Basic inexpensive air rifle?

Here's the deal. I have a chipmunk problem in my backyard. Big chipmunk problem. Having examined my options, I'd like an air rifle.
As usual, funds are limited. I'd like to keep price in the $50-$70 range.

Distance of shots will be 20 yards max. Largest target would be squirrel sized, if that. the immediate need of this gun is for chipmunks, and otherwise will be purely a target gun.

Is there anything worthwhile that can be had in that price range?

The primary contenders based on a preliminary look at price and reviews are the Daisy Powerline 880, and Crossman Pumpmaster 760. If these are garbage, and if I should look elsewhere please let me know.

As for optics, given the limited distance, and non-rugged nature of the conditions, think I can get away with cheapo glass? All shots taken will be in broad daylight.

I know very very little about airguns, so if any of my assumptions are incorrect, I am perfectly willing to be edjamakayted. Thanks in advance for the help.

Any of the AR-1000 clones like the Beeman RS2 will do you admirably, they are cheap and were made to be able to push a .22 pellet in excess of 1000 fps, much more than that for a .177 and can easily be tuned to do so.
Mine produces a nice sonic bang when fired.:evil:

I'd stay away from the BB pump guns and get a springer, either break barrel or side lever, that can take som good diabolo pellets instead.
A .177 gun is plenty good enough for chipmunks, you don't need to get a .22

I'd also recommend that you increase your budget to about $100, you will find much better rifles at that level.

If you can find a second hand RWS, Weihrauch, Beeman, Air Arms or other quality brand then just buy it. As long as it looks good and feels smooth, these guns will last forever.

As for optics, stay away from the El Cheapo brands, and more importantly, stay away from high quality scopes not made for airguns
I've killed a few myself and seen a lot of quality scopes being beat to death by the double recoil of a springer air gun, it is nothing like the recoil of an ordinary rifle.

I've taken lots of rats with the iron sights, no problem as you shouldn't shoot at much more than 30' anyway.

Edit:
Something like this
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosman_Quest_1000X_Breakbarrel_Air_Rifle/552

I got a Sears (Daisy) at a yard sale for 10 bucks about 5 yrs ago. Works great for pest control.

Absolutely, those can be great buys. But then you need to know something about air guns to know what it is you're buying.

Absolutely, those can be great buys. But then you need to know something about air guns to know what it is you're buying.


Right. And my problem is that I know almost nothing.
Thank you so much for the advice so far. I liked your idea about buying better quality used but unfortunately, having just checked Craigslist, there is nothing posted in my area except for some cheapo airsoft pistols.

I use a .22 rimfire (carbine) with Aguila Colibri rounds. It makes little to no sound and travels around 600 FPS. Aguila gets the job done at short range. If you don't have a .22 carbine, I would take a look at the single shot break open pellet guns as well.

If you don't have a .22 carbine, I would take a look at the single shot break open pellet guns as well.

I do have and I did consider this option (although my experience with super colibri was horrific. it left a grainy gritty crud in the action of a rifle that really scuffed it up horribly. It was like someone dumped corn meal into my gun.). My only problem is that I live in a suburban neighborhood. I'd really rather not get pinched for discharging a firearm within city limits.
With an airgun, if someone sees or hears me, at least I'm legal.

But this does bring me to another question. Since I am in suburbia I'd rather not startle the sheeple. Is there any trend in terms of which action type tends to be quieter? Obviously less noise = better.

I used a Daisy Powerline for much of my youth. While they aren't as well constructed as they were then, they are still more than capable of the minor task (chipmunks) that you are asking.

Alternatively, you can buy a Havahart trap (http://www.amazon.com/Havahart-1025-Two-Door-Squirrel-Chipmunk/dp/B000BQQMJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337959331&sr=8-2) as cheaply as an air rifle.

The best air powered bang for the buck out there right now that I've found is the crossman phantom, it was $80 the last time I checked at walmart, synthetic stock. Or get the slightly more expensive storm model, which is the same gun but with a nice wood stock (though they only carry the phantom at walmarts so if you want the wood you'll have to order from somewhere like pyramid air online). The storm and phantom both are single stroke break barrel 1000fps pellet guns, they're very well built and they're actually blued steel, where as the sub $60 air rifles are all plastic toys. I love my storm....the squirrels aren't a big fan of it though.

