Rat trap

Usually we simply shoot the rats but in some places that's not possible. Poison can work effectively and in the past we have used products such as Slaymor

However from a conservation point of view putting this stuff down isn't always desirable (and sometimes they seem to be immune to it anyway!)

At one of our recent sites we have noticed some water voles. These are in decline in the UK and whilst have similar features to rats are no where near as prevalent and don't seem to cause the same problems. 

Shooting at night here we have been careful to identify our targets, however there are so many rats that another method is needed. 

This is a live capture trap designed specifically for rats. Should any other non pest get trapped, it will be released. Otherwise dispatch will be with a close range air pistol. 

It is essential that a trap is checked everyday and is in fact against the law not to. It may surprise some to learn that it is also illegal to release a pest species once caught; you must humanely kill it. Releasing a pest in another area is not allowed and would cause issues. 

At the same time it's important that your trapped pest must be dealt with humanely, drowning etc is not allowed. 

https://basc.org. Have excellent advice on this. 

Will report back on what we end up with. 

Scope upgrades

We upgraded our scopes today! 

Whilst I have been hesitant to do so, getting great results with my BSA essential, it was time to try something different. We both had a go with a variety of scopes at the range before deciding on which one to go for. 

I fitted my Evanix sniper K with a an Optisan 4-12 first focal scope whilst 'sniper gnome' has gone for a Hawke sidewinder. Two very different scopes but both with excellent optics

First focal plane scopes keep the same relationship between the lines or Mildots position and the target position, regardless of zooming between ranges.
However, there is a disadvantage to this: with a variable power scope the reticule will increase in size so that on the highest magnification, the reticule may be too thick and completely cover a smaller target. 

With second focal plane scopes, the reticule is positioned on the eyepiece end of the scope, and remains the same size at any setting. This means you have to learn the compensation for a pellets for each magnification setting, however, the crosshair does not enlarge and cover too much of the target

After zeroing our new toys we headed out to the farm with our Nitesites attached to see what rats could be had. (Or should I say after getting the team to do it for us...lazy as we are) 

We have been hitting the rat population really quite hard recently and tonight was no exception. 

This one was not getting away!

Our new optics made a real difference. The clarity on them is so much better and having side wheel parralax means you can really focus in on the target area. Both of us are very pleased with our choices of scopes. 

Shooting in the grain barns means we try and clear up as much as we can. After dropping several, it was head torches on to retrieve the bodies. A large 'unfriendly' rat came straight at me, and as I was not carrying my pistol tonight was quickly dispatched using a 2x4 wooden plank within arms reach! Unusually this one was not going to run away as they tend to! 

A total of 48 were dealt with tonight using Crosman Pirahna pellets and JSB exact Diablos. This is a new record for us!

It is well worth coming down to the range and testing out different scopes to see which one will suit you best. There's such a variety to choose from these days and in all budgets. 

Team effort

Had a group out on the rats tonight all armed with various airguns equipped with Nitesite vipers.

A quick check on our zeros at the shooting range. 

This is a Kral bullpup, with synthetic stock and BSA 3-9x50 Essential scope. For hunting it also has a Deben sound moderator, makes it a bit longer but well worth having (nice and light as well)

A quick feed of the birds to get them settled before we began shooting. Someone likes the newly hatched chicks, but they are getting bigger now

If anyone wants some cockerels, we do have some that need homing (as pets not for the pot!)

We settled in at the chicken coops and were soon knocking them over using Crosman Piranha pellets and Predator Polymags.

It's quite a difference using these Nitesite systems compared to a red light, for one thing you can relax and scan with both eyes open, so much easier than looking down a scope. With the infrared system you can see everything like it's daylight and the rats can't see the light at all. 

Camping chairs all round! Lazy shooting maybe but we have been out almost every night this week and it's quite nice to be stationary for once (bit like going fishing) 

The bullpup is a really light airgun and good for standing/kneeling shots. A total of 20 rats taken out tonight before we headed for home. 

