Garden protection .22 Air rifle

[pjstevko]

Alexis's garden has been under attack from all sorts of critters and after having to replace 2 dozen plants over the last few weeks she gave me the permission to take action.  I bought a high pressure nitrogen powered Umarex Komplete NCR in .22 caliber.

https://www.umarexusa.com/umarex-komplete-ncr-22-pcp-air-rifle-2251558

The gun came with a cheap scope which had bad reviews so I bought an upgraded scope to help with my bad eyesight. It isn't the best but for sniping squirrels at 30-50yrds it'll do just fine.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/centerpoint-4-16x40-ao-rifle-scope-illuminated-tag-style-reticle-1?a=5790

I spent half an hour today and zeroed in the scope at 33yrds and got quarter sized groups which is plenty good for the intended targets.

1 hour after getting the setup dailed in I got my first kill at around 40 yards.

It's a fun little setup...

[JasonGotaProblem]

I hate squirrels almost as much as I hate pelicans. Looks like your garden is too big to cage in. So projectile based defense is probably your best bet.

[Brewcrafter]

Looks like a fun piece of hardware, and until now I did not know N2 cartridges were even a thing!  Seems like a good idea; are they a manufacturer specific item or is this a common thing that I just didn't know about? - john

[Keta]

Nice.

[Swami805]

Check out the squirrelanator. It's a flat trap that can catch multiple squirrels, best I've done is 3 in a day. Works like a charm. It comes with a tub you fill with water and drop the trap in.  Not as rewarding as plugging them buts works when you're not around

[pjstevko]

Looks like a fun piece of hardware, and until now I did not know N2 cartridges were even a thing!  Seems like a good idea; are they a manufacturer specific item or is this a common thing that I just didn't know about? - john

John I'm not active in the air gun community so I'm not to sure how long N2 cartridges have been a thing.  I think it's a relatively new product and Umarex is the only one using it. It is more stable than CO2 meaning it can be used in both hot and cold weather. You get 40-50 shots per N2 cartridge so it's not exactly cheap but it's a more economical way to get into the PCP air gun realm.

Check out the squirrelanator. It's a flat trap that can catch multiple squirrels, best I've done is 3 in a day. Works like a charm. It comes with a tub you fill with water and drop the trap in.  Not as rewarding as plugging them buts works when you're not around

Sheridan we looked at that option but Alexis didn't like the way you had to finish the job. She doesn't want to see the final outcome plus plugging them allowed me to get a fun new toy!

[Swami805]

Yeah I get that, it's pretty brutal. We have our front patio that's red brick set on sand so it permeable, those suckers tunneled under it and it was collapsing. It went to a zero tolerance policy. We have a huge park above us which is a breeding ground that funnels them into our neighborhood looking for food. One weekend resetting all that brick was enough for me to lose any compation for those things

[jgp12000]

I got a BSA Supersport .22 pellet rifle @ 800fps,its a squirrel slayer.The
One cock is nice but not very stealthy.I like the looks & the
Operation of your new rifle.I have more than enough .22 rifles
If I had room in my safe that is tempting...

[oc1]

I hope the nitrogen cannister system is better than the old CO2 cannisters.  With CO2 t was impossible to get consistent results as the gas pressure changed.  I switched to a pump-up Benjamine twenty-five years ago but it is showing its age now so I'm always on the look-out for something better at a price I can afford.  This might be it.

[pjstevko]

I hope the nitrogen cannister system is better than the old CO2 cannisters.  With CO2 t was impossible to get consistent results as the gas pressure changed.  I switched to a pump-up Benjamine twenty-five years ago but it is showing its age now so I'm always on the look-out for something better at a price I can afford.  This might be it.

This rifle has a regulator at 1800 pds and gets 40-50 highly consistent high pressure shots before the fps starts dropping off.  Shooting until the cartridges are empty gives you over 60 shots. The cartridges are about $10-12 each costing each shot around .25 cents at 45 shots/cartridge. I know for an air rifle
that's pricy but this setup has a lot of advantages for me.

Someone has made an adapter so you can use a refillable air tank used on some pcp rifles but for the limited time I'll use this I'll stick with the N2 cartridges. If you wanted to shoot alot I'd look into a different model pcp but your cost will go way up. 

[Mjg378]

 

[Swami805]

How long can you leave an open cartridge in the gun before damaging the seals? I bought a couple cheap BB pistols for my grandsons, it says to not leave the cartridge open more than a few days

[pjstevko]

How long can you leave an open cartridge in the gun before damaging the seals? I bought a couple cheap BB pistols for my grandsons, it says to not leave the cartridge open more than a few days

Reviews state it can be left in for months which is nice considering the price per cartridge. The gun also came with a spare seal. The biggest thing to remember is to tighten the degassing screw before putting a new cartridge in.

[Bill B]

Nice when the missus let's you indulge  . I shot a Benjamin Sheridan .20 cal for years.  It needs a rebuild now. 

[pjstevko]

I hate squirrels almost as much as I hate pelicans. Looks like your garden is too big to cage in. So projectile based defense is probably your best bet.

The garden is fenced to keep the large animals out but the squirrels go right through....