We often seem to get a few people on here who are just getting into air rifles and want an honest nudge in the right direction for their budget.
I won't cover the calibre choice argument as we will be hear a lifetime.
A good option to the new buyer is the second hand market, be it a springer or pcp they are after. These at the very least will not have VAT on them and you often have the bonus of getting a full set up for a reduced price.
many companies are worth looking into.
These include
Air Arms
AGS
BSA
Cometa
Daystate
Falcon
Gamo
Logun
Raug Diana
Theoben
Webley
Weihrauch
I'm sure there a few I have forgotten.
Springers:
Air arms - all AA springers are top quality British air rifles.
The TX200, TX200HC (hunter carbine) and pro sport are all very good. accurate but they are heavy which may not suit some shooters.
AGS - this company surfaced out of no where a few years back with a very cheap and robust spring rifle which by all accounts was quite good. But this seems to have disappeared from the market entirely which is a shame as it was about £140 and of a good quality. the SR1 and SR2 are the springers they made - SR2 being better.
BSA - Again a good British maker. they tend to produce smaller lighter guns and use their own make of barrel as opposed to the lothar walther barrel used by many companies. I believe they all feature a safety catch and are superbly accurate.
check out the Super sport, Lightning - and all Lightning variants.
Cometa - a budget Spanish maker - they make cheap and basic guns. they do the job and with a little care are good guns. Though I would say that if you have the cash then it is worth spending a little more.
The 300, 400 and 400 Fenix are the full power models.
Gamo - another Spanish company - they made my first ever gun - A Hunter 440. a good gun - accurate and powerful they are IMO a better make than Cometa. They are still reasonably priced and have a number of models.
Ruag Diana - I have never personally handled one of these but I am told they are very good.
Heavy, robust and accurate.
They have more rifles that you can shake a stick at and are well worth a look. I must say that If I wanted a springer - The Ruag Diana 56 TH would be at the tippy top of my list.
Theoben - probably the most expensive of the "spring" guns - these are also a British maker and use a Gas ram power source. this means there is no twang and I think they can be quietened with a good moderator.
The Evolution, SLR are the two models - though these have many variants.
Webley - some excellent guns here. The old exocet is a good little gun, As is the Stingray and higher end Longbow.
I believe these are now all made in Turkey as Webley nearly went out of business a while back.
Weihrauch - a German maker - They produce some excellent guns.
The HW 35, 57, 77, 80, 95, 97, 99 are all worth looking at. The HW90 is a gas ram model similar to Theoben models but is much cheaper
as for PCP's -
Air Arms - good light weight PCP rifles. not a fan personally but the models have improved vastly over the last few years. The new ones are the s500 and s510. - be wary if you own both a .177 and .22 version of this gun however as the mags are interchangeable and will bugger up the gun if the wrong one is used. (saw it happen)
older models include the 400 series and the s200 which was a fantastically accurate little gun. its only downfall for me was its small size. other than that a superb gun.
BSA - they make the legendary Super 10. a Buddy bottle gun which has stood the test of time. by al accounts a great gun. They also do the smaller and lighter Hornet and Scorpion. The Hornet has an unusual cocking mechanism but you do get used to it.
Daystate - Well I own one of their guns and it hasn't let me down since - despite peoples concerns of the magazine I have never had a feeding problem in about 4 years of ownership.
They now have a good range of guns - the X2, MK3 and MK4. not to mention the buddy bottle Air wolf and Air ranger. Also the newer Huntsman (based on an older model with an update) and Meryln.
Falcon Originally an American company now owned by Air Arms. They are fantastic rifles and are very pretty. something a bit more unusual. The Prairie Falcon series has many variants.
Logun Another American company - they make the Sweet16, and several others. - many people swear by them but I have never been convinced.
Theoben - One of the best PCP makers - as with the super ten the use a buddy bottle design bar a few of their rifles. The Rapid, S-tpye, E-Type and MFR are all very very good high end guns. Theoben is the company I would choose for my next gun.
Webley
The Raider 10 is a very nice gun - very well balanced and a nice size. Webley also make a number of two shot rifles, quite unique.
Weihrauch the HW 100 is truly a beasty rifle - very accurate and a 14 round magazine. If the shop had had one in stock I would currently own one. Very heavy though - so not for the smaller shooter.
Recommendations? for a new rifle with a budget for just the rifle...
under £150 -
cometa 300
Gamo Hunter 440
Around £200
BSA Lightning/ Supersport
Webley Exocet/ Stingray
Weirauch HW 57 / 99
£250 - 350ish
Webley Longbow
Weirauch - most models fall into this price bracket
Air Arms TX200 models, Pro Sport
£350 - 500
Ruag Diana models
Theoben Slr/ Evolution
above £500 = custom stocks etc.
PCP's
Below £500
Air Arms S400/ 410
Bsa Scorpion/ Hornet
Webley Raider 10
£500-600
Daystate X2
Falcon Models
BSA Super 10
£600 and above
Theoben Rapid, S-type, MFR
Daystate Air Wolf/ Ranger
Parker Hale Pheonix
Apologies if that is all a load of rubbish - I was up at 4 this morning. I have only really touched on the main air rifle producers, there are more out there which are a bit more uncommon and as such harder to get hold of.
