Why do you choose air rifle over rimfire?

Hello, I have been watching videos of FX impact m3 and daystate rifles. They seem very impressive. The main downside I see is very high initial cost and constant tinkering instead of load and shoot. I live out west with gophers and prairie dogs. Its common for me to start with a 22lr foe out to around 100 yds, move onto a 17 hmr for up to 150ish. Then I either mobe onto a 223 or move the truck and start over with a 22lr again. I need a gun for that purpose but I also wouldnt mind a backyard gun for targets to about 45 yards. I think that would be fun. I can't do that with firearma where I live so thats where my interest in air rifles comes in. I have several break barrels and c02 pistols but they seem boring. I am after something higher quality but not ready for dropping $2,500 yet.
 
Why ... QUIET, Low Recoil, generally a Far better Trigger than most RF's, low ricochet potential are among the top attributes.
Will they replace a .22RF or .17HMR ... not even close, tho with the low noise the Spook factor is so greatly reduced that getting closer and able to stay closer is a hunters dream in many situations.
 
Why ... QUIET, Low Recoil, generally a Far better Trigger than most RF's, low ricochet potential are among the top attributes.
Will they replace a .22RF or .17HMR ... not even close, tho with the low noise the Spook factor is so greatly reduced that getting closer and able to stay closer is a hunters dream in many situations.
I should have mentioned I do shoot suppressed. Once I got one I had to get 2 more. Not a fan of the $200 stamp but shooting a 22-250 the same noise level as a 22 is an added bonus.
 
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Similar to ChRiSiS' response for me - in order of importance:

  1. Just over a penny a shot ammo
  2. I can buy a very efficient moderator for $25 delivered. I don't have to fill out all kinds of paperwork, shell out hundreds of $$ plus a $200 tax PER moderator.
  3. With a moderator I can shoot indoors anytime I want, without upsetting the other people in the house
  4. With a moderator I can shoot all day in my yard with no complaints from neighbors.
  5. Almost as accurate as my best shooting 22 LR guns but significantly safer in the yard, particularly with .177 cal.
  6. Can shoot 30 cal NOE cast slugs that are close to or higher than some 22 LR round muzzle energy, that cost me nothing but my time, with excellent accuracy, requiring no loading in cases, zero prep, no sizing or lube.
My most expensive rifle so far is a Factor RC. It shoots extremely well for the $700+ I paid for it. My Gauntlet 30 shoots as well as and sometimes better than a borrowed FX M3 Impact and cost me a few bucks more than than just a barrel kit for the FX. $350 for a Yong Heng compressor and an 88 cubic foot tank with fill station. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the perspective, I am pretty sure I will not be able to stop with the current collection.....
 
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Hello, I have been watching videos of FX impact m3 and daystate rifles. They seem very impressive. The main downside I see is very high initial cost and constant tinkering instead of load and shoot. I live out west with gophers and prairie dogs. Its common for me to start with a 22lr foe out to around 100 yds, move onto a 17 hmr for up to 150ish. Then I either mobe onto a 223 or move the truck and start over with a 22lr again. I need a gun for that purpose but I also wouldnt mind a backyard gun for targets to about 45 yards. I think that would be fun. I can't do that with firearma where I live so thats where my interest in air rifles comes in. I have several break barrels and c02 pistols but they seem boring. I am after something higher quality but not ready for dropping $2,500 yet.
Check out the Brocock Concept Lite XR or a Kalibrgun Cricket. Pick up one used for 1k or so. Airguns have a higher cost initially (like buying all your ammo up front kind of), but once you get growing it is CHEAP. Look at Airguns of Arizona used rifles for a good deal.
 
