High Quality Air Rifle?

J

JD Spydo

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Nov 20, 2004
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I hope I'm not breaking the rules or putting this question on the wrong sub-forum :) If so I'll delete it immediately

But back in my younger days I had a single shot air rifle with a break down barrel where you could load it with either a BB or a .177 cal pellet. That air rifle was of a pretty fair quality because I killed a lot of snakes, frogs, squirrels and rabbits with it while camping. It didn't make much noise like a .22 rifle would and it did a fairly decent job of putting a little bit of meat on the table.

This upcoming summer I'm planning on doing a lot of outdoor stuff and I'm seriously considering getting a high quality air rifle ( not C02). I don't mind single shot units and actually I like them because they make me shoot better knowing I only have one shot. I'm that way with my .22 rifle as well.

I have not had an air rifle in a long time and I was wondering who made a good one. Accuracy is important to me because I do want one to get small game with. I love to eat squirrels and rabbits over an open hickory fire :) I also love to harvest all the frog legs I can during season as well. A good lady friend of mine told me that she has a German made Anshutz ( I hope I spelled that right :o). But I got 2 to 3 months to put some money together and I do want one of decent quality. But I do not want any C02 units at all. I don't mind pumping several times like the old Benjamin air rifles had you to do. OK tell me who makes the good ones and which ones do you all recommend?
 
Get a hw95 the great small game rifle. Its a break barrel. Maybe in the 400$ range.
 
JD Spydo said:
This upcoming summer I'm planning on doing a lot of outdoor stuff and I'm seriously considering getting a high quality air rifle ( not C02).
Click to expand...

You're opening a can of worms. Air rifles range anywhere from Chinese junk to costing as much as a decent used car. You're probably going to want a spring piston gun. The traditional high-quality brands are the German marques. Weihrauch, RWS Diana, Feinwerkbau. The RWS Diana Model 34 has a good reputation as a decent entry level rifle.

Springers tend to be hold sensitive, generally preferring an artillery hold. You can also get pump guns at the low end and precharged pneumatic guns at the high end. Neither are as hold sensitive as a springer. The PCP guns require that you have a scuba tank for refills. The tank needs periodic recertification and you have to find someone willing to fill it if you aren't a diver. The hand pumps for PCP guns are slow. Probably not a good entry level choice.

Don't get all wound up over muzzle velocity. Having a pellet break the sound barrier is a very bad thing. It tends to go unstable during both transitions. On top of that, you get a nice crack - a mini sonic boom if you will. A 22 shooting conical ball is quieter. Some air rifles are now coming with suppressors. Gamo comes to mind. Not as nice as the German brands, but functional.

Gordon
 
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I've sworn by my Crosman 1377 .177 carbine, until it broke on me. I then started really using my Benjamin Sheridan .20 pump gun, one of my favorites. Last July, I picked up a Beeman at Walmart. .177 basic, came with an extra .22 barrel and scope, spring gun. A broken back and busted up ribs are not conducive to pumping it, single spring gun pump, but I have been using it recently. I was just going to post a thread about how many keep an airgun in their outdoors kit. Wonder if SP/SF gun rules apply to airguns.
 
You raelly have many to choose from. Lots of gerat stuff out there now.
The Beeman R9 is a great gun. I have one in .177 w/ a 3-9 x 40 scope and it's a rabbit killer.
Gamo Big Cat in .22 is great also.
 
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I've got an RWS 460 Magnum in, and I couldn't be happier. It is a bit heavy, but it shoots a .22 over 900 fps. I like the fact that is an underlever not a break barrel so it is extremely accurate. Anything from RWS is great. Air arms is a fantastic brand aswell. Check out reviews on pyramdair.com
 
Ive got a walmart crosman .22 nitro piston. While it is not what your looking for, i feel obligated to share some input. While the trigger pull sucks (about like my kel-tec p11 :eek:, which is double action only) it is VERY accurate (once you get used to the trigger pull). Shooting that thing has helped my shooting dramatically with both rifle and pistol. I do recommend getting a nitro piston gun because you dont have to worry about the spring weakening and you can leave it cocked for a long time without worry.
 
OT, but who is the custom air rifle maker, his ads always feature the owner on a hunting safari, with a huge African bull etc. .60 caliber rifles. His name is on the tip of my tongue.

