Hunting with a springer/gas ram rifle

Hell no they are not a waste of money and definitely have there spot in air gunning (hunting, plinking, target shooting, etc). Now with with all that said PCP's are easier to shoot, they extend your range a lot, and most have magazines which hold at least 8 pellets so followup shots are faster.

I love hunting with my springer. I dont have a PCP but i have a CZ 22lr that shoots lights out to 150 yards but it is not my favorite rifle to hunt with. I like the challenge of the spring rifles and the idea of making my own power is just cool. I have no trouble knocking down game rabbit size and below with around 15 ftlb or so. Its all just what you like.

I personally prefer to hunt with a magnum powered gas ram/springer, but it all boils down to the principle of using the right tool for the job.
If the prey you are after is large (and by "large" I mean medium/ large game such as hogs and deer) then a .177/.22/.25 projectile simply does not impart enough force to ethically harvest the animal. In this case, large-bore PCP's have the decided advantage. I cannot help but wonder, however, if modern technology may make large-bore manual-power -meaning spring/gas guns- in large calibers a viable option for hunters, if they could produce enough velocity at the muzzle. Hatsan just released a .30 spring breakbarrel, and although the videos of it do not impress me, it may be a harbinger of better things to come. Perhaps more velocity can be attained in higher calibers by increasing the size of the compression cylinder, although to make a gas-ram with the power of, say, a Dragon Claw would require a cylinder so large it would alter the appearance and usage tactics of the gun. Not to mention the cocking force. But, I'd buy one. Wouldn't even bother to mount a scope with the insane recoil, but it might make a suitable elephant gun- style rifle.
Personally, I enjoy the challenge hunting with a manual-power rifle presents. True, the ballistic mechanics of the powerplant limit your range somewhat, and follow-up shots may take a minute, but that emphasizes even more the skill that is needed to stalk an animal and place a critical shot. Classic "One Shot, One Kill" operation.
Honestly, the skill of the user and their preferred style of shooting is what drives the choice of what kind of rifle they use. I regularly hunt rabbits with my Hatsan 155 Vortex (a .177 underlever gas-ram that pushes most lead pellets supersonic), and in my youth used to hunt them with a single-pump Crosman BB gun. The 155 has even taken care of a population of troublesome feral cats without any trouble. Now, for the ravenous local deer population, even the mighty 155 can do little but "sting" them in the aft quarters. I prefer to use my bow for them (my home town has a marvelous in-city bow season). In essence, use the right tool for you and you will never go wrong.

"springers/gas ram guns are pathetic and good for nothing"
I have never heard a single airgunner say such a thing. I cant cock one anymore but do still have 1 ( 2 ) in the house. You only need 12fpe - less?- to hunt out to 50 yards or so, it is all shot placement whether hunting or target shooting. Some people think you need POWER but something tells me those folks shot placement is somewhat less than desirable. Now just me personally I would prefer a metal spring as they cost less to replace but that is just a personal thing.

Spring one man.

John

My primary hunting airgun is my R1k in .177, tuned to shoot at 12-13fpe. I enjoy the challenge and simplicity of hunting with a springer. The technology may be 60+ years old, but the R1k can still get the job done with authority. 

There are few things I enjoy more than hunting with my sons. We'll easily walk 4-6 miles across the desert in pursuit of jackrabbits.

I'm pretty confident taking shots inside of 40 yards and a well placed shot can drop a big jack easily. No need for more power.

R

Gene93 I know I never told you springers are useless for hunting. Your original post wanted to know if you could shoot pigeons out to 60 to 70 yards and you were looking at a certain model BSA springer. I gave you the link to a very similar model and the fpe that the rifle put out was more like 14.5 fpe in real life. The accuracy for that rifle was about I" at 20 yards I also said to go look at ChairGun Pro and run the numbers for trajectory. If you did that you would see the drop at that distance and the effects of wind at that distance would make it very hard to make shots at 60 to 70 yards. Now if you want to be realistic in your shooting ranges for small game and stick to say under 40 yards you will be okay with a springer. If you want to reach out to 60 to 70 yards then you will probably need a PCP rifle. The review of the Discovery PCP rifle I gave you by Ted's Holdover showed him getting a 1" group at 50 yards and 25 fpe. That would be a good entry level rifle that would give you a chance to shoot pigeons at 70 yards. My whole point was to save you time, money and disappointment in getting a rifle that would not allow you to do what you originally posted about doing. Good luck Bill

