Best Air Rifle Rabbit Hunting Guide

The best air rifle for hunting rabbits is the dream of all men, especially for people who do not want to get a gun license. Since this type of pellet gun is driven by air, the effective range is not very high, which mean stealth and skill is necessary as a trade-off. That is why airgun hunting is a challenging and engaging sport, yet much more fun and rewarded.

All you need is a great pellet rifle, some good hunting gears and a hunting field. Remember to check local air gun laws before doing anything.

Choose The Best Pellet Gun For The Hunt

It is obvious that that you will need a good pellet rifle. You need have an air rifle that has enough power and accuracy to kill the target, or you will waste both of your time and the game. There are many best pellet rifle and gun reviews which worth reading, however the term “best air rifle” is a personal thing. Read and choose the pellet gun that suits you best. Read the tips to choose the most suitable airgun here: Click to read

Air Rifle Scope And Pellets

Most scopes that come with the airguns from the purchase are only suitable for target shooting. You should buy another good pellet gun scope for hunting. The best air rifle scope for hunting is the one that have the magnification setting ranges from 3-9. This combination will allow you to check the field with lower power settings and switch to higher setting for the final shot.

It is essential to choose a suitable type of pellet for hunting. Most hunters will agree that round headed pellets (also called domed head pellets) are great for all-around shooting because of their aerodynamic properties. In hunting, they give great knock-out power which help you have more chance to get the kills. It is not necessarily to buy the top-notch pellets, but make sure to buy proper ones. Benjamin Marauder Pre-Charged Pneumatic Air Rifle is one of the best versatile one.

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Perfecting Your Aim And Shooting Skill

It is important that you practice your aim before going rabbit shooting, and this is mostly the main factor you will need. Even equipped with heavenly equipment, unskilled shooters can only come back empty-hand most of the time. Of course good tools give you advantage but without proper aim, you earns nothing. That is said, go practice before engage in real situation.

Before you even think about shooting at a live animal, it is essential that your practice your aim. The best way to do it is to print or buy a target.

–> Buy a good target here.

Find a place that is at least 50 feet away from a road for practicing. Be extremely careful: make sure there is no one around your training field.

It is best to put the shooting target at floor high and to shot it lying down to get the rabbits easier. Begin with the target about 30 yards away because this is the best shooting range. You can move further away when your aiming is improved. When will you be able to hun? Once you are capable of hitting the center of your target 5 times in a row from 30 yards (groups of 5), you are a hunter now.

Hunting gears

A good set of camouflage is very useful while hunting rabbit with pellet rifle. Another important factor when stalking rabbit is clothing. You should choose the type of hunting clothes that are both durable and blend in the environment, even rabbits do not have good eyesight. The camo color of the clothing will help break up your “human shape” and make the rabbits less cautious. It is a recommended to cover up all of your skin and face by wearing gloves, hood or hat. If possible, camouflaged your exposed skin, too. In short, cover all of your exposed skin except a small slit for the eyes.

Remember that rabbit have good hearing (just you see, their ears are not for show). Choose the type of clothing that does not make rattling or crisp shuffling sound. Most water proof clothing was covered in wax or sort of plastic outer which are noisy. It is best to go with something soft and comfortable, for instance, like cotton.

The last thing to be considered is smell. A neutral smell is good. A muddy, dirty and smelly hunting clothe is ok, too. Just do not perfumed yourself with deodorant or soap before going air rifle hunting. Also, do not wash your clothes unless you really have to. If you do, make sure to air dry them so the soap smell goes off completely.

Journey On The Field

If all things are set up, it is time to go hunting. You have your airgun, calibers, gears and a good aim. You have to find a field with bunnies and ask the land owner’s permission first. The best time for air rifle hunting is in the late afternoon (when rabbits feed) and a few hours before sunset.

You should already know the approximate position of the rabbits. You can use your scope or if possible, a binoculars to check the area. If you spot a prey, it is time to play the hunter game. Check wind blow and try to move upwind side, even if it takes longer to the chosen place. This action will cover your scent and reduce the noise you make.

As you enter a decent range, get onto the ground and crawl slowly using your elbows and knees. A careful, steady and silent approach is the best way to get close to rabbits in order to make an accurate shot. Be patient, slowly and carefully approach the tasty bunnies. Do not crawl around hedgerows or under trees because you will snap dried twigs and crush leafs.

The best shooting distance for pellet gun is around 30 yards. Once you enter this range, move very slow, hold onto the air rifle and be ready for a shot. Do not stiffen your body. Instead, relax and focus on the shot. Zoom your scope, aim for the spot just behind the eyes, between the eyes on the front (or between the ears from the back). Yes, you are aiming for the brain. Once you are ready, pull the trigger to take your shot. Normally, the best pellet gun shot would kill the prey instantly. However if the impact is not enough, finish it with a second shot or with a knife. Once the bunny is downed, rush over to the animal to do a finish blow if necessary. Sounds brutal but it is one of the most humane way to catch the rabbits without any suffering.

