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Air Rifles

870 views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  gasmitty 
Basic rule of airgunning, as well as nearly everything else: you get what you pay for.

First off, be realistic about what you want the gun to do. Everybody is impressed with 1000 ft/sec power from a .177 springer, but for simple, relaxing shootin' pleasure that's just too much gun. Cocking force is high, the report is moderately loud, and it's really too powerful for close-range bunting/pest eradication. In a spring-piston gun, for general recreational purposes I'd be looking at the 700 ft/sec power level in .177 cal.

As far as caliber is concerned, you have a greater variety of pellets available in .177, they're a little cheaper than .22 pellets, and accuracy is generally better than the .22. The .22 is the better hunting caliber, as it retains its energy farther out and of course makes a bigger hole. The 5mm/.20 cal was staked out by Sheridan eons ago, and then Beeman promoted them as an intermediate between .177 and .22. I don't see much advantage to .20.

If you have a liberal budget, the pre-charged pneumatics (PCP) are the top of the heap, but entry-level is in the kilobuck range.

For optics, get a dedicated airgun scope. The bidirectional recoil of airguns, especially the springers, can destroy well-made scopes for regular firearms. Adjustable objective scopes are worth the extra bucks for the reduced parallax error at the shorter ranges over which you'll be shooting.

As far as brands, I confess to appreciating the German makes (RWS and Weirauch), and the English have come a long way with their airguns since owning firearms is so restricted these days.

Some good retailers with a wide selection and good advice are Straight Shooters and Airguns of Arizona - check 'em out.
 
gasmitty,
Thanks for the info!
I like the idea of the high velocity rifle. The Socom Extreme .177 is rated at 1650 fps with the PBA pellets, but if accuracy is second to power, I'll take accuracy every time.

I do think I'll go with .22 over .177 though. I just want the higher kinetic.

After a little more research, it looks like the optics from Gamo aren't the issue. It's the rings. This is an easy fix so, I may have to look at the scope options a little closer.
The Straight Shooters site has a LOT of good info if you're new to airgunning. Start with the "our take" column, then pore through the rest of the articles listed in the right margin.

Our Take Why & How
General airgun information - Straight Shooters Precision Airguns
 
gasmitty,
Once again, thanks for the info and links.

I spent a good bit of time on the phone with Straight Shooters and have decide to go with a Benjamin Marauder PCP. The CS guy that I spoke with was extremely helpful and patient with the newbe.

I'll be sure to post a range report and pics when I get the Marauder up and running

Excellent choice! What caliber did you go for, and what optic?
 
Yep, the PCPs don't beat up scopes like the spring-piston models do, so that gives you more flexibility.

In the modest-priced range, BSA has some decent scopes as well. I picked up a discontinued 4-12x40 for under $100 a couple of years ago. I've used it on a 10/22 for a while and it's decent, although it's a bit long.
 
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