Air Rifles

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TX_Shooter

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I never got this, but why do people pay so much for an air rifle?

Looking on gunbroker.com , I just don't get anyone willing to pay over 200.00 plus dollars on one. I mean there are some nice ones, but dang.... 200.00? My pumpmaster760, which now cost like 30.00 can kill birds, ratts , mice ect at 30 yards plus. I mean .177 cal , common... lol
 
they have inner working , moving, and toleranced parts, that are high cost , high machined parts. Also these guys usually check their bbls as tough as Bushmaster checks theirs.
 
Repeatable accuaracy at 10 meters, with stock adjustmetns to allow you to somewhat fit the rifle to the shooter. Top quality 10M air rifles run $1500-$2200.
 
I have a beeman...paid around 350 for it. Used to hunt squirrels, raccoons, possums, etc. They are quiet and accurate and you often get to shoot multiple animals because they don't run away like when you shoot a .22 at them. Plus they are fun and will last a long time. The high priced ones are usually high powered and will take larger varmints....a pumpmaster isn't really capable of taking a big raccoon.
 
I just bought an Avanti 887 .177 cal CO2 pellet rifle. Why?

1. Cheap to shoot. 250 pellets + CO2 = $5.00.
2. I can shoot it in my basement safely.
3. Precision. Accurate to subMOA at 10M.
4. I can shoot anytime I want.
5. Very low lead and heavy metal danger (mercury or other heavy metals in primers). No smoke.
6. Very low noise.
7. Can whack-a-mole (or chipmunk, squirrel, crow, etc) if I need to.

Yes, many other less costly models can do the same thing, but I can afford it, so why not? How many $400 guns do you own, when a $100 gun will do the same thing?

To each his own.
 
Air guns tend to be more complicated than firearms. The power that propels the projectile in a firearm comes from the ammunition while the airgun itself provides the power to propel the projectile. On the good side, that means that the ammunition can be much less expensive.

A good quality airgun is a very nice piece of equipment. All the best triggers in my gunsafe are on airguns. They also tend to be better finished than my firearms for the same price.
 
The x ring on a ten meter air rifle target is the size of the period at the end of this sentence. High quality air rifles are capable of sub MAO accuracy, and hunting airguns are capable of much higher velocities than your pumpmaster. Aside from that, lots of the more expensive airguns have very nice fit and finish, with nice stocks and high quality steel, with no plastic anywhere. They tend to be pricey for the same reason firearms are, quality.
 
The ISSF 10M air rifle target has a solid white 10 ring that is .5mm (.0196") diameter. A little bigger than the period at the end of this sentence, but not too much. As a reference, 1/64 of an inch is .016".
 
The most accurate guns in existence

are top quality airguns, period. As someone said, "Only accurate rifles are interesting."

They are superb machines and a joy to shoot. I shoot a 10 meter pistol match every Thursday night. In that room (actually a barn) during a match there iis usually about $14,000 worth of air pistol, and we aren't rich guys.

Guess it depends on whether you want a superb gun. If you do, it's worth it.
 
I also have a Crosman pump sitting in the corner too! Also have a Beeman R7 which outclasses the Crosman completely in aeas like fit/finish, quality of materials , workmanship and precision. Trigger is vastly superior to the Crosman and even better than the majority of my centerfire guns.

Yeah , it was over $200 - so what? It had provided me with many hours of shooting enjoyment - in fact I was shooting it last night at the indoor range.
I have fired it more times than all my centerfire rifles combined! It is capable of high degree of accuracy within it's range. It makes my Crosman feel almost toy-like in compairison.
 
Well since I have all of you here :)

What would be a good starter air rifle? Not more then $300-400 pls. Also going to be used indoors with a home made pellet trap. Basically just looking for something to help me with my offhand shooting.

-Jenrick
 
I just bought my first "real" air rifle, a Daisy Avanti 887. It is a CO2 gun, .177 ca. Cost is $370 + shipping. Very accurate. Same barrel, action, etc. as their model 888. Only difference is the stock is thicker and heavier for an adult, whereas the 888 is more for youth shooters. Stock on the 888 is red/white/blue laminated wood, and 887 has a brown wood laminated stock.

Comes with a sling, butt spacers, sights, and one 2.5 oz CO2 cylinder. Costs $1.99 to fill at the local Dick's.

Supply of the 887 is very tight right now. Champions Choice (champchoice.com) was supposed to have just received a shipment, according to Daisy.

Look at champchoice.com, pilkguns.com, pyramydair.com for a large selection of air guns. Pyramydair has a huge selection, but doesn't have the 887 on their website yet. Also log onto targettalk.org. It is a forum for air and smallbore shooters, sponsored by pilkguns.com.

For a pellet trap, look at the one at archerairguns.com. It is plywood and if you have any moderate woodworking skills, you can make your own. I did.
 
I went the break barrel route and got my shadow 1000 for around $120. Its extremely accurate and a very high grade steel. Those thousand dollar ones are probably the same as mine.

Its a quality gun and i can tell it will last me a very long time.
 
Tex, one of the nice things about firearms and airguns is that you get what you pay for. You CAN buy airguns at MegaLoMart for $40, but once you handle a airgun worth much more, you will understand.:D

Beeman R7 is an excellent recommendation. A FWB127, if you can find one, would be great too.

I have a C1 at Beeman being rebuilt right now (shot it out yet again). Can hardly wait until it's done!:)
 
Does anyone make an air rifle, capable of being recharged from an air compressor or SCUBA tank? I've got those handy, don't have a CO2 filling station handy.


-Jenrick
 
ive got one of those daisy powerline 880s from wally world for 40 bucks. You know i was a little disappointed with just about everything on it being plastic. I dont really like having a plastic receiver although the plastic furniture doesnt bother me. I got some crossman hollow point "hunting pellets" thinking I would be dropping squirrels like no other since theyre all over the place here. It is very marginal for squirrels and not very effective. You need a head shot. The majority of squirrels I hit do a back flip then take off running full speed and are gone. Ive killed some but it only takes down small squirrels consistently. That is at about 20 ft. i like the sights on it and when I shoot it in my apartment i can hit stuff dead on at about that range but its not very good for killing. Ive kind of given up on trying to hunt squirrels with it and it amazes me that I hear people say theyre killing squirrels at 50 yards with air rifles. Apparently theyve got a better air rifle than the $40 wal mart special or maybe the pointed pellets are better than the hollow points? But if im going to spend more than 40 dollars on a rifle its going to be one that goes bang.
 
I understand the lure of the high quality airgun (Beeman R1 owner, here). The problem is that most weigh a ton and have the nastiest, most tumor-laden buttstocks known to gun-dom.

Really, 8-9+ lbs for an airgun is ridiculous. I think that, perhaps, a large number of airgun enthusiasts suffer from firearm envy & want an airgun that weighs and feels like a big-bore rifle.

My preference would be a powerful airgun (.22 or .25 barely sub-sonic at the muzzle) with an underlever or sidelever cocking mechanism, a slim & protrusion-free buttstock (no bulbous monte-carlo mess), and a weight coser to that of a Winchester 94 than a Magnum Mauser.
 
For those who don't think a .177 or .22 cal air rifle hits hard enough, pyramidair.com has 9mm, .45 cal and .50 cal air rifles. And they make their own pellets for them.

I see exploding squirrels!
 
i have shot large rats with a crossman that looks like a python. it killed the rats good and dead.
 
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