The Advantages of a Pellet Rifle - Part III
by Kirk Lawson
![Font Line Trigger Rectangle Air gun]()
In the second article of this series we discussed how a Pellet Rifle is a useful option for at-home training. In this article we will look at why a Pellet Rifle is a useful tool for the prepper. For the most part, we will restrict our discussion to pneumatic style Pellet Rifles, which require a chamber to be charged with air, either through a single stroke or break open style action, or through a multi-stroke lever style pump.
You can hunt small game. While there are indeed some Pellet Rifles which have sufficient energy and a large enough caliber pellet to take real size game, such as deer, they are not the commonly available option that most shoppers can buy quickly over-the-counter at their local big box store. However, the .177 and .22 caliber Pellet Rifles are certainly capable of taking small game for the stew. If the shooter exercises good shot placement within the range of the Pellet Rifle, it is able to take birds, rabbits, and squirrel. Most of the entry level Pellet Rifles are accurate enough to achieve good shot placement with quality pellets.
To revisit the statement, Pellet Rifles are quiet. Being quiet is often a highly valued feature for preppers not wanting to give away their position or to hunters not wanting to frighten other potential game. While a Pellet Rifle is not usually whisper quiet, most of them are much more quiet than even a .22LR rifle. Some Pellet Rifles even come pre-equipped with a perfectly legal sound suppressor system.
Another highly desirable feature for prepping gear is light weight. Again, most Pellet Rifles have this in spades. The rifles tend to be light, and the ammunition automatically is lighter than metallic cartridge style ammunition. It is only the "bullet," and does not use the powder, primer, or case. Reloading does tend to be slower. You are trading speed of reloading and follow up shots for a lighter, simpler, platform but the Pellet Rifle and 500 rounds of pellets sure take up a lot less weight on your back when you may already be packing around quite a bit.
A secondary advantage to the lighter weight platform is that the Pellet Rifle is more accessible to smaller, less physically strong, members of your prepping team. A child could more easily carry their own ability to contribute to the hunting needs of the prepping party.
We said it once already, last article, but can you say it too many times? A Pellet Rifle is an inexpensive alternative. One thing that dissuades many potential preppers is the cost. Once you get past a simple "get home bag" in your car, the many items begin to add up. And not just for someone getting into prepping. Even prepping fanatics and old-hands often have to weigh choices for how they want to spend their limited prepping budget. An inexpensive entry level Pellet Rifle and a couple boxes of pellets, even in .22 caliber, is a lot of "bang for the buck" so to speak. The number of rounds per dollar is hard to beat.
While a Pellet Rifle may not be able to meet every prepping need or completely replace the role of a metallic cartridge rifle for the prepper, with its many desirable advantages, it should be considered for a place in your prepping gear.
by Kirk Lawson
In the second article of this series we discussed how a Pellet Rifle is a useful option for at-home training. In this article we will look at why a Pellet Rifle is a useful tool for the prepper. For the most part, we will restrict our discussion to pneumatic style Pellet Rifles, which require a chamber to be charged with air, either through a single stroke or break open style action, or through a multi-stroke lever style pump.
You can hunt small game. While there are indeed some Pellet Rifles which have sufficient energy and a large enough caliber pellet to take real size game, such as deer, they are not the commonly available option that most shoppers can buy quickly over-the-counter at their local big box store. However, the .177 and .22 caliber Pellet Rifles are certainly capable of taking small game for the stew. If the shooter exercises good shot placement within the range of the Pellet Rifle, it is able to take birds, rabbits, and squirrel. Most of the entry level Pellet Rifles are accurate enough to achieve good shot placement with quality pellets.
To revisit the statement, Pellet Rifles are quiet. Being quiet is often a highly valued feature for preppers not wanting to give away their position or to hunters not wanting to frighten other potential game. While a Pellet Rifle is not usually whisper quiet, most of them are much more quiet than even a .22LR rifle. Some Pellet Rifles even come pre-equipped with a perfectly legal sound suppressor system.
Another highly desirable feature for prepping gear is light weight. Again, most Pellet Rifles have this in spades. The rifles tend to be light, and the ammunition automatically is lighter than metallic cartridge style ammunition. It is only the "bullet," and does not use the powder, primer, or case. Reloading does tend to be slower. You are trading speed of reloading and follow up shots for a lighter, simpler, platform but the Pellet Rifle and 500 rounds of pellets sure take up a lot less weight on your back when you may already be packing around quite a bit.
A secondary advantage to the lighter weight platform is that the Pellet Rifle is more accessible to smaller, less physically strong, members of your prepping team. A child could more easily carry their own ability to contribute to the hunting needs of the prepping party.
We said it once already, last article, but can you say it too many times? A Pellet Rifle is an inexpensive alternative. One thing that dissuades many potential preppers is the cost. Once you get past a simple "get home bag" in your car, the many items begin to add up. And not just for someone getting into prepping. Even prepping fanatics and old-hands often have to weigh choices for how they want to spend their limited prepping budget. An inexpensive entry level Pellet Rifle and a couple boxes of pellets, even in .22 caliber, is a lot of "bang for the buck" so to speak. The number of rounds per dollar is hard to beat.
While a Pellet Rifle may not be able to meet every prepping need or completely replace the role of a metallic cartridge rifle for the prepper, with its many desirable advantages, it should be considered for a place in your prepping gear.
:carrot:
