GTA
General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Airgun Gate => : madpuma13 December 16, 2009, 03:46:29 AM
-
I am new to the Air Rifle scene but not to firearms in general. I guess some would argue that doesnt hold merit here :-P
My Father-in-law recently bought an air gun and I thought it would be great to have as well. He lives out in the country and is a collector of sorts. I live in the city and would like to use it for small game in the house as well as taking out for plinking/hunting small game including racoons (if its possible with this type of firearm.
My dilemma comes in the fact that it seems that I cant find any broad/consistent reviews on air rifles. Each forum I see has it's own favorites and doesnt seem to look at each rifle objectively. In any case, i have settled here, it seems there is a lot of experience in this forum.
I think for my uses a .22 it is better suited than any other bore. There seems to be a great deal of 'good' guns. Which are the easiest to work on? Which are the most accurate? Which have enough power to take out a 'coon maybe a smallish hog with that superb accuracy. My father-in-law has the Walther Falcon. i think it's a nice gun and for some reason is cheaper than the similar powered ones (beyond me as to why).
If a budget is needed, lets say $500 with a $100 leeway, if its a superb gun. I just want something that will last and I can work on.
-
If there were any questions as to which I have researched and found a little info on, they include the following:
Beeman R1
Walther Falcon
RWS-350
Air Arms TX200 MKIII
As I said, it's hard to find good information on all these and other guns, any help is appreciated :-)
-
madpuma13 - 12/16/2009 9:52 AM
If there were any questions as to which I have researched and found a little info on, they include the following:
Beeman R1
Walther Falcon
RWS-350
Air Arms TX200 MKIII
As I said, it's hard to find good information on all these and other guns, any help is appreciated :-)
The R1, rws 350 and TX are all nice rifles. I am not familiar with the Walther. I have an almost new condition, tuned 350 in .22 with custom brake, sight cover and brass screw cups installed that I am going to sale soon if you are interested.
-
well depends on if you want pcp or not
you can get a disco with a pump withing your range and it will be a great hunter and it can be tuned for more power
but if you want springer then the tx200 and beeman are going to very accurate if you can shoot springers
i dont have any experience with the rws or the walther but
persoanlly i like pcp for hunting
there are lots of choices and lots of options out there
for a little more you can get a used airforce gun and find a deal on a pump or scuba tank and have alot of power actually with some mods you can make more power than a 22 lr if u wanna go extreme eventually
but for begining id say a disco is a good start pcp and the tx is very nice if springer
others with more experience will chime in here im sure
-
First off WELCOME TO THE GTA FAMILY, A GREAT PLACE WITH GREAT GUYS AND GALS. :) If your looking for a springer then I would be looking at Magnum shooter's like the 350 Magnum which has had great success in the hunting field here. Another Magnum shooter with enough punch to tackle Bandit's etc. would be the Gamo Extreme. 22 but the only drawback would be the lack of replacement part's for it. Several family members here have the 350 Mag and love the shooter for small game and larger like Bandit's Country Rat's and G-hog's. I myself have the Gamo Hunter 1250.22, English version of the Extreme and have taken load's of Bandit's, Country Rat's etc. with it. Magnum shooter's are heavy hitters and take a little time to get accurate with due to the recoil etc. but tuning them really makes them shine in the hunting field. Another route would be to go PCP but along with the shooter you will have other item's to get like tank's etc. to keep it up on air. I'm sure that more of our great family members here will jump in with some good advice on some great shooters for hunting etc.. :) Ed
-
A good reasonable gun with power an accuracy and over all build quality hunting gun IMO would be an RWS m48 .22cal will probly take care of your needs and thier not that expensive
-
I have recently been able to receive an RWS 48 and I would have to say it's one of the smoothest shooting and most accurate guns I've tried. The 350 is an excellent gun too. I've also had the RWS 34P for a while and that is another easy shooting accurate gun. I will say one thing; I was able to fire a Walther Talon recently and I really didnt care for it at all. But...thats just my opinion. So yeah...my vote is for RWS for the value and quality you receive for such a good price.
-
Welcome to GTA,, very nice to have you with us :)
As for your question......if you're looking for a hunting rifle then I would recommend either the RWS 48 or the 350. I own both and they are awesome hunters, easily capable of taking out any small game you may run across including game as large as raccoons, woodchucks and possums.
The 350 is a rather long gun, which is why quite a few people "chop" the barrel, however I left mine stock and don't have a problem with it. The 48 on the other hand is a much shorter rifle but it is also a bit heavier than the 350, however since it's a "side cocker' it's very easy to install a set of sling swivels on the 48's stock which makes it a pleasure to take on long hunts in the woods. Since the 48 is shorter it's also easier to maneuver with the rifle when hunting in thick brush and such.
Both rifles have a good "out of the box" trigger and both rifles can be incredibly accurate if you do your part. The 350 is quicker to reload since it's a break barrel rifle however once you get used to it the side cocking 48 can be reloaded quickly as well.
From the "hunting aspect" If I had to pick just one of them I'd go with the 48 due to the shorter length, the ease of installing a sling, the better overall balance of the rifle and the fact that the 48's extra weight, while a turnoff to some, actually helps absorb the spring recoil of the rifle.
Stay away from the Walther rifle..... it's a harsh shooting rifle. You'd be much better off with an RWS.
The Beeman R-1 is supposed to be a real nice rifle as well but I don't own one or have any experience with one so I can't comment on that rifle.
If you decide to go the PCP route then I would say get a .22 Discovery/Pump combo, there are some good deals around now. The .22 Disco will give you good accuracy and good power and the PCP's are much easier to shoot accurately than a spring rifle since there's no recoil at all. The other nice thing is that on a PCP you can use any scope you'd like due to the lack of recoil. If you go the springer route then be sure to get a scope that is "springer rated", like a "Leapers" or "BSA". These are just a couple brands of springer rated scopes, there are of course others available as well.
Well, let us know what you choose and again,,, Welcome to GTA.....
I"ll be looking forward to your future posts....
Jeff
-
The TX is a fine accurate rifle that with shot placement and at a conservative distance will do the job. The R1 has a great trigger and more punch. Look at Weihrauch HW 80 to save a bit of $ (same just not paying for Beeman re-lable). The 350 has Great power and a decent trigger and is easy to work on IF you have a spring compressor (needed for all except the TX). Magnums take a bit of getting used to when shooting. You need to learn your gun. The TX will be the easiest to shoot right off the bat but with time the others will hold their own as hunters. If you plan on using a scope the 350 will require a robust scope with a warranty as they can be hard on them.
Hope this helps.
-
Yeah, Ill definitely be aiming for spring-air. Maybe precharged down the road
-
Here's something else to chew on....
Gonna shoot it in the house as well as outdoors? Get a MAC1 Steroided Benjamin 392. A couple of pumps will take care of all the indoor needs without the dangers of high velocity pellets flying around in the house. Plenty of oomph at full power for 'coons and such.
http://www.mac1airgun.com/
-
Yeah, that was a typo... Sorry about that I meant to say Ill be shooting it in town as opposed to the country. Although it will get it's fair share of country shootin' too.
-
Welcome to the group! Paul Capello has great reviews at pyramid air, I saw his one on the Crosman Nitro piston that looked good. Have you shot a springer much? They do take a good technique ( like the artillery hold) and some have a steeper learning curve but no air tanks or co2 fills to worry about. I love my Hammerli 850 but its not a cold weather gun if you dont mod it for HPA
-
the walther is great power but its made in turkey i personally havent had good luck with them there triggers are terrible also the barrels are a crap shoot some are ok and some arent id get an rws 350 mag if you want somthing in that price range thats powerful or an rws 48 if you can spare a little more get a beeman r1 or rx2 but you can get a nice 350 mag for under $300 and youd be happier with that by far than a walther imo
-
How would the Tech Force 89 figure into this catagory? I read good things of it on here and it is well within the budget, including scope and a potload of pellets. For what he says he has to spend he could even get a turbo tune done and have change left over.
-
The TF89 is a good gun they need a little TLC but over all thier a good gun, but thier not an RWS and thers really no comparison between the 2 guns. Don't get me wrong I own and use TF89's for my field use but I have had alot of work done to them. But a good stock TF89 adjusted correctly and or a tuned gun is very hard to beat for the money, they work! they have very adjustably triggers, the .22cal's are very accurate and hit very hard on game. my stock TF .22cal cleaned and lubed only shoots CPHP's at 790fps and that's respectable for a .22cal airgun. My RWS m48.22cal lubed only av's 815fps TF costs about 150$ the RWS can be had for around 315$ the quality of the RWS is much higher and if bought new has a life time warranty.
-
It's a multi-pump gun, so you can control how much "oomph" you get. You mentioned shooting "in the house", as well as hunting, that's why I bring this point up.
