Time to replace the Ruger Impact

OK, maybe I will pass on the Air Venturi M1A copy for now.

I gifted my Crosman Legacy 1000 to a retiring coworker for his grandson's Christmas present.

I am thinking about replacing with Crosman 2100 which I wanted in the first place (I bought the Legacy 1000 with the mention in the reviews that it may share the barrel with 2100). $77 on airgundepot and $69 on Amazon

Don’t get me wrong. When it worked it was some of the most fun shooting I have done. Big giggle factor nestling in behind an “M1A” in your basement and pulling the trigger your mind prepared for an M1A only to be greeting with “POP” and no recoil. Super fun.

Maybe I got a bad one or maybe they have changed the internals. The concept itself was AWESOME. Execution just left a bit to be desired. It’s not the external plastic stuff. That’s no big deal. It was the internal plastic gear mechanism and what not that was the problem as well as whatever was used for the trigger pins.

I always recommend the Hatsan 95 rifle for accuracy and power in an affordable .22 gas/spring piston.

About $180, 1" at 25 yards, 25 fpe

Couple of things. Before selling your air rifle carefully clean the barrel. it might be filthy from dieseling, lead, or preservatives from the factory. Check ALL the screws for tightness. Try the Crosman hollow point pellets ( @ Walmart for $6.99 for 500 ) And listen to cslinger. He knows his stuff and got me started down this path correctly from day one with a HW30s.

Try heavier pellets. Pellets do not like being anywhere near transonic. Also use a Q-Tip to check the muzzle crown. Quite often the lower cost air rifles have bad burrs.

For the record cslinger knows very little about very little. I am just happy to share a little of that very little.

Numrich is blowing out the discontinued Diana models. (Actually, I believe Diana is still making them but in altered form, so these are the old versions.) I grabbed a Model 34 a few months ago for $200. They're all gone now, but they still have the 350 Magnums for $250. These are real made-in-Germany Dianas.

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1828980

Spats McGee said:

Somehow, I didn't think the gas pistons would be either harder to cock or louder. I might have read that on the internet, so it must be true, right?

Click to expand...

Late to the thread, but I've owned (and own) entry level spring rifles and gas piston rifles. If the gas piston sits for some time, the first cock is harder than the rest of the cocking during a given shooting session. If the advertised velocity of a spring gun and piston gun is the same, the gas piston is smoother and can be easier to cock after the first cock. I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I've come to expect it.

Also, the gas piston gun doesn't vibrate in the ear or in the hands of the shooter as much as an equal velocity spring gun when shooting. Both do jolt a bit once the piston hits the chamber end of it's stroke, though.

Since a gas piston is powered by a gas "spring", similar to a SUV hatch strut, cold weather could be expected to reduce power somewhat compared to a hot day. I gotta admit there are times I shoot my gas piston rifle and the first shot or three is at the "wrong" elevation compared to when the gun has "warmed" up. Not too bad for casual target shootin' but not so good for first shot attempt on a rodent.

This is just my experience with low end makes and models. I can't speak for higher end makes.

Of course, I've never been able to shoot a spring or gas piston gun as well as a pump air gun. But time spent with these breakbarrel air guns usually makes me a better shooter when I jump over to the pump guns or firearms.

Stay away from GAMO.

I am also late to the thread .
I am a happy owner of a Hatsun 95. I have had it about exactly a year. I'm quite pleased with my purchase.
If I could influence anyone who is thinking about a new air rifle, I would encourage them to spend the extra $$ on their first rifle and scope. These new rifles are more powerful and accurate than I thought they would be.
It is easily small game accurate and potent.
To the adults who are already gun guys:
You're going to like owning a quality air rifle and scope. No ammo shortage, no noise issues. Plenty of fun. A great learning tool for kids.
No regrets.

The CMP has Daisy Mod 853’s for ~$105.
Used ROTC rifles.

It seems air rifles have become defined as those horrid break barrel things with reverse scope killing and obnoxious recoil. Especially at any useful power level. If you keep doing the same thing you can expect the same results. Break barrel rifles have several issues, mainly the aforementioned reverse recoil and the lack of return to the same place when the barrel is opened to cock. Well, if not using a scope then I guess it does not matter on the scope beating or barrel position since usually the open sights are on the barrel, whereas the scope mounts on the fixed spring tube. These things, sold at Walmart and Gander and where ever are largely toys. Go get a Benjamin 392 pump rifle for pesting. Or perhaps the new Crosman 362. Or a PCP though the initial jumping off costs are steep. Pumpers and PCPs shoot like real rifles because they are and are generally of similar accuracy or better to a .22LR.

Yep, I admit, I am a spring gun and nitro piston hater.

Gamo does make some good stuff. Their PCP rifles, at least some of them, are built in the UK, my Gamo Urban is a lovely shooting little PCP and dead accurate built by BSA in UK. Making 25 fpe easily groups the size of a nickel out to 40 and 50 yards:



Carbine length and under 7 pounds with the scope and bipod.



3C

The real thing you need to understand is a powerful spring airgun is the single hardest thing to shoot well in the world. Everything needs to be the same from shot to shot. And you can safely say very little transfer over from the firearm world to the spring gun world. It also makes no difference what the spring is, gas ram or a metal spring....they are all still springs.

If you are wanting to learn this end of the hoppy I suggest you start with a low powered spring gun, something in the 4-500 fps range, then move on from there. If you are looking for something to keep you sharp between outings with your firearm I strongly suggest PCP, CO2 then pump....in that order. Not that one is "better" over the other, just that additional baggage comes with them. PCP most money, CO2 very temp sensitive, and pumping is a pain for every shot.

