.177 or .22 for first air rifle?

[Bacon buster]

Most all the air rifles in the category your talking about will be around 16 -18 fpe if that helps for your purposes

 

[pairof44sp]

Wow. So I had to look up Hatsan.

Here is an Airrifledepot customer review on the $300 Hatsan model, a breakbarrel that comes in up to .30 cal.

Do these things really shoot as good as this “customer” says?

“This is one amazing hard hitting air rifle. I installed the UTG 4-16X44 30mm Scope, AO, 36-color Mil-dot on the gun. Then tested a lot of different pellet brands and gr weights to finally settle with the most deadly accurate pellet out to 80 yrds. That pellet is the Exact King Heavy Diabolo 33.95 gr. 42fpe. After shooting about 50 pellets through the new gun "I call the break in period" I then cleaned the barrel very well to dislodge any lead deposites to then truly start to site the gun in. I placed my gun in a rifle lock to ensure no movment. At 25 yards / 5 shot test cover all 5 with a dime: At 35 yards / 5 shot test cover all 5 with a nickle: At 35 yards / 5 shot test cover with quarter and so on....At 80 yards which I stopped at because after that I do not beleive I would shoot anything past that I noted my grouping was still very impressive with an average 2" x 2" pattern. Every gun is different keep the barrel clean and try lots of different pellets. Have Fun & Happy Shooting!”

That would be the Hatsan 135. It is a very good rifle, but with a scope it will weigh about 12 pounds and it's 4 feet long.

between that and the barrel cranking, it’s starting to sound like a crew-served BB gun. No thanks!

 

[Bacon buster]

It is a big heavy rifle that takes a little oomph to cock. Generally speaking most air rifles are not hard to cock. My daughter does it no problem

 

[TTv2]

That would be the Hatsan 135. It is a very good rifle, but with a scope it will weigh about 12 pounds and it's 4 feet long.

It seems most of the air rifles are 10lbs and 4' in length. Would prefer shorter OAL and a few lbs less, but those rifles I find that fit that criteria that are springers that don't have as much velocity are larger ones do.

 

[TTv2]

Only a few companies publish velocity using a lead pellet. Hatsan uses lead for their testing. You can typically expect significantly lower velocity than advertised.

Huh, would this explain why the two cheaper .30 caliber Hatsans I saw that were springers got barely above 600 fps, but the PCP .30 caliber Hatsan was at 1000 fps? Or is the PCP system able to deliver more velocity than a spring piston?

Also, why do I need iron sights? I've got myself a spare Simmons .22 Mag scope, I'm sure it will take the recoil just fine and hold zero.

 

[Bacon buster]

Tt. Hatsan is one company that tests with lead pellets and you will see a more accurate figure on velocity. Typically even companies that test with lead will use lead pellets on the lighter end of the spectrum. With the bigger calibers it’s not near as big of a deal because it’s still a good size chunk of lead. About 5 years ago I tested extensively about 30 different air rifles and to keep it simple you need to look at fpe. Not FPS. That’s a much more accurate representation of the power. Pcp rifles have the ability to deliver significantly more power. The 22 scope you mentioned will most likely not work on a break barrel as they aren’t designed for the forward recoil present on break barrels. Hawke makes some nice air rifles scopes that will hold up. However most of the time it’s not the scope that fails it’s the mounts and rings. Break barrels put off two directions of recoil and crazy vibrations that wreak havoc on the optics and mounts. The only break barrels I was able to scope that held zero reliably were in the 10 fpe range.

 

[George P]

Been looking and I've decided on a sping/gas piston .22 rifle. CO2 seems unreliable and PCP is out of my price range.

So, that being that I've been looking and one that jumped out to me is the Ruger Air Magnum and the reason why is it's being advertised as 1200 fps capable. IDK with what weight pellet, but it's faster than the typical 1000 fps I'm seeing.

Other than that, the only other that caught my eye is a Gamo multi shot that uses a magazine, but one video shows it gets 900 fps with 10gr pellets. That seems pretty anemic, but lets say the Ruger can get, IDK, say 300 fps more with a 16 grain pellet vs another air rifle what effect would that have?

You can get a good .22 PCP - Umarex Gauntlet - but then you have to figure to add the cost of the way to recharge that cylinder. The Nomad device is $700 while the rifle is $325.........I REALLY would like a 22PCP, but the ability to recharge things is holding me back.

 

[Bacon buster]

There have been some recent releases of pcp specific compressors that are about half the cost of the nomad. I use the hand pump but it wears out quick. I’m not patient enough with it and it gets hot which causes premature failure. Long as your pcp stops at 3k the hand pump is not too bad. I’ll be picking up a compressor this year. I’ve been waiting for the compressor market to materialize. I also get 40 shots with my tune so it works out

 

[Bacon buster]

Benjamin marauder would be my pick for cheaper pcp. Ton of aftermarket support and it’s a proven setup umerex is fairly new to the pcp market but I have not messed with their pcp products so I don’t have any info on quality

 

[TTv2]

Tt. Hatsan is one company that tests with lead pellets and you will see a more accurate figure on velocity. Typically even companies that test with lead will use lead pellets on the lighter end of the spectrum. With the bigger calibers it’s not near as big of a deal because it’s still a good size chunk of lead. About 5 years ago I tested extensively about 30 different air rifles and to keep it simple you need to look at fpe. Not FPS. That’s a much more accurate representation of the power. Pcp rifles have the ability to deliver significantly more power. The 22 scope you mentioned will most likely not work on a break barrel as they aren’t designed for the forward recoil present on break barrels. Hawke makes some nice air rifles scopes that will hold up. However most of the time it’s not the scope that fails it’s the mounts and rings. Break barrels put off two directions of recoil and crazy vibrations that wreak havoc on the optics and mounts. The only break barrels I was able to scope that held zero reliably were in the 10 fpe range.