The 392 is very lightweight (much, much lighter than the RWS Model 48 -- shorter than it, too). Additionally, being pneumatic, there is virtually no recoil. They retail for around $150, which is a pretty inexpensive jumping-off point to get into airgunning. And there are a number of people, including Tim at Mac1 Airguns, who can do some remarkable tuning down the road, if you like.
In a similar category, another quite surprisingly nice gun is the Daisy 22 SG. This is also a multi-pump .22, and includes a scope, for right at $100. Both of the pumpers are pretty pellet-friendly.
Probably confused you more :)
Welcome to the insanity, be safe, and happy holidays!
-Joel
-
I disagree that there is no comparison between the RWS350 and the TF89. I have a TF89 that was shooting right on par with the RWS 350 I have and I just sent the TF89 out for a tune, expecting to get it back with about 3 more foot-pounds or so. After the cost of the rifle and the tune and $120 in pellets, it is STILL cheaper than the RWS350, will shoot nearly as hard, and as accurate (it was shooting .25 groups at 10 yards before the tune). I bought the RWS 350 to test side-by-side with the TF89 just to put in my own hands what people were saying about euro-gun craftsmanship. Well, for 3 times the price, I wasn't all too impressed.
The gun I am impressed with is a Cometa Fusion 400 .22 which I got tuned from Gene @ $270! New they run $350, I think. If you can get one and have Gene tune it, it'll run just under $500. Powerful, accurate, and sweet-cocking (unlike the RWS which I find a bit stiff). I don't know how they are out-of-the-box, but the TF89 .22 and the Cometa are the two best rifles I own, with my preference leaning slightly to the Cometa right now. We'll see when the TF89 comes back from the tune.
-
longislandhunter, Wish I'd read this before getting the RWS350, I'd have gotten the RWS 48! Your suggestion makes great sense.
-
Madpuma, this is a great place to learn a ton of valuable airgun information! Welcome aboard!
You've got alot of choices and alot of great responses from people. I'm sure you're a bit confused now....
I would like to help remove the confusion-
You mention a price range of $500, give or take $100. You can get a fantastic air rifle for that price, and even less. Longislandhunter, aka Jeff, gave you some really good details and info that I completely agree with. He mentioned 2 RWS guns that are both excellent options for what you desire. Both guns have the power to dispatch larger critters, have a great reputation, and quality is way above average. RWS guns are very accurate as well.
He also proposed the precharged pneumatic option, where you could buy the Benjamin Discovery and the hand pump that goes with it. This is another great option if you'd like to get a fixed barrel, non-springer air rifle. The Discovery has a great reputation on here and is very accurate and powerful. I've read many posts of guys taking 50+yd shots and making 1 shot kills on larger critters with this gun. Also, like Jeff mentioned, you don't have the recoil with the Disco that you'd get from a springer. So, they tend to be easier to learn to shoot quicker. You can pick up the Disco and pump for anywhere between $315-400, which would leave you enough $ leftover to get a good scope for it. You can pick up a Centerpoint 16x40 with illuminated reticle for ~$65 and it will serve you really well.
The Discovery, out of the box, is slightly loud. Most guys purchase a TKO aftermarket muzzle brake from here http://www.tko22.com/. I've heard this brings the gun down to near silent.
So, it all comes down to what you want. My recommendation would be to get a high quality, accurate shooter out of the box as your first air gun. Hehe (I said first, because it probably won't be the last). Both of the RWS guns you mentioned fit the bill as high quality and accurate, oh and powerful! The PCP option is there as well with the Discovery if you want to go that route. I have the Walther Force and its a good gun for the price. It's a powerful gun and decently accurate if you were lucky enough to get a good one. It's a cheaply made gun and nowhere near the same class as the RWS 350 or 48 though. Since your budget is what it is, I would definitely rule out the Walther and look at the others. If you go that route, you'll have no regrets and a very satisfying hunting gun that is capable of dispatching a wide range of vermin.
I hope my two cents helps! Let us know what you decide, and again, Welcome to GTA :)
-
I' am also in the process of getting a Cometa Fenix 400 star compact in .22cal from Ponoma I'm very interested to see what they'll do?