The Kral bullpup is available to hire on the shooting range if you want to try it out and as it gets darker there will be opportunities to try out the Nitesites as well. See our website for details at www.diffcal.co.uk

Hunter chicken

Headed up to our chicken coops this evening for a bit of ratting. Forgot to take an SD card though so my Nitesite Rtek had to be used without recording.

Still using the Crosman Piranha pellets in .22, 'sniper gnome' had a go with them as well and found that his aim off had to be a couple of Mildots higher than when using his standard JSB Diablo exacts. 

We have been very pleased with the results these pellets are getting, although they don't seem particularly stable in flight after 25 yards (we generally shoot out to 30/40). 

We took down 14 rats tonight, and during our tidy up were helped by one of the hens who took great delight in running round with a dead one! Link here:  

 

https://youtu.be/acl8wcUD1yo

Lots of big spiders in the coops as well!

Air Rifles and rats

www.diffcal.co.uk

Myself and 'Sniper Gnome' have been out almost every night this week on pest control at a variety of locations. SG is very pleased tonight as he won the lottery; although I don't think £5.20 is going to get him far in getting a new gun.... maybe we should set up a gofundme page or something... still he seems happy enough with his 15 year old BSA Superten having just had our gunsmith reseal and tune it. Our SKAN Chronograph has it running at an average of 11.2ftlbs, more than enough.

We both use Nitesite Vipers, with my new one being the RTEK version with the integrated recording. As requested by some people, here are the highlights of tonights shoot. A lot of these shots were standing up and these things move fast and are very hard to hit at times. It being a farm, bait doesn't really appeal to these rats as there is plenty of food about.

A total of 17 on Friday and 36 on Saturday! We are really hitting them hard at the moment as poisons don't seem to be doing much this year. Pellets this week have been the JSB Diablos and the Crosman Pirhanas both of which do an excellent job.

At some point in the near future we will be running some basic pest control courses; a bit of work in our 'classroom' and on the shooting range, and then out for few hours rat shoot. These will be open to anyone once we have the details worked out. Keep an eye on our facebook page.

Rabbit and Fox

www.diffcal.co.uk

Using my new Nitesite Viper Rtek again. There's a real benefit to using one to identify quarry in the dark. Tonight's target pests were rats and rabbits using our air rifles, when this happened.... 

This is a huge vixen! She will be left alone as she isn't causing any problems and in fact will help keep the rats and rabbit population in check. Watched her for quite some time, nice to see the wildlife this week at the various places we get to go to. I'm not surprised the rabbit legged it!

As a side note, sub-12ftlbs air rifles are absolutely not suitable for taking out problem foxes, you really do need a shotgun or firearm to ensure a humane kill. (it's not legal and an injured fox will become a problem...). 

Nitesite Rtek

www.diffcal.co.uk

Nitesites

We have been big fans of the Nitesite range for a while now and have been using their basic systems out in the field with excellent results. Recently I have managed to 'aquire' the new RTEK version which has an integrated recording system (micro SD card) and a wi-fi hotspot with mobile app.

The new model has some nice features which set it apart from the standard. Having used the standard for a long time now it is a definite improvement.

First of all, the new camera has it's focus on the outside of the case. Before you would have to remove the camera from the scope and play with it until you got it set just right (although once done it was fine). The new dial means you can set it up on the fly, which is handy if (like me) you use a variety of different guns and scopes.

The screen now has a dimming function which is nice as the only control the old one has is to turn the IR up or down, On full this can be a bit blinding in the pitch black, so it's good to have this feature.

The main upgrade is the recording function. The old one needed an external DVR of some sort which added to the kit you might need to carry, so this integrated system is worthwile if you want to record..... however.... why would you want to? (unless your blogging etc).

The WIFI is a bit of overengineering. It sends out a signal to a phone or tablet so your view can be seen by someone else.... again.. why? Theres one farmer I know who might want to watch what we are up to... but live? The signal range isn't too far either. I would like to hear of anyone who has used this for anything useful.

Here it is in action.
First video we used it to test some Crosman Pirahna pellets in ballistic clay. Second is last nights rat hunt (17 in total!)

Overall.
The Rtek is great if you need to record, but it's not that much better than the standard Nitesite for practical purposes. Costwise £450 for the standard, or £750 for the Rtek. That's a real difference in price and unless you need the new features (which are really good) the standard model will do just fine.

