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DLS Pellet · New Member

Hi all, Great site. Been checkin this place out the last few days, registered yesterday, postin today.

Lookin to get a Pellet Rifle. I recently bought my sons a Red Ryder, and its rekindled the spirit in me for all things Airgun.

Things Im looking for:
177 pellet rifle.
Would like it to be a spring gun...not interested in propane.
At least 1200 fps(reading here, I realize this is an optomistic figure...but also seems to be an industry standard for spring guns?

Power/accuracy most important to me....looks dont matter too much...I think Id prefer synthetic over real wood, but this isnt a sticking point for me, Im open to pretty much any options

Target shoot mostly...but NEED hunting power.

Ok with open sights or scope...not stuck on this either, though Id like the option of both

For some odd reason, I have an aversion to break barrels...and Im not sure why. They seem cumbersome and innacurate to me....but this is some type of weird prejiduce on my part, I have NO facts to back this up
Maybe someone can clear up the pros/cons of the different action types.

Brand not too important to me...performance is.

Im an inherent tinkerer..and would like a gun that I could eventually take apart, and modify for better perfromance.

Any brand is Ok with me at this point...for every model some person hates, you can find ten others that love it. Not a snob in that respect.

Woukld like to keep price under 200 dollars, but willing to go a little higher for "more gun"

I have a link here...maybe you guys could look through it , and maybe make a reccomendation.
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2098729&sr=1&origkw=pellet%20gun

Sorry I couldnt narrow it down...just wondering if there are any rifles in there that are the stand out clear winner of the group.

If nothing on that site looks good...can you recomend other models(please be specific as possible...Im not up on all the models and makers yet, sometimes I get confused)

Now A littlr about myself..at least you guys can get to know me, and it could help narrow the choices for a gun.

Im 35 yrs old, married, two sons, aged 9 and 5. Live in upstate NY. Lifelong hunter,camper, outdoorsman. Can handle and shoot a gun, but have never really been a "gun guy" ..My powderburners have always been more of a tool Ive needed to use to hunt, than a hobby unto themselves.
Would love to use the new pellet gun to take rabbits with, if possible.

Had a few pellet/BB guns when I was younger...they were my best friends at the time....sadly I sold them years ago...wish I hadnt.

I currently have a crosman 1008 C02 pistol...but it leaks internally, and havent shot it in years. Would like to repair this, if cost effective. If not, i wont bother.

Cant think Of anything else right now....but this post is long enough already...thanks for reading.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Welcome to AirGunHome.com!

A couple of clarifications; propane is not used in airguns. Some paintball and airsoft people use it, and it's stupid due to the potential safety issues. Airguns as are typically defined are limited to power via compressed air or other inert gas (argon, nitrogen, Co2). How this compressed air is compress can be broken down in more categories- 'pump' guns where the users pumps the air pressure up on the gun, a break-barrel or side/under-lever which compresses a spring that when released compresses air, a 'stored' air setup called pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) where a reservoir contains compressed air loaded into it by more automated means such as a scuba tank or an external pump.

That being said, the only spring gun you can find that aren't break-barrels are underlevers or side levers. Same effort and principles apply to them as do break-barrels, but you are not moving the barrel, but a separate rod/cocking arm.

1200fps is a marketing gimmick. Most of the manufacturers try to push "numbers". The problem is these numbers are derived using the lightest-weight pellets available and once over the speed of sound (roughly 1040fps) pellets get extremely inaccurate. Why do you need 'power' more than anything else?

Also, airguns are far different than powder-burners- and for most people alot more fun. Cheap to operate, quieter than firearms, and generally have much shorter ranges so you can shoot targets in your backyard with much less chance of killing your neighbors by mistake. Airguns these days are also miles ahead of what they were 25-30 years ago for the most part.

DLS Pellet · New Member

Thanks for clearing that up, Eric. Much appreciated.
I guess my confusion about the propane came from this gun;
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3257521

In the description, it says spring piston...but on the bottom specs sections it says propane....im guessing this is a typo??? It also shows 1400fps...Hmm....Im guessing thats a tad optomistic, but basically youre saying a standard pellet could never be accurrate at that velocity, anyway right?

So basically, break barrels are pretty much a standard, and in no way inferior to a lever action?

Id like the max knockdown power that I can get, as I dont like animals to suffer, and like my gun to be asw capable as I am.

I notice most if not all of the guns listed on that site are break barrels..no levers to be found.

