upgrading to air rifle

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I had air guns in the past when I was young. I ended up buying a new crosman 2240 recently. I took it to the shooting range. I could hit most 1 inch targets at only like 3 feet away. any farther and I couldn't hit anything. I ended up buying a scope mount and red dot sight for it. I don't know if the red dot sight will be any good. the sight and scope mount are crosman brand. I ordered a bore sighter recently. but today I just decided to sell the crosman 2240 because it doesn't shoot that far and isn't as accurate as a air rifle. I ordered some Beeman .177 caliber cO2 race rifle. I never had a air gun that nice and expensive before. 
 
Reading your first post here reminded me on my first post on another sight when I first became interested in learning about air rifles . I was already an experienced shooter and hunter but a 100% powder burner history with the exception of owning a Red Ryder as a kid and a Crosman 760 pump for varmints when I moved into my first house. 

So now you want to go down that same road and as I did you need some advice. I will for now just talk about what I did and I did this because other experienced air gun people made many suggestions and I picked what seemed to be a popular consensus of answers to my questions. 

First thing you need to know is how much money can you spend. I was one of the lucky ones where I had enough saved up where I could literally get whatever I desired, but not wanting to put a lot of cash into a passing whim I figured out that there were two ways to go. 

PCP or Springers this was the decision I had to make. PCP is the most expensive way to go. I will only be referring to new hardware as used which can be a good solution is unreliable as far as availability. In a PCP set up you need a rifle and an air supply the other things like ammo, targets etc are pretty much the same weather you go PCP or Springer. PCP Rifles can be purchased from $250 and up and up can be into the thousands. Air supply can start as a $50 Chinese hand pump to compressors from $300 to $3000. When I started in PCP it was with a $500 tank gauge setup that I would pay $10 to fill at a local paint ball store that gave me 28 fills on my first PCP a Hatsan Gladius a $800 rifle. 

Springers your other choice are powered by air but the air is pressurized for each shot by a hand operated mechanism in each rifle I currently own a few springers and the cost can be as low as a few hundred to $1200 for the most part. The springers I have can hit a quarter at 50 yards they are just not as accurate as PCP when the distances increase . I know you may be thinking well I see Rifles for $59 $89 at Walmart even though that’s true you are getting a an Adult Toy if you go that route. If your only wish is to be able to shoot 20 yards in your yard it may even work, it’s just not a way I would want to start in the Aigun gun hobby.

So what do you do, I would recommend that you decide what you want to spend and what you want to do with your new gun and then ask for advice on would best meet your needs.

since I’ve been into airguns I’ve meet more nice people that are for the most part willing to answer questions that you may have and resolve and hardware problems that will occur.

Welcome and Good Luck
 
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I'm still stuck on going to a gun range to shoot 1inch targets at 3 feet....

But, welcome and if you haven't sold that 2240 yet, give it a chance. Long time favorite, especially with a little upgrading. I can shoot mine 20y, open sights, at beverage cans quite well. (doesn't mean I hit every time)

I'm going to guess that your Beeman CO2 rifle is a rebranded QB (see Archer Airguns for lots of info). Also a LONG time favorite among a lot of folks even if it doesn't get much mention now.
 
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When I got into airguns about a year ago, I read read read stuff on the World Wide Web on all air gun subjects without asking too many...maybe no...questions. This way, I was able to sift the wheat from the chaff, and form MY own opinions. 

One question I never, and will never ask, is "What should I buy?" If you do this especially if you're new, you will end up buying somebody else's wet dream! If you spend enuf time reading what's already out there, you'll know what to pull the trigger on.

On one of these forums, a guy came on and asked the 'what should...' question with a budget of $150...this was for his very first rifle. After the 'helpful' forum members had gotten done smacking that piñata, the poor slob had been convinced to buy a $600 HW97 for his first one! True story.

