Air rifles

[oneshot]

Hey Rick, don't forget the muzzle velocity (less than 700 feet per second). Here is the state law in our little slice of communist Illinois.
(1) any pneumatic gun, spring gun, paint ball gun or
B‑B gun which either expels a single globular projectile not exceeding .18 inch in diameter and which has a maximum muzzle velocity of less than 700 feet per second or breakable paint balls containing washable marking colors;

Also check your local ordinances as they may be more stringent.
I don't know if you're a hunter but shooting squirrels is illegal unless you follow the Il. Wildlife Code. ie. hunting license, seasons, etc.
And our game wardens don't have a sense of humor so to speak, they can and will write you tickets and confiscate your equipment (guns, etc.).
I'm not trying to rain on your fun but I don't want to see you get nailed either.

 

[rickw]

You can bet I've read that law a dozen times. The rifle has to meet both qualifications, over 700fps and over .18 or larger to be considered a "firearm". I have talked to the IL. State Police and my local authorities and they both agree that it has to meet both. That is the reason I stayed with the .177.

As far as the squirrels go; I won't be out hunting with this rifle but on the occasion the pesky little things cause damage to my property I'm taken them out.

I will post some pics when it arrives.

 

[hog warden]

Rick:

I may have missed it, but you didn't say what your intended use was, which is pretty much everything.

My current arsenal:




Beeman R7 and Beeman HW77. Both capable of dime sized groups at 25 yards.

The R7 (and it's slightly less expensive counterpart, the Weihrach HW30) are the king of backyard shooters. No, not high speed, but more than enough wallop to take out tree rats, starlings, etc., and are as quiet as they are going to get in a spring powered gun. A lot of folks in the air rifle world buy and sell guns, but few ever give up their R7's.

The larger gun almost sounds like a .22 shooting shorts (more like a nail gun) and is NOT for backyard use, unless you have a really big backyard. Most guns of this size do make a lot of noise. Number 1 biggest mistake most people make is going high velocity. That HW77 shoots about 825 fps and will put a .177 pellet nearly through a 3/4 inch board at 15 yards.

In the air rifle world, accuracy and hitting what you aim at counts for more than velocity. Beyond that is pellet selection. They vary so much you wouldn't believe it. To get the best accuracy out of any gun, you have to match it to the right pellet, and in .177, there are literally dozens of pellets to chose from.

 

[billbo]

That is made in my back yard. The plant is about 6 miles from my house. They make nice air rifles, I think you will be happy.

 

[flagriller]

I've got an FN FiveseveN, whoops it's not an air pistol. Sorry

 

[rickw]

Those are some sweet rifles. I intend to do some plinking in the backyard and taking out the occasional varmint. From what I have read on the Crosman it should fit the bill, I hope.

 

[got14u]

hope you have fun with your plinker..

..I know i sure do I went with a gamo http://www.gamousa.com/product.aspx?...r&productID=70

these things are amazing. I am wanting to get there air shot gun. not sure how it works but man that would be fun to have a pellet "air" shot gun.

 

[rickw]

Now comes the search for a pellet that's going to match well with it.

 

[oneshot]

As far as the squirrels go; I won't be out hunting with this rifle but on the occasion the pesky little things cause damage to my property I'm taken them out.

All I can say is....Bad boy, Bad boy, whatcha gonna do when they come for you, Bad boy Bad boy........rotflmao

 

[hog warden]

It would be rare to find Beeman or JSB pellets locally. Almost all of those are mail order. Walmart sells a Crosman Premier Hollow Point, which seems to perform well in some guns. That's a powerful gun, so the heavier the pellet, the better. A light pellet pushed into the 1,200 fps range means cracking the sound barrier, which is both noisy and inaccurate. Heavier or tight fitting pellets hold the speed down, which again, is better for your intended use.

I was talking pellet guns with my insurance agent. He bought one of the hot Gamo's to pop rabbits and tree rats in his backyard (in town). He shot several, then put the gun away and 15 minutes later got a knock on his door.....it was the Police asking what he knew about the gunshots heard around the neighborhood. They can be that loud.

Let us know how that works out. Crosman has been making some nice stuff lately. Their Mauraduer PCP is really popular. They are selling tons of them to even the high end shooters.

 

[rickw]

Boy Hog you aint kidding. There was slim pickings as far as pellets go. I went to two different stores and came home with some Gamo Match, 7.71 gr and some Crosman Competitions, 7.9 gr. It's a start.

.

 

[thepiro]

If you are looking for a good pellet for the higher powered weapons in .177 try the Bisley Magnums. This pellet weighs in nowadays at 10.7 gr. In my day they weighed in at 10.6 gr and were the most accurate hunting/field target pellet I ever used. They got even better once you cleaned, weighed and lubricated them.

I note that this pellet is now slightly heavier and is slightly over size. I assume this is to accommodate higher power weapons by giving the pellet a better grip on the lands as it runs through the barrel.

Google Bisley Magnum, there are some good articles on there performance in high power weapons.

 

[rickw]

I received the Crosman a couple of days ago. So far I am quite pleased with it. It is still in the break in period but still shoots quite well. I have only used some cheap Crossman and Gamo pellets so far. They shoot about equal with the Crosman having a stray once in a while. I have learned to check the pellet before loading. I think the few flyers I have had was due to misshaped pellets.

I did go ahead and ordered some JSB Diabolo Exact in 8.4 and 10.2 grain. Both are heavier than what I have now so I hoping for a bit better accuracy from them.

Thanks to all for they're help and information.

 

[carpetride]

My wife went to college on a shooting scholarship (air and .22). She used Anschutz barrels. She was actually invited to the 96 olympic trials but did not qualify for the Olympics themselves. I still occasionally get her guns out and yep they are big time heavy so was the rest of the equipment she had. I have done everything you describe above, used a set of calipers to measure bullets, spent hours finessing a trigger to just the right pulll...

Anyway had to pop my head up when I saw some old memories here.

 

[rickw]

Had to reorder, they were out of the JSB pellets. Instead I ordered some Crosman Premier Ultra Magnum 10.5gr, Benjamin Discovery .177 Cal, 10.5 gr, Beeman Kodiak Extra Heavy, 10.6 gr and some Crosman Premier, 7.9 Grains.

Hopefully I will have good luck with these. It seems the JSB are a bit hard to get.

 

[bogview]

You can check out the Airgun BBS at http://www.network54.com/Forum/581291/ . They have a good classified section for used stuff as well.

I have a Benjamin Discovery with a scope on it . There is a separate hand pump or it can be filled from a scuba tank. On the BBS, there are people that will do upgrades such as, stocks, tuning, quieting etc. The discovery did a great job on a woodpecker that refused to be scared away from the corner boards on our house. Benjamin has a new model, Marauder, which is like the discovery (Disco) but has a rotating magazine.