Recap: $200 and under Guns Q

[Mebits]

I asked for some guidance before for my cheap friend who needs a new pesting gun for his farm. He wanted a BC 1200 after shooting mine, but I waved him off. I had $180 in mine after trigger and it's still a bit rough.

I got some suggestions that I passed on to him.

I'd like to ask what the preference rank of the following guns is (or if there's a better one still that I missed).


http://www.adventuresinairguns.com/tuned-wscope-mike-melick-p-225.html?osCsid=71f0379f8d3c3053180805e46c971838

http://www.pyramydair.com/p/Ruger-Blackhawk-air-rifle-with-scope.shtml

http://bestairgun.stores.yahoo.net/bamxsairrico3.html

My friend is about to put his order in.

TIA,
M

[longislandhunter]

The B-25 from "Adventures in Airguns" iis a clone of the RWS 34.  If it's tuned by Mike Melick it's no doubt a fine shooter.

The B26-2 from "Best Airguns" is a clone of the Beeman R-9.  If you buy it from them you can check the box and have it sent to Mike and he'll check the internals and make sure it's working properly so you know you'll get a gun that shoots good, but I don't think he does a full tune on it.  

I guess strictly from a cost perspective the B-25 is cheaper, plus it's fully tuned.  You could also check with MM and see how much extra it would cost to do a full tune on the B26-2.  The RWS 34 and Beeman R-9 are both really nice guns and these rifles are pretty much exact copies of them so I don't think you can go wrong with either one.  Personally I like the B26-2 better and would opt to get one of them and have MM do a full tune on it while he had it.  I have 2 B26-2's and I absolutely love the thumb hole stocks on them and the R-9 Rekord trigger clone.  I also have a Ruger Blackhawk  (same gun as the B-25) and I love that gun as well.  Guess it depends on what your friend prefers...

Oh yeah, BTW... if your friend goes with the B26-2 have him opt for the "low comb" model.   The "high comb" stock presents some scope mounting issues as far as proper eye relief.

As for the Blackhawk from Pyramydair....... I would rather go with one of the other 2 since Mike Melick will have his hand on both before you get them.....



Jeff

[shady816]

the two bams are both great choices but also have a look at the tech force guns they have the tf87 which is an fixed barrel springer that i have heard some great things about from a $150 gun it is not as refined and smooth as any beeman or such but for the price they seem to produce more power than needed with the accuracy to go with it. but never the less you won't go wrong with the b26-2 and as jeff said definatly get the low comb if you do and definatly have MM do a tune you won't regret it.

[pindog2000]

or you can go ruger black hawk 69 bucks right now at airgundepot i just bought two for two buddies of mine who are trying to get into the sport :p

[Mebits]

Thanks, Guys!

[Zzyzx]

Better have him check out the sale Airguns of Arizona is having on the RWS 34 Panther Pro. $199 for the rifle with scope as a package deal. Just a bit over the total price you are looking at with shipping but he will have the real deal instead of a copy.

[tjk]

Jeff's correct on the clones. And all three will serve the purpose. I tend to veer away from synthetic stock rifles, and the only other rifle in this class I'd opt for would be the wood stocked Ruger Air-Hawk (another 34 clone). the 34 and its clones are all easy to DIY tune. The B-26 have a big following in the hobby, and the trigger's are probably better than the 34/B25/Ruger Hawks. tjk
PS I'm not sure, but I think the Ruger air-hawk only comes in .177 cal but I may be wrong. .22 cal works well with these rifles!

[RedFeather]

Be aware that the 4X scope which comes with the Ruger has received poor reviews, with most owners recommending you replace it. The RWS34 package from AoA is a really good deal, although a bit more than the Air Hawks.

[thebookdoc]

Cheap:

Remington Vantage 1200 $79

http://www.airgundepot.com/refurbished-remington-vantage-air-rifle-177-cal-1200-fps-w-scope.html

You can get a $120 tune and still be under $200...

[thebookdoc]

The TF87 is a nice gun out-of-the-box, and worth every penny of the $151 you can get thm for now on sale till the end of April.

The TF89 is also a very nice choice, for $127, but it will not be nearly as tame out-of-the-box.

[thebookdoc]

I disagree. I have compared the 'clones' to the 'real thing' side by side, and I am not convinced at all that paying 3-times the price or even twice is worth it.