The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: mkm on August 07, 2013, 12:57:01 PM
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I know there are plenty of air gun enthusiasts on here, and they've been discussed before. If you can find the links, that might be useful.
I'm considering getting a decent budget (<$200.00) air rifle. I'm hoping for something accurate, hard hitting, quiet, and reliable. I'm unsure about the choice between slower .22 and 1200+ fps .177. I mainly just want something I can afford to shoot a lot and in town, but I would like it to be able to take small game if necessary.
In .177, I've been looking at the Gamo silent cat. Haven't really looked at too many.22 yet as my store options are poor.
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Here is a link to a thread about a particular air rifle....
http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=17692.0
This might be the one being discussed in the thread.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Benjamin_Titan_GP_Nitro_Piston_Air_Rifle/2603
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There's always this one ;D
http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=14767.0
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Go with a .22 if you're going to use it on game. Ignore the velocity. Its foot pounds that matter. A .22 will ALWAYS hit harder than .177. The velocity there will give you penetration, but not the knockdown power. As for a $200 gun, I'd go to Airgun Depot. They are a great company. They also sell refurbs from the major brands. I'd look at RWS, Gammo, Benjamin and Remington in your price range.
As to pellets (and guns for that matter), screw local. For .22 you can order a 500 round tin of Crossman premire (good enough for government work) for nine bucks. You can spend a lot more on pellets if you want one hole groups at 25 yards, but I can hit a golf ball at fifty yards, and that's good enough for me. Though, air guns can be finicky about ammo. You should try a few different brands before blaming the gun if accuracy isn't what you expected. Check these folks out. And by that I don't just mean look at their web site. Do that, but then call them after you have some knowledge. They love to talk air guns. If you hit them at a slow time you'll have a sweaty ear when you hang up. Pyramid Air is good also. Buy with confidence from either one.
If it were me I'd look at either a nitro piston or a gammo silent series if noise was an issue. But the old school RWS models are built like tanks and scary accurate. Plus they are wood and steel and put together by anal retentive Germans. You grandkids will be shooting those rifles. I have an RWS 34 in .22 and it will bring an honest 800 fps to the table (for comparison a .22 short is about 900 fps) . To put it in scary terms...5/8th inch plywood is NOT an adequate back stop (don't ask). You want to hang some old rugs over a dowel or use a pellet trap for that. The only down side is that its a bit loud. A nitro Piston or a Gammo will be quieter, but they are plastic guns and I wonder about longevity. Anyway, talk to the folks at Air gun Depot and Pyramid and they'll steer you right.
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Thanks everybody! You've pretty much reassured what I was thinking. My brother has a Benjamin nitro gp, and I shot it the other day. I didn't have a real target; so, I couldn't really gauge accuracy. I'll probably end up getting one of them unless something else charms me into buying it.
I'm still open to suggestions; it'll probably be a while longer before I actually get it.
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If she can't help you out, at least she looked doing it..
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"I like to play with my weapons". That boys is the perfect woman! I note she is single and I will cheerfully volunteer to be her gammo cocker. Where do I sign up? ;D
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Sorry to take a while getting around to this, mkm.
I have an high end under-lever, but you're looking for something a little less pricey. I bought a Benjamin Nitro break barrel, in .22. I wanted it especially to lend to neighbors so I wasn't letting my "baby" out of my sight. It's been good. I replaced the no-name scope it came with with a BSA 4xAO Air Rifle scope. I've used it this summer on the chipmunks and squirrels with great success. Not quite the nail driver of the Weihaurch but quite adequate for the back yard. The "nitro" uses a nitrogen filled cylinder instead of a spring for propulsion. Much quieter and lighter than the big boy.
If you going to use it for pest, go with .22. Heavier pellets and they all stay sub-sonic. Good head shots even put down large rabbits.
Oh and if you use a scope it needs to be Adjustable Objective to null out parallex at the short distance you typically shoot air rifles. The BSA AO one isn't bad, but I just recently put a Hawke on my big boy as is recommend by http://www.straightshooters.com/ (http://www.straightshooters.com/) Lots of good info on their web site, but they're a little pricey at times. http://www.pyramydair.com/ (http://www.pyramydair.com/) is the another big retailer. Of course if you can find the model you want at a big box, it'll be even cheaper.
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If you going to use it for pest, go with .22.
What FQ & Alf said - .22 is the way to go for pests. It puts a hurt on 'em.