Questions About Air Rifles

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Jeremy

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The last pellet gun I had as a kid was a crosman pump! The newer ones have caught my eye for a squirrel problem I have at the house and just to get out and shoot some.

Problem is I know NOTHING! I think id like to have one in .22. Minimum fps? Id like to do this on a fairly cheap budget, if it costs too much for a decent one ill just shoot them with a 22 or shotgun lol. After a couple hours of googling now my head hurts even more, theres a million different ones and for the most part the specs are very similar.
 
Jeremy said:
The last pellet gun I had as a kid was a crosman pump! The newer ones have caught my eye for a squirrel problem I have at the house and just to get out and shoot some.

Problem is I know NOTHING! I think id like to have one in .22. Minimum fps? Id like to do this on a fairly cheap budget, if it costs too much for a decent one ill just shoot them with a 22 or shotgun lol. After a couple hours of googling now my head hurts even more, theres a million different ones and for the most part the specs are very similar.
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Had a Crosman pump when I was a kid. I found .177 to be plenty good for squirrels and other pests. Can't speak to whats out there today.
 
Thanks! That thread is actually what got me wanting one lol. Just dont know a thing about them and dont want one and be dissapointed with it in a few months.
 
I purchased one from that thread and it shoots quite well. Dropped it off at mom n dads. Dad likes it and shoots a little steel target all the time with it.
 
I kinda like the Benjamin Nitro Piston in 22cal. Can be pretty darn accurate with the right pellets. Just like a 22lr, you have to experiment with different brands and types to find the best accuracy. Last Benjamin NP I shot was my son's a couple years back and it's a sub minute of squirrel head at 30yd.
 
I did some research last year for a backyard plinker and everything I read kept pointing me towards a Diana 34, which is what I picked up. I can not speak highly enough of the rifle.

I don't hunt, but in my reading everyone said stick to .22 for such things.
 
I bought one of the .22 cal Gamo Fusion Whisper airguns from Midway and it seems to shoot pretty well. As stated, it did take some experimentation to find out what pellet works best. Mine seemed to do pretty well with H&N field target trophy.

Groups were pretty large at first, but then I read up on the springer/piston recoil and used a modified "artillery hold". Once I figured out something that worked, group sizes shrank.

These were shot at 15yds using the H&N pellets. I was adjusting the optic in the second pic, walking pellets to the center
upload_2020-5-24_14-57-23.pngupload_2020-5-24_14-58-2.png

Since this is the 'whisper' model, I used the NIOSH sound level app on my iPhone to check out the dB levels. The airgun averaged around 85dB with the mic about 12" from the muzzle. Not very scientific, but it seemed to be on-par with my Daisy 853 .177 single-pump airgun.

Not a bad airgun for $85
 
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nbkky71 said:
I bought one of the .22 cal Gamo Fusion Whisper airguns from Midway and it seems to shoot pretty well. As stated, it did take some experimentation to find out what pellet works best. Mine seemed to do pretty well with H&N field target trophy.

Groups were pretty large at first, but then I read up on the springer/piston recoil and used a modified "artillery hold". Once I figured out something that worked, group sizes shrank.

These were shot at 15yds using the H&N pellets. I was adjusting the optic in the second pic, walking pellets to the center
View attachment 216155View attachment 216157

Since this is the 'whisper' model, I used the NIOSH sound level app on my iPhone to check out the dB levels. The airgun averaged around 85dB with the mic about 12" from the muzzle. Not very scientific, but it seemed to be on-par with my Daisy 853 .177 single-pump airgun.

Not a bad airgun for $85
Click to expand...

How good, or bad, is the scope that came with the gun?
 
frakncylons said:
I did some research last year for a backyard plinker and everything I read kept pointing me towards a Diana 34, which is what I picked up. I can not speak highly enough of the rifle.

I don't hunt, but in my reading everyone said stick to .22 for such things.
Click to expand...
I think all the Diana's are supposed to be good to go. I bought a 48 in .177 for squirrel and woodpecker control. Wanted a 22 but had a bunch of 177 pellets left over from my $50 chinese side cocker. The 48 is a squirrel killing machine. Have been using flat point target pellets. Just got hollow points and got the gun zero'd the other day. More accurate than the flat point target pellets.
 
frakncylons said:
How good, or bad, is the scope that came with the gun?
Click to expand...

It's a bare-bones model, that's for sure, but it seems to work fine. Parallax is fixed and I can't find anything in the documentation as to what it's set to, but I'm guessing it's well beyond the normal range of an airgun. The only way I could get a clear sight picture was to leave the magnification at 3-4x. Adjustments were 1/4 MOA and the clicks were solid and positive. The glass was relatively clear and I didn't see an obvious distortion. The scope came pre-mounted in the rings, but I had to adjust the tube position a little further to the rear to correct the eye relief. I needed a metric Allen wrench to make the adjustments.

If you're a serious air-gunner, you definitely want to replace the optics. For the casual shooter it should work fine. A buddy of mine recommended optics made by Hawke, but I got sticker shock when I saw their prices!
 
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I sucked it up and bought a replacement optic today for the Gamo airgun. Ended up going with a Leapers/UTG 3-9X32 1" Hunter Scope with AO. While not high-end, it does have a lot of good features in it for $85 and it's rated for airgun recoil.
 
I got the. Air gun itch a year or so ago. Picked up a Game Whisper something or other at Academy Sports. Just jump in and buy a $100-$150 model. There’s so much info out there...Darn like buying a 1911. It’s intimidating. The Brits are big on airguns and there are some good reference videos and sits on brands/models.

The frustrating thing is they can be relatively inaccurate and hard to dial in to “squirrel accurate.” As mentioned above, they are picky about which pellets are used and what type (round nose, flat nose, hollow point, etc.). So don’t get into a $100 rifle thinking you’ll be shooting matches in a week and taking home trophies!
 
If you like shooting quietly and accurately in your back yard, move up to a precharged pneumatic. You’ll spend more than a nice 10-22 but in my case, it’s worth it. I have 2 Benjamin marauder rifles and a pistol along with several others. I have swinging plastic targets setup out to 65yards and live in a neighborhood. I can shoot outside with my neighbors out and they don’t know. I shot a squirrel this weekend with my 22 Marauder in my neighbors yard and ranged it at 95yards. Because of the convenience, I’ve probably shot more pellets in the last couple months than I have rounds through any of my powder burners in the last 5 years.
 
I’ve a Daina 48 in .22, it’ll hammer squirrels & possums. From what I’ve read the .29 cal is the ticket. Almost 177 speed with longer effective range.
 
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