a different pest control rifle

[9ballbilly]

At the end of last year, on his birthday, my son inherited my Henry .22lr carbine as promised. In need of a new pest control gun for around the yard and garden I went shopping for another .22. While out and about I came across a Remington black magic .177 "adult" air rifle with an inexpensive 4x scope and 500 Crosman pointed pellets on sale and decided to give it a try instead. Pests for me are venomous snakes, squirrels, and other small critters. Air rifles today are worlds away from the BB guns we had as kids I soon found out. The Black magic throws pellets at over 1,000fps and now that I have the scope and adjustable trigger dialed in will shoot ragged one hole groups into a dime size bulls eye at 25'. I was amazed at how accurate the gun is, and 25' is farther than 95% of my pest dispatching. Along with an OTD price of $100.00 some other benefits are; very cheap to shoot, almost no noise, I can shoot it inside into a homemade pellet trap. To sum it up, I'm very happy I tried something new (to me) and don't miss the Henry nearly as much anymore.
IMO modern air rifles are worthy of consideration as an addition to any rifle battery.

[spacecoast]

I agree, they have a lot going for them.

[Spats McGee]

I've been considering a new bb/pellet/air gun of some sort for along time. I'd also agree that there's much to recommend them, and they are a far cry from the pellet gun I had as a kid.

[TRex99]

Agreed. I have a Gamo that I use for the same. Nice and quiet.

[flashhole]

I picked up a 20 caliber Benjamin Sheradin Silver Streak (8 pumps max) years ago and put a peep sight on it. Terriffic little gun, accurate and deadly. I've put at least 5000 pellets down the barrel and it still shoots strong. Blueing is worn off where I grab the barrel to pump it up and the varnish wore off the stock years ago so I put an oil finish on it. Biggest things I've killed with it are feral cats and opossums.

[TheBear]

I love my weihrauch (beeman) hw97k .20cal airrifle, many people think they dont need an airgun because the have a .22 rifle but a .22 is no substitue for a good air rifle.

[Boomer58cal]

The Dragon Slayer .50 air rifle $600. 225g cast lead bullet at 600 fps, with 190 lbs of energy.

Linkhttp://www.pyramydair.com/article/_5...cember_2007/45

I want one of these.

Boomer

[bedbugbilly]

Please excuse my ignorance . . . it's been probably 50 years since i have shot a pellet gun. Back then, we had a Benjamin pistol and a Sheridan rifle. Both pumped up - the more you pumped, the greater the pressure, etc. I've seen air rifles in some LGS but never paid much attention to them. I'm sure the technology has changed greatly. Just how do the current ones work? Are they pumped up like the old Benjamins/Sheridans or is there a different technology that gives you the air pressure?

If I remember right, our Benjamin was a .177 and the Sheridan was .22 - could be wrong though as it's been a long time. I also had a Crossman CO2 "Colt style" BB pistol - I remember it was a real PIA with the CO2 in getting the cylinders to seal tight.

Anyway, can some one give a brief description on how the new ones work? I looked at at "air guns" on GunBroker - never realized there were so many and some that put out 1200 fps - kind of amazing. Are they a "single pump stroke" to charge or "multiple pump strokes"? One with a scope might be a handily thing to have here on the farm for little varmints and some inexpensive plinking.

Thanks!

[n5lyc]

The technology in adult air guns is all about how much you want to spend, and how much power you need.

The most common ones are single stroke spring powered guns(when you cock the barrel it compresses a spring that when the trigger is pulled it drives a piston forward to compress the air behind the pellet)
The new kid on the block is a gp, or gas piston kind of like the nitrogen piston that holds up the hood on your car or the hatch back on the minivan. It does the same job as the spring (compresses an air column when the trigger is released) but, it can stay cocked without degrading the power (a spring gun will weaken in power if the spring stays compressed over long periods of time)
And it does not suffer from the vibration as much as the spring guns.

But, they are hold sensitive, and some real gun shooters have a hard time adjusting to the artillery hold as it is called.

You hold the rifle loosely, and let it move in its own way when the trigger is pulled.
If you hold it firmly like a real gun, your accuracy with the spring/nitrogen piston guns will go out the window..

Also with these guns, use special airgun scopes, the double recoil (frontal and rearward)WILL break the best real gun scopes(who wants to trash their Nikon right?)

That brings us to the next ones, PCP (pre charged pneumatic) guns, they have a tank that is built into the gun that holds about 3000 psi of compressed air, it can be refilled with a scuba tank, or with a device similar to a bicycle pump (but it takes a lot of pumping to keep the air pressure up)
They are not hold sensitive like the spring/nitro piston guns , and have little to no recoil .
Then there is the co2, the small 12 gram cylinders we are used to only offer about 40 - 60 useable consistent shots before the velocity falls off. Unless they use the larger co2 bottles like a paintball gun uses.

