Air rifle for Christmas?

[Dave R]

I'm planning ahead this year...

Thinking about an air rifle. But I have some specific requirements.

-Should be quiet. I hear that the 1,000fps .17 cals are nearly as loud as a .22LR. I'm in a somewhat suburban environment, and quieter is better.

-Needs enough punch for some varmit control. Squirrel/crow variety. I don't mind going to a .20 or a .22 air rifle.

-Accurate. Of course.

-Smaller is probably better than bigger. I'll probably share it with the kids. Once in a while. Maybe. After I've had my turn.

So whaddaya recommend?

 

[Third_Rail]

I have a bit of experience, so I'll chime in.

1000fps+ spring powered air rifles aren't that loud for people around you. The perceived sound is MUCH higher for the person holding the rifle, as you get to feel/hear the spring popping out of compression. I wouldn't worry about noise too much, I use a relatively loud CO2 air rifle, and no one has complained yet. Unless it's louder than a nailgun, most people won't notice. Since noise is an issue to you, I'd go with a pneumatic multi-pump.

If you're after squirrels, a .177 is fine. Crows, however, have a nasty habit of refusing to die, even after being hit 12 times in the head and COM (ask me how I know!). I'd go .20, unless you mind paying a bit more on pellets, in which case the .22 is good enough, just not as fast in terms of velocity.

Accuracy is ok with most air rifles, although the Benjamin-Sheridan by Crosman tend to be better than most in the sub-$200 category.

If smaller is better than larger, you need to get two different air rifles. One for you that will do what you need, and a cheap Red Ryder by Daisy for the kids.

I'd recommend the Benjamin-Sheridan .20 multi-pump, which can be bought here. The reason I recommend a multi-pump is that you can pump however many times you'd like depending on the distance to the target. If you're shooting a squirrel 10 feet away, you don't have to have as much power as if you're shooting a crow 25 yards away. The POI changes when you do this, so experiment if you go with the Benjamin-Sheridan.

Hopefully I've helped a bit!


EDIT: I've remembered a review site that has reviews of many different air rifles. You can see the Benjamin-Sheridan reviewed here .

 

[JohnKSa]

The Sheridans are pretty loud. To me a fully pumped Sheridan is louder than a .20 Cal Beeman R1 (Americanized Weihrauch HW-80)

I agree that .20 or bigger seems to work better on crows. Of course the larger calibers seem to be louder...

For birds (not crows) and squirrels, as long as you keep the range reasonable, you might like the Beeman R7. What it lacks in power it makes up in accuracy, easy cocking and shootability.

If you don't mind the "scuba hassle" you should look into the PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) airguns. They tend to have very good power and some of the companies (such as Air Force) sell models which are surprisingly quiet.

RWS and Beeman sell some pretty good airguns, but Beeman has also added some "low end" models since Crosman bought them.

The most common beginner mistake with airguns is to go for maximum power.

 

[Third_Rail]

John, if I'm not mistaken the Talons are shrouded for quieter firing?

Last I checked the Talon SS was about $550. Still, one heck of an air rifle, from what I've seen. I've not had the pleasure of firing one yet.

 

[JohnKSa]

Yeah--that's what I was hinting at...

 

[Third_Rail]

Well, I knew only one of the models was, Talon, Talon SS and Condor. Only the SS is shrouded (hence SS).

But man oh man that price is huge!




EDIT: Our siglines go together, btw.

 

[kudu]

I want a Red Ryder repeating action carbine lever rifle with a compass in the stock.


You'll shoot your eye out.







From the movie "Christmas Story".

 

[YodaVader]

Accurate. Of course.

-Smaller is probably better than bigger. I'll probably share it with the kids. Once in a while. Maybe. After I've had my turn.

I am a fan of the Beeman R7 - which is accurate , quiet , relatively small, very well built , adjustable trigger and easy to cock (18lbs of cocking effort) Rated at 700 fps.

From a standing position I shot this 30 shot group at the indoor 50 ft range. The Weihrauch HW30 is similar to the Beeman R7 - also have one of these!

 

[Coltdriver]

I would offer a quick vote for the Benjamin Sheridan.

I have one in .177 and it will slay rabbits all day long. I used to shoot rabbits from 50 to 75 feet with mine and it worked every time.

