Most accurate air rifle?

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Trent

Trent

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Looking for an air rifle (subsonic) which is accurate for indoor practice this winter. I have a 10 meter range in the basement, and our gun club has a weekly air rifle competition through the winter (never participated, but plan on it this winter).

My goal is to practice 3 pos shooting in the basement this winter. Will be using my shooting coat, turner sling, and glove.

Not having much experience with air rifles, not even sure what to look for as far as brand / etc..

Here's my requirements/wants:

1. Accurate!

2. Quiet (don't want to make the wife angry, the supersonic 1300fps air rifle I got my boys is LOUD)

3. Adjustable length of pull, for positional shooting (and so I can teach my kids)

4. High quality diopter iron sights with .050 front post (this is a rifle to help me practice for high power & smallbore)

5. AR-15 A2 grip angle preferred (shallower angles are OK)

6. Ability to accept quick detach sling swivels preferred (that way I can easily swap slings from my other rifle without tearing them down, and not have to buy a new sling)

7. Adjustable height comb would be nice (so I can match the feel of my other rifles)

I'm open on budget, although really don't want to spend more than $1500 if it can be helped :)
 
Hmm.. that Crossman upper looks interesting. I didn't know such a thing existed until today. That'd be good for trigger control, with the whole purpose of this being practice for high power.
 
What is your power source?

And I would also ask what are the ages of your kids.

What size hole do you want to make....177 I assume, but could be wrong.

I do quite a bit of shooting in the basement in the winter and even pretty quiet guns are pretty darn LOUD.


Many say that the Hammerli 850 is a fantastic basement air gun, but I found the sucker to be pretty darn loud. It is a fantastic rifle however in CO2, but with an 88 gram cartridge it is a bit on the heavy side so if your kids are younger it might be hard for them to keep it steady. The converter to 2 12grams does SEEM lighter, but I have never put them on a scale.

Not really what you are looking for, but a Umarex Fusion is nice and quiet, as well as the QB78 series of rifles, and some of the QB's have just what you are looking for. I have two and aside from a few valve issues I am happy with them.

Another option (don't laugh) is a Crossman 1077, that is a super fun airgun at basement distances and does not hit hard enough to really mess up green army men or plastic dinosaurs....great targets. And depending on your kids they are very light have a good shot count and use just 1 12gram cartridge.

If you are looking to really get into target shooting and with your budget it sounds like you are going to get into it pretty heavy. You might also want to keep in the back of your mind some nice day air gun events like field target and such. They really are fun, and you don't have to spend that much to get a good gun and be really into it.

Also if your club is doing these matches they might also be doing BB matches as well, so you might look at an Avanti or something along those lines for indoor fun. There are tons of options out there, and you don't have to spend a ton of money.
 
fpgt72;

I'd get a charging system if I were going to get a PCP - either pump or tank. (Probably pump, since getting a tank filled would involve a 1+ hour round trip).

177 is fine.

Kids are 9, 10, 15, 15, and 17.

I found a local range (Central IL Precision Shooters, CIPS) in Bloomington IL, which has a dozen high end $3000+ air rifles they use. I talked to them and on Monday nights, for just $5, I can use their range, their rifle, and their pellets, plus have a smallbore / air rifle coach standing next to me.

Heck of a deal for $5! And the range is 30 minutes from my house, each way. So it's not even a far drive.

(I found out about that when I signed up to take NRA Smallbore coach classes in Jan, I run an approved NRA smallbore and high power match each month.)

So soon, very soon (!) I'll get to mess around with a few high dollar air guns.

And for $5 every Monday, I might skip buying one, and just shoot theirs for a while. Practice is practice, and weekly indoor heated range (even heated FLOORS, they're piped and run hot water through them), would be great. I can practice 3 pos with a high dollar gun each week and it'd cost me $20 a month. :)
 
Trent said:
fpgt72;

I'd get a charging system if I were going to get a PCP - either pump or tank. (Probably pump, since getting a tank filled would involve a 1+ hour round trip).

177 is fine.

Kids are 9, 10, 15, 15, and 17.

I found a local range (Central IL Precision Shooters, CIPS) in Bloomington IL, which has a dozen high end $3000+ air rifles they use. I talked to them and on Monday nights, for just $5, I can use their range, their rifle, and their pellets, plus have a smallbore / air rifle coach standing next to me.

Heck of a deal for $5! And the range is 30 minutes from my house, each way. So it's not even a far drive.

(I found out about that when I signed up to take NRA Smallbore coach classes in Jan, I run an approved NRA smallbore and high power match each month.)

So soon, very soon (!) I'll get to mess around with a few high dollar air guns.