Oh, I need to blow a c note on a scope for an air rifle? Forget it, I'll just get a Crossman CO2 pistol.

 

[Bacon buster]

Utg makes some cheap scopes that work as well. You might find one of those friendlier to your wallet. If an air rifle is something you’re wanting to do don’t give up. Hang in there and he patient and reach your goals. A hatsan model 95 with the Quattro trigger might fit your budget and it has iron sights you can use until you’re ready to scope it

 

[TTv2]

Nah, I'm just looking for something cheap to shoot and it looks like it's gonna cost me over $300 for an air rifle with a scope, but a pistol would be under $100 and all I'm gonna do is punch paper with them.

Pistol it is.

Mods can close this thread, my original question was answered, I'll be getting a .22.

 

[KevininPa]

Wow. So I had to look up Hatsan.

Here is an Airrifledepot customer review on the $300 Hatsan model, a breakbarrel that comes in up to .30 cal.

Do these things really shoot as good as this “customer” says?

“This is one amazing hard hitting air rifle. I installed the UTG 4-16X44 30mm Scope, AO, 36-color Mil-dot on the gun. Then tested a lot of different pellet brands and gr weights to finally settle with the most deadly accurate pellet out to 80 yrds. That pellet is the Exact King Heavy Diabolo 33.95 gr. 42fpe. After shooting about 50 pellets through the new gun "I call the break in period" I then cleaned the barrel very well to dislodge any lead deposites to then truly start to site the gun in. I placed my gun in a rifle lock to ensure no movment. At 25 yards / 5 shot test cover all 5 with a dime: At 35 yards / 5 shot test cover all 5 with a nickle: At 35 yards / 5 shot test cover with quarter and so on....At 80 yards which I stopped at because after that I do not beleive I would shoot anything past that I noted my grouping was still very impressive with an average 2" x 2" pattern. Every gun is different keep the barrel clean and try lots of different pellets. Have Fun & Happy Shooting!”

not sure I got it in me to crank on that breakbarrel a hundred times in a row, but if this is how airguns shoot these days, I want in!

The Hatsan .30 cal is a nice gun. I had one. Gave it to the stepson because it weighed a hair over ten pounds with a scope. The .30 has some quick drop. Really works best within thirty five yards. Hard hitter.Very well made. The stepson is 6'4" and 230. It's nothing for him to tote around. I think I'll try the Hatsan 95 in .22 or .25 instead.

 

[KevininPa]

To the OP, consider the weather you shoot in as well. CO2 is not the greatest outdoors in cold weather. A springer or a pumper would be better. If you have a basement to practice in, well then, no problem.

 

[.308 Norma]

I imagine this question has been asked for decades, but with the shortages for regular shooting stuff I'm circling back to my interest in air rifles after a friend introduced me to them years ago. He had a .177 and it was fun to shoot, but I didn't care for the accuracy I was seeing at 10-15 yds. I figured the light pellets were easily affected by wind and thought a .22 would be better for longer distances.

I guess something I should mention is that I'd like the rifle to be 25 yards capable. IDK what the effective distances are for air rifles, all I can say is for an inexpensive .177, I doubt it could hit anything that far.

And that's another thing, the rifle I'd be looking at getting would not be more than $200. If I were to spend more than that, I'd get a .30 caliber.

So, besides the pellets being cheaper, is there any reason to choose .177 over a .22?

Actually, I like my .20 caliber "Sheridan Blue Streak" best of all.
I've had (still have) a few BB guns around that our grandsons blew up a lot of dandelion puff balls in the back yard with, and for well over 40 years, I've had a .22 caliber Benjamin that I killed a cotton-tail or three with, along with a gross of starlings in the current bushes. But my .20 caliber "Blue Streak" is the one that stands by the back door now. With the William's "peep" sight I got from Midway on it, it's super accurate, and deadly on starlings and cottontails out to almost 30 yards. I also loaned it to a friend for a couple of weeks last year because he had a squirrel problem at his house in town. He reported good results.

 

[herrwalther]

Go for both. Beeman makes a dual caliber air rifle in 177 and 22 pellet. And well under your price point.

https://www.amazon.com/Beeman-Dual-Caliber-Rifle-Combo-rifle/dp/B0010DV5Q4

 

[Shane in MT]

Nah, I'm just looking for something cheap to shoot and it looks like it's gonna cost me over $300 for an air rifle with a scope, but a pistol would be under $100 and all I'm gonna do is punch paper with them.

Pistol it is.

Mods can close this thread, my original question was answered, I'll be getting a .22.

You can get a Hatsan 95, 22cal, with iron sights, and a cheap scope, for around $159. $179 if you want gas piston rather than spring.

https://www.pyramydair.com/a/Air_guns/Air_rifles/150/brands_242/calibers_0_22

 

[Broccolis]

My opinion; .22 caliber for shear knock-down power; especially for a dedicated hunting rifle.
What you would give up in marginal range; and a little rainbow effect; the smack-down is where it counts. If you hunt small game similar to how I do; it's up close and personal any way.
If you were hunting birds; I'd have to go with the .177.
Inside of about 65 yards; and you would be absolutely lethal with a spring-barrel .22 air rifle.
However; you shoot the neighbor's cat and it will be the next of his nine lives