Ant recommendations on which gun I should get??? I know that site list is long...but Im confused and would like to spend my "time" researching a product, not my "money"

Thanks for the warm welcome...from what Ive seen, I think Im gonna like it here.

dummyracer36 · Senior Member

welcome to the forum!!!!
youll find that we all have our own opinions about what guns we like or dont like. for instance, i wont buy another .117 cal rifle ever again, for no other reason than i like .22s.
as for break barrels, its something youll get used to, they really arent all that clumsy, removing them from your list of possibilities also greatly reduces your choices.

as for a suggestion, personally i'm a fan of the Benjimin SuperStreak (some will disagree) http://www.pyramydair.com/p/benjamin-sheridan-super-streak-air-rifle.shtml i know its more than what your stated budget is, but to me, its worth every penny
i own one in .22 and absolutely LOVE it..... has AWESOME power, is very accurate, and there are upgrades available for it (some complain about the trigger).

DLS Pellet · New Member

Thanks dummyracer.Thats a NICE gun, but too far outside of my budget right now.
but, you bring up an interesting point....Do I really want a 177 over a .22.
I have NO clue about the .22 caliber air rifles. Never shot one, never seen one.
Whats the main differences between the two? Pros and cons to both calibers?

Are the 22 more suited to a hunting type situation?

Price difference to shoot??? Since Ill primarily be plinking/target shooting, and plan to go through alot of ammo.....but hunting is MOST definately on the list.

Inherent accuracy of the two calibers?? is one better in any way?

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to learn as much as possible before I spend my money....Im not interested in getting buyers remorse.

Thanks

Brutuz · Senior Member

Welcome DLS.

Ever heard of this one?

http://www.pyramydair.com/p/Crosman-Nitro-Piston-Short-Stroke-Digital-Camo-air-rifle.shtml

Might be interesting.

aircube · Veteran Member

Hey, welcome, i'm new here too

If you want to avoid a break barrel and don't mind a pumper, talk to sniper about his MAC-1 benjamin, sounds like an awesome gun. Smile

DLS Pellet · New Member

Ok, I think I found my answer to the caliber question here;
http://www.airgundepot.com/air-rifle-caliber-selection.html

given the info in that article, I think Ill stick with the 177 for my first rifle. Although a 22 will probably be on my list for the future.

The more I research this, the more I get the impression that the guns really arent going to vary too much at my price point......and that I cant really go wrong with anything I buy....would you guys agree with that?

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

Yeah, ammo is cheaper with the 177. And the technology of airguns has advanced to the point where you can get a really nice gun without paying too much. But still research the rifle you decide to buy before buying it. And take our advice seriously. Trust me, we know what we are talking about when it comes to airguns.

aircube · Veteran Member

I have a .177 and i used to use it to take the occassional critter and i would never do it now that I own two .22's

Just my opinion, but unless you are an awesome shot like Kanyon, .177 have no place in shooting critters unless you are into torture.

I would't say that everything out there is a great gun either, some are more accurate and some are very well made, some of the really inexpensive ones are junk and low powered. But a lot of them seem to be made in the same factories with the same parts and are relabled, so are very similar.

Pyramidair.com has great customer reviews of all kinds of products.

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

Jaxom · Senior Member

Welcome aboard!

I can't really add more then what has already been said. Although I would suggest once you narrow it down to your final 1-3 choices, come back here and do a forum search and read EVERYTHING you can on those modles.

For those of us on a really tight budget (who ain't these days?), I know you said you're looking at springers. Don't over look the crosman 22xx series. Many of us are rather fond of these becaues they highly modifable. You can get a 2240 pistol, and as budget permits turn that into a hard hitting sniper rifle.

There is another thread in this forum about "open source" modular ags. If there ever was one already on the market it would be the crosman 22xx series. You can get a base "custom" job from Crosman in either pistol or rifle format and then tweak that even more with help from folks around here.

Good hunting!

Jax

DLS Pellet · New Member

thanks for all the tips so far, fellas..its truly appreciated. Ive been pouring over the info here, and on the web, and am slowly becoming more comfortable with a possible purchase.
I havent ruled any guns out yet....may take a trip to my local dicks sporting goods, and see whats in stock.

Been spending a fair bit of time at pyramid also...MAN....this is tough, so many cool guns and options.....I JUST WANT TO SHOOT....lol

aircube · Veteran Member

Nice thing about AG's is they are quite inexpensive, so you can always buy more..... Cool

Brutuz · Senior Member