Pumping up the power

Mat Manning heads to the range with a super-high-power air rifle to see how it compares with his usual fare — and the results are impressive

High-power air rifles have rocketed in popularity over recent years. It wasn’t long ago that on-ticket air rifles were something of a rarity, but countless shooters now seem to be moving over to them.

The shift is apparently fuelled by American shooters’ boundless desire for ever-increasing pneumatic power, although more and more UK-based airgunners are taking the FAC-option.

I have been shooting FAC-rated air rifles for about 13 years. Although I still believe that sub-12ft/lb airguns are by far the most versatile because their relatively low power can often be an advantage, it is sometimes useful to have a bit more grunt without having to reach for a powder-burner.

My preference is for a .22 air rifle churning out muzzle energy of around 30ft/lb. My Daystate Red Wolf sits in this category and will shoot a 16gr to 18gr pellet pretty flat out to 50 metres and with far less carry and risk of ricochet than my .22 rimfire.

By current standards, my usual FAC airgun set-up is actually pretty feeble and I almost always limit myself to head shots when using it to target pests such as grey squirrels, rabbits, and corvids.

Most of the time it is all the gun I need, but there are occasions when I am tasked with controlling crows in places where the job demands discretion. An airgun is the perfect tool for the job but being limited to headshots can be restrictive, especially when targeting wily corvids that stubbornly refuse to land close to the hedges into which I weave my hides.