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Posted: 7/6/2016 2:27:32 AM EDT
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I'm looking for a rifle to use for mice, rats and gofers. I did see in a previous thread that the marauder seems to be highly recommended. My questions are:
What caliber would you suggest? What ammo to use? Other then the rifle do I need anything else(I did see in the product video it appeared to need a compressed or tank to fill)? |
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Quoted:
I'm looking for a rifle to use for mice, rats and gofers. I did see in a previous thread that the marauder seems to be highly recommended. My questions are: What caliber would you suggest? What ammo to use? Other then the rifle do I need anything else(I did see in the product video it appeared to need a compressed or tank to fill)? For critters that small, unless your rats are NY City Sewer, or wharf rats, the .177 is more than adequate. It is also a bit less expensive to shoot than the .22 or .25. The package deal with the Benjamin hand pump will get you started, but I would suggest that you get the Hill pump instead, although it is almost as much as a full size SCUBA tank. The advantage with the pump over the tank is that you do not have to make special trips to the local dive or paintball shop. The disadvantage is if you want to shoot a lot, pumping up while the game is hot is tiring and takes away from shot opportunities. SCUBA tanks are much heavier than carbon fiber SCBA tanks, but cost a lot less and do not have the 15 year life span. They also do not give your quite as many full pressure fills for you gun. If you go with a SCUBA tank, I'd recommend tuning the rifle for a lower fill pressure. Mine is tuned for about 2175 psi initial fill and I shoot down to 1750 psi, and I generally fill with a SCUBA tank. There are a lot of other PCP airguns which have much larger on-board air supplies, and which may be regulated. These will give you a lot more shots between fills, but take a lot more time pumping by hand. These, too, cost quite a bit more than the Marauder. However, the Marauder tends to be a lot better than it ought to be for the price. But, the higher end guns will generally shoot a lot more consistently out of the box. |
| If you want a PCP the Marauder is a fantastic gun. For back yard shooting a .177 is very hard to beat. Springers offer the advantage of not needing a tank, or fill source. The RWS line are good guns for backyard plinking. Scoped or open sights will both do the job. I had an RWS 48 in .177 and it preferred Crosman Premier 7.9gr and 10.2gr Premiers. For the small animals that you listed, I would use a hollow point (CrowMag) or PolyMag polymer tipped pellets. They will get the job done. |
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