Need a recommendation for an air rifle please

B

bryan123

Joined
Feb 7, 2017
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Hi,

We have a not so big back yard and two indoor/ outdoor cats. Lately there have been foxes in the neighborhood and we would like to get an air rifle to protect our cats.

I had a Daisy Red Ryder as a child. Shot targets, tin cans, etc . My giirlfriend however won awards for marksmanship while serving in the army.

Salespeople have told us we need to spend north of $150 to get a pellet rifle such as a Benjamin or a Gamo.

Any suggestions? No hunting anticipated, just pest control and targets.

Thanks
 
For pest control get a .22 caliber pellet rifle, I have a Benjamin Titan NP (Nitro Piston), model #BW8M22NP that works fine for your needs.

Shop around on the internet and you can probably find something in your price range.
 
It's all about shot placement. Get something that will be fast enough to be accurate out to your anticipated ranges.
I would recommend 22cal as well.
I have killed large Possum and Raccoon with a cheap pump .177 at close ranges before with eye, ear and base of skull shots but a Fox will be tough.
I would explore trapping them honestly.
 
Bass Pro Shop has the Benjamin Guide Hawk Combo (rifle/scope) .22 cal. pellet rifle on sale for Father's Day, item #2291365 at $99.97

Don't know much about it but Benjamin is a decent brand air rifle.
 
Make sure to get a break barrel single shot....reliable and every shot is full power a Gamo .22 some of them shoot at 800 plus fps
 
I was looking at this recently and it seems like gamo has a few supposedly shooting over 1,000 fps with the right ammo. I don't need to kill a fox so it was way too much for my needs but it sure sounds interesting. I'm having a heck of time with chipmunks digging holes around the house and they have been avoiding my traps... and I see them sunbathing daily in the yard so I figure it would be easier just to tag a few.

Living in a sub-division makes this trickier then back home on the farm with a .22LR where nobody questions gunshots throughout the day.

The gamo whisper is what I was looking at but I was aiming to get .177 cal.
 
Just remember that a lot of the .177 Whispers are supersonic...which defeats the point of the suppressor. The .22 Whisper I had was quieter than the pellet hitting the paper :D

~Chip
 
WValtakis said:
Just remember that a lot of the .177 Whispers are supersonic...which defeats the point of the suppressor. The .22 Whisper I had was quieter than the pellet hitting the paper :D

~Chip
Click to expand...

That's very good to know. I was thinking the .22 would have a little more air behind them to get the velocity there. Quiet is what I need so it sounds like the .22 whisper may be the ticket for me. Maybe for the OP also.

May need to get the dad's nightscope out for some stealthy critter gittin'. Haven't had troubles with 'coons 'possums in a long time though.
 
look around and see if you can find an older Sheridan blue or silver streak, or a Benjamin or crosman multipump in 22 with wood stocks. these older beauties pack a real punch and can be had for very reasonable prices. the last one I bought was a 1960ish Sheridan silver streak in good working condition at a pawn shop for $40 or so. with jsb .20 13 gr pellets, and a good sight in and 8 pumps, if I felt that I could put one in the temple or ear of a fox it will do the job. ive killed several with my 22 Benjamin marauder rifle out to 60 yards, but that is a pretty pricey precharged rifle. but the older sheridans, benjamins and crosmans will do the same thing at shorter distances.

one thing to remember about fox and air rifles is their sloping forehead, and the power level of the air rifle. so get close, then put the pellet where it will do the most good, aiming for a shot that will cross the brain at whatever angle you have. so tear ducts, ear holes, temples, base of the skull where the neck joins.

one thing to be carefull with the older multipumps is they tend to multiply in your closet, once you see what they will do and how accurate they are, and then you see one at a fleamarket for $10, you wont be able to go home without it :}

they can be fairly loud though, but you can get around that to some degree with where you shoot from. keep the muzzle away from anything hard like brick or concrete so the sound from the muzzle blast wont bounce around. stay back a bit from the window so the sound gets absorbed in the house, things like that.

in the city though, box traps are about the best thing going though as you can then take it to the local animal shelter alive, or relocate it to a nearby patch of woods, or to near a friends house if you would like to mess with him..... :}
 
I own alot of air rifles and I am a PCP nut now having converted over from break action. An Marauder is a great PCP and exceptionally accurate given the price and you hear the pellet thwack not the air rifle. I also own a Nitro Piston and its a great reasonably priced break action air rifle and in .22 its not as loud. Air rifle shooting can be like knife collecting and very addictive, I have an Airforce Texan SS and it is a beast (off topic). I like PCP's because whether you use a pump or a tank you get a decent # of powerful shots that put the pellets of good quality almost hole after hole at 100ft or more. I shoot vines freehand with many of mine as they are that accurate. I am not knocking pumps or break actions as they are far more affordable and many are considerably accurate, I just havent found them to be up to PCP standards of accuracy or range of pellet size.

One thing many people make the mistake of when shooting a break barrel is how they hold it. Familiarize yourself with the proper Artillery hold and you'll find your accuracy will increase and your shooting more enjoyable.
 
Why not trap them? But apart from that we had foxes nearby for years and they occassionally got a chicken but the cats never got harmed
 
.177 for feathers and .22 for fur. I'd stay way from the Gamo. Fast is one thing, accuracy is another. I'm a springer fan myself. I've owned RWS 34, 350 mag and currently still own a 460 mag.
 
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