New here and new to air guns,I’m looking to upgrade have a Benjamin Prowle 22cal not happy.So I’m all in for $600 Ive tried to narrow my choices down but I just don’t know enough to make a educated disision it seems most lean German made there are so many models I don’t know what makes one better from another. I bench shoot mostly 50yard and take a squirrel now and then. I’m open to all callabers,wood, synthetics as long as it’s reliable and accurate.
Advice on new rifle
- Thread starter badduck
- Start date
Look at the Cayden or the Akela. They're right in your price range, have good warranties nice guns don't forget air. That can cost ya. I'd get the Yong Heng through Walmart and work
JPW
JPW
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I don't know if you ever thought about a D54 Sidelever or HW98.
These are both in the range of 600 or so bucks give or take a hundred.
If you are a bench shooter the HW98 won't disappoint. There have been times in the field I could use my HW98 in .20 leaning against a tree or sitting Indian Style with my back on a house or tree or stake in a barbed wired field to "steady" the shot better. Since all rifles of mine are sighted in offhand by me at 25 yards I can use supports if they are there to steady the shot better.
I was leaning against a tree to shoot 105 yards across a lake with my D54 .20 Hector Special. It was easy to drop the pellets into the bank over the lake into a regular Contadina Tomato Paste can, a bit smaller than the regular soup can by Campbell's.
There was wind too. I had to brace my standing frame on a solid tree to be able to shoot accurately offhand. If you learn everything offhand (including handgun) you are always better using improvised rests--they make the target EASIER to hit.
In the field, you don't know if you will have a rest capable of an accurate shot but if you can shoot offhand you will at least know WHEN to pull the trigger on the target with your breathing.
Simple as pie!
Really!
John
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Hello if you are looking at a spring gun look at the RWS 54(self contained just add pellets and pull trigger), that seems like it would fit your needs. If you want to get into PCP there are a lot of choices but you will need an air supply a tank(scuba or 4500 carbon fiber) or a compressor. If you do decide to go that route look at Benjamin Marauder or look into the classified section there are a lot of good deals on some very nice used guns that come up. I personally would stay away from Hatsan I have had a few and for me for the price the are better choices out there (but thats just my opinion). Hope this helps Eric
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lots of choices .. imo the problem with hitting a 600$ budget is making alot of compromises where a little more budget would get you set up better with a better gun and support equipment 'but' ANYTHING will be better than a puke springer lol ... that said i think youd be pretty satisfied to start with using a handpump and something like a beeman commander in .22 .. the whole package with pump will be under 300 ... you can build from there and eventually get a bottle and compressor and then work towards any gun you want ...
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Agreed! IMHO $600.0 can actually get you a lot of PCP these days, and the ones listed above are great examples. Add in Kratos and the older Marauder (perhaps millions sold? Defienitely hundreds of thousands and tons of available upgrades if that's of interest)
Using discount codes buying direct from Crosman the Akela could be had for Under $500.00 at times for example.
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I'm a pcp person myself but the diana54 pro laminate is a beautiful gun that should last lifetime's. It's expensive but once you buy one pcp you will get another and this cycle seems to never stop. So pcp may save a little in short term itll really cost a ton in the long haul.
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The craftsman line from Benjamin are my vote. I own the Cayden and I am happy with it. You said you shoot mostly benchrest, with some light pesting, might look at the Kratos.
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I can verify this.
The Diana 54 is the best performing springer you can get and is well suited for bench shooting.
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Guest
Guest
Shooter comes to the Springers forum on AGN and asks for a recommendation on a rifle.
The very same people who spent the afternoon bitching about anti-hunting comments, by people who don't hunt, in the Hunting forum are johnny-on- the-spot to talk trash about springers in this forum.
Like I said, it is a lot easier to spot hypocrisy in the other fellow.
OP: Sorry these clowns are trying to sell you a PCP. Most of them never could master a springer and so took the path of least resistance.
A quality spring rifle (and there are many) will generally shoot around an MOA. That is better than most people as soon as you factor in wind and the lower velocities of airguns. It doesn't take much to push pellet a minute or two off target at 25 yards. Given that a MOA is 0.25" or 6.25mm at 25 yds.
Look at the weirauch mid-range sporters in ,177 and get a good optic. Something like the HW80. That is a good place to start.
The very same people who spent the afternoon bitching about anti-hunting comments, by people who don't hunt, in the Hunting forum are johnny-on- the-spot to talk trash about springers in this forum.
Like I said, it is a lot easier to spot hypocrisy in the other fellow.
OP: Sorry these clowns are trying to sell you a PCP. Most of them never could master a springer and so took the path of least resistance.
A quality spring rifle (and there are many) will generally shoot around an MOA. That is better than most people as soon as you factor in wind and the lower velocities of airguns. It doesn't take much to push pellet a minute or two off target at 25 yards. Given that a MOA is 0.25" or 6.25mm at 25 yds.
Look at the weirauch mid-range sporters in ,177 and get a good optic. Something like the HW80. That is a good place to start.
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Guest
Oh! Guess I should have read the whole thread before posting. That rifle is a fine choice and in the right hands will hold it's own ...
For you PCP true believers: The ten dimes challenge can be shot with a PCP at 50 yards if you feel the need to prove yourselves. If that is too hard, feel free to start at 25 yards.
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My apologies. I was NOT one complaining in another thread, but I did not realize this was posted in the Springer forum until I read you post. This is my mistake, and it comes from hitting the "All Topics" link and not paying attention.
So, my "final" answer knowing this, based on many recommendations from this forum, I got a Beeman R9 and absolutely love it! I am also intrigues by some of the side/bottom lever springers,.
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If you don’t mind a little weight the hw77 is a very nice under lever with iron sites. If you plan to scope it, there’s the hw97 version. My 77 .22cal iron sites needed no adjustment at 25yds. The dang thing was spot on. The quality is also incredible. There’s nothing cheap feeling about my weihrauch. It’s a solid shooter for sure.
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Good choice, I also have one in 0.20 cal. That gun should serve you well for a long, long time.
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I decided to give air guns a try I’m an avid cartridge and black powder bench shooter 100-500 yards basically i get bored with my cartridge guns and in this humidity after about 5 shots with black powder it gets to gummy and doesn’t perform without a lot of cleaning and drying so you don’t get much shooting done.I went the springer route because it seems its going to be more of a challenge to master.But each to his own i just don’t think a PCP rifle is my thing at the moment maybe sometime down the road.
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I hear ya, one of the reasons I got into airguns was the lack of cleaning after use like my firearms require. After a shooting session a quick wipe with antirust cloth and done. Less noise, cheaper ammo, less cleaning, yep the airgun comes in first every time. I live out in the country and can shoot anything I want in my backyard, but airgun is most always my first choice...
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