ANY AIR RIFLE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO KILL COYOTES?

[Ron T.]

I live in a semi-suburban enviroment... and we have coyotes running through the yard, killing the local wildlife and chasing the local deer.

I have center-fire rifles that would kill coyotes, but they are too noisy to shoot in this area.  And some of the neighbors are "tree-hugging Bambi Lovers", if you know what I mean.

Are there any air rifles that are powerful & accurate enough to kill coyotes if fired at relatively close range (50 feet or less) using head or rib-cage hits?

1) How much noise do they make?

2) What caliber are they?

3) What is the weight & cost of their pellets/projectiles?

4) What is their muzzle velocity?

5) Do you pump them up several "strokes" for maximum power or do they get maximum power from a single stroke of their handles?

6) What is their approximate cost & quality of the rifles?

Thank you in advance for your help.  


Ron T.

[dave]

I think the first question must be this- How much are you willing to spend?  
Yes, there are air rifles that will kill a coyote, even some that will kill large game such as buffalo and elk. But they don't come cheap, usually several hundred dollars to start, and they need support equipment too. These guns use high pressure air as a power source, and are filled from a scuba tank. For a basic startup precharge gun and fill setup figure on at least $1000.  Some of these guns will propel .50 cal rounds or greater at over 700 fps. Most have some sort of noise suppressor also as they are much louder than a regular fire arm. Precharge or PCP guns are available in calibers from .177 to what ever you want, theres one guy who built a 20mm gun a while back. Thats about .71 cal in case you are wondering.
There are other types of airguns that you wouldn't want to use on a coyote too. Generally, most spring guns won't be up to it, and the few that are tend to be prohibitively expensive, many hundreds on dollars even on the used market. CO2 guns and pump-up pneumatics just don't make the kind of power you need. Using a low power small bore airgun on a coyote in an urban environment is asking for trouble.  A wounded coyote running around where theres a bunch of people could be bad news. You are probably better off with a .22 rim fire for what you want to do.

[Lawdog]

Go to http://www.glbarnes.com/ and http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/index.html to check out the rifles ‘dave’ talked about.  For the cheapest way to get into “BIG BORE” air rifles go to http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/show.pl?cmd_rifles=show_menu and click on the caliber of your choice, .35, .45 or .50.  But like ‘dave' said these ain’t cheap.  Lawdog
 

[Ron T.]

Thanx for the quick, detailed responses, guys...   :-)

Wow... I never realized "air guns" had that kind of "punch"... but when Dave wrote, "Most have some sort of noise suppressor also as they are much louder than a regular fire arm."... THAT is THE "deal-breaker"!  The cost is more than I'm willing to spend as well.

Ya see, "noise" is the biggest reason I'm unable to use my .222 varmint rifle, one of my other center-fire rifles or a 12 gauge with 00 or 000 buckshot on the song-dogs.

I thought about trying some of those "CB caps" (lightly-charged .22 rimfire cartridges) 'cause I know they're fairly "quiet"... but the thought of only wounding even a varmint like a coyote just doesn't "sit" well with me.  I guess I might have to put up with the little buggers... but they're sure "hard" on the local wildlife... including rabbits, birds and anything else they can catch.

The one redeeming quality they SEEM to have is that they apparently have a well-developed "taste" for "CAT"... 'cause every time they "cycle" through the area (about every 3-4 months), most of the neighborhood cats "disappear"... permanently!  And my 4 wild bird feeder's "customers" don't seem to mind that a bit.   :grin:

The brazen little "$hits" seem to know they're "safe"... 3 of 'em even tussled & played together on my long driveway in the snow last Winter in the "wee hours"... turning "on" my motion-detecting floodlights in the process.

I have to admit I kinda enjoyed watching them running & cavorting in the snow... they spent several minutes playfully wrestling & chasing each other like "puppies"... making the snow "fly" from their efforts.  From their similar size, I'd guess those three were litter-mates from the previous summer.

Anyway... thanx, guys... I 'preciate your quick responses. :wink:


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[ed1921]

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but around here suppressed weapons are available. You pay for the tax stamp from ATF, a couple hundred I think, a local application that takes a month or so & the weapon.
Of course that assumes you can safely & lawfully discharge a weapon where you are.

[ajshoots]

Get a Crossbow or Compound Bow. NO noise and very capable of killing a yote at 50yds if you are good enough with the bow. But, going this route means lots of practice to get good enough to use the bow effectively!

[John C-S]

You can avoid the loud PCP (pre compressed air thru scuba tank or high PSI hand pressure pump) with a Gas Ram Springer. I have loved Springers since my first Springer in 1970. One cock of the barrel and power all at once. The Gas Rams are the best. Theoben, Beeman (Crow Magnum) and Beeman (RX) are the silent dealers of high powered air without a compensator silencer (hard to get a silencer without spending what you would with a regular firearm). These Gas Rams do require about 60 lbs of effort to cock. But they will deliver the equivalent to any pre-charged LOUD airgun mentioned here. I have owned many airgun rifles but the two I have now are both Springers. One from Mexico in .177 (too small for coyote business) and the other a Theoben Eliminator in .20. The Eliminator will kill a coyote out to 50 yards with a Crossman Premier (CP). But that is because it is similar to a .22 short rimfire to that range. Aim for the brain for a kill on the spot. Aim for the heart or lungs for a kill after the coyote gets your attention and runs off to fold up within 100 yards somewhere away from your house.

