Just got bit by the airgun bug

[MikeJackmin]

It started innocently enough, just passing the time, reading about modern airguns at www.pyramydair.com/blog.

Then I noticed that Crosman has a neat little on-line tool which allows you to custom-configure one of their hot new air pistols - pretty soon, I had to have one that looked like this:



I was able to talk myself out of it for a little while... until I saw the blog post at pyramid that said how great these new guns were, and how there was a terrific scope called a 'bug buster' with parallex adjustment down to three yards(!), and how you could get all this stuff delivered right to your door with no FFL for about half the price of a real gun, and then, well, I blew about two hundred bucks and now I'm waiting for everything to arrive.

You know how it is.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking of building a bullet trap. Some guys use a shallow wooden box filled with duct seal putty, but I'm thinking that a soft wax, maybe parafin cut with olive oil like the the black powder folks use, so it would be easier to remelt and reuse once it got loaded up.

Has anybody here tried to build a pellet trap like this?

 

[ithacalover]

That's a classy looking rig, but what's the use of a pneumatic pistol - those things only drive a .177 at 500fps or less; too weak to do much. There is some power behind those spring-piston long guns, though, especially from RWS and Beeman. They're heavy and expensive, but exceptionally well made. My .22 RWS 52 reached 900fps, but to be honest, I haven't shot it in six years.

 

[Professor K]

You can use an old pair (or two or three) of jeans as a backstop, just make sure there's air between each layer.

I prefer airsoft to real pellet guns, though. You can shoot eachother with them, and all you'd have to show for it is some welts. My favorites are gas guns, I dont like electric guns too much, since they break down easier at high FPS, and sound like sewing machines.

And wow, I like that custom configuration thing. You can make a classy looking pistol like that, nice find.

 

[Steve N]

I made my own pallet trap from 3/4" plywood. Inside dimensions 8" w x 14" h x 8" deep. I used a piece of 8" x 15" x 1/4" UHMW plastic as the back stop. The back stop sits at an angle (top closer to front of box) to deflect pellets downward. I held the top back 3/4", and cut a 1/4" wide groove in the inside edges of the sides and bottom. I slide a clipboard into the groove. I cut out the center of the clipboard, and the clip holds the target. I put a folded towel in the bottom to keep pellets from bouncing too much. Pellets deform so that only the rim of the skirt can be identified. Sometimes I get a bounce-out, but they only travel about 6-12". I tried putty first, but it was too messy to pull pellets from. I also had problems with new pellets hitting old pellets in the putty, and bouncing out. Never heard of using wax, but it sounds logical.

 

[razorburn]

That's a classy looking rig, but what's the use of a pneumatic pistol - those things only drive a .177 at 500fps or less; too weak to do much.

That's the point and attraction. We have real guns to take care hunting/self defense. It's nice to have a low powered quiet air gun to get some trigger time with indoors.

 

[Selfdfenz]

I just got a 2600S and I love it. Much more aaccurate than I can shoot it.
It caused me to purchase a QB 78 rifle. Ditto.

The reason I bought these 2 models was precisely because they have a max speed no greater than 500-600 fps, are quiet and very accurate at 10 meters. Sometimes speed and power aren't the end-all & be-all of marksmanship.

I use the same steel trap I employ for my rimfires and it works very well but I imagine there are many other options that work equally as well.

Best,
S-

 

[MikeJackmin]

As I get older, I seem to do more of my shooting with smaller and smaller guns. I find that I often enjoy myself most when I can just wander the back yard with rifle in hand, without having to wear hearing protection or worry about raining lead down on my rural neighbors. Usually I just load up a 94/22 with colibris and I'm good to go. The airgun will be a nice alternaive, slower to reload but probably much more accurate.

Targets vary by season; I'll shoot pine cones out off the trees, the icicles off my roof, the tops of the dandlions, and even carpenter bees out of the air as they hover. It sounds a little goofy and unserious, but I shoot much more often now, and I'm a better shot than I used to be.

Shooting indoors is something that I seems to reconsider every Feburary... colibris are too smoky and even CB caps are too loud. The air gun, with its modest power, looks just about perfect.

I have to admit, though, I do have my eye on one of those Sheridan .22 pump guns. You know, for those really big pine cones...

 

[doubleg]

Used to have one of those semi-auto co2 12 shot crossman rifles. But the gas system got a leak and the pellets began to barely make it out of the barrel. So they I finnaly went out and bought a 597.

 

[pdowg881]

I have this chinese brand of side cocking single shot. Shoots Pellets through half inch plywood(Pine). Just bought a pistol to. A cheap crossman. Unfortunately the trigger pull is about a million pounds.

 

[Bongo45]

I think that air guns are great practice weapons. I bought an inexpensive Daisy pistol and am quite impressed with it's power and accuracy. It is certainly not a toy. I know that some of the rifles (and pistols) are more than capable of killing small game.

 

[simulatedjim]

I didn't need another bug but I guess it is too late for that.

 

[chorlton]

I grew up shooting a Weirauch air rifle. Hours of fun in my small-town back yard

 

[Zero_DgZ]

I was an avid airgunner before I became a firearm-gunner. Still do airsoft, too. I've probably gone through about five spring rifles (my favorite was the XS-B3, which is a stamped hunk of junk but was just so much fun) oodles of pistols both CO2 and pump...

For Silent Squirrel Duty right now I have a Gamo Shadowmatic, which is ostensibly the same as the Shadow 1000 with a slightly nicer stock and a tube feed mechanism that will automatically load wadcutter or some types of domed pellets for you. Quicker followup shots without having to fumble with those tiny little things.

