Junkyard pellet gun

[Kevin G]

My brother has a metal recycling yard where I help out. It's on the road going to the municipal Transfer Station, where there is a fee to discard everything. As a result, the yard gets an incredible amount and assortment of stuff dropped off.
The other day a soccer mom pulled up in her little SUV, asked me if we'd take these and opened up the hatchback where there were three pellet rifles and a bag with a couple of pellet handguns and several thousand .177 pellets. It was rather comical, she was self-conscious about having these guns in her car and told me she looked around to make sure her neighbors weren't watching when she loaded the car.
Anyway, the yard took them. One long gun that caught my attention was a Ruger Blackhawk elite with a four Power scope. I asked my brother if I could have it, which was not a problem. I've had a chance to play with it a bit and am surprised by its accuracy. I think the last time I shot a BB or pelican was 50 years ago.
Kevin G

 

[Protocall_Design]

I think the last time I shot a BB or pelican was 50 years ago.
Kevin G

Air guns are truly amazing now. They even have up to 50 caliber ones that are very powerful. I have to wonder, though, why shoot a pelican? He would have been over 50 years old by now.

 

[Kevin G]

My bad, poor proofreading, pellet gun[emoji3]

 

[Kinman]

Someone I know used to shoot on the US Muzzle Loading team with muskets, tons of experience and rounds down range. I don't care for him but listen when he offers advice. I was taking on shooting a .45 flintlock I had built from a Kibler kit, very nice rifle. Flintlock is a challenge because there is a bit more delay when the trigger is pulled. If your lock is well timed, frizzen clean, flint adjusted correctly and sharp and touch hole in the right place you can get a pretty fast shot off. The opposite is also found where you can actually count 1, 2, 3...Boom When you pull the trigger and the flint hits the frizzen is one, the pan igniting is two and the powder charge setting off with recoil following and resulting Boom! He told me if I wanted to closely approximate that delay, get your hands on a quality spring pellet rifle. I did as he mentioned and can practice in my shop at 25yds anytime I want, including the dead of winter. It has improved my off hand shooting a lot.
I like to take the pellet gun down to the range, throw a handful of spent shotgun shells out on the 25yd sand backstop and chase them around from a rest with iron sights, its a blast and very inexpensive. When I was a kid and had an old Benjamin .177 pellet gun, I used to roll bb's down the barrel and snap shoot stuff because you had to beat the bb rolling down the barrel. Nothing within 25yds was safe, if I could see it, I could hit it.

 

[robvious]

BB/Pellet guns have been part of my enjoyment in life since I was 7ish? (over 50 years so far) I still buy them when the mood strikes...

 

[venomballistics]

Air guns are truly amazing now. They even have up to 50 caliber ones that are very powerful. I have to wonder, though, why shoot a pelican? He would have been over 50 years old by now.

Absolutely.... I have wanted one in 38/9mm for quite some time.
Slinging pure lead cast with such a contraption could be quite useful on and off range

 

[jeffrefrig]

I grew up with the Crossman pump BB/pellet gun. It was when they had the wooden furniture. Now, the one I have is all plastic ( sounds familiar) but it's still a cool BB rifle. I never used the lead pellets; they don't penetrate as good. Beverage cans don't stand a chance! Two pumps is just enough to tick a rabbit off without really hurting it…much. Best $37
I've spent in quite some time.

 

[Onomea]

I keep a Daisy Model 25 pump action BB rifle by the back door so that I can pop rabbits after the roses, squirrels in the yard on general principle, ducks who want to move into my minuscule pond, and anything else that I feel doesn't belong.

(My visiting big sister, horrified by my bunny plinking, said, "Do you know how it feels to be shot by a BB gun?" I said, "Yes." She said, "How's it feel?" I said, "It hurts. That's the point. I'm not trying to kill 'em." Sis thinks I'm mean...)

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

In the mid 90's I had a big multi-gun deal That on of the things I ended up with was an Anshutz 225 competition pellet rifle with target sights. I figured I had $165 in it. When I had it serviced at an Anshutz dealer, he figured it was worth $150 to 175. I was a little disappointed until he mentioned the sights were worth about $400 or a little more!

My oldest son and his best friend loved shooting with it. They both delayed entry in the Army. They loved shooting clay pidgins at 75'. They would shoot them in the rim, and it would shatter. I laid down one day with them and shot my first clay pidgin with a pellet rifle. Just a hole in the middle, second shot same hole, third through tenth, same result! They are laughing that I never broke the pidgin! I then told them, Bring me a pidgin with a smaller 10 shot group and win $10! They never did beat my group before they went in, I didn't remind them when they got out.

Ivan

 

[LoboGunLeather]

About 25 years ago I noticed an ad for Chinese air rifles, described as military training pieces. Single-shot barrel-cocking spring-piston .177 caliber with rather crude, but surprisingly accurate, AK-style adjustable sights, adult-size wood stock. I think it was under $30 delivered.

A little research showed that it was a copy of the well-regarded RWS air rifles.

Proved to be deadly on smaller critters raiding my garden. Kept it by the back door of the attached garage, about 50 feet from the back cedar privacy fence with my tomatoes, veggies, and grape vines in full view.

One of my grandsons had it the last I know of it.

