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Don’t underestimate 8mm steel and “light” bands.

6K views 54 replies 16 participants last post by  Buckaroo 
I really think you shouldn't underestimate small ammo and light bands.

Few days ago I killed a good sized rat with 7mm steel (I didn't have bigger ammo), Precise .45 bands (im loving this bands) and short draw. Impact in the neck area. Clean kill.

I don't know the exact distance because the rat was down on some rocks in the harbor.

In any case, surely you should use larger ammunition to guarantee a death as clean as possible.

But don't underestimate 7mm steel either lol.
I have a setup the same as the one you are describing. Well almost.. .45 precise/ short-draw/ but 10mm clayballs instead (which are almost same weight as 7mm steel @ 1.4g or 1.5g.)
I usually use it to get rid of cockroaches or when there is a house lizard infestation.
But I've also used it to dispatch a rat or two with a headshot. And also took out 2 pigeons with a head and another a neck shot. I agree they work, and yes this setup is easier to be more accurate with. But only head or upper-neckshots work thou'.
 
Yes, I think only headshots or near shots will be really effective on big rats. I think.

What do you think about te latex precise .45? I've been using it for a couple of weeks and I'm happy with it.

Another question mate. I like reptiles and amphibians, what species of lizards do you have infestation in your area? I would like to know out of curiosity.

In the south of my country there are also usually in houses in some places, and they eat spiders and other insects that can be annoying.

Greetings mate!
1.) About the .45 bands. I think they are great, works well for smaller pest like mice and smaller. Light bands = not much shaking, better accuracy. Head/neck would dispatch rats/pigeons at close range under 5m-10m.


2.) I like reptiles myself but more so snakes. I had pet snake once. However where I live you can get a lot of house geckoes, like a lot. They are almost everywhere. Unfortunately I find them very bothersome and a bit peeved out when I find them crawling around in my bedroom. Apart from running all over the walls and tabletops they leave behind a lot of droppings especially behind furniture but not exclusively. They also carry salmonella bacteria on their skin which is kinda gross. So I decided to hunt them down to reduce their numbers, and in 3 months just in and around my house alone I got rid of over a hundred of them. They are very good at hiding as well.

Its been months since then I don't see a lot of them now in my house thankfully. Honestly a few bugs don't really bother me much, & also there aren't many bugs in my house in the first place as most flying insects are easy to keep out with some netting for the windows. Even outside I don't notice that many bugs months after getting rid of them lizards.
I've heard they can sometimes eat certain human food scraps if they are pressed, or whatever bugs or ants they find outside.. then come in ppls homes for shelter & to breed. Althou' they do eat bugs they don't really need a lot of food, ..so they aren't that helpful much, they are extremely tough and can pretty much go without food for weeks on end. However they do need water every few days, and here in the humid tropics there isn't a lack of it. Also they breed like crazy because of the environment here warm n humid weather and with very few natural predators. So yeah, their numbers are just nuts.
 
Today I killed a squirrel with 7mm steel (the only ball size I had).
Two shots, the first in the body and the second in the head.
Precise bands .45 25/15 taper. Not a very big distance, I was close to the tree and it was not a very tall tree.
Closing the distance to get a better shot is a good thing. Just means u have a better chance of a clean shot.

My setup 0.45 bands 20/12 taper with clayballs , just under '1 hour' at night lizarding around my house n garden/yard. Around my neighbors as well.
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Found one under my pillow hiding in my bed, it jumped out all of a sudden. Causing a knee-jerk reaction i nearly fell-over. It's been quite some time and i felt the need to cull them back.
I like snakes ( as long as they don't endanger me or my family) but my god I really dislike these guys, they multiply too fast.
 
Good hunting mate! I see that you are from Malaysia, in those countries there is a lot of fauna, much more than in Europe. I have a reptile magazine somewhere where they talk about the reptiles and amphibians of Malaysia and there are some very interesting ones. Also some dangerous snakes.

I have clay balls, but if I have steel available I always end up shooting steel...

Greetings mate🦎🎯
Yes they do have some interesting ones. This evening I saw a huge monitor lizard it's body was at least 2 ft - 2.5 ft long. They sometimes drag off trapped rats, along with the trap lol.
I once also had a paradise tree snake enter my home. But these guys are harmless n have beautiful markings.

About steel unless it's in the forest it bounces too much for me. That is the reason for me switching to clay. And if I'm shooting something bigger, I'd go for lead as it deforms on impact against hard man made surfaces.
I think clay ammo is pretty cheap as well. I got mine bout $4 /Kg. Bought 5kgs ( bout 5000)
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I would like to have a monitor lizard in the future (a small/medium lizard like a savannah monitor or similar). But it is an economic and time expense to keep such a lizard.

Yes, steel balls bounce off trees a lot, it's crazy. I sometimes shot at night in the forest towards the trees, and it is impressive how many ricochets you can hear, and at great speed.
You have to be careful, in that aspect clay is much safer.

By the way I have found the magazine in which they talk about a genus of Malaysian lizards, I put some photos, maybe you have seen one!
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Hmmm have not seen these, but they look to be of the same family as the garden lizard agamids that are more common in gardens and human settlements here.
 
How uniform is size and weight are the clay ammo?
Thanks,
THWACK!
Mine this batch = Size 9mm - 3/8s avg. Weight pretty similiar around 1g ish. You wont get a huge difference in dia. How round? Roundish, not perfect. Depends on the batch or seller. Last time I got pretty nice round ones.
This batch isn't the best but I shoot under 10m mostly, so l dont have much to complain about. Here's a close up.
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Oh you can even get them with a bit of iron filings mixed in them. So that u can pop them on your magnet holder and they'd stick like steel bearings.
 
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