If you choose a .177, which as others have said is good enough for small rodents, use the lead pellets not steel BBs. I had a pigeon problem. BBs were cheap but ineffective.

I'd get on the PyramidAir website. They have a huge selection. Regarding "suburbia," my town makes it illegal to discharge an air rifle in the backyard ($50 fine) and to "hunt" in the backyard ($25 fine). I have a .22 cal pellet rifle that I bought from Pyramid that pushes a pellet at about 800FPS. It's a single pump, spring action with nice fiber optic sights. I'd stick with a single pumping/cocking rifle to avoid having to build up pressure while the little rats run along!

The daisy powerline worked for lots of rats, pigeons, squirrels and a few rabbits when I was a kid. I also bought one for my son and he used it for at least 10 years. It's still floating around here somewhere minus the stock which broke off.

I learned to shoot a rifle using the Sheridan Blue Streak.

My mom had a fairly expensive bird feeder that squirrels were tearing apart and the Blue Streak at 4 pumps would kill them.

Also had a problem with aggressive black birds scaring off the prettier and nicer sounding birds. The black birds would monopolize the bird feeder. Red Wing Black Birds are very territorial and they would go after any bird that came within their territory. So I was always either shooting squirrels, Grackles or the Red Wings.

After I moved out, her bird feeder didn't even make it through the summer.

EEEEEK ! :eek:

Somehow the Blue Streak turned into a $150 rifle !

Wow, you guys are a serious wealth of info.

How many FPS do I need on a .177 cal to kill something like a chipmunk cleanly?
Also, is there any reason why I should consider an air pistol?

I was just looking at this Baikal (http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/IZH_53M_Air_pistol/597). It's smaller than a rifle so obviously easier to walk around the house with, without attracting attention. Sound rating seems pretty low and reviews say it's accurate. Only problem is, at 360fps, I don't know if that's fast enough to really kill, or just injure a chipmunk. Last thing I wanna do is hurt an animal and leave it to suffer. I'm looking to solve a pest problem, not be a sadist.

I'd say 7-800 fps in .177 or 5-600 in .22, but I'm no expert. A pistol is fine, but you usually don't see the power. With a perfect shot, you can probably go lower. I think 360 fps is too low. I'd say 500-600 min.

With an airgun, if someone sees or hears me, at least I'm legal.Check your game laws. In TX, it is illegal to kill any game animal or protected species with an airgun. Only non-game, unprotected animals may be legally killed with an airgun. So it's illegal to use an airgun (regardless of power level) to shoot a squirrel in TX because a squirrel is a game animal, but you can legally shoot a mountain lion with one because a mountain lion is not a protected or game species.

In addition, it can be illegal to discharge airguns in some areas. I lived in a small town in TX some years ago where the city ordinances made discharging an airgun inside city limits the same offense as discharging a firearm in city limits.

It doesn't have to make sense. So be sure to check.How many FPS do I need on a .177 cal to kill something like a chipmunk cleanly?Conventional airguns, even the relatively powerful ones just poke holes--little ones at that. It's all about precision and penetration. With a hard round-nose lead pellet like the Crosman Premier, even 500-600fps will probably consistently shoot all the way through through a small animal like a chipmunk. But it won't have a rapid effect unless the tiny hole gets poked in exactly the right spot. If you want consistent instant kills, you'll have to make brain shots (not just head shots).

I'd stick with rifles unless you're really good with pistols. Pistols are harder to shoot accurately, and accuracy is exactly what you'll need if you're trying for clean kills on small critters.

If you really want a pistol, you might take a look at the Crosman 2240. It's functional and accurate and has enough power for your application. Because it's CO2, followup shots are going to be a little faster than with a pump-up gun. It's also possible to mount an optic on the 2240. I believe Crosman sells adapters. There's also a carbine version of this pistol with a longer barrel that would probably be an excellent pest-control rifle. The price might be pushing your limits though.

The department store pump guns are, in my experience, functional and accurate. That's about it. They are slow for a followup, and you need to resist the temptation to shoot them at different power levels (# of pumps) if you want accuracy, unless you want to do a lot of work to accurately characterize the point of impact at various ranges with different power levels.

