Author Topic: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?  (Read 2829 times)

Big Frank

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Re: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2020, 08:02:43 PM »
I'd still rather have a nitro piston than a spring piston.

How can nitro piston technology make your gun sport more exciting?
By Sean Campbell
Last Updated on July 29, 2020
Edited by Big Frank

In the air gun market today, there are many air rifles made with nitro piston technology, even the best selling lists on gun retailer’s sites have a bunch of nitro piston air guns at the top such as the Crosman Nitro Venom, Benjamin Trail XL 1500, Nitro Venom Dusk, Crosman Vantage and so on. In this post, we will take an in-depth look at the nitro piston air gun so you will know whether you need one, whether one is right for you, and whether you should buy one at all.

When did nitro piston guns come to the market?

The very first air gun made with nitro piston technology was the Nitro Piston Short Stroke (NPSS). It was introduced publicly for the first time in the summer of 2009 by Crosman Corporation. Crosman had this technology licensed under the name Crosman Nitro Piston and used it for gun manufacturing in the wide range of air rifles.

How does it work?

A nitro piston air gun is a spring gun without the spring. Instead of using a coiled spring as the power plant, it uses a nitrogen-filled cylinder. The nitrogen in this cylinder is already kept under pressure and you put more pressure on it when you cock the gun. The air is held under tension until you pull the trigger. When that happens, the pressurized air expands and propels the piston forward. The piston, in turn, comes abruptly at the air transfer port. The compressed air has nowhere to go but behind the pellet as the chamber is sealed completely. As a result, the pellet is pushed out of the barrel due to the driving force of the compressed air.

Advantages of nitro piston air gun

Nitro piston guns do have plenty of advantages in comparison with spring air guns. Here they are:

First, a nitro piston air gun is lighter than a spring air gun. This is a real advantage for the guys in the field all day who carry their guns around.

Second, the nitro piston produces much less recoil than the traditional spring gun. When you shoot a spring air gun, the spring extends, causes strong vibration to the barrel in all directions, and generates lots of recoil. With a nitro piston gun, the nitro piston extends smoothly and has less effect on the barrel so it has much less recoil. The minimal recoil of a nitro piston gun gives us several benefits. First, since the recoil is inconsiderable, a nitro piston gun requires less practice to hold the gun properly. Second, because of very little recoil, most shooters (even the average skilled shooters) can shoot accurately with minimum effort. Third, with the spring gun, if you don’t hold your hands the same place every time you shoot, a quarter of an inch in difference of hand position can mean a half of an inch in difference in Point of Impact (the point the pellet hits the target). However, since there’s less recoil, when you are in the field and have your gun on a bipod or other shooting rests (rock, tree, etc), there is virtually no effect on POI EVEN if your hand positions change over the shot cycle.

Third, a nitro piston gun fires 55% faster than a coiled spring gun and 15% faster than a simple gas piston. It means that a nitro piston has a faster lock time (the time the pellet remains in the barrel until it is discharged) and a faster lock time means better accuracy.

Fourth, a nitro piston is not affected by weather. With a spring gun, the main coiled spring is lubricated with grease. When the weather gets cold, springs get harder and tougher. So it slows down the gun and makes it hard to cock.  With a nitro piston, the nitro cylinder is lubricated with high-tech lubrication so it operates almost the same regardless of outside temperature.

Fifth, a nitro piston can be left cocked for days. With a springer, if you left the gun cocked for a long time, the spring would lose its strength which leads to a reduction in the gun’s power and accuracy. But with a nitro piston, you can leave it cocked for as long as you like. Nothing wears out. And a little thing to note that even though you can leave the gun cocked, you still have to shoot, cock and de-cock the gun every few months to prevent the seal from getting bonded with the bore.

Sixth, since it doesn’t have spring torque like a spring air gun, a nitro piston gun is very easy to cock with only 28 lb of required cocking effort.

Seventh, a nitro piston produces 70% less noise over the shot cycle than a coiled spring gun. This type of air gun is absolutely quiet and is great for field hunting where stealth is needed.

Eighth, a nitro piston is more long-lasting than a spring air gun. The general rule is do not get spring compression over 50% to remain its reliability. But in the air gun world, it is not uncommon to make the compression up to 100% to maximize performance. This weakens the spring and shortens its life-span. However, with a nitro piston, it doesn’t care about compression. Nothing here affects its life. That’s why the life-cycle of an average spring gun is only 5,000 shots while the nitro piston can easily get 10,000 shots before it loses power.

