Need your opinion of best air rifle for pigeon control

[Nom de Forum]

I would appreciate the opinion of experienced air rifle users on the best choices for the following conditions:

Power: sufficient for reliable killing with a chest hit at 30 feet
Accuracy: .5 inch at 30 feet
Noise: as quiet as possible

I am past using traps to relocate, poison corn bait, and cleaning to remove scent. It is time to individually target the few remaining problem birds.

Thank you in advance.

 

[fdf]

Check Pyramid Air for options and reading. Looking is cheap or send them a note and ask for their help.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Dad used a Daisy Powerline for many years for small pests, from rats to sparrows.

 

[Nomad]

You didn't state your price range but any good .22 cal that has baffels should do the job. I use a Marauder but just my choice. The P-Rod may be another good choice.
http://www.outdoorequipmentoutfitter.org/benjamin-sheridan-benj-maraud-pneum-ms-pistol--bolt.html

I know you didn't ask but from past experience I have found if they are making nests or roosting I have rolled up chicken wire and stuffed it anywhere they have made a nest. Worked great for me.

 

[Loosenock]

As a youngster back in the 50's and to keep me out of trouble my dad took me to work him with during the summer. He worked in a big open plant where pigeons were a huge problem. I had a Benjamin Franklin model 312 .22 cal. pump up air rifle and was paid $0.05 for every bird I removed from the building. Shots taken were from 5 to 30 yards. I made over a $1.00 a day. I became a crack shot and it was always one pellet one pest.

I still like the pump up pellet rifles. What they loose in the pumping up exercise they make up in power, smoothness, and recoilless operation. You can also vary the power. Three pumps for low power and 8 for high power. Sheridan, Crosman and Benjamin made some nice air rifles in the day that can still be found in pawn shops, gun shows and garage sales way cheaper than new imported air guns.

Just my opinion, others will vary.

'loose

 

[Chevota]

I'm guessing it'll be a workhorse gun so I'd go with something powerful yet cheap. A referb Crosman break-barrel would be my choice, they're the cheapest bang for the buck out there.
I see the TR77 for sale a lot at ~$75, if you're ok with the stock. The Benjamin Titan varies from $90 to $115. Others are of similar price.
The scope they come with is more than adequate for pigeons at 30'.
If you're bored you can read the short story "The great jonesboro pigeon shoot" http://tinyurl.com/kgpprxj (starting at page 121).
It's about a city with a pigeon problem and the break-barrel FWB 124 used. It's a much better and expensive German gun, much more accurate than a Crosman, but less powerful. At 30' accuracy shouldn't be much of an issue with fat birds at that range, and you'll have twice the power you need.
I'd go with .177 and use H&N Crow Mag hollow points myself. They actually open up which is the whole point, most hollow points don't. Another is the Crosman Destroyers, just a lower grade and less expensive pellet.
If you get a .22 then just about any pellet will work fine, but they're usually more expensive. The .177/.22 battle is always raging, but a .177 will still drop a big fat pigeon straight to the ground.

 

[craftsman]

Nom,

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Beeman_RS2_Dual_Caliber_Air_Rifle_Combo/1334

$160 for a case, two calibers (.177 vs .22 issue resolved - you have both) and a decent scope.

 

[Chevota]

Here's a cheap one I saw today, $70 w/ scope:
http://pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosman_Fury_Air_Rifle_Combo/2991
There's also the AGD daily deal to keep an eye on which has great deals, you just have to wait until a good gun for you pops up:
http://airgunsdaily.com
Fyi; if you get a Crosman like this you can buy a second barrel for about $30 delivered. You need to assemble it yourself which isn't hard, and peen the end of a pin so it can't come out, but it's easy with a simple trick. Then you have a dual caliber which is nice to see which you like best. You can also buy the suppressed barrel used on the Trail guns for about $3.50 more.
Let us know what you get an how it works. If you get a Crosman or similar like Gamo or Stoeger the #1 complaint is the trigger. If you can't stand it you can either buy an aftermarket trigger for ~$30 or so, or there is a variety of mods you can do yourself for free or close to it depending on the tools you have.

 

[jeepnik]

Years ago I worked at a local shipyard. The blacksmith shop was open, and pigeons by the hundreds roosted there nightly. We had many cats, but too many guys fed the cats so they weren't interested in eating pigeons, and the rats were too big for them.

Anyway, an outfit was selling a full auto bb gun (used either Freon or compressed air). One of the guys bought one, and in an evening we decimated the pigeon population. Unfortunately, we miss some of the bodies. The bird feeders weren't happy about the slaughter. But that didn't prevent another couple of pigeon massacres over the next few years.

 

[NuJudge]

I've used a Diana RWS 34 for many years

The RWS 34 is a very high quality break-barrel, and I have used one for some 15 years. The one I have is in .177, but I believe they are also made in .22 now. I've used it to kill lots of pigeons, squirrels, rabbits, and one skunk that wandered into my yard. The RWS 34 is rather high velocity, so always work with a suitable backstop. I don't remember anything requiring a second shot, but squirrels sometimes made it into the next yard, and I shot the skunk another 10 or so times to make sure he was not playing 'possum.

 

[ChaoSS]

For pigeon control, any ol pinker will do. A 40 dollar Daisy powerline 880 will do just fine. If you want something better, go for it, but the cheap one will do just fine.

 

[plmitch]

I have an old dasiy powerline 851 that has been good little gun.

 

[shiftyer1]

As a kid I used a daisy powerline, it's the one with a diamond on the stock. I bought my son a spring gun by gamo and he uses it for rabbit hunting with great results.

 

[1SOW]

I use a Daisy 8-pump pellet/BB cheapie to kill 104 squirrels so far.

