Airsoft Forums UK

I've stunned a pigeon at mid range with a DMR firing .36s.

fires at 440 with .20s

Bottom line, airsoft is no good for pest control unless you just want to annoy them.

You need to look at .22 air rifles.

i live in northern Ireland you need a gun  license  for air guns but not airsoft iam next door to a Chinese chip shop i have put bait down many times i must have killed 100 or so but they still keep coming the council don't do anything to help and the bait is not cheap

Oh, right, Norn Ireland.  OK, I see the problem, you're either under 1J, or you need a FAC, there's nothing in between.  Well, if it's for "home defence", and you're out of other options, you have to do what you have to do.

An airsoft gun is also safer to use around people, although you should be very aware that while the Council won't do anything about the rats, PSNI might take a sudden and extreme interest in your means of dealing with them if anyone reports a nutter with a gun, orange or otherwise.  I would suggest talking to your local station about your intentions and getting some contact details before going full Rambo on the rodents.

Alternatives exist. One of my YouTube pleasures is Mousetrap Monday, or in this case kitchen rats. Basic traps can be effective.




The other option is the one that you don't want to become the subject of: the media.  Would the local rag be interested in running a story on a restaurant rat infestation?

Thats what you need

You are not going to beat the little buggers by shooting or poisoning them; you have to go to the source of the problem, which is probably the chip shop.

Contact the environmental health team, food standards and the local media.  EH and FS can take action against the chip shop, while media interest can put pressure on them.

To be clear, I hope that you don't use an airsoft gun for this purpose, but if you're determined to do it then, spring and electric pistols will likely be too weak, CO2 will tend to be over 1J, and spring snipers well over, so you're looking at:

"Green gas" pistols.  These tend to be around 1J, you'd want non-blowback like an ASG or STTI Mk23.

Electric carbines. These need batteries and tend to come in a bit over 1J.

Spring shotguns.

The latter might be what you're after. There are tri-shot options available, but this one is just about 1J and will run you £30 plus postage even with two-tone paint.

https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/double-eagle-m309-pump-action-single-shot-shotgun

I'd suggest using heavy BBs, 0.4g+, and if you're shooting off your own land (please don't shoot off your own land) then dark coloured BBs will be less obvious.

I still think this sounds like a bad idea, and present these suggestions just to try and reduce the risk to you and to our hobby if you do go ahead anyway.

It is an offence to modify an airsoft rifle to output more than the 1.3 J semi and 2.5 J single shot, its an offence under the fire arms act.

So get an airgun, the sub 12 ftlb is more than enough with about 15 to 16 Joules power.

Oh god he's at it again ! THE 1.3j APPLIES TO GUNS CAPABLE OF FULL AUTO. 2.5j IS ANY GUN CAPABLE OF ONLY ONE SHOT PER TRIGGER PULL , THAT INCLUDES SEMI AUTO ONLY A/Rs REGARDLESS OF HOW THEY ARE POWERED FFS !!!!! AEG GAS SPRING MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. I'm off to ram bamboo under my nails , more productive and less painfull than trying to get this across to a certain person.

The OP is in NI, where there is a blanket 1J limit, regardless of the type or style of weapon.

The amount of joules matters.

Also ALTERING a RIF to make it more powerful makes it a firearms offence.

Same as shooting projectiles other than the plastic BB make it a firearms offence.

Possession of an airsoft RIF when you have no licence (in Scotland- often because of failing due to previous firearms offence), it is also an offence like it is in the UK to own an airsoft RIF.

I bet you will want to argue with those nuggets of information freely available on the legislation.gov.uk website as in UK statute. 

Ram bamboo all day long up you jacksie and down your japs eye for all I care, the facts are the facts and me stating the obvious seems to be a case of people are in immediate denial.

Grow up FFS.

FPS is not what kills, JOULES is what kills. A 0.2g BB can not carry enough energy to kill something like a rat. Ask anyone who goes regularly, the minimum that any hunter will use is a pistol and were talking 6ft lbs muzzle not 0.73 ft lb of an airsoft gun.

A huge massive difference in power. 

@AirSniper , 
1. Scotland is in the UK and is covered by UK law on ownership of airsoft RIFs; no licence is required.

2. In the UK, it is NOT an offence to own an airsoft RIF.

The OP being in NI does indeed limit him to a 1j max regardless so that's an absolute. Mr airsniper however keeps spouting the same nonsense about a 1.3j limit in the UK for semi ,Dude that is wrong 1.3 j is the limit for full auto , semi can only fire 1 shot per trigger pull so is covered by the 2.5j absolute limit. Go re read the apropriate section and you will see that you are wrong. This is what alows DMR's in the uk to run higher energy than the AR platforms most are based on because they are locked to semi only. 

The facts are indeed the facts and you are wrong and keep quoting the same incorrect information.

You do know the difference between Semi auto and Full auto right ?

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2017/3/section/125/enacted

Take a look at 57A Dude, 

After that I give up !

You don't seem to comprehend that you need POWER to humanely dispose of vermin and an airsoft gun is not going to cut it.

There really are some sick, poorly educated knuckleheads on here  that just do not get how fluid the law is and that VCRA is not the only legislation that airsoft is controlled by.

You try walking down your road with your RIF and see what sort of response you get and how long you spend in bricked up as well as not being legally allowed to own any air type weapon including airsoft... 

The police treat RIF incidents just like firearms and despite the law, you will be prosecuted under a firearms offence and not VCRA.

Its your liberty you want to play with, I am just the messenger... 

I am perfectly well aware that you need power to humanley dispose of vermin thank you. And I have never said anything about having a RIF in public, do that get shot as far as I'm concerned. The point that I am making and that you are choosing to ignore is that the information you keep spouting about POWER LIMITS in the UK is WRONG . Did you bother to go look at the link ? also take a look at this about Scotish law. About half way down the page it states that airsoft guns are generally not covered by scotish licencing laws, it also states the damn power limits including semi auto. Airgun licensing in Scotland - The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (basc.org.uk)

You seem to be unable to accept that you are wrong on this point.  

@AirSniper, you seem to be arguing against things that nobody is saying.  Are you ok?

I think we all agree that it's important to work within the law with our hobby, but maybe geta the facts correct first eh ?

https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/wildlife-offences

There are laws as I keep on pinting out that control many aspects of what you can and can't do that you and I would be in all certainty, unaware of and its clear that in this forum there are many people who just do not understand that because the thing is not in the VCRA that another law doesn't apply, when you are.

The wild life offences act is just one of those things, even if you shoot a wild animal with your RIF when out, that can be constituted as a wildlife offence and you are in possession of something that in general is classified as an offensive weapon.

If people want to do stupid things then airsoft will find itself with harsher and stricter laws to control it and all because of a few idiots that want to do things that break the law.

@AirSniper, you are still making strawman arguments and creating scenarios that are not relevant to the OP's situation.

Most of us here fully understand that the VCRA is not the sole Act covering what we do with our toy guns.

You do seem to be struggling; lay off whatever you are using and/or get some professional help.