New and need a little help

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joshuacolvey

Member
Jan 7, 2020
106
3
Arkansas, United States
I have had a couple air guns in the past but your run of the mill barrell break gun.

I currently have a gamo whisper fusion mach 1 in .22.The gun is ok but from reading reviews of other and sounds mine for some reason seems really loud and very underpowered.



I am looking to upgrade to either another barrel break or a pcp. Now if i do a pcp i will do a hand pump at first. 


I use the air rifle for pest control around my household in the neighborhood and take it to the farm to play around here and there. I do use it however quite frequently it doesn't just sit in a room unused.

My lawn is about 60-70 yards in direction so most shots would be 40-50 and under at most when home. 

Rabbits i would say would be the largeast taken, with coons and some opossums here and there along with crows when they get close. On the farm anything will be game if i know it will take it.



Also debating on staying with 22 or moving up to a .25 but i think that may be to big.



Any help on something that would help me in my venture pcp or barrel break would be very helpful while i learn.

Thanks
 
I now am privileged to own several springers and pcps. You might consider a really good springer, that costs far less to equip, that will easily do what you are stating you want to do. You won't believe the accuracy difference over break barrel gamo. One I would recommend that you look at is the Walther LGU Varmint Hunter. A solid .22 15 lb rifle that is extremely accurate and durable....
 
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I now am privileged to own several springers and pcps. You might consider a really good springer, that costs far less to equip, that will easily do what you are stating you want to do. You won't believe the accuracy difference over break barrel gamo. One I would recommend that you look at is the Walther LGU Varmint Hunter. A solid .22 15 lb rifle that is extremely accurate and durable....
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I have always read and been told that springers will suffer over usage time as well as be louder overall?
 
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A quality springer will not suffer from "over usage". If anything, they get better with age. A good spring gun will outlive you......if any thing does wear out, it will be nothing more than a spring or a seal. Both are "expendables" so to speak and are cheap and easy to replace. But it often will take literally thousands of firing cycles before anything may need replacing.
 
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What brings me pause is the raccoon/possum quarry. You would need to be well practiced to take those two with a springer, (humanely) and would need to be well in range to do that I would think. Including them I would think that a .25 caliber pcp would be in order as opposed to a springer. Maximus or Beeman QB Chief in .22 would would be low cost, quite accurate, easy to hand pump with 2000 psi operating pressure. I have shot both of those and they are remarkably accurate to include up to 50 yards. That said, a Benjamin fortitude arrives regulated as does a Gauntlet, and the Gauntlet is available in .25 caliber (but probably not a hand pump candidate). You will probably want a moderator for the Beeman or Maximus if loudness matters. The Maximus hunter is equipped for one from the factory, comes with a 6 power scope and is accurate enough For a 1 inch poi at 50 yards (I have one).

If the range is shorter, a Hatsan 135 QE in .30 cal is accurate and has energy at range for hunting, probably 20-25 fpe still at 40 yds. It does have a loopy trajectory with a heavy, slow slug. Mine is a little over 500 FPS with 50 gr JSB.

That is my 2 cents, ymmv...
 
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A quality springer will dispatch a coon or opossum just fine. The OP stated occasional coon or opossum.....mostly rabbits and crows. You can practically scare a rabbit to death. Proper shot placement is paramount with any airgun....PCP or springer. I have both and love to shoot both. Both a PCP and a springer have their own set of drawbacks or negatives. Study up.......lots of info around here. No one gun is perfect for everything and every persons needs. 
 
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What brings me pause is the raccoon/possum quarry. You would need to be well practiced to take those two with a springer, (humanely) and would need to be well in range to do that I would think. Including them I would think that a .25 caliber pcp would be in order as opposed to a springer. Maximus or Beeman QB Chief in .22 would would be low cost, quite accurate, easy to hand pump with 2000 psi operating pressure. I have shot both of those and they are remarkably accurate to include up to 50 yards. That said, a Benjamin fortitude arrives regulated as does a Gauntlet, and the Gauntlet is available in .25 caliber (but probably not a hand pump candidate). You will probably want a moderator for the Beeman or Maximus if loudness matters. The Maximus hunter is equipped for one from the factory, comes with a 6 power scope and is accurate enough For a 1 inch poi at 50 yards (I have one).

If the range is shorter, a Hatsan 135 QE in .30 cal is accurate and has energy at range for hunting, probably 20-25 fpe still at 40 yds. It does have a loopy trajectory with a heavy, slow slug. Mine is a little over 500 FPS with 50 gr JSB.

That is my 2 cents, ymmv...
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Thanks for the long reply a lot of info there to process. I have currently take coon and opossum with my current .22 break barrel but when shooting these its bc they are caught or cornered by my dog when she goes out to use bathroom. 



Being quite and accurate are the 2 main things i am looking for bc shot placement must be at maximum when shooting in the limits i do as to not go beyond where i need the pellet to go. I shot a TON in powder rifles so accuracy for myself is not an issue as long as the rifle in my hands is consistent. 



I Had initially looked into the gamo urban pcp in a .22 and the hatsan flash qe in a .22 bc of how quite they are supposed to be and the accuracy they achieve for a sub 300$ rifle. 