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When squirrels are a plenty, I choose an airgun over a rimfire. When squirrels aren’t a plenty, I’m not going to be handicapped with an airgun. When I’m hunting close to my archery spots, I choose an airgun. When I’m going to log on some miles and do some exploration/hunting, I’m not lugging an airgun. Yes, I’ve had my airguns, the glorious M3 also, give me some issues in the field. My rimfires are always spot on and almost can’t fail. Nothing worse than having to leave to woods because of one of the many things that plague PCP’s. Had to bail twice last year. Linkage pin issue and a leak. Two different guns.
 
I have both firearms and air powered weapons to choose from.

Firearms -
Used to be (West Coast), a person could shoot off most any mountain road as long as you were about 1/2 mile from the road. This made it easy to head out in the morning, anywhere from a 30 minute to an 1 hours trip on the road. Shoot till the ammo's gone, and head on back into town. Stop for lunch, B.S. with friends about the day, and head home to a long gun cleaning session.
Made for a long, but satisfying day with friends.
Then the government stepped in and said no more shooting in the local mountains ! That put the drive out to about 2 hours (one way !) . Not so much fun anymore !
OR...find a local range (indoor or outdoor). Yeah, there's a coupla places within the hours drive, but...it's just not the same as being out in nature, on your own terms.
We, all of my shooting friends (two different groups), kinda lost interest. I finally sold most all of my firearms...and that was it.

Then came air guns -
All of my original shooting friends are either dead, or moved away. My current friends aren't into any sort of shooting.
Curiously grabbed ahold of me with the PCP style gun. I'm a very mechanical person. Anything mechanical is of interest to me.
LONG story short, While it's a SHORT shooting "range", I can shoot at home, indoors. The ammo is comparatively extremely... SUPER cheap (even after loading your own), the after shooting cleaning routine is reduced to comparatively nothing.
Yeah, the initial monetary outlay is MUCH higher with both the air powered guns and the air loading method(s) over the firearms, but once you get over that, I can shoot, rain or shine, 30° to 108° ambient outdoor temperature, day or night, any time I feel like it with NO hours long drive.
I guess you could say that I got into this air gun thing at a...good time...money wise. A bad time country/world wise, but with all of the various government subsidiary checks that many or most of us received because of the SARS/Covid thing, I made out. Since I have only me and two cats to worry about feeding, these government checks went a long way toward the collection of air powered guns that I have.

So...that's my semi-short story about getting into air powered guns. And it not...being one style weapon, OVER the other, but more of just a day to day...living situation change.

Mike
 
Hello, I have been watching videos of FX impact m3 and daystate rifles. They seem very impressive. The main downside I see is very high initial cost and constant tinkering instead of load and shoot. I live out west with gophers and prairie dogs. Its common for me to start with a 22lr foe out to around 100 yds, move onto a 17 hmr for up to 150ish. Then I either mobe onto a 223 or move the truck and start over with a 22lr again. I need a gun for that purpose but I also wouldnt mind a backyard gun for targets to about 45 yards. I think that would be fun. I can't do that with firearma where I live so thats where my interest in air rifles comes in. I have several break barrels and c02 pistols but they seem boring. I am after something higher quality but not ready for dropping $2,500 yet.
Cody01, you have a nice take on distance with RF calibers for your style. You seem to have also been taken, ever so slightly, by the idea that, in order to "match my RF equivalent +-", you need a $2500 FX, Daystate... Not true, as many will attest. Advantages, yes. Necessary, no. Learning curve? Yes. Fun, bingo!!!
There are many new PCP's under $500 and many used under $1000 air rifles that could be very satisfying. One of the areas to consider would be an high pressure air source (compressor). Said to be Critical to the enjoyment factor, and many other reasons, as you will learn, of the PCP experience.
Have fun, be safe and share what you learn.

Patrick
 
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I discovered PCPs after Obama got re-elected and ammo for my powder burners disappeared. Like many others, I have discovered the joys of being able to shoot in my yard, when I want. Started with a marauder and a hand pump. Learned a lot with the marauder. Then I discovered field target, bought a Raw tm 1000 and never looked back. I still have the firearms, but they only rarely come out of the safe