Looking for help with an air rifle .

I am looking for help here and i have quite a few questions , yes i know go to a gun shop but i fear they will only tell me what i want to hear . Some info on its intended use . The gun will primarily be used for shooting at targets , also any invasive birds that come to close . Indian mynahs blackbirds etc that were introduced to Australia . Also rabbits could be a target . Now first question is do i go .177 or .22 , the .22 pellets are a bit more expensive but that is not really a problem . Secondly do i go for a gun that uses a gas cylinder or one that you manually charge . Personally i prefer the second option but that might be because of the gun i used to own . As i have stated above i live in Australia and i think multi shot guns are a no no . Lastly but by no means least power or quality . I know quality wins every time but i imagine this gun would only be used 6-7 times a year . I kind of looked at this

doublercustom.com.au...

This gun looks plenty powerful but will i lose in the long run . Now money . My budget is around $1000 . Australian dollars that is so $ 6.78 American . Gun case and licence run about 400 dollars , i can stretch it a little . Thanks in advance , i may not reply to everyone but i will chase up any links you can provide .

Well, taking into account your projected use, I would go with a break-barrel. For birds and rabbits and occasional use it's the best fit. I would suggest .20 cal. I have built many air rifles and I like my .20 cal Crosman platform rifle the best. You might want to look at a .22 cal Crosman Titan or one of their Piston rifles. That's the best bang for your buck.

Gave you a S&F just to help someone notice the thread.

Hope it helps.

I think that is a lot of money for what seems to me to be average sort of air rifle but I am no expert on them. I only ever use one to just plink with.

P

I agree with boomerdude a break open barrel is the better choice for occasional use, as well I find that the break open have a bit more of an advantage over CO2 for the occasonal user via cost of cartriges and the seals for the cartriges wear out faster than the springs on a break open. As for caliber I like my crossman .22 break open great for targets and packs enough punch to take out a rabbit. Make sure you get one with as high a muzzle velocity as you can legally aquire and afford, I'm Canadien so I can't say what your laws are, ours is currently anything under 500 ft/s you don't need a special permit to buy.

Cheers, and happy shooting.

The primary consideration is accuracy as long as the muzzle velocity is over 800 FPS. The .22's have better terminal ballistics giving you a better chance at a one shot kill. Try to find a retailer where you can try the rifle out and that'll give you an idea how it fits and feels. The ability to mount a scope is nice but not necessary as most shots will be quite close. Not sure how the licensing works down there but if you need a firearms license anyway and you are not in an (sub)urban area an actual .22 LR centrefire might be a better choice and run you the same price or even cheaper although the ammo will run you more obviously.

Be sure to get a lot of practice before you start plinking critters as it's no fun watching a wounded animal flopping around due to a bad shot.

Hope this helped. Good luck and happy shooting.


ETA: Avoid gas operated as it's just a pain and you don't want to take a shaot and find you have an empty or dud cylinder. The break actions are powerful and much more reliable IMO.

www.gamousa.com...

I hope I can post that link, and it works. I've been shooting Gamo air rifles for a while now and they are pretty good. Check out the site an see if you like anything. I have a .177 and .22 caliber break barrel. I have a scope on the .177. They both stay sighted in as long as you are careful with them.

www.airgunwarehouseinc.com...

Some good choices here.

a reply to: hutch622 Since I do shoot a airgun. I suggest you do some reading. Here is a link to a lot of resource for you.

www.gatewaytoairguns.org...

You'll shoot your eye out.


Just had to throw some Ralphie humor in there. LOL.

a reply to: hutch622

For what you will be paying for that cometa I would buy an buy a benjamin discovery PCP rifle for about the same price, or if multi shot is allowed the Hatzan at44p is a ten round repeater also in the cometa price range. Also u could add another hundred and get the benjamin marauder for about 529 US and it is also a repeater. the discovery on pyramidair.com is 419 US w pump. the 259 US doesn't have one. the discovery has 2,000 psi resorvoir which makes it easier to use the pump.

if you want a breakbarrel then get a piston operated one over the springer. they are quieter and usually a bit more powerful. Also leaving the gun cocked and ready won't hurt the piston like it does the spring ones, and the pistons are not affected by weather. don't know how cold it gets there but if it does the springers really suck in winter. I would suggest benjamin, crosman, gamo, hatzan, umarex, ruger, etc. I have a gamo big cat in 177 that is for targets and i really like it but i got it before pistons really came out. I am getting it changed as soon as I can. Most of these companies have a decent rifle for under 200 US.

