SAN JOSE, Calif. —
A man in Northern California has been charged with using a pellet gun to shoot people at random, including a 15-year-old girl who suffered a collapsed lung and a fractured rib, authorities said.
You left this one out: An Anaheim resident linked to some of the BB-gun shootings that terrorized drivers on Southern California freeways in 2021 pleaded guilty on Monday, Aug. 8, to three felony charges and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
I remember some years back of hearing that petty thieves would drive by and shoot out car windows with higher power spring cocking pellet rifles and taking off quickly, later coming back to see if anyone had noticed. If no evidence from car owner, the thief would let themselves in and steal the radio and/or any other items of value.
Spring powered air rifles are higher power pellet rifles and extremely quiet. I keep a couple of them for vermin control and foraging potential tool. Sometimes more appropriate than a rimfire and being a non powder firearm, often legal to shoot inside city limits.
My rifle kicks a .177 pellet at 1200fps, and is extremely accurate. Vermin control on steroids. Using it against people should be treated the same as using a firearm. It will kill.
I have one made by Gamo, pretty good, but the scope is plastic barrel so the lenses tend to loosen up. Some are available with adjustable trigger, I recommend it. The spring type are also called break-barrel. Squirrals dont like me much anymore. daddy-o
Try some CCI CB Shorts in your .22 rifle. They are as quiet as a pellet rifle, and provide a consistent velocity and trajectory. One shot squirrel kills to about 75 yards if you aren’t a shaky old man…
Hi Mr. Lane. I have the LCS Air Arms SK-19 .25 caliber. Can shoot 19 pellets in about 2-3 seconds on auto close to 1000 FPS. I bought it to kill groundhogs as I live in a small suburban city and you cant legally shoot firearms. I like it a lot and have killed 4 groundhogs this year.
I have a Hatsan .22 caliber spring air rifle. A break open with a suppressor. With a heavier pellet, it will is absolutely lethal, even with a muzzle velocity of less than 1000 fps, and quiet. One must consider this: even a .177 caliber pellet rifle will emit a loud 'crack' when firing over 1100 fps. How quiet did you want to be?
Suppressor is a good idea, even if your pellet is supersonic. Hunting air rifles can be as loud as a .22 short. I have found fixed barrel air rifles more accurate over time than break barrels, YMMV. Pellets drop rapidly over distance, so an elevated sight line like a scope can cause problems as the pellet rises to the line of the sighting cross and then drops away from it. Knowing your distance is important. I use an old RWS Diana in .177, at 1100 FPS, accurate but loud. Tgere are many good rifles in the $200 to $400 range. John in Indy
There is some danger here, if they decide it *can* be transfered to a firearm. Some air rifles come with built in suppressors, and they are always permanently afixed.
You left this one out: An Anaheim resident linked to some of the BB-gun shootings that terrorized drivers on Southern California freeways in 2021 pleaded guilty on Monday, Aug. 8, to three felony charges and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
ReplyDeleteI remember some years back of hearing that petty thieves would drive by and shoot out car windows with higher power spring cocking pellet rifles and taking off quickly, later coming back to see if anyone had noticed. If no evidence from car owner, the thief would let themselves in and steal the radio and/or any other items of value.
ReplyDeleteSpring powered air rifles are higher power pellet rifles and extremely quiet. I keep a couple of them for vermin control and foraging potential tool. Sometimes more appropriate than a rimfire and being a non powder firearm, often legal to shoot inside city limits.
My rifle kicks a .177 pellet at 1200fps, and is extremely accurate. Vermin control on steroids. Using it against people should be treated the same as using a firearm. It will kill.
ReplyDeleteWhat make and model? I'm in the market for one.
DeleteMe too.
DeleteI have one made by Gamo, pretty good, but the scope is plastic barrel so the lenses tend to loosen up. Some are available with adjustable trigger, I recommend it. The spring type are also called break-barrel.
DeleteSquirrals dont like me much anymore.
daddy-o
Try some CCI CB Shorts in your .22 rifle. They are as quiet as a pellet rifle, and provide a consistent velocity and trajectory. One shot squirrel kills to about 75 yards if you aren’t a shaky old man…
DeleteDidn't even think of shorts. Thanks.
DeleteHi Mr. Lane. I have the LCS Air Arms SK-19 .25 caliber. Can shoot 19 pellets in about 2-3 seconds on auto close to 1000 FPS. I bought it to kill groundhogs as I live in a small suburban city and you cant legally shoot firearms. I like it a lot and have killed 4 groundhogs this year.
Deletehttp://www.lcsairarms.com/
Check out the Gamo 10 shot repeaters. Wife and I both have one.
Deletehttps://www.gamo.com/en/air-rifles/multishot-en-2/
https://www.fox21online.com/2022/08/09/duluth-police-man-randomly-shot-in-neck-by-apparent-bb-gun-after-fireworks-show-july-8/
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why this story made the news up here, since it happened over a month ago with no action taken...
I have a Hatsan .22 caliber spring air rifle. A break open with a suppressor. With a heavier pellet, it will is absolutely lethal, even with a muzzle velocity of less than 1000 fps, and quiet.
ReplyDeleteOne must consider this: even a .177 caliber pellet rifle will emit a loud 'crack' when firing over 1100 fps. How quiet did you want to be?
Suppressor is a good idea, even if your pellet is supersonic. Hunting air rifles can be as loud as a .22 short. I have found fixed barrel air rifles more accurate over time than break barrels, YMMV.
ReplyDeletePellets drop rapidly over distance, so an elevated sight line like a scope can cause problems as the pellet rises to the line of the sighting cross and then drops away from it. Knowing your distance is important.
I use an old RWS Diana in .177, at 1100 FPS, accurate but loud. Tgere are many good rifles in the $200 to $400 range.
John in Indy
IANAL, if you use a suppressor with an air rifle, my understanding is you do not need a stamp since the air rifle is not a firearm.
DeleteThere is some danger here, if they decide it *can* be transfered to a firearm. Some air rifles come with built in suppressors, and they are always permanently afixed.
Delete