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Suggestions on an air rifle
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I have a gamo with a gamo scope. Shoots some pellets better than others. It can be deadly accurate one day and then shoot slightly off the next. Have taken several rabbits, couple of muskrats, several bull frogs with it. Mine does not sound like a .22 but does have a distinct smack sound. Shot it from inside my house with wife and kids upstairs and nobody noticed anything
Yes. Then be sure to do a Google search to see if the model is current and the pricing w/shipping is competitive. I've found that occasionally Amazon or others have a better deal (don't forget to calculate the Amazon tax.
) I'm a Sportsman's Guide member and regular buyer, but sometimes they don't compete.OutdoorDad
Master
I have a crossman 66 that I used to dispatch 6 chipmunk this past weekend.
.177, rifled barrel, 5 pellet clip (i really think it's a clip, and am ready for the debate) Came with a scope, trigger lock and a truglo type front site.
I think I bought it at Walmart for under $50.
.177, rifled barrel, 5 pellet clip (i really think it's a clip, and am ready for the debate) Came with a scope, trigger lock and a truglo type front site.
I think I bought it at Walmart for under $50.
Yes. Then be sure to do a Google search to see if the model is current and the pricing w/shipping is competitive. I've found that occasionally Amazon or others have a better deal (don't forget to calculate the Amazon tax.
Agreed. I always shop around.
My kids were raised with the Daisy rifles from CMP, still available for about $115. They don't shoot very fast, maybe 475 fps, but come with suitable peeps and not too hard to pump (they're a single pump gun). Very popular with 4H and boy Scouts. I use a FB P70 Junior for 10 meter shooting, and for knocking off chipmunks around the yard. The low noise doesn't attract attention from the neighbors. Last summer, Team Chipmunk had 8 players that went on the permanently disabled list.......
I have to Gamo (CFX) underlever air rifles, and I love them.
However, you're dead wrong in looking for the fastest air rifle out there because of the peculiar nature of the ballistics of air rifle pellets.
If you go above supersonic (approx. 1000 fps), your accuracy will suffer, because pellets lose velocity rapidly, and going from supersonic to subsonic will destabilize them when crossing the supersonic threshold.
Better to stick to rifles that max out at about 900 fps with the lightest pellets and get the best accuracy overall, while at the same time having ample power for pest control.
Also, if you pick a spring piston or gas ram (Nitro Piston is a brand of gas ram) gun, be aware that there are two key issues you will need to be aware of:
1) Do not use a cheapo scope that is not designed to withstand the unusual "towel snap" double recoil peculiar to spring piston guns, and make sure you use a scope mount setup able to likewise withstand that abusive recoil.
2) Shooting a spring piston airgun requires a much different holding technique than with conventional firearms, even a .22 rimfire, requiring that you actually not restrain the recoil, instead allowing the gun to recoil as it will, something that has been dubbed the "artillery hold," since it's not unlike the way a heavy gun rolls back when fired.
I would also recommend probably the best forum out there for airgunners: GTA - Airguns & Guns Forum
Spend some time there, ask a few questions, and you will be astonished about what kinds of airguns (spring piston, CO2, precharged, etc.) are out there, and just how accurate they can be in experienced hands.
Another benefit of airguns is that even premium pellets are substantially cheaper than the cheapest gun ammo, and you can keep considerably more of it in a smaller space.
For the money, it's hard to beat Gamo, but they don't make high end stuff.
For that, you'll need something along the lines of a Weihrauch, Beeman (their higher end models), Air Arms, or RWS/Diana.
However, you're dead wrong in looking for the fastest air rifle out there because of the peculiar nature of the ballistics of air rifle pellets.
If you go above supersonic (approx. 1000 fps), your accuracy will suffer, because pellets lose velocity rapidly, and going from supersonic to subsonic will destabilize them when crossing the supersonic threshold.
Better to stick to rifles that max out at about 900 fps with the lightest pellets and get the best accuracy overall, while at the same time having ample power for pest control.
Also, if you pick a spring piston or gas ram (Nitro Piston is a brand of gas ram) gun, be aware that there are two key issues you will need to be aware of:
1) Do not use a cheapo scope that is not designed to withstand the unusual "towel snap" double recoil peculiar to spring piston guns, and make sure you use a scope mount setup able to likewise withstand that abusive recoil.