I practice at 12 yds on hanging 9mm brass in a BB trap. It's +/- 1/2" offhand at this range with 8 pumps. Chrono'd it at about 600 + FPS ft'sec with gammo precision hollow point pellets

The iron sights are awful, but with patience can be set pretty accurately. I modified the rear spring sight to be adjustable for height using a 6-30 T-nut and JB weld. Works great!

 

[GLOOB]

Power: sufficient for reliable killing with a chest hit at 30 feet
Accuracy: .5 inch at 30 feet
Noise: as quiet as possible

Seems like a springer would do the job. They're usually the quietest, all else equal. The only iffy part is accuracy. Most of them will easily beat your accuracy goal from a consistent shooting position/hold. But when you are taking impromptu field shots, things can get squirrelly. I have a Crosman Venom, and despite a terrible trigger, it probably has the power and accuracy you would need.

The ole pump up Crosman 7xx rifle is great for most indoor pests, but chest shots on pigeons might be pushing the limit, even at close range. Depends how big they are. But from sub 30 feet, you could be taking head shots with some practice and a scope. Pumps and PCPs are dead easy to put the holes where you want them.

If you go PCP, you're looking at a lot of money and equipment, esp if you want it to be quiet. I think a Benjamin Marauder would be about the cheapest way to go, there.

Just cuz you are on a gun forum, I would also mention the possibility of using Aguila Super Calibris in a 22 rifle, depending on your local firearm laws. A 22 Savage rifle is around $100.00 at the Wmart. The Super Calibris are fairly accurate out to 30 feet, and about the only noise it makes is the sound of the firing pin. About the only air rifle that is cheaper is a pump up Daisy or Crosman. Power would be in the PCP rifle range, it's more quiet than any air rifle, and accuracy is probably on par with a springer in the field. Personally, I would feel more comfortable with my field accuracy at these ranges using the Super Colibris, over my springer, even.

Aguila Super Colibris are not to be confused with Aguila Colibris or Aguila Subsonics.

 

[Liberty1776]

my Sheridan Blue Streak, 5mm. Puttin' the hurt on varmints for 50 years...

 

[d2wing]

Springers are loud and not very accurate, a pump up is better but my pick after trying several types is a modified .22 cal co2 gun called a QB 78. Mine was tuned and modified by Mike at Flying Dragon in Iowa. He sells online. There are others but this is quiet, accurate and has enough power at that range. Pyramid also sell a co 2 repeater, I forgot the model for around $400.

 

[mdauben]

Springers are loud and not very accurate, a pump up is better

Actually, a quality spring-piston rifle is going to be more accurate than either a pump up or CO2 rifle, assuming you use a proper hold. For years, springers were the choice of air rifle hunters, sillouette and field target competitors until the recent explosion in popularity of afordable, quality PCPs.

 

[heavydluxe]

For pigeons at that range, almost any decently powered air rifle will work.

The Daisy 880 that people have mentioned is a proven, inexpensive performer.

If you want to spend a little more, you can find a Ruger-branded break barrel air rifle (the Air Hawk) at places like StuffMart. It's MORE than powerful enough and would be a better gun if you want to eventually shoot longer ranges or bigger targets. I had one, and it was great.

If you want to spend even more coin, you can get a RWS model 34. And excellent spring-powered air rifle.

And up from there...

FWIW, .177 caliber pellets/bbs are plenty for any small birds. If you think you might get into larger furry critters, .22 pellets are a better bet.

 

[oneounceload]

Another vote for the RWS 34, it is what I use at the same distances for squirrel control in my yard

 

[Deltaboy1984]

RWS 34, Bengiman 312 or a Blue Streak will do the job.

 

[rondog]

Lots of mentions here of expensive high-quality, high-end air rifles, which are awesome to own and will of course do the job quite well. But unless you're wanting/needing a nice air rifle after the pigeons are gone, these might be a little too pricey. I'd like to have one, but I certainly don't need one.

I do have a Daisy 880 Powerline like others have mentioned, and it'll dang sure do the job! It was cheap too, about $30-$40 at WalMart (been a few years, can't recall the exact price). Only thing is, the scope that comes with it is trash. Either throw it away and put on a decent scope, or just use the irons. I shoot better with mine with the irons. But, I wouldn't exactly say it was "quiet", it pops pretty loud. All depends on where you're shooting at, might not be an issue.

But an 880 will kill pigeons with no sweat. Accurate and cheap. Give it 10 pumps and they don't stand a chance. My only real issue with it is it's hard to load pellets with my fat fingers, but a pair of tweezers overcomes that quickly.

 

[ChaoSS]

rondog, the 880 loading isn't that bad once you learn how to do it right. If you put it to the right of the loading port and roll it over it's alot easier than if you try to stick it right in.

 

[rondog]

rondog, the 880 loading isn't that bad once you learn how to do it right. If you put it to the right of the loading port and roll it over it's alot easier than if you try to stick it right in.

True, I've done that, but I keep some long-handled tweezers handy that work great. Don't have to deal with the pellets turning sideways or whatever.

It's taken many a squirrel off my birdfeeders, but I stopped doing that once I realized that, "hey, these rats are actually game animals with a hunting season, bag limit/possession limit, and license requirements. I'm actually poaching these stupid vermin and risking serious grief!" Not to mention I live in a suburban neighborhood with lots of yuppies and kiddies, and an elementary school 200 yds. away. Skwerl shootin' is probably frowned upon.

 

[ChaoSS]

Yeah, doesn't that suck? My area has been over run with crows the past year or so, used to be sparrows and such and just a few crows, now it's flocks and flocks and flocks of nothing but crow, thought I'd trim the population a bit, but no, we have stupid laws, and even when they are in season you can only take them with a shotgun.

I need to adjust my 880, it shoots right, and the adjustment is kind of stupid for windage.