On this hunt I grab a budget air rifle and the JSB Hades hollow point pellets, and head out for a bit of rabbit hunting down on the ranch!
I headed back down to Texas recently, on a mission! I’d been shooting the .30 caliber JSB Hades pellets in my RTI Prophet for a few months and had gotten very good results on them while out predator hunting. I’d heard that the terminal performance of the .25 was impressive, and I wanted to see for myself. On the upcoming Texas trip I was going to be out for a few days and would have some downtime from javalina to go after those 50-100 yards jackrabbits. At least there would be chance for rabbit hunting if the winds weren’t too bad, always a risk this time of year.
On this trip I wanted a more budget priced rifle and chose the lever action Hatsan Vectis in .25 caliber. I’ve used this gun on several hunts over the last few years and am quite comfortable taking it into the field. The Vectis is an odd-looking rifle that suggests its momma was a lever action Winchester and its daddy was an AR-15 tactical rifle! It has a full-length rail on the shrouded barrel, and a built-in moderator. It uses a short-stroke lever action mechanism to cycle the 10 shot rotary magazine. The gun is accurate, powerful, and it is a gun I shoot off hand particularly well. The ergonomics, balance, and fit to shoulder are outstanding.
The JSB Hades pellets are a specialty hunting projectile designed to expand on impact, the unique hollow-point round nose .25 caliber pellet weighing 26.54 grains, boast significant expansion. This projectile deforms after penetrating quarry, dumping more energy on the target without over penetrating. What has impressed me after shooting the .22, .25, and .30 caliber Hades, is that they are a quasi-hollow point that retains accuracy, even at longer range. I think they are one of the more interesting hunting projectiles to come along in a while!
I walked down to the ranch range to sight in before heading out into the field. The wind was howling, but I was still able to hold acceptable 50-yard groups with both rifles. I was using a BogPod rifle saddle mounted on my spotting scope tripod, and this has become my go-to rest for preparing and checking guns in the field.
After my range session, I decided to get out in the field for an afternoon hunt. Early may in West Texas is already starting to heat up a bit, and 93 degrees is not too bad considering how blistering hot this region would be in just a few short weeks. During the heat of the day jackrabbits lay up in scraps tucked away under the sparse shade of the desert brush. But as afternoon rolls around and it started to cool off a bit, they start coming out to feed.
I had a couple methods for hunting this time of day, the first was to drive the rutted ranch roads in my 4-wheeler stopping to glass every couple hundred yards. This has the advantage of both covering a lot of ground, but also offers the occasional opportunistic shots at rabbits on the move. Once a hare was spotted, we’d note a landmark near the rabbit, either back up a hundred yards or move forward the same distance, then get out and put on a stalk. I would then move through the brush keeping the vegetation between myself and the landmark, and when closing within an estimated 60 yards, look through the brush to locate my quarry. Once I’d reacquired visuals on the jack, I’d fine tune the approach and get into a shooting position, mostly standing offhand in these conditions.
Once in range, I generally favor head shots but have no hesitation with using a heart/lung shot as well. I have mentioned this before, but when you are using a higher power and larger caliber airgun, chest shots are just as effective as head shots in my experience. With a chest shot the jackrabbit will often drop on the spot and not move or may run a few yards and roll over stone dead. With a head shot the rabbit may drop on the spot or bounce and flop on the ground until giving up the ghost. I don’t think one is more humane or efficient than the other, and both are effective. Just keep in mind that with a head shot you are going for the brain and with a chest shot the target is the heart. These kill zones are about the same, through the movement of the chest area tends to be much less than the head.
I am the only one that hunts rabbits at this ranch, and I visit a few times every year. When filming or field testing a new rifle, I limit myself to a half dozen Jackrabbits and a couple cottontails with each gun. This lets me get in some quality hunting without excessive impact on the population, and the aim is to thin the numbers a bit, not eradicate them.
So, on this outing I took 10 rabbits over two consecutive hunts using a balanced mix of head and body shots. The head shots dropped with minimal flopping, and all but one body shot dropped on the spot. One ran a few yards before rolling over without another twitch. This gun was very accurate and the terminal performance with the Hades pellets impressive. It is of course anecdotal, but these rabbits seemed to be knocked off their feet harder than I’ve seen before. As a matter of fact, I have used this rifle with standard round nose pellets in the past and have video footage to compare outcomes. Yes, still anecdotal, but my impression is firm that the Hades hit with more authority. And my-oh-my the Vectis cycles fast! I had a couple follow-ups or multiple rabbit situations, and this gun was ready to shoot almost as fast as I could aim!
On top of the 12 desert hares, I bagged a few cottontails which were dressed and added to my steady diet of Chile during our stay. These rabbits were squeezed to empty the bladder and dressed right after shooting. The meat was still quite good for this time of year, and getting the dressed animals on ice right away helped.
I really enjoyed these hunts and came away with a strong impression that the Hades are outstanding hunting pellets. Of course, terminal performance means nothing if you can’t put the pellet where it needs to go. I found that my rifle digested these pellets and put them right on target, even at long range.
