Air Rifle Advice?

[617fan]

I bought a Beeman .177/.22 combo about 18 months ago. It's accurate...but won't stay "sighted in". I have replaced the scope and tried loctite on the barrel screws. While I like the concept and power of the spring-air design; I am not so sure that for plinking and the occasional garden pest that I wouldn't prefer a pump-up like the Benjamin? Other downsides to the Beeman are its weight(8+lbs I think), difficulty in cocking(almost impossible for the wife) and the report is almost as loud as a .22. Any Benjamin owners care to comment?

 

[sar4937]

I don't have a Beeman, but I have recently purchased an RWS 54. I was quite surprised at the loudness when I fired a cleaning pellet through it in my basement. I have recently installed a Williams target sight at the rear, but have not sighted it in. PyramidAir's site has reviews of the individual rifles, and helpful tech articles. My rifle weighs almost what a Garand weighs. Hope this is of help.

 

[Senior Citizen]

I bought a Beeman .177/.22 combo about 18 months ago. It's accurate...but won't stay "sighted in". I have replaced the scope and tried loctite on the barrel screws. While I like the concept and power of the spring-air design; I am not so sure that for plinking and the occasional garden pest that I wouldn't prefer a pump-up like the Benjamin? Other downsides to the Beeman are its weight(8+lbs I think), difficulty in cocking(almost impossible for the wife) and the report is almost as loud as a .22. Any Benjamin owners care to comment?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

First off, is the scope you are using made and designed for "air rifles"? There is considerable shock/vibration created by that spring that most rifles don't duplicate. More than one person has ruined a good rifle scope on a BB gun. Me for one!

I have an RWS Dianna 48 that I love to shoot. From 1", it will shoot through a 3/4" sheet of plywood. I proved it to one of my 1SG's in my basement one night. I did make him put on a heavy arctic mitten first though.


Teach your wife to stand the gun on the floor/ground or on her foot and break the barrel open by holding the top of the barrel with one hand and pushing directly away from her body at the break point on the barrel/stock. My Grandpa taught me that back in the 50's. I was a one shot wonder, cause I had to go find him to cock it for me every time I wanted to shoot it. Just tell her to watch her hand...it can get pinched.

Good luck...

SC

 

[617fan]

They were both air rifle scopes...the first came packaged with the gun. It will group under a quarter at 25 yds..but 50 shots later you may not even be on paper. I have given thought to upgrading to RWS which should address accuracy issues; but has the drawbacks of being heavy, expensive, and hard to cock. Granted the pump design is less powerful, less accurate, and probably just as hard to pump when you get to the final strokes..but looks like one or two pumps would be fine for plinking?

 

[Rule3]

The scope mounting base should have a little pin or some type of protrusion thingy (for lack of a better term) and a indent in the top of the receiver that keeps the scope assembly from moving back. Sometimes it is not "locked" in or has worn. It may be a screw under the scope base. Hard to say without seeing it. Take the scope off and base also and check.. It also could just be the scope itself, as mentioned there are specific "springer" scopes.

 

[2152hq]

I've never had a scope on any of the air rifles I've had so I don't know about any tricks to keep them from going off kilter.

One thing I have noticed over the years is the assumed need to have the increased air rifle power,,alot of it. Some of the more recent models are very difficult to cock with their powerful springs. They're heavy guns too.

My favorite has been an older Beeman R7. Not the most powerful rifle in the rack but certainly the most pleasent to use.
Lighter weight, quiet and sufficiently powerful for small birds and even a pigeon under an X-Way overpass bridge structure from a canoe from approx 50yrds.
If doubt it would chew up scopes like some of the newer ones but all the barrel cockers put the best of scopes to a test.

The pump up guns like the Benjamin and Crossman really give you a cardio workout when using them,,if that's what you're after. That gets old fast for me, but it doesn't seem to bother others who use them.

An old hand-me-down Crosman from a Great Uncle was put to good use in the family for many years but the spring piston barrel cockers get my vote.

