Air guns-Rifles

[shovelmike]

The only air "rifle" I've had for years now is a Uramex M1A1 that is really handy for keeping the soda cans at bay.

Full sized replica of a Thompson submachine gun, it fires regular BB's using two CO2 cartridges for power. Magazine holds 30 BB's, and fires in either full or semi modes. More fun than you can shake a stick at.

(Kimber Micro 9 for size comparison)

Umarex Glock 19 replica here, my wife laid claim to it since she is sensitive to the recoil of my 9 mm pistols.

 

[mauser9]

Sure have come a long way since I bought my Daisy 25 back in 62!! Not that bad as it still works today. Just not a ton of F.P.S. Quality wise read some reviews. Always see Gamo for cheap bucks.

 

[pharmer]

I have an RWS 5G air pistol. Well made, .177 pellets "used to be" less than 1 cent each. I had to send it back for service when I was shooting it regularly, came back "no charge." Made 7yd targets with old business cards and a dime outline traced with a Sharpie using a paper bag filled with old Shotgun News issues when that was a useful publication. It's been at back of the safe since I moved here in 2009, wife don't allow shooting of any kind in the house. Joe

 

[holo]

Just thought I would share a couple of picture of some pistols that I have, they were made by Dennis Quackenbush who is very well known for his large caliber rifles. These pistol are some of the first Dennis made and are powered by a standard 12 gram CO2. They both shoot .36 cal balls and Crosman shotshell loads. Very fun well made guns.

 

[Farmer17]

First I will say if you don't have a suppressed .22 you are missing out on a heck of a lot of fun! I have a 4" Ruger 22/45 Tactical with a Spectre II can and it is quieter than my RWS 34 .22 pellet rifle. Next I will say those .177 pellets are SMALL and I have probably dropped more on the ground than I have fired and I have shot a lot of them over the decades. I love my M34 but if I was buying again it probably wouldn't be a break barrel gun because they occasionally experience barrel droop when the hinge loosens up. I would like to have a nice, powerful repeating air rifle but I can always just put my suppressor on my 10/22 Tactical take-down rifle, it is really quiet!

 

[robvious]

I am a big fan of full auto air guns... Umarex Legends are fun and VERY realistic... I have the C96 broomhandle... MP-40... & M1A1 Thompson... all a hoot to shoot...

 

[VictorLouis]

I..the thing about spring guns having to be held differently is bit overblown. True if you zero them off sandbags, they'll shoot to a different point of aim while being held due to the spring recoil acting differently, but I never found that to be a huge issue. I just zero them while resting on my hands and not the actual sandbags.

They will kill cheap scopes though. The magnum spring guns will kill even the cheapo "airgun scopes". I've had good luck with Bushnell Elites and Leupolds holding up fine on magnum spring guns though.

I've been into quality UK/German, Euro spring rifles for a bit.

There's the 'artillery hold' you will read about, then there's what you do with any centerfire rifle. Experiment with EACH spring-air rifle you own, as some will work 'better' with one hold then another. Tape a post-it note onto the stock so that you don't forget which hold that particular gun may like.

Make sure any scope you intend to mount is Airgun-Rated. If it doesn't say so in the manufacturer's marketing info, assume it is NOT...and don't mount it. Basically, you get rearward recoil like a centerfire at discharge. THEN...it slaps forward as the pellet has left the bore, and the internal piston comes to an abrupt hault. It can tear the lenses loose from inside the tube. Centerfire-only scopes are not braced properly for this.

Airguns of Arizona is another good place to look. FWIW

They have almost nearly cornered the USA market. Besides retailing themselves, they also distribute/wholesale to other vendors.

PCPs can be filled with hand-pumps, and you can get a good anerobic workout doing so! Dive shops may refuse to fill your tank/s without a diver's certification card. Take your rifle with them to verify your intended use, LOL. Buying your own compressor is also a consideration, but I have no experience with them.