If you are unable to find a chance to shoot or fail to approach to the bunny, it is possible to find their holes wait for them to get out. This is a slower and less fun method, but it can help you catch a bunny. It is better than nothing! Keep calm and happy air rifle hunting!

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The Four Best Pellet Guns For Pleasant Shooting

It is important to understand that the advertised high velocity does not make the gun the best pellet gun; there are many factors that are more important. These factors decide the overall quality of the pellet gun, not just the velocity alone.

Most of the things that new gun user think of are actually incorrect due to misleading advertisement. For example, an air rifle that fires at 1600 fps with .177 calibers is not likely a good one if it is hard to cock, loud, and inaccurate.

Another thing to know is that as a pellet reaches the sound barrier (about 1080 fps), the air around it becomes very turbulent, which reduces accuracy. Experienced air-gunners prefer their air rifles to shoot at 900 fps or lower. Many Olympic shooters loves to shoot at 560 fps.

So what do you need to know to choose the best air rifle for yourself? Firstly first, you need to make all that recoil perform with the artillery hold. It means that you hold the gun loosely while keeping your aim. The next thing is shooting and see if the pellets came with the gun group or not. If they do not group, it is necessary to get heavier ones to see which type suits your air gun best. Of course, you need the right gun, and the four top airguns could do on the range and in the field are the Air Venturi Bronco, the Benjamin Trail NP XL1500, the RWS Model 48 and the Benjamin Marauder.

Four Best Pellet Guns For Pleasant Shooting

1. Air Venturi Bronco Air Rifle Review

Air Venturi Bronco Air Rifle Review

The Bronco is a little slow for hunting but it’s great for target shooting, equipped with a crisp 2-pound, 2-stage trigger. It is easy to cock (around 18 lbs force) and relatively quiet. The Bronco is very accurate in short range shooting. The 10.65-grain H&N Baracuda Match ammo and the Tech Force 4×32 scope are good accessories for this air gin. You can fire many shots in a nickel at 12 yards with a little experience with this great pellet rifle.

Pros

The trigger is great and the wood stock is well made. The quality sights and an automatic safety make this air rifle a great bargain.

Cons

Some shooters think the stock is not powerful enough for game.

Where to buy?

You can get it at Amazon with a great price.

–> Get it here. <–

Main features

  • .177 caliber
  • Break-barrel, spring-piston single-shot
  • 6.5 lb.
  • Up to 600 fps
  • Adjustable open sights with 7/16″ dovetail for scope

2. Benjamin Trail NP XL1500 Pellet Gun Review

This air gun is driven by nitro-piston (NP) which reduces noise and recoil compared with ordinary steel spring. The 1500 number refers to its maximum velocity with light pellets. You do not need to concern about that, because with heavier lead pellets, this pellet gun actually shoot very great. The gun has a bull barrel and an ambidextrous thumbhole stock. The trigger is a little hard to cock but its famous accuracy and power on small game make a trade-off. My best groups using 10.5-grain Crosman Premier Ultra Magnum pellets are five shots inside a nickel at 25 yards. The trigger is set at around 3.4 pounds force.

Pros

Strong and accuracy for squirrels and pests.

Cons

It is quite heavy and hefty (10 pounds with scope) and the safety control is not automatic.

Where to buy

This high performance pellet gun is perfect for plinkers and small game hunters. You can read more about this air gun.

Click here to read more about it.

Main features

  • .177 caliber
  • Break-barrel, nitro-piston single-shot
  • 8.5 lb. without scope, 10 lbs with scope
  • Up to 1500 fps

3. Diana RWS 48 Air Rifle Review

Diana RWS 48 Air Rifle

This air gun is loved buy many serious shooters. This is one of the best pellet guns with lots of potentials. The 48 cocks through a side lever, which is more versatile than a break-barrel cocking mechanism. This is a good advantage for hunting small games. The excellent TO6 trigger is fully adjustable. This air rifle is best used with 14.3-grain Crosman Premiers for maximum effectiveness.

Pros

Good looking and well balanced, this is the best air rifle for small games and varmints.

Cons

Everything has two sides, and this pellet rifle is no exception. The slanting barrels are not appreaciated and the scope mounts are abysmal.

Where to buy?

You can explore this air gun’s impressive capabilities more. There is an excellent review about it.

Read the review here.