As for caliber get the 22 cuz the 177 usually doesn't knock small game out unless you hit them in the head or vital spots. the 22s usually get up to 900 to 1000 fps so using the flat top pellets will be more than enough for birds and rabbits.

also if u could get a gamo viper express shotgun for 250 US. it shoots both pellets and shotshells(with no 9 shot). pyramidair.com says u will get 750 with pellets and 725 with shot. that will also get the job done and it comes in a piston model.

Sorry this is so long. I like discussing guns and stuff. For more info got to www.pyramidair.com and poke around the site.
thanks,
Scott

Your looking for a quality gun, something that will hold its value and be functional.
I did a search of some of the stores in your country.

Best bet would be: Diana or Weihrauch HW
High quality, accurate,reliable, 2 stage adjustable triggers.

Both are high quality german airguns.

Spring and gas charged piston break barrel guns require practice as they are
Hold sensitive when firing.

PCP (pre-charged pneumatic ) require a hand pump, scuba tank, compressor.
High power and allow you to charge your gun to any psi.

Co2 cartridge. Lower power , costly

I have a few Dianas beautiful craftsmanship and accuracy.

For pest go with .22 ,buy 3 or 4 tins of good quality pellets of different weights/
Brands and test accuracy of each .
You might find a heavier pellet of a certain Brand has better accuracy,
test to see what your gun likes.

I have a Beeman silver Kodiak dual caliber , I paid 100 bucks for it new . It shoots pretty nice for the price. The scope that comes with it is kind of junky but it will shoot a group you can cover with a quarter from about 25 meters. ..I will extend my range this spring and see how it does. But a nice rifle that comes with two barrels and a scope and has a good amount of power.

My vote is a rws model 48 .177 1100fps

rws

Ba air rifles

a reply to: hutch622

My advice would be to forget ats and post on an Australian shooting forum. They will better know about availability over there as well as the relevant laws.

As an example, many of the rifles being talked about shooting at the muzzle velocities being mentioned would be enough to land you with a prison sentence in the UK unless you had a class 1 firearms certificate (unlikely for an occasional shooter).

What does stand up as good advice is the difference between the various types of air rifle. Precharged pneumatic (PCP) rifles use an internal high pressure air reservoir along with a regulator to fire pellets. These things are pretty awesome. Even cheap ones are quiet, accurate and consistent. They are entirely recoil less, so are very easy to learn to shoot. Most pcp rifles (in UK muzzle velocities) will provide between 50 and 100 shots between charge. You can cycle and load a new pellet without ever moving the rifle. The downside is the additional cost. You either need to buy an expensive pump or a dive bottle which needs refills and biannual pressure testing.

Pistons/Springers are the traditional type. Some sort of mechanical action stores energy which is then release as the trigger is pulled. These can be very effective though they take a bit of practice to shoot well. They need lots of holdover and the recoil is unlike any other firearm. They don't however need any extra equipment, they will never run out of charge in the field and they are often cheaper than pcp rifles. The two main types are break barrel and underlever. The latter is the superior choice.

My suggestion assuming you have access to the same manufacturers as we do in the UK would be a good quality springer such as from Weihrauch. Anything using the 77 or 97 block is quality you can trust. Personal favourite is the HW97k synthetic with thumb hole stock. Cheap, rugged, reliable, accurate and practical as well as being ambidextrous.

Pair it with a decent quality 3-9x40 scope and you are all set.

RWS .177 rifles hands down. Very good craftsmanship and very accurate.
That's if you really need it over a 10/22 my fav!

a reply to: Ceeker63

Thanks for the link . There looks to be a lot of useful information there . The very first post i read had lots of useful tips . Cheers

a reply to: pheonix358

Thanks for the kickstart , i had a feeling that our North American brothers and sisters would be along to help out though .

The RWS Model 34 is a popular break barrel piston/springer. My RWS Model 54 lever side cocker springer is recoilless, and maybe one of the most accurate air rifles under $3,000 dollars. Use premium pellets only. For rabbits...I'd pick a 22.

The Hawke airgun scope is a premium scope. Check out Pryamyd Air and Airgun Depot.

a reply to: Erno86

Thanks Erno . Several people have mentioned the RWS brand but i am having trouble sourcing one here . Buying one from overseas would be an absolute nightmare i would assume although i have not looked into it yet . Then there is the problem if something goes wrong with it .