School me on air rifles

THE PUNISHER

THE PUNISHER

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Sorry didn’t see an air rifle section, but my question is the good and bad of one? Who makes good ones and crappy ones? .177 or .22 or .25 or even.30 caliber?
 
Budget?

I’m looking at the new Air Venturi Avenge. Their Avenger is a great into pcp gun, the Avenge will be a pretty big step up.
 
Id call my knowledge a 2.5/10 on the subject. But I do know that you need to dial in your desire a little more for a better recommendation.

Are you hunting? If so, what animal?

Are you going to competition/accuracy?

Are you just messing around in the yard?

I’ve been happy with my off the shelf (from Academy) Gamo Whisper Cat .22 cal. I’ve run a dozen flavors of ammo through it and can now dial it in. That’s the other piece of the equation. Ammo brand, type/shape, and weight definitely matter. Far more than firearms.
 
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Air guns are a totally different game. Dipped my toes in a few years ago and here is what I learned:
-Cheap ones are cheap and not worth the hassle
-for general fun/practice I found.177 the best caliber
-maintenance is key keeping them running well. Air guns are much more complex than firearms and need TLC
-air guns can be as much if not more expensive than firearms as a hobby
 
Budget is around 500.00

Targets and small game is my purposes

All around stuff

or spend the money on a new 22 long rifle and call it a day…..
 
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I am not well versed in air rifles either. I grabbed this after some research:
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It has enough grunt to take down rabbits at 30 yards with .177 11.5 gr pellets and is plenty accurate with the supplied scope which so far has held zero for a year or so.

Cheap way to try one out.

ETA: One thing I did learn is don't pay any attention to the claimed FPS. It's usually a BS number obtained by shooting uselessly tiny pellets specifically designed for high FPS numbers.
 
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They're also great for learning proper shooting fundamentals because the slightest wobble will through your aim off. You conentrate on steadiness, breathcontrol and shooting between heartbeats
 
Curmudgeon said:
They're also great for learning proper shooting fundamentals because the slightest wobble will through your aim off. You conentrate on steadiness, breathcontrol and shooting between heartbeats
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I’d agree if it’s a PCP, but not a springer. The “artillery hold” you have to use on a springer is nothing like a firearm.
 
To me overly powerful springers suck all the joy out of shooting. They are very counter-intuitive, just too much of a struggle to shoot one accurately.
 
I have a Diana 34 spring rifle that is a real treat to shoot in the backyard. It is a high quality item and I like that I don’t need to worry about compressed air. It is quite loud though and you definitely have to try a bunch of pellets before you find something it likes.

I may get a PCP rifle in the future and the Benjamin Marauder in 22 is probably what I’d get.
 
What’s a “min” you need to spend to get one. I have a Crosman 1077 but it’s underwhelming.
 
I have a bunch of air rifles from pumps, springers and PCP's. I have Marauder rifles in 177, 22 and 25, a 22 Marauder pistol and a 22 Discovery. It is hard to go wrong with the Marauder line even though there are tons of other guns on the market now. If I could only have one, it would be the 22 rifle. Second choice would probably be the 22 pistol. I'd look around and see if you can find any refurbished deals. Airguns of Arizona used to have them all the time and you could save 30% or so off normal pricing and get a great gun.

The 22 rifle is pretty quiet out of the box. I can shoot in my backyard with neighbors out on either side.

Getting into PCP guns can get pretty expensive especially if you don't want to use a pump to fill. I have a couple manual pumps and also a scuba tank to refill. I planned to get an air compressor but really haven't been shooting near as much in the last few years.
 
I would start with a break action springer, just remember they are hard on scopes, then you know if its something you want to sink more money into.

Keep a close eye on who actually makes the gun, for instance, Ruger air rifles are actually made by Umarex and the one I had was pretty good. 120 bucks~

If I got another one id step up to 250-350 dollar or so Gamo.
 
GeorgeBush said:
I would start with a break action springer, just remember they are hard on scopes, then you know if its something you want to sink more money into.
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This... use an air rifle scope; the recoil impulse (particularly with springers) is significantly different. You can trash rifle scopes on air guns.
 
Umarex gauntlet, and a Chinese compressor

I have the gauntlet one and two and I think my gauntlet one is a little more accurate

The marauders pretty awesome as well, but I think the gauntlet is a better value.
 
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