Air Rifles
- Thread starter birch-fire
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I got myself a TX200 a couple of months ago. Some might call it weighty, but its very smooth and accurate.
I got 2 free Webley Hawk MK2s which I've done up. There good for plinking, but I wouldnt use them for anything else.
I find the Walther range of scopes very affordable, with a wide range of features that come at a cheaper price. There will always be HFT nerds telling you that you need an MTC Mamba or Viper, etc, but really alot of practice gets you further than a flashy scope will ever do.
I got 2 free Webley Hawk MK2s which I've done up. There good for plinking, but I wouldnt use them for anything else.
I find the Walther range of scopes very affordable, with a wide range of features that come at a cheaper price. There will always be HFT nerds telling you that you need an MTC Mamba or Viper, etc, but really alot of practice gets you further than a flashy scope will ever do.
I've got a Weihrauch HW80K .177 and it's one heck of a rifle.
Have a look at some of the reviews. The only downside is that it is slightly on the heavy side.
Have a look at some of the reviews. The only downside is that it is slightly on the heavy side.
the best one I've used is a wihrauch HW80 .22 cal I've had it for years and it hasn't failed to drop a target in one shot. though I must admit it's been a little modified and required a firearms licence to use and a screwdriver to keep all thescrews tight (dumb thing keeps knocking out it's screws after a few shots *sigh*)
The airgun I use for Rabbit - Hare & Pigeon is a cheap Crossman pump up 177. I bought this many years ago for about £30 or so when I lived in London.
It has lasted a long time and so far (fingers crossed) it has never let me down.
I tend to favoure a head shot for all game. With a 177 shooting a pigeon in the head your either going to get it or miss? Shoot a pigeon in the breast with a 177 and it will more than likely fly off and die a mile into the wood.
At present Im thinking of getting The Workhorse - Weihrauch HW80
Tom
It has lasted a long time and so far (fingers crossed) it has never let me down.
I tend to favoure a head shot for all game. With a 177 shooting a pigeon in the head your either going to get it or miss? Shoot a pigeon in the breast with a 177 and it will more than likely fly off and die a mile into the wood.
At present Im thinking of getting The Workhorse - Weihrauch HW80
Tom
Prompted by meets and swayed by some of the comments on the thread here I thought I'd get into airgunning. Went into a couple of shops, hefted a whole bunch and came out with a Gamo CFX.
First impressions were heavy, vague trigger and weird fliers.
....then tested the speed and found it was only putting out 5.8ft.lbs. Thought about taking it back but by then had read folk on the web saying that some of them we're getting 7 and 8. The one I had seemed to work ok otherwise so decided just to scratch the warranty and have a look inside.
Apart from not having a front spring guide everything was fine. There's no way that the 1/4" of extra preload would have halved the power so I can only presume that Gamo are taking some liberties with their "Full Legal Power" statements.
The weird fliers were pellet based. I've changed to superdomes and am getting to like their whine.
Accupells went though the chrono like a random number generator and the most efficient(BSA Elites) were great and grouped well but mangled in the rotary breach way too often.
I put in a spring/guide kit and aftermarket trigger blade - it's now 11.4ft.lbs and is more accurate than I am but it's irritating that it took all that faffing about just to get it to where it should have been straight out the box.
Given whats been spent to get it there I'd have maybe have been better off trying the HW57 but that's by the by now. Everything's cool and it's practice, practice, practice time.
First impressions were heavy, vague trigger and weird fliers.
....then tested the speed and found it was only putting out 5.8ft.lbs. Thought about taking it back but by then had read folk on the web saying that some of them we're getting 7 and 8. The one I had seemed to work ok otherwise so decided just to scratch the warranty and have a look inside.
Apart from not having a front spring guide everything was fine. There's no way that the 1/4" of extra preload would have halved the power so I can only presume that Gamo are taking some liberties with their "Full Legal Power" statements.
The weird fliers were pellet based. I've changed to superdomes and am getting to like their whine.
Accupells went though the chrono like a random number generator and the most efficient(BSA Elites) were great and grouped well but mangled in the rotary breach way too often.I put in a spring/guide kit and aftermarket trigger blade - it's now 11.4ft.lbs and is more accurate than I am but it's irritating that it took all that faffing about just to get it to where it should have been straight out the box.
Given whats been spent to get it there I'd have maybe have been better off trying the HW57 but that's by the by now. Everything's cool and it's practice, practice, practice time.
OK, embarrassing as it is, I have to admit that the slagging I gave Gamo was unjustified. Original power was just over 9ft.lb. and probably fitting the missing front guide would have done the job.
With the new spring it was 16ft.lb. It's out again to have a coil or two cut off.
