Air rifle

[heath]

I'm looking into getting an air rifle and need some advice. I want something that I will be able to use to hunt (birds,rabbits etc). I want it to be sturdy, and not too expensive. I really don't have a clue so any advice would be apreciated.
Heath

 

[Bushcraft4life]

Thank you!!

Been waiting for someone to start a thread like this, i am also on the lookout for my first AR.

 

[Andy2112]

hi guys,

i've got a BSA Supersport carbine in .22 cal. Short and powerful, and price was good.

Have a look at the range of air rifle magazines, might give you some more info on the rifles.

Andy:AR15firin

 

[ArkAngel]

The main questions are:

.177 or .22
Both are good for hunting with a tendency toward .22 as it is a larger pellet but has a bit more 'arc' in its flight path.

Springer or pre-charge?
Springer is as suggested powered by a spring cocked by the firer. There are more often than not single shot. Pre charge requires a divers bottle or pump to charge an air cylinder which gives multiple shots between charges.

Pre charges have no recoil which aid with accuracy although there is nothing wrong with springers either. Obviously there is an extra price to consider with a pre charge as you have to get a bottle or pump extra to the rifle.

Don't forget to budget for a scope and mounts.

Cost is as low as £150 and the sky's the limit on high!!!

If you are hunting and have no previous experience i can say only one thing:

PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE

It is no fun hearing a badly shot rabbit scream (and boy do they scream)

Also check out BASC website for tips on safe shooting.

That's a start anyway, there is loads of other stuff to learn that i'm sure others will mention

 

[litefoot]

Practice....great advice.You really need to be able to consistantly hit something the size of a 50p piece from all the distances you expect to shoot from and in different wind conditions.The magazines you read will be full of articles with shots at quite long range with an air rifle,be realistic when hunting and stick to what you know you can achieve,remeber it`s` a live being at the end of the sights and deserves to be despatched humanely.
Regards Litefoot.

 

[ArkAngel]

This wasn't my post over on BB it was another members but i think in this situation he wouldn't mind me copying it:


Commit to heart the 4 rules of gun safety:

The 1st Law of Gun Safety - The Gun Is Always Loaded!

The 2nd Law of Gun Safety - Never Point A Gun At Something You're Not Prepared To Destroy!

The 3rd Law of Gun Safety - Always Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Behind It!

The 4th Law of Gun Safety - Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target!

Practice long and carefully on paper targets before you even think about shooting at a live creature.

Save up every penny you possibly can for your rifle, then find another £50.

Buy a second-hand "springer." I can thoroughly recommend Weihrauch in your price bracket. I'd suggest an HW77 or HW80 in .177"

Make sure the rifle has been well-maintained; and not abused, neglected or butchered by some back-street "gun expert."

Buy top-quality pellets, not hardware store junk.

Iron sights will do fine to start with.

Buy a packet of 30mm "fluorescent" stick-on labels from Staples or WH Smith:

http://www.altecweb.com/home.asp?cat=OSAV32326-K&rf=frg

(30mm is a useful approximation of the size of the "vital zone" of a rabbit)

Zero your sights carefully.

Set up a target at, say, 50 feet. Using the exact kit you will use for hunting, and firing from the position you will use (prone, kneeling etc.), fire a slow, deliberate series of five shots at the target. Did they all hit the centre of the disc? Excellent. Move the target out 10 feet and try again.

As soon as even one pellet fails to hit the disc, you have discovered the maximum range at which you can shoot without taking the chance of maiming a living creature and condemning it to a slow, painful death.

Fire a series of shots at different ranges so that you can master the hold-over/hold-under for your particular rifle/pellet/hold combination.

Never overestimate your abilities: An animal can die a horrible death if you get cocky and think that you can shoot better than you are actually able to.

Remember an ancient Greek saying: "The boys throw stones at the frog in fun, but the frog dies in earnest."

Shoot safely!

 

[Ratbag]

Some excellent advice in the last three posts.

I'd advise you to join your local HFT / FT club for the advice you can get from experienced shooters, the practice range and the banter! And they'll probably be the best source of good quality second-hand rifles etc - someone's always selling something....