Disadvantages of a nitro piston

Although the nitro piston has lots of advantages, it does have some disadvantages. First, if the spring of a spring air gun is damaged or defective, it still works to produce some velocity. If the gas ram fails, it doesn’t work at all. But if the gas ram does fail, it will fail in the first few weeks after you buy it so you can return it anytime you want. Second, it’s hard to find a replacement nitro ram if you want to service and modify this type of air gun. There’s no way you can purchase an after market nitrogen strut. However, these disadvantages are really minor.

Conclusion

Understanding exactly what nitro piston technology is, its pros and cons gives you more information and confidence in the search for the best air rifle that fits you most. If you want to enjoy smoother cocking, quietness, less recoil, high accuracy, less maintenance for the gun then a nitro piston gun is for you. However, if you want to buy a gun so you can service and modify it for better performance later, you shouldn’t put the nitro piston air gun in the potential buying choice list.
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

Dirty Bob

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Re: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?
« Reply #11 on: October 04, 2021, 08:28:49 AM »
Well, my side teaching gig finally is going again (thank you, China virus!). I placed an order on a Hatsan 95 .22 air rifle. It's a spring air, barrel-cocking rifle, and it looked like a good place to get started. It offers about the right amount of velocity for my needs and should help me learn what I really like in air rifles. I want to put a good scope on top of it, learn which pellets it likes, and go to murderin' the squirrels that have devastated my pecan crop this year! Too late for about 90% of my pecans, but not too late for revenge!

Maybe if I put a row of squirrel heads on chopsticks or BBQ skewers, it will serve as a warning to the others. Probably not, though.

I'm not a fan of squirrels.

Dirty Bob

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Jim Kennedy-ar154me

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Re: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?
« Reply #12 on: October 04, 2021, 08:32:12 AM »
I'm not a fan of squirrels.

Dirty Bob

Limb rats.
The time for action is upon us and the enemy is at our gates. Let us not allow them one more inch of advancement but instead throw them through the gates of Hell.

tombogan03884

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Re: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?
« Reply #13 on: October 04, 2021, 08:49:57 AM »


Maybe if I put a row of squirrel heads on chopsticks or BBQ skewers, it will serve as a warning to the others. Probably not, though.

I'm not a fan of squirrels.

Dirty Bob

Have you tried crucifixion's ?
It worked on Sparticus .    ;D

About 20 years ago I bought an off brand, ( Avid Outdoor) Chinese .177 spring powered gun for $20 from one of those truckload tool sales. Frigging thing is great.
Shoots accurate and has enough power to go through an American Rifleman, 2 couch cushions, and still went through the back wall of the bedroom. 
Need more magazines for the backstop.    ;D

alfsauve

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Re: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2021, 08:52:28 AM »
Let us know how the Hatsun works out.   One thing you discover is that you can rush the trigger pull and that follow through, holding it very still till the pellet leaves the barrel are the tricks to accurate shooting.  With chipmunks and squirrels I've had to pass up on a lot of shots because they wouldn't hold still long enough.  Rabbits are another story as they tend freeze up a lot as they assess their surroundings.
Will work for ammo
USAF MAC 437th MAW 1968-1972

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Re: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?
« Reply #15 on: Today at 02:22:47 AM »

Big Frank

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Re: Which spring-piston .22 air rifle should I buy?
« Reply #15 on: February 28, 2022, 10:56:21 PM »
I bought a .22 cal Umarex Synergis nitro-piston under lever. It comes with 2 10-shot auto-indexing mags they call the RapidMag and I bought 2 more. They make a .1777 caliber with 12-shot mags but the .22 is only 10 shots. When you pull the lever down to cock it, it advances the rotary mag to line up the next pellet with the barrel. When you put the lever back up I guess it chambers the pellet. I haven't shot it yet or even fully cocked it, just flipped the lever down to the cocking position and back. But after cats were sitting on my front and back porches yesterday mewing I'm about ready to put the cheap scope on that came with it and zero it in. I'll make a black cat wish it never crossed my path, especially since I caught it in the act of pooping in my yard. I bought about 5 or 6 different kinds of pellets but need to buy some RWS silicone airgun oil. It won't rot the seals or anything. One type of pellet is copper plated on the outside and looks a bit like a FMJ bullet. One guy claims he shoots a couple of those after ever 50 or 100 lead pellets and it cleans out the leading. 

https://www.umarexusa.com/umarex-synergis-22-caliber-under-lever-pellet-air-rifle-airgun 
""It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America (with a few legal and official exceptions) from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice on any very interesting Emergency." - George Washington. Letter to Alexander Hamilton, Friday, May 02, 1783

THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE - A. E. van Vogt, The Weapon Shops of Isher

 

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