They do not have the quality that you'd get out of a nicer spring-piston airgun, or even a nicer pump-up like the Sheridan/Benjamin guns. Of course a nicer airgun will cost more money. Still, I know a person who uses a Crosman pump-up rifle (2100) for pest control on a regular basis and has for a period of years. He did have to replace it a few years back after using it for several years, but the replacement has been going strong for maybe 5-10 years now. He has an inexpensive reflex/red-dot sight on it and it's accounted for a LOT of pests over the years.

I am in this spot too. I have a decent old springer but it shoots about 600 fps. It won't reach the tree tops from my deck. I made the mistake of buying a GAMO Bone Collector. After hundreds of shots with 4 types of ammo, it will not group. The scope is really bad junk, the mounts are junk, parts have fallen off, I left it in my garage and it's already got rust on it, it's 3 days old. The worst part is that it doesn't seem to have an anti-bear trap system. I have 6 stitches for that little problem. Also the plastic trigger is crap. All in all it is unsafe, unusable junk. Oh it is supposed to be quiet and have less recoil. Not compared to my other air gun, but the GAMO does have more power. With the PBA ammo it sounds just like a .22lr. At this point I am considering sub sonic ammo, bird shot or a different pellet gun. Not a GAMO.

Update. The birdshot #12, was not effective beyond a few yards and was loud.
The subsonic ammo was better, not as loud, and more effective range, but still
About the same noise as a loud pellet gun, so I guess I will be looking for a 700-900 fps airgun.

Forget about the Crossman Quest.

The sights are almost never attached properly, and virtually every example of this gun has significant barrel sag. Waste of $100 in my opinion.

You are paying for the Crossman name. There is no way your $100 would buy you such a poor Chinese airgun any other way.

Look into the 'Tech Force' series of airguns, manufactured by Singapore Airgun - ALL METAL, decent wood, reliable airguns. $80 will buy you the TF 78 - one of the most customizable airguns on the market today; hell, there are actually companies that specialize in repairing and upgrading them. It's quiet as well.

OP,
I have a cheap Chinese .177 side cocker that is crazy accurate with quality pellets such as Beeman or Crosman. Forget the cheap Chinese pellets that came with it. The stock looks like someone whittled it and the metal is rough, with enough flashing to almost make another rifle. I repeat, crazy accurate.
FWIW
YMMV

I use a single shot Mossburg rifle with subsonic 22 shot hollow points. It is as very quiet and I have not had any compaints or police visits.

You can find a old single shot for under 100 bucks at most gun shops or at your better pawn shops.

Air guns are going to run you 150-200 bucks if you want a good one that has the power to kill all the time.

If you get a department-store pump, be sure to leave 1 pump in the gun upon storage. This keeps the seals working properly.

I didn't know that before, and wanted to pass it along. A cheapie pump may do what you need it to, but it won't last too long if you don't leave the 1 pump in.

I'm using a Crosman Recruit, which is about like a Crosman 760 with an adjustable stock.



I agree with Deltaboy's last sentence in the previous post, if you are looking for more than a cheap BB gun.

I too have one of the cheap china pellet guns. I redid the stock, took off the sks style sight and put a scope on it. It shoots pellets right at 950 fps. It shoots dime size groups all day long at 50 feet. I can throw bb's better than it will shot them. I've killed a lot of bunnies and tree rats with it. Well worth the 20 buck I payed for it.

After extensive searching I am going to buy a Q78 or 79 from Flying Dragon. They are co2 guns that can use 12g powerlets or bigger tanks like a paintball gun. They are less powerfull than a springer but can be tuned for higher performance, have no recoil are are pretty quiet. They are fairly accurate. I am looking at a modified gun for under $200 that is already tuned and tested.
I tried to buy one from Pyramid, they returned my money without explanation.
And no longer show the guns they sold as Tech Force which,is the same gun rebranded. These are also sold under other brands.

The Chinese CO2 guns are fun, and there are a ton of customization parts available. But they're not great all-around air guns. CO2 loses its oomph when it's cold outside, and rapid fire will chill the carriage and cut power. Power varies with temperature, which hurts accuracy.

There are some really good spring air guns available for under $200 these days for Gamo and others. Check out http://airgunner.org.

I wouldn't call GAMO good. I one I have is powerful but inaccurate poorly made and had a bad trigger. Not very quiet either.

I use .22 LR Aguila Super Colibri LRN 20 Grain 500 fps No Powder Super Quiet out of a Ruger 10/22. I have to load them one at a time manually but they work good on pigeons and sound like a large pellet gun going off. Neighbors have never noticed or complained in my cookie cutter sub-division.

Pyramid returned my money too, the 1st time. In my state, it is illegal to buy a .22 cal. pellet gun or a .177 air gun that exceeds a certain FPS. I ended up having it shipped to a family member in another state.

That's odd--- I'd go ahead and get one that has "illegal" FPS, and just use heavier pellets. Pellets have a cone on the back, and get less stable as they get near the speed of sound (around 1100 FPS). One way to make one more accurate is to use heavier pellets that fly slower. The heavier pellets hit harder, too.

Please stay away from the daisy 880, quality has MUCH declined since we were kids, along with accuracy. For about $100 you can have a Ruger blackhawk break barrel pellet rifle. It is a spring gun, inexpensive, but not cheap. Fairly accurate, and plenty powerful. Comes with a reasonable scope. There are also several crosmans that would fit the bill. Having said that. I have a Crosman NPSS, it was considerably more expensive ($275? IIRC) but has a gas cylinder instead of a steel spring, and a fully shrouded barrel that greatly reduces the report. It also comes with a much better scope. It will shoot around 2" at 40 yards pretty regularly. Airguns are a bit diffrent animals than powder burners, there is a learning curve. Hang out on airgunone, or 54network a bit and read old posts. Also airgundepot, and pyramidair. Airgun depot has review videos of most popular guns. Most of what you want to know will be there. If you buy a spring or nitro gun the biggy's are 1) NO dry fires, once cocked a pellet must be fired. 2) No regular oil, airgun only. Regular oil will combust like diesel fuel when fired, and burn your seals. Watch out, air rifles are addictive like crack, you can get sucked in quickly.

Sorry, vids are at pyramid...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u2bSmDzBY3g

+1 on the Blackhawk. Airgun Depot has a Ruger Blackhawk (air rifle, not the revolver!) 177 pellet rifle for $59 plus shipping. Yes, it is a refurb, but these are normally fine. It has a synthetic stock you may want to fill with something to add weight. As you've learned (since you are looking at the QB's as an alternative), spring rifles do recoil and are not the easist to shoot. The weight helps. Or get the Ruger Airhawk, same rifle with a heavier wood stock. Those are the down sides. Here are the nice features of this air rifle:

It is an excellent clone of the German RWS34 air rifle. Most internal parts, like springs and seals, are compatible. This is also the same rifle as the Xisico BAM B25.

It has an outstanding trigger. Gamos and Gamo clones like the Crosman and Stoeger spring rifles do not. There are after market fixes for the Gamo trigger, but that will run you another $30 or so.

It is about a 14 fpe air rifle (~900 fps with real 8 gr lead pellets - start with Crosman Premier Light 7.9 gr dome pellets as these work well in many rifles). Plenty of energy for your pest problem.

The price.

You can always send it to Mike (www.flyingdragonairrifles.org) for a tune later. Mike also is buying and tuning these for resale now. The web site is a work in progress, but has his phone number. Best to just call him.

Amazon has good deals on air rifle scopes and mounts. For your use, check out the UTG 4x32AO (aka Leapers) and medium height UTG scope mounts. $45 will cover both, shipped. This is an airgun rated scope. The scopes and rings that come on most air rifle combos are garbage by comparison.

If you get a springer, be sure to clean up the stock to action holes with alcohol, blue loc tight the screws, and wait for it to set up. I do same with my scope mount screws. Clean the barrel with Goo Gone, and a patch run through weed wacker line with a not on one end. Air rifle barrel steel is not as hard as powder burner barrel steel, hence the weed wacker line vs cleaning rods. Goo Gone won't disolve air rifle seals like Hoppes!

And yeah, don't dry fire a springer. Another way to give one an early death is shooting lightweight alloy pellets in it. Stick with lead pellet weight around 8 gr for 177. The spring driven air piston slams home too much with the light alloy pellets and will destory the air seal a shot at a time.

All good advise there. The blackhawk was my first air rifle as an adult. It was a good starting spot. I also added wieght to mine in the form of sand in the stock. Plug the pistol grip with a rag and silcone, then fill fron the buttpad. Made a huge difrence in accuracy. Mine did have a habit of kicking the scope off from time to time, but I didn't locktite mine. Once I bought the npss I nearly never fired it agian, it's good but the npss is that much better. I wouldn't hesitate an instant on the refurb. One other cool thing about air rifles is that you can shoot indoors during the winter months. A good pelet trap, and an understanding spouse leads to a happy gunner.

Wow. Thank you so much for all the good info here, guys. Sounds like I really need to read up before buying.

Plus one on Mike at Flyingdragon. I went his shop in Iowa and tried out a few guns. I ended up buying a tuned QB78 in .22 cal. He also has scopes and mounts. Today I mounted the scope and sighted it in. Very accurate. All pellets were in a 3/4 inch hole at 25 yards. 720fps on a chrony. That's with cheap pellets. More killing power, better accuracy safer and much easier to shoot than the GAMO Bone Collector. Plus it was cheaper and the scope is many times better. He also has springers including some Rugers on hand.

Here's a couple from tonight. Crosman NPSS .177 cal. Off the shelf rifle, with off the shelf ammo, Crosman Destroyers.

First a ten shot string from 35 yards. This is a 1" dot
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff343/floorit76/Mobile%20Uploads/utf-8BSU1HLTIwMTIwNjAyLTAwMTkxLmpwZw.jpg

And a 3 shot at 20.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff343/floorit76/Mobile%20Uploads/utf-8BSU1HLTIwMTIwNjAyLTAwMTk0LmpwZw.jpg

I pity the ground squirrel that comes up against you and that Crossman! Nice shooting! (I don't think I'd do that well with a .22 LR!)

I just stumbled upon this thread and have found it interesting to say the least.
I am having a rat problem around the back yard shed and I do also own a RWS 34 which must be repaired as I lent it to my brother who promptly broke the cocking lever mechanism and now it must be sent off for repairs.
I found Random Discharges post interesting because I had no idea the Ruger Airhawk,that is widely available around here at Academy Sports,is a clone of my RWS 34.
My 34 is in .22 caliber and there is not a rat made that can stand up against it.
It is a powerful pellet rifle for sure.

On another note I thought about buying some of those Super Colobri's for my old Marlin 25 .22 rifle but after reading they might get stuck in the barrel,as they are supposedly not made for rifle use,then I read a few of you are actually using them in rifles and was wondering if you have had issues of the little round not exiting your barrels.

"I pity the ground squirrel that comes up against you and that Crossman! Nice shooting! (I don't think I'd do that well with a .22 LR!)"

Kind words. The 35 yard string of 10 is actually one of the best out of that gun ever. It (or me) has a habit of one flyer per group. As for the 22, I generally shoot at 42 yards because I have a large stump in the yard I use as a bullet stop. I have shot the crosman back to back with my 10/22 at that range. Useing Fedral 745 bulk, the crosman shoots rings around the ruger. I will have to admit, I did modify the crosman a bit. They come with plastic barrel pivot washers, which I changed to brass. And tightened the barrel lockup. But it is otherwise stock.

Btw. These were benchrested from my picnic table with a harris bipod and cheapo sandbag. Not offhand.

It cost is the factor go with a single shot 22 from a gun shop and sub sonic ammo. They work great and have less issues than air rifles.

Powerful springers need a very light hold for consistent accuracy. You can't just pull them in tight to y2our shoulder like you do a powder burner, pneumatic, or CO2.
A Crosman 2100 would do very well for chipmunks and squirrels at 20 yards or less.
I took many squirrels in my youth with a 2100.

The vast majority of springers need a good tune and trigger work right out of the box.
Coupled with the learning curve required for consistent shooting, I'd not recommend one for a first time buyer.

One warning about airguns: A lot of guys start by buying a cheap springer and then discover the kind of accuracy and power available in really good guns. After owning a number of cheap airguns I bought a Beeman/HW R7 for $125 in the mid-1980s and that was followed by a lot of really nice guns. Air guns take up half the space in my lab. (My favorite is a Theoben Sirocco from the 90s that can regularly put a pellet in a 1/2" hole at 50 yards.)

Bengimans and Blue Streak are under 200 bucks and they are great work horses. Dad got his in 1965 and I sent it back for a rebuild back in 1988 and it still shoot 177 pellets through 1/2 oak boards at 20 feet.

