Best Air Rifle For Pest Control -How to Eliminate Them with an Air Gun (Reviews and Buying Guide 2022)

Pest control is a serious issue in today’s society. There are so many pests and insects that can wreak havoc on your property and your health.

One great way to combat this, without using harsh chemicals or other harmful substances, is with an air rifle.

Air rifles are easy to use and can be used indoors or outdoors. You can also get an air rifle for kids to use which will not cause injury if something goes wrong.

The air rifle has been a staple of hunting since the invention of gunpowder.

There are many models on the market today, making it difficult to decide which one is right for you.

The Winchester’s Contender Air Rifle is different than most because it uses CO2 cartridges instead of pellets that can be loaded into the barrel.

This makes it easier to hit your target with precision because you don’t have to worry about reloading after every shot.

Things to Consider Before Buying An Air Rifle for Pest Control:

FPE & Caliber

This refers to the Foot Pounds of Energy (FPE) and caliber of the air rifle. The higher the FPE and caliber, the more powerful the air rifle is and the more damage it can do to a pest.

Some people think that lower FPE/caliber is just fine for smaller pests but remember that every situation is different and a low FPE/caliber does not guarantee a humane kill every time.

Popular Types of Pests & Suggested FPE & Caliber

Rodents (Squirrels, Rats, Mice) – .177 caliber pellets are the best choice for rodents. A higher FPS airgun will be more effective.

Birds (Crows, Sparrows, Pigeons, Starlings) – .177 or .22 are the best choices for birds. A higher FPS airgun will be more effective.

Rabbits & Woodchucks – Both a .22 and a .25 caliber pellet can be used effectively on these pests. However, if you have larger rabbits to shoot at further distances, the .25 may be a better choice.

Cats & Dogs – A .177 pellet would be our choice for cats and dogs. The smaller size will cause less damage to the animal while still being effective.

Skunks & Raccoons – Both a .22 and a .25 caliber pellet can be used on skunks and raccoons effectively. However, if you have larger skunks or raccoons to shoot at further distances, the .25 may be a better choice for you based on your specific situation.

Let’s take a look at the required FPE for each type of pest:

Pest Type	FPE Required	Suggested Caliber
Rats	5 FPE	.177 Cal
Chipmunks	6 FPE	.177 Cal
Squirrels	9 FPE	.22 Cal
Iguanas	10 FPE	.22 Cal
Groundhogs	12 FPE	.22 Cal
Possums	25 FPE	.22 Cal
Raccoons	25 FPE	.22 Cal

Sound

If your ultimate goal is to get rid of pests, then you should consider buying an air gun that produces very less sound while firing a bullet or pellet.

Some air rifles have a sound produced, which may cause problems in certain areas. Sound Produced by air rifles have a noise between 74 and 90 decibels.

The difference in sound produced depends on the caliber, barrel length, and design of the gun.

The sound of firing a bullet attracts other pests because they think their friend has been killed so they will come to the place where their friend was killed.

So, it’s better if you buy an air gun that doesn’t produce much sound while firing bullets or pellets neither it makes any sound when you cock it back for loading.

Single-Shot VS Repeater mechanism

There are two main types of firing mechanism in air rifle repeater and single shot.

It means that a repeater can shoot multiple rounds of BBs or pellets from a single reloading, while a single-shot rifle requires that you reload after every shot.

Repeater mechanism is best suited for pest control and hunting small game such as rabbits, squirrels, etc.

It has been proven that repeaters have less recoil than single shots so they are easier to handle when shooting in close quarters.

This allows the shooter to get off several shots without having to re-load. Repeating mechanisms work by using either gas pressure (pneumatic) or spring tension (mechanical).

You could not kill a fast moving animal with single shot gun as they would be able to escape easily.

You may have better luck using them against animals like rabbits which tend to stay in one place.

Weight

The weight is an important factor in choosing between these two categories.

Air Rifle with higher power and heavier barrels tend to be repeater guns while lighter ones are typically single-shot models.

This is not always true though since some manufacturers produce both kinds of firearms.

Light weight and easy to use air rifles can be used as a pest control gun or even as a hunting weapon, whereas heavy duty repeating air pistols have greater accuracy and range.

Benjamin Marauder PCP .22-Caliber Multi-Shot Air Rifle – Best PCP Air Rifle for Pest Control

The Benjamin Marauder PCP Air Rifle Synthetic Stock is a quiet, powerful, and accurate air rifle. It is perfect for hunting small animals like squirrels and rabbits.

This rifle has a built-in pressure gauge that indicates the air pressure in the cylinder.