Umarex CP99 air pistol

www.diffcal.co.uk

Umarex CP99 Air Pistol

 

This air pistol has been around for a while now and is the next step up from the popular CPS (CP Sport). It is licensed and based around Walther's P99 but is quite different in feel really.

The trigger pull is in the mid range for it's double action trigger pull with most of the effort at the beginning and middle stages as it cocks the hammer and turns magazine, it does have a predictable release point making it easy to put pellets on target. By racking the rear slide you can put the CP99 in single action mode which makes the trigger pull much lighter and more accurate, this is something that the CPS doesn't have.

We had a play today on the range with a few of the models which are now available to hire if you want to have a go with one before buying.

From 20 feet away it performs well getting a one inch eight shot grouping. The sights can be adjusted for windage if your aim is off to one side or the other.

 

It comes in a variety of finishes, standard black, nickel, and 'special agent'. It is also possible to fit the standard silencer kit to the gun with a bit of modification, although the 'spectre' version has this already attached.

 

The build quality is pretty good; metal and polymer with a good deal of metal components on the inside giving the Walther a decent overall weight. It also has a full size drop out magazine for holding the CO2 cartridge that gives the air gun some additional weight and functionality. 

 

It has a large safety catch, similar to the CPS. The real Walther P99 doesn't have this, but Umarex have added it to the CP99 anyway. It doesn't really detract from the overall finish and it is obvious when the gun is on safe.

Spectre version with the silencer fitting.

A hollow point...

www.diffcal.co.uk

-Photos below are of dead rats and a bit graphic. Not often we post pictures of kills unless it's to show something specific. Read on at own discretion. 

I re-zeroed my air rifle at the shooting range this afternoon to use Crosman's new Piranha pellet. Previously I have been using Predator Polymags and JSB Stratons.

These new pellets are a hollow point with a difference. 

My initial reaction to these were that perhaps they are a bit of a gimmick, the true test is going to be how they actually perform in the field. 

It took only a very slight adjustment to my  BSA essential scope to zero in, and the accuracy of these pellets seems pretty good (pellet on pellet at 30 yards in my gun)

Myself and Graham 'sniper gnome' headed out to the chicken coops to see how many rats we could get. We are using Nitesite Viper kits on our guns, and the first thing that is evident is that the pellets have the shiny rear end that most Crosman pellets have. This means in the IR from the Nitesite you can see the pellet on the screen during travel like tracer fire! Very useful for ranging any aim off if you need to.  

We were soon dropping rats very quickly and the pellets perform very well. We had a few 'runners' (rats tend to get an adrenaline burst when hit) but most dropped straight away. 

You can see here the exit wound by the ear. The expansion on these pellets is huge and drops them down immediately. 

In comparison to JSB Diablo pellets where you can't see an evident hit point. (Still takes them down though)

We had 39 tonight and they were still coming out when we left. The breeding season is still in full swing! 

 I should point out that we are both using sub 12ftlbs air rifles and not anything FAC rated, so anyone can use these without a license.  Our air rifles are a BSA superten and an Evanix Sniper both in .22 calibre. 

Piranha pellets are well worth a go and they aren't as expensive as Polymags. I'll be using these again, it would be interesting to see how effective they are on pigeons and rabbits. 

Bear Grylls

www.diffcal.co.uk

It's all adventure out in the field with the bushcraft skills. We will soon be offering survival and outdoor shooting courses through the shop. (Stay posted for details).

In the meantime, Bear Grylls is having a live arena spectacular......

Bear does get himself into everything these days, including airguns. We now carry the full selection which I've listed below.

The young explorer set is £114 and comes with targets, pellets and a scope. Ideal .177 for the younger shooter.

The Adventure Survival Set is an adult gun, at full power and again is in .177. £149 gets you the gun, pellets and targets. The gun has a rail on it for a scope but the open sights are pretty good.

The Scout set is another junior gun based on the Delta fox. The whole kit is £130 and has just arrived in the shop.

Finally there is also a pistol available for only £99.