I am looking to buy a 22 cal pellet rifle and need recommendations from you guys that have one. I have been looking at the Crosman Nitro Venom Dusk Break Barrel Air Rifle (.22) powered by Nitro Piston. Does anyone have one with first hand experience ? Or is there other ones that are better ?
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22 cal pellet rifle ?
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
I picked up a Benjamin Sheridan Blue Streak in the early 1990s in 20 cal. It's a pump piston, 8 pumps max. I put a peep sight on it, remarkably accurate with a good kill range on small critters. I've taken more than 1000 ground squirrels with it, no exageration, and my brother can claim a couple of his neighbors cats. The blueing wore off from handling so much but it is still very powerful after all these years. I thought the 20 cal was a good compromise between velocity and frontal area. Good luck with your quest.
big al hunter
New member
My buddy has a Beeman R1 22 cal. It shoots through a 55 gal steel drum! And it is accurate.
I picked up my Blue Streak in the late 1960's.I picked up a Benjamin Sheridan Blue Streak in the early 1990s in 20 cal
Come December 24th this year, I'll have had mine 46 years.
8 pumps will still put a 5mm (20cal) pellet through a 3/4" thick pine board.
Good guns.
RWS is one of your better ones. Real wood stock- two stage trigger - very a curate and around 1100fps. Diffidently go with a single pump also. I also have a Steoger that came with factory scope & suppressor that's not bad. Price range is around $200-300.
I recently saw a pellet rifle at Wally World that came with two barrels. 177 & 22 but know nothing about it.
Use good pellets and get a beemans cleaning kit.
Also if you like a scope, its better to get one with it. They are a little pricey and regular rifle scopes won't work or hold up. Because of the reversed recoil
I recently saw a pellet rifle at Wally World that came with two barrels. 177 & 22 but know nothing about it.
Use good pellets and get a beemans cleaning kit.
Also if you like a scope, its better to get one with it. They are a little pricey and regular rifle scopes won't work or hold up. Because of the reversed recoil
I bought this last year, and I am very pleased with it:
http://www.crosman.com/airguns/rifles/break-barrel/BW8M22NP
It looks to be the same rifle with a different style stock. For the price, I think it is hard to beat. I haven't shot it a ton, but I find it to be plenty accurate with the scope mounted. Plenty powerful, too. I actually bought mine online as a "reconditioned" unit, and paid a little over $100 for it. I don't think you can go wrong for the money.
http://www.crosman.com/airguns/rifles/break-barrel/BW8M22NP
It looks to be the same rifle with a different style stock. For the price, I think it is hard to beat. I haven't shot it a ton, but I find it to be plenty accurate with the scope mounted. Plenty powerful, too. I actually bought mine online as a "reconditioned" unit, and paid a little over $100 for it. I don't think you can go wrong for the money.
Dragline45
New member
I've taken more than 1000 ground squirrels with it, no exageration, and my brother can claim a couple of his neighbors cats.
That's something to be proud of? That's just sick...
Cheapshooter
New member
I have a Benjamin Trail NP All Weather in 22. http://www.airgundepot.com/benjamin-trail-np-air-rifle.html My son has the same gun in 177. I am about to the quarter sized groups @ 30 yards, and working toward 40. My son has not had tge same experience. He suspects the CenterPoint scope that came with It. He replaced It with another scope he had on hand, and things improved. Not sure if It really was the scope, or maybe just the installation which was done over when he replaced It.
Keep in mine that air rifles are a whole differant animal than powder burners. A differant hold is necessary for best accuracy. http://www.pyramydair.com/article/The_artillery_hold_June_2009/63
Also It takes around 500 pellets down the tube before they really start to get dialed in. Pellets vairy widely in design, weight, and accuracy.The only criticism I, as well as many others have is the trigger. There is a very good aftermarket trigger available, and also a cheaper twenty five cent do-it-yourself trigger job to improve the factory trigger.
There are cheaper airguns, and much more exoensive ones, but for around double Benjamins I think these gas piston driven guns are quite good. But as with most air rifles they need a little tender loving care.
Here is a couple links to more information to help you.
http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?action=forum (the TFL of airguns!)
http://www.pyramydair.com/ (good company to but from, and great blog for information)
http://www.airgunweb.com/ (Rick Eutsler does an excellent job with youtube videos on this sire)
Keep in mine that air rifles are a whole differant animal than powder burners. A differant hold is necessary for best accuracy. http://www.pyramydair.com/article/The_artillery_hold_June_2009/63
Also It takes around 500 pellets down the tube before they really start to get dialed in. Pellets vairy widely in design, weight, and accuracy.The only criticism I, as well as many others have is the trigger. There is a very good aftermarket trigger available, and also a cheaper twenty five cent do-it-yourself trigger job to improve the factory trigger.
There are cheaper airguns, and much more exoensive ones, but for around double Benjamins I think these gas piston driven guns are quite good. But as with most air rifles they need a little tender loving care.
Here is a couple links to more information to help you.
http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?action=forum (the TFL of airguns!)
http://www.pyramydair.com/ (good company to but from, and great blog for information)
http://www.airgunweb.com/ (Rick Eutsler does an excellent job with youtube videos on this sire)
"flashole, *******, whatever, did you have the Balls to tell your neighbor what happened to his cats? I bet Not."
