Seeking air rifle recommendations

[robgendreau]

For all kinds of good reasons (trust me), and after talking to some folks on my last trip, I began to consider getting an air rifle to take on trips. Sheesh; it's almost as fraught a decision as arguing over tires :Wow1: (but easier than choosing a mate...).

In any case, since folks here do similar kinds of travel (and BTW I'm talking western US) I thought I'd get suggestions here. I haven't used a rifle for a bazillion years; we used to take a couple .22s out on camping trips to the CA desert all the time. Since then it's only been a shotgun, which I don't take. I want it for target shooting (casual-like), plinking, and annoying bears (ha).

Not having looked at adult air guns in a while (for work reasons I've dealt with AirSofts oriented toward kids), I am pleased to see that there are lots that profess to very quiet, which is a priority. I don't wanna pay a ton of money, since it isn't my main hobby.

So here's the criteria I'm interested in:

Quiet.

Either .177 or .22; I'm not sure which is better for this sort of use.

Scope: I see many come with scopes. Am I safe in assuming they're junk? Again, don't wanna pay tons, but would it be better to get an aftermarket air gun specific scope?

Piston? Seems to be predominating on the newer rifles over springs. Or maybe at least one that can be upgraded? Are they quieter? I'm probably not interested in CO2 or PCP (although I guess I could use the tank to air up my tires...).

Break barrel, or side or bottom pumps? The break barrel seems to predominate and would certainly give a lot of choices.

So any suggestions appreciated. Or any other stuff I should look out for (eg reliability, ability to modify after purchase, etc).

Rob

 

[98OzarksRunner]

For accuracy and power, it's hard to beat a Sheridan Blue Streak (http://www.crosman.com/airguns/sheridan/CB9). They're about $200 but I've bought them at garage sales for $20 in great shape. .20 cal (5mm) pellet, rifled barrel, single shot. Not a toy, and doesn't feel like one either.

 

[Kiddmen57]

Ok, I've been into air guns for many years. For plinking you defiantly don't need PCP unless you just have so much money you don't care about it. Those cheap spring piston guns (Gamo) are not what I would consider a decent gun. Piston guns in general will be more difficult to master in terms of accuracy. They are hold, temperature, and elevation sensitive. CO2 is also temp sensitive and will not work in cold temps. Really needs to be 75 to 100 degrees to work well.

For your intended purpose I would stick to .177. Unless you are hunting .22 is just not as good of a caliber. .177 will shoot faster and therefore flatter. Yes it loses energy quicker but I doubt you'll be shooting past 50-60 yards.

If it were me, I would buy a multi pump gun. Simple, and has the benefits of a PCP without the cost. Look into the Crosman 1377 (.177). You can modify them, or even buy a used modified one for $100-300 and have a very accurate and fun air gun. I've got 4 of these in various forms. If you can find an older Crosman 1400 in .22 that would be a very nice all around gun. It's a multi pump.

As far as quiet is concerned, most will not be quiet. But if you read up on the forums you can look for options in that sense. These guns produce a lot of "lead dust" that must be collected at the end of the barrel.

Crosman forum here http://www.network54.com/Forum/275684/

"Yellow" airgun forum here (higher end stuff). http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/

Check the classifieds for deals. Always something cool to buy.

Some of my earlier guns

Olympic 10m piston LGV Speziale

My piston FT spring gun HW97K

Daystate X2 PCP that is my FT comp rifle. Won it in the raffle at my first state FT competition. Made the SS compensator/ barrel weight and also the custom stock (still a work in process).

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[Kiddmen57]

For accuracy and power, it's hard to beat a Sheridan Blue Streak (http://www.crosman.com/airguns/sheridan/CB9). They're about $200 but I've bought them at garage sales for $20 in great shape. .20 cal (5mm) pellet, rifled barrel, single shot. Not a toy, and doesn't feel like one either.

Awesome rifle. .20 will be harder to find in local stores. But if you plan ahead you can stock up on lead from pyramid air or other online suppliers.


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[EMrider]

I became interested in air guns about 4 years ago. My priorities were 10-50 yard accuracy, reliability and minimal noise.

Today, quality air guns are the superior choice for virtually all of my shooting interests. Casual plinking, small game hunting, recreational and competitive shooting, etc... Pretty much everything except self defense or large game hunting. Coming from a background in rimfire and sporting clays, the precision and accuracy of air guns still amazes me.

After some trial and error I have settled on low and medium powered .177 caliber spring rifles as the best choice for me. I tried PCPs, but didn't like the need for an external air supply. A simple break barrel or multi pump pneumatic is fully self contained, remarkably accurate and good for a lifetime of shooting fun with minimal maintenance.

By far my favorite rifle is my .177 Beeman R7 (also known as the Weirauch hw30). It is so much fun I bought two so that I can shoot with my kids. I also own an air arms pro sport and a weirauch hw45 pistol, all in .177.

The R7 shoots 7-8gr pellets at 650-700fps, or about 6.5-7.5fpe. With a 4-12x scope, it is stunningly accurate out to 40-50 yards and it has plenty of power for small game inside of 30 yards. Best of all, it is remarkably quiet. It makes as much noise as a desk stapler. The R7 is also easy to cock. My kids shoot it for hours on end. It goes on every camping and back country trip and always provides hours of shooting fun. In the past 3 years, I have put at least 30,000 pellets through mine and the gun is built so well that it will outlive my grandkids.

I have never owned a Benjamin 397 or a Sheridan pumper, but they are legendary for their accuracy and longevity.

Other well regarded spring guns include the Diana 34 and the Beeman R9, which is a bigger and more powerful R7.

All of these spring guns retail for $300-$400. A spring is easy to change and costs about $15. A quality spring is good for 10,000 or more shots with no loss of power. The spring in my R7 has at least 25,000 shots and is still going strong.

My advise is to buy quality and stay away from Gamos or similar guns that hype their 1200fps power. They shoot fast, but you won't be able to hit the broad side of a barn.

Good luck in choosing.

R

 

[JWP58]

Anything FX or Daystate. Man I'd love to have a FX Bobcat .25cal

 

[robgendreau]

Wow, those are some awesome looking guns. Great advice folks, thanks.