Yup just went that route bought the Hatsan 125 TH 25 cal didn't do what you want.sent it back for a Disco 22 Iv only had know for 3 days but from what I'm seeing you can't go wrong .pellet on pellet 25 yards 36 yards around 3/4 or nch groups. With JBS 18 gr

I hunted with an R9 springer for the past five years and never felt like I needed a PCP, even though I have a Marauder that shoots like a laser. I kind of like using the non lead Baracuda green pellets(which it loves) in the R9 since I hunt for food with it. I did find myself hunting with the Marauder quite a bit this season, I got in the habit after taking out a LOT of ground squirrels with it at my friend's place this spring.

I hunt with my Marauder because shivering while kneeling in the snow effects my aim. On the flips idea there are a few springers/gas rams I'm looking at also.

Spring guns have their place in being simplistic in design. Just grab your gun and pellets and you can hunt all day. A few months back I was looking at getting a under-lever spring gun.

Gene I know your trying real hard to decide what springer to buy and whether to get a gas ram one or not. People are giving you some suggestions of quality rifles to buy that might fit you needs like the R9 that has an excellent build quality and trigger. I don't recall however if you said how much money you were wanting to spend on the rifle. That would go a long ways to people suggesting a rifle. Just another thought to steer you in the right direction. Bill

Gene I think this RWS 34 may be in your price range. It is German made quality with a very good adjustable trigger for a springer. They have a package deal with a study mount and 3-12x40 scope all for $349.99. PA also has a '10 for $10' test deal where they shoot and check out your rifle for performance and also a '20 for $20' service deal. And a 30 day return policy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3wovsKtDxc

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Diana_RWS_34_Striker_Combo_TO6_Trigger/1690/3367

Sorry if you saw my suggestion earlier I mixed up the RWS 34 and RWS 350 video reviews
The RWS 34 is available as a package for $349.99
If you want to step up to the RWS 350 you will get some exceptional power and a package scope deal for $519.99

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99tyEorrBoU

​http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Diana_RWS_350_Magnum_Striker_Combo_22_TO6/2530/3762

Hope I got it right this time. Bill

My opinion differs!

I ended up with a Umarex Octane as a result of buying a dud at Big5. I am sorry I don't just get my money back! Try as I may, no pellet I could find shot well in the gun. The best accuracy I got, was with 18 grain pellets, and even then the groups were about 2 inches at 10 yards. I can do better than that with my Barrett slingshot!

God luck!

"Alan"My opinion differs!

I ended up with a Umarex Octane as a result of buying a dud at Big5. I am sorry I don't just get my money back! Try as I may, no pellet I could find shot well in the gun. The best accuracy I got, was with 18 grain pellets, and even then the groups were about 2 inches at 10 yards. I can do better than that with my Barrett slingshot!

God luck!

Click to expand...

Hi, Alan, I went through the same thing with a cheap Beeman springer, after fooling with cheap springers for a year I finally caved and bought an R9. I found a night and day difference in quality and shootability. Mounted scope, sighted in, started shooting great groups! Not saying you need or want a springer, just if you run across a fellow shooter with a quality gun you might ask to give it a try.
John

I bought a Benjamin Trail NP XL1100 for hunting. In terms of accuracy, it's the most challenging weapon I've ever attempted to master. And for what it's worth, I'm a Marine veteran who was the second best shooter in his entire company in boot camp.

About 15 years ago I decided to enter a my first field target competition. I had bought a TX200 MkII well know for accuracy. After a month of shooting I could never get consistent groups with groups looking more like small shotgun patterns. I then came across on an article about the artillery hold for shooting springer rifles. It was only two days before the competition and low and behold I started shooting very tight groups. By letting the rifle butt just kiss my shoulder and supporting the forearm in the palm of my hand and letting the rifle recoil naturally straight back made all the difference. I remember telling the well known Tom Gaylord the day of the competition I had learned to shoot great groups the day before. He probably thought sure you did or something like that. Well that day I came in second place and the next competition I tied for second and had a shoot off and believe I hit the turkey target at 55 yard to secure second place. One thing springers don't like to held tight if you want to shoot tight groups. Sure there may be variations with each rifle but generally they need to recoil like the artillery piece in that carriage. Bill

Every confirmed hit I've had has been with a break barrel air rifle until today (took a squirrel at 30y with a 60$ pumper) 
theyer accurate and powerful enough for the job.