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effective range
- Thread starter gonpce
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As far away as you can reliably hit them. If it clears the bore with much gusto at all, it will kill a squirrel deader than fried chicken. Probably give a satisfying "plop" when it finds its target.
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I shoot that load a whole lot for snowshoe hare from a GPR. Group-wise, it's capable of head smacking at 50 yards, but my eyes are only about 35 yard shooters on such small targets these days. If you're talking about killing power in saying "effective range," it blows up bunny heads convincingly at 50 yards, and I bet it would still do it at 100 yards if you could connect.
The neat thing for me, I have the sights adjusted to put my deer load (80 grains of 3f Goex) right on at 75 yards, roughly 1" high at 50 and more or less right on at 25. With that sight-in, the 30 grain load is right on at 25 yards and around an inch low at 50. How can I argue with that. And all I have to do is swap powder measures to move from deer to bunnies.
The neat thing for me, I have the sights adjusted to put my deer load (80 grains of 3f Goex) right on at 75 yards, roughly 1" high at 50 and more or less right on at 25. With that sight-in, the 30 grain load is right on at 25 yards and around an inch low at 50. How can I argue with that. And all I have to do is swap powder measures to move from deer to bunnies.
That's a bit less than I use as a "squib" load and, if you can hit them, that combination would kill small critters to 75 yards and likely further.
Set a 1/2" thick piece of plywood out and shoot at it from longer and longer ranges until it stops the ball. You'll be surprised.
Set a 1/2" thick piece of plywood out and shoot at it from longer and longer ranges until it stops the ball. You'll be surprised.
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Stumpkiller said:
Good suggestion!
Though I bet even 1/4" is too thick as a measure of real effectiveness. My standard vel .177 air rifle won't penetrate 1/2" ply at even 25 feet, yet it completely penetrated a snowshoe head at a lasered and witnessed 43 yards.
hanshi
Cannon
Even at the very limits of the ball's ability to stay in the air it will at least stun a small critter long enough for you to dispatch it if it's not already done for.
I remember back in the far, foggy days of my childhood I had a BB pistol that was a weak and pathetic shooter at best. Held parallel with the ground the BB dropped to the earth at about 10 yards. I shot at a bird once far past that range just on a lark (no pun intended). I guess I held the pistol up and close to a 45 degree angle. I could see the BB as it arced and came down on top of the bird's head. The bird fell off the bush unconscious. I ran and gathered him up and using my fingertip could feel a tiny knot on his skull. It didn't even break the skin. The bird came to a bit later and was released apparently no worse for the experience.
I remember back in the far, foggy days of my childhood I had a BB pistol that was a weak and pathetic shooter at best. Held parallel with the ground the BB dropped to the earth at about 10 yards. I shot at a bird once far past that range just on a lark (no pun intended). I guess I held the pistol up and close to a 45 degree angle. I could see the BB as it arced and came down on top of the bird's head. The bird fell off the bush unconscious. I ran and gathered him up and using my fingertip could feel a tiny knot on his skull. It didn't even break the skin. The bird came to a bit later and was released apparently no worse for the experience.
hanshi
Cannon
Hey, guys, I never expected to hit it as I lobbed the BB like a mortar. But I'll never forget the feel of that teeny, tiny little knot on that bird's noggin. Haven't been flagged for it yet.
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That confirms it doesn't take a whale of a lot to anchor small game with noggin hits. The trick is hitting, whether an effective group size or sighting to account for loopy trajectories.
Having nothing to do with the original topic but inspired by Hanshi's head shot, I gotta tell a quick one too:
Four of us were working cows and jumped a coyote at about 200 yards. I pulled out my semi-auto 223 with the 30 round clip and opened up from the saddle. Missed clean, but kept pulling the trigger and correcting by the dust pops as the coyote lit out.
I was near the bottom of the clip and holding about 100' ahead and 15' over when he suddenly rolled and piled up.
It took 5 minutes to ride over there on horseback, and we found the entry was in the top of his head, coming out low in the jaw!
The funniest part is the young hand riding with us said "Man, I gotta have a rifle like THAT!"
Yup, got myself a genuine 1200 yard coyote gun. :rotf:
Having nothing to do with the original topic but inspired by Hanshi's head shot, I gotta tell a quick one too:
Four of us were working cows and jumped a coyote at about 200 yards. I pulled out my semi-auto 223 with the 30 round clip and opened up from the saddle. Missed clean, but kept pulling the trigger and correcting by the dust pops as the coyote lit out.
I was near the bottom of the clip and holding about 100' ahead and 15' over when he suddenly rolled and piled up.
It took 5 minutes to ride over there on horseback, and we found the entry was in the top of his head, coming out low in the jaw!
The funniest part is the young hand riding with us said "Man, I gotta have a rifle like THAT!"
Yup, got myself a genuine 1200 yard coyote gun. :rotf:
