Looking for the Best Air Rifle/Pellet Rifle

A

AntiSingleCoil

Inactive
Hi Guys,

My first post here, and I'm sure it's been done a million times and I apologize for the noob question! I just wanted some fresh opinions to avoid stale forums with old info, so any help would be much appreciated!

Living in MA, it's a bit of a pain getting a LTC and often frowned upon as this is a very gun-controlled state. People seem to immediately gravitate towards thinking you're a psycho for having a gun here, which is ridiculous IMO. So in lieu of this, I recently purchased the Beeman Silver Kodiak X2 as a introductory/starter gun since it can shoot both .177 and .22's. It seemed to get good reviews for the price and I read it was a better brand than most inexpensive options.

I would, however, like to look into more expensive models. I'd like to find a .22 Nitro Piston for hunting purposes. I have tentatively narrowed it to either the Benjamin Trail NP2/Pheonix NP2 (couldn't find out what the difference was, if anyone happens to know!), or the RWS Model 34 (seems to be made by Diana or Umarex, again not sure if anyone knows). I've learned that some companies like Crossman have different lines/brands and so forth, seems hard to figure out which is which. I've heard a lot of negative things about Gamo, but I'm not very experienced and certainly open to it if what I heard was wrong.

Money isn't an issue, although I'd like to keep it under $500 or so. I'm a guitar enthusiast and know quite a bit on the subject from doing it for 15 years, and doing so has shown that people new to the hobby can make not-so-smart decisions based on incorrect research or assumptions, so as I'm always trying to help people find the best guitar for them, I'm hoping some of you guys who are experienced can help me in a similar way! I don't plan on really "collecting" these, so I'd like to try to make a good decision on on that will work well and last a long time, and keep the Beeman for a spare/backup.

I'm open to any opinions, comments, or suggestions. Also, any "tricks/tips" for shooting, maintenance, or general info would also be awesome. Thank you everyone in advance!
 
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I can only speak regarding RWS and Gamo. My friend had an RWS that was accurate but it would 'Bear trap' often when cocking, perhaps RWS has corrected this issue. I have a Gamo 220 hunter, no 'Bear trapping' when cocking, accurate and surprisingly powerful especially when I put one drop of oil in the cylinder which I do at least every third shot. I was shooting the Gamo this past weekend and would recommend a Gamo based on my experience. Determine what your purpose is, target and/or hunting, choose a few guns which appeal to you then make your final decision based on customer reviews and you should do fine. Also, be advised that the more powerful (adult) air rifles produce a substantial 'crack' when fired, if you live in residential area with close neighbors you may not want to shoot around the yard.
 
Thank you for the input! I haven't heard of that model much, but I'll definitely look into it.

I have a small yard in the city that's about half an acre or so but I don't plan on shooting it in there. I believe it is technically legal, but after 9/11 and the recent Boston Marathon bombing, probably not a good idea to shoot a scoped rifle in plain sight that makes that much noise. People are extremely inexperienced with guns, and they won't know it's a pellet rifle. I love the city, but it definitely has it's drawbacks and this is one of them.
 
Pyramydair.com has loads of video reviews and their blogger Mr. Pelletier has plenty of good articles on most aspects of airgunning.
That's always the first place I look.
I didn't mean to be an airgun collector, but I now have nine of them, three rifles and six handguns.
They are definitely habit forming, and so useful.
I use them indoors, in the house and garage.
 
I know the feeling, I said that when I got my first nice guitar that I wouldn't collect them. Well 22 guitars later, I lied to myself lol.

I have a feeling I'll end up getting more. Just with 983,000 other hobbies, I try to control the spending a little bit. I'm afraid to get an LTC only because the world of pellet guns is much smaller (seems like there's just a few dozen decent guns out there) than the world of real firearms where there's not only thousands of options in production but vintage as well, and I have a feeling I'll get too deep into it.

I appreciate the resources, I'll check them out. It seems that people just seem to have different experiences with each gun. I don't know if it's quality control on the guns, different skills, conditions they used it in, how they set it up, or a combination of all. I think I'm pretty solid on one of the two choices in the OP since I don't want one you have to pre-charge or a spring, but I'm just looking for something I perhaps haven't heard of. There seems to be like 10 different versions of the RWS Model 34, so I don't know if anyone can clarify them...or the Trail vs. Phoenix differences...
 
OP, you mention not wanting a 'Spring', be advised that a lot of break barrel (which is what I have) and side cockers are spring piston and are well regarded. Put one (one!) drop of oil in the cylinder every 1-3 shots and you can expect years of good shooting. Note that putting in more than one drop of oil into the cylinder has been reported to cause the gun to Diesel which I would expect to destroy the piston since it wouldn't have that cushion of air to ride forward on with an empty chamber, don't ever dry fire a spring piston gun! One last thing, the break barrel types are extremely easy to load the pellet into, the side cockers can be difficult to load.
 
Thanks for the tips! I have just heard everywhere and was advised that Nitro Pistons pose all advantages over springs. Figured I'd just follow the trend...

Sorry for the again "rookie" questions but when you mention to oil the cylinder: 1. What kind of oil do you use? 2. Do you drop it in where you insert the pellet before you load it or do you put in in the exiting end?

Always appreciated brother, thank you again.
 
There is oil specifically for spring piston guns available wherever pellets are sold or from on line retailers. As for location, on break barrel guns, there is a hinge where the barrel and receiver meet, when at the end of the cocking stroke the barrel latches open, you then put the pellet in the barrel opening and the oil in a small hole in the receiver, you'll see it.
 
Awesome, thank you for the help and your time!

As far as the models I think I'm going to get, does anyone have any experience with them or other recommendations?
 
The Gamo "Silent Stalker" has great reviews and in .22 should be great for pests and plinking, although if you stay with a supsonic .25 caliber, it may just be quiet enough to shoot in the backyard. I would go to Pyramid air and read the blogs and reviews. It seems that Benjamin makes the grade on most of their models. The Benjamin Marauder seems like a great choice, with 30gr pellets up to 900FPS, should be accurate and quiet, although a little pricey.

I know if I had no option for an actual firearm, I would personally be looking for something I could protect my home with if ever necessary. I would be looking fo a large bore, .357-.50, and cast my own. I love the career dragon slayer, pretty sweet, but I know, it probably seems ridiculous. I also understand not wanting to mess with pre charged.

Is it legal to build silencers for airguns? Like oil filtr adapters etc.? W/o paperwork of course.
 
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I've read some reviews that look good about the Silent Stalker and Nitro Venom, have to look into them!

Truthfully a method of home protection would be nice, considering my LTC as I should get approved with a squeaky clean record, but once again it might be a rabbit hole knowing how much time and money I spend on hobbies I like!
 
Just a comment on oiling your springer.

I bought a new R1 last fall and was surprised to read that you do not oil it EVER in the chamber. The guns are lubed for the life of the powerplant (spring). I confirmed this with beeman and weinrauch.

So read the manual. Some guns may take oil, some may not.

By the way, my 30 year old Beeman 400 takes 1 drop per 500 shots as a comparison.
 
I blew $140 on a Benjamin nitro gas pellet rifle last year. Absolute waste of money. Damned thing is less accurate than my old pump up Crossman smooth bore. I was expecting a rifle capable of stacking pellets in a single hole @ 10 yards. It will do that but only if the hole is 1" diameter to begin with. 1" groups @ 10 yards is worthless.
 
My favorite now is a Sheridan Blue Streak from the 1970's. American made, real wood and metal. Accurate and powerful.
Bought it last year and it quickly superseded my new Gamo Bone Collector and Crosman custom shop 2400KT.
 
Thank you very much for the reply guys! I'll have to check the manual to see what maintenance should be exactly. It's tough getting into a hobby that has been around for a while and has a lot of enthusiasts with a lot of different opinions, and a lot of times one contradicts another. I suppose I'll just accept that I'll likely mess up my first gun and treat the second one better!

I realize the Beeman I got isn't the best, and truthfully when I see on other forums (on hobbies I'm understand better) someone getting a "starter" or "first", I always think "Oh man, here we go, this guy getting so concerned about his crappy toy" but sometimes it's hard to pick out the right pieces of advice I suppose.

I'll look into other models as you guys suggested. It'd be nice to try every gun before you decide (advice I often give to new guitar players) but it looks like that may not be an option!

Still open to any other comments or help, thank you all!
 
You should look at the Benjamin Marauder line, I realize you said under $500, but for aabout $800 you can get a nice shooter in a Marauder, i've plucked pigeons at 89 yards & aspirins at 20 yards all day long and I am not that great of a shot. The .22 & .25 cals work really well.
 
I'd definitely be open to it, but PCP's seem like a bit to manage and I'd like something self-reliant. May definitely be something to consider in the future though, everyone seems to love the Marauder!
 
Air guns are a lot of fun, but in some ways they take more research to understand than firearms.

There are four general types of airguns:

1) Springer (gas or regular spring) - Some real enthusiasts love their German and British made high end rifles, but they take a lot of technique to learn how to shoot. Low end ones (under $300) don't have great accuracy out to more than 25 yards. These guns are very hold sensitive and require a specific "artillery hold" to shoot well.

2) Multi-pump pneumatics - These are guns require around 10 pumps to charge before each shot. You can expect a similar power to average springers if get a nice one. Prices generally don't go as high as springers. These rifles are MUCH easier to shoot and dollar for dollar are much more accurate. They are not hold sensitive like springers.

3) CO2 rifles - These are fun but don't generate the necessary power unless you're shooting really small game at really close distances.

4) PCP (pre-charged pneumatics) - These have a large air cylinder that's filled with a special handpump or a scuba tank. These generally speaking are the most accurate guns out there, and the most powerful. They aren't hold sensitive. You get many shots per fill-up. However, you need fill equipment.

For beginners, I recommend a Benjamin Discovery packaged with a hand pump. I can take rabbits and other game of that size out to 75 yards and with a good scope and an extra barrel band. It's an extremely accurate. I routinely shoot 3/4 inch groups at 50 yards.

Also realize that high fps is not always the best. Pellets are not as aerodynamically stable as bullets. It's best to keep them under 1100 fps so you avoid the supersonic to subsonic transition. More powerful guns will often shoot best with heavier pellets to keep the speeds low.
 
Also, PCPs are actually the simplest airguns in terms of moving parts and design. They require a lot less maintenance than powerful springers. With the pump, you have a system that just needs ammo.

The Benjamin Discovery also operates at 2000 psi, which makes it WAY easier to pump than other PCPs that operate at 3000 psi.

However, if you're really against PCPs (which you shouldn't be) then I'd recommend a Benjamin 392 or 397 (it's a multipump).
 
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