 

[rwsmith]

Funny you should mention....

...I've been looking at pellet guns recently. I enjoy any kind of dang gun. I had a multi-pump years ago, but ai think I'll get something like a Gamo or Hatsan. WHEN I can afford it.

 

[RobertK3026]

I still use a Crosman 38C that I use for target practice,I bought in high school in the 60's.
Still can't post pics.....

 

[Kevin J.]

Two of my CO2 powered pellet gun pistol. The single action took out a squirrel this morning that had been raiding the bird feeder. Head shot that went through him and into the feeder.

Also my basement "range". Fun to have during a Minnesota January day.

 

[llowry61]

A friend bought an RWS. They are impressive to say the least. The ballistics for the 177 pellets are similar to standard 22's. Air guns are fun and a basement range is simple to put together.

 

[s&wchad]

I think the last time I shot a BB or pelican was 50 years ago.
Kevin G

My bad, poor proofreading, pellet gun.

I was gonna say...

Don't shoot a pelican, or you might end up paying a big bill!

 

[rwsmith]

IF......

A friend bought an RWS. They are impressive to say the least. The ballistics for the 177 pellets are similar to standard 22's. Air guns are fun and a basement range is simple to put together.

IF you have a basement.

 

[30-30remchester]

My brother was at the Aspen dump, unloading some construction trash when a car pulled up next to him. He looked up to see them throwing out a long gun case with something it. He retrieved it after they left. It was an 1897 Winchester in 16 gauge. Nice old piece that is now hanging above his fireplace.

 

[Kevin J.]

That my friend is being in the right place, at the right time, with your eyes open.

 

[BC38]

Someone I know used to shoot on the US Muzzle Loading team with muskets, tons of experience and rounds down range. I don't care for him but listen when he offers advice. I was taking on shooting a .45 flintlock I had built from a Kibler kit, very nice rifle. Flintlock is a challenge because there is a bit more delay when the trigger is pulled. If your lock is well timed, frizzen clean, flint adjusted correctly and sharp and touch hole in the right place you can get a pretty fast shot off. The opposite is also found where you can actually count 1, 2, 3...Boom When you pull the trigger and the flint hits the frizzen is one, the pan igniting is two and the powder charge setting off with recoil following and resulting Boom! He told me if I wanted to closely approximate that delay, get your hands on a quality spring pellet rifle. I did as he mentioned and can practice in my shop at 25yds anytime I want, including the dead of winter. It has improved my off hand shooting a lot.
I like to take the pellet gun down to the range, throw a handful of spent shotgun shells out on the 25yd sand backstop and chase them around from a rest with iron sights, its a blast and very inexpensive. When I was a kid and had an old Benjamin .177 pellet gun, I used to roll bb's down the barrel and snap shoot stuff because you had to beat the bb rolling down the barrel. Nothing within 25yds was safe, if I could see it, I could hit it.

LOL, I still have one of those old Benjamin pellet guns.
Sounds like maybe yours may have been just like mine - chambered for 5mm lead pellets (.196" bore).
If that is what you had then a .177 caliber BB would definitely "roll down the barrel".
When I was a kid, I had a Daisy "Red Rider" - just like the one Ralphie lusted after.
I literally put TENS of THOUSANDS of BB's through it, and I got so familiar with how it shot that I was able to point-shoot it and completely ignore the crude, fixed, iron sights.
It was only accurate out to about 20-25 yards, but I developed such an instinctive "feel" for just how much it would drop at any distance within that range, that I didn't even have to think about it. I could hit anything I wanted out to around 75 feet almost effortlessly.
What I wouldn't give to be able to reproduce that kind instinctive point-shooting accuracy with ANY gun today.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

LOL, I still have one of those old Benjamin pellet guns.
Sounds like maybe yours may have been just like mine - chambered for 5mm lead pellets (.196" bore).
If that is what you had then a .177 caliber BB would definitely "roll down the barrel".
When I was a kid, I had a Daisy "Red Rider" - just like the one Ralphie lusted after.
I literally put TENS of THOUSANDS of BB's through it, and I got so familiar with how it shot that I was able to point-shoot it and completely ignore the crude, fixed, iron sights.
It was only accurate out to about 20-25 yards, but I developed such an instinctive "feel" for just how much it would drop at any distance within that range, that I didn't even have to think about it. I could hit anything I wanted out to around 75 feet almost effortlessly.
What I wouldn't give to be able to reproduce that kind instinctive point-shooting accuracy with ANY gun today.

Your post provoked an old memory. During US Army infantry AIT (advanced individual training), early 1969, one of the training exercises utilized Daisy spring-piston air rifles shooting at moving targets (including metal discs thrown into the air) for the purpose of teaching instinctive and point-shooting.

Lots of other fun stuff, such as instruction on massed fires (everyone shooting at point or massed groups at extended ranges), suppressive fires (intended to force hostile attackers to seek cover), searching fire (probing positions to provoke defensive responses to identify targets to engage directly), use of rifles and machineguns to defend against attacking aircraft.

This may have contributed to the entries on my discharge papers:

Primary Military Occupations Specialty: Infantry Operations & Intelligence.

Related Civilian Skills: None.

Oh well. Ancient history now.