My first time out shooting and i have some questions.

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Pixuma

Inactive
Well, not really my FIRST time, but the first time I've shot a firearm since i was about 11 (i'm 17 now and prior to today i've put maybe 20 rounds down range in my life). The guy i went with has been hunting all his life and has been reloading for 25 years now, and according to him i did purdy good! :)
Took my Remington 552 out and about 20 rounds in started putting rounds through the holes i had already punched at 25 yards.
Also managed to 'splode a few cow patties at just beyond 100 yards :D

ANYWAY, enough horn tooting.
My first question is about open sights. Should the target and both sights all be in focus? Because to be honest, lining up the sights with the target is kind of a pain because i can only really have one of the three in focus at once. I had my vision checked at an optometrist when i was younger and if i remember correctly, i was found to be a bit far sighted and i think i got a prescription for reading glasses (that i never got filled because i didn't like the idea of glasses and school :o )

Second question: how the heck do i give the barrel of the 552 a decent clean short of busting it apart and removing the barrel (it's semiauto)?! I don't have a bore snake and thought that you should always go from breech to muzzle with a cleaning rod? The ammo i was shooting is some older russian steel case stuff and it fouls up the action pretty quickly from what i can see... lots of soot!

OH and we also did a tiny bit of squirrel control with his 22-250 and i got 2 of them from 150 yards or so (quite a feat considering how shaky the adrenaline was making me :D ). If anything will make somebody appreciate just how much damage that little bullet will do, it's a squirrel's head flying 15 feet into the air and the rest of it breaking into quite a few pieces spread around a 20 foot circle. I honestly didn't think it would be as devastating as it was, and I'm glad i got to see it just so i can appreciate how deadly it is.

All that aside, I'm freaking hooked! :D
I'm considering getting a good air rifle because i live pretty far from anywhere i can safely (and legally, for that matter) shoot a firearm, but i can think of MANY places around town that an air rifle would be perfect.
I don't know much of anything about air rifles though, but i'm looking to spend around $200 or so on one. I need a good trigger and good open sights if possible with that much money.

Thanks! :)
 
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Benjamin or Crosman(Remington 1200) will do just fine fore air rifles. Just make sure to fine pellets that seat properly in the break barrel or else they will be flying everywhere. Scopes for airguns are limited because they tend to break after shooting them for so often. I would stick with a .22 rimfire or centerfire and bare with going out to the range because pellet guns cannot stay accurate maybe just a few days with the same scope!
 
You can't have all three things in focus at once. You will learn from practice, but basically you focus on your sights and get them lined up, then focus on the target. Thats why shooting is a skill, you need to practice it. Luckily .22 is still reasonably cheap and you can practice a lot with it.

enjoy. A good pellet gun is a good idea, its how i first learned to shoot. get one with open sights.
 
My first question is about open sights. Should the target and both sights all be in focus? Because to be honest, lining up the sights with the target is kind of a pain because i can only really have one of the three in focus at once. I had my vision checked at an optometrist when i was younger and if i remember correctly, i was found to be a bit far sighted and i think i got a prescription for reading glasses (that i never got filled because i didn't like the idea of glasses and school )
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Short answer: FOCUS ON THE FRONT SIGHT POST.

Long answer: as you noticed, you can only focus on one distance at a time. When you have your front sight properly aligned with the rear, focus on it, and allow the rear sight and target to become slightly blurry. It's ok to alternate between the 3 to make sure you're lined up, but when you start to move that trigger, make sure you're focused on that front sight, and that the front sight is correctly positioned on that blur that is your target.

Second question: how the heck do i give the barrel of the 552 a decent clean short of busting it apart and removing the barrel (it's semiauto)?! I don't have a bore snake and thought that you should always go from breech to muzzle with a cleaning rod? The ammo i was shooting is some older russian steel case stuff and it fouls up the action pretty quickly from what i can see... lots of soot!
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I'd spring for the boresnake, honestly. It's the easiest way I've yet found to clean a 22-caliber bore. They're easily maintained, transported to the range (especially if you're shooting a lot of dirty ammo, they're great for an on-the-fly chamber/bore cleaning)... mine is one of the better investment's I've made.
 
First question has been well answered already so I won't beat a dead horse.

Foaming bore cleaner can work wonders on the barrel. But be careful it will also strip the finish off of any wood it gets on ( stock, furniture, hardwood floors). Also field strip the action and use spray cleaner on the action. Get a manual from Remington's website. If it is not posted there contact the service dept. The manual will show the easiest way to field strip for cleaning. Last give a light coat of oil. any spray gun oil will work. No! I repeat NO!! WD-40. It will evaporate and allow rust.:( If you need a better scrubbing than what the foaming cleaner will do use a rod from the muzzle end and use a bore guide to keep the rod from touching the lands and grooves. And have Fun Welcome to the best sport on earth.:D
 
Good advice so far although I'm part of the crowd that does not clean a .22 bbl until accuracy falls off or until something starts growing in there.