So I shake my head when a newby comes on, not knowing if he's really gonna enjoy this hobby, and gets torn every which way but loose. So I suggest doing what you might already do when entering a party...come in, listen for a while, assess the vibe, then decide who knows things, and also those who don't know things. Look at reviews of rifles that interest you, then decide on your first one! Decide if a plastic low budget one from Walmart makes sense to you, or whether stepping directly into European wood and steel is the direction you wanna go. And don't be askeered to take a chance.
 
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well it would cost to much for me to ship it if I sold it on ebay. i'd have to buy a box, popcorn, maybe packing tape, shipping and insurance fees.ebay and paypal fees to. so i'm not selling it now. it doesn't pump it is cO2. the air rifle I bought was a Beeman ar2078a CO2 target rifle. I've even owned many real guns in the past. 
 
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I have to go to a gun range to shoot because there is houses, a fence and a garage right by me in my backyard. the pellet would hit one of those or a window if I shot it in my back yard. I was told to put up a metal plate. but that would only go in front of the fence. that isn't much distance between the garage and fence so it wouldn't be worth it. I don't have a truck to carry the metal plate and I probably couldn't afford one anyways so I won't go that route. 
 
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I had 2 cheap electric airsoft rifles before. they were like 30 to 60 bucks each. I took the red dot and scope mount off my air gun today because the scope sat crooked. I think I had everything set up right on the air gun to when I seen that problem. I still have a laser bore sighter on the way to that ran me over 40 bucks. it works on many caliber guns and air guns. 
 
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Several important matters directed my entry into this hobby--beyond the immediate need to kill squirrels eating the new wood on my porch and my soffits...



Loudness.....distance typically being shot....WEIGHT (since I've got lower back concerns)...cost of operation (like the added gear of a PCP)... and fun factor.



After buying several guns (didn't know anyone around me that shot air rifles), I've added a few others--ACCURACY...pellet picky-ness...and scope quality (I need the scope with older eyes).

If you're shooting less than 30 yards, a quality or functionally solid break barrel should suffice; but I'm guessing a CO2 rifle would work out to 20 yards or so, just as well. Any PCP would handle those short ranges as well. 

Here's what impacted me: I can hit a target (paper or pest) just as well with my Gamo, Crosman, or Weihrauch; however, the Weihrauch is much more consistent and much less pellet picky than either. My Crosman Nitro Venom is really a good shooting gun, but it doesn't like a lot of pellets and does not handle loose or fat pellets nearly as well as the Weihrauch. The Gamo hardly likes any pellet but will shoot the CPHP 7.9 well enough. The Gamo is the lightest (6lbs); the Weihrauch, the heaviest (9lbs)--with the Crosman being the best compromise (7.5lbs). The Gamo is the quietest; the other two about equal in being louder but only at a "level 3" (out of 5) measurement. The Gamo has a 10 pellet magazine that is novel but not necessary; I really am not bothered by loading .177 pellets. Yet, I did get a pellet pen from Pyramid Air, and it is outstanding. 

So, my lower cost rifles provide hours of fun, along with some frustration (I'm about 60% as accurate with the Gamo, about 80% with the Crosman, 100% with the Weihrauch but having to handle the heft). 

My only admonition is this, if you don't want a lot of guns, then BUY RIGHT by Buying ONCE! That means going with a more expensive or more proven rifle. Since I'm a lefty, the Air Arms weren't nearly as desireable as the Weihrauch or Walther. If weight is an issue, don't buy over 7.5 lbs (then add scope). Heavy is tough for off-hand shooting. By all means, get what you want and what fits your needs--just don't overbuy--unless it's exactly what you want.



Arch_E


 
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@gunsrus, I also bought a Beeman AR2078a a short while ago, in .22 but much the same as yours. I have since discovered that I really LIKE that CO2 rifle. The stock is beautiful, not just in looks but also in structure and balance. I'm still working on identifying the best pellet(s) for the gun. You'll know from hanging out around AGN and other air gun info sources that finding the "right" pellet for your particular air gun is as important as any other factor to accuracy and performance.