And for $5 every Monday, I might skip buying one, and just shoot theirs for a while. Practice is practice, and weekly indoor heated range (even heated FLOORS, they're piped and run hot water through them), would be great. I can practice 3 pos with a high dollar gun each week and it'd cost me $20 a month. :)
Click to expand...
The hand pump is going to be the most cost effective way to go. An electric pump or "booster" pump will blow your budget in one pop.

177 seems to shoot a little flatter, and is in general the way to go for what I am thinking you want to do.

It does sound like a fantastic place you have lined up there.

If you are going to be doing matches up there I would see if you can perhaps buy a rifle through the club, that is sometimes an option and more inexpensive. Short of that I would get as close to the guns that are available to rent for your purchase.

Then lastly Getting all those youngins trigger time is going to be the last challenge. It would be great if they can somehow have their own guns, but that might not be possible. Trigger time is the key here and the more they have the better.
 
My experience is that what you want does not exist. I have not tried all air rifles but the ones I have fall far short of a 22lr at anything over 40 yds. Too many variables to get consistent results. Let us know if you find one.
 
Air

What you want is an Anschutz AiR 15 or the Hammerli AR20.
About .22lr and 40 yards, etc......the parameters describe indoor shooting at ten meters.
 
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Pete D. said:
What you want is an Anschutz AiR 15 or the Hammerli AR20.
About .22lr and 40 yards, etc......the parameters describe indoor shooting at ten meters.
Click to expand...
You also forgot the budget.....1500 will not get you the rifles you suggest.

Now a crosman m4-177 could be handed out to 3-4 of the kids, a great deal of money left over and the gun will out shoot them (most likely) at this stage of the game. I always say if you join the Air Force they do not hand you the keys to an F-16 on your first day at work.

IMHO if you live in New York and just hit that lotto then go for the guns talked about above, but if you are a normal guy like me, but with 5 kids to put food on the table for, you likely have to make each $ go as far as it can. While shooting high end guns sure is fun, going that way and even having all the kids share is a bit of a reach....again imho......hell my 17yr old does good to get two socks on his feet that match.
 
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Hammerli AR20 = $969.00 from Pyramyd Air.
Anschutz AiR 15....You are right. I had the wrong gun. I was picturing the MXR guns...wrong also as they are .22s
How about the Champion's Choice T200 Sporter Air Rifle at $575.00.

Trent: you mention that you want to prepare for High Power......do you have an AR15? If so, look at Crosman's MAR-177 conversion upper for $600. Compressed air. From Pyramyd Air and Champion's Choice. Linked earlier.
 
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Pete D. said:
Hammerli AR20 = $969.00 from Pyramyd Air.
Anschutz AiR 15....You are right. I had the wrong gun. I was picturing the MXR guns...wrong also as they are .22s
How about the Champion's Choice T200 Sporter Air Rifle at $575.00.

Trent: you mention that you want to prepare for High Power......do you have an AR15? If so, look at Crosman's MAR-177 conversion upper for $600. Compressed air. From Pyramyd Air and Champion's Choice. Linked earlier.
Click to expand...
True that is the cost of the gun....you need a few more things before you start to send pellets down range. And unless you want to put those kids to work on a fancy bicycle pump, getting air in those guns are going to be an issue....heck tack on another $150 for a GOOD hand pump that might MIGHT last you a year or so of real club type use before you are rebuilding it (if possible) or just buying a new one.

Or you could get a shoebox compressor for another $1000 if you already have a shop type compressor, or hit the dive shop to fill up your heavy ass scuba tank, or drop another $500+ for an air tank that half the people that are going to be shooting will/might be strong enough to carry.

The price of the gun with a PCP is not the killer, it is getting air in the thing. Now with him being in this club setting they might have a way to fill the tanks for him and that would be fantastic, I would then say find an old SUBA tank (most inexpensive) get that 17yr old kid to haul it around and you will be set. But that setup with hoses and such will max MAX out your budget.

Look real hard at your family see if this is something the kids want to stick with....something they are going to want to go on and really do shooting on a state or even higher level....that will change your gun choice in a big way....you don't see many of the guns like you talk about at state level matches....even local matches. Those are more of a "training" aid for folks with an AR that want to shoot a little more places (basement) and still get that same feeling as they get with the AR.

Think hard on what your end game is.
 
true true

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete D. View Post
Hammerli AR20 = $969.00 from Pyramyd Air.
Anschutz AiR 15....You are right. I had the wrong gun. I was picturing the MXR guns...wrong also as they are .22s
How about the Champion's Choice T200 Sporter Air Rifle at $575.00.

Trent: you mention that you want to prepare for High Power......do you have an AR15? If so, look at Crosman's MAR-177 conversion upper for $600. Compressed air. From Pyramyd Air and Champion's Choice. Linked earlier.
True that is the cost of the gun....you need a few more things before you start to send pellets down range. And unless you want to put those kids to work on a fancy bicycle pump, getting air in those guns are going to be an issue....heck tack on another $150 for a GOOD hand pump that might MIGHT last you a year or so of real club type use before you are rebuilding it (if possible) or just buying a new one.