 

[H Richard]

An alternative is the pre-compressed air rifles. These are usually pretty expensive match rifles. Anschutz makes a great one. They use a pre charged tank to fill a small tank on the gun which is good for at least 100 shots. Problem can be getting the supply tank filled. If you have a dive shop near or a friendly fire department they will fill the tanks.

Then there are the CO2 powered guns. I'm not sure who makes them currently, but Crossman used to.

 

[venomballistics]

the solution really depends upon how much you really use your air rifle.
springers are fair power houses and economical to operate as well as quick to reload.
this is at the expense of accuracy since the spring has a pile of inertia that will effect POA before the package is shipped. That inertia will also pound on optics.
pump up guns usually do not have all the power of high end springers, but if properly built, are more accurate in theory ... till you take into account the heart rate increase from the workout it gave you before the shot.
another type of air rifle that will own the soul of either type above is a PCP type, or Pre- Charged Pneumatic.
these can be hard to justify since the gun itself will cost in the ballpark of $600 - 1200 alone and you will also need a scuba tank to refill it .. tank refills optics and whatever else the kit may collect can exceed a class 3 weapon in some cases.
if you really use and depend upon an air rifle ... they may be worth a look.
Cost aside, they are enormously powerful and inherently the the most accurate of all air guns and by nature of the system, boasts the highest rate of fire since its operation is akin to a bolt action single shot and it lacks the inertia issue of a springer.
There have been PCP specimens built to fire 458 and 500 cal projectiles at energy levels approaching the mighty 45-70 from the trapdoor Springfield era .... The type has also been host to shotguns.

 

[RonJ]

Springers from FWB and Anschutz were winning the Olympics every year until recently. Don't make a mistake about their accuracy. The difference between them and more recent guns is in mere tenths of milimeters.

 

[sourdough44]

I've been eying up a few Beeman models, 9 mostly. The other day we were in the backyard shooting a pump Benjamin, BB gun, & a 22. In the 22 the load was the 20 grain 'primer only' from Aguila. They are advertised at 500fps & work best in a shorter barrel. They caution about sticking one in a long barrel. Of course they won't operate a semi-auto action.

They are VERY quiet. I did dispatch a possum last Winter without any problems. They are much quieter than my pump pellet rifle. I may see how they shoot with a scoped rifle & use them some in place of a high cost pellet rifle. I have more testing to do. I hate to buy a high price pellet rifle that is as loud as a 22.

 

[617fan]

I've been eying up a few Beeman models, 9 mostly. The other day we were in the backyard shooting a pump Benjamin, BB gun, & a 22. In the 22 the load was the 20 grain 'primer only' from Aguila. They are advertised at 500fps & work best in a shorter barrel. They caution about sticking one in a long barrel. Of course they won't operate a semi-auto action.

They are VERY quiet. I did dispatch a possum last Winter without any problems. They are much quieter than my pump pellet rifle. I may see how they shoot with a scoped rifle & use them some in place of a high cost pellet rifle. I have more testing to do. I hate to buy a high price pellet rifle that is as loud as a 22.

I hadn't really considered going that route as I have a T/C .22 Classic and a Ruger 10/22 Target..but with the price of high end pellets and pellet rifles et all..I might be better off adding a pump .22 to the collection to shoot .22 sub-sonics. Always wanted one anyway!

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I have experienced scope movement in the past and it is mostly caused by slippage caused by recoil.

Look at the scope mount on this Beeman.
Pyramyd Air Gun Mall

At the rear of the mount is a plate that should stop rearward movement after firing several times.



I have the RWS 34P in .22 Notice how the scope mount has a forward lip that prevents rear movement.

Pyramyd Air Gun Mall



I have a 30 year old Feinwerkbau 124. A Scope mount will slide to the rear on this if the mount is not very tight.

