whatever gun floats my boat at that time (usually the one that’s on the top in the back of the Land Rover) with no problems and no noticeable differences in the field.
Oh and yes I do use the 177 on rabbits .
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