I bought a Beeman/HW R7Took me awhile to get around to the R7, but since I bought it, I shoot it more than any of my other airguns and it would be the last airgun I'd own if I had to pick just one.

The R7 isn't cheap, but mine has lasted 25 years so far.

Hey guys. I've come to the decision that with all the other houses being in close proximity, even an air rifle can look like a real gun and I don't want someone hearing a shot and seeing me standing there with what appears to be a rifle.
I ordered some have-a-heart traps. We'll see. The good news is that the one REALLY problematic chipmunk actually got nabbed by some kind of predator. I found him ripped open in the yard. The other chipmunks don't seem interested in getting in the house so I don't know that I'll do much about them.

Get a Remington Air Rifle ! I got one last year.

I may not have a heart, but a friend applied an effective ground squirrel treatment in his yard that did not endanger his dog. He bought rat trap (giant mousetrap that'll break your finger), baited it with peanut butter, then put it in one of those plastic shoe storage boxes. He cut a door out of one of the short side of the box, put the trap on the inside of the boxes lid, gently snapped the box on to the lid (the box is upside down now), and put a brick on it. The dog can't get at it, and, for a minute, the ground squirrels like the cozy place to feed.

The Bottom line is do what works best for you.

I do almost no rifle shooting any more, and a few years ago we started issuing the "patrol rifle" for the squad cars. These are standard AR platforms with the EOtech sights.
I found that I was very rusty indeed, and my aging eyes thanked EOtech for a useable sight picture!
After our last range session, I thought it would be a good idea to pick up an air rifle for some informal practice.

I found this:
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosman_M4_177_Multi_Pump_Air_Rifle_Adj_Stock/2631
Which is pretty much an exact copy of our duty rifle sans the EOtech, and you can pick up an optical sight for the thing for about 30 bucks more.

Looks pretty good, and the reviews are quite positive; accurate enough with .177 pellets.
But, for many... The thing looks EXACTLY like an AR and might cause alarm in urban or suburban areas.

As was said earlier, check your local laws before using an air rifle for pest control. Shooting squirrels in PA with an air gun will cost you about $200 a piece if you get caught (and all you need is one tree hugging neighbor to get caught)

That said, my boys and I shoot airguns in the basement and it's a lot of fun. My favorite target is the disc out of a hard drive hanging on a piece of string. It looks like a CD, but doesn't break when hit. My fun challenge is to hit it with a lever action BB gun and then keep hitting it as it spins and swings. Great moving target practice in any weather. I have a Powerline .177 pump up too and though it is accurate it feels like a piece of junk in your hands. I think I paid $5 for it at a flea market. I also have a Benjamin Franklin Model 312 that my father bought used maybe 50 years ago. A smoothbore .22 that shoots more accurate than almost anything I've ever shot with iron sights. My record is putting one of the .22 pellets into an empty .22lr shell. Took 6 tries and was only about 11 feet away, but couldn't have seen it much further away. Also, I did hit the shell with every one of those 6 shots. That is an amazing tackdriver. I have also hit airgun silhouette targets from about 30-35 feet (full length of our basement) I won't say I've never taken out pidgeons with the two pellet guns, but I also won't admit to it on here either. My father did take a muskrat out though that was taking up residence in our garage. Once the Benjamin caught him between the eyes it was definitely lights out. Dad's gone now, so the Game Commission couldn't do anything about it if they wanted to.

My favorite target is the disc out of a hard drive hanging on a piece of string. It looks like a CD, but doesn't break when hit.It's not common, but I have run into a few disc platters made of glass instead of aluminum. Just an FYI if you plan to use a disc platter as an airgun target. ;)

By the way, I always recommend eye protection for shooting airguns, especially BB guns. Steel BBs bounce better than a rubber ball if they hit something hard.

I had a neigbhor in Atlanta, that used a slingshot and ballbearings/marbles to rid his place of pests.
ll

In the cheaper range, I've ALWAYS been pleased with my pumpmaster 760, and if you're a not so bright kid like I used to be, it can hold well over 100 pumps lol, k shot clean through a 8" tree stump with a regular old bb

It's not common, but I have run into a few disc platters made of glass instead of aluminum. Just an FYI if you plan to use a disc platter as an airgun target.

