Air Rifle Thread

IMO, the Crosman 760 or the Benjamin 3xx series would qualify as the KLR of air rifles. Both are cheap, reliable, and versatile.

It's been my experience that an air rifle can't drive a hollow-point fast enough to make it expand.

The thing about hollowpoints and airguns isn't projectile expansion, but, rather, tumbling. Pointed pellets have a lower chance to tumble through whatever critter you're shootin' at. OTOH, bluntheads of all types (hollowpoints, wadcutters) are more vulnerable to crosswinds.

I made a lucky buy years ago at Beeman when it was in Santa Rosa, CA. bought a scratched FWB300 for an amazingly low price. still loving it after all these years. shoot paper mainly, but worked several years at a resort that had horses and the resulting ground squirrel problem. Did lots of population control with wadcullters at close range. couldn't shoot a firearm due to the politics of horse owners, but they loved the quiet report of an airgun and the rodent control.

as far as pellets go...one should pick one which is most accurate in their gun. I find the wads and the h-points to generally be better due to more weight forward....brainshot or no-shot on tree rats or larger is my deal.

don't feel bad - they were wrecking your garden and rose bushes. Your dog wouldn't have killed them as cleanly as you did.

For those who want to see what a powerful and accurate PCP airgun can do, watch the video in this thread: Warning--GRAPHIC!!!

http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/message/1336976405/Ground+Squirrel+Smackdown%21++GRAPHIC%21

Anyone care to comment about gas spring vs. steel spring? I've been doing a bit of research, and I'm not seeing any downside to the gas spring technology, but several negatives about steel. Am I missing anything?

Inert gas pistons have, as far as I've researched, no downsides compared to metal springs. Pretty much every airgun forum recommends replacing the metal spring in one's break-open with an IGP. The only snag is cost, but it isn't a big one.

steel springers have been around for a long time, if they were that bad they wouldnt have survived this long? but gas rams are better.
i dont know if you have power limits where you are, but here in the UK if you put a gas ram meant for a .177 into a .22 rifle it'll push it way over the 12ft/lb legal limit. if you have no limits or the correct permit, go for it!

Even here in commie MA our only restriction is we can't shoot one across a street.

Theoben in the UK used to make gas rams of good reputation. They still exist but I don't know what they make any more, been 12 years or so since I was involved in air rifles.

I used to have one of these in .22. the Bees knees, the duck guts, REALLY good. sold to by moto x boots and where I was moving too it would be too hard to bring it.
http://www.air-arms.co.uk/products_prosport.html

I have no idea what the different pellet shapes do inside of an animal, I've never gone looking for the pellet. But my experience has shown to me, that the pointed tip pellets tend to pass through and don't have as much "knock down", or they tend to wound more than kill. The flatter front pellets like wadcutters and "destroyers" will usually render a much quicker kill in small squirrel sized animals! I shoot into a sheet of plywood when sighting in or practicing on targets, and those pellets are usually flattened or severely deformed in the wood. But wood isn't meat either, I understand that much. I actually shot about 25 pellets this morning to sight in a scope, and play around, and most all of those pellets just barely penetrate the plywood, flattening out into decent sized wads. None fully penetrated a 3/8" sheet of ply wood though. Most stop in the first two or three layers.

In my opinion the KLR of air rifles would be either a Ruger Blackhawk or Airhawk. They can be had new for around a hundred bucks. They are Chinese copy's of the diana 34's and are good quality for the money. I've got one of each and they are dead nuts accurate. My Blackhawk is my truck gun and has had thousands of trouble free rounds thru it. Plus it's cheap enough that I don't worry bout it getting knocked around a little.

I agree.

I've got to try this...make your own exploding pellets

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That's interesting, but when would you use an exploding pellet? Would it need to hit something as hard as a concrete wall to detonate? Also, it seems like a perfect way to reverse-fire the BB at the shooter:eek1

(I don't expect you to have the answers to those questions, I'm just thinking out loud).

I think I'll try to drill out some hollow points and face the bb forwards instead...I have some 28gr 22cal that would fit a shload of that powder...oh what fun!

I think hitting bone would set it off. If the powder will withstand molten lead, one could pour a seal instead of a hard bb...or just use a lead ball in that cal.

After researching homemade formulas it appears the daring could custom tune the sensitivity. but I found some basic stuff here ....

http://www.costumes4less.com/Newco-Flash-Powder--Char-Only_IA36_Prod.aspx

these look like fun....I could picture myself shooting at little thimbles of gas with these...at the end he shoots a bic lighter

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The requirements are it has to be light, has to run off of CO2, and needs to be pretty cheap....cheap because I doubt I will go back to it when I can go back to firearms in general.
I will spend up to a couple hundred....but just would rather not because not sure if it is something I will use in the long run.

Reasons are....I still want to shoot something, and I think that something with zero recoil and I don't have to cock or pump will fit in with the Dr.'s orders. It also has to be light....I am also not suppose to lift anything heavy at all. I have some pretty nice air rifles already, but they are heavy and I can't break the barrel on them....this is why the CO2 and I want it to use the standard CO2 cartridges.

All I am going to do is shoot paper, and perhaps tin cans and such.

I was thinking of the Crosman 1077...any other ideas?

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Crosman_1077_air_rifle/204

Lots of plastic, but I need light....think it might fit the bill....but it is a hunk of junk?

Just wanted to add....looking and looking and there is just not a lot out there....everything that looks like it is worth a crap is brake barrel.