Air rifle

[Southern_Gent]

What's your opinion on using an air rifle for small game? In a survival situation, be it SHTF or TEOTWAWKI, it seems that a high quality air rifle might not be a bad option for hunting small game. A nice RWS in .22 caliber could easily take rabbits, squirrels, and most birds (on the ground), thereby conserving ammo for the other firearms. Being relatively quiet, it also wouldn't give away one's position.

[MadTripper]

I'm not sure if this was posted here before but I thought it would be nice to have one of these made up. *Additionally, I had read somewhere about a guy using one of these and cutting a 2x4 in half at 25 or so yards. *

For those of you on dial up, the following is a set of plans for a fully automatic pellet machine gun. *Not like the carvial folks have to shoot the red stars out but a bit more powerful. 27.5MB in size so beware!

http://www.instructables.com/files/orig/F93/HKE2/RLQES9J51EX/F93HKE2RLQES9J51EX.pdf

Tripper

[RangerRick]

http://i3.tinypic.com/816a5j4.jpg

This is my Beman I picked up a year or so back. I decided on .177 cal because of the higher volocity at 1100-1200 fps vs the .22 cal at 900-1000 fps. I use it mostly for keeping squirrels out of my pecan trees and it does a handy job. It came with a 4-9 variable scope but I tend to shoot better without it. I figured if things go bad it would be another option for keeping small varments away plus the 10,000 rounds I got for it was a small price to pay and will go alot farther than that .22 ammo that may well become the coin of the relm for a time.

Rick

[AlchemyAcres]

Heck yeah!
My Dad and I have had RWS air rifles for many years.
This past summer I bought a GAMO Hunter Extreme....
.177 caliber....1,600 fps when pushin' the PBA Raptor ammo...
deadly on small critters!!!

~Martin :)

[RangerRick]

Martin, tell me more about this ammo. Why does it produce such speed, is it made of plastic or something? Seems anything going that fast would be so light it wouldn't give much penatration.

Rick

[AlchemyAcres]

Yeah, they're lighter and harder than lead....PBA=Performance Ballistic Alloy...they're also 18K gold plated to prevent barrel corrosion and to limit friction....GAMO claims better penetration due to the harder metals and design (?)...they're pricey...$7-$8 per 100....not something I'd shoot everyday!

~Martin :)

[DM]

I've got a couple RWS 45's and they are great guns... With good shots on smaller animials, they really do the job!

You just have to be carefull to make proper shots...

DM

[remington]

*I've got a couple RWS 45's and they are great guns... *With good shots on smaller animials, they really do the job!

*You just have to be carefull to make proper shots...

*DM
Yep. Head shots in my opinion. I shot a couple in the lungs with a Benjamin and they still had sufficient life left to climb trees and go into holes. Head shots from then on.

[jim]

I've been interested in those PBA's. Could they break the neck of a smaller canine with a solid hit? What are they capable of?
jim

[velojym]

I have a Benji in .177, and would like to install a peep sight on it. Thought about a scope, but I really like how trim the rifle is right now.

I also have a 2240 pistol, in .22, but it's a bit gutless. I wouldn't use it for game, unless I get it tuned for a bit more oomph. Also, it's powered by CO2 capsules, so I need to stock up on those (you have to pull it out after shooting, empty or not... or it'll eventually leak down and may not be easy to remove) or convert to air power.

[homesteadingnky]

I've killed groundhogs at 30 yards with a .22 pellet rifle (seal is blown now) and the .177 is great for squirels, rabbits, and birds (as mentioned before - head shots).

But the silence is what I like the most. I carry a .177 in my vehicle always.

[airmojo]

I love spring-piston air rifles! * Been shooting and collecting them for about 25 years now.

I have several... my favorite is my Beeman R1 in .22 with a special Jim Maccari carbine (TK) barrel that I installed along with a Maccari full-power kit and Bushnell Trophy 4-12X scope. *Great for hunting and plinking.

Other favorites are Weirauch HW95 .22, FWB-124, TX200, and Beeman R7 (all .177).

I only have one PCP, a Career 707 carbine in .20, an old Sheridan Blue Streak and Silver Streak (pnematic pumps).

You really need a good quality scope to get all the accuracy out of a high quality air rifle. I scope all my springers.

You can get addicted to airguns because they are so much fun to shoot, very quiet, and you can shoot indoors too, and fun to tinker with. *Ammo is inexpensive (compared to firearm ammo... price keeps going up!).

Great way to get rid of pests like squirrels, chipmunks, pest birds.

I shoot them way more than my firearms and I have lots of property where I could shoot firearms more.

[madmac]

Just ran across this post. Man if this don't bring back the memories. I had an air gun years ago. But I think what I remember most is When I worked in a gun shop. This old guy, very poor at that would come into the shop and buy pellets for his beeman .22 cal air rifle. This old guy was using it to put meat on the table. One time I guess he headed down to the park and shot a couple of ducks. It was like Thanksgiving to him. I didn't have the heart to tell him the ducks were off limit to hunt as he never made a habit of it. Airguns are pretty cheap to shoot and keep this old guy in supply of much needed meat for the table. Every once in awhile I would buy him a can of ammo and tell him it was a freeby the airgun rep left for us to shoot because we sold so many airguns.

[Dawgus]

I love a good air rifle almost as much as I love a good 22. I've had several of the RWS rifles over the years, but still have a Sherdan Blue Streak I've had for around 20 years. I use it all summer long to pop the chipmunks that seem to love my strawberries, and it's never failed to get some squirrels from the wifes bird feeders into the frying pan. ;D

[flatwater]

Interesting note on air guns , Lewis & Clark traded air guns to the indians capable of bringing down larger animals.
Flatwater