Then there is still the old benjamin, and Sheridan style pump guns, they are still being made, and are still made out of brass.
They offer no recoil, no co2, and no special scopes needed.
Last forever.
And can be had for less than $150 or so.
And the power can be regulated by the number of pumps, 2 to sting the neighbors dog in the butt, 7 or 8 pumps to kill the raccoon raiding the garden..

The PCP guns can be had from about $300 up to $1500 or more

The single stroke guns are among the most powerful, and can be the least expensive of the guns running from $30 for a 800fps Chinese gun to $300 or so for a good suppressed .22 caliber nitro piston gun turning 1300fps with PBA ammo.

Yes it is legal for them to suppress a air gun with no federal tax stamp like what is needed for a real firearm suppressor..

Hope this answered a few questions.

This is a new (January 2013) production Benjamin .22 pump up.
With the finish removed..
And Williams sight added.

Cost me $100 shipped to my door..

[bedbugbilly]

n5lyc - thanks so much for the detailed explanation! Very interesting and helpful to understand them! I didn't realize there were so many options out there.

The Benjamin looks nice - reminds me of the Sheridan we had many years ago. A decent price as well.

We used the Sheridan to "train" the horses not to rub their backsides in to the fence. We had woven wire farm fence with an electric fence runing on the inside of it - they still would back in to the fence and rub - especially in the spring when they were getting rid of their winter coats. A few pumps and a shot on the rear and they got the message without any harm to them.

I found your information on the scopes intereting as well. I knew they made airgun scopes, but never thought too much about the two way movement.

Thanks again for taking time to explain . . . I'm sure it was very helpful to others as well.

[n5lyc]

Anytime, it is just some of the stuff rattling around in my head that sometimes leaks out...

For a shooter, the airgun offers a lot of advantages in practicing.

For one, the cost, 500 .22 pellets can be had for less than $10

Also the velocity is slower so the barrel time is longer, so you learn to follow through longer so it helps in your high power shooting.

You can practice indoors, or in your back yard.

And the top notch shooters will tell you, ANYTIME you can practice sight picture and trigger pull, on ANY gun, it will make you a better shooter.

I actually enjoy what is called "mini sniping"
Shooting at 9mm hulls at 35 yards.
It is a challenge.

I enjoy shooting anything, air guns, black powder, single shots, semi's, ANYTHING With a trigger..

[g.willikers]

Pyramydair.com has a ton of info on modern airguns, videos and a blog with lots of good articles.
http://www.pyramydair.com/

[Herluf]

n5lyc,
Thanks for posting that. I wasn't aware of the middle ground between the high powered gas guns and the daisy bb guns. That Benjamin is a thing of beauty. Is it a used gun or is there somewhere I can find them at that price?

[n5lyc]

New they are about $139-$150 depending on where you get them.

Very reasonably priced for what you get .
The only plastic on the rifle is the safety push button, and the butt plate, everything else is metal.

They come with a black finish, but with some diligent work, it can be brought back to brass.

The peep sight is about $40 or less depending on where you order it from.

I found the complete rifle for $100 shipped on a airgun classified page.

My favorite back yard plinker pistol is an old (1962) Crosman Mark I
In .22 caliber fired by co2.
It has 2 power settings, on low, it shoots about 325fps.
On high power, it gets 440 FPS.

It will turn dime sized groups at 15 yards from a rest.
I bought it from a Facebook trader for $40
It had a leaking problem, but a few drops of pelgun oil and that stopped, and has been going like a champ ever since..

[Herluf]

Hmm "brought back to brass". I need more projects like a hole in my head, but that's tempting. Forgive the hipster reference, but it has a real steampunk look to it in brass.

[HankC1]

Yes it is legal for them to suppress a air gun with no federal tax stamp like what is needed for a real firearm suppressor..

I don't think it is true unless something changed recently. I believe it is illegal to use a can on airguns unless registered, just like firearms, and will get you in serious trouble. Some air rifles, like TX200, have a short barrel with a barrel tube/shroud which is considered as a sight extender. Such design does reduce noise someway but it does not have baffles and is not a suppressor. There is a difference. A spring airgun makes most of the noise from spring piston, suppressor does not do much anyway.

[n5lyc]

Hmm, no baffles.
Lets see

Looks like there may be some in these links.

And then this from pyramid air written on the subject.

Since ALL of them are permanently mounted on the airgun, there is no problem as they come that way from the factory.

And sold in retail stores (Walmart,Academy, Bass Pro, Dicks, Cabelas) or online from reputable companies.

