Gamo pellet rifle for beaver

yoteblaster

Active member
I want to use my pellet rifle shooting 8 grain pellets at 800fps to shoot beaver on the river at max distance of 30 yards. I am wondering if it will have enough power to do the job. Reason for using the pellet rifle is the noise. I am sure there are some house along the river that might not like me shooting the beavers. (bunny huggers) I wold be shooting off the shore from a boat.
 
The best method is a trap. There is close to a 100% chance that after the shot the beaver will swim away, even if mortally wounded. Didn't the guy say, "use enough gun".
 
I doubt a pellet gun will get the job done, .22 at the very least is what you need! By the way, beavers do not float, they sink after dying! Dont expect to retreive the beaver after shooting it in the water!
 
I can't believe the new Gamo Ad showing hunting boar, coyote etc with an air gun. I know a brain shot is lethal but this is too much. There are alot of air pistols that look just like real pistols and air rifles that shoot like 22's but I would not make a TV Ad killing a boar with a 22 either.

A bow and arrow carp outfit mike work on the beavers if it is legal.
 
Ive killed woodchucks with my .22 cal Beeman rs3 on brain shots.

Beavers are bigger though, so it 50/50. But why take the chance of not killing it all the time. Its not ethical. If you cant use at least a .22lr or .22mag, then don't shoot them. I would try trapping if its allowed and your in season and have all the license and tags...

~Bryan

or get a big bore air gun /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I have killed coons with my gamo and while I really like it I would have used a 22 if at all possible but there were to many houses around. I dont think I would try a beaver unless it was right on top of you and then it would be iffy
 
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I want to use my pellet rifle shooting 8 grain pellets at 800fps to shoot beaver on the river at max distance of 30 yards. I am wondering if it will have enough power to do the job. Reason for using the pellet rifle is the noise. I am sure there are some house along the river that might not like me shooting the beavers. (bunny huggers) I wold be shooting off the shore from a boat.



Those itty bitty 8 grain pellets likely won't have the penetration necessary for a clean kill on a beaver.

A high powered PCP air rifle in .25, shooting heavy pellets, would be the minimum air power I would consider for that task.

Don't even get me started again on Scammo. Do a search for "Gamohog" if you want to hear my rant on their (in my opinion) false, and irresponsible advertising.
 
If it is legal to use, I recommend using a long barreled .22LR rifle, loaded with sub-sonic hollow points.

You can use a relatively "cheap" rifle but you must use a 28" barrel, if you can find one (try gun shows for many varieties of older rifles.

I also recommend fitting the rifle with a quality optical sight with low to no magnification and lighted aiming point (you cannot afford to miss and bounce a bullet on the water).

There will be very little muzzle report and no sonic crack and the accuracy will be pretty good.

Good luck,

Karl in Phoenix
 
I've killed some coons and armadillos with my CFX and Beeman Crow Magnum pellets. If you don't place the shot perfectly even a head shot won't humanely kill a coon. Beavers are really tough critters and a 22 short is the minimum for killing them and only then if you place the shot into the brain. The sub sonic 22 load would do the trick if you placed your shots well.
 
i shoot em with 22 shorts but they are stuck in traps and cant go anywhere so i dont know if they would get away. but they are deader than dead the instant that itty bitty bullet whacks em


Zach
 
You can shoot a beaver all you want with your pellet gun, it AINT GOING TO KILL IT. there skin is thicker then a boars hide then you have all that fat and muscle to get thru. it aint going to happen, you can shoot them with a 22 and they will laugh at you and swim away, shoot them with a 12ga and they do the same thing, your best bet is a #330 trap while in season. their brain is only the size of a pea or smaller an no one is accurate enough to put a pill dead on, on a swimming beaver. I know what I am talking about

I shot one once with #2 Steel out of a 12ga at less then 15 feet to watch it swim away /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angry-smiley-055.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif. I'll never shoot another one, theres better ways to kill one.

Don't know what state your in, but you better make sure its legal to do before you do it. I know here in Ohio, you have to have a special permit to take a beaver out of season, even if its causing damage, and they don't give out those permits to just anyone, even the ADC guys have to have a beaver permit to do Beaver ADC work. so check before you shoot, would hate to see you get in trouble over a beaver
 
I have shot them with a 22 in the past and it worked fine. I don't have the gun yet and I don't know what kind of killing power it would have but looks like not enough to kill a beaver.
 
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you're joking, right?



Were you responding to the original post, or my reply?

A high-powered .25 air rifle using the heavier projectiles is BETTER than a .22LR if it hits the spot. With the very heavy slugs (70+grains), the .25air retains more energy past 80+yards than your average .22LR rounds (and some of the hotter loadings), and inflict more damage due to the additional flat frontal surface of the larger .25 caliber.

A friend gets 130+fpe out of his .25air, shooting 70+grainers at over 900fps. That will surely go thru a Beaver's head, and likely it's heart/lungs as well. Though I wasn't aware their brains were "pee sized".

Though my .456 air rifle would be my first choice. Maybe the 9mmair for a second choice.

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I have shot them with a 22 in the past and it worked fine. I don't have the gun yet and I don't know what kind of killing power it would have but looks like not enough to kill a beaver.



Man, please. Anything but a Gamo. Crossman has some real nice options (not for Beaver, though).
 
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I bet more guys on here have got into trouble because of beaver than just about anything else. Beware the Beaver!

BTW: I have a .22cal pellet gun shooting 14g pellets right around 800fps. I've had quite a few starlings and grackles fly off leaving a puff of feathers and pigeons almost always do the same if it's not a head shot. I'm assuming the beavers will be a bit tougher.

peace.
unloaded
 
I really doubt it. I have shot beaver in my traps that didnt drown using a 22 pistol. I have had some I had to shoot 2 times. When I skinned them I was finding one of the bullets just under the skin against the skull. Beaver are tough.
 
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