Air rifles

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zdc1775

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Ok looking into an air rifle and either need some opinions from THR or the names of some good air gun forums.

Added later post to OP:
Well I would like a 22 caliber as it would be used for pest control and target practice. The pest would most likely be squirrels, rabbits, and ground hogs with a few feral cats and opossum thrown in. Before anyone says check the local regs I have and discharging firearms is perfectly acceptable and I do shoot some pest up to coyote size with a 22LR occasionally in a safe direction, however the area I plan on planting a garden this spring is directly in between my house and the neighbor's and I am worried that an actual rifle might ricochet. My price range is around 200 ish to get it soon for practice.
I was actually thinking about one of these two
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Or should I just keep saving for a few months and something better?
 
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About a million options. I have an old beeman underlever that was before they were purchased by marksman that's unbelieveably accurate. Nowadays there are so many options and price range it depends on your desired use. Break-barrels, underlevers, side levers, pump, CO2, on and on. Target shooting, pest control, on and on and prices all over the board as well as pellet size - from .177 to .25 cal and up. Your desired use my point you to a smaller list of options. I hear good things about Gamo these days as well, but I've never had one. Pyramydair.com is a pretty extensive site with lots of choices. Good luck - it can be daunting.
 
I'm not sure if we're allowed to link posts to other forums here, but you can PM me if you want.

In terms of advice, you can't go wrong with a Weihrauch. This is the company that made the guns that Doc Beeman rebadged and marketed in the US. If you can find on, an old Feinwerkbau springer is great. I have the 124, which is a classic. Air Arms is good.

Then there are the newer PCPs (precharged pneumatics.)

If you can afford it, stay away from the hypervelocity made in China stuff.
 
Wooly Bugger brings up a good point. Stay away from the light weight pellets, velocity is not your friend with a pellet rifle. On the plus side, accuracy is very pleasing with the better made rifles and pistols. In fact the accuracy of the .177 rifles will astonish you, if you save up and get one of the better made rifles. Even with a lower priced springer rifle, you can get after-market triggers and tune jobs that will perform very nicely, but with these two things you will be trading off warranty and time. If I were starting out all over, I would go for the nice German made ones.
 
Well I would like a 22 caliber as it would be used for pest control and target practice. The pest would most likely be squirrels, rabbits, and ground hogs with a few feral cats and opossum thrown in. Before anyone says check the local regs I have and discharging firearms is perfectly acceptable and I do shoot some pest up to coyote size with a 22LR occasionally in a safe direction, however the area I plan on planting a garden this spring is directly in between my house and the neighbor's and I am worried that an actual rifle might ricochet. My price range is around 200 ish to get it soon for practice.
I was actually thinking about one of these two
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V958U8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035SCY4Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Or should I just keep saving for a few months and something better?
 
What are you trying to do,competition at 10 meters,Field target,hunting,plinking??How much do you want to spend??

Many people are amazed that quality adult air guns can cost more than a centerfire firearm.
 
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I would save my pennies and buy something better and you will have it forever.I like "real" Beeman Guns,RWS/Diana,Feinwerkbau,Day State,Theoben.

If you shop around you may find some RWS 48/52 guns under $400.Both are the same gun but the 52 has a Monte Carlo stock on it and checkering(discontinued).They are side levers and in .22 are good for pest control on larger critters than lets say squirrels.

The RWS 34 in .22 is a nice break barrel more in your price range.

This is one of the better forums:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/
 
I looked at your links. I would say either one could be used for garden duty. But...I know that you will be happier with one that is better, any of the brands mentioned by the other posters will meet all your needs without needing tuning or replacement triggers and will have superior levels of accuracy. Still, it is your dime. You might want to google "pyramyd air" (miss-spelled correctly!) And watch the free videos and read the customer reviews and general info before spending any money.
 
Hey thanks for the help I will keep looking around and hopefully will find something soon.
 
