I've been recently considering the use of airguns for a survival/societal collapse situation as a method of hunting undetected, any thoughts?
Airguns for survival?
I've been recently considering the use of airguns for a survival/societal collapse situation as a method of hunting undetected, any thoughts?
Hello George, and welcome to our forum. With one post on your register, it is apparent that you didn't introduce yourself. Please go to the introduction thread and tell us a little about yourself.
Now on air guns. My opinion is that they would be good for small game gathering, and very stealth as long as you choose the supressed type air gun. But I would have something with a little more punch for personal defense. I have head of models that will take down a ferrel hog but getting an air charge on long stays in the wilderness would be much harder than simply carrying some standard ammo for a .22 magnum or a .223 rifle. I think a good old bolt action rifle is hard to beat in a survival situation but that's just my opinion!
However the kind you can pump up over and over again that use bbs at high fps or lead pellets are useful for birds and small game if you know where to shoot... I've used one myself and it's good for birds, squirrels, pack rats (not implying that I've ever used it on pack rats but I'm just saying)... An airgun that would take down a feral hog would be a freak production of the mad science industry. I don't see how you'd get enough power without a dive-tank full of air for every shot.
"Sometimes the best spear is the one you don't throw."
-Johnny Whitefeather, Self-Proclaimed Native American
"Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!"
-What you can usually hear when I try to demonstrate the above quote.
Well there is a video I think on Youtube where a guy shoots a hog DRT. I have a Benjamin pellet pistol that fits in my backpack nicely, and will put a squirrel right down. Pellet rifles are a very useful tool, and can be used to bring in food for survival, but my opinion is that if you are going to pack around something in the woods, it might as well be good for defense and game as well, and I would not want to trust a pellet rifle to defend myself. Most pellet rifles weigh in almost as heavy as a bolt action .22 rifle, and the .22 will definately bring in more meat and provide a fair amount of self defense if needed.Originally Posted by Mozartghost1791
Air guns have their place, mine are for BYBs......in the city, and do well on rabbits and such.
Short range, and are just about as noisy as a .22 'short".
So in my opinion better than nothing I suppose....just don't even think about self protection....some one with a real gun will ruin your day.
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And in a social collapse, you really need a gun with more range and knock down power than a pellet rifle!
Also consider a bow for undetected hunting, because your rate of fire will be better than many air-rifles, and your noise will be less than any firearm, while retaining some of the greater killing power. It may be harder to use on small game, but you can always use slingshots for those. The biggest reason I'd want a bow or slingshot over an air-rifle is that they are very mechanically simple in comparison, which means fewer small and irreplaceable parts to break.
I am to misbehave - Captain Mal
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, you aren't entitled to your own set of facts. - Anonymous
good thinking greatusername! I agree with ya!
”There's nothing glorious in dying. Anyone can do it.” ~Johnny Rotten
it depends, 1000 rounds of 17 cal pellets weigh about a pound. 500 rounds of 22 cb longs weigh about 3 pounds. Depends on what you plan on shooting. It sure wouldn't be a running and gunning gun but for small birds and mammals it could come in handy.
I like the idea of a pellet gun for small game gathering. BUT I like the .22 cal pellet guns best. And sometimes you can harvest the pellets from the game and use them again.
Thanks for the input, I have a makarov that I would be using for personal defense, I would never consider an airgun for that, I probably should have said that though. The point on taking along some .223 or .22 magnum is something I didn't really think about at first but since you brought it up I got to thinking about it and it would probably be really smart. I'll make sure I make a post in the introduction thread.
Just to perpetuate the endless feud: ".22 LR can be used for self-defense, it's all about shot placement!"
I am to misbehave - Captain Mal
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, you aren't entitled to your own set of facts. - Anonymous
I picked up a .22 cal Beeman pellet gun last year. Beautiful looking gun with a nice scope. I got it for shooting rats around the barn. Only problem is I didn't notice it has no sights on it, only a scope! Kind of useless since the rats only come out at night. It is great for small game though.
"If you're seeking to survive in the wilderness then good gear will get you to the last 10%. Training and practice are needed for the 90%."
"If you can see smoke comin from your neighbor's chimney, your too close to your neighbor and its time to move on" - My Grandfather
I agree with you on that oneJust to perpetuate the endless feud: ".22 LR can be used for self-defense, it's all about shot placement!"
I like the idea of a pellet gun for small game. Even though I recently got a .22 rifle, I'm still looking for a Benjamin pump pellet gun.
Klytus, I'm bored -- Emperor Ming
Nature is never boring -- various
FYI: that's a bit of a running joke/controversy here. Now, granted, a .22 rifle is superior to an airgun for self-defense, and would be my first choice for a bug-out weapon, because it is sufficient for everything, but it is also ideal for little other than quiet taking of small game with a low cost for ammo (both monetarily and weight-wise)
I am to misbehave - Captain Mal
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, you aren't entitled to your own set of facts. - Anonymous
Though its next to worthless for self defense a 66 powermaster (by crossman) pump up bb gun is dead accurate, quiet, and can take small game up to a squirrel.... You could get a lot of small bird/rat type animals with it and it holds about 200 bbs... each one capable of getting you a small food item. Though a slingshot is mechanically simpler, and it is possible to be accurate with it, I have had much less luck with a sling shot than I have with a 66 powermaster bb gun. Also, the capacity to carry huge amounts of ammo for next to indefinite hunting periods is useful. Mine has had a few problems with the pump mechanism but other than that still shoots bottle caps off a fence at 15 yards after 8 years of use. It also comes with a clip that lets you shoot .177 lead pellets to do more damage, but unfortunately I lost my clip after I got the gun and only got to use it once or twice. Without the clip it is impossible to shoot the .177 pellets.
"Sometimes the best spear is the one you don't throw."
-Johnny Whitefeather, Self-Proclaimed Native American
"Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!"
-What you can usually hear when I try to demonstrate the above quote.
The Primary Rule -- Ya uses what ya got.
While I have, in fact, been quite successful in "harvesting" small game - squirrels and such - with a one-pump (aka spring-loaded) pellet gun, I would much rather have a .22 rimfire rifle for this task. Having a .22 rimfire greatly expands the "target population" to include very many other animules.
The lesson here, for me anyway, is to maximize the effect of whatever you have on hand. And I recognize that this constitutes a rather significant logic leap. I have obviously sacrificed detail for brevity.
-- Nighteyes
I have found with most of my pellet rifles, that somehwere around 30 yards the wind and gravity takes over and it is almost impossible to bring down critters at that distance with a pellet rifle. So like I said before, if I am going to carry around a 5 pound rifle, it may as well be a .22 that I can reach out and touch something with!
I have a couple of the crosman rifles, and the one seems to be accurate out to 200 yards, but I haven't tried hunting with it at that distance, but it did penetrate drywall.
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