Pellet rifles in Massachusetts

"Colibri" is the word for "hummingbird" in Romance languages and "Kolibri" is the German word for hummingbird. The word for hummingbird has been associated with quiet and small ammo (subsonics) for quite some time:

2mm Kolibri - Wikipedia

Kolibri was also the operation name for the Night of the Long Knives. Unrelated, but interesting.
Very cool.
 
This. I never understood people's hatred of squirrels on a bird feeder. My wife has bird feeders. The squirrels get on em....so what? When the squirrel is on it he's knocking seeds on the ground and the birds are there eating right there under him. Squirrel leaves.....birds fly up to the feeder. What's the problem?

Let em eat.
Squirrels have eaten through my cable/ internet lines 4 times, chewed their way into my attic twice, and gnawed through 3 brand new plastic trash can lids.
I eliminate the tree rats on sight with a Gamo Whisper 1300ft per second air rifle. Good medicine for the little rat f***ers.
 
Squirrels have eaten through my cable/ internet lines 4 times, chewed their way into my attic twice, and gnawed through 3 brand new plastic trash can lids.
I eliminate the tree rats on sight with a Gamo Whisper 1300ft per second air rifle. Good medicine for the little rat f***ers.
I chopped down all the trees around my house and exterminated the squirrels that destroyed my roof/gutters/ soffix boards to many times.
Once I established a no go zone the critters dont come near the house any more.
 
ETA turned out blow guns are illegal in Massachusetts
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I general conversation at the club with a few old retured cops and lawyers
MA law says a firearm is anything that discharges a shot through a rifled barrel.
That's like saying,
"Everything I know about contraception,
I learned on the street corner in 5th grade".
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P. S. Legally invalid general statement about "firearm" always meaning "handgun"
in all Mass. laws posted by someone with a five digit post count in 3...2...1...
 
Squirrels have eaten through my cable/ internet lines 4 times, chewed their way into my attic twice, and gnawed through 3 brand new plastic trash can lids.
I eliminate the tree rats on sight with a Gamo Whisper 1300ft per second air rifle. Good medicine for the little rat f***ers.
Roger that.

My point is if you have squirrel problems don't feed em.......take down the bird feeders. If you put piles of seeds out your going to have squirrels. I just find it odd that people that feed birds bitch about squirrels eating the food.....just doesn't make sense.
 
I put about 5# of cracked corn, sunflower seeds and bird food on a ground feeder for the ground eating birds, chipmunks and squirrels and about 4# of bird-food in a hanging feeder with a baffle above the ground feeder. Any squirrels that are smart enough to get the Bird-Feeder, I shoot them with a pellet pistol or pellet rifle. Kind of like survival of the Dumbest !
 
Squirrels have eaten through my cable/ internet lines 4 times, chewed their way into my attic twice, and gnawed through 3 brand new plastic trash can lids.
I eliminate the tree rats on sight with a Gamo Whisper 1300ft per second air rifle. Good medicine for the little rat f***ers.
I also have a Whisper (a .22.) As a matter of fact, I didn’t just terminate a fuzzy with it this morning. They are pretty accurate as well. The back edge of my property is 40 yards from my garage door, it will hit a tennis ball sized target at that range with every shot, and carries enough energy at that range to still be effective (hypothetically of course).

I’ll offer one warning. The first shot out of the thing sounded like a .223. After that, she is quiet as can be. I assume that first shot’s sound was a result of residual oil from manufacturing, but I’m not sure. Take your first couple of shots into a phone book or something down in your basement, then you are good to go.
 
I don't have a problem with squirrels or chipmunks eating what falls on the ground. I have a problem with squirrels which defeat the baffles and try to consume an entire tube of bird seed. ...
Especially when they gnaw on the tube itself
trying to get at the bird seed.

No one needs that noise.
 
Roger that.

My point is if you have squirrel problems don't feed em.......take down the bird feeders. If you put piles of seeds out your going to have squirrels. I just find it odd that people that feed birds bitch about squirrels eating the food.....just doesn't make sense.
if i recall, squirrels will travel up to five miles away to find a reliable food source, i.e. your bird feeder.
 
I general conversation at the club with a few old retured cops and lawyers
MA law says a firearm is anything that discharges a shot through a rifled barrel.
Or something to that effect.
It differs from federal law ?

“Firearm”, a stun gun or a pistol, revolver or other weapon of any description, loaded or unloaded, from which a shot or bullet can be discharged and of which the length of the barrel or barrels is less than 16 inches or 18 inches in the case of a shotgun as originally manufactured; provided, however, that the term firearm shall not include any weapon that is:
(i) constructed in a shape that does not resemble a handgun, short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun including, but not limited to, covert weapons that resemble key-chains, pens, cigarette-lighters or cigarette-packages;
or (ii) not detectable as a weapon or potential weapon by x-ray machines commonly used at airports or walk- through metal detectors.
 

“Firearm”, a stun gun or a pistol, revolver or other weapon of any description, loaded or unloaded, from which a shot or bullet can be discharged and of which the length of the barrel or barrels is less than 16 inches or 18 inches in the case of a shotgun as originally manufactured; provided, however, that the term firearm shall not include any weapon that is:
(i) constructed in a shape that does not resemble a handgun, short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun including, but not limited to, covert weapons that resemble key-chains, pens, cigarette-lighters or cigarette-packages;
or (ii) not detectable as a weapon or potential weapon by x-ray machines commonly used at airports or walk- through metal detectors.
And C. 269 S. 10 is what they will prosecute you for and it defines firearm differently . . . even a straw with a spit-ball qualifies under that definition.
 
