Vermin control

I used a BSA scorpion for years but fancied something lighter and more pointable. Got a FX Wildcat mk3 in March and it’s been great for the pests. Having a repair at the moment but hopefully not a recurring issue.
 

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stevew71 said:
Pretty much any rifle will work for vermin control providing it has adequate power and accuracy. Things that may swing your decision to one over another are :-
what type of vermin shooting will you be doing ? static, stalking, mix, indoor, from a hide ? if static a heavy rifle or long barrel is not much of an issue, weight maybe if stalking depending on terrain and a long gun may be impractical if shooting from a hide or vehicle
You're going to be using a Zulus, so you may want a rifle that comes with a picatinny/weaver rail as standard to save the hassle/expense of buying dovetail convertors - they can also add unwanted height to your head position, you will also need to be able to mount the Zulus far enough back to get your eye to the eye cup (and that's before disappearing down the MOA rail rabbit hole)
Likewise you may need to be careful to ensure you have room to mount the Zulus around any magazine or if single shot you have room to load with your fingers - bullpups can be easier in this context than say an S200 or Rapid
Then there's fit, balance and aesthetics all of which are down to the individual
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It would be Squirrels and Rat, so the more compact the better, someone suggested a Edgun Lelya.
 
walt58 said:
It would be Squirrels and Rat, so the more compact the better, someone suggested a Edgun Lelya.
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Leyla is supposed to be good - never played with one ( I think there's an upgraded carriage for them or it may be the Matador) - if it's built like the Leshiy's it will be pretty bombproof.
from what I own or have used/owned
Compact and cheaper as has been mentioned - P15 (dovetail rail), mine's used with a Pard008S and is my usual vermin gun, P35 - it's a P15 with forward cocking and Weaver rail both very light, Kral NP-02 - not so compact with the required moderator but has combi rail - not as light as it looks, Kral Empire XS - extremely compact - they also do an X with bottle and longer barrel but still compact.
Compact and more expensive -
Brocock Ghost, played with the other week - prefer my Daystate Renegade
Daystate Pulsar
Airmaks Krait - couple of mags through and was good
Cricket
Vixen

If you want to do your budget - Rapid or MFR - Rapid is bombproof if it hasn't been butchered, MFR is, in my mind, is still just about the best allrounder, light, damn near perfect balance, quiet even with the standard shroud and not overly long.

My choice if you're worried about it getting knocked about a bit but not worried about giving them a bit of a fettle- P15/35 or one of the rebranded versions or a Kral - will do all you need and more and leave you a big chunk out of your budget for a thermal spotter ;)
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Entry: Walther RM8
Mid: AGT Vixen
High: FX impact M4

Those would be my choices just by how light they are, not a great fan of tactical looking rifles but obviously in the field the lack of wood makes them lighter and easier to keep clean.
 
Lots of very nice rifles mentioned in this thread. But do you want to be taking 'nice' into the field/barn to be knocked about? If it's an outright tool for the job your after, I'd advise buying something on the cheaper side that's accurate. Spend the rest on a higher end rifle to polish and admire.I
Can't go wrong with an Ultra or Scorpion for pest control.
Whatever you buy, make sure you are not worried about putting a few dinks in it. Because at some point it will happen.
 
sly said:
I would go for an Ultra,very little weight to them,not daft money and accurate too,down side 30-40 shots per fill.
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As per, but my CLX (.22) was good for 70 -80 spf.
Can't imagine going for a days hunting and needing anything more. Thinking it would last me a week.:unsure:
 
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As stated by the dog☝️.....get yourself a light compact PCP for farmyard and barn work I personally wouldn't take a 1k rifle on a hunting trip....but if I had to the daystate huntsman revere in a walnut stock would be my choice 😎 absolutely gorgeous rifles.
 
Another vote for the p15 for rats and squirrels- I picked up a used one in .25, bunged a Sytong on it and it whacks the rats at close range. My HW100 is not getting used for that any more. Very light, cheap as chips, easy to fiddle with.
 
For my two penny worth. I currently have three what might be considered compact rifles that I use for vermin shooting: a 14 year old .22 BSA Ultra MMC (modern equivalent would be the Ultra CLX), a .177 Weihrauch HW 100 BP and a .22 AirMaks Krait L. The Ultra and HW100 BP came with a moderator already fitted and I've fitted a Weihrauch XL-K to the Krait.

The most compact in terms of length and weight is, surprisingly, the Krait L and the standard Krait would be even more compact at almost 10cm less in length and 300g lighter. Where the Krait also scores is shot count which is considerably greater than the others.

All the rifles perform excellently but my favourite is without doubt the Krait, followed by the BSA (low shot count) then the HW 100 (weight and low shot count). Indeed, I'm thinking of selling the HW100 and getting a standard Krait in .177 when funds allow, don't need it but want it (can't have too many rifles or motorcycles, space and funds allowing).

Rifles with a folding stock have been mentioned, great if you want to carry them in a backpack but no more compact once the stock is unfolded see
 
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