I did say it was legal for THEM (the factory) to suppress an airgun.

But please, use your own discretion..


http://www.pyramydair.com/article/Ai...August_2006/32


http://www.gamousa.com/product.aspx?...&productID=234

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...sed-air-rifle/

[HankC1]

OK, factory permanently installed makes more sense. The original statement could lead people into serious trouble. Interesting those links are all springers, PCPs are the ones really need it.

[Obambulate]

If you live in a warm climate, the CO2 rifles and pistols are a very viable choice. A 12 gram CO2 cartridge gives me 40-50 full-power shots in Florida weather. That's a good tradeoff to me, as manual pumping in 90 degree weather is not very relaxing. CO2 power also puts less stress on the gun compared to spring powered guns.

The Crosman 2260 is a nice CO2 rifle for around $80 - .22 cal at 600 fps.
The Crosman 2240 is a CO2 pistol costing about $55 - .22 cal at 460 fps.
And the Crosman 1322 is a multi-pump costing about $60. - .22 cal at 400 fps with 10 pumps.

These can all be modified for higher power and there are lots of aftermarket parts for them, but straight out of the box they provide excellent real-world accuracy, power, and value.

A snake got in the garage and wedged itself behind some heavy shelves. There was a small clearance between the floor and the bottom shelf, so I just set the 2240 on the floor and pulled the trigger. Punched a neat hole in the snake a few inches behind his head and he wiggled out where I got a clean head shot.

If I was starting from scratch I'd probably go to the Crosman custom shop and design myself a nice CO2 carbine. You can choose barrel length, large or small steel breech, grip material, iron sights or optics, etc. They even custom laser engrave the receiver for you. A nice one will run you $150 - $200 and provide ~ 500 fps in .22 cal depending on barrel length.

http://www.crosman.com/custom-shop

[Garycw]

The single pump pellet rifles are not much effort for one pump & free. Also around 1200fps with .177 and 1000fps .22 cal. I have a RWS and a Steoger that are excellent. Especially the RWS. I just saw some crossmans & beemans at Wally World both $98 ea. One even came with interchangeable barrel for .177&.22

[n5lyc]

Air rifles are kind of like real guns.

No one does every job well.

You won't hunt squirrels or rabbits with a .460 Weatherby, nor would you hunt Cape buffalo with a .22lr.
(I know, extreme differences)

But the single stroke break barrel guns are all about FPS and FPE.
that being said, they are great guns and have their place, fantastic power, quick to put back in action, simple to load. But the down side of them is they are hold sensitive. Meaning you have to hold them differently than you do a regular gun to get the best accuracy from them.
If your primary need is for pest management, they are a great way to go, air is free (no co2) and very little effort is needed to put them into action.

The multi pumpers, while noisy to pump (my Benjamin has the same tempo and sounds like someone chopping wood), they can be adjusted for the power as needed.
Just this past Saturday, my nephew and I were plinking in the back yard, I was shooting 1 inch metal spinner targets at 15 yards with 3 pumps, a squirrel came into the pecan tree over head, as I was pumping for the next shot, I just kept pumping to 8 pumps, loaded a pellet, and bagged a nice squirrel.

We cleaned him, put him in the freezer with the others.

I have some co2 rifles, and pistols they are the poor mans pre charged pneumatic. At a fraction of the cost.

Some of them are adjustable in the power department, but it usually requires a tool.
But that being said, they can be the most accurate of the sub $200 rifles out there, and are not hold sensitive and can be shot well by most people with little practice or learning curve.

I have seen the interchangeable barrel beemans, watched and read a few reviews on them.
They generally seem favorable, but personally with my luck, when I went to grab it, it would have the wrong barrel for what I wanted to do at the moment.

Yes it will print to a different point of aim with the different weight pellets at different speeds.
In fact, every time you open a new tin of pellets it is wise to check your zero with that tin, as even though it is the same company, same weight, and same pellet style, I have seen more than once the need for sight adjustments from one lot to another.

I am not predijuced against any type of propellant, I shoot spring guns, nitrogen piston guns, pump up air guns, co2, propane powered, even some electrically fired air guns, black powder, smokeless..

If it has a trigger, let me have a shot..

Some of my unusual airguns/ non gunpowder toys.
An electrically fired air gun, selective fire, semiauto and 800rounds per minute.


The top 1911 and the m11a1 use propane, the middle 1911 uses co2, as does the glock clone.

The m11 is selective fire, semi and 1200 rounds per minute.
A short video
'M11 mag dump


Details of the trademarks on the 1911 co2 gun.



Even if they were not so much fun to shoot, they make Great Wall hangers in the man cave. And if someone breaks in and steals them, no real guns get put on the street.

As the real ones are locked up in the safe.