Been working on my Surival Kit and thought about including a crossman C11 BB airgun (a hand gun because of the space it takes) under the category of Food and Water. I understand from my online research that alone this would not be a viable hunting technique but in tandem with clubbing for the killing blow I would like to get feedback on whether this would be a viable tactic for SURVIVAL HUNTING. My idea being that a shot from a BB gun would stun or wound a prey long enough to finish it off with a weighted club. Searching online i find a lot of information for and against the use of airguns for hunting depending on what side of the coin the poster is on, this is the only survival forum that i give any credence to regarding the matter of survival. Over the years i've learned to respect the expertise of the people who post here so I'm anxious to get your feedback.

A BB/pellet gun is a viable killing tool.

A few years ago my son drilled a gray squirrel in the back yard. Dead. Surprised me because when I was young I shot a few squirrels using a pump-up BB gun: The shot generally stunned them enough to allow a quick clunk on the head. The autopsy my son and I conducted as part of preparation for cooking revealed he hit it at the base of the skull. Severed the spine, tore into the windpipe.

Small birds and chipmunks are no trouble to kill outright.

Pigeons, on the otherhand, simply fluff up a bit. Even head shots had no effect. We were trying to rid the office building of roosting birds. After trying some nonlethal deterants, we went with a lethal plan: A pump-up pellet gun. It didn't even make them fly.

A caveat: My shots were all with a pump-up rifle, which is much more accurate than a pistol because of the longer barrel. To effect a kill with a pistol, you're going to have to get much closer.

Thanks for the feedback, to help clarify the question yes i'm thinking of close range. My theory being a CO2 powered BB gun is going to be at least as accurate as a thrown rock (or other improvised weapon). Relying on snare wire and stick traps just doesn't seem a viable solution to me, understanding of course that in a survival scenario food isn't even always the highest priority. Looking forward to hearing from the rest of you.

Why not a .22LR pistol or breakdown style .22LR rifle?

In a word... price. also i can pack 1500 rounds of BBs and CO2 in a relatively small space. As for why a hand gun, because it fits IN my kit. If i were to take a longarm it would be my 20 gauge. But the ammo would take a lot of space and add a lot of weight.

I gotcha. I've never priced any of the .22LR rifles that can be taken down, but I know I have $189 in my 10/22 plus another $60 in the scope (BSA Tactical 4x30).

I know I've been shot point blank with a CO2 pellet pistol and it stung like heck, I could see it killing a pretty small animal pretty easily.

The AR-7 (now by Henry) prices in at $250. I'd love to have one of those if I could afford it. I'd also love to have one of those $250 Katadyn reusable pocket filters, can't afford that either. For water purification i'll be packing one of those flimsy bottles of water you can get for $1.50. The idea being that after drinking the water, I'll put the cap back on, poke a hole in it then cut off the bottom and fill it with layers of sand and charcoal and keep reusing it over and over to filter my water before purifying it with Iodine or boiling it. I'll of coure be replacing the sand and charcoal from time to time as I go.

For water purifying I went with some Potable Aqua tablets, some coffee filters, a 32 ounce Nalgene that was on clearance at REI, and can always boil it too.

I use Aquatabs for water purification. Other then making tea/coffee/food, I can't recall the last time I boiled water exclusively for drinking water. I would of course, boil water in a survival situation if I had to.

Out here in Los Angeles,My Crosman Power-Master pistol in .177 takes pidgeons with 3 pumps & 1 BB @ 30 feet away,Chest shots,on up to thru the head! I dress/cook em' for my Pooch,though she enjoys shredding them herself.I've taken Mourning Doves the same way,& Have eaten them myself,They are Delicious!I've made wire snares from the wire provided in Doug's Kit's,& Have snared 2 doves,2 different times,using a total of 4 snares,I've also snared Mountain Quail with the same snares,but with treble hooks added,& This is Very effective! I've snared other birds as well,& As a Rule of Thumb,I've eaten everything,I've taken!All Birds Do Not taste the same,& None of them even Remotely,Taste's like Chicken!