Review: Crosman Ratcatcher Air Rifle

[Scythe13]

Item: Crosman Ratcatcher
Cost: £130ish
Style: Bolt Action
Powered by: CO2 (12 ounce cartridge)
Caliber: .22 pellet

I have had this air rifle for over 10 years now. I can't help but to think...I love this little plinker!

Firstly, when you get one, you know it's either for plinking (shooting tins in the garden) or for ratting (shooting rats). It's in the name, what it's built for.

Okay, so now the fun begins.

When you buy this gun, it comes with a 'scope'. The term scope is kind of misleading. I would liken it to looking through a McDonalds straw. You will need to replace this ASAP. Considering the distance you'll be using it over won't be huge, you could happily get away with a 4x power scope.

Speaking of scopes, this next part is the largest problem I've found with Ratties. The brackets that attach onto the barrel can move. The scope can tent to shift a little, or the barrel can become a little lose, which can cause the scope to be off, even if you're just adjusted it to zero in. If anyone knows how to sort this issue, please let me know. Okay, with that aside, more on this cute little thing.

Weight, it's about as heavy as a couple of pints of cider. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, and me getting into the swing with living down in the West Country, but it really is light. The stock is hollowed, and there is as little excess material on it as can be. So this is a major benefit. Very easy to up and carry.

Thinking about it, but something I hadn't thought about until just before I posted this, the Ratcatcher is pretty loud. Add a suppressor and you'll be laughing. I've been so used to shooting mine suppressed that I forgot how loud it is. Rip off the front fiberoptic sight and get the adaptor, coupled with a great suppressor. So that is now the second mod for the gun, after the scope.

The first shot is never going to be accurate with a CO2 rifle. I've not had one where the first 2 shots are pretty off the mark. By shot 4, they're pretty damn consistent. The same is true with the Ratcatcher. With 1 CO2 cylinder being about 20 'kill shots'. The rifle will shoot about 30-35 shots, but the drop in power in the last few shots is pretty heavy. I like to change cylinder between shot 20-25, never later.

The performance, in the field (or should I say barn) is exceptional. I have been out with it an bagged a good 12 rats in an evening, with each shot being spot on. I'm not the best shot, but once you have this gun zeroed in, it'll maintain that bearing and consistent power.

Rats are an easy kill with this. You'd hope so too, as the name says it's made for that cause. You can also pop pigeons and a few other birds around that size. So it could easily prove useful if you were in the woods and looking for a snack. Maximum distance for taking shots would be about 15 meters. I personally wouldn't be too happy taking a pop at any animal outside of that distance. I'd try to keep the shots within 10 meters of range. Not just for the increased accuracy, but also for the guarantee of the power needed to pop rats. To be fair, it could probably pop out to around 20 meters with kill-power, but I'm not willing to risk that.

I doubt, out of the box, it would have the power to smash out a rabbit. You will injure one, and prove that you're not a good hunter (a good hunter will want a clean 1 shot kill) because it's not a rabbit gun. The Rabbit Stopper (came out at the same time as the Ratcatcher) would be a better option if you want to stick to Crosman's range. But for ratting, I really cannot fault this.

In the many years I've had this, I've not had a single problem with it. There are horror stories about it, and a few people I know have experienced that. But for me, with my gun, nothing at all.

Would I recommend this gun for ratting? Damn right! It'd be my first option.

Would I recommend this gun for life after TSHTF? Yes, rats make for good eating.

Would I recommend this gun for a GHB carry-along? Definitely. It's light enough, and packs enough punch to bag yourself a quick meal.

Would I recommend this gun for anything else? Plinking. It's a great 'garden gun' with the kids (or neighbours kids in our situation). But aside from that, it's not a 'survival' gun.