First airgun assistance please

[DavidDoberek1]

Hello everyone! My apologies if there was a specific area of the forums that I'm supposed to ask this question on. I took a look at the resources section and didn't see a particular post that said "help me pick one out" wasn't allowed

I just purchased my first home with my wife and I have a few pests I need to take care of. I've been using my .22lr but I think an airgun may be of better use. I'm sure my neighbors will also appreciate it.

In an attempt to be as specific as possible I have used airguns in the past. My brother and I were giving break barells as kids and we put several thousand rounds through them. These were whatever my dad got at Walmart and I haven't had any other experience with air guns.

To start off To start off with the budget I'd like to spend anywhere between $100 to $400, I'm willing to purchase a scope and rifle combo kit. I understand this is a wide margin and a low budget but I hope I can narrow this down

For caliber I think I was to stick with .177. Im more then open to listen to opinions on .22 but considering my targets are chipmunks, squirrel and small birds I feel. 22 is a bit overkill. I also assume the ammo is cheaper

For style of rifle I've been kind of going back-and-forth on a break barrel and A pcp. I'm still learning about this sport but I'd like to get as close to a bolt to action as I can. I dont want to use c02 because years of playing airsoft has taught me how awful maintaining seals are with c02. I want a rifle that will require minimal matinence.

That's for That's for rifle size the way I'd like to describe it is a "full size". I want something that's gonna be close and scale to say a Remington 700. I ran into this problem when purchasing my 22 caliber rifle because most of them were designed to be used by children I felt many of them were too small.

I'd like a synthetic stock but I'd be open to wood

Something else that I'd like is to purchase this rifle used unfortunately due to the regulations with Facebook marketplace and places like that I can't exactly buy local so I'd be more than happy to buy one on the forums through the marketplace.


I'm also not sure about the kind of maintenance these rifles use but I'd like to not have to worry a whole lot about it.

I appreciate your time and I look forward to learning more about this sport and possibly getting a rifle of my own in the near future

 

[DavidDoberek1]

I forgot to mention the kind of range I'm expecting is around 50 yards max

 

[dgeesaman]

Do you have any springer rated scopes laying around, because I personally wouldn’t buy a springer for less than $400. Cheaper ones exist and they are mostly junk.

If you go pcp what is you plan for an air source?

 

[davelarson]

There are some amazing inexpensive guns out there that are very accurate too.
The forum classifieds are a great way to get a used rifle, but you need to get some posts on the forum before you can use the classifieds. I think it’s 10 meaningful posts, but you can check the rules.
It’s to protect against scammers, making it harder for them to scam people here.
You will be getting a bunch of great advice here and it’s worth it to be patient and get your posts in.
If you are in reasonable condition you can fill your rifle with a hand pump.
Search out videos done on the guns you are told about here and it will help you decide.
In my opinion a good rifle for what you’re doing would be a Benjamin Marauder with a hand pump.
I’m betting you can find a used one for around $400 and a hand pump for around $125 or so.
I definitely recommend watching videos on the rifle you like, and keep asking questions here.
The members here are really helpful and will give you advice to help get you started.
You are definitely going to be blown away by the accuracy of some of the air guns that are available, but do your research because there’s some crappy stuff too.

 

[Struckat]

chipmunks squirrels and small birds...HW30 .177, under $400, verry effective on the critters.
Light, fast handling and super accurate. No need for a scope.

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

I'm wondering: do you want a break barrel or a bolt action I don't think I've seen those 2 things on 1 gun

 

[bfloyd1095]

This would be a Great option for you, Ready to go and should do what you want just fine.

* Edit *
I just saw where you are new member, 1st off Welcome to the madness!
As a new member you will need to take a quick look at the Classified Rules, i know it may be frustrating, but trust me they are Way more beneficial than the alternative problem they are designed to prevent...

PCP Rifle - Benjamin Fortitude Gen 2 .177 cal with Scope and Pump $280

DROPPING $10 A WEEK UNTIL SOLD OR MAKE OFFER... hmm, well lets just restart this at $280... good grief. Benjamin Fortitude Gen 2 .177 cal with Scope and Pump (2019 vintage) $280 Shipped and PayPal fees accepted (2 boxes) all in Excellent + condition with original boxes and paperwork. Gun...

www.airgunnation.com

 

[PEP3]

Hello everyone! My apologies if there was a specific area of the forums that I'm supposed to ask this question on. I took a look at the resources section and didn't see a particular post that said "help me pick one out" wasn't allowed

I just purchased my first home with my wife and I have a few pests I need to take care of. I've been using my .22lr but I think an airgun may be of better use. I'm sure my neighbors will also appreciate it.