Quackenbush!
http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/

He looks a little backed up, but I still think it's cool. Backwoodsman has had a few airgun articles written in the past ten years, and the history of air rifles is always interesting.
 
Same disclaimer I put up last time – I'm very out of touch now...................To proceed anyway, assuming then that you're not after a Daystate Weihrauch have always made superb rifles be that sporting or field target. I meddled with all of them a lot in the back when and only quit when the gas ram jobs came along. They totally dominated the sporting air rifle scene although with the occasional nudge from Feinwerkbau. They are an real treat to work on use as far as spring guns go. If you can cope with the weight you're not going to go far wrong with a Weihrauch spring gun....................That said, of the Weihrauchs, I'd now be mostly interested in the HW90 with the sealed Theoben gas ram. In doing that I'd be forfeiting a simplicity of home tweaking that I enjoyed with previous Weihrauchs so I might as well consider Theoben in their own right................Air Arms puts out some excellent stuff too, and they've come a long way since the Jackal. It would be folly to overlook them as well............You might do well to have a sniff here.
 
i have a daystate mk3 and still go for my hw95 or even my beeman r7 if im plinking.
 
I just bought a Gamo Silent Cat .177 pellet rifle.

It has a break barrel and is a single shot.

It is designed for small game, and I picked mine up online for $149 delivered.

It has a very nice set of sights, and also comes with a scope, which I have not unboxed, since I like the sights and they will be sufficient for what I am doing with the piece for now.

I like that it is a single cocking piece, no pumping like my old Crossman 760 (which is a very nice piece as well).

I am impressed with the Gamo - I think it is made in Spain, and it came with a 1 year warranty and some Gamo pellets.

best

mqqn
 
I recently picked up a Crosman Nitro Venom Dusk and have been enjoying it so far. It's a Chinese-made example, but very well built and a good bargain for its asking price. Gonna' be zappin' rats with it. It's a gas piston break barrel.
 
I was just rereading your application and it occurs to me that a decent single shot 22 will be lighter, cheaper, as accurate up close, more accurate out a ways, nearly as quiet with the right ammo, easier to shoot well, and more humane on larger game/longer distances. Now I would never let all that get in the way of a new toy, but it's something to think about. ;)

Gordon
 
For what is worth I have a Diana model 27, way before the company became RWS Diana, that was a gift from my father in 1979.
It is a .22cal and it is still going strong. Just do not keep it loaded for too much time as the spring tends to suffer, or so I was told.
So I would go with the German makers.
Best Regards
 
I own an HW77 (Weihrauch) ,great gun for accuracy but too heavy for me anymore. I would suggest getting an HW95 (Same gun as Beeman R9,but cheaper). Your choice of caliber,.177,.20,.22 should also be factored in. What type of game do you plan to shoot? How far away? Will you be getting a scope for the gun? Far as I know the HW95(R9) is only available in .177 or .20. I would go for the .20 if those are my choices,harder to find pellets for it,but better energy transfer in that caliber. Avoid anything that states it sends pellets out at over 1000 FPS,it's BS, they get those figures by using non lead pellets. I would never put one of those in my rifle,lead only.
 
In terms of pellet size anything besides .177 is hard to find locally but easy to find on the 'net, so I wouldn't let the local lack of availability get to ya' when deciding on calibre. Just buy several packs at a time so you have some back stock.
 
This thread needs more pictures!

Here is my main bunny-bashing rifle, an Air Arms S410 in .22. It has a few added extras including a nicer stock and more effective sound moderator. It's almost silent to shoot; hitting the target 25 yards away is louder!

The S410 is a PCP and I have a dive bottle to fill it with, plus a stirrup pump for when the world ends and the local dive shop closes. I find the stirrup pump quite effective; it doesn't take all that long to fill the rifle's tank, just a bit of effort. The rifle has a ten shot magazine and fires around a hundred good shots before needing charging again.

Oh, and it also has a Harris bipod added on since those photos were taken.

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If you wanted to just get into it again, I would go with a Gamo. They are the type between the cheap chinese crap and the high end stuff, but still really solid and worth the price. People really love them on amazon at least. My friend has one which I handled and shot a few rounds with, and it just feels heavy duty. You should think about investing in a scope once you get the rifle(if it doesn't come with a scope)
 
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