It doesn’t matter if it’s an air pistol or a BB rifle, the air pistol is an essential component of marksmanship training for hunters of all ages. Not only that, in Mississippi there are valuable opportunities for hunters to take their BB guns into the woods. With the rising cost and limited availability of ammunition lately, those nice big cans of buckshot are looking more and more attractive with each passing day.
aim training
Air pistols are underpowered, but are great for learning the basics of marksmanship (grip, sight alignment, trigger control) cheaply and in the comfort of your own home. Good quality modern air rifles are by nature much more accurate than most 22LR rimfire rifles. Rimfire shells are disadvantaged by nature due to poor quality control when firing bulk ammunition and the use of a heeled bullet. By comparison, even cheap cast pellets and BBs are more aerodynamic and, paired with a modern air rifle, will offer consistent performance.
Air pistols are so popular for training youth in shooting basics that most hunter education courses in the state use one for the mandatory live fire section of the course. They are cheap to shoot, accurate, and limited in range.
pest control
Especially during the winter, there are always problems with mice, rats and other small critters that are classified as pests. A good BB rifle, even in .177 caliber, can handle this without much trouble. Be sure to obey local laws, as some cities in the state have bylaws about shooting an air pistol within city limits, but otherwise feel free. Obey basic firearm safety rules with pellet guns, as they can still inflict bodily harm, shoot out of windows, and generally annoy the neighbors. For these types of nuisance birds and vermin, a good quality, medium weight, plug-cutter (flat tip) pellet will minimize the possibility of excessive penetration.
According to state law, “all species of blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, ravens, grackles, and English sparrows may be killed without a permit when such birds are committing or about to commit predation on ornamental or shade trees or agricultural crops.” “.
It’s best to remember that Mississippi is home to several rare endangered species of bats, turtles, and snakes; it is best to avoid them if you are not sure of the exact species in view.
little game
Under MDFWP regulations, it is legal to hunt small game (rabbits, squirrels, quail, raccoons, opossums, and bobcats) with air rifles during the normal season by a licensed hunter.
While almost any BB gun or BB gun can take down vermin-sized animals (mice, rats) and harmful birds like sparrows, you’ll need a high-powered BB gun that shoots just buckshot to go after anything larger.
These hunting level pistols start at around $59 and go up quickly from there. To ensure you have a strong enough air pistol, make sure the FPS (feet per second) rating is 700+ for a .22 caliber pistol or 950+ for a 177 caliber pistol. The Benjamin Pump Line Sheridan and Daisy’s cock-action Powerline series can be bought new for around $100. Slightly better rifles like the Gamo Big Cat and Crosman Vantage are only $30 more, but offer much more performance. Moving up the scale are Ruger Air Magnums, German-made RWS pistols, Hatsans, Sumatras, and Benjamin Marauders that cost up to $400.
To hunt these tree rats and lop-ears, look for a good quality, medium weight, domed shot like the Crosman Premiere Light, RWS Superdome or JSB Exact. These can be had extremely cheap, 7.9 Grain Crosman Premier is around $25 for 1250 pellets for example. Gamo has a new 0.36 gram .177 pellet that can penetrate a 1.5mm rolled galvanized steel sheet and keep going. Called the “Lethal”, it is a two-body design pellet with an ultra-high ballistic coefficient, increased terminal penetration, a stable flight path and a polymer skirt. These top-of-the-line pellets are around $20 for 100. With high-end pellets and a high-powered air rifle, lethal shots are possible up to 50 yards away.
When chasing bobcats, raccoons and opossums, 22 gauge or 25 gauge pellets from high powered air pistols should be the minimum.
With all small game taken with an air gun, getting good, accurate shots into the little kill zones 1-2 inches from your target is an absolute must to make sure you go down. Headshots are the rule to live by. Unless you can hit a nickel-sized target repeatedly with your air rifle at 25 yards, practice until you can before heading into the woods.
annoying animals
The State of Mississippi, through Public Notice LE6-3779, lists beavers, coyotes, foxes, otters, skunks, and wild boar as nuisance animals. As such, nuisance hunting is permitted during the day on private land with no caliber restrictions, including airguns. While 177/22 caliber pistols can take polecats with no problem, going after some of the larger game on this list can be problematic unless you have a large-bore air rifle.
Speaking of which, large-caliber air gun deer and turkey hunting, while practiced in some states, is currently out of the question in Mississippi, for now. In 2007, an Alabama man took two deer, including a trophy 9-pointer with a .50 caliber air rifle and 200-grain buckshot. With precedents like that, it’s likely only a matter of time before whitetails are also caught with BB guns in this state.
Just make sure you don’t shoot your eye.