Never met the cat owner, I live in a different state. The cats kept using my brother's raised box vegetable garden for a bathroom. The neighbor was asked several times to keep their cats under control and my brother would put the cat chi+ in the center of his walkway leading to his front porch. Neighbor knew what happened and never really cared. Probably glad to have a chi+ free walkway. My only point was the pellet gun is strong enough to kill cat sized animals ... effectively.
I live in the country. If I see a cat it is a feral cat and I use much bigger guns than the pellet gun for dealing with the issue. Our small barn cats have had a few battles with the wild ones that like to steal their food. Ours always come up on the short end of the stick with torn ears and such.
Never met the cat owner, I live in a different state. The cats kept using my brother's raised box vegetable garden for a bathroom. The neighbor was asked several times to keep their cats under control and my brother would put the cat chi+ in the center of his walkway leading to his front porch. Neighbor knew what happened and never really cared. Probably glad to have a chi+ free walkway. My only point was the pellet gun is strong enough to kill cat sized animals ... effectively.
I live in the country. If I see a cat it is a feral cat and I use much bigger guns than the pellet gun for dealing with the issue. Our small barn cats have had a few battles with the wild ones that like to steal their food. Ours always come up on the short end of the stick with torn ears and such.
flashhole you need to protect your cats from the wild ones. Vet bills can get expensive.
I have a neighbor that has 4 cats and lets them run wild all the time. They tear up my garbage bags, crap in our flower beds etc. I caught two of them and dropped them off at the local SPCA and gave them the name and address of the owner. They had to pay to get them back. Now they keep them in their house.
I have a neighbor that has 4 cats and lets them run wild all the time. They tear up my garbage bags, crap in our flower beds etc. I caught two of them and dropped them off at the local SPCA and gave them the name and address of the owner. They had to pay to get them back. Now they keep them in their house.
North East Redneck
New member
RWS 350 Magnum .22. Break barrel spring powered. Shoots great, hits hard and is very accurate. I use it for squirrel hunting. Shot a coon that my Lab had cornered in the garage. Two shots in the head, first one put him down, second one ended it. I use RWS SuperPoint pellets.
Cheapshooter
New member
which is a better system for accuracy, the nitro piston or spring piston ? How does the 22 cal compare with the 177 cal ? Is one more accurate than the other or is one better than the other ? Has anyone any recommendations on currently available air guns ?
Both break barrel types are piston driven. The differance is the nitro piston compresses the piston against a cylinder of nitrogen gas, while the springers use a spring. The gas piston guns are a bit quieter, and the recoil (effects accuracy, not pain) is differant.
While neither should be left cocked for extended periods of time, It is less crucial with a NP. As far as accuracy there are many more factors to consider.
Of course the absolute top is the PCP guns. Pre Charged Pneumatic. Where you charge a cylinder on the gun from an air pump, compressor, or scuba style tank. But for near perfection you get much higher cost. The guns can run from over $300 to over a grand. Charging pumps are a couple hundred, fiberglass charging tanks double that or more, and have to be charged at a scuba shop, or with a compressor that can set you back more than a grand Great system, and guns, but way out of my price range.
177 vs 22 isn't as much an accuracy question as It is a power level question. Just like in powder burners, smaller, lighter, faster vs bigger, heavier, slower. One rule of thumb often mentioned is "177 for feathers, 22 for fur".
One reason I chose the Benji is the welded on integral scope rail isn't prone to shake loose like screw mounted bases. Either gas, or spring, piston driven air guns have a unique, and in some ways more violent recoil signature than powder burners.
North East Redneck
New member
Cheapshooter brings up an interesting point about recoil. Springers recoil in both directions. Both forward and back. The nature of this recoil will damage scopes that aren't made to handle it. Also the hold you use on a springer is important, less is more in this case. Gripping the gun to firmly will cause the recoil and vibrations in the gun to disrupt accuracy. Hold it loose with your trigger hand and support it with the back of your off hand or use just a couple of fingers under it.
Pyramyd Air has some great articles on correct hold etc of springers.
I don't know that a nitro piston is any more accurate than a spring. I will say this- my RWS springer was $400, a friend of mine has a .22 springer that came with a scope for $180. These two guns are worlds apart in fit, finish and overall quality.
Pyramyd Air has some great articles on correct hold etc of springers.
I don't know that a nitro piston is any more accurate than a spring. I will say this- my RWS springer was $400, a friend of mine has a .22 springer that came with a scope for $180. These two guns are worlds apart in fit, finish and overall quality.
It took me awhile to figure out the differences in recoil. I didn't understand how a scope off of a 30-30 could be damaged by a little air rifle. But this is true. I actually prefer open sights anyway though.Cheapshooter brings up an interesting point about recoil.
I don't know that a nitro piston is any more accurate than a spring. I will say this- my RWS springer was $400, a friend of mine has a .22 springer that came with a scope for $180. These two guns are worlds apart in fit, finish and overall quality.
I've been very satisfied with my RWS with performance , fit & finish. I wouldn't trade it for most 22 rim fires. The cleaning kit from beemans has three types of oil included along with felt cleaning pellets. If you get the spring oil mixed up with the chamber oil it's as loud as a rim fire from the explosion in the chamber. This could also damage the gun. Im not familiar with the nitro piston, but accuracy is excellent with the RWS spring system. Mine is 20 years old with no problems at all