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Airgun Ballistics performance
Hello all, didn't know where to post this, so Moderators please help here if I am in the wrong place. Anyway, I have been having an ongoing battle with the squirrel population since we are trying to sell our current home and don't need the critters getting into our attic. I had to retire my venerable RWS model 45 after the third seal kit wore out (I can't tell you how many thousands of rounds that went through that one) I decided to break down and get a replacement. I went with RWS (after all, the first one lasted almost 30 years) and bought the model 350 combo kit complete w/ a 4 power scope. Sighting it in was interesting, as the scope mount itself is used in the sighting process, and the scope knobs are only used for fine tuning. After completing this step, the gun was superbly accurate, although the recoil was pretty stiff. I chose the .22 caliber model, and chronographed the pellets. They advertise 900+fps, which is possible with flyweight pellets, but I could get only marginal accuracy with those. I did chrono the pointed field pellets offered by RWS (810fps) and the Beeman silver jet (800fps) and the Beeman Crow magnum (750fps). Ironically the Crow Mags were the most accurate, and boy do they hit hard!
Anyway, today was the day I finally had some time to begin systematic genocide of the squirrel population. I managed to get 3 of the rodents today, and one was quite memorable. A neighbor of mine had a measuring tape, and we measured the shots at an even 25 yards from the base of the tree to where I was standing. The rodent in question was at least 35 feet up in the hickory tree, so mathematical experts can figure out exactly how far he was away. I popped him with the first round, and he just hung there. The first round went literally through his eyeball and was stuck in his opposing eye socket. The second round went into his guts and eviscerated him. The round penetrated all the way through and was just under his skin on his back. The next round hit pretty much the same area and was lodged in his opposite shoulder. He fell then, and I dug the slugs out of him before I turned him over to my cats for consumption. here are the photos:
In the first photo on the left, that was the round that I dug out of the eye socket. The second photo was the first gutshot. The third photo was the next chest shot that ended up in the rodents' shoulder. the last picture is of an unfired crow magnum pellet.
I was quite impressed with the performance of these rounds. They hit very hard and expand well, something you don't see very often in an airgun. Just thought I would share with everybody.....
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"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined". - Patrick Henry
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