Or you could get a shoebox compressor for another $1000 if you already have a shop type compressor, or hit the dive shop to fill up your heavy ass scuba tank, or drop another $500+ for an air tank that half the people that are going to be shooting will/might be strong enough to carry.

The price of the gun with a PCP is not the killer, it is getting air in the thing. Now with him being in this club setting they might have a way to fill the tanks for him and that would be fantastic, I would then say find an old SUBA tank (most inexpensive) get that 17yr old kid to haul it around and you will be set. But that setup with hoses and such will max MAX out your budget.

Look real hard at your family see if this is something the kids want to stick with....something they are going to want to go on and really do shooting on a state or even higher level....that will change your gun choice in a big way....you don't see many of the guns like you talk about at state level matches....even local matches. Those are more of a "training" aid for folks with an AR that want to shoot a little more places (basement) and still get that same feeling as they get with the AR.

Think hard on what your end game is.
__________________
Just say no to GTA.
Click to expand...

Can't argue with most of that. The air business does add substantially to the cost of use
There are, however, some alternatives....a "good" triple stage HP air pump is going to cost more than $150.....maybe $200-$250 depending. Mine has lasted more than five years...and shows no signs of failing.
Scuba tanks....stay away from large and heavy aluminum or steel tanks. Yes, they are heavy and cumbersome. The way to go is unfortunately expensive....carbon fiber tanks (SCBA type $729.00 at Pyramyd Air for and 88 cu.ft. tank. That is a lot of air, especially when shooting a .177). The virtue there is lightweight and the fact that they can be charged to 4500 psi.......this provides many more fills to proper pressure than the 3000psi tanks. And saves on trips to the fill center or paintball center. Additional problem is that you may need and adapter for dive shop fills. More $. Yeah....a lot of dough going out.
Of course, the "look at your end game" comment is right on.
Pete
 
FWB

FWB makes VERY nice target arms. I have one of their older CO2 match pistols that is just a marvelous shooter. Their FWB AW93 is THE top shelf .22 match pistol.
That air rifle is very nice....you still have to get air into it. $$
Pete
 
Look at the Daisy Avanti series. They are super accurate and super quiet, single stroke pheumatic. They don't have the AR grip or sling, but great for 10 meter indoor shooting.
 
Interested in seeing where the OP goes with this, or if we scared him away.
 
MSarge said:
Look at the Daisy Avanti series. They are super accurate and super quiet, single stroke pheumatic. They don't have the AR grip or sling, but great for 10 meter indoor shooting.
Click to expand...
+1

IMHO you need to get a good GOOD inexpensive air gun and see where this goes with your kids, The Avanti are fantastic guns that all your kids as well as you could shoot and shoot very well with. They are also very inexpensive and very indoor friendly.
 
Daisy

That Avanti 853 sure looks like a good buy.
One caution, though, since it is an underlever.....for kids maybe....how hard is it to cock?
I have used an underlever pistol for match shooting and will tell you that cocking for each shot in a 60 shot match gets old after a while. That is the trade-off for a simpler set up.
Of the Avantis, I like the CO2 versions....the 887 and the 888. A fill adapter and a precharged C02 bulk tank do not add substantially to outlay and add convenience. Even buying an extra Daisy cylinder, leaves the OP well within his budget.
Also....Champions Choice sells a filled 10lb CO2 bulk tank that packs a lot of gas. I have been using one for years and am nowhere near needing a refill.
Pete
 
Depending on the size of the 9 and 10 year old, and if they are male or female, I really don't think they would have much of an issue with the under pumpers...it is only one pump and they are really not that hard to do.

There is also the 499....do not be fooled the Red rider it is not. I think that has a little harder to cock action, but they are darn nice guns. One of them is on my winter short list.
 
I currently have 2 QB78's one bone stock one with some added goodies to boost power and make it a little more efficient.

They are great guns...and have an amazing build quality. They can be a little bit of an issue, as it does not seem to take much to put them out of action, I think the quality of O-rings and such is not the best, but they will shoot just flat amazing. They are not hard to work on as well.....if I can do it anyone can.
 
The "best" gets opinions . I doubt if anyone has tested all that all available.

Never handled one but have seem a lot in various magazines. They sure do tout their
product.

They seem to run the gamut from target to hunting.

If it were me, I`d just read everything I could find about the subject. Knowledge and facts trump most all. J s/n.
 
Better then reading talk to the people that actually own them CURRENTLY....not the people that took them back to walmart as being junk.

What you read in a magazine, online or not, see in the reviews, online or not....once it gets past a given level and reviewers get money or product their reviews are tainted. BOTTOM LINE.
 
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