I want something and I don't know what I need.......

Your going to get many recommendations. My neighbor used a beman 22 cal air rifle for birds. I have the same rifle. It does well with Crossmen hollow points.

Depending on what you're shooting...a Daisy 880 is an excellent multi pump 17 cal air rifle. Excellent for pigeons and target shooting. About 4ftlb energy iirc.

If you're shooting bigger things a Ruger Impact in 22 cal us a great break barrel. Accuracy is not the same level as the Daisy but it's accurate enough for rabbits and stout enough to use body shots on them. Muzzle energy is in the 30ftlb range irrc.

viking499 said:

Are 22's as easy to find as 17's? I only see 17 pellets sitting everywhere.

Is there certain brands to look at and certain ones to stay away from?

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One thing you have be aware of is that pellet rifles are significantly more bullet finicky than firearms. Don't stock up on a brand or weight or pellet design until it's a proven performer. Crossman pellets have given the most consistent performance across pellet rifles for me, but they're not as accurate as Ruger pellets in my Ruger's. However, they do better on the game animal, so it's a trade off.

viking499 said:

Looking for a recommendation for a quality pellet rifle to thin out some birds around the farm and barn. This will be used when conditions are not right for the rimfire.

I know 2 steps from nothing about air rifles (other than my old Red Ryder years ago), so help steer me in the right direction and ask me all the questions you need to.

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What kind of birds at what distance?

Well, unless you want to get into PCP's, you're looking at a break-barrel springer. The more powerful it is, the harder it is to shoot accurately because of the unique recoil (push-pull). You'll also need a spring/piston specific scope that can handle it.

For small birds .177 is fine. For anything larger, look at .22

For purely utilitarian purposes. A Benji pump gun.
https://www.pyramydair.com/product/benjamin-multi-pump-air-rifle-black-kit?m=4942

The Daisy 880 is similar but feels so cheap and fragile to me. Just my opinion though.

Easy to shoot since it is completely pneumatic.
Very powerful (relatively speaking ) at max pumps
Light weight
Robust with a system that has been used for a long time.

lf you want something more as a hobby with some pride of ownership, good trigger etc. and are only looking at pesting birds then my broken record BASIC loop response is a Weihrauch HW30S/Beeman R7 (same gun really)

Break barrel guns are typically spring or gas piston fired. You break the barrel to compress a piston which locks into a sear. Pull trigger, release sear, release piston pocket of air forms bang rinse repeat. Break barrels offer less effort, tend to have a much wider variety and come in various power levels. The downside is there recoil can be difficult to learn to shoot especially for somebody already well versed in rifle shooting. Their recoil impulse is both backwards and forwards, while also vibrating every which way all while the pellet takes a comparibly long time to exit the barrel. The initial trigger press/piston release is not wholly unlike an open bolt SMG firing. The key is a LOOSE hood and letting the gun recoil on its own to sort of the same point each time.

Pneumatics (single stroke, multi stroke or pre charged) simply store highly pressurized air in a reservoir which is released on trigger pull. They can have more of a shot “crack” but are far easier to shoot as there is little to no recoil at all. Single strokes make very little power and make great target guns. Multi strokes can make a lot of power but require lots of pressurizing strokes (like 10 max). Pre charged you pressurize the reservoir externally and it stores enough air for multiple shots and can be made to make SERIOUS power. These however require external pressurizing methods and their cost is high.

If you go break barrel spend money on a good one as they will be far more forgiving to bad form and likely far less frustrating as you learn. (Weihrauch, Walther, Diana come to mind. Air arms for underlevers.)

For myself personally I prefer spring piston air rifles (break barrel, under lever, side lever). I find them more rewarding to shoot and there are many very nice options.

That said for purely utilitarian work get a multi pump gun. It will save you the effort of learning the spring piston, make for far easier accuracy (NOT NECESSARILY BETTER but easier to obtain) and can make “big” power if needed or low power for plinking or light weight pest work.

Keep in mind these are only my opinions and I know very little about very little. I have just been blessed to be able to shoot damn near everything with a trigger at least once or twice.

I think it depends on the number of birds. A springer does fine if it’s just to protect a backyard.

