Pellet gun- will it pierce roof?

[HungarianHippo]

Hubby wants to get a pellet gun to dispense with (and eat!) some problem pigeons in the big barn. Pigeons are roosting up in the peak about 35ft from ground, and it’s a 120y/o barn with original shingles covered by 50+ y/o standing seam metal roof.

He says it won’t create holes in my barn roof. COTH’ers with pellet gun experience, what do you think?

As I can imagine this degenerating into silliness: I do not need opinions on what else to do with problem pigeons. Just want to know from people with pellet gun experience if I’m putting my roof at risk.

[Bluey]

Mine does make holes in the metal walls.
You can guess how I know.

You have to wait until the pigeons are against a better background than the metal roof.

Every grain elevator around here have pigeon problems, again health reasons demand they keep them off the grain and they use crews that use air guns, carefully.

There is a restricted poison just for birds, Avitrol I think is the name, but you have to certified to use it, because you don’t want to kill other birds with it.
There are also spikes you can put on some places birds like to roost, but in barns, you would have to protect every surface, not practical.

We had a pair of barn owls move in this summer and they ate a pigeon a day and many rabbits, cleared all the pigeons but a dozen, then left, wish they were still here.

Those pigeons are a serious health hazard, their mites and dust can be harmful to people and horses.

[DressageFancy]

I have the exact same barn! I use my pellet gun on the pigeons and can say that no harm will come to your barn roof. The pellets don’t exactly kill the pigeons right off either. Either I’m not a good enough shot or the pellets don’t do enough damage to the birds. When I hit one it usually just flutters down to the floor and the barn kitties finish it off for me.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=DressageFancy;8931757]
I have the exact same barn! I use my pellet gun on the pigeons and can say that no harm will come to your barn roof. The pellets don’t exactly kill the pigeons right off either. Either I’m not a good enough shot or the pellets don’t do enough damage to the birds. When I hit one it usually just flutters down to the floor and the barn kitties finish it off for me.[/QUOTE]

Pellet guns come in different strength, maybe you have a wimpy one?

The OP may ask her DH which kind he has, the more powerful ones will make holes in metal sheeting.

[Guilherme]

There’s more than one kind of pellet gun. The way the roof is described (metal over shingles which we may presume are attached to a wooden substructure, 30+ feet off the ground) makes it a pretty stout item. I don’t know of any air or CO2 powered pellet guns that would penetrate such a structure at that vertical distance. That doesn’t mean there might not be one; it does mean I don’t know of one!!!

My guess is the metal roof would be safe if the pellet gun would be fired in the barn.

G.

[cutter99]

We were told to get a Gamo to avoid putting holes in the barn roof. Not sure which model though!

http://www.gamousa.com

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;8931780]
There’s more than one kind of pellet gun. The way the roof is described (metal over shingles which we may presume are attached to a wooden substructure, 30+ feet off the ground) makes it a pretty stout item. I don’t know of any air or CO2 powered pellet guns that would penetrate such a structure at that vertical distance. That doesn’t mean there might not be one; it does mean I don’t know of one!!!

My guess is the metal roof would be safe if the pellet gun would be fired in the barn.

G.[/QUOTE]

Oh, yes, if the standing seam metal is over wood shingles, it probably is safe to shoot into those at that distance.

You will find out if you end up with holes, you can see those easily on the very slick, smooth standing seam roof.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8931739]
Hubby wants to get a pellet gun to dispense with (and eat!) some problem pigeons in the big barn. Pigeons are roosting up in the peak about 35ft from ground, and it’s a 120y/o barn with original shingles covered by 50+ y/o standing seam metal roof.

He says it won’t create holes in my barn roof. COTH’ers with pellet gun experience, what do you think?

As I can imagine this degenerating into silliness: I do not need opinions on what else to do with problem pigeons. Just want to know from people with pellet gun experience if I’m putting my roof at risk.[/QUOTE]

Depends greatly on the pellet gun and the type of pellet used. My choice is a 3-5fpe .177 shooting a wadcutter style pellet. You can insert the wadcutter backwards to reduce it’s penetration even further.

