Rimfires and rabbiting

Rifles for rabbit shooting 

In my gun cabinet I have three rifles that I use for rabbit shooting: a firearms-rated .22 air rifle, a .17HMR and a .22 rimfire. Of these, the rimfire stands head and shoulders above the rest as the instrument to use. The reasons include range, cost, effectiveness, consistency and noise. The cost of the ammunition is fairly low compared with that of the .17HMR. If you shoot for the pot or profit, the carcass damage is also significantly different from a .17HMR.

Though I use my .17HMR purely for pest control, it is no replacement for my rimfire, but it is a useful gun to have. This also applies to my air rifle. Having a choice of three guns gives me an adaptability to shoot safely in almost any given situation.

An Atom fitted to a Sako custom rimfire accounted for these two bunnies with no problem

Any shot must be safe and humane

Whatever calibre used, any shot taken has to be a safe one. Not only do you have to deem it safe, but it has to hit the right spot to give a humane kill. You need to know the ground you are shooting on well, especially if the public has access to it.

Time spent practising with life-sized targets at differing distances is time well spent. It helps your accuracy and allows you to gauge the various sizes of the silhouettes at different distances.