N/A Please recommendations please for very accurate target .177 or .22 air rifle for an adult....up to $600 max

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student

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Mar 31, 2025
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First of all i would like to thank everyone on this forum who've taught me so much and introduced me to this sport.
Health/injury has left me mostly home bound but i really enjoy shooting and have good fundamentals from years of competitive pistol and long range rifle.

I would like to find a quiet air rifle that is very accurate.
I thought the smaller calibers might be best as it will only be used on paper targets and sound levels are of critical importance. I plan to purchase a moderator in the future as well.
Hoping if possible to limit the search to a new air rifle so i don't have to worry about seals etc for some time.

I spoke with my better half and I think we can afford up to apx. $600 for the rifle.
I would probably purchase on Black Friday to take advantage of any sales....and by then i should have recovered enough from some surgery.

As always I appreciate your suggestions.
 
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Yes, the Challenger is very accurate, quite silent, and quite adjustable. It's a target rifle .(y) I think Benjamin PCPs are the way to go. The Marauder is great, but a bit big; the others are lighter. All are accurate, and the prices and backup are good. Check out Air Gun Revisions, he has many to choose from
 
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You'd probably get more bang for your buck (literally) if you peruse the Classifieds here for sellers with a good reputation & rating. I've seen an FX Bobcat .22 for $600. That's an upper tier, incredibly accurate & quiet gun. Maybe it's still available (but that's just an example).
 
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student said:
First of all i would like to thank everyone on this forum who've taught me so much and introduced me to this sport.
Health/injury has left me mostly home bound but i really enjoy shooting and have good fundamentals from years of competitive pistol and long range rifle.

I would like to find a quiet air rifle that is very accurate.
I thought the smaller calibers might be best as it will only be used on paper targets and sound levels are of critical importance. I plan to purchase a moderator in the future as well.
Hoping if possible to limit the search to a new air rifle so i don't have to worry about seals etc for some time.

I spoke with my better half and I think we can afford up to apx. $600 for the rifle.
I would probably purchase on Black Friday to take advantage of any sales....and by then i should have recovered enough from some surgery.

As always I appreciate your suggestions.
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An umerex zelos .22 would probably be one of the best $600 guns out there. There will be other costs associated with air rifles. You will need a way to fill the gun. You will need an optic. Ammo. You definitely need cleaning supplies like ballistol and cleaning patches to clean out the barrel before your first use and after every 300 pellets or so. A decent air cooled pcp compressor would be around $250 on Amazon. These compressors can last approximately a year or so with moderate use if you take care of them. Sometimes longer. Letting a compressor get too hot is what kills them. A houshold fan blowing onto your compressor can extend the life significantly. Don't buy a $160 air cooled compressor it won't last. A gx cs3 air cooled is currently $339. Or you can get a yong heng water cooled for $200 or so. An inline pcp air water separator filter is also recommended on any compressor, to keep the air clean and dry.
 
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student said:
thank you...i'm checking out the recommendations just now.
I do have a small electric compressor and I will likely transfer a rifle scope from one of my long range rifles that sadly are now relegated to life in our firearm safe. maybe one day i'll be able to get back to long range rifle shooting. I really enjoyed that.
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The compressor needs to be a 4500psi pcp/ scuba compressor. A typical houshold compressor is not going to do it.
 
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Air Force Utility, either a Condor SS or a Talon SS. One of the small bores, .177, .20, or .22. The SS specifically b/c you want it quiet right out of the box ("moderator in the future").

Get their "Ring-Lock" kit so you can put a small transfer port on there and reduce the power for your planned 40-50 yards, and that'll make even more quiet.

Warrantied. Made in the USA. Lothar barrel.

Lots and lots and lots of budget options these days are a couple shipping containers worth of rebadged guns made in China. When they sell the containers empty, that gun is DONE. Those options have little to no aftermarket support. No parts availability. No warranty. Basically disposable. Or at least they need to be considered disposable.

With Air Force, your chances of the company being around in the future are much better.

Yes, nicer guns are made. But you're gonna need to spend more than $600 to get them. In my opinion, $600 towards an Air Force is the best bang for the buck.

Check out their outlet store for the best pricing. Supposedly they're blems in some way but I've bought two from there in the last 15 months and neither were any more disfigured than airguns in a much higher price range.
https://airforceairguns.com/product-category/outlet-store/
 
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Franklink said:
Air Force Utility, either a Condor SS or a Talon SS. One for the small bores, .177, .20, or .22. The SS specifically b/c you want it quiet right out of the box ("moderator in the future").

Get their "Ring-Lock" kit so you can put a small transfer port on there and reduce the power for your planned 40-50 yards, and that'll make even more quiet.

Warrantied. Made in the USA. Lothar barrel.

Lots and lots and lots of budget options these days are a couple shipping containers worth of rebadged guns made in China. When they sell the containers empty, that gun is DONE. Those options have little to no aftermarket support. No parts availability. No warranty. Basically disposable. Or at least they need to be considered disposable.

With Air Force, your chances of the company being around in the future are much better.

Yes, nicer guns are made. But you're gonna need to spend more than $600 to get them. In my opinion, $600 towards an Air Force is the best bang for the buck.