The Marauder has an all-weather synthetic stock, so it is lightweight and can withstand any weather condition.

This rifle fires at speeds up to 1000 fps. The two-stage, adjustable trigger system gives you control over your shot.

The 10-round magazine allows for fast follow-up shots.

It’s easy to get back into action with this rifle.

It also comes with a quick-disconnect Foster fitting, which lets you refill quickly and easily.

This air rifle is great for hunting small game or target shooting.

It has very little noise, which will prevent you from alerting your prey on a hunt!

The table below represents Benjamin Marauder’s velocity and accuracy with various pellets:

Pellet	Energy (FPE	Velocity (FPS)	Accuracy
H&N Baracuda Match (21.14 Grain)	33.34 FPE	843.85 FPS	Great
JSB Jumbo Exact (14.35 Grain)	28.28 FPE	941.99 FPS	Best
Crosman Premier HP (14.3 Grain)	27.82 FPE	935.83 FPS	Great
RWS Hobby (11.9 Grain)	25.4 FPE	980.30 FPS	Great
H&N Field Target Trophy Green (10.03 Grain)	23.39 FPE	1024.70 FPS	Poor
Gamo Raptor Platinum (9.7 Grain)	23.38	1041.83 FPS	Great

Diana Chaser CO2 Air Rifle Kit

This is an air gun that you can use for a number of things, including target shooting, plinking and pest control.

This bolt action CO2-powered air rifle has a synthetic stock, making it durable and easy to handle. It has a single shot magazine and adjustable rear sight.

This Diana Chaser CO2 Air Rifle features a fixed front sight with an 11mm dovetail.

Its maximum power is 642 FPS with lead pellets and 700 FPS with alloy pellets. It also has a 2-stage adjustable trigger and automatic safety.

The package comes with two 12g CO2 capsules, 500 pellets and a single-shot tray.

This Diana Chaser CO2 Air Rifle is powerful enough to shoot rats and other household pests at close range.

It can be used to shoot small game as well, such as squirrels or rabbits, but only at close ranges because it needs to be aimed carefully.

You can also use this gun for target practice in your backyard or at the range, or just for fun watching cans fall off the fence line in your backyard.

It is recommended that you wear eye protection when using this product.

The Diana Chaser CO2 Air Rifle Kit comes with everything you need to get started right away so you can have fun plinking in no time at all.

The table below also displays the various muzzle velocities (FPS) as per the pellets for .22 Diana Chaser.

Pellet	Energy (FPE)	Muzzle Velocity (FPS)
RWS Meisterkugeln (14 Grain)	8.6 FPE	526 FPS
H&N Sport (13.73 Grain)	8.5 FPE	528 FPS
RWS Hobby Sport Line (11.9 Grain)	5.81 FPE	469 FPS
Sig Sauer Crux Ballistic Alloy (10.3 Grain)	6.7 FPE	541 FPS

Benjamin Marauder Air Pistol Prod: Best Air Rifle for Possums and Gophers

The Diana Chaser PCP Air Pistol is one of the best and most versatile air pistols available today. It offers the same high quality as traditional Diana pistols, but with the added benefit of PCP power.

The Diana Chaser .22 caliber PCP air pistol is ultra-quiet and, with practice is more than accurate enough to easily take out small game from up to 33 yards away.

It’s powered by 3,000 psi of compressed air that can launch .22 pellets at up to 700 fps.

The Diana Chaser has a lot of nice features for the price. I especially like the adjustable, two-stage drop-sear trigger.

This pistol boasts an adjustable two-stage trigger and an 11mm dovetail rail. It includes a deluxe hard case with insert that holds a spare magazine, extra seals and other accessories.

It takes some getting used to, but once you master it, you’ll find it quite accurate for target shooting and hunting.

Accuracy can be even further improved with a little practice.

The Diana Chaser has been around for a while and there are many satisfied owners who’ve added aftermarket sights, scopes and even upgraded the stock or barrel to improve accuracy.

The choked barrel delivers superior accuracy, and the integrated sound moderator ensures backyard-friendly operation.

A rifled steel barrel provides long lasting performance and excellent accuracy.

The gun also features a self-indexing 8-shot clip complete with auto indexing. This means you don’t have to manually rotate the magazine before taking each shot.