The ability to pump the thing up was good and bad (it is a bit of PITA to pump it 10 times) but in the end it is a great way to get some good power behind the pellet.

Its not so loud as to alarm anyone. I used mine in a residential neighborhood setting, shooting from a bedroom window (to defend a large garden from wiley rabbits!) and neither neighbor nor my 8 year old ever caught on.

 

[Dave R]

Thanks for the replies. That Beeman R7 looks pretty good, YodaVader. Good visual aids.

I should specify a budget--under $250. That probably eliminates the scuba guns.

Convenience is also a factor. Another thing I like about that R7....

 

[JohnKSa]

The R7 is pretty nice.

Power in an off-the-shelf gun will probably be closer to 600fps with an 8 grain pellet. Mine's had it's guts completly redone with custom fit parts and gets 645fps with the Crosman Premier Light (7.9 grain) pellets.

That's going to be the limiting factor on pest control. The trajectory gets pretty loopy after 35 yards or so. And the power at that point is also falling off a good bit by that time. If you scope it and the wind's not bad you have the accuracy for pin point shots which will help a bit if you're good enough to take advantage of that capability.

I'd recommend against trying to use it on crows unless you can hit them in the head. Squirrels are going to be in danger out to the practical limit of the gun and you (something like 40 yards is probably extreme.)

This gun is FUN to shoot. Cocking is very easy and the design/power of the gun makes it's recoil behavior (from the spring action, not from projectile motion) very easy to get used to.

Good shooting!

John

 

[YodaVader]

I should specify a budget--under $250. That probably eliminates the scuba guns.

D&R Sports Center has the R7 listed at $240.45 and the HW30 listed at $194.70 .

 

[Dave R]

So, the only ding on the R7 or the HW30 is the level of power. What's the next step up in power?

Is there an R7/HW30 in .22?

 

[YodaVader]

The Beeman R9 is rated at 930 fps and sells for $259 at D&R. Like JohnKSa mentioned - actual velocity will be lower but the R9 is still considerably faster than the R7. It is 7.3 lbs compared to 6.1 lbs for the R7 and is 43" long compared to 40.2" for the R7 - all Beeman data from one of their catalogs I have on hand. The cocking effort is much higher on the R9 - 40lbs compared to 18lbs for the R7.

I had a hard time choosing between the R9 and R7 - since my use was nearly all target work the R7 was the better choice for me. They do make a .20 cal in the R7 but the velocities are going to be slower yet and the .20 is not a common pellet to be found anywhere like the .177 .

 

[yipsilant]

Take a look at these links

Here you go.

http://www.straightshooters.com/ (There are a lot of good reviews here)

http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/rifledemos.htm (Great Demostrations on how a Air Rifle works)

http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/ (These guys distribute a lot of rifles)

I would buy a second-hand Air Arms Pro-Sport or Weihrauch (Beeman) HW 97

Don't worry about shooting faster than 950 feet per second. Some accuracy can be lost if your pellet goes super-sonic.

Choose between .177 caliber or .22 caliber because there are not many choices in .20 caliber lead pellets. .177 has a flater trajectory but less energy on target and .22 has more energy on target but trajectory is more arched. The folks from England kill rabits out to 50 yards with a 12 foot-pound rifle.

Remember that Spring Air Rifles will destroy cheap scopes and can also destroy expensive scopes due to its double recoil (Spring recoil and Projectile Recoil).

I hope this helps.

-Matthew

 

[Dionysusigma]

The Drozd

I wouldn't mind getting one for Christmas.



Probably the closest I'll ever come to FA.

 

[Grendelizer]

Another Vote for Beeman R7

I was happy to see a number of votes for the Beeman R7. I've got one and it's perfect for me and my boys (as mentioned, 18 lbs cocking effort). I love it.

Got mine from http://www.straightshooters.com/ and highly recommend them. The guy there (was his name Kevin?) was very knowledgeable and was able to steer me toward the right decision without pressuring me in any direction other than what was best for me.

Beeman R7 accuracy at 25 yards became routine and boring. Though technically a little underpowered for pigeons, if I hit them right (between the eyes) they dropped like stones without so much as a twitch.

