Air or pump up BB/Pellet rifle

[Peddler]

I was looking at them during a visit to Gander Mountain. I'd prefer one that doesn't require the CO2 cartridges but still has a reasonable amount of power. Times sure have changed since I shot a Red Ryder. When I was about 20 yrs old I bought a pump up, pellet handgun that had a surprising amount of power. It was capable of killing tree rats in Florida.

Now that I'm turning 50 yrs old, it appears the many different rifles, pellets and name brands have me confused. I really don't need a scoped rifle and it won't be used for competition, just a fun, cheap, plinking rifle to have fun with. If it were capable of killing a squirrel that would be a plus.

I thought I'd ask here because I'm sure some of you have experience.

[Strapped]

I seen a couple nice ones at Wally World, the 1 pump break barrel type, they said 1000+ FPS, were around $125 I think..

[shadowcat187]

yes the break barrel ones are definetly enought to plink around with. I myself prefer the old crossman model 760.

[Karl/PA]

Check out the Beeman Dual barrel at Wally World. .177 & .22 interchangable barrels. Comes with 4x scope too. Using .22 barrel and Crossman match pellets it is dead on @ 25 yds. (No more chipmunks)

[thundrr1]

It's a dangerous thing to get into. Once you start, your hooked. There is nothing like siting in your house, on you deck/patio and shooting the air rifle. And the ammo is cheap. You'll find that you want to get a little more accurate and just a little more accurate. It's also good rifle training.

Air Rifle Basics:

"Springer" - A spring driven piston pushes the air out of the cylinder. Usually a "break barrel" unit. Used ones can be found fairly cheap. New ones are usually fairly inexpensive. Price range is usually 100.00 to 250.00 for a new one.

"Gas Spring Powered" = These use a precharged gas cylinder to push the air out of the cylinder. These are much like the gas cylinders used on cars for the hood or on SUV's for the rear hatch. Again, these are usually a break barrel setup.

"Pre Charged Pneumatic" - These get their charge from a tank of air or CO2. The CO2 units usually use a type of paint ball gun tank and it screws on to the gun and charges the system. The high pressure air guns use a SCUBA tank (or SCBA) tank to charge the gun. Most are using about 3000 lbs of pressure in the gun's tank to start with. As it dissipates to about 1500 to 1800 pounds the velocity drops off (usually falling off at around 1800). Firing 80 rounds before refilling a HPA is not unusual, I've heard that the CO2's can go to 280 or so.

The HPA guns usually tend to be most accurate, as they have virtually no recoil. They are also the most expensive to get started with. They can be accurate to 50 yards (read that as shooting a quarter sized group, or less). That won't be from a 250.00 gun, but maybe from a 500.00 gun. I saw a Benjamin Maurauder this past weekend shooting half dollar sized groups and it was "mouse fart" quiet. The pellet striking the target made more noise than the gun did.

The biggest investment will be an air tank and regulator for the HPA gun. That alone can be 825.00. It can be found cheaper, but the top of the line carbon fiber 88 cf tank is about 650.00. They have a life span of 15 years, at this point.

Springers tend to last a lot longer (although, the HPA's are relatively new on the scene). They don't quite have the accuracy, as the spring has a definite effect on the pellet going down the tube. A good springer can do the quarter sized group at 50 yards, but it will be a very expensive rifle.

Views expressed by me are just opinions, based on my experience. YMMV. If you just want to "plink" off of you deck, go with a reasonably price break barrel springer. I have two springers, a Beeman R8 and a FWB 124, both of which are considered collectible. I've just made the jump into the HPA arena. Bought my tank and regulator and ordered a "tuned" HPA gun.

Good luck with you decision and you will be hooked once you start. :-)

George

[Peddler]

Cool beans thundrr1 +R to you,

"Thanks for taking the time to explain the differences." I'll likely go with just a mid priced Springer. I'm guessing a Springer is the type that cocks once like the old Red Ryders? I see you mentioned the two Springers you own that are collectables and I'm guessing they were in the high Springer price range.

Can you or anyone else suggest a name brand that’s best or brands I should stay away from?

Again, thanks for the replies.

[fingers80002]

I was looking at them during a visit to Gander Mountain. I'd prefer one that doesn't require the CO2 cartridges but still has a reasonable amount of power. Times sure have changed since I shot a Red Ryder. When I was about 20 yrs old I bought a pump up, pellet handgun that had a surprising amount of power. It was capable of killing tree rats in Florida.

Now that I'm turning 50 yrs old, it appears the many different rifles, pellets and name brands have me confused. I really don't need a scoped rifle and it won't be used for competition, just a fun, cheap, plinking rifle to have fun with. If it were capable of killing a squirrel that would be a plus.

I thought I'd ask here because I'm sure some of you have experience.

This part could get you in trouble.........

[Peddler]

This part could get you in trouble.........

With the way we shoot up here on the mountain, I doubt it. The number of squirrels and rabbits have become overwhelming up here though . They wouldn't be killed for sport or because they're raiding the bird feeders. I know a fellow that will take them for food if I decided to thin out the herd.

I would like one for the most part, to do some cheap plinking though.

edit: Honestly, I can't see killing a squirrel simply because it's trying to eat, just like the birds are. I place food out for the squirrels also, but they tend to ignore it. Me thinks they like the challenge of getting the food out of the feeders. They don't mess with them much since I greased the poles with a mixture of Crisco and Cayan Pepper.

[DoogieB]

I still like my pumper pellet rifles. Nice and light with none of that nasty springer twang or hold sensitivity.

The classic pumper rifle that is still in production is the Benjamin 392. The 392 is in .22, while the 397 is in .177.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2077756

Basically is a continuation of a 50 year old design and built like a tank. No plastic here: all brass, steel and wood. Still made in the USA too.

Here's a snap of my 392:



The Williams Peep site is a nice upgrade. The disadvantage of this rifle is that while 3 or 4 pumps for plinking cans isn't bad, 7 or 8 pumps is a lot of work.

The classic pumper pistol available today is the Crosman 1377.



It's cheaper than a 392, but you also gain alot of plastic in the breech and grips. It's still a great pistol with a lot of promise in stock form. Luckily, the 1377 is the Ruger 10/22 of the airgun world: you can practically build a (costly) 1377 from only after market parts. Here's mine with upgrades:



As thundrr1 explained, air guns can be addicting.

Be aware that in PA, airguns aren't firearms and so it's not legal to use them to take game.

[Peddler]

Be aware that in PA, airguns aren't firearms and so it's not legal to use them to take game.

Wow, I wasn't aware of that.

But if it was an attack, or zombie squirrel…. I'd better not go there.

Thanks for making me aware of that. I don't hunt so I'm not up on hunting laws. Interesting though.