Plus which you'll probably bet BASC-backed third party insurance as part of your membership fee.

HTH

Rat

 

[Andy2112]

Heath,
just remembered, there is a range in the city centre, i know it is an FAC club but they also cater for air rifles.
If you are in town then pop into Bates & Cross gun shop as they have a leaflet on the club. I had the leaflet but can't remember where it was.

 

[ArkAngel]

Some excellent advice in the last three posts.

I'd advise you to join your local HFT / FT club for the advice you can get from experienced shooters, the practice range and the banter! And they'll probably be the best source of good quality second-hand rifles etc - someone's always selling something....

Plus which you'll probably bet BASC-backed third party insurance as part of your membership fee.

HTH

Rat

Very true.. i got an Air Arms S200 with sights for £150 and it was as new, £40 for a pump and i was away. Plus in most clubs you will get to shoot everyone else's rifle. Within 2 weeks of joining mine i had shot about 40 rifles ranging from 30 year old springers to £1000+ hand made Ripley pre-charged competition rifle. It will give you a good idea of which way to go.

If you have any Game fairs near you it's worth a visit. BASC normally have stands there and it's common to find a local field target club offering a "have a go" stand.

 

[galew]

I'm looking into getting an air rifle and need some advice. I want something that I will be able to use to hunt (birds,rabbits etc). I want it to be sturdy, and not too expensive. I really don't have a clue so any advice would be apreciated.
Heath

I have had several in the past, forget any of the .177 that are below 600 fps. I just got a new one, Tech Force 99 magnum 1100 fps, shoots great although I have not broken it in good as yet, They recommend 2000 rounds for proper break in. The only problem I have seen with it is it is too heavy 8 pounds. But aside from that great gun, I haven't been hunting with it as yet, but should be good for 40 to 50 yard shots One I had before was 800 fps and it was good for 30 yards with squirrels and about 40 for rabbits. Taking longer shots and you are not sure of a kill especially with squirrels, tough skin and you might wound one and not even know it, and then it dies latter. Cost about 110 usd
The .22 does not gain you anything except the pellets are a little easier to chamber, but they shot slower speed and so do not have as good killing range. So ZI would stick with the .177 and get one with over 800 fps. Get good air gun oil and a cleaning kit also, keeps your gun happy.

 

[galopede]

I have had several in the past, forget any of the .177 that are below 600 fps.

We aren't allowed any air rifles above 12 ftlb in the UK unless you have a firearms licence. They don't trust us...

Gareth

 

[Surrey Yeoman]

I had a Weihrauch HW80 in .22 and used it very successfully for hunting rabbits, both in stock 12 ftlbs form with iron sights and later at around 20 ftlbs with a 3-9x40 zoom scope. My effective range for a clean kill was around 30 yards, but that's down to me being and "average" shot rather than a "good" shot.

The nice things about the HW80 are that it's a full sized rifle, not too expensive, well made and robust and should you eventually wish to go above the 12 ftlbs limit and get a FAC, any competent gunsmith should be able to uprate the 80 to well over 25 ftlbs with either a FAC rated spring or a gas ram.

That said, don't get too tied up in the search for power! :AR15firin Unless you're purely into pest control, most of the enjoyment comes from stalking bunnies until you get in range.

I've even had quite good success when I was a boy with an old BSA Meteor .22 in bog standard trim with a cheap 4x20 scope. You just have to be patient and close the distance down.

As for birds, aside from wood pidgeons, I'd leave them alone, and even then I only ever shot at woodies on the ground, never in the trees and NEVER IN FLIGHT!

 

[spamel]

The Ratbag took me to a new farm the other night for a quick prowl and the place is heaving with bunnies. We were able to stalk the little buggers quite easily due to a small bank between field with rough ground on the bank. The Ratbag howled with laughter when I snook along the field so that I was below the rabbit in the other field, and popped up over the rough to shout "Ah-Booga-Wooga-Wooga!" at the poor unsuspecting rabbit that was less than two metres from me!

