The various varmints that get in my garden get a chance to learn the first time, then get a permanent solution the second time. First time around, I use a handloaded 12ga 2 3/4" shell loaded with 5grs of Unique, then a 8" lenght of Jute twine frayed into individual fibers and made into a ball and placed into the shell to act as a wad/seal, and then as many soft-air BBs as will fit in the shell and still allow the shell to be crimped. The maximum range is about 75yds, but it is so weak that it barely went through newspaper when I tried it at that range, and much of it bounced off, so I feel safe using this in my yard. Having said that, it stings, but doesn't kill at the 25-30yd max range I have to shoot across the yard to the garden. This load is also quieter than my pelletgun when fired out of my NEF 12ga 27.5" modified barrel.
When a permanent solution is required, I like a No4Mk1 Enfield chambered in .303 British. The load I use is 2.7 grs Unique pushing a 90gr Lee .314" SWC designed for the .32ACP, with no wadding or filler of any kind. This load, when fired through the 25" barrel on the standard Enfield sounds like .22 CB caps fired through my .22 rifle, but is much more effective. In fact, it has a tendency to overpenetrate on catus unwelcomus, possomus tresspassus, and squirrelius varmintus, so I only use this load when I am shooting from a raised platform, which just happened to mysteriously appear in my yard, allowing me to use the earth as a backstop.
I hope this helps. Just remember that the longer barrels of my chosen tools allow the pressures to drop which in turn decreases the noise signature, in essence allowing the firearm to act like it's own suppressor, just like a longer barreled .22 rifle is quieter firing CB caps than, say, a pistol. So if you choose to use these loads, the longer the barrel, the better for our purposes. And dont think it has to be an Enfield either. I have used the same load with several large cased, long barreled rifles like .30-06, .308, etc, .30-30 works also, but was louder in my 20" leveraction that the same load fired in a 25" Enfield, a 26" .30-06/.308, etc due to the smaller chamber/barrel volume on the .30-30 vs. the other rifles. Hope this helps someone, should you need this information.