Check out their outlet store for the best pricing. Supposedly they're blems in some way but I've bought two from there in the last 15 months and neither were any more disfigured than airguns in a much higher price range.
https://airforceairguns.com/product-category/outlet-store/
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Straight Condor .22 is $412 in the outlet. Add an adapter and a moderator and get an even more accurate and powerful rifle with the 24" barrel.
 
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For a long gun, conventional gun, I always recommend a Stoeger Scout or Ranger. I don't think they come in 177 but they do come in 22 which I recommend anyway, It uses more air but the pellets drift less. I prefer bullpups, however, so I have P35s in 177, 22, and 25. I also have a 22 caliber Stoeger Bullshark. All these guns are made by Snowpeak often abbreviated SPA. They have side levers and are regulated PCPs. I have shot 200s in the 30 yard challenge with the P35-22 and Bullshark 22 and at least a 197 with the others. I've shot the P35-22 at 100 yards a few times. It made groups around 2 inches at that distance. Wind drift is a big deal with an airgun especially shooting pellets. These guns are all in your price range. The Ranger and Scout are the least expensive, I believe.
 
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student said:
First of all i would like to thank everyone on this forum who've taught me so much and introduced me to this sport.
Health/injury has left me mostly home bound but i really enjoy shooting and have good fundamentals from years of competitive pistol and long range rifle.

I would like to find a quiet air rifle that is very accurate.
I thought the smaller calibers might be best as it will only be used on paper targets and sound levels are of critical importance. I plan to purchase a moderator in the future as well.
Hoping if possible to limit the search to a new air rifle so i don't have to worry about seals etc for some time.

I spoke with my better half and I think we can afford up to apx. $600 for the rifle.
I would probably purchase on Black Friday to take advantage of any sales....and by then i should have recovered enough from some surgery.

As always I appreciate your suggestions.
Click to expand...
You’re in luck…there’s a Daystate Huntsman in the classifieds now..very accurate, trouble free, rifle. Good luck with your search. John
 
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student said:
great info
didn't know some air rifles have integrated moderators. i don't have the requisite funds just yet but this is incredibly helpful

bet the show would be fun..perhaps one day

thank you all for the info and help
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What do you consider "accurate" and how far do you intend to shoot?

In my experience if your pcp can do 1 moa at 50yds or closer you have an accurate air rifle. There are certainly pcps that will do better, but not many and not in your budget. I have shot a lot with a wide variety of quality and brands etc. I would advise looking at the AirForce Talon SS in 22 during the usual holiday sales. I think AirForce does sales a couple times a year. They just had their whole line up on deep sales a few months ago and I picked up a Condor in 25Cal for $485, but I was too slow as there were even cheaper deals to be had. I really like it, its not as accurate as my FXs but the trigger is pretty good and the performance is great overall.

I think the Condor series has too much power stock in anything smaller than 25Cal, and the Talon series has a more appropriate valve design for shooting pellets at accurate pellet speeds. As noted above the Talon SS has a functional shroud, but you can still add an external moderator if you feel you need more. And AirForce has been around a long time, and that lifetime warranty is nice. O-rings? I think there is 4 in the whole rifle, specifically in the tank/valve. They are very very simple rifles, too simple for some. If you are the kind of guy that likes to sit down at the bench and really take your time, the single shot limitation might actually be a good thing for you. I dont think you can do better in todays market for your budget than an AirForce on a sale. If you cant find one for a good price then I would start looking elsewhere.

My other suggestion would be a Gamo Urban or Coyote. They have BSA barrels are are lasers. The trigger isnt great but can be upgraded for cheap, and if you turn them down a little they can be pretty quiet in my experience. Again very simple rifles, parts are available some here in the US and some overseas from the UK where they are made. I have an Urban that is like 10 years old that has needed one o-ring since new and it has not had an easy life.

One last place to always check is one of our sponsors AirGun Revisions. There is a bargain section that sometimes has the Turkish made Benjamin lineup that has been known to be very accurate and pretty wood stocks at amazing prices. When they are in stock there is no better deal on the whole internet. Some people say they are a little barky depending on settings and model etc but with the money you save you can get a monster of a moderator. He also has some good prices on the neat Stoeger line up, and the Ranger in particular might be a good option.

Note: some suggestions people give you will be regulated and others will not be regulated. Some people like regs, others despise them. I see the pros and cons of each design and love both. You can do some research and see if a regulator and its extra work is worth it for you or not. That will really limit what you can choose.

Bargain Block - Airgun Revisions

www.airgunrevisions.com www.airgunrevisions.com
 
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Daystate huntsman freshly tune by Slade. She would be awsome little thing to start a LTR with:love:

PCP Rifle - Daystate Huntsman Classic - aka "The Fly Gun"

Here is the .177 version of the gun Kip Perow at AOA was testing and shot a fly at 50 yards with. It is in 99% condition cosmetically and got a full Master Tune last year by David Slade, National Field Target Champion, and has been sitting in my room ever since. It will come with paperwork on...
www.airgunnation.com www.airgunnation.com
 
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