Air Guns

[Falstaff]

Any one use air guns here? Not air soft toys, but pellet guns, for hunting. I sold all my fire arms and concentrate on air guns now. I don't have one that will do big game yet ( they do make them in up to .50 caliber that will take dear, hogs and other larger game animals). Mine is a custom carbine style. Just wondering.

 

[whoaru99]

What is the point to use an air gun instead of a firearm? More of a challenge?

 

[dosmalo]

I got a break-barrel Crosman Phantom .177 w/ 9 power scope that I really like.
Between it and "the Girls" we keep all the vermin in check around here.
With the right pellet it will break sound when fired.

 

[Jack Lord]

My grandad gave me a Crosman Powermaster 760 back in the 1970s. Used to take out rats with it.

I recently fished it out of mom's attic and had it repaired. Social sensibilities being what they are, not to mention local regulations, means I only shoot it in the basement these days. Still shoots perfectly and is a lot of fun.

 

[MKF83]

I have my dads .22 Benjamin Sheridan and take it out now and then. It packs a punch at low pressures and is great fun for knocking cans and army men. I'm into competitive high-power now, but the ammo sure is cheaper. Like Jack implied, where i live I'd do time for taking it outside.

 

[John James]

If I'm not mistaken, Grumpy has a forum devoted to air guns. You might shoot D) him a PM.

Here it is....

http://www.airgunsforum.com/index.php


...

 

[Jimerson]

I've had a S&W 78G .22 cal air pistol for about 40 years. Very accurate and styled to look like the model 41. Airguns are great for teaching the novice basic firearms safety, targeting, etc.

 

[Beatnik]

I have still got my old Hahn 45 and Hahn air rifle from years past. There's a thread here somewhere where we were showing pellet pistols and grips. Never own a REAL gun in my life.

 

[robgmn]

I have a Crossman 2100 with scope that I plink with.
Using pellets, tt'll shoot 5" groups at about 30 yards.

I also have the one pictured below (black polymer gripstock).
Never dialed it in, but it seems accurate enough up to 20 ft.

 

[drknstrmyknight]

While there is no shortage of firearms around here, I have a Walther LP-53 that we use for 'parlor' shooting in the basement when the guys are over.

I also have a Sheridan .20 that, depending on how many pumps you give it, can discourage or dispatch small critters at surprising range.

 

[Falstaff]

What is the point to use an air gun instead of a firearm? More of a challenge?

Cheaper ammo (think $8 for 500 rounds of .22 cal pellets) Quieter, in general, less regulation in most cases, here in the states. They are also self contained for the most part.

Lewis and Clark took an airgun with them on their famous journey across North America and hunted with it. No powder to run out of.

During several wars in Europe during the 1800s up into the WW1, several countries outfitted snipers with high powered air guns for silent kills. (yes, they make silencers for them but even in air guns they are highl regulated.)

 

[MacNoob]

Got a few.

English BSA Sportster with scope,
Modded Crosman 2240
Daisy 853 (Cadet training rifle)
Maybe a couple others I can't remember.

That Walther LP 53 above is sweet.

Would love to take out the BSA for some field target but there is no local organization.

 

[Eric n Kc]

pellet guns

Hey
I got me a Gamo varmint stalker whisper .177. It's kinda suppressed but still louder than I'd like. I've been told that if you go to heavier pellets that will quiet it down some.
It came with a scope (no iron sights) .I sighted it in down stairs for squirrelsand birds mooching off my beloved peach tree. I'm sure if I ever shot one it would blow them up real good. But every time I open the kitchen window they scoot. Fargen ice holes.
Oh well next year. Eric

 

[Falstaff]

I've taken rabbits, doves and even quail with mine. All in season and with the appropiate hunting licenses and stamps.

 

[finnbow]

I have a Gamo .177 1,000 fps spring-piston air rifle with a 3-9x airgun scope, along with a Webley Tempest .177 air pistol. Both are nice quality and powerful (other than lousy triggers on both), but accurately shooting a springer can be difficult. After finding the most accurate pellet for your gun (RWS Meisterkugeln in my case), learning to properly hold a spring-piston rifle is essential to decent accuracy. On a good day, I can shoot dime-sized groups at 20 yards.

 

[mkane]

In have a few early 80's Beeman rifles. Nice, cheap to shoot with plenty of power for small game. .20cal.

 

[BadassBob]

I have a Mike Melick tuned XS-25S .22 from Flying Dragon, it's a Chinese clone of the RWS 34. I also have a tuned XS-12 .22, it's about the same power as a Beeman R7 or Weihrauch HW30, very quiet and backyard friendly. I had a squirrel problem a couple of years back and the XS-25 more than paid for itself. I use the XS-12 for target shooting around my yard or plinking the occasional sparrow or starling trying to set up shop in one of my bird houses. I use a Williams FP-AG-TK peep on the XS-12 and a UTG True Hunter 3-9x40AO on the XS-25. My favorite pellets are the JSB RS 13.43gr in the XS-12 and JSB 14.3gr in my XS-25.

 

[BruceRPA]

I have a Whisper CFR - .177 cal. Fixed Barrel Air Rifle with Noise Dampener.

I wanted to have a way to deal with ground hogs that were devastating my garden. Since I live in a residential development, as rural as it is, shooting a firearm is not OK. A quiet air rifle should do the trick. I started with a less expensive model and ended up trading up, twice, to this one. The others were not so quiet, the scopes were just awful, and the accuracy was poor at best. This one is quiet, but not silent by any means, as long as it is shooting a heavy pellet that travels just below the speed of sound. It is quiet enough that I am comfortable shooting in a safe direction at varmints in my garden and not raising any unnecessary attention. I spoke with all of my neighbors about what I was doing and they all said they were OK with it and I should just use a hunting rifle on the damn things. The scope is pretty decent considering that the whole rig was less than $400 with a case and a bunch of ammo. Once the scope is dialed in the gun shoots very consistently and VERY accurately.

It is a breech-load with a lever as opposed to a break-barrel.



- See more at: http://www.gamousa.com/product.aspx?product=Whisper CFR&productID=388#sthash.qYAFDLNJ.dpuf

I imagine that all of you air gun enthusiasts are familiar with www.pyramydair.com . If not, check it out. I found that there is a LOT of excellent information available there.

Interestingly, when I first got this rifle and was sighting it in at the range, I also had just purchased some sub-sonic 22LR rounds for my old Marlin lever action rifle. With those sub-sonic rounds, that thing is almost silent! The action in the air rifle is appreciably louder.

 

[BadassBob]

A quiet air rifle should do the trick.

Most spring-powered air rifles are rather quiet. The perceived loudness is due to the action being inches away from your head, but to somebody the next yard over it'll sound like a pneumatic nailer at the most. I tested the loudness of both of my guns with my brother shooting from my back patio and me standing on the sidewalk out front of my house. It wasn't even loud in the least, the impact of the pellet on target was louder than the rifles themselves :thmbsp:

 

[bowtie427ss]

Lewis and Clark took an airgun with them on their famous journey across North America and hunted with it.

Not exactly correct.

If you study the diaries, the Giordono rifle was always mentioned being used for the same thing. Peace through superior firepower, as the rifle was used in a dramatic exhibition/demonstration to the natives they encountered.