The angle of incidence is very important too.

At the end of the day, is he using a pellet gun that’s accurate enough to never miss? (Hint: if it says “Gamo” 10000fps it’s not accurate)

David

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=cutter99;8931825]
We were told to get a Gamo to avoid putting holes in the barn roof. Not sure which model though!

http://www.gamousa.com[/QUOTE]

Gamos are junk. They also don’t shoot 1000 or 1400fps no matter what the box says. The Crosmans with similar claims are really poor also.

For indoor birding I suggest a multi-pump gun like the Crosman 760 pumpmaster. Use the number of pumps appropriate for your situation.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

@Guilherme;8931780

I don’t know of any air or CO2 powered pellet guns that would penetrate such a structure at that vertical distance. That doesn’t mean there might not be one; it does mean I don’t know of one!!!

I have an airgun in .30 cal that delivers the energy of a subsonic .22 rimfire. It would shoot thru most any structure wall It also groups under 2" at 100y.

Here’s a .357 that’s putting out 200fpe if you want power.
http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-rifles/bulldog-synthetic

[TheJenners]

My sgt has one (replica Tommy gun) that can cut a Coke can in half…

[gumtree]

[QUOTE=Bluey;8931760]
Pellet guns come in different strength, maybe you have a wimpy one?

The OP may ask her DH which kind he has, the more powerful ones will make holes in metal sheeting.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. I used to have a bunch of pigeons roosting in my bank barn loft. Broken window in the peak, and the spring on one of the BIG over head doors that were installed before we bought the place broke and the door had to be left open. Replaced with sliders MUCH better very few moving parts.

So pigeons moved in. The brother of a girl working here volunteered to move them out. I wasn’t around when he came over. A few days later while checking things out on a sunny day light was streaming in through lots of forking little holes all over the 3/4" wood siding.As high as 40" from the floor. WTF was he thinking? Bone head.

Fixed the window, fixed the doors pigeon are gone. But its going to be expensive to fix all of the damage in the siding.

Most metal roofing is nailed to purlins with the majority of the metal exposed in between. A pellet gun can easily go through most metal roof that is used these days. OBS sheeting has been used for years now for roof decks. Pretty easy to punch through this stuff depending on thickness. Pellet guns are not BB guns like I had as a kid. Pump ups, the more you pump the bigger the punch.

I have a section of roof that has metal over shingles. The older cedar shingles are pretty brittle. But the metal is vintage and a much heavier gauge then is used today. I would take a couple of test shots in an area that won’t hurt things much before going Rambo.

Don’t know a lot about the different pellets available theses days. But like shotgun shells I would bet there are various types, like bird shot that doesn’t make make mince meat out of them. Softer and low penetration?

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=gumtree;8932131]
Don’t know a lot about the different pellets available theses days. But like shotgun shells I would bet there are various types, like bird shot that doesn’t make make mince meat out of them. Softer and low penetration?[/QUOTE]

If you haven’t noticed this discussion intersects a hobby of mine.

The basic types are diabolo, wadcutter, and pointed. Most of these have a conical skirt on the back the difference is in the head.

Diabolo have a round head and have excellent ballistics and accuracy for longer range shooting (say, 20+ yards). These are used where aerodynamics matter most.
Example: http://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/JSB_Match_Diabolo_Exact_177_Cal_8_4_Grains_Domed_500ct/261

Wadcutter have a flat head with a bit of an edge. They are very stable out to 20 yards and designed for punching clean holes in paper targets. They are also good for short range pesting on soft targets (starlings, pigeons, and english sparrows for example) and do a bit less damage if you miss. Don’t expect good results past 30y.
Example:
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/RWS_Meisterkugeln_Rifle_177_Cal_8_2_Grains_Wadcutter_500ct/217

Pointed pellets are designed to punch thru animal hide, when that’s necessary. I use a plastic-pointed pellet for groundhogs. Accuracy varies but I use them out to 30 or 40 yards.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/Predator_Polymag_177_Cal_8_0_Grains_Pointed_200ct/352

My favorite indoor airgun is an old match target rifle. It’s very well made and sweet to shoot but very effective on barn birds when that is necessary. The plus is you can teach kids to shoot with it and requires no CO2 or compressed air for power.

