Some critters you should not use Predators on...

Some critters you should not use Predators on or maybe it was just the distance I was shooting at, maybe it is both.

Case in point:  Saturday morning I am standing outside my back porch looking for critters that just do not belong in my shooting range.  Afther a few minutes of standing around I noticed a chipmunk that keeps eluding me.   The little bugger is sitting on edge of cinder block that is supporting a stack of planked wood next to my shed.  So I pick up my Gamo loaded with a Predator and take aim, pull the trigger and instantly here the sound of a pellet hitting metal, in this case the metal would be the down spout on my neighbors garage which is another 5 yards away.

"How in the #**%$ did I miss"

A couple of seconds later I see the chipmunk fall from his perch, try to stand up and then fall down permanently.  

"Hey I did not miss"

"Hey if I hit him and the down spout........this is going to be messy".

Sure enough I hit him and hit him hard.  So hard that some of his insides were hanging out the entrance hole of the Predator.  

Yea that messy.

So messy I did not think that this place would even approve of the photo, so therefore no picture will be posted.  Use your imaginations.

What did I use, a Gamo Shadow .177 with a Predator at 12 yards.

I will think twice before doing that close of shot again.

[JMG]

Yeah I can relate I stopped using any type of pointed pellets when shootin varmints for that very same reason. They just go right through the critter. And hit whatever is behind it and makes ya think that you missed which is a really crummy feeling. I like the crosman destroyers and gamo tomahawks and then the CPL's have never let me down either. LOL and come to think of it I did take a dove with one of the premier heavies I thought was a CPL and it was pretty impressive too.

John

[Gene_SC]

Well, my view is that you do not use those pellets where there are other homes or people around. I think Ed and Jeff can attest to that. They are good hunting pellets when used in the proper setting. One thing is for sure that a regular round nose pellet would of done the job as well at only 12 yards. lol..

When in your back yard shooting just be aware of what is around you and behind your targets and practice good safe shooting logic.

Gene

[shadow]

Yes I choose my target's carefully, the Predator's are saved for larger game. I mainly use Gamo Master Point's or Pro Mag's on smaller stuff. I was taught to alway's be aware of what's around me, even in a field that seem's void of non- target's. I also shoot with both eye's open when I use my scope, wider view of what's going on around me just in case someone or something enter's the target zone. When I look through my scope's I also look past the target, what's behind that might take a pellet . Target, background, target background. I don't mind overpenetration, on the right varment. :) Ed

The safety thing aside, I want to see the pictures. Can I get a second?

[tat2dman]

second.....dem predators are goooood....

[shadow]

Pic's? I'd like to see em too. };)Ed

My suggestion would be switch over to flat points such as Crosman Super Match or JSB Exact Match when you are shooting at chipmunks to avoid overpenetration and maximum impact.
Save those Predators for tough stuff such as Fox Squirrels, Crows, and Starlings.

I'm a bit concerned that you shot at something with your neighbors garage being 5 yards away in the line of fire.
Not sure what the actual setup is like but you out to be very careful.  At a minimum you could have *_*_*_*_*_*ed of neighbors and the worst you could hit somebody.
As other's said, Know what's behind your target.  Accidents will put a dent in your shooting and possibly others.

[r1derbike]

I think so highly of predators, I shot just one, and used the rest to make a matching necklace/bracelet set for my wife.  Pimpin'.

Oh! 'scuse me.  Those were Raptors...silly me.

Charles

[only1harry]

Gotta have a backstop..  I don't shoot towards my neighbor's garage or any homes.  If I can't shoot towards the back woods, I go inside and use one of my upstairs windows so I can shoot down towards the lawn.

I had a similar situation as you did with the chipmonk about 2 weeks ago, but with a gray squirrel.  I shot him in the head 11yds out in the back yard.  
The gun was an RWS 350 .22 with a CP 14.3gr.  I knew it was a little overkill but hey at least I didn't use the 21gr Kodiak pellets :)  I only had the gun a little over week so I was still experimenting with it.  The squirrel dropped instaneously and expired on the spot.  The CP had hit him with 19.5ft-lbs of energy.  About 5X the power needed to bring down a squirrel.  As I was walking up to it I could tell this wasn't going to be pretty.  I saw the entry hole behind his eye on his skull and a lot of damage around it, but when I turned him over, the exit hole on the other side of his skull looked bigger and there was a lot more blood than usual on the ground for a gray squirrel (and I 've taken a lot of them in the past 25yrs) but then I noticed some brain matter outside his head as well as on the ground.  Definitely not a picture I would post if I took one, which I didn't.