Bought My First Airgun

[Coldair]

Don't get too hyped about a gas piston, they are harder to shoot accurately. Power is not everything if you can't even hit your target.

Your best bet has been stated numerous times on other posts here on AGN forums for your budget, $200 price range, 177 cal RWS 34 Pwith scope for $149.88 from Cabelas, 22 cal RWS 34p no scope $211.95 from 3tailer or $255.00 from Airguns of Arizonaf or both 177 or 22 RWS 34P no scope or 177 Walther Terrus $149 or higher power 177Parrus $149 from Airguns of Arizona. The Walther Terrus or RWS 34 would be my first choice if I had that budget. If you absolutely need a 22 then go with the RWS and if 177 then you have both choices. They are not usually this cheap just letting you know. If you want precision accuracy than these would be my choice for the budget.

If you want so-so doesn't really matter accuracy not the best but shoots OK for plinking at soda pop cans or something like a tennis ball at 30 yards and not needing the best possible in accuracy the Gamo Swarm Maxxim would do. If you want to hit a quarter twenty five cents piece at 30 yards then my recommended guns should be good candidates.

I really don't think you can do any better than that for the price they are excellent guns which literally screams quality and accuracy. These are much better choices than what you are thinking of buying for that price range so believe me for the same price or cheaper, you get better guns.

You are only going to be wasting pellets not hitting your target by not going down the right path and would hate for you to find out the hard way and this airgun hobby and sport is supposed to be enjoyably fun and relaxing without any grief and frustration.



CA

 

[Coldair]

I have a good story to tell you regarding gas piston guns. I had a very accurate English manufactured 800 feet per second Webley Patriot (Beeman Kodiak) that was pretty accurate and wonderful to shoot, plenty of power but I got hyped about the gas piston craze then I had a gas piston installed to replace the spring then at 900 feet per second I couldn't hit anything at all. The cocking effort became terribly heavy. I simply couldn't shoot it straight any more. Sold it for really cheap disclosing what I had experienced after the gas piston and suggested installing a factory spring back into the rifle to the buyer.

I also had a high end $1000.00 1000 feet per second Beeman Crow Magnum 3 gas ram rifle that I couldn't hit anything with either and sold it for cheap.

The best regular spring gun that I used that I could hit everything with was a low powered 177 Beeman R7 shooing 600 feet per second.

I could hit targets out to 50 yards with it. Then I got an 800fps HW97K which had more power but wasn't any easier to shoot than the R7.

Don't get too tied up thinking about high power. Power isn't anything if you simply can't hit your target. It just makes it harder to shoot.


CA

 

[Yarddog]

Voklgren, I have two .22 Swarm Maxxims and my neighbor has one in .177. VERY accurate, not hold-sensitive. I have found that they really like JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy pellets, 18.3 grains. I have put up to eight pellets in one hole at fifteen yards with both rifles. The scope that comes with them is trash, so I scoped both of them with a Hammers 3-9X32AO, cost just under sixty bucks delivered from Amazon. My neighbor has also scoped his .177 with the same unit.

The loading mechanism works flawlessly...unless your other foolish neighbor puts a .177 magazine into the .22, and forces the load...then the autoloader breaks! Is why I have two! I shoot so much that when #1 broke, I bought #2, and ordered, got, and installed a new loading mechanism from Gamo. I didn't want to be without that rifle. The neighbor that broke it wants to buy it, but I dunno...choices are good, even if they are identical with identical accuracy!

In short, sir, if you are thinking about buying one, I'd encourage you to scratch that itch. My neighbor's .177 doesn't shoot as accurately as my ..22, but I greatly doubt that it's the rifle's fault! Part of it is that its owner hasn't found the correct pellet for the gun, in my opinion. I discovered early on, by experimenting, that mine likes Gamo Rockets and the JSBs referenced earlier, so I order the JSB's. My buddy doesn't feel like ordering...he doesn't know how to use a computer or the World Wide Web well...so he buys whatever he needs at the local Walmart.

Like the OP, I too am a new airgunner! I started with a Benjamin 392 in early September, but I held off for several years until I felt I had the disposable income to buy one, but I did a LOT of research first. And I ordered it. The second one was the Swarm Maxxim (#1), and I ordered that too...it was about forty bucks cheaper on line than a B&M locally. Again, I put some time researching it. Then the latest (not counting Swarm #2) was a vintage Beeman R1...when I want an upper body workout, I shoot that, but it, too, is a tack driver at fifteen yards! In short, I'd encourage the OP to slow down and spend some time researching his next airgun...the advice to consider Weirauchs and other German guns is very sound, and I'd suggest as well, looking into British airguns. I'm about ninety nine percent certain that my next...maybe last...airgun will be an Air Arms TX200 Mk III...I considered PCP's...too much ancillary equipment involved. For what I want, PCP's and all that go with it simply doesn't make sense.

 

[Buckshotshoey]

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[Buckshotshoey]

If I can disagree with the negative reviews on the Ruger Impact Max - mine has been very accurate. In fact so much so that I bought a 2nd one off ebay for cheap. I replaced the sear spring with a lighter weight spring and the trigger pull is 2 lbs now. Both are minute-of-squirrel out to 40 yards. The scope that comes with it will damage your eyes, throw it away immediately. I put a $30 Kruger 3-9x32mm scope on it and that helped tremendously. The open sights will work better than the piece of junk scope that came with it, for sure.

I have found the Impact Max to be hold sensitive and pellet picky, but not inordinately so. For hold, placing it on a bag at the balance point seems to work best for me, lightly shouldered. I'm not a great shot by any means, but the gun can hold 1" at 38 yards this way (both of them). For pellets, the H&N Terminators and Beeman Devastators are the most accurate for me (16.36gr, I think they are the same pellet). It also shoots the 18.13gr JSB fairly well and the Predator Polymags okay - but the Terminators/Devastators are the best.

Good luck! I might have a spare sear spring replacement if you want it.

I have to agree here. Mine is pretty decent for a nitro piston under $150.00. So far it doesn't like the Ruger Superpoints, or the Crossman Premiers. I have found decent accuracy with the Gamo Rockets though. The Rockets seem to fit tighter... they need a little push (most of them.. a few fit a little loose). The other two I mentioned either need a push (a few of them), to they just fall in (most of them). No consistency. 

I see it getting better the more I shoot it. The trigger is getting better, but still a little stiff. I think i will be changing the sear spring. But for now I just want it broke in well. As of now, I have about 300 shots through it. 

Some here that are saying the Impact Max is total junk have probably never even tried one. Ok... it's not a tack driver at 40 yards. But it stands up well with other .22's in the same price range. Some are trying to compare this one with others twice the price. Apples to apples please. 

I will update when I have about 700 or 800 shots through it.

 

[Buckshotshoey]

Update...

It has become obvious that my previous accuracy problems were indeed scope related. After replacing the included scope with a Hatsan 4x32, the accuracy improved. 

So far my best 5 shot group was about 5/16" at 30 feet. 

The pretty awful trigger has improved with use. It does have quite a bit of creep but is manageable. 

The group above was with Crossman Premier 14.3 gr. The printer paper will not punch clean holes so the measurements were hard to ascertain. I will try construction paper next time. But the caliper read .530 outside to outside. Subtracting a pellet diameter (skirts average. 219) gives a .311 center to center group. 

Will update at a later time, but I can say at least for now, I'm pretty happy with it.