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Air Rifles as alternative to gun and ammo shortages

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I can find 22 pellets - usually Crosman, at Walmart's or sporting goods stores locally in Ohio, but the only place I've been able to find JSB pellets is online.

The best price with quick delivery that I found is on Air Gun Depot website. $10 for JSB Match Exact Jumbo Diabolo 22 cal, 15.89 somed, 250 count tin. Shipping is around $8 but I've ordered twice in a few weeks and both times they shipped the next day after I ordered, and it only took 3 or 4 days for delivery. Really good service I think.

However, they probably have 12 different JSB pellet brands in 22 caliber, and the 15.89 grain are the only ones in stock. Just saying.

When I placed the order, I laughed a little bit. $10 for 250 pellets is 4 cents a piece. That's what I was paying a few years ago for 22LR ammo.

Hey, one more question. If I'm going to continue hand pumping, does it make any sense to buy a 3,000psi rifle such as the Avenger, but only hand pump it to 2,000 to 2,500 psi? Or is that just dumb.

Thanks!
 
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I don't know the Avenger specs. If you get a Maurader, they do well with a 2500 psi fill and tuned to about 20 ft lbs. My BSA Scorpion is rated from the factory for a 3,000psi fill, but after shortening the hammer spring to reduce air waste, it now does best with a 2600 psi fill. You will need a chronograph if you want to know what each gun needs. Guns like the Marauder that are highly adjustable may differ from 1 to the next even as delivered from the factory.
 
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Ummm the Avenger is a 4350psi (300BAR) max fill rifle.

You may be better off with a DAR Gen2 that's only a 3000psi max fill gun that has a larger air cylinder if you wanna pump it and keep it low pressure.

Air capacity Avenger 180cc vs DAR Gen2 250cc.

DAR Gen2 quieter than Avenger.

Wood vs plastic stock.

Avenger - Potential Troublesome regulator and prone to leak and weak valve poppet with no manufacture replacement part number for this weakest part prone to fail it's just a matter of time.

Better yet a 2000psi max fill Benjamin Maximus super easy to hand pump.
 
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As an alternative to shooting at the gun range, I've been looking to buy 22 LR ammo from CCI called 'Quiet' for backyard shooting. It's only 720FPS, and is supposed to be pretty quiet to shoot. The only deal I found online is 90 cents per round. That's crazy. Beyond crazy.

I ordered two more tins of JSB 22cal (in stock and very reasonable price), and will be more than happy to continue to transition from powder ammo to shooting with air.

I'm still worried that supply and demand is going to take air rifles and ammo in the same direction as firearms are in right now. I could just be me, but it seems like air rifles and pellets for online purchase are pretty scarce already. Lots of 'out of stock' notices on most things I'm looking at. Not a good sign.
 
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I was into shooting my rimfire rifle and reloading for my centerfire rifles including AR15s. After getting my pistol permit, I got into air guns because of the first ammo shortage. With no cheap rimfire ammo available, I bought my first PCP air rifle and then air pistol. I like air gun shooting so much I bought a match grade air rifle and started attending air rifle matches - field target. I enjoy shooting my custom stocked spring piston air rifles and my PCP 10m air pistol daily at my house, backyard and at outdoor air gun competitions. I still do weekly small bore 3 and 4 position rifles matches after getting back into small bore rifle shooting last year but the price increases and scarcity of match grade rimfire ammo is going to make it difficult to do 100 yard small bore prone shooting this year. I agree air rifles can be an alternative to gun and ammo shortages. Shooting air guns is more than just an alternative. Airguns can be their own thing or a starting point for other shooting activities, sports and hunting. Heck I even still do some local target archery outdoors and indoors and some bowhunting.
 
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I have a couple of old springer rifles, a Feinwerkbau 124 and a 300 s, I just got the 124 back from David Slade after having it worked over, due to a disintegrated piston seal. I went ahead and had his whole package , new mainspring, trigger job and tune up. It has been several years since it shot either, and had almost forgotten how accurate it is. I just placed an order for a HW 75, considered the 45, but went the recoilless route even at the expense of less power. They will all keep my shooting skills up, and another plus, my young grandson expressed an interest in shooting, so next time that he is here we can shoot without a 100 mile round trip to the range., plus cost of ammo is much less. His first time shooting, last Thanksgiving, we probaby went through $75-80 of .22 LR ammo. I can buy a lot of pellets for that. plus shoot in my back yard. I also shoot quite a few centerfire calibers, handgun and rifle which gets expensive. Shot a box of .375 H&H a few weeks back and that is expensive, but don't use it often, sticking mostly with 5.56/.223 or my little 6.5 Grendle rifles these days. Even some of my really small centerfire calibers such as .22 Hornet and 32-20 are quite expensive since they are not very popular and not a lot of ammo being made, guess I need to clean off the reloading press and start that again., Components are getting expensive but I do have a pretty good supply of primers, powders and bullets so no excuse there.
 
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Same boat here op. Airguns have been my go to whenever we have one of these ammo shortage things. About 10 years or so I snagged an airforce talon in 22 cal. I shot pretty much any 22lr shooting with it during times like this.

A similar 30 or 35 cal rifle could fill the bigger bore niche very well I think too.

I'd look real hard at getting into casting and make your own slugs. Initial buy in can be pricey, but if you shoot a lot, youll be ahead soon. Heck, you can cast conventional type pellets too if you have a mold, and your lead will go a long way.

There's about 7000 grains in a pound. 1 pound of pure fluxed clean lead on ebay will run ya about 2 bucks. That's 70 nice 100g 30 cal slugs for a lot less than 50 rounds of 22 ammo in non shortage times.
 
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22lr is still readily available and if you train with it, I think something like a Smith & Wesson 43c is a viable pocket carry gun. It won't blow somebody's head off but it's loud and painful if not lethal when shot at close range. Which is what you want from a small CCW... basically time to get away and put distance between yourself and the threat. Besides in today's climate blowing a 45 through some vibrant personage might get you a long term vacation alongside insurec... patriots. 

Realistically I'm not going to carry a 45 24-7-365 but I can carry an 11oz J-frame with 8-shots without any burden. 

I can't imagine any scenario using an air gun for self-defense that doesn't seem to be a last ditch effort. If you're far enough away to shoot at distance you're probably better off increasing distance rather than pissing the bad guy off or revealing your position. If they are close enough to be an imminent threat then a baseball bat is a heck of a lot more reliable with quick follow up. 

Avoidance is going to be very important to any defense. Showing that you're not a murderous gun nut but simply a responsible citizen looking to avoid violent confrontations is going to be how you avoid the bogus charges these awful prosecutors are going to try to hang on anyone who defends themself.
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This is such good advice it is worth quoting here again. I've got a Buckmark with a 4" barrel to carry and am looking for a smaller platform. I keep a 10/22 in a closet with a 25 round magazine and a spare beside it... my Mossy 500 is by the bed. My airguns are to make food and a good spring rifle in the 14 to 20 foot pound range will do that 24 x 7 x 365, quietly and efficiently out to "far enough" yards.
 
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