If you DO get a PCP, get a moderator. They can be GUNSHOT loud! Integral is best, but there seems to be 'some' common sense out there in recognizing what is intended for Airgun Use ONLY, versus the more heavy-duty cans intended for the blast and flame of firearms.

 

[jeffrefrig]

I grew up with the Crossman pump I saw mentioned above. Very accurate and no bottle to recharge. I bought the new version a couple years ago, and besides being a real pain to load, it's as accurate as I remember. Only $35 + tax, and my eyes are still where they belong!

 

[diyj98]

Make sure any scope you intend to mount is Airgun-Rated. If it doesn't say so in the manufacturer's marketing info, assume it is NOT...and don't mount it. Basically, you get rearward recoil like a centerfire at discharge. THEN...it slaps forward as the pellet has left the bore, and the internal piston comes to an abrupt hault. It can tear the lenses loose from inside the tube. Centerfire-only scopes are not braced properly for this.

The best route is to verify it with the manufacturer, but even that's no guarantee. As I wrote before, the higher powered spring guns can kill the cheapo "airgun rated scopes". Burris assured me that their scopes were spring gun rated, but I had an RWS 350 break two of them. Leupolds are double braced as well as the higher end Bushnells. I'm sure some others are as well, but those are two that have held up for me.

If you DO get a PCP, get a moderator. They can be GUNSHOT loud! Integral is best, but there seems to be 'some' common sense out there in recognizing what is intended for Airgun Use ONLY, versus the more heavy-duty cans intended for the blast and flame of firearms.

I agree, but I'm not sure how long the common sense will last. Some places sell the screw on models as "lead dust collectors". That seems to be o.k. legally for now, but who knows how much longer.

 

[reddogs]

IAMRAND i am not sure how effective and reliable big bores are.You can read about them on the gateway to airgun forum.Everyone i know that has one is a leaker no big deal if you don't mind taking it apart and changing o rings.Airforce and Raw seem to get decent accuracy past 100 yards.But .35 shoots a 81 gr pellet or slug vs 357 powder burner 180 or 158.Im not convinced it is humane it is scary how far a deer can run with a damaged lung or heart shot with high power rifles.Springers can do a lot to conserve ammo if its high priced or scarce but i like shooting them.Eric300 groups out of a new gun are great but it has 2 stage match adj trigger and lothar walther barrel.Hw has rekord 2 stage adj triggers and excellent barrels.If airguns are getting that powerfull they will regulate them like europe has for years.

 

[armorer951]

I have a .177 caliber Benjamin Marauder PCP rifle purchased several years ago. Mine is a bolt action 10 shot, but they now come in a semi-auto configuration too. They are also available in .22 and .25 caliber

These rifles are very accurate, and have a fully adjustable trigger and air delivery regulation system, which can be tuned to the velocity you desire. The air storage tube can be filled with a hand pump, or from a pressure regulated SCUBA or air gun PCB storage tank.

Benjamin Marauder PCP | One-of-a-Kind | Benjamin Airguns

 

[Chukar60]

Between Mrs Chukar and I we have 4 PCP rifles. Three of them shoot only pellets and one is my slug gun. The slug gun is a marvel and it can be shot accurately out to about 150 yards. It will shoot 1" groups at 100 yards even in a light wind. I have taken ground squirrels and some pigeons at ranges exceeding 120 yards with it.
i have a 25 caliber gun that i only shoot pellets out of. The accuracy is incredible. The increase in power is great for small game.
The best part of the PCP guns is that the lower priced guns are still super accurate and you can get into an accurate one for under $500.
i chose to go with the FX brand Maverick model. I wanted the dual regulators and power that comes with their upper tier guns plus the ability to change calibers from .177 to .35 and barrel lengths from 500 mm to 700mm.
Thus far I have not been even slightly disappointed.
The downside of PCP's is the need for an air supply. I would suggest you explore that before you decide on a gun. The air supply cost can be larger than the gun if you buy an entry level PCP rifle.

