Why do you choose air rifle over rimfire?

Hold my beer... Possibly I'm not most air gunners. My Beeman R9 is considered a top tier springer, paid $500 for it. In four months of owning it I've shot around 1,500 pellets through it. Mix of cheap Crosmans, H&N's, and JSB's. Probably $100 worth of pellets in four months. Pellets equals gun cost in 16 months at this rate.

Not trying to call you out, but just curious how you shot 1,500 rounds that were worth $100 because that seems expensive.

That equals to about .067 cents a round which is a significant cost if you're shooing .177 or .22 only.
 
I got into airguns about 10 years ago during the "great rimfire ammo shortage". Since I pretty much dedicate what little hunting time I have to tree squirrels, I quickly found out an air rifle to be just as capable as a rifle in success. For my use I could probably just use a springer .22, but like most in this forum I found airguns to be very much like potato chips. My observations in the matter:

1. All my squirrel hunting is on public land, or small parcels of private land. I feel a lot better with the limited power and distance of diabolo pellets in this situation. Especially in public land, where bowhunters can be in the trees as well. I work hard to mind I have a backstop, but if I miss, I really don't want to bring the hurt. Plus, after squirrel hunting with an airgun it feels like way overkill to take a PB.

2. I have rimfire rifles I really like that haven't been out of the cabinet in a year because I don't have time to pack up and go to the outdoor range. Since all my airguns are .177-.25 pellet shooters, I can easily shoot in my downstairs bullet box or outside with a modest backtop with little more than an idea for planning.

3. If you shoot .177 or .22, you can just about always find pellets locally somewhere, even in some small communities. They may not be your first choice of ammo, but if you need it fast it's an option. .25 doesn't fit in this category, I've never walked in a store that had .25 pellets on the shelf. If you can, I'm happy for you.

4. In the winter I can occasionally make an indoor airgun silhouette shoot that would be very difficult for the host to offer with PBs. I know of several shooter groups in different regions that do this in folks' basements or available space - great when it's cold, not possible with PB.

Personally, I consider airguns as a 50-yard proposition. Sure I can shoot them further, but at that point I would much rather reach for my PB and have fun.
 
For me air guns became a necessity for protecting my walnut trees from the relentless grey squirrel’s.
Rim fire is way overkill and unsafe down range. Now , the rabbit hole. Went from a springer,while efficient not suitable for follow up shots, to an Avenger bull pup with a hand pump. Once I realized how accurate and fun to shoot a PCP is I had to get a compressor and many tins of ammo . Now I am shooting inside to outside range all winter and have almost forgot about the squirrels
 
  • Haha
Reactions: tibor
I started air gunning on a permission because neighbors might get upset from a rimfires report. I used a Marauder .25. Having a guppy tank and hand pump for refills was OK but at the time I much preferred rimfires so I sold the Marauder and accessories. Then the covid ammo raping started. My local gun store was advertising rifle and pistol primers for a dollar a piece. That was enough for me. I know it's supply and demand and all that, but there’s a limit. I haven’t burned a single flake of gun powder since. I like airguns because I can shoot 400 or 500 pellets in a day where I would only shoot 50 or 100 rimfires. I stocked up on pellets before the covid raping started with pellets.
 
Not trying to call you out, but just curious how you shot 1,500 rounds that were worth $100 because that seems expensive.

That equals to about .067 cents a round which is a significant cost if you're shooing .177 or .22 only.
That is about how the pellet costs average out. I buy mainly from Airgun Depot and they are about 75-80% JSB's and H&N's. The rest are budget CPHP and similar. Many of the higher end pellets I order are also 200 or 250 per tin which raises the unit cost. Yes, they are also 0.177 and 0.22.
 
3. If you shoot .177 or .22, you can just about always find pellets locally somewhere, even in some small communities. They may not be your first choice of ammo, but if you need it fast it's an option. .25 doesn't fit in this category, I've never walked in a store that had .25 pellets on the shelf. If you can, I'm happy for you.
In New England I've only found two stores that sell other than 0.177 and 0.22. New England Airguns (Hudson, MA) and the Kittery Trading post (Kittery, ME). Kittery has 0.25 and a little 0.20. NEAG has up to 50 cal slugs but they are specialized. I think they're the only brick and mortar airgun-only store in NE.
 
Thanks, Hopefully in the worse situation they'll at least grandfather pre-owned ones.

Weeeeell, that's utterly unprobable..... 🤦🏻‍♂️

The test case is current of today:
We just had a coup in Peru, and a counter coup, now the President is in prison.

Several police stations were taken by storm, five airports have been occupied by protesters, who have closed off mayor highways all over the country.

So, now we get to enjoy a period of MARTIAL LAW.....

And one of the announcements was this:
Any citizen that is in posession of an illegal gun has 24 hours to hand it over to the authorities. After that, it becomes a criminal offense that must be punished by at least one year in prison.

➔ It would be nice to grandfather those guns, but despite Peru's cultural heritage of high respect for their elders — this does not seem to extend to grandfather laws.... 🤷‍♂️


🤔 I'm not entirely sure what I'd do if I did buy a .30cal — and some time in the future, Peru decides that airguns over 6FPE are murder weapons that must be BANNED at all cost!!! 😱 (...like they already do in Germany, those morons!*).

Matthias


*I get to say that — I am from that airgun hating country....
 
Aren't only .22cal powder burners rim fires and anything higher in caliber a center fire? Small point I know but precision matters. I didn't choose one over the other I just added to what I have. I would even have a problem with myself if I shot a .22 PB in my house while drinking a beer when sitting in my recliner. I have no problem shooting a .30cal airgun under those condition.
 
Last edited:
It may be that the group is blind to the big picture.

I will use myself as an example. I researched and stalked until I found what I thought was right for me.
Then I continue to read the things you all say and look at he the images you post only to be pushed deeper into techno paranoia.

So no matter what you buy, it may not be good enough. Well, ok, it’s not.
 
Aren't only .22cal powder burners rim fires and anything higher in caliber a center fire? Small point I know but precision matters. I didn't choose one over the other I just added to what I have. I would even have a problem with myself if I shot a .22 PB in my house while drinking a beer when sitting in my recliner. I have no problem shooting a .30cal airgun under those condition.
There are numerous centerfire cartidges 0.22 nominal caliber and smaller. Most famous being the 5.56mm NATO. I know its 0.223 cal but nominally it's a 22. I shot a 22LR from a rifle in my basement once into a bunch of catalogs and old phone books. Noise was not pleasant but tolerable. Outdoors I shoot 22LR from rifles all the time without ears on. The loudest airgun I own is a Crosman 2240 CO2 pistol. I use a DFL can on it BC that rings my ears after a while shooting indoors. 0.22 M-Rod most powerful AG I own and that's a 24 fpe gun. No 30's (at least yet). Regards.