Air guns - Pyramyd Air Report: FWB 124 - a classic pellet rifle

A lot of scope mounts are not parallel to the gun to allow for variances in the barrel/receiver angle. This can aggravate the poi if the scope slips.
http://www.gunstar.co.uk/Air-Rifles/FWB-Feinwerkbau-Sport-127-gun-for-sale-gs7262.aspx

 

[Double-O-Dave]

Here is an excellent article that may answer your questions

Scope shift & barrel droop...two common problems

By the way, I have a RWS Diana Model 38 that I experienced similar problems with. The cure was buying a RWS scope mount that was adjustable for barrel droop, and also installing a scope block. My RWS is a magnum air rifle capable of pushing the pellet at 1000 fps. Also, have you thought of installing one of the "suppressors" at the muzzle? They don't really do anything to reduce the sound, but they give you something to grab on to when cocking, and they add a bit of weight at the muzzle.

Best of luck,

Dave

 

[Smith357]

I have had a Benjamin Sheridan for about 20 years that has been my go to pest control device and plinker. I did get a big 1000fps springer, the springer was more accurate and quieter then the Sheridan at 8 pumps but I found it much heavier and cocking the darn thing was a real chore, I sold it off after only a year.

My favorite aspects of the Benjamin pumpers are the light carbine handing, the ability to regulate the power buy using just three pumps for plinking, or pump it up to 8 and put the heavy 14.3 grain 5mm pellets clean through a 1/2 inch pine board. Though when it's shooting at full power it is not quiet by any means. And pumping it up to 8 is just as much of a chore as cocking the 1000 fps springer.

 

[Onomea]

I like the idea of a supressor on a 10/22, frankly, but where illegal I can see an air rifle. There are some really gorgeous custom air rifles out there... Lotta bucks and a long wait, assuming you can get on the list.

 

[tripledipper]

Since the Aguila primer only 20gr .22 will work fine out of revolvers and single shot rifles I don't want to spend any more $'s on air rifles. At about 300fps (or 500fps for Super Aguila) they will dispatch small critters and are fun for target shooting and are quieter than some pellet guns. The nutria in the lake behind my house found this out also.

 

[Snapping Twig]

When I was a kid I had the Sheridan 5mm/.20cal and it was powerful and accurate.

One day soon I will get another and I regret the day I sold the one I had.

I have a Winchester .22 barrel cocker that was my Dad's. I believe it's a private label by RWS, but I'm not certain. In any event, it is low powered and not useful for pest control.

 

[Smith357]

Since the Aguila primer only 20gr .22 will work fine out of revolvers and single shot rifles I don't want to spend any more $'s on air rifles. At about 300fps (or 500fps for Super Aguila) they will dispatch small critters and are fun for target shooting and are quieter than some pellet guns. The nutria in the lake behind my house found this out also.

I'm betting it's quieter than most pumpers and pcps, they throw out huge volumes of air. I would venture to say the Benjamin's at full power are every bit as loud as a .22 short down a 20" rifle barrel. It's more of a crack than a bang but it still pretty darn loud.

 

[caseydog]

I'm betting it's quieter than most pumpers and pcps, they throw out huge volumes of air. I would venture to say the Benjamin's at full power are every bit as loud as a .22 short down a 20" rifle barrel. It's more of a crack than a bang but it still pretty darn loud.

As well as the volume of air, the better .177's are supersonic at the muzzle.

Ray

 

[Cyrano]

My FWB 300S is a springer but has a side lever for cocking and is relatively easy to cock. It also has no recoil due to the 300S design: the barrel and receiver move forward about 1/4 inch when cocked, and when the rifle is fired, they come back and counteract the recoil effect of the piston. It's grooved for a scope mount but I have left the iron sights on mine. It's a very accurate (and heavy) target rifle, but has an amazing amount of power; it will almost shoot through a hard bound book about two inches thick that I use for a backstop. I'm using it to learn how to shoot offhand but have been tempted to use it on the cats that come through my back yard and leave it littered with feathers and body partrs from the dove in the area. It could also keep me supplied with dove if things get critical.