-
Very well put xschug3
-
For your price range get a Crosman NPSS Nitro. Mine has been VERY accurate right out of the box and I have taken squirrels out to 67 yards with it. It is lighter than the RWS 350 and 48 translating to more comfort lugging it around all day hunting. It is quiet so it will not disturb the neighbors and spook game. Becasue it has a gas piston instead of a spring, you don't have to worry about the spring taking a set if you leave it cocked for hours. Having a gas piston instead of a spring also means no buzzing recoil like you can get with a spring gun. Mine came with a scope and two different scope mounts (single and two piece) so it was a complete package when it showed up. Cost $299.00
-
I am guessing they are nearly the same gun but for some stock markings and the fact that the Fenix has sights. If yours is anything like mine...just awesome.
-
Just to mention...the Walther Force 1000 is really the TF89 -- all are variants on the AR1000. If you look at them on the shanghai airgun factory site you'll see one variant or another that fits the description of a bunch of chinese guns.
-
ya I think their the basic model accept the compact has carbine length barrel and the moderator only covers about 1/3rd of the barrel. I dont have it yet but soon very soon
-
I definitely not rule out the Crosman NPSS Nitro .22. Maybe not quite as powerful as an RWS 350 but still hits hard, pretty light, easy to cock and is very accurate.
Charlie,
-
Alot of fine suggestions so far,...but I've 3 that might fit the bill. For close up shots the 392 Benji will "git her' done". And let's not forget the world reknowned 34 Diana. You'd be surprised what kinda thump this sweet-heart can lay on a critter,...bigger ones if you can draw em in close and connect with a good head shot. And for the longer shots,...the MM tuned B-28A Xisico. Dollar for dollar, a great value for the jack,...Like Bro' Roger said to me,..."shoots like a 350"!!!!! Just my 2 cents, tjk
-
I always hate when the words "best" or "better" start getting tossed around. We all have different expectations from our air guns. And we all have varying opinions. If you have a chance to fire some of the air rifles which meet your criteria then that would be great. My local gun range has Sunday nighs set aside for the local airgunners. I have had bad experiences with chinese air rifles in the past. However, after reading many positive reviews, I purchased a Bam B-26about 5-6 weeks ago. It is fantastic. The B-26 is every bit the equal of my RWS 34. It was $150.00 shipped to my door. My only complaint were the cheap plastic factory sights. I scoped it with a Leapers so that is a non issue. The B-26 comes in 22 caliber. I own a RWS 350. Fine rifle. Good power. But I do not need the 350's power for rabbits/squirrels on down. The BAM B-28 is getting excellent reviews also. And the Tech Force air rifles are getting very good reviews. I think airgunners have it very good right now with the selection of affordable quality air guns. Good luck with whatever brand/model you choose and remember that "better" and "best" is subjective.
-
take a look at the Crosman NPSS .22. It's a great rifle and there are reviews of it here on this site. Pyramid also has many reviews of this fine rifle. Mine is much quieter than my Gamo Whisper. If you need it, I can send you my chrony numbers, but I believe that I have posted them here on my review. Let us know what you get.
Regards,
Paul
-
If I was going to spend $500, I'd get a RWS 350. I had that much to spend on a gun and I haven't regretted it a bit. I'll hand that gun down to my boy when he gets old enough. While I have other guns, it is just in a class by itself in feel and workmanship.
Does my TF 89 shoot well? Oh yeah, but I still don't regret the money I paid for my 350. Just the memories of my first 70 yard Prairie Dog (and ONLY) with it is worth the $500 :)
-
Mark 611 - 12/17/2009 10:31 AM
ya I think their the basic model accept the compact has carbine length barrel and the moderator only covers about 1/3rd of the barrel. I dont have it yet but soon very soon
Mark,
Did you get the Cometa? I'd be curious as to what you think!
-
I have an RWS350 and TF89 and thought those were both close. Then I got a tuned Cometa Fusion 400 from Gene, and I think it is the best rifle I own. Accurate, powerful, smooth, handsome...$350 new. $150 for a tune. I lucked into mine for much less...but I'd pay full price for one now.
-
No not yet the shipment only had 6 guns this time so I'm gonna have to wait for the next one
-
Weihrauch HW95 Air Rifle?
Looks as if it would fill the bill in this price range.
I do not own one. Have not seen one. Only read about them and that is mostly glowing reports of quality all the way around. Pyramyd has them for a hair under the $500 mark for now. Seems this would fit what he is asking for in a rifle even if scoping it will put him a bit above his dollar mark. Airguns of Arizons has the HW 97 for about $550. Maybe a bit more than the limit for now but again, from what others say it may be worth the extra saving to get one.
From what I have read by those who have these they are top notch in every way.