Totally off subject, but airguns, anyone??

I've been looking into airguns for fun & recreation in my basement during the winter, and also for pest reduction duties in general. (Rats, mice and snakes, before anyone gets too upset.)

It looks like the majority of guns normally stocked start at ~$200 , but has anyone had experience with and recommendations for one of the less expen$ive break barrel guns? What caliber?
I realize you get what you pay for, but there must be a few passably accurate and reliable "best buys" out there somewhere for a C-note or less. (Sometimes "good enough" is good enough.) What do you guys think?

Thanks

Cabelas has a refurbished Gamo w/scope for $100 and several others. Sierra Trading Post has a Diana for $100 (and essentially free shipping). Either one would be fine for plinking around, but I'd prefer something with more power (1,000fps) for pests. My older Beeman is probably at 750fps and will kill rats and such easily.

Gamo Shadow series is quite nice.

sniper -

Check out www.yellowforum.com. Tons of good info and friendly folks totally into airguns there. I've bought a couple since getting the bug several months ago, been having lots of fun with them. There's another related forum at www.gamoforum.com, mostly discussing...Gamos!

My small and relatively cheap collection consists of two rifles, Daisy 953 and a Gamo CF-X, and two pistols, a Daisy 747 and a Gamo Compact. All have their plusses and minuses, and my son and I enjoy shooting them all.

Anyway, check out the forums, and rest assured there are probably at least a few airgun enthusiasts on this board as well. If I recall, it was a post by CF member Cones who bought a nice high end rifle and pistol, that got me thinking about giving it a go.

I have an WEIHRAUCH .22 air rifle, made in west germany with telescopic sites.

I paid £45 for it years ago second hand, I got offered £200 for it by a friend who worked in a gun shop, this was before the UK gun ban.

it`s very heavy, I used to shoot rats with it.

regards.

too late Im upset about the snakes..

you wouldn't shoot a harmless snake would you? can you tell the difference?

you know most of those snakes down there are eating those pests for you.

leave the (non-venemous) snakes alone.. (wasn't that a barry White song..?)

You can check out the Gamo Shadow 1000 from Wal-Mart for $125. It's uses .177 caliber pellets and claims up to 1000 fps. I bought one, and although I haven't used it much, wanted to see how strong it was. I taped a penny to a cardboard box and shot it from around 10' away. The first shot dented the penny, the second ripped it partially in half, kind of looks like pac-man now. I don't have a scope or large yard to shoot it in so I can't comment on accuracy though.

The Shadow 1000 is a lot of power for the price. You might be better off getting a .22 pellet rifle for game, though. Check out the Sheridan .20s or .22s. Time-tested pump design. Very reliable. Because it's not a springer you can also use scopes without problems.

Ted - I'm with you about the snakes. We don't kill them. As a matter of fact, we don't even kill the venemous ones unless they're near homes or such. I own/manage 4 rural rentals and write into my leases than no wildllife is to be harmed unless it is a venemous snake or insect or legal game in season. I also don't allow cats and have a lease clause that prohibits feeding of feral cats (a real problem at one location). They destroy more small wildlife than anything else.

We kind of live by the rule that we only kill what we're going to eat or what's trying to eat us.

I love snakes. Nature's pest control.

Air Gun Nut here!

I've been shooting 2+ times per day lately. I've got an indoor range setup, so I'm shooting in the middle of the night or when ever I can grab a moment.

targets are setup on my back yard.

Beeman Kodiak Magnum in .22 is my favorite pellet gun. Kodiak is world's most powerful spring air gun. lots of knockdown power. I have to worry about over penatration shooting outside.

Beeman Feiwerkbrau 124 in .177 was my first high grade pellet gun. deadly accurate!

Beeman R9 in .177 is a pretty sweet pellet gun too. recently scored a 1950's crossman .22 pellet gun from another cpf'er.

practice put in on pellet guns transfer over when hunting with high power rifles.

There was one some years ago called Airrow by PSI. Don't know if it's still around though.

Cy - my FWB 124 will shoot less that 0.1inch at 10yds.

TedTheLed said:

too late Im upset about the snakes..

you wouldn't shoot a harmless snake would you? can you tell the difference?

leave the (non-venemous) snakes alone..

Click to expand...

Ted: Don't get your shorts in a knot!

Of course I can tell the difference, I had to know it before I was 8 or so, where I was raised. Been struck but not invenomated. Once was plenty, thank you very much.

The only non venemous herptile I would shoot is a middling large constrictor, should I happen to spy one taking the air. I think that might be saving the poodles and kitties. Ummm... Lessee: Fideaux or Fluffy or snake, OH MY!

Thanks for the suggestions, the rest of you. Tinderbox, I have looked longingly at Weihrauchs since I first learned what air guns were all about. The amount of information available is astounding. :thumbsup:

My RWS Diana makes 900 FPS in .22 quite adequate for small game..

about 130 at Airgun Express for a scratched one
One **** is nice vs pump models

very very accurate,

(had a small mark on stock, no bother at all)

for totally off subjects, you've came to the right place...

Airguns....the one i use is probablly considered a staple gun....@ 120 psi the thing shoots 1/2" staples as fast as you can pull the triggar.. aint no way this thing can jam...

kinda like an uzi...no actual target or range....

wait, what type of an airgun are you talking about?

Im another airgun nut here! I love them! Do you want CO2, Spring or PCP? How loud do you want it? What do you plan to shoot with it?

AlexGT

speaking of off topic....

you need to be aware scopes for Air guns are different.

airguns kick forward upon release. most hunting scopes are braced in one direction, instead of two. Lepould is one exception.

parallex or focus is set for 50 yards on normal scopes, instead veriable focus. allowing one to focus closer than 10yards.

Beeman Blue Ribbon scopes are becoming collectors items. high grade scopes can easily cost more than the air rifle.
Scope mounts are equally important, especially for higher powered air rifles like Kodiak. kicks like shooting a 30/30 rifle.

Springers kick forward. Air or gas guns are as sweet as can be. One advantage to going that route.

ABTOMAT said:

The Shadow 1000 is a lot of power for the price. You might be better off getting a .22 pellet rifle for game, though. Check out the Sheridan .20s or .22s. Time-tested pump design. Very reliable. Because it's not a springer you can also use scopes without problems.

Click to expand...

I have owned and used a Sheridan .20 for about 30 years. Still works great.
Highly recommended