User error. Was on the chrono again to test/set a pcp and there was something about the numbers that didn't add up. Discovered that the "Power" button on this chrono which you hit then enter pellet weight is actually working out something called the ISPC Power Factor, not the energy in ft.lbs.
Ooops.
On the plus side, the scrap Gamo spring(that there was nothing wrong with) looks pretty close to what I need to replace the one in my old Diana(which is goosed) so other than a bit of musical springs there's no harm done.
With the new spring it was 16ft.lb. It's out again to have a coil or two cut off.
User error.
Was on the chrono again to test/set a pcp and there was something about the numbers that didn't add up. Discovered that the "Power" button on this chrono which you hit then enter pellet weight is actually working out something called the ISPC Power Factor, not the energy in ft.lbs.Ooops.
On the plus side, the scrap Gamo spring(that there was nothing wrong with) looks pretty close to what I need to replace the one in my old Diana(which is goosed) so other than a bit of musical springs there's no harm done.
I've got a BSA Lightning XL .22 - great gun, light and accurate. The only downside is the suppressor which means I have to use a scope. Used to bring down bunnies on the run with my BSA Supersport when I was younger
excellent thread! been air rifling for years, currently have a B.S.A meteor springer with a small 4 x 20 scope. not ridiculously powerful but i enjoy having to rely on field skills rather than power and range.
my favourite rifle was a mk3 webley, about 50 years old with bent open sights so you had to aim left of the target. took out many a magpie with that beast before it succumbed to age..... and me dropping it......
as for the meteor, it costs next to nothing, weighs even less and is perfect for all day stalking. kills anything legal to hunt with a clean shot and with the right pellets has superb accuracy over a decent range for a small rifle.
i suppose it totally depends on personal preference. some people prefer a heavier rifle as light rifles are harder to keep steady IME.
if you are going for a springer then go for any B.S.A or weihrauch (much heavier) or for pre charged go for air arms.
my favourite rifle was a mk3 webley, about 50 years old with bent open sights so you had to aim left of the target. took out many a magpie with that beast before it succumbed to age..... and me dropping it......
as for the meteor, it costs next to nothing, weighs even less and is perfect for all day stalking. kills anything legal to hunt with a clean shot and with the right pellets has superb accuracy over a decent range for a small rifle.
i suppose it totally depends on personal preference. some people prefer a heavier rifle as light rifles are harder to keep steady IME.
if you are going for a springer then go for any B.S.A or weihrauch (much heavier) or for pre charged go for air arms.
Thought you might like to hear how quiet a regular rifle can be:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YHA2qCNON4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YHA2qCNON4
Can air-rufles be taken apart and broken down? I don't want one poking out of my rucksack when I walk through the town and suburbs.
i also have an SMK, good rifles for the price. i got my .22 SMK 19 for 95 pounds, its a pretty accurate gun and a good power at 12ft/lbs.
the "air arms s10 tdr" is an excellent pcp rifle that is as its name indicates a take down rifle and fits into a case that would easily fit in a rucksack with room to spare.removable stock allows you to use the gun as a pistol but automatically limits the power to the legal limit for air pistols then bumps it back up again when you reattach the stock. the barrel and surpressor also screw off .its a really good gun!
Certainly for target use. A heavy rifle forces the target shooter to adopt a correct postion where the bones take the weight, rather than muscles. When I used to do .22 target shooting my rifle weighed 17 lbs!
Jim
Was that a bull-barreled BSA International by any chance?
The heaviest I've used was an Annie Supermatch (around 14lb). What discipline(s) did you shoot, may I ask?Heavier rifles are used in the field for precisely the same reasons as on the range; larger mass means more dampened movement/twitching and so more accuracy. With a conventional (recoiling) springer or a powder burner there's less muzzle flip too. The problem of course comes when having to lug it around (the main reason you don't see many Americans hunting with an M1 rifle despite its excellent calibre, reliability, availability and accuracy) and shooting offhand (i.e. from an unsupported position, which is by far the preferred option).
Was that a bull-barreled BSA International by any chance?
I had a Russian 'Strella', which is/was a 3 position rifle (Though I only ever did prone. Nobody did 3 positions seriously in those days). It had a nice double set trigger - like breaking a glass rod. In about 15 years target shooting I never saw anyone else with one. They mostly had Anshultz 54s or Supermatches, or BSA Martini International Mk 2s or 3s.
I did 25 yards indoors all year round and the County, clubs and Country open meetings. I never really got on with air rifles, but got into the Middx. County and the England teams with smallbore.
Though I was put in the 'X' class (the top 50 in the country) when it was formed, I never had the nerves for the really big events like the Earl Roberts!
I had quite a few centre fire pistols (9mm Parabellum) as well, for fun at Bisley. This was well before Michael Ryan and Thomas Hamilton.
Usually story - I gave it all up when I got married, but still got the medals!
Jim