Can't wait to take the shooting irons up there! Power isn't everything, fieldcraft is. Get your fieldcraft squared away and you will be able to get close enough to pick them up! It has been very helpful for us to shoot on the most open piece of land ever for the last year, iot has made us aware of how we need to approach our prey and to utilise the sparse cover and dead ground to our advantage. A legal limit air rifle will bag you some good meat for the pot. Don't waste it though.

 

[Dougster]

I bought a BSA lightning .22 yesterday and it's awesome. My background is competition shooting in firearms so this is a move towards wabbits for the pot.

I went out in the garden today to practice and sight it in, I was hitting 3 inch targets from 25 yards easily very early on - this is forgiving and the penetration into the wood is reassuring for a clean kill. I may be able to have a crack at bunnies after a few weeks more shooting.

BSA lightning - good gun for the money.

 

[spamel]

Good luck with it. Have you got a permission sorted out yet? Once you become one with your rifle, you'll be hitting a 5 penny piece from 30 yards no problem. It shouldn't take you long to get that competent if you've used proper rifles before.

My brother had only shot at paper targets in his back yard until I took him up on the current permission. His first shot, after spotting the rabbit from Windy Top and stalking down the hill, over a fence and into position, was dot on and he dropped the bunny which kicked a few times and that was it. He has no previous rifle shooting experience, just plinking in the back yard. He was using an AA S410 granted, but the BSA Lightning is an accurate rifle, so you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Dougster]

Good luck with it. Have you got a permission sorted out yet? .

I have - one of my neighbours has a few acres nearby, and my folks live in a farming valley in North Wales with farmer mates willing to let me blat. I'd forgotten how much I missed shooting, apart from stalking practice with Oakleaf, my last shoot was an international comp 15 years ago!

 

[sharp88]

Iv got an Air Arms S400 in .22. Can't go wrong with it. Iv had mine for 9 months now and its awesome. Light and Accurate. The only downside is all these pre-charged pigs need a pump or air bottle. Irritates the hell outa me.

Iv also got a Air Arms TX200 in .177, which however is a tad heavy, is very accurate. Iv had one of these for about a month and its quite difficult to get used to in terms of the weight...makes my arms ache when doing lots of standing shots.

I know people at my club with S200s, Iv held a few, but never fired one. From what Iv heard there very popular and there very light. I think of them as a bit womanly though, thats why I went for an S400.

Can't go wrong with Weihrauchs either. Solid and accurate. The HW97 is uber smooth to shoot and the HW95 isn't a bad rifle either.

Not sure about BSAs. The little diddy ones tend to be underpowered.

 

[spamel]

I can see peoples argument with a PCP needing a pump or bottle to shoot all day, but if you are out taking live quarry, how many shots will you realistically take? Bearing in mind that everything you shoot needs prepping in some way before preserving in the freezer or whatever, if I was to take more than three rabbits a night I think I'd have enough of skinning them! So three rabbits, three shots. That's not even a full magazine on a Rapid 7!

 

[woodstock]

All very sound advice I have used air rifles for years and had all sorts, the best of both worlds is the sharp innova its a pump up pneumatic one thing you never mentioned is somewhere to hunt permission can be extremely difficult to obtain and very easy to lose don't be tempted to go for a plink in a local field :AR15firin as it is regarded as armed trespass and carries a 5 year jail sentence

 

[sharp88]

I can see peoples argument with a PCP needing a pump or bottle to shoot all day, but if you are out taking live quarry, how many shots will you realistically take? Bearing in mind that everything you shoot needs prepping in some way before preserving in the freezer or whatever, if I was to take more than three rabbits a night I think I'd have enough of skinning them! So three rabbits, three shots. That's not even a full magazine on a Rapid 7!

Yeah but how many shots do you do practising on the range? How many shots do you put through a gun to 'break it in'?

I just got an air bottle and the damn hose isn't right for my filling adaptor. Yet again more money to turf out for the right hose.

I just think that its better to get a springer and pay a bit extra for an MTC scope, rather than paying that extra for a pump/bottle for a PCP and having to cut back on the quality of the scope.

Now theres the .22 or .177 debate to come