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N/A Springer/Pumper and the Rabbit Hole
- Thread starter WNYBill
- Start date
This is an old post that I only just found and read intently. With the exception of PCP's I'm an "All of the above!" guy.
I can't say I shoot springers well compared to many here but I have a cheapo "Browning" MIC underlever in .177 that shoots Barracuda Match pellets (from a rest) very well to 40 yards. It's got a Leapers 3-9x32 AO scope that replaced the junk one it came with. Took several years of shoot, get disgusted, stick it in a corner, repeat, etc., before I finally cleaned up the really rough bedding and compensated for the crooked forend using pieces of rolled roofing rubber thicknesses and front screw torque combinations before it hit where I thought I was pointing it. I probably persevered on it because it wasn't worth anything to sell, and none of my shooting friends would even take it as a Christmas present.
More recently I stepped up to an HW50S & HW30S, also.177. Not cheap but not wildly expensive either. Naturally both shoot as advertised, although I have not shot either very much beyond 35-40 yds, which is the distance from my back deck to the barn & another outbuilding a couple old woodpiles and 3 or 4 big walnut trees. Red & gray squirrels, chipmunks, starlings, house sparrows range.
I have an original Dragonfly and a MK2 , both.177. The original shot very well at the same ranges. It's corner-parked somewhere upstairs since I got the MK2 which is a better gun in every respect, plus stupid easy to pump. It's easier to shoot well and like the HW50 is minute of squirrel head at 35 or a touch more. That MK2 is a keeper.
I use a Remington 511 22 LR for groundhogs, occasionally the other species if I'm shooting from an upstairs window or out around the barn/field/woods.
I bought a CZ 452 American 17 HMR right after they came out and it's without question the most accurate rimfire I own, MAYBE the most accurate rifle period at 100 yds from the bench. Might be a toss up with a stainless Winchester 70 Classic 300 WM with the BOSS adjustable muzzle brake/tuning thing and Nosler 165 BT's. Bought that one the first year that combo was available. Best 100 yd group I ever shot with it, from a so so public range bench and sandbags on a 95 degree South Carolina day, was 7 shots that a dime covered with a little room to spare. With a witness, too.
For me and my shooting skills a pellet gun won't hang with the rimfires or centerfires at 50 or further, so I just change guns to suit the situation. I am fortunate to live somewhere I can.
I can't say I shoot springers well compared to many here but I have a cheapo "Browning" MIC underlever in .177 that shoots Barracuda Match pellets (from a rest) very well to 40 yards. It's got a Leapers 3-9x32 AO scope that replaced the junk one it came with. Took several years of shoot, get disgusted, stick it in a corner, repeat, etc., before I finally cleaned up the really rough bedding and compensated for the crooked forend using pieces of rolled roofing rubber thicknesses and front screw torque combinations before it hit where I thought I was pointing it. I probably persevered on it because it wasn't worth anything to sell, and none of my shooting friends would even take it as a Christmas present.
More recently I stepped up to an HW50S & HW30S, also.177. Not cheap but not wildly expensive either. Naturally both shoot as advertised, although I have not shot either very much beyond 35-40 yds, which is the distance from my back deck to the barn & another outbuilding a couple old woodpiles and 3 or 4 big walnut trees. Red & gray squirrels, chipmunks, starlings, house sparrows range.
I have an original Dragonfly and a MK2 , both.177. The original shot very well at the same ranges. It's corner-parked somewhere upstairs since I got the MK2 which is a better gun in every respect, plus stupid easy to pump. It's easier to shoot well and like the HW50 is minute of squirrel head at 35 or a touch more. That MK2 is a keeper.
I use a Remington 511 22 LR for groundhogs, occasionally the other species if I'm shooting from an upstairs window or out around the barn/field/woods.
I bought a CZ 452 American 17 HMR right after they came out and it's without question the most accurate rimfire I own, MAYBE the most accurate rifle period at 100 yds from the bench. Might be a toss up with a stainless Winchester 70 Classic 300 WM with the BOSS adjustable muzzle brake/tuning thing and Nosler 165 BT's. Bought that one the first year that combo was available. Best 100 yd group I ever shot with it, from a so so public range bench and sandbags on a 95 degree South Carolina day, was 7 shots that a dime covered with a little room to spare. With a witness, too.
For me and my shooting skills a pellet gun won't hang with the rimfires or centerfires at 50 or further, so I just change guns to suit the situation. I am fortunate to live somewhere I can.
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Oh forgot to mention that the Dragonfly MK2 has a Buck Rail Uni suppressor that makes it VERY quiet. At 10 pumps with 8.44 H&N FTT's the only thing you hear is a "clack" from the valve and the pellet hitting.
If you want to contend with CO2 out to ~30 yds a Hammerli 850 CO2 .177 shoots extremely well too. Loses steam beyond that compared to the more potent rifles For my skill level there's no way I can lob 600-ish fps 7 or 8 gr pellets at a target smaller than a paint can at 50 yds.
If you want to contend with CO2 out to ~30 yds a Hammerli 850 CO2 .177 shoots extremely well too. Loses steam beyond that compared to the more potent rifles For my skill level there's no way I can lob 600-ish fps 7 or 8 gr pellets at a target smaller than a paint can at 50 yds.
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you may want to rethink about break barrels , it is just a learning curve .
i will have to get one of these and see what i can do ? Dragonfly MK2
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My Crown beats my custom Kidd 10/22 so far. The Crown is dialed in and the Kidd needs to find the ammo it likes.
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Brand new Beeman R9 First impressions, range test
I ordered a .22 Beeman R9 from Straight Shooters, they accidentally sent me a .177. I like the gun so much, I decided to keep it anyway. I asked to exchange my .22 pellet sampler for .177, but they told me to keep it and sent one in .177 for free :) I also ordered a Hawke 2-7x32 scope and...
www.airgunnation.com ^^ This link will take you to the first shots with my Beeman R9. I literally mounted the scope, pulled a dry bore snake through the barrel, and documented about the first 50 shots or so with the gun. The first 5 shots were about half the diameter of a dime. 3 of which were probably under a 1/16” CTC cluster. No break-in whatsoever. Other than that, I have only shot the heavies in it, so I got some pellet testing yet to do. But it likes them cheap Crosman hollow points so much, why bother?
500 pellets- $6-$7 on the shelf. 50 CCI standard velocity- $4-$6. 6 tins of pellets down the road you made up for the price difference of the R9 to the Ruger 10/22. My R9 paid for itself in less than a year.
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