In an attempt to be as specific as possible I have used airguns in the past. My brother and I were giving break barells as kids and we put several thousand rounds through them. These were whatever my dad got at Walmart and I haven't had any other experience with air guns.

To start off To start off with the budget I'd like to spend anywhere between $100 to $400, I'm willing to purchase a scope and rifle combo kit. I understand this is a wide margin and a low budget but I hope I can narrow this down

For caliber I think I was to stick with .177. Im more then open to listen to opinions on .22 but considering my targets are chipmunks, squirrel and small birds I feel. 22 is a bit overkill. I also assume the ammo is cheaper

For style of rifle I've been kind of going back-and-forth on a break barrel and A pcp. I'm still learning about this sport but I'd like to get as close to a bolt to action as I can. I dont want to use c02 because years of playing airsoft has taught me how awful maintaining seals are with c02. I want a rifle that will require minimal matinence.

That's for That's for rifle size the way I'd like to describe it is a "full size". I want something that's gonna be close and scale to say a Remington 700. I ran into this problem when purchasing my 22 caliber rifle because most of them were designed to be used by children I felt many of them were too small.

I'd like a synthetic stock but I'd be open to wood

Something else that I'd like is to purchase this rifle used unfortunately due to the regulations with Facebook marketplace and places like that I can't exactly buy local so I'd be more than happy to buy one on the forums through the marketplace.


I'm also not sure about the kind of maintenance these rifles use but I'd like to not have to worry a whole lot about it.

I appreciate your time and I look forward to learning more about this sport and possibly getting a rifle of my own in the near future

All springers and most PCPs will be larger than your 700. No worries there.

 

[boscoebrea]

For thoughts like this gather all information,here and other places.$400 can get you a good springer,especially if you buy a good one =used.
You properly need a $100 scope and one piece mounts for .I think it is harder to find a good cheap scope than a good cheap springer.
As other say better to spend more and get a German or English made springer.
Some say HW30 OR 50,I say no HW95 a better choice for all you wan to do.HW97 is great,but not as good for walking around with....177 is good choice,me large fingers likes a .22.

 

[Struckat]

My HW95 is a very nice rifle. 177 or 22, cant really go wrong.

 

[Treefrog]

This would be a Great option for you, Ready to go and should do what you want just fine.

* Edit *
I just saw where you are new member, 1st off Welcome to the madness!
As a new member you will need to take a quick look at the Classified Rules, i know it may be frustrating, but trust me they are Way more beneficial than the alternative problem they are designed to prevent...

PCP Rifle - Benjamin Fortitude Gen 2 .177 cal with Scope and Pump $280

DROPPING $10 A WEEK UNTIL SOLD OR MAKE OFFER... hmm, well lets just restart this at $280... good grief. Benjamin Fortitude Gen 2 .177 cal with Scope and Pump (2019 vintage) $280 Shipped and PayPal fees accepted (2 boxes) all in Excellent + condition with original boxes and paperwork. Gun...

www.airgunnation.com

^ That. Although I think one in .22 would have a greater impact on your targets.

The main reason is that you won't have to re-learn to shoot because a "springer" will need 'the artillery hold' to hit anything consistently. Why spend your time re-learning to shoot when the skillset necessary to operate a PCP will tranfer right over from that 700?

Luck,

J~

 

[JP806TX]

Hello everyone! My apologies if there was a specific area of the forums that I'm supposed to ask this question on. I took a look at the resources section and didn't see a particular post that said "help me pick one out" wasn't allowed

I just purchased my first home with my wife and I have a few pests I need to take care of. I've been using my .22lr but I think an airgun may be of better use. I'm sure my neighbors will also appreciate it.

In an attempt to be as specific as possible I have used airguns in the past. My brother and I were giving break barells as kids and we put several thousand rounds through them. These were whatever my dad got at Walmart and I haven't had any other experience with air guns.

To start off To start off with the budget I'd like to spend anywhere between $100 to $400, I'm willing to purchase a scope and rifle combo kit. I understand this is a wide margin and a low budget but I hope I can narrow this down

For caliber I think I was to stick with .177. Im more then open to listen to opinions on .22 but considering my targets are chipmunks, squirrel and small birds I feel. 22 is a bit overkill. I also assume the ammo is cheaper

For style of rifle I've been kind of going back-and-forth on a break barrel and A pcp. I'm still learning about this sport but I'd like to get as close to a bolt to action as I can. I dont want to use c02 because years of playing airsoft has taught me how awful maintaining seals are with c02. I want a rifle that will require minimal matinence.

