Recommend an airsoft rifle to scratch my itch.

[B yond]

I love to shoot rifles, but lately I've found that work, family, and social obligations prevent me from making it to the range as much as I used to. When I can make it to the range I feel like i should be practicing with my CCWs before I play around with my rifles, and time being a precious commodity I rarely have enough of it to actually enjoy shooting my long guns.

This sucks.

I'm thinking about purchasing a decent quality airsoft rifle that I can shoot out of my second story window at home at a pellet trap or soda can or something in my back yard. I'm not really in-the-know about airsoft and would appreciate some suggestions.

I'd like to stay under $200 and be accurate at as far a range as possible. I'm not concerned about 'war games' and battles (although I might pop the neighborhood kids once or twice when they're running around having their airsoft wars ), so I don't need an AEG or anything like that. A spring-powered bolt gun would be fine.

TIA

 

[Sunray]

"...shoot out of my second story window..." Start by not doing that. The head line will read something like, "Sniper arrested by SWAT team.".
Forget Airsoft toys altogether and buy a decent air rifle. Airsoft "guns" are expensive, electric, toys. Have a look at this.
http://www.airsoftgi.com/information.php?info_id=43&osCsid=1uul8cllrj3jsfum687pgjm0j3
A decent air rifle is not a toy. A really good air rifle can go to nearly a grand. You don't need an Olympic class air rifle though. $100 will buy a reasonable good one. Look here. The site covers Airsoft toys and real air rifles.
http://www.airgundepot.com/

 

[BenceT]

If you want an air rifle,this ones a little over 200 but its supposed to be extremely accurate.
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=1490

Here's an airsoft gun: http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=1640

and here's a spring one: http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=1440

Tim

 

[Acera]

It depends on where you stand in the age old "Style vs. Function" equation.

If you want some thing that looks cool and you can have Walter Mitty type fantasies with, get an airsoft.

If you want some thing that you can actually sharpen you rifle skills with, get an air rifle.

 

[ArmedBear]

Note that Gamo now makes a suppressed air rifle, also good for practicing in the 'burbs without attracting attention.

It's called the "Whisper".

 

[TexasRifleman]

Note that Gamo now makes a suppressed air rifle, also good for practicing in the 'burbs without attracting attention.

It's called the "Whisper".

I got my kid one for Christmas last year.

It should be called "Loud clanging noise when the spring lets go to shoot, doesn't matter that the muzzle has a silencer on it"

It's not any quieter than our other spring driven air rifle. I was disappointed.

Shoots great though, very accurate little thing. Lots of fun.

I've never walked downrange to see if it sounds any different from a spectators perspective though.

 

[ArmedBear]

Ever shoot your air rifle in the house?

Mine makes a "bang" when I do...

 

[krs]

I'm joining the chorus of recommendations of an air/pellet rifle rather than an airsoft gun.

You won't be happy with the airsoft unless all you really want is a look-a-like version of a real gun. They're relatively low velocity and all of them, I think, are lacking any sort of accuracy. Good for practicing draw and presentation drills, but then so are real pistols.

I regularly shoot match air pistols in my downstairs office/hobby shop. I've got three of them now plus the very good Smith & Wesson version of a 6" revolver.

The room is 28 ft. long so it's close enough to the official International Air pistol range. I fire on the NRA twelve bull air rifle target (AR-5/10) and I use a box filled with duct putty - 20 lbs. of the sticky stuff as a pellet trap/target holder. They sell a similar type trap in Pyramid Air (linked in post #2 above) and it works great. I've also fired my 1100 fps. Webley Tomahawk .177 cal. and my 900 fps .20 cal Beeman R1 rifles into the trap with no problems at all but I think it would need deeper putty if I made a regular thing of it. As it is I only use the trap to check my scope zero on the rifles.

After well over 5000 shots absorbed I haven't shot out the back of my target box and I have no reason to think that any pellet has reached wood through the putty. That putty was $11. for 5lb package at Home Depot - same stuff Pyramid sells for $17.

It's really pretty nice to be able to practice bullseye pistol inside, firing projectiles rather than dryfireing which I've always found to be boring - like riding an exercize bike.

 

[badbadtz560]

You might need to specify what is "accurate" to you. you may need to end up spending $50 on a 6.01mm pdi/KM TN/Prometheus precision inner barrel to tighten up the groups.. it'll also give the airsoft gun more range... but don't' expect cloverleafs at 20 yards .. soda cans should be fine though. I think this'll be the most important part of your spring rifle... the inner barrel upgrade.


As for a gun to start with...
http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.php?cPath=139_113&products_id=2761

good bang for the buck.. supposedly easy to upgrade.

airsoftgi is a pretty good website - their descriptions are pretty accurate in my opinion/experience... though I'll mention that I'm quite outdated by now.

If you live in atlanta, airsoftatlanta has a pretty knowledgeable staff.. and the kids that hang around the store are fairly experienced as well. Of course, the way they talk will be very mall-ninja'y .. but if you can get past that, they know their airsoft guns well. I suspect any airsoft store may be similar.