Anyone know about air rifles?

[tech]

I am looking for an air rifle for my father. He lives in a gun unfriendly place and needs to dispatch squirrels and such. He wants 1 pump and as many fps as possible. Any leads would be appreciated.

Mike

 

[ArmedBear]

"Springers" are wonderful, if you have strong arms. They're the size and weight of a full-sized rifle, and they can be very accurate while shooting pellets at 1000 fps and up.

Crosman Quest 1000X is what I have; it's about $125 with a scope included. It's a break-action. They go up from there; fixed-barrel models are a good deal more, but even more accurate.

This search nets some decent vendors: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=air+rifles&btnG=Google+Search

Cabela's has a huge selection, including high-end rifles from RWS that are just incredible, should your father be "a man of wealth and taste."
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/c...Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=airguns&noImage=0

 

[k_semler]

I have the Cummins Tool air rifle, and I'm satisfied with it. I bought it at one of thier "truckload sales" 2 years ago. It is advertised as 1,000 FPS. It has the weight of a regular rifle, and it shoots pretty well too. It was a pretty decent buy for only $20. I don't reccomend buying thier air pistol though. That's a hunk of crap.

 

[tech]

Thanks for the replies. I will start from here.

M

 

[XavierBreath]

Mine is a Winchester 1000XS, made by Daisy. It is a break action single shot .177 caliber pellet gun with an airgun scope. Length is 45 inches, weight is 6.6 pounds. It has an advertised muzzle velocity of 1000fps at 17.1 ft/lbs. MSRP is $159. I have seen them priced at the $125 mark new. Mine has taken many a squirrel over the past year. The key is a head shot.


Three shots, 15 yards, rested.

 

[Karbon]

gamo shadow, 1000fps and dang accurate. Bunnies have died out past 40 yards.

LOVE IT!

 

[Seven High]

I too would recommend a Gamo Shadow 1000. They can be purchased at Walmart for around $125.00. Gamo states that they produce 1000 fps. They are very accurate and a good value for the money spent.

 

[rangerruck]

yep you gotta go spring here, go with Gamo or benjamin or beeman. you could go Co2, or precharge pnuematic pump , but those can get expensive. you can get a nice gamo , 1000fps, for under 100 bucks.

 

[joe4702]

Lots of experts here:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/

 

[OldSchooler]

With my limited experience in air guns, if I expected to dispatch squirrels with a single shot, I'd recommend a gun in .22 cal

That little .22 pellet is a real thumper downrange, and can dispatch most any squirrel to 'furry heaven' in a hurry.

Another option that may be doable is a single shot .22 rifle shooting .22 shorts. Little more report than an air gun and a bit more whollop.

Just one mans opinion...

 

[gunlover_06]

go to www.pyramidair.comthey have a great selection of air guns

 

[jlmurphy]

Definately buy a spring piston, the CO2 and multipump pneumatics are less powerful and considerably louder. Pyramid Air is a good place to shop, although I would recomend the .177 cal., it is more accurate than the .22, much flatter trajectory, and the lighter pellets represent a much smaller risk to neighbors when falling due to less terminal energy (similar to shotgun pellets).Any rifle from RWS or HW will do.

 

[lee n. field]

You'll want to check -- if he's in a "gun unfriendly" urban or suburban place, likely they're not too keen on air rifles either.

RWS 34.

 

[JohnKSa]

He wants 1 pump and as many fps as possible.

This is typical of what an airgun newbie wants.

Here are the problems with that approach.

Even a very powerful airgun is sadly impotent compared to even a very low-powered firearm.

Successful airgun hunting and pest control have virtually nothing to do with power and everything to do with accuracy.

"Powerful" airguns are significantly harder to shoot accurately. Unlike firearms in which most of the recoil takes place after the bullet leaves the barrel, in airguns, the gun begins to recoil before the pellet even moves due to the motion of the spring and piston. The more powerful the airgun, the more pronounced this effect becomes.

"Powerful" airguns are harder to cock. As a result will be difficult to practice a lot with a very powerful airgun. Remember accuracy is of the utmost importance and, as a consequence, so is lots of practice.

"Powerful" airguns are harder on scopes due to the increased recoil and vibration from the spring.