I've got a stack of airsoft guns that see occasional use when I can round up the troops to actually go out and shoot at each other: A WE 1911 clone, a Glock 18 (since I can't own the real thing realistically) and a full auto Mac-11 that is about the most fun you can have without doing something illegal. Also a heavily riced out MP5 Of Death that doesn't really look like an MP5 anymore, and a G36 that I'm slowly (very slowly...) converting into a sniper platform.

Insofar as you can snipe with a plastic BB, anyway.

 

[beaucoup ammo]

It's Goin' Around For Sure!

Went to Academy this AM for a 250 count / 115gr. Remington/UMC 9mm deal at $36..and also brought back a GAMO 80 Semi Auto Co2. What a GAS!! 8 shots at 410 fps as fast as you can pull the trigger....$68.

Grabbed one of thos big stuffed burlap bag type targets for $19.99 and have been in the garage ever since!

 

[Steve N]

PDOWG881

Did you buy a Crosman 1377 pump pistol? If yes, you're right. Trigger pull is about a million pounds. You can fix that in 5 minutes for less than a buck. Take off the right side hand grip. Remove the trigger spring and take it to the hardware store. Buy a new spring with the same inside diameter, the same length (or a skoch longer or shorter) and a thinner wire diameter. Put the new spring in, reinstall the grip, and blast away. If you need to, you can trim the spring shorter.

 

[rangerruck]

i carry two of them at all times. A crossman pump , made exclusively for snap-on tools, and then , you know those cheap knock off chinese ones? I got that, but in an 8 in bbl, break bbl. terrible trigger, but I hacked the hell out of the spring, and it is 400 fps!!!

 

[BigBlock]

Are me and my friends the only ones who shot steel bbs at eachother when we were kids?

 

[pdowg881]

Steve, the pistol is a c02 repeater. A powerline 15 xt. Trigger pull is like an extremely heavy DA revolver. It looks like a 1911. Looking at it, i noticed as the trigger is pulled back, the barrel starts sliding forward out of the front of the gun about a cm. When the trigger breaks, the barrel slams into the gun under spring tension to hit the air valve, and shoot the gun. If you ask me, its a horrible design and makes accurate shooting pretty tough. Due to the design, I don't think I can do any spring changes. Theres no sear or anything like that in it. At 30$ what do you expect?

 

[Smith357]

Has anybody here tried to build a pellet trap like this?

I recently got a new springer that was denting my steel trap, I figured it would not be long before it failed so I built a new trap using one 6 foot pine board a few scraps of plywood and the duct seal, I find it is much better than my old steel trap. The pellets barley penetrate the duct seal and picking out the old pellets and reforming the putty is clean and easy. The putty in the photo has been reformed 3 or 4 times already and still looks as good as new.

 

[Hardtarget]

I've shot pellet guns for years, too. They are great for teaching new shooters. I taught both my sons from the first on air rifles. Sight alignment and trigger control. Easy to work on position, stance, breathing too.

I even taught two young ladies at work with a Daisey 717 air pistol. Mary, the most petite of the two, could hit a coke bottle top from 30 feet. I don't know if she still shoots, but she did learn the basics with an air pistol.

For just plinking, that 717 is a good choice. Its a side lever, single stroke, system. My son has a Gamo rifle. Works good on squirrel.

Mark.

 

[Selfdfenz]

Smith357

I think that's the first time I've seen what the pellets look like in a duct seal trap. I'm going to have to make one of those. Looks like an excellent way to capture and dispose of pellets.


BTW, do you think the duct seal would freeze and become ineffective if left outside in freezing weather?

THX in advance,

S-

 

[tuck2]

When the wind is blowing,with snow on the ground and I,m getting cabin fever the air guns come out. I have a bullet trap set up in the basement with 1/4 inch red dot targets. The AO scoped sited 17 cal Beman R-1 and 22 cal Beman 1000 rifles can make the day fun. On nice winter days a walk with the pellet guns can put a few cotten tail rabbits in the pot. When my grandson is visiting we can shoot insides and I can give him some shooting tips. Owning pellet rifles are low cost shooting fun.

 

[Harve Curry]

I once met a airgun enthusist who had a .30cal air rifle. I never got a chance to shoot it. Lewis & Clark Expedition had two air rifles, 40 or 45 cal I think.

 

[tegemu]

Is there a forum for soft air guns?

 

[beaucoup ammo]

Question, Please

I've had air rifles over the years. Yesterday, I went to Academy and got a GAMO T-80 CO / 8 shot / GAS semi auto pistol / 410 fps. My first venture into gas powered pistols. My question is this:

With the instruction book in front of me, I installed the gas cartridge into the grip of the pistol. I tightened the screw at the bottom of the base of grip as instructed. They said to turn clockwise until I met resistance.. I may have turned a bit too far as the pistol started to "hiss" and I smelled the gas.

The instruction book didn't say..and I didn't know.. if this was normal. After a few seconds it stopped. I went into the garage for my first test shots (2). The weapon fired flawlessly but didn't penetrate the old felt cat bed I was shooting at. In fact, they bounced off. This from 6 feet away. I fired a round outside this morning and it worked fine. Into the ground..no way of measuring velocity. Just wanted to see if it was still "gassed up."

The booklet said the head of the gas cartridge had to be pierced for everything to work. I'm wondering if the initial "hissing" is normal when installing a new one or if I over did it? Do you need to hear this and smell gas to know you've pierced the cylinder?

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!