Gamo and Benjamin have filled stores with many spring piston (single-stroke cocking) rifles that claim to create massive velocities. What they don’t mention is that they don’t really go that fast and they’re very inaccurate. They’re too powerful for indoor pesting and too inaccurate for outdoor distances, IMHO. They also tend to rattle themselves loose constantly and ruin scopes. A spring piston airgun is fabulous when done well - but the big-box versions are perverted to look appealing and deliver very little.

I’m a firm believer in knowing you will hit what you aim at. Every gun is more accurate with some pellets over others. I hesitate to call it a mistake, but many stores sell one of each type of pellet - and many buyers choose a pellet that is designed for the task at hand but happens to be inaccurate in their gun. Serious persons will test a range within each type of pellet. Like firearms, a little testing goes a long way.

David

[HungarianHippo]

Thanks, all. Really appreciate the specific advice. Looks like DH has some fun shopping to do.

[HungarianHippo]

http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a483/IAWindpower/Barn%20Renovation/064.jpg
This is the area they’re roosting in. You can see some daylight where we have missing battens, but the roof on this old barn is totally solid and I want to keep it that way.

[Bluey]

The gun we have breaks in the middle, you put the tiny pellet in there, like the first ones in DHCarrotfeeder’s post, you close the gun up, slide the safey and shoot, no pumping, no CO2 cartridges.

You hit a pigeon, they sit there for some seconds, then plop down, hardly ever one flops around.
You miss, you have a new little hole in the wall, unless you are careful only to shoot where you have rafters or purlins for background.

I think it is a Crossman?

I can tell when the pigeons start staying there again because the old horse gets runny eyes.
He may be sensitive to something the pigeons add in there.

[DressageFancy]

[QUOTE=Bluey;8931760]
Pellet guns come in different strength, maybe you have a wimpy one?

The OP may ask her DH which kind he has, the more powerful ones will make holes in metal sheeting.[/QUOTE]

OP said that the barn has shingles covered with standing seam metal which is what I have. Pellets have to penetrate the shingles first. Add the 35 ft height. My pellet gun is powerful enough to penetrate metal at a closer range–10 to 15 ft–but not 25 to 35 ft.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8932669]
http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a483/IAWindpower/Barn%20Renovation/064.jpg
This is the area they’re roosting in. You can see some daylight where we have missing battens, but the roof on this old barn is totally solid and I want to keep it that way. :)[/QUOTE]

Roosting pigeons on those horizontal beams should be pretty easy targets, especially if you go in after dark, close the doors, and use a small light to illuminate their eyes.

[S1969]

I know you didn’t ask for other suggestions, but if you know any upland game hunters or dog hunting clubs - their members might be happy to come and trap them for training pigeons.

They can be hard to find and expensive to buy if you don’t have a local source.

That said, my dog hunting club was called up on to help a local farmer shoot starlings in his dairy barn once. No judgment from me.

[Unfforgettable]

[QUOTE=S1969;8933366]
I know you didn’t ask for other suggestions, but if you know any upland game hunters or dog hunting clubs - their members might be happy to come and trap them for training pigeons.

They can be hard to find and expensive to buy if you don’t have a local source.

That said, my dog hunting club was called up on to help a local farmer shoot starlings in his dairy barn once. No judgment from me.[/QUOTE]

This. I’m always scouting for pigeons to use for training. If you put an ad on craigslist, you’ll likely find someone who will trap them and keep your barn cleaned out of pigeons.