That's for That's for rifle size the way I'd like to describe it is a "full size". I want something that's gonna be close and scale to say a Remington 700. I ran into this problem when purchasing my 22 caliber rifle because most of them were designed to be used by children I felt many of them were too small.

I'd like a synthetic stock but I'd be open to wood

Something else that I'd like is to purchase this rifle used unfortunately due to the regulations with Facebook marketplace and places like that I can't exactly buy local so I'd be more than happy to buy one on the forums through the marketplace.


I'm also not sure about the kind of maintenance these rifles use but I'd like to not have to worry a whole lot about it.

I appreciate your time and I look forward to learning more about this sport and possibly getting a rifle of my own in the near future

Let me throw a curve ball at you. Have you considered
The Dragonfly

Seneca Dragonfly Mk2 | Multi-Pump Air Rifle | Pyramyd AIR

We've got a great price on the Seneca Dragonfly Mk2 Multi-Pump Air Rifle. Get a great price and expert advice at Pyramyd for your next outdoor adventure!

www.pyramydair.com

or

Norica Omnia at the edge of your budget without a scope (maybe swap one of your 0.22 LR scopes over?)

Norica Omnia ZRS | Recoilless Air Rifle | Pyramyd AIR

We've got a great price on the Norica Omnia ZRS Air Rifle. Get a great price and expert advice at Pyramyd for your next outdoor adventure!

www.pyramydair.com

Both are budget air rifles and completely skip over the need for a "springer" rated scope and the need to learn how to hold and shoot a recoiling springer.

These two choices also avoid the accessory costs associated with PCP (compressors, pumps, tanks).

They should do want you need them to do accuracy wise (you get what you pay for. See the reviews. I think it's approximately ± 1 to 1.25" at 30 yards? accord to reviewers). The only down side is that noise may be an issue (with the dragonfly, both the barrel blast and the clack clack clack of pumping) and the Norica a gas ram (do not know how easy it is to get replacement rams for Norica). Search and read their reviews. They both may need a bit of tweaking for longevity.

 

[Rollo1965]

Go with a PCP. Umarex Notos with a red dot is an awesome rifle if you can find one as they are very popular. Diana storm Ryder. With PCP you will need a high pressure pump. Hand pump is least expensive but I have a battery operated PCP pump that works great and I get many fills off one charge. Especially with smaller tanks like the Notos n storm Ryder. Good luck !

 

[Firewalker]

Go with a PCP. Umarex Notos with a red dot is an awesome rifle if you can find one as they are very popular. Diana storm Ryder. With PCP you will need a high pressure pump. Hand pump is least expensive but I have a battery operated PCP pump that works great and I get many fills off one charge. Especially with smaller tanks like the Notos n storm Ryder. Good luck !

↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
THIS!!!

 

[AlanMcD]

I think you are on the brink of something here and need to make a decision, based on what you wrote about your reasons for the purchase: are you "buying a tool" to get rid of pests, or are you "starting a new hobby" in the world of airgunning?

If you are buying a tool, then I think the link to the Seneca Dragonfly is a great idea - they are wonderfully accurate and easy to shoot, and you don't need anything else but the gun and ammo (a scope is optional, as the open sights work well). It is a multipump which improves the accuracy over most spring guns as it takes the recoil out of the equation.

If you want to get into this as a hobby, then the sky is the limit, but the used Fortitude would be an awesome entry point. It also would fulfill the "tool" need too, but it would cost more and start you down that slippery slope into the rabbit hole that caught most of us - the Dragonfly might let you stay outside that hole . . . and as a new homeowner, avoiding that rabbit hole might be a very good idea for a while.

 

[JimD]

A pump up could work, it avoids the air supply issue of PCPs and, at least for me, the difficulty being accurate of a springer. The obvious disadvantage comes if you need a follow up. They would be slow. I have a couple but don't shoot them much, the PCPs are just a lot more fun.

Only way to go PCP within your budget is to use a hand pump. I did at first and it is definitely a viable option, especially with a gun that doesn't store a lot of air, like a Notos or a Benjamin Maraude Pistol (Prod). But others could also work, especially if you get used to hand pumping. My plastic stocked Avenger was only $300 when I got it but is up to $350 now. I have it in 25 but it comes in 177 and 22 too. You could just about get one with a hand pump for $400 but would still need a scope. You might want to go to Pyramid or another on-line retailer, website and search for what is available for what you want to spend. I hand pumped my Avenger at first but it got old so I bought a compresser (Yong Heng) and later a SCBA tank.