But if it’s more of an industrial type project then I would invest in a pcp rifle.

Air guns is a whole new universe of equipment. If you do need a pcp then there’s research to be done.

cslinger said:

For purely utilitarian purposes. A Benji pump gun.
https://www.pyramydair.com/product/benjamin-multi-pump-air-rifle-black-kit?m=4942

The Daisy 880 is similar but feels so cheap and fragile to me. Just my opinion though.

Easy to shoot since it is completely pneumatic.
Very powerful (relatively speaking ) at max pumps
Light weight
Robust with a system that has been used for a long time.

lf you want something more as a hobby with some pride of ownership, good trigger etc. and are only looking at pesting birds then my broken record BASIC loop response is a Weihrauch HW30S/Beeman R7 (same gun really)

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Daisy's may be cheap but even after shooting air rifles competitively I have a huge respect for the accuracy abilities with the 880. I've known shooters who could light strike anywhere match's with them at 25 yards. That is unbelievable performance for the $40-50 price tag. Just have to do your part. And buy another one if you ever break it. Mine has had a hard life over the last 5 years and killed pests by the hundreds (sometimes 50+ pigeons per day) and it runs like a top.

viking499 said:

Looking for a recommendation for a quality pellet rifle to thin out some birds around the farm and barn. This will be used when conditions are not right for the rimfire.

I know 2 steps from nothing about air rifles (other than my old Red Ryder years ago), so help steer me in the right direction and ask me all the questions you need to.

Click to expand...

When wife wanted me to get a pellet rifle for mouse/rat control around the barn, I tested various break barrel and multi-pump in .177/.22 at 25 to 50 yards.

While my comparison sampling size was small for .22, my Beeman Kodiak with both .177/.22 barrels produced smaller groups at 25/50 yards due to faster .177 pellets producing flatter trajectory and smaller groups of around 1.5" at 25 yards and around 3" at 50 yards with a 4x scope. (In comparison, .22 pellets produced slightly larger groups)

viking499 said:

Are 22's as easy to find as 17's? I only see 17 pellets sitting everywhere.

Is there certain brands to look at and certain ones to stay away from?

Click to expand...

Walmart and various sporting goods store around me carry both .177 and .22 pellets with more .177 selection but you can readily find .22 pellets online like Amazon.

Like 22LR, different pellet rifles may be selective with different brand/weight/nose profile of pellets and you may need to conduct your own comparison test to determine which pellet produces smallest groups for your pellet rifle.

I tested all the brands and weights/nose profiles of .177/.22 pellets local Walmart and Bi-Mart carried in my pellet rifles and found Crosman Premier 7.9 grain hollow point pellets to produce consistently smaller groups than others (It was also the lowest cost) - https://www.amazon.com/Crosman-Hollow-Point-Pellets-0-177-Calibre/dp/B002DM0ZIU/ref=sr_1_3?crid=26T7M3TFZ83ST&keywords=crosman+pellets+.177&qid=1638893757&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=crosman,sporting,248&sr=1-3

viking499 said:

Is a break barrel model better than a multi-pumper?

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This would depend on several factors:

• If you are going to shoot a lot, pumping 6-8 times on multi-pump to build up pressure can get tiresome and single break-barrel pump may be a better option.

• If you are going to occasionally shoot, then multi-pump would be OK. For me at 55, 4-5 pumps is easy to do for an afternoon plinking session and occasional 6-8 pumps for flatter/smaller groups is very doable.

• Another consideration is noise. Break-barrel with higher muzzle velocities produced definite "crack" and Swiss Arms .177 break-barrel was almost as loud as my 10/22 (But with 4x32 scope it came with, produced around 2" groups at 50 yards). With multi-pump, especially if you are shooting/hunting smaller birds inside the barn, 6-8 pumps will be much quieter.

viking499 said:

PCP rifle?