Atb
Andy
I won't cover the calibre choice argument as we will be hear a lifetime.
A good option to the new buyer is the second hand market, be it a springer or pcp they are after. These at the very least will not have VAT on them and you often have the bonus of getting a full set up for a reduced price.
many companies are worth looking into.
These include
Air Arms
AGS
BSA
Cometa
Daystate
Falcon
Gamo
Logun
Raug Diana
Theoben
Webley
Weihrauch
I'm sure there a few I have forgotten.
Springers:
Air arms - all AA springers are top quality British air rifles.
The TX200, TX200HC (hunter carbine) and pro sport are all very good. accurate but they are heavy which may not suit some shooters.
AGS - this company surfaced out of no where a few years back with a very cheap and robust spring rifle which by all accounts was quite good. But this seems to have disappeared from the market entirely which is a shame as it was about £140 and of a good quality. the SR1 and SR2 are the springers they made - SR2 being better.
BSA - Again a good British maker. they tend to produce smaller lighter guns and use their own make of barrel as opposed to the lothar walther barrel used by many companies. I believe they all feature a safety catch and are superbly accurate.
check out the Super sport, Lightning - and all Lightning variants.
Cometa - a budget Spanish maker - they make cheap and basic guns. they do the job and with a little care are good guns. Though I would say that if you have the cash then it is worth spending a little more.
The 300, 400 and 400 Fenix are the full power models.
Gamo - another Spanish company - they made my first ever gun - A Hunter 440. a good gun - accurate and powerful they are IMO a better make than Cometa. They are still reasonably priced and have a number of models.
Ruag Diana - I have never personally handled one of these but I am told they are very good.
Heavy, robust and accurate.
They have more rifles that you can shake a stick at and are well worth a look. I must say that If I wanted a springer - The Ruag Diana 56 TH would be at the tippy top of my list.
Theoben - probably the most expensive of the "spring" guns - these are also a British maker and use a Gas ram power source. this means there is no twang and I think they can be quietened with a good moderator.
The Evolution, SLR are the two models - though these have many variants.
Webley - some excellent guns here. The old exocet is a good little gun, As is the Stingray and higher end Longbow.
I believe these are now all made in Turkey as Webley nearly went out of business a while back.
Weihrauch - a German maker - They produce some excellent guns.
The HW 35, 57, 77, 80, 95, 97, 99 are all worth looking at. The HW90 is a gas ram model similar to Theoben models but is much cheaper
as for PCP's -
Air Arms - good light weight PCP rifles. not a fan personally but the models have improved vastly over the last few years. The new ones are the s500 and s510. - be wary if you own both a .177 and .22 version of this gun however as the mags are interchangeable and will bugger up the gun if the wrong one is used. (saw it happen)
older models include the 400 series and the s200 which was a fantastically accurate little gun. its only downfall for me was its small size. other than that a superb gun.
BSA - they make the legendary Super 10. a Buddy bottle gun which has stood the test of time. by al accounts a great gun. They also do the smaller and lighter Hornet and Scorpion. The Hornet has an unusual cocking mechanism but you do get used to it.
Daystate - Well I own one of their guns and it hasn't let me down since - despite peoples concerns of the magazine I have never had a feeding problem in about 4 years of ownership.
They now have a good range of guns - the X2, MK3 and MK4. not to mention the buddy bottle Air wolf and Air ranger. Also the newer Huntsman (based on an older model with an update) and Meryln.
Falcon Originally an American company now owned by Air Arms. They are fantastic rifles and are very pretty. something a bit more unusual. The Prairie Falcon series has many variants.
Logun Another American company - they make the Sweet16, and several others. - many people swear by them but I have never been convinced.
Theoben - One of the best PCP makers - as with the super ten the use a buddy bottle design bar a few of their rifles. The Rapid, S-tpye, E-Type and MFR are all very very good high end guns. Theoben is the company I would choose for my next gun.
Webley
The Raider 10 is a very nice gun - very well balanced and a nice size. Webley also make a number of two shot rifles, quite unique.
Weihrauch the HW 100 is truly a beasty rifle - very accurate and a 14 round magazine. If the shop had had one in stock I would currently own one. Very heavy though - so not for the smaller shooter.
Recommendations? for a new rifle with a budget for just the rifle...
under £150 -
cometa 300
Gamo Hunter 440
Around £200
BSA Lightning/ Supersport
Webley Exocet/ Stingray
Weirauch HW 57 / 99
£250 - 350ish
Webley Longbow
Weirauch - most models fall into this price bracket
Air Arms TX200 models, Pro Sport
£350 - 500
Ruag Diana models
Theoben Slr/ Evolution
above £500 = custom stocks etc.
PCP's
Below £500
Air Arms S400/ 410
Bsa Scorpion/ Hornet
Webley Raider 10
£500-600
Daystate X2
Falcon Models
BSA Super 10
£600 and above
Theoben Rapid, S-type, MFR
Daystate Air Wolf/ Ranger
Parker Hale Pheonix
Apologies if that is all a load of rubbish - I was up at 4 this morning. I have only really touched on the main air rifle producers, there are more out there which are a bit more uncommon and as such harder to get hold of.
Atb
Andy
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