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General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Airgun Gate => : wahoowad April 05, 2010, 05:12:18 AM

: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: wahoowad April 05, 2010, 05:12:18 AM
Hi guys. What are the most powerful 2 or 3 springer airguns currently available on the general market? I've seen reference to some ~1200 fps using .177 but only using special pellets. My .20 R9 is supposedly ~ 800 fps so am thinking a +1200 fps (preferably in .20) gun would make a fun complement and help me when I need more energy downrange. I like to plink and see the impact on various stuff so am hoping to add a more powerful gun to the arsenal. Would prefer to keep it to another .20 gun although that is not a hard requirement.
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: adrian April 05, 2010, 06:00:44 AM
winchester 1100 is one that i know of it pack a good punch and its 279.00 i believe
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: bcaleem April 05, 2010, 06:29:44 AM
Staying below the speed of sound (~1100 fps) is advisable with pellets and it is explained why here. (http://www.pyramydair.com/site/articles/velocity/)  

In your search for more power I would suggest not going for a faster gun but one that can shoot heavier pellets at the same speed.  eg - An RWS model 34 will shoot 7.9 gr .177 pellet at ~850 fps while an RWS model 48 will shoot a 14.3 gr .22 pellet at about the same speed.  The 48 will obviously have significantly more power.

To answer your question, there are several that come to mind.  If you're not afraid of used guns looking at the RWS 48/52 and 350 models would be a good start.

Clark
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: wahoowad April 05, 2010, 06:33:59 AM
Wow, great read bcaleem! Thanks for the education. I had no idea! So guess I want some smashing power at slower speeds!
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: LongIslandArcher April 05, 2010, 06:44:17 AM
Benjamin Sheridan Trail NP XL.  MidwayUSA has them cheaper than Pyramydair, but they are out of stock.  I also don't see the .22 cal. version listed.  http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/#trail%20NP%20XL____-_1-2-4_8-16-32

Here's a thread in the Benjamin-Crosman Gate you might want to read - http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=26947&mid=212484#M212484
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: longislandhunter April 05, 2010, 07:00:21 AM
My Trail NP XL .22   :)    Real power house....

Jeff
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: Zzyzx April 05, 2010, 07:28:10 AM
Tech Force 89 in .22 Calibre?

On sale, a RWS 350 Magnum would qualify.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: daveshoot April 05, 2010, 08:14:48 AM


Ithink the RWS48 might be the best you're going to do in a .20 off the shelf.



Walther Falcon Hunter (Hatsan 125) is at the upper end of .22 power, although I don't recommend them.



Baikal MP513 (if you can find one in .22) is also a powerhouse, but not the "most" potent winner.



Neither of them were available in 5mm. Choices are limited in factory .20s.

: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: tjk April 05, 2010, 08:15:42 AM
What?!? Let me get this straight. You have an R1 in .20 cal, and you want to trade down in quality for a zippy lead slinger??..... OK!!, I suggest a B-28 in .177 cal tuned with Macarri lubes,  the factory spring and either OEM or a  Macarri seal shooting Kodiaks or Baracudas . Believe me,  this combo's got  plenty of  bling,  zing and juice to knock the snot out if anything. Tin cans leap like I hit them with my .22 RX-2!! Second choice would be to save up for another Beeman/Weihrauch. I hear the ride's much nicer. Last choice, the Hatsan made Daisy/Powerline/Winchester 1000 series rifle. Easy to tune too!! tjk
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: wahoowad April 05, 2010, 08:33:22 AM
No, no, no! Not trade, just add to the arsenal!
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: Zzyzx April 05, 2010, 09:03:08 AM
I had forgotten about the Walther Falcon Hunter... and I had one. It did not fit me at all. Too harsh, too twangy and too big overall. I traded for a RWS 350 Magnum that some said wouldn't fit either, but I wanted to try one. It fits well. Very comfortable and a great shooting rifle. The gentleman I traded the Walther Falcon Hunter to likes it just fine.