I also discovered that it's a good thing to be fearless when it comes to stripping down your air gun for maintenance. A couple of weeks ago I loaded my AR2078a up with two Crosman CO2 Powerlets (fresh out of a box of 40) and began a shooting session. After only 25-30 shots (less than half the normal count on a charge) I discovered that one of the CO2 capsules had been compromised and was at least half-full of water when it was manufactured. My pressurized air tube had water in it and that in turn had been sprayed throughout the gun's internals and down the barrel. It was literally spraying a shotgun pattern of water droplets with every shot.

Right there, 9:30 at night and with no prior experience with a CO2 rifle, I tore down that gun to its very component parts. Everything from the barrel to the springs and o-rings in the valves had to be taken out, dried off, and re-lubricated. I then rebuilt the rifle and proved to myself the following day that I'd succeeded in rescuing the gun; it still shoots great.

My point is that air guns require maintenance... sometimes just a little spread out over a long time, sometimes a lot in a moment of crisis. If you want to fully enjoy the sport, don't be shy about picking up some Allen wrenches, screw drivers, and crescent wrenches (in moderation) and learning to work on your air guns. Most are fairly simple mechanisms once you understand the general principles involved in high-pressure air storage and transfer. Trigger groups can get complex (to me) but most popular brands and guns have YouTube tutorials out there. Also, there are great folk (guys and gals) on the air gun forums who work wonders with guns if you want to invest in advanced gunsmithing on your guns. Point being, airgunning is a sport best approached with curiosity and passion, both to get out there and shoot as well as maintain and modify your equipment.
 
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Well darn....I wrote a nice note and then the page crashed and I lost it all. So here we go again....sigh.

What I did, starting out: And as a Kid, my Crosman power Master 760 was a part of my body! It went everywhere with me....but as fate would have it, I drifted away for decades and then.........

My girlfriend, as a gag, bought me a really cheap CO2 Crosman BB pistol (sub 2240 range). That gun was fun for a little while and, more importantly, the kid had been awakened.....

Bought a used .22 Diana 52 springer that had been tuned by a professional tuner

Stupid accurate out to 40 yards.Beautiful stock on that gun as well.

Springers are a good starting point until you know you have "the bug"

2 reasons for springers:

1. no external air source (and expense), needed, so a cheap way to break into the field.

2. Sringers are quick and easy to grab and go out shooting with little fanfare. You're on the bag and slingin' lead downrange in no time.

Bonus Reason: They teach you to work on your hold and aim.

Next, in a short time I found that I needed more......so I graduated to an inexpensive PCP and a scuba tank. Got a Benjamin Marauder .25 That rifle is more accurate than it's price should allow it to be. I actually cut a playing card in half at 20 yards with it once. It's that Green Mountain barrel. You can still get new ones for 500-600 bucks and there are a lot of used ones out there. I'd go used from the classifieds on this forum. They shoot best at 2600 psi so a cheap, 3300 psi rated scuba tank can get you by. I shot that gun for over two years and had a lot of fun with it. Still have it.

Then I went to the Kalibrgun Cricket and finally the .25 Impact. These guns will set you back some serious Dinero. $$$$ And, you'll also need an upgraded air tank in the 4500 psi range and a means by which to fill it. If you're healthy then you could use a hand pump (well foot, bicycle-style pump). But that will get old quick.

By this time you don't want to cheap out ...you need to consider the high quality stuff. Otherwise, you won't be happy.

I won't even bother talking about scopes here but you'll want a good one..... a very good one. Read the Optics forum here for some good suggestions.

Ironically, I do own a Crosman Custom Shop version of the 2240, in .22. I "blinged "it out with upgrades including the cool James Bond mini-stock ....all for about 120 bucks. It shoots great at 10 yards but I've hit sparrows, surprisingly at 15-20 yards with it just using the iron sights. The mini-stock makes it so much more accurate. It's my "shoot off the porch plinkin' gun." Toss out a tin can and make it dance. Nothing more fun when you have nothing else to do.

It's an expensive hobby, especially when you get up to the PCP, but it's sooooo much fun. I wish you good luck in your decision making and you can always get good advice on this forum. Some very knowledgeable people here.

Cheers,

KP
 
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