Pellet/BB Guns

[Ernie Bass]

I purchased a Crossman American Classic 1377 at the beginning of this COVID-19 madness. Warning this pistol is so upgradable it becomes addictive. Everything in Lock Stock and Barrel is available including caliber switch. . I’m up to a carbine now waiting on shipment of a rifle barrel in 16”. View attachment 916815

Lol, you are right, about a million and a half mods. One mod you should get in a TKO shroud. Total silence. I put a lothar walther barrel on mine and a Steel receiver.

 

[whughett]

LOL. I’ve got $200 in it now, not counting a reflex sight and a hard side case.
I’m looking at a two stage trigger and the shroud you’ve mentioned.
Had I know about Crosman Custom Shop I may have gone that way and saved a few bucks.
This set up allows me to scratch the itch to stay in the shooting game during this (Mostly self imposed) lock down.

 

[readyeddy]

Daisy Powerline 880

Well, finally got around to scouting the property, found several places that seemed good. Best place is actually right next to the garage shooting from a slightly elevated spot. It is like a 50 foot shot slight downward angle, then the property inclines slightly from there - and goes back 1,200 feet before there are any houses. It is just far enough to make it interesting for shooting cans and such. I tested it and 3 pumps shoots flat enough to hit small bottles. I actually just put out a plastic orange juice bottle and a cardboard box to try it. Made holes through the cardboard, but no holes with several hits in the plastic containter, they just bounce off. I'll have to try it with aluminum cans lined up to see if it goes through them.

next to the garage is good, then I could just put out a chair and table to shoot from when guests or kids try it. I could double or triple the distance on that same line, but for now I'll contain it to the short distance and 3 pumps out of 10.

at 3 pumps, I think even if you shot someone in the leg at 50 feet it would just bounce off, maybe sting just a little, so - as long as the dog is in the house and people wear eye glasses, think I have basic safety covered.

This brings back a lot of memories. Most of us here gravitate towards springers, but there's a lot to be said for pump guns. Enjoy your new gun.

 

[Olon]

What is a decent run of the mill pellet or BB gun in today's world? We used to have some as kids and I was thinking of getting one, so - we might shoot at targets on our property where we don't currently do anything with firearms. Maybe something that could be used for small game if needed, and basically for targets. Haven't shot one of these in probably more than 20 years. Had a 10 pump air BB gun I remember putting holes in a metal trash can lid at 100 feet or so - which as a kid I thought was very impressive.

I really like my Daisy Powerline 880. It's super accurate and cost about $40 or so from orschelns.

 

[JohnKSa]

are there ones that shoot BBs and pellets? I'd rather not shoot a bunch of lead pellets around the yard, but like the option of better accuracy with the pellets, if I ever wanted to take some small game.

There are pellet guns that will allow you to shoot either pellets or BBs. Keep in mind that BBs are steel and therefore can't really "take" the rifling like a pellet. So they have to be undersized for the bore and that isn't really great for accuracy. It's also not great for the bore either.

There are lead BBs and they will take the rifling and can be quite accurate--but they are also larger than steel BBs. That means that the feed mechanisms for steel BBs sometimes jam when used with lead BBs. And, of course, if you're trying to avoid lead they're not really an option.

Regarding airgun legality, there are two things to consider.

1. Is it legal to shoot where you want to shoot? Again, two things to consider.
A. Is it legal under state law? My state (TX) has no laws against shooting airguns.
B. Is it legal under your city ordinances? My city regulates the discharge of airguns as if they are firearms. If I shoot an airgun in my back yard, I can be cited, by the city, for discharging a firearm.

2. Is it legal to hunt the game you wish to shoot? It is legal in my state to hunt with an airgun--but, in some cases, only if certain restrictions are met. For example, I can hunt non-game animals (like feral hogs) with an airgun--no restrictions. But it is only legal to hunt squirrels with an airgun if the muzzle velocity is 600fps or above. Larger game animals require a pre-charged pneumatic with a pellet weight of 150gr or higher, caliber of .30 or larger and a muzzle velocity of 800fps or above.