Pellet	Energy (FPE)	Velocity (FPS)	Accuracy
Beeman Kodiak (21.14 Grain)	32.35 FPE	830 FPS	Great
RWS Hobby(11.9 Grain)	25.4 FPE	980.30 FPS	Great
RWS Superdome(14.5 Grain)	28.64 FPE	943 FPS	Mediocre
JSB Exact Domes (15.9 Grain)	25.1 FPE	843 FPS	Mediocre
Gamo Raptor Platinum (9.7 Grain)	47.31 FPE	1041.83 FPS	Good
JSB Jumbo Exact (14.35 Grain)	28.26 FPE	941.61 FPS	Best
H&N Baracuda Match (21.14 Grain)	33.43 FPE	843.85 FPS	Good

Umarex 850 M2 Pellet Gun Air Rifle – Best for Iguanas

The 850 M2 is a fast-shooting pellet rifle powered by a single 88-gram CO2 cartridge.

The bolt-action, 8-shot repeater has a simple, easy loading 8 shot rotary magazine and launches .177 caliber 7-grain pellets at 650 FPS with plenty of muzzle energy for pesting or hunting small game.

The gun has an 8 shot rotary magazine that is very easy to load and offers rapid fire capability for use on pest control or target shooting.

The 850 M2 features an adjustable trigger, precision rifled barrel and built in manometer (air pressure gauge) which makes it a great addition to your backyard plinking arsenal.

CO2 powered pellet rifles are known for precision accuracy and the 850 M2 is no exception.

The 850 M2 comes without sights, so you can mount your own scope or optic sight. It also has an accessory rail underneath for mounting bipods or other shooting accessories.

This high performance airgun includes a comfortable ambidextrous synthetic stock with thumbhole pistol grip, checkered grip and forearm, combination optic rail and muzzle brake.

The Umarex 850 M2 has been proven time and time again to be one of the finest air rifles on the market today. You will not be disappointed with this purchase!

With a repeater mechanism, moderate sound, and a great finish, this is the best CO2 air rifle that you can get to hunt iguanas. 

Pellets	Energy (FPE)	Muzzle Velocity	Accuracy
H&N Baracuda Match (10.65 Grain)	10.02 FPE	651 FPS	Best
JSB Exact Diabolo (8.44 Grain)	9.26 FPE	703 FPS	Excellent
RWS Hobby (7 Grain)	7.99 FPE	717 FPS	Great
Gamo Raptor Platinum (4.7 Grain)	6.51 FPE	790 FPS	Great
Crosman Premier (7.9 Grain)	8.48 FPE	695 FPS	Excellent
H&N Field Target Trophy (8.64 Grain)	9.38 FPE	699 FPS	Great
H&N Field Target Trophy Green(5.56 Grain)	6.35 FPE	717 FPS	Great

Dragon Claw Dual Tank Air Rifle air rifle

The Dragon Claw is one of the best PCPs available and has long been a competitive favorite for many shooters.

PCP rifles are often used for pest control, where long-distance shots allow hunters to take down larger animals like deer or bear at longer distances than would be possible with a regular rifle.

It’s built with precision craftsmanship and features excellent optics on top of it all — wonderful for shooting at targets or small game up to about 35 yards away.

The 0.50-caliber PCP guns have a greater velocity than what’s possible with a spring-powered rifle (usually anywhere from 400 to 600 feet per second), and they can reach much higher velocities before they start to lose their power (700 feet per second is common).

If you want a dual-tank air rifle, but you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for one, this is the gun for you

The Dragon Claw Dual Tank Air Rifle is a precharged pneumatic (PCP) air rifle with dual air chambers, making it somewhat unique.

This PCP air rifle also has dual air chambers (500cc total), a built-in manometer (air pressure gauge) and a hardwood Monte Carlo stock with checkered forearm and grip.

The buttpad has a built-in bumper to help reduce felt recoil. And because it’s a PCP air rifle, there are no springs to cause vibration.

The hardwood Monte Carlo stock has a raised right-hand cheekpiece with checkering on the forearm and grip.

This airgun also features a fixed front sight and a rear sight that’s fully adjustable and removable.

If you are looking for a great hunting gun, or just want to target shoot, this is the gun for you!

Pellets	Energy (FPE)	Muzzle Velocity	Accuracy
H&N Baracuda Match (10.65 Grain)	10.02 FPE	651 FPS	Best
JSB Exact Diabolo (8.44 Grain)	9.26 FPE	703 FPS	Excellent
RWS Hobby (7 Grain)	7.99 FPE	717 FPS	Great
Gamo Raptor Platinum (4.7 Grain)	6.51 FPE	790 FPS	Great
Crosman Premier (7.9 Grain)	8.48 FPE	695 FPS	Excellent
H&N Field Target Trophy (8.64 Grain)	9.38 FPE	699 FPS	Great
H&N Field Target Trophy Green(5.56 Grain)	6.35 FPE	717 FPS	Great