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Pre-charged pneumatic rifle uses cylinders filled with compressed air to eliminate break-barrel pump for each pellet and I believe comes in different calibers all the way to .50 caliber with 22LR or better accuracy. This is a good option if you have physical issues that prevents you from operating the pump lever/barrel. But benefit is faster follow up shots. Of course, PCP rifles cost significantly more at several hundred dollars while break-barrel rifles are around $100-$150+.

thewillweeks said:

Daisy's may be cheap but even after shooting air rifles competitively I have a huge respect for the accuracy abilities with the 880. I've known shooters who could light strike anywhere match's with them at 25 yards. That is unbelievable performance ... and killed pests by the hundreds (sometimes 50+ pigeons per day) and it runs like a top.

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Our kids grew up shooting Daisy 880s and many happy memories.

While recovering from a surgery, I wanted to plink from the back porch and found Crosman Legacy 1000 plenty accurate to 25 yards with around 2" groups using Crosman Premier hollow point pellets and 6-8 pumps which maybe enough for OP's purpose.

I am currently thinking about upgrading the Legacy 1000 with 2100 Classic model which is built with metal receiver (I do believe they both share the same barrel though).

BTW, 25 yard accuracy with Crosman 2100 and Crosman Premier 7.9 gr hollow point pellets (Shooting at 2:00 minute of video)

viking499 said:

PCP rifle?

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Pre-Charged Pneumatic.

It's a type of air rifle that uses compressed air to fill a reservoir in the gun. This enables more power than spring pistons, repeating fire and are easier to shoot than springer.

PCP are generally more expensive and require more equipment, like tanks, pumps, compressor and maybe more.

I don't shoot PCP's but have considered them. I just don't have the need. If I did have the need, I would take the time to do the research to find the right mix of equipment. As far I can tell, it's another whole universe to learn, like powder burners and springers. I wish I could give a recommendation, but I just don't know enough.

viking499 said:

Looking ... to thin out some birds around the farm and barn. This will be used when conditions are not right for the rimfire.

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I missed this when I initially read the OP.

So looks like OP is using 22LR primarily for shooting birds but looking for pellet rifle as back up as in "occasional use"?

Perhaps OP can clarify what "conditions are not right for the rimfire" means as it could be noise, concern for over penetration, etc. Another could be cost of ammunition as high 22LR prices have not dropped back to pre-Covid levels but the price of .177 pellets has remained about the same.

If noise is the issue, multi-pump hands down would be quieter, especially if shooting inside the barn, as OP can reduce the number of pumps down from 10 to 6-8. (Even 10 pumps would be quieter than break-barrel "pop")

Xisico XS25

Pre Charged Pneumatic
It is an air rifle you fill up from a scuba like tank. Very high pressure, very powerful. You can get them in large calibers like .50

Love my Walther.
It protects my pecan tree from terrorist squirrels.
.177 does the job. 1200fps. Flatter trajectory.
3x9 scope makes head shots easy.

I like my break barrel .22 springer.
It's a grown-ups air rifle. I much prefer the one time cock of the barrel and consistency of power over the wickety-whack of pump up guns. I wore a few of those out in my youth. Both Crosman and Daisey.
The nice springer may be more spendy, but you'll find yourself leaving the .22 cartridge guns in the safe and shooting the springer.....at least some of the time.
I have used my .22 springer for thinning Mrs chicken flock. I fully intend to take it squirrel hunting too.

Get the best one you can afford. That's my advice, FWIW.

viking499 said:

LiveLife said:

"conditions are not right for the rimfire" ... could be ... concern for over penetration

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The conditions is usually the back ground. Sometimes when everything is lined up, the back ground may contain my cows, house, barn it neighbors cows/barns/house.

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Then multi-pump may be a viable choice as you can control the muzzle velocity by number of pumps whereas break-barrel muzzle velocity is fixed.

I'm gonna offer another alternative that served me well when I lived in an urban area.

A .22 lr with Super Colibri ammo. It is quieter than an air rifle, and fires a much lighter .22 projectile at about 450 fps.

Deadly on squirrels at 20 yards and won't go through a 1x6 pine board at 25 yards.

I know that's not what you asked about, but thought I'd throw it out there just in case it fit your fancy!

Addendum: these low-powered quiet 22 long rifle rounds will not operate a semi-auto firearm. So they are to be used only in a bolt-action, single shot, or lever action


I believe CCI makes a comparable round called the "Quiet".