Ratting?

[andym]

Anyone do this with a slingshot?
Any tips on how to improve my accuracy?

My new job is in a recycling centre with a shit load of moving targets (think ratatouille auditions), but because of licensing laws in Scotland it's a bit of a faff getting an AWC (air weapon certificate), so I bought a hunting slingshot a few weeks ago.... having never touched one in my life.

The sling came with 1000 6mm ball bearings and after a few hundred shots I learned a couple of valuable lessons, my aim is shit and a rat will scurry off even after 4 point blank shots (including a spine shot).

Thinking it was just the bearings that weren't up to the job I bought a few hundred 10mm bearings, but found the little shits can still walk it off unless it's a head shot, so now I've bought a couple of hundred marbles, (14-18mm), to try.



So far I'm up to:
At least 500 penetrations where the rat scurries off (no idea if they survive the injuries or not).
Around 80 confirmed kills (where I can pick the twitching body up).
10-15 grab and kills (lightning fast reflexes or something).
7 kills in a night, (some finished off with a smack off a concrete block).
4 bearings (10mm) in a single rat that still ran off (dragging it's back end).
3 head shots with a putter (after 2 point blank headshots bursting both eyes) on the hardest rat I've killed so far, (think 3 men and a hammer).
So far 1 bite from a rat I picked up that had a broken tail and was able to swing up and get through the glove.

[Riejufixing]

You will never be able to hit a rat with a slingshot. If you put a big stone in it, you'll be able to defeat the Philistines, but that's about it.

Buy a catapult, like this:

https://www.bladespro.co.uk/blogs/news/what-are-the-best-hunting-catapults-in-the-uk-for-survival

Edit: Better to buy a Fenn MKIV tunnel trap, or even use poison bait. Then you don't have to wait for them to come.

[Nobby the Bastard]

+1 at throwing bricks at them.
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[andym]

[Fisty]

Put the slingshot in the bin and buy an air rifle.
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[Riejufixing]

[Skudd]

We used to throw tins of baked beans at the rats at ASDA.
Did you ever wonder how the tins got damaged?
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[Islander]

[Ste]

Have you tried using the catapult to launch dead rats at living rats?

[Riejufixing]

[Islander]

Rat-a-pult, surely?

[stinkwheel]

Hitting them with a long thin stick is traditional.

Polyhedral dice are evil when fired from a slingshot and can be bought in bulk from China. Just saying like.
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[defblade]

Get a works terrier.

Failing that, peanut butter or nutella smeared on a brick keeps the little gits still for a while as they lick it up.
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[Ste]

[Easy-X]

How effective would an air rifle be against these things anyway? Rats have got pretty mean these days.
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[MCN]

We made slings (catapults) from 6mm reo-bar and 1/4" wide strips of rubber sheet that was used to line the inside of pumps and pipes in a process plant. (Sand quarries possibly use it too for.pumping wet sand into stockpiles.)
We loaded 1/2"-3/4" mill-balls as ammo.
Accurate enough to hit a beer can (empty) from about 50' about 85% of the time.
I used mine to skull rats around the workshop on night shift.
Not many that I hit walked very far. And most were stopped dead first strike.

We stopped using little stones for ammo as they are shite.
Steel or lead was best.

Try a tackle shop for lead shot.

Expect the environ-mentalists to be up in arms about the lead.
(Just ignore the Vegans, as we do.)
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[stinkwheel]

[MCN]

[stinkwheel]

[BTTD]

.410 moderated single barrel shotgun?
It sounds like an air rifle is as much of a pain to get as a shotgun licence (unless Scotland have more complicated laws for those too), so why not get a nice little firearm.

[Riejufixing]

[bhinso]

Give them bikes and make them go ride in the rain.

[andym]

[dynax]

There is an unwritten code of conduct when it comes to vermin control, i suggest you visit this forum and get some proper advice

https://www.airgunforum.co.uk/community/index.php
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[JackButler]

Even rats deserve a quick clean kill.

If they won't let you own an airgun then there are some ingenious methods of trapping & despatching on Yootoob.
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