"Powerful" airguns are surprisingly loud. I've had people ask if I were shooting a .22 rifle while I was practicing with my .20 cal R1.

"Powerful" airguns are often designed to operate around the 1000fps velocity range and above. The problem is that, in general, pellet design considerations mean that best accuracy is usually obtained at lower velocities--maybe 800fps or even lower.

Go for something in the midrange 700-800fps (true velocity, not merely advertising claims) that is known to be a good shooter (in terms of accuracy, durability, and shootability.)

 

[pcf]

"Powerful" airguns are significantly harder to shoot accurately. Unlike firearms in which most of the recoil takes place after the bullet leaves the barrel, in airguns, the gun begins to recoil before the pellet even moves due to the motion of the spring and piston. The more powerful the airgun, the more pronounced this effect becomes.

Which starts to matter when your talking about the difference between a .2" group at 30 feet and a sub .1" group at 30 feet. The loss of accuracy from "Barrel Vibration," "Barrel whip" or "piston snap" in a quality air rifle has little bearing on practical hunting accuracy. Might matter to an olympic shooter.

"Powerful" airguns are harder to cock. As a result will be difficult to practice a lot with a very powerful airgun. Remember accuracy is of the utmost importance and, as a consequence, so is lots of practice.

With practice comes strength. Pacing one's self goes a long ways as well.

"Powerful" airguns are harder on scopes due to the increased recoil and vibration from the spring.

Spring piston air rifles are hard on traditional scopes, even a low power spring piston air rifle will destroy a scope. Fortunately Bushnell has a variety of scopes that are design for spring piston air rifles, with parallax adjustment too, that will have a long life even if there mounted on a Theoben Eliminator or Beeman Kodiak. (There are others but I haven't used them)

 

[tech]

Wow, thanks for all the info. I am just going to get him what he asks for and let him figure it all out.

Mike

 

[rev214]

remington genesis...$200 or so with scope...

 

[JohnKSa]

Which starts to matter when your talking about the difference between a .2" group at 30 feet and a sub .1" group at 30 feet. The loss of accuracy from "Barrel Vibration," "Barrel whip" or "piston snap" in a quality air rifle has little bearing on practical hunting accuracy. Might matter to an olympic shooter.

Due to the fact that recoil starts before the pellet even begins to move, slight variations in the way the gun is held can make significant differences in the poi. Even something as minor as changing how tightly one grips the forearm can change the poi dramatically--on the order of an inch or more at 30 feet. This is true of all spring-piston guns but the effect is magnifiied with a more powerful gun since the recoil is more significant.

I'm not talking about barrel vibration or barrel whip, they are negligible effects in airguns. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by the term "piston snap", but if by that term, you mean recoil due to piston motion, then yes, I am saying it is significant even in quality air rifles and even when talking about practical hunting accuracy.

Furthermore, the kill zone for a brain shot on a squirrel (to use one example) is quite small. Tenths of an inch can matter.

With practice comes strength.

True, but if this guy is looking for a genuine 1,000fps springer, he's probably talking about cocking effort that runs about 40 lbs or more. That's not huge, but for someone who's thinking about a 22LR substitute it's very likely going to be a rude awakening.

even a low power spring piston air rifle will destroy a scope

And it only gets worse the higher the power. This isn't as much of a problem as it once was since there are a few scope makers who understand the situation. But it does mean that mounting a scope is going to be trickier and, again, we're talking about someone looking for a .22 rifle substitute. I suspect that someone in that boat will be surprised that buying a bottom of the line Walmart scope is not a workable solution.

 

[toivo]

I have the Cummins Tool air rifle, and I'm satisfied with it. I bought it at one of thier "truckload sales" 2 years ago. It is advertised as 1,000 FPS. It has the weight of a regular rifle, and it shoots pretty well too. It was a pretty decent buy for only $20.

I have one of those too. It ain't pretty, but it works. They're made in China, and they look kind of funky, like an SKS made with hand tools. The price is certainly right, although real airgun lovers cringe at the mention of their name. The sights are easy to adjust and it's pretty powerful.

If you get one, make sure to check the box right away. The first one I bought had a bent cocking lever and didn't really work. Luckily I checked it out as soon as I got it home. If I had waited one more day, that Cummins truck would have been gone.