Is there such a thing as this air rifle?

[dallssheep]

I am looking for a .22 caliber single shot that you do not have to break open. I would prefer one you cocked from the bottom so the barrel is more or less in place.



Also as a side note, are there single shot air rifles that are .30 cal or bigger that you can pump up or do all of them require scuba tanks and whatnot? I always see the ones with a reservoir so you can take multiple shots but are there any that are just pump and shoot once?


Thank you for your time!

 

[Ohen Cepel]

.22 underlever;
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Diana_RWS_460_Magnum/1204/2149

I think there are side levers out there also. Limits you a bit though.

Why the aversion to a break barrel?

I don't know of any pump rifles that are above .25. May be out there but I don't recall seeing any which are not precharged (tank or pump).

I have a .22 Nitro Venom which I have been very happy with, worth a look if you opt for a break barrel and it fits your needs.

 

[dallssheep]

I feel like a break barrel would be inherently less accurate. Would i be right with that assumption?

Id love to have a single shot larger caliber rifle that you could charge up by hand or some sort of foot pump. A rifle that requires a scuba tank or compressor doesnt make much sense to me though.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I have a Diana sidelever in .177. I highly recommend the brand and style even though it is pricey (mine was free ) and heavyyyyy.

It's accurate and pretty powerful. But I don't think the break barrels are any less accurate. There aren't as many forces at play in a pellet gun as opposed to a "real" rifle to where minute details can throw things off. I think the big key is fit, finish, and quality of manufacture as opposed to rifle design.

... but that is all humble opinion as I am no engineer. Good luck!

 

[GarySTL]

The break barrel airguns I've shot all have the rear sight mounted on the fixed part of the barrel. So both sights stay aligned. Of course using a scope or red dot changes this.

 

[oneounceload]

There are side-cocking guns that do not break open

 

[g.willikers]

I have two break barrel air rifles.
Neither one was expensive, not much over $100 each on sale.
Both are hands down the most accurate shootin' irons I own.

 

[JohnKSa]

I feel like a break barrel would be inherently less accurate. Would i be right with that assumption?

In theory yes. In practice it's a non-issue.

 

[dallssheep]

Ok I believe you fellow highroaders. Whats the best air rifle for around 100$ with the black friday deals?

ready to take the plunge on something thats a .22 small game getter. dont mind about the scope because I already have one thats for air rifles

 

[JeeperCreeper]

The Crosman Optimus .22 is a break barrel that shoots 950 fps and comes in just under $100 on regular days. Check out Gamo rifles too, they always seem to have some cool stuff.

But I always preferred the .177 for pellet rifles as I felt the greater velocity did better than the slightly bigger pellet... my .177 was enough to kill an adult raccoon by shooting it through the rear end once, so the power is there.

 

[fpgt72]

To answer a few questions, there are several air rifles out there that are under lever or side cockers, you usually do however see them on higher end airguns, but they are out there.

For about the best (and they are VERY GOOD GUNS) check out flying dragon air rifles online and look at the Xisico series of guns. A better bang for the buck you can't really find.

Now I will caution you on airguns a little and get up on the soap box. FPS numbers sell air guns, and the numbers you see on the side of the boxes are usually with very light pellets that are not the best for the application you are going to be using it for. Second shooting a high powered spring air gun is really not for everyone, it is a very different mind set and you have to master special holds and such to put that little light pellet in a very small area to put the animal down in a humane manner. You are going to practice your socks off....good news is you can do this for pennies and in your basement or garage....but you are going to have to practice and eventually reach out to your "hunting distance"

As to the 177, 20, 22, 25.....on and on....well that is a topic that will be like politics everyone likes what they like for good reasons, you are going to have to decide on yourself what is best for you. I will say if you are going with big box stores you are going to find more 177 and 22 pellets and that is about it. And of those two you are going to find more 177 then anything else. It does shoot flatter, but has less mass, that means you have to be more accurate in your shot placement (practice again).

The move from a firearm to an air rifle is not as easy as many people think....some have no issue with the move, others come away saying that the gun is junk, the brand is junk after all they are sold at Walmart where everything is china and cheap junk. Bad guns do exist and slip past quality control of any company, but in reality most of the issues are with the shooter not using the correct hold and other issues....air guns can also be very pellet picky.

If I was to suggest a good 22 air rifle that will take smaller game/pests I would say go for a Benjamin 392....at about $170 it is a bit over your budget but you will have a rifle that will WILL last you a lifetime. They are also MSP, multi stroke pneumatic so you will have to deal with all that pumping, but you will have no spring recoil to deal with or learn the special holds, special scopes and such.

The 397 is the 177 version of this same rifle, and runs about the same cost.

Past these two unless your pests/game are birds that is about it IMHO for MSP guns, If you are doing birds you have the Crosman 2100 and that is a very good air rifle that is well under your budget. I currently have 2 of them and enjoy them very much, but much over a bird they are pretty iffy in the power area.

If you skip over all of this to the end (I do get wordy) come away with just this, you are going to have to practice, you are going to likely have issues when you start shooting powerful spring air guns. The double recoil is very real and will really send your shots all over the place.

If you have any other questions please ask.

Check this out on youtube.....he usually does very high end air rifles, but did one on his first rifle...watch the series....and check some other things out on his and other *good* channels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3qHC7bzi-w

 

[Jaymo]

RWS 48 is sidelever.
Wheirauch HW77/97 are underlevers.
Air Arms TX200 is underlever.

Honestly, it's worth saving your money and buying a higher quality air gun than Chicom made or Gamo.