And C. 269 S. 10 is what they will prosecute you for and it defines firearm differently . . . even a straw with a spit-ball qualifies under that definition.
the laws are made to be that much fun on purpose. otherwise, who would need lawyers?
 
Squirrels have eaten through my cable/ internet lines 4 times, chewed their way into my attic twice, and gnawed through 3 brand new plastic trash can lids.
I eliminate the tree rats on sight with a Gamo Whisper 1300ft per second air rifle. Good medicine for the little rat f***ers.
Stop covering your cable/internet lines in peanut butter. ;)
 
And C. 269 S. 10 is what they will prosecute you for and it defines firearm differently . . . even a straw with a spit-ball qualifies under that definition.
I think this is what they where talking about?
also put the way back machine on and there was a time Daisy and crosman stopped putting rifled barrels on all air rifles
 
My biggest worry would be a “poaching” charge if it were, say a squirrel shot out of season. Chipmunks on the other hand are good to “hunt” year round.
Couldn't you just say that you thought the blue jay was a ground hog, who also can be hunted year round?!

😁
 
So I'm looking at a Gamo Whisper for pest control, chipmunks & flying squirrels. I know that .177 is more than adequate for my needs but have read that the .22 version is subsonic vs/ .177 which is not. Does it make enough of a difference sound wise to go w/ the .22 vs. .177? I'm pretty well shielded from my neighbor who would probably have a problem with it, but no sense attracting unwanted attention. My preference would be .177, all things being equal.
 
I started with .177 as a kid, then went to .20 when I got into Beeman import rifles as an adult, and now I mostly use .22 (and big bore)

The .22 is more humane on rabbits and gray squirrels. I've taken grays with a .177 pellet, but shot placement is vastly more important with the smaller pellet.

Another reason I go with the .22 is because I leave the pests out for the local scavengers. I want them to live long and prosper, so I use unleaded pellets (which tend to be lower mass and non-expanding).

So I'm looking at a Gamo Whisper for pest control, chipmunks & flying squirrels. I know that .177 is more than adequate for my needs but have read that the .22 version is subsonic vs/ .177 which is not. Does it make enough of a difference sound wise to go w/ the .22 vs. .177? I'm pretty well shielded from my neighbor who would probably have a problem with it, but no sense attracting unwanted attention. My preference would be .177, all things being equal.
I feel like the supersonic 'crack' carries further and sounds a lot more like a gunshot. This is even more noticeable with a suppressed shrouded airgun -- the shroud cuts down the other muzzle noise only, does nothing for the sonic crack downrange. Additionally, transonic speeds degrade accuracy, so a pellet which is just barely supersonic will be inaccurate at distance.

It's possible that with heavy enough pellets, the .177 will stay subsonic -- Gamo even sells a "Whisper" 10.5 gr. pellet for exactly this purpose.
 
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So I'm looking at a Gamo Whisper for pest control, chipmunks & flying squirrels. I know that .177 is more than adequate for my needs but have read that the .22 version is subsonic vs/ .177 which is not. Does it make enough of a difference sound wise to go w/ the .22 vs. .177? I'm pretty well shielded from my neighbor who would probably have a problem with it, but no sense attracting unwanted attention. My preference would be .177, all things being equal.
Super sonic is almost as loud as a 22lr
Heavy pellets might keep the 177 subsonic but the 22 is likely the better choice
 
Thank you gentlemen, I think I have my answer. Also figure it .22 would be better for the occasional other varmint such as woodchucks. Probably overkill on chipmunks but who cares? I will be leaving them out for the predators. I did have a lot of success trapping in the spring/summer and it definitely helped control the population, but sometimes I just want to get them when I see them off the back of the house. Have woods and goes downhill to wetlands, no one is down there but animals.
 
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So I'm looking at a Gamo Whisper for pest control, chipmunks & flying squirrels. I know that .177 is more than adequate for my needs but have read that the .22 version is subsonic vs/ .177 which is not. Does it make enough of a difference sound wise to go w/ the .22 vs. .177? I'm pretty well shielded from my neighbor who would probably have a problem with it, but no sense attracting unwanted attention. My preference would be .177, all things being equal.
I have this one, that I have affectionately named Slayer. I keep it by the back door with a tin of hunting pellets near by. It is sublimely accurate and has a sweeeet trigger. It has dispatched more tree rats than I can count. But where it really excelled was the elimination of Grackle.
A Grackle is a small bird, a little smaller than a fist. They have a unique habit of scooping bird poop out of their nest in their mouth, and then dropping the turd in a body of water. For a period of time, that body of water was my swimming pool, as well as those of a couple of neighbors.
After a year or so of eliminating dozens and dozens of the disgusting little f***ers, they simply stopped nesting near by. But my Gamo proved itself capable of dropping them out of a tree 60-70 yards away, 30-40 feet in elevation.

I will tell you that 177 is a little light for ground hogs. It has to be a head shot. It is fine for rabbit and tree rat.
It is actually probably a little bit louder that CCI 22 quiets through my Henry Golden Boy, but those 22 quiets have a much greater range, and you can hear the round carrying through the woods. It's a little to much for my back yard, but I have no doubt that a well placed shot would drop a coyote.
Gamo also did a great job with the scope. It holds zero exceptionally well and there is considerably more recoil that most 22 rifles.

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