2) Shooting a spring piston airgun requires a much different holding technique than with conventional firearms, even a .22 rimfire, requiring that you actually not restrain the recoil, instead allowing the gun to recoil as it will, something that has been dubbed the "artillery hold," since it's not unlike the way a heavy gun rolls back when fired.
I would also recommend probably the best forum out there for airgunners: GTA - Airguns & Guns Forum
Spend some time there, ask a few questions, and you will be astonished about what kinds of airguns (spring piston, CO2, precharged, etc.) are out there, and just how accurate they can be in experienced hands.
Another benefit of airguns is that even premium pellets are substantially cheaper than the cheapest gun ammo, and you can keep considerably more of it in a smaller space.
For the money, it's hard to beat Gamo, but they don't make high end stuff.
For that, you'll need something along the lines of a Weihrauch, Beeman (their higher end models), Air Arms, or RWS/Diana.
Whatever you buy, bear in mind that these newer air rifles are very powerful! I bought the Beeman .177/.22 last summer with the intention of ridding the barn of sparrows and starlings. My barn roof now has a few more holes in than it did last spring. Both .177s and .22 went cleanly through the steel roofing. I sold it soon afterwards and now stick with my old "Pic-Rifled" czech pellet gun.
Just got the Benjamin NP Trail a couple of weeks ago.
I'm still breaking it in.
Suprisingly has more recoil ("jump" would be more accurate ) than a .22.
Also suprisingly loud, even with the integral suppressor setup. They say that'll get better with break in.
Knocks the POOP out of tree stumps at 40 yds.
Overall, I like it. I'll like it better as it wears in and quiets down.
I'm still breaking it in.
Suprisingly has more recoil ("jump" would be more accurate ) than a .22.
Also suprisingly loud, even with the integral suppressor setup. They say that'll get better with break in.
Knocks the POOP out of tree stumps at 40 yds.
Overall, I like it. I'll like it better as it wears in and quiets down.
.177 or .22? If you end up doing a review on this rifle, please post a link in this thread!
I'm leaning towards getting one of these.I forgot to mention one other peculiarity of air rifles, specifically break barrel spring piston guns, which is a quirk called (for lack of a better term) "barrel droop."
That's a bit of a misnomer, since the barrel doesn't really droop as it were, but the term is used to describe how the barrels of these guns usually have a minute downward angle, a consequence of the difficulity of having the barrel at the hinge point remain perfectly straight from receiver to muzzle.
That downward angle can make your point of impact lower than expected unless you either get some work done to make the hinge point perfectly level (can be expensive, and a bit difficult to find someone with the needed skills to do it), or do what most people do and get a scope mount that allows for adjustment to make the scope run perfectly parallel with the barrel angle to make POI more predictable.
The whole "barrel droop" issue is one of the reasons that there are some alternatives to break barrel guns, namely underlever (Gamo CFX, RWS/Diana 46, Air Arms TX200) or sidelever (RWS/Diana 54) guns, so that you can just mount a strong scope mount and go.
The Trail NP is a fairly powerful air rifle, so you'll definitely want to keep your pellets below the speed of sound to prevent the transonic shock wave from inducing destabilization when the pellet drops below the sound barrier.
If you notice the characteristic crack from going supersonic with a given pellet, it's time to get a heavier pellet that will stay just a smidge below the sound barrier.
Also, to prevent dieseling (detonation), don't be tempted to lube the chamber or barrel of a spring piston gun.
Dieseling causes wild variations in muzzle velocity, and it causes cumulative damage to the gun.
Unlike conventional bullets, airgun pellets are not stabilized by gyroscopic spin alone, but also by their characteristic flared skirt, which makes shock waves catching up with projectiles have much more of an effect than it does with conventional bullets.
Don't be tempted to use the lightweight alloy (meaning non-lead) pellets that Gamo and Crosman sell as one of their options to get absurd muzzle velocities, both because they tend to go supersonic, and because they are too light to provide enough inertia to ensure the cushion of air required for the spring piston not to crash into its cylinder.
That's the last thing about spring piston guns that you must know, which is that it's never okay to dry fire them.
btw...the Trail NP is one of the nicer spring piston guns, since it's a Crosman (they make nice middle of the road guns), and because it uses a gas ram, which has several advantages over a conventional spring.
That's a bit of a misnomer, since the barrel doesn't really droop as it were, but the term is used to describe how the barrels of these guns usually have a minute downward angle, a consequence of the difficulity of having the barrel at the hinge point remain perfectly straight from receiver to muzzle.
