Hey there Pegasus, 
Use of any device between the .22 and .45 calibre should suffice.
In the mid 60's I was a high school junior. George and I were hitch-hiking home from a sports event; 10PM, dark.
A young man going the other way stopped to chat. He had a rifle in his hands. We immediately became wary. He said, "I'm gonna' knock out that b...... sodium street light."
"Er, why" I asked.
He replied, "It interferes with my telescope. I want to see the stars."
George and I continued walking. As one of several long breaks in traffic occurred, we saw a flash emitted from the rifle. Bang and bright yellow globules splash to the ground from where the sodium vapour lamp was suspended.
It was such a loud explosion
that George and I bolted. The immediate area of the absent light was now quite black.
That's what I call a dedicated hobbyist.
I sometimes wondered how many times that street light was replaced or through repetition whether the fool was discovered.