Actually, I've never encountered aluminum or glass -- all of mine were some sort of steel -- magnetic and rings nice and loud and clear like good steel, not the dull thud of aluminum. I tried AOL freebie discs that came in the mail first, but they tended to explode after one hit. Those things didn't even make good targets:banghead: My current disc has taken hundreds of hits from BB's, .177 pellets, and .22 pellets and looks awful, but hasn't broken yet.

Of the few hundred hard drives I've taken apart, I've never encountered anything other than aluminum platters and a very few made of glass or something similar--maybe silicon.

I don't think they can be steel. The coating that makes them work is a thin layer of some sort of magnetic oxide, if the base material that composes the platter were steel or any other magnetic metal I don't think it would work properly.

They do ring nicely, in my experience. I've got one that's nearly 2 feet across out of an old video disk that makes a great gong.

I poked around online and can't find any sources that suggest they're made of anything other than glass and aluminum--one source did suggest that some are ceramic.

I wouldn't buy the Benjamin All-Weather Nitro Piston .22.
Been having ongoing squirrel problems* also and got tired of pumping my 25+ year old Benjamin 392 .22.
This airgun, $175 at Walmart (which is a very good price) has issues. Manual says a 100 round break in is needed to be accurate. Well 200 rounds later and after trying 8 or 9 different .22 pellets, that I probably spent $40+ on, I gave up. Was lucky to get a 4-5 inch group at 50 ft. Certainly not minute of squirrel. My old Benjamin pump will do 1" with me shooting it and probably a lot better with someone that is a better shot.
This airgun comes with a barrel shroud that turns out to be some sort of silencer. It has about a 5/16 hex hole in the end at about 1.25 inches from the barrel exit. This machined aluminum "nut" has 4 holes in it that bleed air into a sleeve maybe 3/4 inch diameter over the barrel, all the way down to the action.
I had caught a review somewhere where a guy drilled out the hex hole to a larger round hole and improved the accuracy. Apparently he never figured out the "nut" and shroud is removeable as he went to some grief getting all the aluminum shavings out when he drilled it.
Well I simply unscrewed the nut, slid the shroud off and went to 1" groups!
Wow!
Called Crosman and talked to a script reader in their "tech support". He told me the gun would shoot better after about 100 shots as it needed to "blow all the excess oil out". I asked him where this excess oil was, he said the barrel and the "piston". Told him I thoroughly cleaned the barrel multiple times with no improvement and asked how in the heck "excess oil" could get out of the sealed high pressure nitrogen filled piston. He then told me it really needed 200 shots instead of just 100. Told him I had passed 200. He was stopped dead in his tracks.
I then told him my findings with the suppressor off. He said put it back on it would improve the more I shot it. I told him I didn't think so as there is obviously a design issue with their suppressor upsetting the pellet. There is no oil to be blown out anymore.
He then told me was going to send that info to the their "engineers", suggested I run it that way and promptly hung up.:scrutiny:

Decided I didn't need a Chinese POS that costs more than my Henry lever .22 that is just as quiet, with CBs, and a hell of a lot more accurate and for less money. I was so disgusted with their "support" I returned it today to Walmart.:cool:
My 25+ year old 392 will do just fine when I need a pellet gun.


* Obviously a squirrel had no problems chewing a hole through my silicone 3" turbo hose ($40) under my diesel pickup hood but- did you know given enough time they can also chew through a 3/8" diameter overhead aluminum neutral wire feeding my house? Any electrical types here know what havoc a bad neutral can cause to voltages in the house..not fun.

This is a fascinating thread; I don't know how I missed it (I guess May was a busy month).

I think need a new air rifle because of this.

I have to say though, the old crossman 760 (as well as the old 766-an obvious homage to Remington's nylon 66 back in the day-that was the forerunner of the 2100) did the job on anything small and furry that you could hit with them.

I swear, I killed so many small things with those guns when I was a kid that I'll probably come back in my next life as a fur n' feather hairball coughed up by an asthmatic cat.

That and a friend's Sheridan blue in "5mm"... man, I envied that kid and his gun.

Even worse, another friend's dad had a Beeman/Feinwerkbau "sport"; anyone remember those imports? I used to read old Peter Hathaway Capstick "Bwana" articles on hunting rats with those types of guns, all the while lusting after one. Forget the big 5; who needs that when you've got a barrel or side cocker, some Beeman silver bears (or sting) and some rats around a rural grain elevator?

Time to start looking for a good springer.