Air Rifle Questions

P

Panfisher

New member
Since I find winter time sometimes "confining" and wish to be shooting, but other factors seem to get in the way. I will often pick up a GAMO .177 air rifle that I bought for my son several years ago and wage war on anything from clay pigeons laid on a snow ridge to pop cans, to just about anything that happens to catch my eye in front of my house. (no neighbors in that direction for at leas a mile). The rear site broke off and I can buy another one from GAMO for about $15 or so, or it is grooved for a scope. Questions are:
Is the cheap little rifle worth buying a decent air gun scope for it? Is there a particular one I might consider, not looking for competition level just a decent little air rifle scope. OR option #3 spending a little money and buying a better air rifle. Honestly in the last few years I have shot it more than about anything else I own. Summer time brings a crop of big yellow grass hoppers hanging on the sides of weeds that have cost me many many thousands of BB's and pellets off and on for the last 40 years. Any opinions for a decent air rifle or air rifle scope without paying a lot of money, honestly would like to have less than $200 in a new rifle or $75 in a scope.
 
About a year ago, I bought a Gamo Hornet .177 that came with a scope, for about 125 dollars, IIRC. It's proven to be very accurate across my back yard, probably 20yds or so? Pellet choice will make a huge difference in accuracy. Buy several different brands and styles. Mine went from shooting 4" patterns to about 1 1/2" groups just by changing pellet styles. All I've tried are the lead pellets.... haven't tried the PBA ones.
 
Why not just buy a cheap .22 rifle? Or if your set on kids toys go to Walmart and buy a new cheap BB gun. I'm not picking on you but I don't understand why a grown man is interested in an air rifle when he doesn't have neighbors near by him. Just my .02
 
If your airgun can shoot BBs, which are made of steel, then it doesn't have a rifled barrel.
I would suggest a new air rifle that will deliver more accuracy and velocity.
If you're happy with your smooth bore you're going to be thrilled with a rifle.
 
^^ good point. But seriously, get a .22. If your worried about noise shoot subsonic ammo or get an old gun that shoots .22 shorts
 
Air guns are a whole lot cheaper to shoot.
Especially when rimfire ammo is overpriced and in short supply.
Remember, he's killed thousands of grasshoppers.
 
Dc777,

A good air rifle, (even a good springer like an RWS or Weierauch) can be as accurate as a great .22LR inside of 30 yards and also be legal to shoot where firing a firearm will land you in jail. The guy is asking about air rifles. He probably already has a .22LR.
 
It could very well be that he lives inside city limits, and there is a law against shooting a "firearm". :rolleyes:
Either way, an adult airgun is NOT a kid's toy, and is fully capable of close range small game hunting. I've even seen videos of guys killing wild hogs with headshots from airguns. Not just once, but regularly.

Having said that, a nice pawnshop boltaction .22 rifle with subsonic ammo is probably quieter than the adult airguns.. but considerably more powerful, since they shoot much heavier bullets.. which tend to riccochet. :eek:
 
I bought an air gun several months ago and sold it the next day because it was louder than my .22 rifle. 1250 fps breaks the sound barrier. I bought it to protect my garden against critters that seem to like my home grown tomatoes more than I do. I live in a neighborhood but next to a pain in the but liberal cop that nobody in the police department likes because he isn't friendly, so I got rid of it. One would think that if you don't have neighbors for atleast a mile in your front yard that its game on, maybe I dont understand the circumstances. I'd love to not have a house less than a mile away from me. It would be game on in south Alabama
 
Rarely is an air rifle supersonic with lead pellets. Accuracy is poor on rifles that fast, anyways. Shooting pellets that keep the velocity under 1000fps is the way to go. My dad's RWS M48 in .22 Cal. is noisy, but still not as loud or recognizable as a .22LR shooting subsonic ammo.
 
For accuracy on the cheap you can't beat a CMP refurbed Daisy 853.

http://www.odcmp.com/Sales/airrifles.htm

About halfway down you'll see 100 bucks, 14.95 shipping and handling. Will launch a pellet into the 10 ring every time at 10 meters if you are good enough to hold that tight.

Not as powerful as breakbarrels, but much more accurate.

Jimro
 
Jimro said:
For accuracy on the cheap you can't beat a CMP refurbed Daisy 853.

http://www.odcmp.com/Sales/airrifles.htm

About halfway down you'll see 100 bucks, 14.95 shipping and handling. Will launch a pellet into the 10 ring every time at 10 meters if you are good enough to hold that tight.

Not as powerful as breakbarrels, but much more accurate.

Jimro
Click to expand...

I have been looking at those over and over. In my situation I have to pick one hobby at a time, but still, it's very tempting. There's a huge airgun community here in AZ with benchrest, 4p, pistol comps, etc. happening all of the time. It would be a blast but another money pit, I fear.
 
Nope, don't live in the city limits, have plenty of .22's, have another bb/.177 rifle as well as the straight .177 GAMO. I just enjoy shooting the air rifle from under the roof of the porch especially when literally just shooting across the driveway ranges, also when weather is bad have taken in and a cardboard box stuffed with newspapers to the barn and shot completely indoors. Currently am leaning toward a Centerpoint 4x air rifle scope to put on it. And shooting grasshoppers off the weeds in summer is a hoot, son and I would take turns, shoot till you miss then its the others turn. The majority of them were shot many years ago with a Daisy BB gun, looked like a Win 94 rifle.
 
You can check out Pyramid Air. They sell droop proof air rifle scopes, though I forgot what a droopy air rifle barrel stands for. I just bought a recoiless RWS Diana Type 54 side lever cocker in .177; and I like it a lot.
 
Gamo has good marketing and makes a decent break barrel rifle. However, there are many other brands that are better in my opinion. RWS is my personal favorite. .22 is a great caliber in break barrels. For a plinker a lighter .177 is great. Wanna go large? Air Rifles are offered in 9mm, .45, .50 and several other large calibers.
Anyone who says airguns are childrens toys, doesn't know much about modern airguns.
I say fix your Gamo and look into higher end guns.
 
I'll have to admit they are fun to shoot for short range target and pests. I've have a .177 RWS for probably 20 years and would never sell it. Not too long ago I also picked up a .22 cal. Steoger with factory scope & suppressor. I like shooting rim fire , but you can safely and economically shoot more pellets. Pellets are not scarce YET!
I grew up shooting them since 6 y o and still enjoy them at 60.
If you want to get technical the side single cock are supposed to be a little more accurate but not a biggy.
Good cheap fun and can shoot indoors too if set up with good backstop. Like a piece of 2x10
 
The Benjamin 17 and 22 Cal pump up pellet air rifles made by Crosman are fun to shoot. Use four pumps for indoor shooting and eight for outdoors. I have rifles with open sites, peep sites and scope sites. They are good for shooting cotton tail rabbits out to about 35 yards. Pellets cost far less than 22 RF ammo. The pump up air rifles do not have the dubbel recoil like the spring powered ones.
 
I'd go for a Centerpoint scope. They are a great budget scope designed for air rifles.

I personally like CO2 air guns. Springers require a very specific hold to get to shoot well. PCP air guns are obviously great, too, but typically more expensive. I have a Crosman 2240 air pistol that's a blast to shoot, and they make a carbine version which is cool too.

I definitely recommend Pyramid Air as well.
 
Thank for the replies, I looked at Pyramid Air, and also at GAMO, they have a pretty good looking 4x scope, as well. I may in the future look at better air rifles but for not I have what I have.
 
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