That downward angle can make your point of impact lower than expected unless you either get some work done to make the hinge point perfectly level (can be expensive, and a bit difficult to find someone with the needed skills to do it), or do what most people do and get a scope mount that allows for adjustment to make the scope run perfectly parallel with the barrel angle to make POI more predictable.
The whole "barrel droop" issue is one of the reasons that there are some alternatives to break barrel guns, namely underlever (Gamo CFX, RWS/Diana 46, Air Arms TX200) or sidelever (RWS/Diana 54) guns, so that you can just mount a strong scope mount and go.
The Trail NP is a fairly powerful air rifle, so you'll definitely want to keep your pellets below the speed of sound to prevent the transonic shock wave from inducing destabilization when the pellet drops below the sound barrier.
If you notice the characteristic crack from going supersonic with a given pellet, it's time to get a heavier pellet that will stay just a smidge below the sound barrier.
Also, to prevent dieseling (detonation), don't be tempted to lube the chamber or barrel of a spring piston gun.
Dieseling causes wild variations in muzzle velocity, and it causes cumulative damage to the gun.
Unlike conventional bullets, airgun pellets are not stabilized by gyroscopic spin alone, but also by their characteristic flared skirt, which makes shock waves catching up with projectiles have much more of an effect than it does with conventional bullets.
Don't be tempted to use the lightweight alloy (meaning non-lead) pellets that Gamo and Crosman sell as one of their options to get absurd muzzle velocities, both because they tend to go supersonic, and because they are too light to provide enough inertia to ensure the cushion of air required for the spring piston not to crash into its cylinder.
That's the last thing about spring piston guns that you must know, which is that it's never okay to dry fire them.
btw...the Trail NP is one of the nicer spring piston guns, since it's a Crosman (they make nice middle of the road guns), and because it uses a gas ram, which has several advantages over a conventional spring.
Having owned several Beeman & RWS air rifles over the last 20 years(still have a Beeman r 10 and a RWS 45),I say save yourself lots of headaches and save up the $$$ for a pcp air rifle.I have a Benjamin Maurader .25 that is as accurate as any .22 sporter that I own,and I have several.Lots of $$$ up front but well worth it IMO-way less noise than a springer and way more accurate.The trouble with the "quiet" .22 rounds is accuracy-my maurader will consistantly shoot groups under 1/2" at 50 yards.At 25 yards you can hit .22 lr brass every time.
I would love to have a Marauder, but they cost well north of $500 new these days, more than some of the finest (Weirhauch, Diana, Air Arms) spring piston guns.
Another disadvantage to PCP (Pre-charged, i.e. guns with high pressure air reservoirs) guns is that you'll need to get a SCUBA tank or hand pump, either of which will cost at least another $200.
The accuracy and power advantage of PCP guns are both real selling points, but it's really cool being able to take over 500 pellets inside a tin slightly bigger than a snuff can with you and your air rifle and being able to shoot all of them up without having to bring along a tank or pump to refill a reservoir every 30-50 shots or so.
Another disadvantage to PCP (Pre-charged, i.e. guns with high pressure air reservoirs) guns is that you'll need to get a SCUBA tank or hand pump, either of which will cost at least another $200.
The accuracy and power advantage of PCP guns are both real selling points, but it's really cool being able to take over 500 pellets inside a tin slightly bigger than a snuff can with you and your air rifle and being able to shoot all of them up without having to bring along a tank or pump to refill a reservoir every 30-50 shots or so.
I felt the same way for years-kept putting off the pcp because of $$$.Ended up spending way more on springers.My M'Rod,from Pyramid air,cost 785.34 for gun,Air Force pump ,1400 pellets and an extra mag.I gaurantee if you spend a little time shooting one you will be sold! I get 30+ shots without pumping-don't let it get low and it isn't hard to pump.If you ever get to the Ripley -Dearborn Co. area and want to shoot one let me know.
Grouchyboat
Plinker
My Gamo Big Cat gets the job done. Ironically it shoots Crosman pellets better than Gamo pellets.
FWIW, Gamo pellets are no great shakes.
Just as with powder burners, airguns vary on what pellets they do best with.
Some of the nicest pellets (although you should still try before buying in bulk) are the H&N or JSB pellets.
Both of my Gamo CFX rifles do well with the H&N and very well with those fantastic JSB pellets.
They cost a bit more, but still way less than the same quantity of the most expensive ammo out there.
Pink, you're not one of those weekend shooters at Fairview that the Parker vets told me about, are you?
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