Main features

  • .22 caliber
  • Side-lever, spring-piston ­single-shot
  • 8.5 lb.
  • Up to 900 fps
  • Adjustable open sights with a 7/16″ dovetail for scope

4. Benjamin Marauder Pre-Charged Pneumatic Pellet Rifle Quick Review

This is the best air gun for me. This Benjamin product is proudly made in the USA and it is a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air gun. You do not to cock this one but fill its air reservoir to around 3,000 psi instead. It shoots quietly and insanely strong. An air rifle scope CenterPoint 3–9x40mm scope is suggested for this beast. Personally love to shoot at pressures between 1900 and 2300 psi, resulting in a quarter-size groups using 27.8-grain Benjamin .25 ammo at the distance of 50 yards.

Pros

This is absolutely an excellent air rifle with a 2-stage, match trigger. Some users who owned this air gun claim that it can take down even Lynx.

Cons

The magazine is not included, and this air gun require a break time to get it real smooth.

It is also a little pricy, but you get what you pay for. I recommend buying it at Amazon, since you can utilize their Prime 30 days unconditional money back warranty.

Where to buy:

You may want to read more about this great airgun before take your wallet. Read the full review here.

Main features

  • .25 caliber
  • Bolt-action PCP
  • 8 lb.
  • Up to 900 fps
  • No sights, 7/16″ dovetail for scope

Eager for a game? Read more about hunting with airguns here.

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Most Powerful Air Rifle Shooting Tips

The most powerful air rifle is the one do the job cleanly and accurately, therefore follow the tips below for the best result. Keep calm and aim well! Air rifles are pretty easy to fire, however it is more rewarding if you do it right. These tips are applied for both beginners and advanced shooters for the best result with a pellet gun.

1. Remember to choose a rifle that fits you physically. Both length and weight of the air rifle are important. The best fit pellet rifle is the one that you can comfortably hold it stable at ninety degrees to your body without the need of resting it on anything.

–> See our Comparison Table to choose a suitable air rifle

 

most powerful pellet gun

The most powerful air rifle is the one that fits you well.

2. A good method for home sighting is to bore-sight it. A break barrel air rifle is recommended to practice this move. First, break the barrel just a little until you can see down the barrel and look down it, and then aim at a fixed target. Remember that never look down from the end of the barrel since it is possible to cause eye injury. Once you have decided and aimed at your target through the barrel look through the sights and line them up with the same thing while keeping the barrel aimed at the target. You may want to see some more pictures about brake and barrel in this Hatsan 95 Air Rifle.

3. Try to push the stock into your right shoulder to see if it feels comfortable or not. If you are left-handed and find this position uncomfortable, just buy the left-handed rifles to suit your need.

4. Lay your dominant hand on the grip and your fingers are still kept off the trigger at this time.

5. Measure the distance from your shoulder to the grip and place your other hand under the body of the rifle with the same distance forward. Do not place your hand on the barrel.

6. You do not have to move your eye down to the rifle but you can hold the rifle across your body instead. This position makes you stand side-on to the target which enables you to sight along the barrel just by slightly leaning your head. This is the most controlling air rifle shooting position.

7. When sight on your target, remember to read the rifle’s manual to understand how to use its specific sight. Normally you will see at the closest end sit a small, notched piece of metal a vertical stick (stand alone or within a ring) on the end of the barrel. This popular type of sight is used as follow: first, you must line your air rifle up to adjust your target point into the centre of the notch. After that you have to bring the barrel up to make the stick fill the notch with the top of the stick on par with the top of the notch. Some new types of good pellet rifles have two red dots on the side closest to you and a green dot at the end of the barrel. Actually, the steps are the same. Repeat the last steps the same way of using notched sight. So in short: Back sight, front sight, and target.

The most powerful air rifle tip for sighting

Follow the most effective air rifle tips for sighting to make a perfect aim.

8. As you hold your air rifle, breathe in deeply. The pellet gun should rise slightly as you do so. At this time keep the sights lined up then breathe out very slowly and smoothly. As the rifle gradually sinks down, the sight will slowly come down and soon meet your target. As the sight reaches the spot you are aiming at, gently squeeze the trigger and BANG!

9. Calculate where the shot hit the target. No sight will be perfect for the first try, so just adjust. If it landed too high, aim a little lower. If it landed over to the right, aim for left a little. You will quickly learn where and how to sight well at first shot with your experience. Learn by your mind and body alike.

10. Keep practicing to polish your skill. Every time you see someone make a great shot, it is not a miracle but it is the result of honing skills. Practice makes perfect – as the old saying said.

most powerful air guns

There is no secret in precise shooting. Practice makes perfect!

The steps above are parts of the most powerful air rifle shooting correct position. If you are new to pellet gun shooting, they are good tips to develop your skills. Even experienced shooters can use this guide to solve their problems such as sighting or simply how to place the correct stance. The best air rifle is the one serve you best, go check our store to find out what you need.

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