I then started reading about issues that some have with the hatsan and warranty work and issue that arrise with that as well as the 1 year warranty. Some have bolt issues and so on. I have not gotten far enough in the reading on the urban to know then i asked here and kinda blew my mind so here we are lol....
 
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Lets go back to your OP. Loud and under power. How is the breech seal? I have a Mach1 with over 20,000 shots and it shoots dime size groups at 35 yards at 812 fps with jsb 14.35 gr. pellets. JMO but if you want to humanely kill raccoons at 50 yards .22 might be pushing it a bit. I generally get the 22 quiets out for that. 44 fpe as compared to 24 out of my Mrod. If you have a Gamo whisper fusion Mach1 you have a 5 year warranty so you may want to contact Gamo even if you decide to go to another rifle. No reason to let the Gamo sit if it can be repaired. Also you might want to stuff the stock with plastic bags to deaden some of the noise which transfers from the piston back the stock to your ear. If your piston seal is bad your rifle will lose power but that is a fix that is dyi and the seal can be purchased from Custom Air Seals of Australia for about $14 US of $20 AU.
 
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Lets go back to your OP. Loud and under power. How is the breech seal? I have a Mach1 with over 20,000 shots and it shoots dime size groups at 35 yards at 812 fps with jsb 14.35 gr. pellets. JMO but if you want to humanely kill raccoons at 50 yards .22 might be pushing it a bit. I generally get the 22 quiets out for that. 44 fpe as compared to 24 out of my Mrod. If you have a Gamo whisper fusion Mach1 you have a 5 year warranty so you may want to contact Gamo even if you decide to go to another rifle. No reason to let the Gamo sit if it can be repaired. Also you might want to stuff the stock with plastic bags to deaden some of the noise which transfers from the piston back the stock to your ear. If your piston seal is bad your rifle will lose power but that is a fix that is dyi and the seal can be purchased from Custom Air Seals of Australia for about $14 US of $20 AU.
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Breach seal looks perfect. I’ll look into sending it back as I’ve only had it about a year but still looking to upgrade. My father in law could always use an air rifle lol. As far as the coins and such it’s only been a couple times and with dogs having it cornered it was a very close range shot so they have always been ethical as I woundnt take the shot otherwise. I meant in my OP that those distances would be my max range but not for things like opossums and coon as those are only here and there and not very often. Those ranges would be shorter tho.
 
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Sounds like the Diana 350 Magnum would werq for you and it has loads of very good reviews. Although I don’t have one I do have a Diana 45, 52, and recently acquired a 54 all are top notch guns.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product-all-reviews/m/Diana_RWS_350_Magnum/396/page_2

The Benjamin Fortitude PCP is American made and had a good write up a couple years back. The valves can easily be modified for more power.

https://hardairmagazine.com/reviews/benjamin-fortitude-air-rifle-test-review-22-caliber/

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Benjamin_Fortitude_Gen_2_PCP_Air_Rifle_Regulated/4569#9862
 
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This fits your budget. When it comes to practical accuracy for hunting, PCPs have a lot to offer. Rest them any way on almost anything and they still hit the same place. Not a deluxe gun, but been around for a long time and lots of info on how to take care of them.

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Benjamin_Discovery_Rifle_Pump/1534

This also fits your budget, has not been around as long, but is getting good reviews and fits the bill for a hard hitting but accurate springer. Check out Steve's review on AEAC. A couple folks here have them and seem to be impressed.

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/SIG_Sauer_ASP20_Gas_Piston_Breakbarrel_Air_Rifle_Synthetic/4598

Beyond that, you have the standard recommendation for a good German made mid-range springer like the HW95 or Diana 34. These have both been around forever, and are easy to maintain or upgrade, but certainly don't offer the power of the SIG.
 
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This fits your budget. When it comes to practical accuracy for hunting, PCPs have a lot to offer. Rest them any way on almost anything and they still hit the same place. Not a deluxe gun, but been around for a long time and lots of info on how to take care of them.

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Benjamin_Discovery_Rifle_Pump/1534

This also fits your budget, has not been around as long, but is getting good reviews and fits the bill for a hard hitting but accurate springer. Check out Steve's review on AEAC. A couple folks here have them and seem to be impressed.

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/SIG_Sauer_ASP20_Gas_Piston_Breakbarrel_Air_Rifle_Synthetic/4598

Beyond that, you have the standard recommendation for a good German made mid-range springer like the HW95 or Diana 34. These have both been around forever, and are easy to maintain or upgrade, but certainly don't offer the power of the SIG.
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Issue with the discovery would be no noise suppression.
 
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Well, might as well pitch in my tuppence ...

Model 34 is a great rifle and in .177 it would shoot flat enough to maybe take squirrels out to 40 or 45 yards after you got it shooting small enough groups. If you are interested in a PCP the Diana Stormrider GEN II in .22 would do what you want. If you did not regulate it and charged it with a pump it would give you a dozen or so good shots at around 24 FPE, VERY quietly and would come in under your price point even with the pump. You might even slip in a cheap scope and stay pretty close to your price point. Here is a thread:

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/stormrider-experiences

Any reasonable quality 15+ FPE springer or otherwise that can hold a golf ball at 35 yards will take racoons all day long as long as you do your part. Look for the BSA Lightning Makes Meat thread in the hunting section.
 
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