A ton of power and if it fits your shooting frame it might be just the ticket.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: airiscool April 05, 2010, 09:52:33 AM
Another vote for the Trail XL 1100. 177 caliber speeds with a 22 cal punch.  :D

Paul.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: coochie April 05, 2010, 09:53:28 AM
A walther falcon hunter or walther talon will probly knock the snot out of any listed above and the talon (same gun as the falcon hunter) is way below $300. falcon is slightly below. i have the walther talon in .22. i paid $209. for it brand new. it has about 1800 pellets through it now. Its dead on accurate. Not 1 single screw has came loose the whole time iv owned it (9 months). It quieted down and smoothed out after about 200 or 300 pellets. Most pellets i use in it now shoot very accurate except daisy pellets. The new triggers on them are awsome with a little oil and adjustments. If your small or weak, it might be a little bit of a handfull but if you want 25 fpe. of hard knockdown power and accuracy. Look no furthur. The newer walther talons and falcon hunters are sweet, inexpensive and you can get it with a nitro piston in .177, .22 or .25.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: patton123 April 05, 2010, 10:09:49 AM
Coochie is right,  the Walther..she's powerful, but she's definately a harsh shooter.  The Crosman Trail XP that Jeff(longislandhunter) posted (Crosman/Benjamin forum), put up bigger numbers than the Walther.

Listen to Jeff , he knows his stuff.

Good luck

: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: Perry50 April 05, 2010, 12:09:23 PM
The Benjamin Trail XL is hard to beat for the price. It's a true 28+ FPE rifle and under $300 with scope.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: TCups April 05, 2010, 12:29:51 PM
Wahoowad:

Note well, grasshopper!  A powerful air rifle that is very hard to shoot accurately is much less powerful than a medium-power air rifle that you can hit the target with ever time.

My pick?  Mike Melick-tuned  B-26 in .22 cal with a Maccari spring and trigger job.  Add a BSA scope and Leaper's Accushot rings and you will be right at $300.  There is no better combination for an accurate and more than adequately powerful springer.  

But since you have an R9 in 20 cal, why the heck  don't you spend even less, send that R9 off for a tune with a new Maccari spring and seal, and see just how smooth and powerful an R-9 can be!
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: wahoowad April 05, 2010, 12:48:28 PM
TCups - 4/5/2010  5:29 PM

Wahoowad:

Note well, grasshopper!  A powerful air rifle that is very hard to shoot accurately is much less powerful than a medium-power air rifle that you can hit the target with ever time.

My pick?  Mike Melick-tuned  B-26 in .22 cal with a Maccari spring and trigger job.  Add a BSA scope and Leaper's Accushot rings and you will be right at $300.  There is no better combination for an accurate and more than adequately powerful springer.  

But since you have an R9 in 20 cal, why the heck  don't you spend even less, send that R9 off for a tune with a new Maccari spring and seal, and see just how smooth and powerful an R-9 can be!


How powerful would such a tuned R9 be?
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: TCups April 05, 2010, 01:49:15 PM
With the right spring, I'd say you could get up to 800 - 850 FPS depending on the spring used and the quality of the tune.  With an 18.3 gr JSB Exact, that would be around 20 FPE.  How much power do you need?  The "sweet spot" for most magnum springers is around 750 FPS for .22 and perhaps 850 FPS for .177, IMO.

I have been up and down the springer power spectrum, from 6-8 FPE up to around 22 FPE in a Diana 48 .20 cal with a custom tune.  The Diana was a beast.  Heavy to carry and hard to shoot accurately, but a real thumper.  Want to head off to the woods and squirrel hunt with springers?  If you go with me, I will likely be carrying a Mike Melick tuned B-26 .22 or an R9 .20 cal with a Maccari spring and seal, and shooting JSB/Polymag Predator pellets.  As for taking small game, either has more than enough power and both are a pleasure to shoot.  Both are shooting around 17FPE, I think.

You should ask Mike Melick or Gene Curtis for particulars about tuning the R9.  Both can give you more first-hand information about what is possible with a good tune.

But you should decide for yourself.  One super-magnum springer was enough for me.
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: tjk April 05, 2010, 01:56:44 PM
Wait just a dang minute,..Wahoowad, I thought you had the R1. My bad Bro,.....Heck man, why not just save up for the R1 carbine in .20? Tommy made a very good point on the velocity vs. accuracy issue. I kinda lean to the accuracy side myself. But...... nothing beats that little added extra kick in power either,.. If it's still over the plate! LOLs There are some  good BBGuns out there to choose from! tjk
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: longislandhunter April 05, 2010, 02:40:07 PM
Tommy and Thomas are correct,,, all the power in the world is of no use if you can't shoot it accurately, but that being said I have to say for a magnum break  barrel my  .22 XL is very easy to shoot accurately.  With the gas ram there's no spring torque or vibration at all to deal with or compensate for , just a very solid, rapid pulse once you pull the trigger.  

Jeff
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: djmyers April 06, 2010, 01:03:20 AM
Bcaleem, outstanding link! Learned something new today. Thats why I lime this place.

