.177 or .22 for me?

[Loki_762]

I have been seriously considering a high powered pellet rifle for dealing with pests around my house.  Living on the edge of a greenbelt, there is plenty of critters out there that are not welcome in our yard, and I need a means of keeping them out.  Most of what I would be shooting at could be taken with a .177 moving at about 1000 FPS, I would imagine - things like rabbits, crows, and starlings.  However, within the last few weeks, the raccoons have begun to get pretty bold, and have even gone so far as to come up on to our deck in the middle of the night.  We have cats, and we really don't want them getting torn up by raccoons.  So, my question is this:  will a .22 be a better gun for me, in case I have to shoot a raccoon, or will a .177 suffice?  I am thinking of getting the larger caliber, thinking that I want it to be able to humanely kill ANY of the animals it hits, if I do my part right.  Also, can anyone recommend an air rifle that they feel is a good value and good quality for the price that is under the $200 mark?  
Thanks for any advice you can give me,
Loki

[Lawdog]

Loki,

If noise is a problem then the higher in velocity you go the louder the crack is going to be as you approach the speed of sound.  A powerful .177 will kill a raccoon if you hit it right and the range isn’t too far.  A .22 caliber is better for hunting though as it hits harder.  As for a pellet rifle for under $200.00 then I would go to Compasseco, Inc. at http://www.compasseco.com/shop/products.html?maingroup=Tech%20Force%20Air%20Guns&secondgroup=Air%20Rifles and check out the model 25, 97 or 99M in either .177 or .22 caliber.  I recommend the 99M.  Very powerful and very accurate.  I have one in .22 caliber that I use for Turkey hunting.  So far to date it has taken 5 nice Tom Turkey's.  Lawdog
 

[Loki_762]

Thanks for the reply, Lawdog.  I have been eyeballing the Tech Force 99 for a while, but haven't been sure if it was good or not.  What kind of scope would you recommend for it?
Thanks,
Loki

[Lawdog]

Thanks for the reply, Lawdog.  I have been eyeballing the Tech Force 99 for a while, but haven't been sure if it was good or not.  What kind of scope would you recommend for it?
Thanks,
Loki

I would mount the Leapers Model SCP3-M3124AOMD - a 3-12x 44mm with 30mm tube on the 99M(http://www.leapers.com/pages/airgun%20sport/airgun%20scope.htm).  Reason is it will give you room for loading the pellets in the chamber.  This is what I am mounting on mine.  I had a BSA 3-12x 44mm - Model AS312x44 - on it but with my big fingers I had a bit of trouble loading pellets at times.  The Leapers scope is only 10.6" long where the BSA is over 2" longer.  The BSA is a good scope but a bit too long on the 97 or 99.  Lawdog