.177 Pellet gun for practice and squirrels

[CajunBass]

Here's the one I settled on. It's a Beeman 1073. I got it at Wally World for about $130 bucks, with the four power scope. The unique thing about this one is that it comes with an extra barrel, so you can switch back and forth from .177 to .22 cal with just the twist of an Allen Wrench.



I've killed a couple of squirrels with it but I mostly use it for wacking peach cans around the yard.

 

[littlelefty]

That Beeman sure is pretty.
My boyhood toy was a Crossman 760 Powermaster, pump, .177 cal pellet with BB reservoir. BBs actually did better and resulted in many a rabbit's doom.
I believe I paid $35 for it in the mid 70s and it seems like I saw almost the same price on one a Walmart recently.

 

[PzGren]

Does a $100. gun really shoot like a $400. one?

No, it will not have the refined trigger pull and walnut stock but will be good enough for you purpose.

I actually enjoy a cheap Gamo for plinking but it is lightyears away from most other airguns I own. Like this old Feinwerkbau:

 

[cliffy]

Gamo PBA Ammo . . .

Should not be used for anything! They are hard projectiles that ricocette dangerously. They do not expand within squirrel-sized targets. They CRACK the sound barrier easily because they are too light for any practical application. Other than that they are okay. cliffy

 

[Mike U.]

The breaking of the sound barrier is my biggest problem with them. That CRACK!! brings the unwanted attention of the neighbors, and, rightly so. Hell, if I heard that I'd be pokin' my head out the door wondering ***?

I gotta tell you though, they knock the little tree rat vermin right off of their perch, and I DO like that.

 

[natescout]

RWS model 34 , great air rifle , you wont be disappointed with it

 

[Franco2shoot]

I haven't seen anyone talk about the Ruger AirHawk so I'll jump in and say that on the "C" note end of the price scale this is a really good deal. Pellets are another area altogether. The AirHawk spits most lead out at 1100fps and before I built my one special purpose Muzzlebrake you could definitely hear the crack. Once I put the muzzlebrake on the crack disappeared however ALL break barrel springers make a pretty good noise when the spring lets go.
For comparison purposes, I print off 4 targets on a sheet of 8x10 and at 12 yards all the holes are inside the dime sized bull.
As for Tree rats, I experimented with different pellets with the following observations as related to the AirHawk:
Crossman Wad cutter OK not great with lethality.
Kodiak Heavy domed. Went straight through not always resulting in Kill. Pattern ok not great.
RWS hollow point better Kill OK pattern.
Beeman Crowmagnum Best pattern, best expansion best kill performance.

KKKKFL

 

[Franco2shoot]

Ruger AirHawk

1100fps.. constant performer.

I replaced the original scope with a Hawke scope... much better.

KKKKFL

 

[HB]

PBA Should not be used for anything! They are hard projectiles that ricocette dangerously. They do not expand within squirrel-sized targets. They CRACK the sound barrier easily because they are too light for any practical application. Other than that they are okay. cliffy

Very true, they are more or less AP ammo but bounce

Also, speed isn't everything, many times the more powerful the gun the harder it is to shoot well. I still say RWS 34.

PS, I'm sorry to say that the Gamo Whisper is a gimmick, it doesn't decrease noise because spring guns don't really have a lot of air escaping the barrel. I didn't buy one because it is just a regular Gamo with a goofy looking muzzle.


HB

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

budget???

I guess I need both ends of a reasonable budget. Does a $100. gun really shoot like a $400. one?

What are you shooting?

Depends. I've got a $110 Beeman Sportster with a $50 BSA airgun scope by the back door (left out of the safe). But I've got a $375 RWS/Diana 350 with a $200 Bushnell scope in the safe. They both work at killing vermin. I'd much rather be shooting the RWS (quieter, better trigger, more accurate), but I'm not leaving it out, by the back door for opportunistic shots.

I can tell you what I would get any any particular budget. But realistically, you have to narrow down the budget for us to help you figure out the best you can get for XXX dollars. Can you spend $100, $125, $150, $175, $200, $250, $300, $350, $400, $500, $600, $800, $1,000, more, what?

So to answer your question a little better:

Does a $100. gun really shoot like a $400. one?

No it does not! But it might be an acceptable compromise, depending on what you're trying to do with it, and how much "luxuriousness" and longevity you require from your airgun dollar.

 

[subierex]

My dad once dropped a squirrel on the neighbor's birdfeeder with my beater Crossman 760. Tried to hit it in the butt, put it in one eye and out the other. Thing dropped like a sack of dirt and his buddy got outta Dodge City fast.

I wouldn't recommend something like the 760. I still have it, but it shoots patterns.

edit:

I want one of the Gamo Whisper air rifles. Would be nice to be able to clandestinely (maybe?) do some target shooting in my suburban backyard.

 

[thebaldguy]

I got a Gamo Big Cat 1200 earlier this year for $129.99 with a 4x scope. It's a 1000 fps break barrel spring piston that works pretty good. It's accurate and powerful. The Gamo wadcutter match pellets give the tightest groups. There are lots of pellet designs out there, so try a few and see what works best.

You can get a good entry level spring piston air rifle starting at $100.00. The more expensive ones are better, but I think I got my money's worth. Think about Remington vs. Weatherby.

The non lead lightweight pellets go at 1200 fps. They break the sound barrier and sound like a .22. They are noisy in a basement, and my ears start to ring a bit after a few shots without ear protection.

I have a pump up Crosman 2100 Classic with a 4x scope that works good too, but I get tired of pumping and pumping. My 1377 Crosman pump up pistol is fun to shoot.

 

[badbadtz560]

you're probably posting this in the wrong forum. I remember they have some pellet rifle review forums out there.. the better ones being the UK-based ones.

From what I remember, it was the GAMO CFX that gave the best accuracy for price.. but it has a horrible trigger (as do all gamo pellet rifles)

it's a spring but fixed barrel (which is why it's more accurate than the others). works just like breakbarrels pretty much though.