As for the best stock gun under 300. I would have to say my best stock one is the RWS 350 mag. Its crazy powerful shooting 10.65 gr H&N barracuda at 960 fps. I had to shoot those because everything else was too fast and not as accurate. Anything 7.33 gr and under went super sonic. My first squirrel was at 20 yards, clean head shot that knocked it off the tree. It didnt get hit then fall off, he flew off the tree.  Its a very nice rifle but a brand new one is a little over 300, 349 at pyramid air. If you can find a used one Id go with it. I have a Gamo Hunter with gas piston, its me go to gun 920's with 8.4 gr pellets and pinpoint accurate and a Big Cat but both required a little TLC to get them where they are. GRT triggers, seals and spring in the big cat. None of which is that hard to do.

Bone stock RWS 350. If you change your mind and feel like tinkering Big cat with metal trigger so you can change it out throw in the maccari tune up kit and you have one heck of a shooter for well under 300. Shoot it was barely over 200.  That would leave you some jingle for scopes.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: ranedouglas April 06, 2010, 01:51:19 AM
my lubed .22 cal walther talon magnum shoots 950 fps w/ 14.3 gr crosman premiers and is accurate.   it's the most powerful airgun i've shot - and i have a powertuned .22 disco and and a .22 rws 350 pro-compact that shoots 850 w/ the same pellets.   i'm looking for a magnum .20 cal, myself.  i'm finding that an r-1/HW 80, or a beeman rx, rx-1, rx-2 / HW 90, and a steroid sheridan are the only ones w/ true power.   i see this about a .20 rws model 48, but i've never seen one for sale.   here, look at my ad :   http://www.network54.com/Forum/79574/message/1270495337/-20+cals .   -and
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: LongIslandArcher April 06, 2010, 01:54:35 AM
I don't know of any RWS 350 Magnum that you could get for a little over $300.  Even the one I bought 10 years ago cost $359 and I believe they're up to somewhere in the $429 range now.  Even if you went with a Gamo CFX and converted it with a Theoben gas ram, it would cost around $300 and you'd have yourself a mighty fine shooter.  I have one so converted and it shoots .22 cal. 14.3 grain pellets at 725 fps (which is darned near the advertised 750 fps with lead pellets).  Plus, being that it's a fixed barrel, you'll never get any barrel droop.  I believe Airgundepot.com has them for $169.99 with a scope, and you can get the Theoben gas ram from Airgunwerks.com for $155.00 ($145 + $10 s/h).
: Re: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: djmyers April 06, 2010, 02:26:58 AM
They actually have brand new pyramid air for 349. Thats why I suggested finding one used. Its my best bone stock shooter, thats why I added it to the list. Especially if he can find a used one for under 300, I would think it to be a steal.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: leftcoast1 April 06, 2010, 11:21:26 AM
First off I went down that same road some time ago but, I found out that I hit less with that super duper whiz bang whatcha majiger. Your mistakes are amplified at those speeds not to mention the guns start to get heavy. I would send the R-9 back to Beeman get it tuned and spend the rest on a BKL mount and a Hawke AirMax scope. If you really want to get into the power game pick up a pcp. I had a Webley Patriot with a Theoben gasram and it would shoot right under 30fpe. One thing I noticed is the game didn't know the difference between 30fpe and 15fpe. The nice thing is my 15fpe gun weighs 7 lbs scoped and my 30fpe gun weighed in at 10.5lbs. You tuned R-9 in .20 should net you around 750fps with 12gr pellets. More than enough power. Just something to think about.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: pindog2000 April 13, 2010, 12:25:28 PM
rws 350 at airgundepot is you can find a refurb or onsale,the walther talon mag/falcon hunter very powerful and under $300,the ruger air/black hawk i think stock and depending on pellet you can push 16fpe ,the big bad disco if you find one online cheap under $300,the tech force 89 at compasseco for under $200,or hook up with magic mike melick . :emoticon:
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: RedFeather April 13, 2010, 01:40:54 PM
Personally, I would opt for a Diana 34 in either .177 or .22, maybe with a Vortek kit. Comes in under the money and has enough power for most anything. As the man said, you've got to hit it to kill it. Raw power comes at a price.
: RE: Most potent stock springer under $300?
: ranedouglas April 13, 2010, 07:34:42 PM
i just traded a .22 webley raider 10 for a beeman rx-1 in .20.   not under the $300, but i've never had an HW.   i haven't heard anything bad about these rx guns in .20.   i would be fondling it right now, but i missed the mailman and there was a tag on my door.  :-(