John

 

[Master Blaster]

I have a Bejamin sheridan .177 I like mine alot. The advantage of the pneumatic pump is that you can shoot it indoors at short distance on 2 pumps which is mostly what I do, at a Gammo sillouhette trap target, or you can use it to hunt varmints out to about 30 yards. At 8 pumps it cleanly drops a squirrel at 25 yards. I added a reciever mounted peep sight made for the sheridan, it requires that you remove the regular blade rear sight, which is held on by two wedges (its easy to do). The peep sight was about $30 from Compasseco. The rifle came from sports authority and cost me $109 and no shipping!.

I also have a gammo spring hunter 440 which is a nice rifle as well, many thousands of shots with no problems. The 440 has about a 35lb cocking effort like most magnum spring airs. It will put a .177 pellet through a 2X4 at 15 yards. The problem with it is that the power level is not adjustible like the Benjamin, so it will destroy my metal sillouhette targets, its also louder, but like another poster said louder to the shooter than the observer.
Gammo has a lifetime warranty as well. The trigger on it is not as good as other choices mentioned, but I bought mine on a closeout with a BSA air rifle scope mounted and a spring scope stop for $145 also at a local sports authority. The scope has held up to 3-4,000 rounds so far.

As far as the caliber goes its easier to find .177 pellets around here and they are less expensive, they killed all of the tree rats I needed to terminate so far, and they make a sufficient hole in paper and cans I have shot at. In some states and cities pellet guns over .177 are illegal so check local ordinances!!!!.

Both of my air rifles will produce 1 hole groups of 5-10 shots at 15 yards (basement range).

 

[El Tejon]

I'm a big fan of the Beeman C1. It's small but powerful. Dandy chipmunk medicine at the Alcazar del Tejon. (Chip Munk digs my flagstone retaining walls at the Alcazar).

R7 is a great choice. I've been eyeing the HW77 recently. Maybe next gun show.

 

[Dave R]

Mmmmm. Drozd. Yes, I have been looking at that very closely. It will be the eternal battle between fun and practicality. I can't see dispatching a crow or squill at 30 yards with a Drozd. But it would be fun to try...

So the R7 continues to be at/near the top of the list. Also looking at the RWS R93 (94?) in .22, running about 800fps. Size and cocking effort may compromise my ability to share with the kids though. 29lb. cocking effort, vs. 18lb for the R7.

Anybody a fan of the R93, and can tell me about accuracy?

 

[Black Snowman]

Too bad we haven't gotten some chime-in from our friends over the pond. Some of the hunting air rifles from England are internally suppressed and available with an external "can" suppressor while providing the power and accuracy nessisary for varmit control with an absolute minimum of noise. Of course, the price tags are huge and it would have to be imported if you couldn't find a state side source.

Here's the thread I'm thinking of: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=96766

 

[WhiteKnight]

Some of the hunting air rifles from England are internally suppressed and available with an external "can" suppressor while providing the power and accuracy nessisary for varmit control with an absolute minimum of noise. Of course, the price tags are huge and it would have to be imported if you couldn't find a state side source.

A lot of airguns are sold in the USA with integral suppression systems, such as the "shrouded" Air Arms series, FX line, and the ubiquitous Talon SS that has already been mentioned. Also for sale over here are more higher-class guns, with 30 FPE of energy yet rivaling a Crosman 760 pump-up at 4 or so pumps, such as the Logun or Daystate models.

 

[JohnKSa]

I recommend that you not try to import airgun moderators/suppressors, etc. I also recommend that you not try to import airguns unless your heart is ABSOLUTELY SET on something that you can't buy in the States.

The R9 is a good bit more powerful than the R7 but not nearly as shootable. Spring piston airguns recoil BEFORE the pellet starts moving. That makes a consistent hold pretty important for good accuracy. The more powerful the airgun, the more pronounced this effect is.

The R7 is available in .20--it's still got the same internal powerplant though--so the muzzle velocity is now much slower. I don't know if you can get it in .22 but the velocity would really be slow in a .22 R7.

I understand that the Drozd works much better with lead ammo than with steel BBs. Lead BBs are available through most of the better airgun sellers.

 

[WhiteKnight]

I would like to add that a lot of these "quiet-ed" airguns are availible in the US on a widespread basis, and you don't have to do any special "importing" of them.