The Benji 392 is a good one. I love mine.

Precharged pneumatics are fun, especially the big bores.

 

[fpgt72]

I also play the guitar, there is a term that is used in those circles called cork sniffing. It goes along the lines that a Gibson R9 ($4,000 to $10,000+) is a real guitar where an Epiphone Les Paul ($200-$800) is just Asian made garbage....and you should save your money.

Only problem is that so many are finding out that yes there is a difference between the two...there is not THAT MUCH difference between the two. And unless your name is Duane Allman you likely are going to do just fine with the "lesser" of the guitars.

It translates to airguns as well, there are some very well made guns out there, that have names like Industry Brand, Xisico, and even Gamo, and Crossman. Problem is you have idiots that just love to show off the name and not the group. As these idiots become less and less....and it will take at least a generation, then you will find out real reports on rifles like the QB78 and XS46U....till then you will find people that say you have to spend half of a grand and buy german to get something halfway good.....sounds like what people thought about American cars at one time.

Here is a game I played, I shot seated....I have nerve damage in my left arm and can't hold a rifle steady to save my life, so I have to rest it somewhere, this time it was on my knee.

The gun used cost a whopping $60-ish, The game was shoot till you hit the dot. You can tell at the end I was getting pretty tired....again the medical issues. But it shows just what a "chicom made or Gamo" rifle can do.

Your biggest factor is going to be learning the rifle, and if you go with a spring rifle that can be a very steep learning curve, So many first shooters run down to wally world buy that $99 gamo off the shelf, set the target to 50 yards and don't hit paper....they move it to 25 yards and are all over the place.....has to be the rifle. NO most times it is the shooters lack of experience. I have so many guns that are garbage that shoot quarter groups and the only thing done to them was a different pellet, or holding the thing correctly.

Anyway here is my game....the dots are about the size of a nickel.

 

[LAalex]

My first post here. Much good info in the replies here. I agree that you get what you pay for. Still, some of the cheaper piston guns can shoot well. I have a Crosman Optimus and it has accounted for a good number of squirrels. I had a Xisico XS-B25 from Mike @ Flying Dragon and it was a good shooter. Not as nice as my Diana 34 (which it is a clone of) but still a good hunter. Learning spring guns is a bit of a Zen art but with a bit of determination it can be done by any competent shooter. Airgun Depot sells refurbished air rifles and from time to time they get a shipment of Diana (RWS) rifles from time to time. You need to be patient and check the site every day to grab them for the short time that they are available I have a D350P and a D48, both refurbs and both were immaculate and about $150 less than retail. The D34 refurbs are around $140-150 and are an unbeatable value IMO. I installed a Vortek spring/guide kit in my 48 and it is a squirrel killing machine.

Cheers,
Scotty

 

[Pete D.]

air

Benjamin 392.....an air gun for the ages. Great piece. Great advice.

Pete

 

[Chevota]

Break barrels are just fine in the accuracy dept. Springers are nose heavy imo, and underlevers are much worse. Side and under levers are harder to load than a break barrel, and I came a millisecond from mangling or losing my finger and/or thumb when a sidelever slammed closed on me. Break barrels don't don't take fingers. There is a reason break barrels are 100x more popular. Probably more like 1000+ times.
There are also hand pumps for pcp, and one gun has a pump built in. As for one shot and it's empty I doubt it, most are at least several shots. There are some more powerful ones that are fewer shots. No real point to it imo, extra shots are a bonus. Check out some of the bigger bore guns like Quackenbush, and I'm sure some of these mfg's can make whatever you want if you have the $.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I have a Nitro Venom in .22 which I like a lot. The piston addresses some of the items which a springer comes with, I shot springers on and off and just never could get into them since I'm more of a rifle guy. I feel the piston helped me make the move across (could all be in my head).

It's a rifle that is worth a look.

 

[Jaymo]

My B30-1, B40, and B50 are great FOR WHAT THEY ARE.
They are cheap, Chicom copies of German/English air rifles.
They are a great place to start, until you can afford quality air rifles.

Full disclosure time. They are not stock. All have been tuned/modded.
B40 was tuned by Mike at Flying Dragon.
B30 was tuned by me, with a Jim Maccari kit.
B50 was modded by me, including valve work.
All three are (now) great shooters, but I prefer high quality to Chinese made.

Lately, I shoot my German, American, and Korean made air rifles more than any others.

BTW, break barrels are not more popular because they're safer.
Break barrels are safer than cheap, Chinese underlever/sidelever rifles.
European sidelevers and underlevers are every bit as safe as break barrels.

Break barrels are more popular because they are what's made/offered by the majority of Mfrs.
The reason the Mfrs make so many of them is because they are much simpler, cheaper, and easier to make (than a fixed-barrel design).


ETA: If you can not afford, or do not want to spend the money on European air rifles, a properly tuned Xisico product will serve you well.
It will never be as nice as it's Euro counterpart, but it should shoot very well.
For a hunting rig, they are great. You don't have to worry about scratching up a $500+ gun.

 

[fpgt72]

I would echo that Xisico would make a great rifle, get Mike at FG to give it a once over and it will shoot true one hole groups at 25yards.

Yes it might never be "as nice" as your Euro counterpart but it will shoot just as well and you will have a great deal of cash left in your pocket for optics/pellets/ trips out to shoot, or perhaps even a second rifle in another flavor.

In some cases you do get what you pay for in other cases you pay for a name, you will never get someone that bought a Euro rifle to admit something costing less then half as much shoots just as well.