Please Recommend me an Air Rifle! - £400 Budget

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KAJSER

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Sep 29, 2015
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Hi guys,

I'm completely new to air rifles, I have a £400 budget, i'm whiling to buy second hand. I basically want a rifle to shoot in my back garden, preferably one that is full power at UK legal limits (12 ft lbs). As for the mechanism, im completely unsure what to go for. I want something low maintenance and fun to shoot. And preferably not something that I have to keep filling up with air or buying Co2 for.

Any help is greatly appreciated!


Thanks.
 
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KAJSER,
I watch way to much you tube, and have found many channels in the UK who review pcp and spring guns.
The air gun gear show, Rack and load, Vermin Hunters TV ( these guys are very comprehensive).
You have some great gun makers over there, BSA, and Air Arms both make great spring guns. From Germany you have the HW guns and Walther spring guns. Some of these guns are the best spring guns in the world and not much over your L 400 (HW97KT $ 560.00 here in the USA new).
The higher end spring guns, and or tuned gun's are not that fussy to shoot. and you have many more tuner's and brick and mortar store's over there. Some of these guns are over your price range new, but used ? Also it is not very hard to rebuild a sub 12 ft lb spring gun, if it has not been abused. A spring air gun is a very simple machine, BSA invented the modern spring piston air rifle some time just after 1900, Weierarch/HW in Germany is a family owned company since 1890 something.

I don't know the size of your back garden, but most good spring guns will kill rabbits out to 50 m at 12 ft lbs, if you can hit them, about 1 inch diameter between the eye and ear. I have yet to see a spring gun that is not a single manual load between shots. It may be out there and if it is I'll bet you a pint it's more than your L 400 budget. And yes a good spring gun is every bit as good as a pcp out to 50 yards or a little more.

Best of luck, don't go too cheep, you will not be happy, unless all you plan to shoot is soup tins at 10 m.

Noel
 
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I have aquired several Falcon pcp's recently and think they are more available in the UK. I have found them to be quite accurate. They have a simple design and are durable. You might be able to find one used in that price range. These guns are no longer being produced but here in the USA, most of the guns I have seen have been well care for. As someone also stated, BSA and AA pcp's are well known for being accurate.
 
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"KAJSER"Thanks for the info guys! Can someone just recommend me a really powerful Spring gun. I don't want any gas guns. As I said before I'm happy to buy secondhand. I can also up my budget a bit if it means I'll get something better.

thanks!
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KAJSER - seeing as you're stuck on legal limit you don't want "really powerful" as all it will mean is that its a magnum springer with a smaller spring in it and will weigh loads more as well as probably recoil more!

You just want something that was designed as a 12ft.lb gun.

some suggestions for spring and gas ram guns

Theoben Evolution 
HW95
HW90
HW97
BSA lightning or lightning XL
AIR ARMS TX200
AIRARMS PRO SPORT
WALTHER LGV 
WALTHER LGU


All will be capable of better accuracy than the person behind it in 99% of cases and all will be ideal for what you're after
 
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In your first post you said you wanted a rifle to shoot in your back garden and be full power (12fpe) - how big is your garden? What surrounds it? What will stop the pellet leaving your garden/property? Your questions makes me wonder about your level of experience and therefore if there is far more important knowledge you should be pursuing so you don't represent a danger to your neighbours.

Where do you live, assume in the UK as you have picked up on the UK 12 fpe limit for non-FAC air rifles, are you aware of the recent Scottish Act regarded air weapons and licensing if you live there?

Do you have or plan to get insurance.

Later you say you don't want manual loading of each shot, but all of the three guns you listed in your last post are single shot.

What is your purpose for the gun, without knowing that how can anyone recommend a particular gun, or calibre.

Why is a full power so vital? You should not think more power = more accuracy (or consistency) as that is not automatically true. It is quite often that air rifle owners in the UK have their guns shooting 11 - 11.5 fpe. The consequence of the police finding the gun over the non-FAC limit are severe (confiscation and/or prison).
 
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KAJSER,
My own gun is an HW80/R1and is in .177. Before I replaced my worn out spring it was down around 12 fpe. It shot very smooth at that power. My gun can produce +/- 10 mm groups at 12 yards, with the right pellet and if I do my part. It has been a very reliable gun since 1989.
I like the flat trajectory of the .177, also the pellets cost less.
As Zephyr pointed out find a local club, you have many more of them over on your side of the pond, and most air gun people are more than happy to help a new shooter get started, they will also know the reliable shops.

Best of luck,
Noel
 
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Kajser,

A had an HW80, I liked the gun, it was in .22 calibre. I then followed the current paradigm about ballistics and have bought .177 calibre since. If I had the money I would buy two of the same gun, one in .177, the other in .22 that way I would be talking from experience, not just repeating the paradigm. The same with std length barrel vs. carbine, I have read the technical explanation of how a spring gun uses the air to propel a pellet (I understood some of it), but have not done a comparison personally.

A long way to say an HW80 or HW80K in .177 or .22 is a fine gun and it will be a fair time before the shooter is better than the gun. There is a technique to shooting a spring rifle that takes some mastering and will give you fun. I think it comes down to your own sense of aesthetics between the 80 & 80K. Nor do I think the calibre is overly important for your intended use - stay with the paradigm and go .177, or break it and go .22.

Not so much a recommendation then, more a personal choice ( which isn't worth the time it has taken me to type it) - HW80K in .177

 
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