IMHO gamo make just fine air rifles, they are pretty light, and do play the numbers game, they know the bigger the FPS number the more likely it is to sell. Also last I checked the stuff not made in england is still made in spain.

Usually what happens to poor gamo is some noob to the airgun world sees that 1800 fps number and goes THAT IS WHAT I WANT. Not knowing just how it got to that speed, shooting a feather pellet that is not good for a single thing past speed. Then these same people will take it home, have the same issues that the OP had, look to replace it and buy an X. X being whatever "good" thing he read on a forum. He now takes the time to learn to shoot the thing correctly as he now has north of $300 in the airgun, gets good with it and has become a singing voice for the anti gamo band wagon.

I have three, two pretty old 440 and 220 and they are fantastic air rifles that I would put up against anything like powered to this day, the other a modern very light gun that is very hard to shoot well, but does have that huge FPS number behind it.

All I say is learn the whys behind this. You could look at gamo a little like you can look at Lee. Is it going to do what it is built to do, yup. But finding someone to brag about it on an internet forum will be hard.

IMHO GAMO rifles are not very good, Quality is poor. Hatsan depending on model is not great either. I recommend that you get a Daisy from CMP. Great short range target rifles while they last as they are no longer made. Another accurate airgun was a CO2 QB78 now sold by Beeman . Mine after several years leaks and need to be repaired but was a pleasure to shoot by again not real long range and not for hunting beyond 30 yards or so. Mine was a .22
. I do strongly recommend a HW30S. Beeman sells them as the R7. Kral was out so I bought mine from Arizona Air. It is nice and very accurate. Worth the money. I have had a GAMO, horrible. I have a Hatsan Airtract. A step above the GAMO but not real accurate. A Hatsan 95 that I have not fully sighted in yet. I shot it and it is ok but not nearly as accurate or nice as the HW30s so far. If you want to spend the money a good PCP is a clear step up.

For you see a chinese QB78 is just fine as it is a darling of internet forums.

OP suggestion, see if anyone around you is "into" airguns, there are more and more every day with the prices and such of firearm.....stuff.

If you are a member of a club check there as well, ours quit shooting at its original location and moved out to the country, in the original location they have a waver from the city and have air gun matches on that range now. you might be shocked at just how they have taken off.

Don't discount anything.

d2wing said:

IMHO GAMO rifles are not very good, Quality is poor.
. I do strongly recommend a HW30S. Beeman sells them as the R7. Kral was out so I bought mine from Arizona Air. It is nice and very accurate. Worth the money. I have had a GAMO, horrible. I have a Hatsan Airtract. If you want to spend the money a good PCP is a clear step up.

Click to expand...

Just curious but what Gamo started the vendetta ? The quality on my Gamo is excellent? Spring guns, you get what you pay for and most are toys and priced as such and built as such. The hole concept of a spring smashing air into the barrel is ill conceived, but easy and cheap.

3C

Non-working or absent anti-beartrap device, causing injury. Very poor accuracy compared to other air rifles. Cheap gimmicky build. Poor customer service and horrible scope. If you like yours fine but I would never recommend one as a step up or at all. Even cheap Chinese knockoffs were better.
Now that they bought Daisy a whole range of inexpensive quality target rifles has disappeared.

I am never going to like a GAMO, but I agree that PCP guns are superior.

d2wing said:

I am never going to like a GAMO, but I agree that PCP guns are superior.

Click to expand...

How about these:

https://www.newenglandairgun.com/jts-airacuda-max.html

https://jtsstore.com

Sounds like the release date may slip a little but some folks had prototypes to test out and they seem to get solid reviews. China made but supposedly will get a QC going over. And there is always the USA made Marauder. Mine came with a three shot test target, pellet on pellet and shipped with 3,000 psi on the gage. And Crosman gives each rifle a 24 hour leak check. The M-Rod has been around a while so folks tend to be bored with it but they shoot good, especially the .25 caliber rifles. Not hand pump friendly though IMO. Life long SCUBA diver so I have tanks and a SCUBA compressor. But there are other ways to charge them. Mine came out of the box shooting one ragged hole at 40 yards and making about 42 fpe+.

I got two Benjamin USA built 392 for $50 each at Academy a few years ago on close out. I had one Steroided and the other one I modded myself. The Steroid will do around 24 fpe@12 pumps and my modded one does about 16+ fpe@8 pumps. Both are way more accurate than am I. I am intrigued by the new Crosman 362 but some report mediocre accuracy so not sure on those.

Well, good luck to all, hope it all works out for the OP and everyone else too .

3C

d2wing said:

I am never going to like a GAMO, but I agree that PCP guns are superior.

Click to expand...

So it is clear you are blind to seeing anything that will change your mind. And anti bear trap, I bet we can line up a dozen spring guns, be they side cockers or barrel and 90% of them will not have it. Only one I own that does is an RWS 48, and that thing is a bear to cock, and weighs a metric ton.

Pretty simple keep your bugger hook off the trigger until you are ready to shoot....basic gun safety.

As I recall the 48 has like 3-4 steps on its bear trap....I think I like bare trap better so I am going to start using that. Good thing too, not kidding but even with that long lever I am thinking 40+ lbs to cock that thing.

There are too many good choices to ever buy a GAMO. Bottom feed if you want to I don't care.