Using Pellet Guns to kill Rats. Good idea or awesome idea?

[ares93]

Blah... Airsoft? Co2? Nothing beats the might of a P88 or an SSA, lads. That's a fact. The rats in my girlfriend's basement sure as hell learned their lesson.

Also, I realized I have to aim better next time. Filling holes in concrete is a tedious job.

 

[SeerSGB]

Blah... Airsoft? Co2? Nothing beats the might of a P88 or an SSA, lads. That's a fact. The rats in my girlfriend's basement sure as hell learned their lesson.

Also, I realized I have to aim better next time. Filling holes in concrete is a tedious job.

True. But when you're on a budget, married to a woman that's positively scared of guns, and don't want to f**k around with a permit*, Pellet guns are you go to.






* = I'm going for my Conceal-Carry this summer, just gotta free up the scratch for the pistol.

 

[Kemaiku]

Pellets also simply impart their kinetic energy to the body of the rodent or partially penetrate. Sure there's blood and the occassional internal body part lying around but less than you'd have with a mousetrap that slices them in two.

It's also less noisy in confined spaces, lighter to carry, no stray cartidges, no ricochet, no holes in the walls, no lethality to any other person present, cheaper, easier to maintain, etc etc etc

I have no desire to ever own a live gun, airsoft is all I need or want.

 

[ares93]

Good point. I might go for the pellet guns if they dare to return. Besides, using SAF ammo might not be such a good idea. If you use up too much, they'll start asking questions.

 

[Kemaiku]

Yeah, pellet guns can't be heard outside of your home, real bullets can. Which if you have concerned or easily frightened neighbours will just be a headache for you.

 

[Beef Squatthrust]

I dunno, but I wish I'd had a pellet gun when I found a mouse trapped in my sink the other day. Would've been quicker than drowning it.

I would have released it outside.

So it could just come back in and shit everywhere? Or end up being someone else's problem? They're vermin. If I find a mouse in my residence, it must die.

This is exactly how I feel. It forfeits it's right to live if it comes in my house. I have 2 cats, and they've caught a few mice in the basement, but they don't go in the attic. I've caught a few in the attic, never found any in the living area of the house I'm happy to say. Another enormous problem I have is with voles. They look a lot like mice, and burrow all over my yard. I've evicted a few of them with traps too... I hate rodents, except squirrels. They just live in their trees and are content to do so. If they ever come into my house, then we'll have an issue.

 

[SeerSGB]

Look at it this way: Good clean shot with a gun and quick death or the suffering of a snap trap on the neck or a dose of rat poison and a slow painful gasping death. At least with a gun the rodent has a chance to escape if it gets out of the line of fire fast enough.

 

[Dream]

Then I decided that the only way to make sure you are rid of them is to actually block all possible access points to the flat. So I spent two days on my hands and knees, stuffing all holes and crevices along the walls with steel wool. They can't chew through it and they stay away because its small steel strands can potentially hurt their eyes.
It took some time and a lot of hard work but I can now say that I haven't had a mouse in the apartment for months (knock on wood, cross fingers, etc.).

Yeah, that really works. I started doing that a few weeks ago too, blocking the mouse holes with steel wool and it has worked well. There has been much less rats running around the house. Now I just need to find out all the mouse holes and block them from ever going into the house.

I feel sorry for the people in New York that have to deal with rats all the time.

My air rifle only cost $45, so it was pretty cheap.

 

[Niorah]

^ London isn't much better off!

I will never allow a mouse or rat to live under the same roof as me, if anything because of health reasons. Which is also why I am hellbent on keeping the pigeons as far as possible too. The amount of diseases they carry is astounding.
As long as they stay outside and well away from the building I don't care, I won't go out of my way to kill an animal without good reason.