[dave]

The Eliminator is the Beeman Crow Magnum IV, same gun, different name. It makes about 25 fpe with Crosman Premiers at the muzzle, and about 16fpe at 50 yards, no where near the power of a .22 rimfire unless its a CB cap or some other lower power subsonic round. The Theoben is also almost $1100. As far as air guns go it one of the most powerful spring type guns but its still not what you'd want to shoot a potentially dangerous animal with.
If you think its as powerfull as a big bore PCP you need to take a better look at just what these things can do. Some of the good ones make 10 times the muzzle energy of a C-M IV. Even the small bore .22 Sumatra can put out 54 fpe. And the 9mm Career, well, it'll shoot a 60 gr pellet at 700+, thats 65+ fpe. The Saver .44 Big Bore puts out 220+ fpe, and the DAQ .50 300+ fpe. The Theoben doesn't even compare to these high power precharge rifles.

[John C-S]

Explicated by our original writer is power and noise without silencers (usually illegal in my notes). So the writer wants to know if he can dispatch coyotes in silence and unobtrusive legal matters associated with firearms (whether silenced or not). If you have a Theoben with a scope (or Crow Magnum) and you sighted it in and became familiar with it you can shoot into the brain of a coyote. It has enough to do the job without all the extra noise and investment of a PCP. That was my point. However, if you feel underpowered with a .20 CP at over 700 fps at 50 yards, you are welcome to use a 30-30 or anything else you would be willing to shoot inside city limits legally.

[mjfa]

But they will deliver the equivalent to any pre-charged LOUD airgun mentioned here.

But that is because it is similar to a .22 short rimfire to that range.

This is just not true.

The Eliminator will kill a coyote out to 50 yards with a Crossman Premier (CP).
 
If you have a Theoben with a scope (or Crow Magnum) and you sighted it in and became familiar with it you can shoot into the brain of a coyote

And this is a dangerous proposition.

[dave]

Theres nothing illegal here. Most newer PCP rifles have suppressed or shrouded barrels, that is the barrels are designed with built in sound moderation. There are no real sound issues to deal with.
I have air rifles that are equivalent in power to the CM IV, and I certainly wouldn't want to chance a risky head shot on a coyote at 50 yards with one. At 50 yards 700 fps is a bit high, more like 550, not a real lot of energy there. At 15 or 20 yards, a hit that doesn't immediately drop a coyote may result in a dangerous situation for the shooter or anyone close by.

[John C-S]

The rifle will kill without excessive force or noise. If that is the objective.

[John C-S]

The rifle will kill without excessive force or noise. If that is the objective.

[John C-S]

Link into Straightshooters web for authorized ballistics on the .20 CP at 50 yards with a Crow Magnum or Theoben Eliminator and repeat your words above saying it is too high for your estimation.

[dave]

What is dangerous? A wounded coyote that feels you are a threat to it is dangerous. A hunter with a single shot rifle being attacked by that coyote has one weapon, in this case an $1100 club. Theres no way you'll get a second shot. The coyote may seem like a mild mannered scavenger that runs away from any percieved danger, but shoot one and get in its way and you'll see that it is a predator not unlike a wolf.

[dave]

I don't care too much for ballistic predictors and the like. I know what a .20 CP will do at that power and range, and its just not up to killing a coyote efficiently. Dangerous game is best left for high power fire arms. Low power spring guns should be reserved for rabbits, squirrels and the like.

[John C-S]

Is not dangerous. It is a varmint. It will kill young livestock. It will not be dangerous to you. This animal is not a bear. It will kill calves and ducks. What are you thinking here? The varmint cannot even deal with a German Shepard or Dane. Do you have any farm or ranch experience?

[dave]

Not dangerous? Thats a joke right? Theres plenty of coyotes around here, and make no mistake they are predators. They chase down deer and tear them apart for sport. If you think you think just one of them can't hurt you you are sadly mistaken. Even a small domestic dog can really tear up a human, what do you think an enraged 40 pound coyote can do? They are very smart, very strong and very fast.  The fact that it is called a varmint means nothing, and has nothing to do with how dangerous it is. In some midwest states a cougar is considered a varmint, so does that mean its also not a dangerous animal?
I fail to see what farm experience has to do with anything though. Coyotes don't live on farms do they? Around here they live in the woods and fields and near anywhere they can find food. The original poster lives in an urban environment, not on a farm. I've seen more than enough coyotes, and actually been stalked by a couple when turkey hunting. There was a pair of them living for a while not far from my back door, and they were regular afternoon visitors in the yard.  
Saying that a coyote can't hurt you and its ok to try kill one with a low power pellet gun is pretty irresponsible if you ask me. Lots of people read these forums, and if someone took your advice as absolute truth that person could end up getting hurt or even worse the wounded animal could attack someone else.

[Chris]

OK guys...we've pretty well whipped the hair off of this dog (coyote) haven't we?   :roll:


Time to move on...all right?   Thanks!

...Chris      

[Lawdog]

OK guys...we've pretty well whipped the hair off of this dog (coyote) haven't we?   :roll:


Time to move on...all right?   Thanks!

...Chris      

I agree it's starting to get deep in this thread.   :roll:   Lawdog
 

[John C-S]

Txs Lawdog for the conversation. Let sleeping dogs (coyotes!) lie?

[John C-S]

Txs Lawdog for the conversation. Let sleeping dogs (coyotes!) lie?