Just to stay on the safe side- you might want to check with city ordinances to see if you can fire a pellet or bb rifle inside city or town limits. I've noted through posts on here that a lot of places are starting to criminalize discharging air rifles/pistols.

Always like to see a new shooter get hooked- but I sure hate to see a feller get into trouble too.
 
Okay, got it, focus on the front sight.

I'll be picking up a bore snake tomorrow along with a bore guide.

Any suggestions on what air rifle to get? I've decided that $200-$300 is what i'd like to spend. Airguns are completely foreign to me, but all i desire is good accuracy, good trigger, and above all else, good quality and reliability! I've never been one to spend money on junk unless it's an absolute emergency.
I'd mostly be plinking with it but it would be cool if i could do some pest control with it as well.

EDIT: a lot of these airguns are advertized as being supersonic? Or is that with super lightweight pellets? Definitely need to stay subsonic, don't wanna be making sonic booms to **** people off :D
 
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How would i go about checking the city ordinances?

I can't imagine that they would make it illegal where i live, but hey! Better safe than sorry!
 
Yeah, the supersonic air rifles tend only to do that if you use special lightweight pellets or cause the air rifle to diesel.

For $200-$300, you can get a very good air rifle. Look into RWS/Diana.

For checking the ordnances, google the name of your city and air rifle laws and see if that does it. If it doesn't, you can google the name of your city and revised statutes.
 
I can't find anything saying anything about airguns :D

I'm looking at the RWS 34, should i spring for .177 or .22?

And is there any decent non lead .22lr ammo? I'm in the damn condor zone so any hunting i do with it has to be non lead :(
 
Wax (on all .22LR ammo, whether you can see it or not) will protect the bore better than gun oils, but with the 552's floating chamber, the best thing to do is to get a good screwdriver and remove the barrel and clean the chamber.

I stand by my many previous comments about bore snakes being hard on bores, especially when dirty, since they drag all the crud through the bore and across the crown.

Most target shooters use a rod and clean patches for each stroke through the bore, starting from the breech end and using a rod guide whenever possible. My rods are one-piece, polished stainless steel, which doesn't pick up much crud, but is wiped after each stroke. If a brush is necessary, it's a cleaned bronze brush, used after the first solvent-damp patch, and with couple of drops of solvent at the tip.

Otherwise, everyone has their own special cleaning procedures. I finish with a dry patch, followed by a BreakFree CLP damp patch.
 
So i've decided on the RWS Model 34 in .22 with a tin of Crosman Premier Domed
from Pyramyd Air.

Do you experts approve?:)
 
I don't know anything about the Walther.

As for caliber...

Tom Gaylord said:
What is .177 caliber good for?
For starters, .177 caliber is the official caliber for world-cup and Olympic target competition. No other caliber is legal. I also explained why .177 is the only competitive caliber for field target, though any caliber can be used. Seventeen-caliber pellets are the least expensive, so if you plan to do a lot of general shooting and plinking, this is the caliber to get.
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What is .22 caliber good for?
Twenty-two is the best hunting caliber. Not only are the pellets heavier, they are also fatter, and that combination gives them better knockdown power.
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yeah, i'm just gonna stick with the rws in .22 seeing as pellets are already cheap as chips and the whole condor lead ammo ban doesn't apply to pellet rifles.
 
^ your talking about ear wax right?
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No.

Wax is used on all .22LR bullets; some is harder and thinner than others. The plated HS bullets still have a hard wax coating, made that way because they tend to be put into pockets, etc. and would come out looking like fuzz balls if they were as greasy as SV loads.

That's my story and I'm "sticking" to it.
 
Hi Pixuma, There is NO air rifle better than the RWS mod 34 in that($200)
price range. Everything else in that price range is of far less fabrication quality.
Also, do reconsider calibre, .177 is more than adequate for small pest control.
.177 ammunition is also much cheaper than .22; check dedicated airgun forums
and you'll find that JSB pellets(Express) will probably give best accuracy in
the mod 34. I've competed in 10 meter air pistol and air rifle competition,
and Field Target competition; decades ago my sons and I did cottontail and
ground squirrel hunting. One of my sons still has his RWS mod 24D that he got
28 years ago(smaller, lower power than the mod 34). I think you will be happy
with either calibre(.177/.22). Good luck;

Tony
 
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