Hero makes a good point. I was having pest problems at a location where discretion was demanded. I have German made 22 caliber pellet rifle that is as accurate as I could ask for on paper to 25 yards. Only problem was that beyond 50 feet I could not get clean kills even on squirrels. They soon learned I.was on the prowl and that if they stayed any distance from me they could just laugh at the gringo. Then I.discovered Aguila Sniper Subsonics. It is a 60 grain bullet loaded in a 22 short case. Due to size of bullet it is still the same length as a long rifle. Took one of my custom 10/22 Target guns that was tuned for lighter loaded match ammo and the stuff shot one hole groups at 50 yards. It is almost as quiet as my big German pellet rifle.but lobbing 60 grain bullets at just over 900 fps. Not a single complaint from a.single neighbor in a busy business district in two years. To present I am at 156 squirrels and 23 ground hogs.with this combo. PM me and I will point you toward some tricks without having to get boggled in NFA. I finally got my papers for a can, went to standard ammo and was not very pleased. I had the logistics of a federal enforced can laying around work and with standard ammo it had same volume as my sniper subsonics. When I tried standard subsonics it was quiet as a whisper but with 40 grain bullets not mucj more effective than my pellet rifle. It came with a.warning about the 60 grain bullet voiding the warranty due to end strikes. So after starting with the pellet rifle, migrating to a can, I am back to using one of my target rifles with the Aguila SSB.
 
Aquila

. 60 gr. bullet loaded in a 22 short case. Due to size of bullet it is still the same length as a long rifle. Took one of my custom 10/22 Target guns that was tuned for lighter loaded match ammo and the stuff shot one hole groups at 50 yards. It is almost as quiet as my big German pellet rifle.but lobbing 60 grain
The Aquila SSS ammo is good stuff. Nice that it shoots so well in your rifle because it won't do so in many other rifles. It does not shoot well in mine. The bullets tumble. Because of their long length, the rifling in many barrels will not stabilize them (that is one of the reasons that there are aftermarket barrels specifically for that round).
 
PeteD, the Aguila SSS shoots great in three of my 22's. Adequate in several others and like crap in a few. It seems that all of my older 10/22's and match barreled Ruger like it but my newer ones have issues with it. It's a toss up if it will feed, fire and extract properly in a semi. I have one pistol it is about as.accurate as throwing rocks. Thus the reason some supressor manufactures say it negates their warranty. I have one pistol can combo that loves the stuff like a couple of my rifles do. But back on subject of pellet rifles, not saying it is impossible, but to humanly kill varmints with one takes a real outlay of cash. Of course if you feel comfortable doing so, it is a nice addition to the collection. Makes backyard shooting possible for most people. Ground hogs are tough critters, especially end of season when they are fattened up. Probably on the far end of pellet rifle capability. Ones round here are smart and hard to sneak up close to. Most times now I just screw a can on a .22 hornet and zap goes the hog.
 
PeteD, the Aguila SSS shoots great in three of my 22's. Adequate in several others and like crap in a few. It seems that all of my older 10/22's and match barreled Ruger like it but my newer ones have issues with it. It's a toss up if it will feed, fire and extract properly in a semi. I have one pistol it is about as.accurate as throwing rocks. Thus the reason some supressor manufactures say it negates their warranty. I have one pistol can combo that loves the stuff like a couple of my rifles do. But back on subject of pellet rifles, not saying it is impossible, but to humanly kill varmints with one takes a real outlay of cash. Of course if you feel comfortable doing so, it is a nice addition to the collection. Makes backyard shooting possible for most people. Ground hogs are tough critters, especially end of season when they are fattened up. Probably on the far end of pellet rifle capability. Ones round here are smart and hard to sneak up close to. Most times now I just screw a can on a .22 hornet and zap goes the hog.
I found a nice used Mossie single shot rifle that loves those SSS.
The Remington 77 air rifle works great for me on rats etc with Grossman HP ammo.
 
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