Air Rifles

I looked but did not find any links or posts to Air Rifles so i thought i would ask my question here and i am sorry if i missed a previous thread on this subject. I am looking to purchase an Air Rifle for small game hunting and need some advice and info. on where to start and what to look for . I know that there has to be some Air Rifle enthusiasts on here and i hope you can help me, one thing i do not want is any Chinese made crap i am looking for quality products, thank you for any advice or info. you may have to offer.

Im in for the answers too...My kid wants to buy one for target shooting and he would like the advice...
(G)

Yes we have discussed air rifles here. It gets more hyped than black powder!

Of course there are special forums for air rifle hunting and specialty uses. Be aware that they are a highly prejudiced group, often goinjg overboard in their belief in what their glorified pea shooters are capable of accomplishing.

What you find, if you dig a bit, is that a majority of the rifles out there are made by two or three makers and each marketer puts their on stock and name on the unit, even as prices vary greatly for the same rifle from different marketers.

RWS builds most of the mid priced guns, Crossman supplies most of the lower priced units, no matter what the name on the box.

Do not discount some of the Chineese guns. The are producing some excellent units in the mid range prices.

We've had a few discussions on air rifles, but they may not answer your questions. I've only got one (Beeman Dual Caliber). I picked mine up at Walmart. This particular model has interchangeable barrels (.177 and .22). The .177 shoots at 1000 fps and the .22 at 800 fps. Either is capable of taking small game. As with any weapon, they do have range limitations and are affected by wind. I would recommend a break barrel type air gun. These use a large spring(s) that you compress when you cock the rifle. Pulling the trigger releases the spring(s), pushing a piston that gives the air pressure to push the pellet out. They are not toys, and should be treated as such. If you use a scope, make sure it is designed for an air rifle. Regular scopes will not last long on an air rifle. Here's a few pics of mine.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...nUpdate013.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...nUpdate011.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...nUpdate012.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...nUpdate015.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...nUpdate019.jpg

I have one and I enjoy it. The only complaint I have is that it's too heavy. Make certain you will be comfortable with the weight of whatever you purchase.

Here are some threads for you:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ghlight=beeman

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ghlight=beeman

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ghlight=beeman

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ghlight=beeman

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ghlight=beeman

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ghlight=beeman

Our local Farm King Store carries one made by Ruger:

SKU: 966200 Heading: Ruger Air Hawk .177 Pellet Rifle with 4 x 32 Scope Description: Single shot cocking mechanism. Wood stock, adjustable fiber optic sight. Umarexusa Manufacturer: UMAREX USA Model #: 224 4001 Farm King Price: $139.99 Suggested Retail $174.99

http://http://www.bigboreairguns.com/

I'd like to have one of these.

I have the Gamo Hunter Sport .177cal. It is very powerful and accurate. I regularly kill pigeons, squirrel, Snow shoe hair, Spruce & Ruffed Grouse and Porcupine with it. I use heavy 10.5 grain pellets. I paid $199 for mine at Sports Authority in Anchorage.

http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/...unterSport.jpg

MECHANISM
-Velocity: 1200 feet per second (fps) with PBA, 1000 fps with Lead
-Single Shot
-Break Barrel: Single Cocking System
-Automatic Cocking Safety system
-Barrel: Fluted Polymer Jacketed Steel
-Cocking Effort: 30 lbs
-Trigger: Second Stage adjustable
-Manual Safety

STOCK
-Stock: Fine selected grade of beech hardwood
-Butt Plate: Ventilated rubber pad for recoil absorption
-Cheekpiece: Raised Comb

OPTICS
-Scope Ramp: Grooved Receiver
-Scope: 3-9x40 Air Rifle Scope

SPECIFICATIONS
-Weight: 7 lbs
-Length: 43.25’’
-Ammunition: Any .177 Pellet
-Caliber: .177
-Trigger Pull: 3.79 lbs
-Barrel Length: 18 in

You get back to the age old argument that "shot placement is key" when dealing with "underpowered" weapons (and they are underpowered even compared to a .22 short)

What troubles me is that most of the air guns are not really as accurate as they are hyped to be. The good ones are accurate, but most of the mid priced to cheap ones are POOR in the accuracy department!

Of course everyone claims their particular favorite is miraculiously accurate, but most really are not, espically out at the 20-25 yard ranges one is forced to shoot when taking live critters. There is a big difference in the power lever and accuracy at 33 feet (traditional air rifle measurement range) and at 75 feet which is "scare the game off" range.

And then you have the folks that feel their air rifle is an "adequite" all purpose survival gun.

I have a Diana Model 34 that's a tack driver out to 25 yards. Best survival gun on the planet. Well, it's the heaviest for sure.

I don't consider my air rifle to be a "survival gun". I do consider it a good tool for hunting small game and pest control.

I've measured the distance from where I shoot to where the pigeons sit and sighted the rifle in for that distance and I have no trouble hitting and killing them. Which by the way is 68 yards.

If I thought I could get away with it I would just use my .22 hornet to shot the darn things. Hmmm, I should have the hornet barrel threaded for the suppressor I'm ordering.

I found this interesting: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=593401 Has anyone here tried this out?

I ran across that yesterday browsing through their site. I have not tried it but it looked interesting.

My old one is a Benjamin Franklin. Hand me down and it held up for two generations.

I recently bought a Remington (made by crosman) and I'm satisfied with it at 1200fps. excellent small game fetcher.

This is the one I use. It's very good out to 40 + yards if you have a steady hand and can squeeze a trigger. It's made in Spain. I feel it's equal to Beeman, RWS/ Diana, all quality rifles made by reputable companies. Even though it's advewrtised at 1000 fps, you won't get that with heavy pellets used for hunting, only with lightweight target pellets. There's a few good vids on this rifle with different ammos on youtube using a chronograph? to measure pellet speed and such. The pellets I use are only about 700-800 fps, but it's more than fast enough. I've yet to have a critter dodge one, lol. I personally think it's just as deadly as a .22 short.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkBwCLA1ys4

IMO, the Rugers, Remingtons, Winchesters are all good enough for hunting too and cost a lot less. I believe they are all made by some generic company, not really brand name, probably made in China, etc. and stamped with a brand name for resale, but they do work.

I use the heavy 10.5 gr. pellets too, they seem to work best in this rifle, "superdome" style, but mine are Crosman brand. One thing to remember is pellet weight and shape, even brand name makes a huge difference in where the pellet will hit, you have to resight with each new pellet brand, style and weight. But, I've found the Crosman field pellets to be most accurate. Having said that, I can no longer find them locally, so they may have quit making them.??

Bottom line is the pellet you choose and your own ability has more to do with it than the rifle you buy. I had an old Crosman 766 pump, 795 fps, that was way more accurate and deadly with regular BB's than with pellets.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rebel

I found this interesting: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=593401 Has anyone here tried this out?

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I made several of those out of .22 hornet brass to use in my M-6 Scout rifle. However I use large magnum rifle primers. Its a pretty slick set up and is pretty quiet.

If I were to get a air rifle I want one from the link below, probably the 50 caliber.

http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/

I have a GAMO Viper Shadow Express, it is a dual pellet/shotshell shooter. I do not like how loud it is,.22 CB caps are less noise. It is powerful when shooting the .22 pellets. The shotshell are a novelty at best. They are reloadable. They offer no power or real life pattern or distance (they will shoot ritz crackers out of the air at like 15 feet). The pellets could easily take small game, but the shot shells would not even take care of moths in camp.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/m...tick/gamo1.jpg