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Which Rifle For Short Range BR

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sjs

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Apr 9, 2019
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SC, United States
I want to get into BR but cannot afford the rifles I see recommended so I hope to just do the best I can. I see many threads asking for a cheap rifle recommendation but the answers I see are a little confusing to me so I am going to list a few that seem to be accurate rifles, out of the box, for under $700. So far I have decided that for a cheap rifle the following give me the best chance of getting an accurate rifle:

Benjamin Maurader
Crossman Challenger
Umarex Gauntlet

Actually, I only saw one article on -line about a guy who placed well in long range BR with a Gauntlet.

To give an idea on my idea of reasonable accuracy for a low price, I currently have an HW35 and an AA 200T. Both are accurate enough for me for this price range. Problem is I want to keep my 200T equipped with the target peep sights it came with and not keep changing back and forth from that to a scope. I have thought of just getting a second one but they are discontinued and I do not want to gamble on a used one. Problem with the HW35 is that it is a springer and I do not enjoy shooting a springer from the bench, though I know others are capable of doing well with them.

So, which of the 3 listed rifles would you recommend, or is there another I have not identified?
 
Crossman Challenger $600 Tommy T in the classifieds I would not hesitate to buy this rile from him .

PCP Rifle - Crosman Challenger .177 cal PCP Competition air rifle

SOLD pending funds For sale is my Crosman Challenger .177 cal PCP Competition air rifle. It is in perfect condition, extremely accurate and holds air forever. I have all of the original factory accessories including the Diopter Sights and shipping boxes. The rifle scope and rings shown in the...
www.airgunnation.com www.airgunnation.com
 
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The Crosman Challenger 2021 is a great rifle; however it is designed as a ten meter rifle. While it is very accurate, the power level is very low and I would think it would likely be affected by the wind more than you’d want in a bench rest rifle. Unless you are shooting indoor bench rest. I do use mine for plinking outside and have lots of fun shooting the little silhouettes all the way out to 60 yards. The wind does toss those little pellets around a lot though.
Kenny
 
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I'm selling my Bantam at a price well below your budget and it is an accurate gun. My video is with the magazine at 28 yards; most BR shooters single load for better accuracy...

PCP Rifle - Brocock Bantam .22 Beech stock

Still trying to reduce the inventory. The Bantam has been very accurate and totally reliable. It's an unregulated gun, but as you can see in the video it shoots very well. Comes with the sling set-up as shown, magazine, Huggett moderator, original box, etc,, The scope, bi-pod and rings are not...
www.airgunnation.com www.airgunnation.com
 
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sjs said:
I want to get into BR but cannot afford the rifles I see recommended so I hope to just do the best I can. I see many threads asking for a cheap rifle recommendation but the answers I see are a little confusing to me so I am going to list a few that seem to be accurate rifles, out of the box, for under $700. So far I have decided that for a cheap rifle the following give me the best chance of getting an accurate rifle:

Benjamin Maurader
Crossman Challenger
Umarex Gauntlet

Actually, I only saw one article on -line about a guy who placed well in long range BR with a Gauntlet.

To give an idea on my idea of reasonable accuracy for a low price, I currently have an HW35 and an AA 200T. Both are accurate enough for me for this price range. Problem is I want to keep my 200T equipped with the target peep sights it came with and not keep changing back and forth from that to a scope. I have thought of just getting a second one but they are discontinued and I do not want to gamble on a used one. Problem with the HW35 is that it is a springer and I do not enjoy shooting a springer from the bench, though I know others are capable of doing well with them.

So, which of the 3 listed rifles would you recommend, or is there another I have not identified?
Click to expand...
You say Bench Rest : so my recommendation of the crossman still stands , and 600 for a 1000 $ rifle is a good buy . the other rifles are just not up to the crossman shootability .
 
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I have a Crosman Challenger and it is an extremely accurate rifle but it’s designed as a 10M rifle and that is where it shines. Mine does OK outdoors at 25Y IF there is no wind but light .177 pellets will move with the slightest breeze. The trigger can be made sublime with a little tinkering.

Brocock, mentioned above, are high quality rifles and accurate at longer distances, especially in .22 caliber. The heavier 22 will be better in moderate wind than a light 177.

I also own a 22 Avenger which is an extremely accurate rifle right out of the box (after) a thorough cleaning of the most filthy barrels on the planet. I would suggest a wood stock over the synthetic as it does provide a step up in accuracy. The one I own is a generation 1 that I put close to 20,000 pellets down the pipe with zero problems. Shortly thereafter it developed a leak which I was never able to fix after several botched rebuilds so I just bought another new one with absolutely no regrets.

All of the above fit into your budget and any one would work well for BR shooting.
 
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sjs said:
10 - 25 yds.
Click to expand...
SJS, look over the USARB site - real Benchrest. See Records, Scoreline & Championships. Good hints in there of actual performance.
https://www.usairriflebenchrest.com/8338/scoreline-results-template-with-sportsman/
Good luck.
Ray showed up today for his 1st time benchrest AA S400, Corwin rest & a rear bag. Over 700 score with 8.4gr pellets at 25m is good.
1694389043055.png
 
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"How's the search coming?" oledawg

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to a BR rifle. When I started this thread, I had just begun shooting the AA 200T again after a very long lay off. Then the tank got low and it was time to pump it up. Thought it was a bit more tedious than I recalled but, oh well, lets go shoot some more. Then, son of a gun, it needed to be refilled again and I realized I am a bit older than when I used to shoot it regularly. By then, I had gotten a little bit better with my hw35 off the bench and was enjoying the luxury of not pumping. So, I looked at the scuba tank and the compressor options and, after due consideration, I bought an HW97K. Yup, a springer. It is very accurate and a pleasure to shoot from a bench. Who woulda guessed?
 
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