Air rifle for pest control

[BehindBlueI's]

I searched but all the threads seem old.

Let's say some hypothetical individual wished to shoot starlings out to about 20y through an open window and was hypothetically willing to spend up to maybe $150-ish, but less is fine as well.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022505576?pid=749306 Would this be a good option? What else is out there? I'd rather go with spring or pump then cartridges.

[OlongJohnson]

I've heard that if a hypothetical person ever wants to use such a thing to lay down squirrels, a .22 may do so more authoritatively.

[Dog Guy]

The spring powered guns are hard to get used to. I'm far from expert but the way you hold the gun and the tension into your shoulder is not the same as traditional rim fire or center fire. I read a lot about needing to use an "artillery hold" where you holed the gun loosely and allow it to move under recoil due to harmonics of the spring action. I bought a mid-level springer and have had a heck of a time getting accurate with it. I'm pretty good with pump air rifles so I can believe it's the funkiness of the springer that's crossing me up. I'm finally getting to the point that I'm comfortable with ethically shooting a living creature. Maybe the gun needed a lot of breaking in, or maybe I just suck less, or maybe I've learned how to handle the springer. Be sure to do you're homework on how to shoot it well.

[Maple Syrup Actual]

I know very little about what's out there but the Hatsan-made Winchester air rifles are excellent...I have a 1000x and it feels like a rifle, not a pellet gun. I find it very accurate and it would put starlings down like a hammer. It's done in much larger animals than that.

[rd62]

I searched but all the threads seem old.

Let's say some hypothetical individual wished to shoot starlings out to about 20y through an open window and was hypothetically willing to spend up to maybe $150-ish, but less is fine as well.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022505576?pid=749306 Would this be a good option? What else is out there? I'd rather go with spring or pump then cartridges.

Can't speak to this particular model but I have a very similar one under the Ruger label. Scope was POS. The rifle though is quite effective with its fiber optic iron sights.

I used a single shot .22 Benjamin multi-pump to great effect as a kid. Still have the rifle but I think the seals have dry rotted as it won't hold air anymore. It was the ticket for me at the time though. I put a crossman red dot on it in the day and that was handy.

[Clusterfrack]

Like this?

[flyrodr]

I had a Crosman pump-up .22 cal pellet rifle back in the 1950s-60s; think it was the Model 140. Best I recall, it was pretty accurate. I can remember laying waste to starlings, some less-evil birds, and the occasional squirrel that were picking clean my Granddad's cherry trees. In retrospect, I doubt if much of my shooting was at 20 yards, but I remember I could hit standing shotgun shells (empties) pretty regularly at a fair distance. No specific recommendation, but I'd think there would be plenty of satisfactory options in your price range.

[rd62]

Like this?

My brother had a Benjamin pistol similar to that. My Benjamin is a rifle. They've both laid waste to many a small critter.

[Clusterfrack]

The biggest rat I shot was a male that was fucking a female rat outside our bedroom. We could hear them squeaking. The problem was I shot the wrong rat. Dead rat’s girlfriend had a bunch of babies.

[Wendell]

You might like Ted's HoldOver