With respect to caliber, I have one 177, 2 22s and 2 25s. I've killed at least a few squirrels with all of them. But to get a clean "dead right there" (DRT) kill the 25s or the higher powered 22 is a significantly better bet than the 177 or the lower powered 22 (a Prod). I think 25-35 fpe gives a little margin for error in shot placement that you do not get with the under 20 fpe guns. If you hit them in the brain, squirrels drop reliably and 12 fpe (at short range) works. But if you hit the head but not straight into the brain or you hit the lungs or heart, deeper penetration and a bigger hole makes a difference. Placement is the biggest factor but a little more than minimum energy seems to make a difference.

My recommendation for an inexpensive scope is the Hawk Vantage 2-7X with a mil-dot reticle and AO. I have on on my Prod and it works well.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

Break barrel or pcp...lol. Well go pcp at 450 of 500 and a hand pump that after awile youll be looking at 250+ compressor sooner or later . Then hope it lasts . Plus pellets lots of overhead just to shoot 1 pellet.

Or

Better springer 450$. Cock , load ,shoot ,repeat all day long . Only overhead is another tin of pellets.

The hw advice is solid. Good shooters, easy to maintain, most parys if needed available + any tuning stuff.

That pcp got some nice guns i love to try but i just cant get past all it takes just to shoot it once. / Overhead added cost. Yuck.

 

[WorriedMan]

David,
Welcome to the forum, glad you're here. Suggest a First Generation Umarex Gauntlet (.22 or .25) from Pyramyd Air for $229 and a $50 Chinese HPA hand pump (eBay) to fill it. Was my first PCP, two years ago, paid $310 for a .25. Found the 10-pound (scoped) and 47-inch length a bit much for all-day hunting but gun is accurate. Regulated, bolt-action and synthetic stock sounds right up your alley. Throw any scope on the dovetail rails, PCPs aren't hard on scopes like some break-barrels. No learning curve needed to shoot the PCP from powder burners, the accuracy will amaze. WM

 

[LCURRENT80]

Hello everyone! My apologies if there was a specific area of the forums that I'm supposed to ask this question on. I took a look at the resources section and didn't see a particular post that said "help me pick one out" wasn't allowed

I just purchased my first home with my wife and I have a few pests I need to take care of. I've been using my .22lr but I think an airgun may be of better use. I'm sure my neighbors will also appreciate it.

In an attempt to be as specific as possible I have used airguns in the past. My brother and I were giving break barells as kids and we put several thousand rounds through them. These were whatever my dad got at Walmart and I haven't had any other experience with air guns.

To start off To start off with the budget I'd like to spend anywhere between $100 to $400, I'm willing to purchase a scope and rifle combo kit. I understand this is a wide margin and a low budget but I hope I can narrow this down

For caliber I think I was to stick with .177. Im more then open to listen to opinions on .22 but considering my targets are chipmunks, squirrel and small birds I feel. 22 is a bit overkill. I also assume the ammo is cheaper

For style of rifle I've been kind of going back-and-forth on a break barrel and A pcp. I'm still learning about this sport but I'd like to get as close to a bolt to action as I can. I dont want to use c02 because years of playing airsoft has taught me how awful maintaining seals are with c02. I want a rifle that will require minimal matinence.

That's for That's for rifle size the way I'd like to describe it is a "full size". I want something that's gonna be close and scale to say a Remington 700. I ran into this problem when purchasing my 22 caliber rifle because most of them were designed to be used by children I felt many of them were too small.

I'd like a synthetic stock but I'd be open to wood

Something else that I'd like is to purchase this rifle used unfortunately due to the regulations with Facebook marketplace and places like that I can't exactly buy local so I'd be more than happy to buy one on the forums through the marketplace.


I'm also not sure about the kind of maintenance these rifles use but I'd like to not have to worry a whole lot about it.

I appreciate your time and I look forward to learning more about this sport and possibly getting a rifle of my own in the near future

I have several guns but the Avenger.22 isthe most accurete I have scopes that cost 700.00 Plus but this is my favorite https://www.amazon.com/Sniper-LD6-2...41&sprefix=texas+presion+scopes,aps,98&sr=8-4

 

[beerthief]

I have literaly $$thousands in this hobby , and mostly i shoot my springers AND you can spend less than $400 and have lot of pellets too .
Springer ,( break barrels ) are virtually maintance low cost , tighten up screws once in a while . for your wants and needs i would say an Hw 50 in .177
break barrels are a pick up gun and a tin of pellets and go shoot . you can expand to a PCP later , with a new house your going to be busy and spending on things for the house , you do not need extra costs for a while.

GEEZE i sound like a parent , sorry , but this is the truth as i see it . P.S. most of us keep saying HW ?? because they are the best and will last a lifetime .