 

[BE Mike]

With the lack of availability of ammo and the high prices, I'm not surprised that air guns are becoming more popular in the U.S. People are finding them accurate and reliable, not toys as some die hards still think of them. I first got involved with air guns decades ago (mid '80's) when I got an interest in shooting international air pistol. I've also shot some international air rifle matches for fun. I've owed various different air guns from SSP to springer to CO2 to PCP. My pest control piece is a .22 cal. Benjamin Mayhem with UTG scope. It has plenty of power and is quiet. It is accurate with the right pellets (not all pellets are equal). As has been stated, shooting an air rifle is a new learning experience with different techniques, even for experienced cartridge shooting riflemen and women.

 

[Farmer17]

I have a Hawke Vantage 4X scope on my RWS M34 .22 break barrel gun. The scope is a dedicated air rifle scope with adjustable objective and Mil-dot reticle which I feel is a "must" on an air rifle. That pellet drops like a rock after 30 yards in even the most powerful gun and the Mil-dot gives you several aiming points for longer range. The adjustable objective is also necessary because most shots are at pretty close range but you can adjust the objective focus to the longer ranges if needed. The scope is very bright and clear and I have fired many hundreds of pellets and am extremely satisfied with it and it was less than $100 bucks.

 

[CajunBass]

I figured I'd throw out a couple more CO2 airguns I've got. These are all handguns that I honestly don't shoot a lot, but they're guns I've always liked and thought I'd start a "cheap" collection.

The first I knew of these was this a Colt SAA. The grip is more like the 1860 army C&B gun though which allows for the CO2 cartridge to fit into the grip. BB's are loaded into the brass cartridges you can see between the recoil shield and cylinder.

A Smith and Wesson Schofield. Works like the original. CO2 cartridge into the grip...BB's into the cartridges. Cartridges do eject.

Smith and Wesson Model 29, with 8 3/8" barrel. Looks, and feels pretty much like the real thing.

Smith and Wesson Model 29, with a 3 1/2" barrel, although I think of it more as a Model 27.

Smith and Wesson M&P

Last but not least, "John Wayne" model 1911.

 

[holo]

a few more pistols and a couple of rifles Beeman / Crosman

 

[holo]

a few more i just pulled out

 

[LostintheOzone]

I'm not current with anything new. I've had an RWS 36 (.177) for about 30 years. That's a springer that shoots about 1000 fps. I put an RWS scope on it using their mount and rings. Shoots inside a dime at 25 yds. I think that model is discontinued but they probably have some that replaced it. The rifle is CF quality like Savage or Win.

Not trying to sell anyone on springers but this one has performed very well over the years. I'd buy .22 cal if I were to buy another one.



33 Year Old Diana RWS Model 36 Air Rifle. Does it still WORK? - YouTube

Good video but this guy is FOS. An RWS scope and mount works just fine. He just never tried a setup like that.

 

[jughed440]

It's all about pest control and occasional plinking for me. The RWS Model 48 is a powerful and accurate beast, but it is heavy and being a heavy spring sidelever it requires some effort to load if that might be a problem.
I bought this .177 caliber 48 (made in W. Germany in 1988) for a song. Would have preferred a .22 version, but the price was too good to pass on.
Using the factory sights it has done a number on the garden invading rabbits and squirrels...and other destructive pests such as possums, raccoons, and groundhogs that had burrowed under the garage.
I'm still on the lookout for a .22 Model 48 or 52 (same airgun with a fancier stock), but won't pay the insane prices that the new ones now go for. I'm very happy with the .177.

 

[Ruger Nut]

I own a NIB Benjamin .177 synthetic stock air rifle. I have never shot it. I have it for sale where I live in Louisiana and am asking a fair price. But everyone that has come to see it offer me A LOT less of my asking price. I tell them NO to their offers and I'm NOT trying to GIVE IT AWAY!
SMH!