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Looking at getting me and my boy a pellet rifle to do some target shooting and varmint hunting with. I'd like to get something that is accurate and easy to use. Any suggestions? I'd appreciate any info you can give me!

A lot of options depending on how much time, effort and money you want to put into it. Pneumatic (pump up), precharged pneumatic, spring or gas piston. All have their advantages and disadvantages. In my experience, the easiest to shoot accurately is a pneumatic, either precharged or pump up. Triggers are generally better, no recoil and not hold sensitive.

I love my PCP and would never go back to spring guns. And your scope last forever on a PCP. I use scuba tanks to charge. I have a Hill hand pump but only use when tanks empty. A lot of fun and very accurate to 50 yards plus. I am partial to Beeman Maraurder 22 cal. Good shooting

Fixt it for you.

I just ordered an RWS 54 in .22. I looked long and hard at the PCPs, but decided all the extra paraphernalia was just too much trouble and expense for my use. Not many dive shops in this area, and who wants the hassle anyway. The tanks are expensive, and the reviews on the air pumps are mixed. Good quality pump-up pneumatics like the Benjamins and Sheridans are excellent guns for plinking and small game, if not quite as accurate as PCP and good springers.

The 54 is recoilless, via a howitzer-style sliding action, and accuracy is rated as excellent. They are loud, but so are unbaffled PCPs. It's also heavy, maybe too heavy for kids.

.22 pellets at 600fps or better are murderous on small game up to at least rabbit size. I had a Crosman pumper as a teenager and it killed squirrels handily with body or head shots and absolutely devasted starlings. My late brother had a 54, and when he head-shot a rat in his garage, it blew rat brains all over the wall.

The 54's are nice, they are a very big and heavy rifle. Depending on how old your boy is it may be a lot to handle. Had I seen this thread earlier I would have suggested a Beeman R-9. The R-9 is a much more compact and lightweight package. Still shoots 675fps w/ 14.3gr pellets and thumps rock chucks by the truckload.

After a couple of weeks with the 54, I've decided it's too heavy for an old fat man too, a least for extended offhand shooting or lugging around. It is a shootin' son-of-a-gun though.

The cocking effort is pretty harsh too. Unless money's a big factor, I'd advise a PCP for a kid. Dad can do the pumping, or whip out his wallet again for a tank.

I picked up a Bushnell Trophy XLT 4-12 AO for the 54. The RF-Weaver adapters I had fit fine, but I ended up low on the target, so had to get a slanted base. The Bushy is spring airgun rated and has held zero and stayed together for a couple hundred rounds. If it craps, the next one up will be one of Stick's SSs.

I've had a few PCP rifles, but I'm too lazy to pump and the whole scuba thing was a pain with no scuba shops in my area. I'm also picky so got too concerned with shot strings. With the various PCP's you find you start at at one velocity, it may climb a bit, then it will start dropping off. You'll get X number of shots at an "acceptable" velocity before your zero start dropping off.

A multiple pump doesn't give you you the varying velocity problem, but they you get right back to the pumping part

I'm a springer guy at heart. On the budget end, the Benjamin Trail gas ram guns aren't bad for them money. If you don't mind stepping up a little in price range, the various German made Beeman or RWS imported guns are great.

I'm another newbie to pellet rifles but last year I did a lot of research and asking around and wound up getting a Benjamin Trail in .22 cal. with the Nitro Piston 2 gas ram and what they call an upgraded trigger, (clean break trigger). I've gotten pretty fond of it and it's pretty accurate, too. Looked at some PCP rifles but didn't want to spend that much for something I only use occasionally, even though I've got a scuba tank here and fills are no problem. So with no other air gun experience to compare the Benjamin with all I can say is that for a newbie it's keeping me happy and so far has lived up to all my expectations.

Some time when you have $400 to burn get yourself a Beeman R-9 - or if you
just want a low power plinker the Beeman R-7. Both wonderful rifles.

Looks like the OP posted and ran.

Lots of good, light springers out there, both regular and gas ram. They're capable of very good accuracy, but are harder to shoot well due to the recoil. Once you figger out the right hold, you're good. I've read that they're also sensitive to the angle of the shot, but have no experience there.

From a standing rest, my 54 groups better rested out on the forend a bit as opposed to closer to the trigger guard, but the POI remains the same. There's no recoil, but it does go "BOING" pretty good.

In the field, PCPs have a definite advantage because there's less noise and motion when loading them, so if I ever end up some place where airgun hunting is legal, I'll probably add one to the pile.

PCP's have the advantage as long as you don't mind the extras that are necessary. A nice springer will shoot dime size groups at 25yds and thump rock chuck size critters at 50yds. I just love how I can grab it and a pocket full of pellets and go shoot. No scuba tanks, pumps, guns that look like paint ball rigs. To each their own. One thing about shooting a spring gun all summer, it will make your centerfire shooting much better because the springer will require you to shoot with good form.

Yup, figure at least $200 extra for a good pump to feed the PCP. Most of them do look a bit like something Sigourney Weaver might carry for popping aliens. The ability to crank out 5-10 shots by merely working the bolt could be a big advantage in some cases though.

I've seen some really handsome springers lately that hide the lever in the forend. They're not just handsome airguns, but also handsome guns period. The biggest disadvantage is that you can't leave them cocked for very long, but other than that, they're a self-contained unit and very practical for general use.

Some of the Air Force models can use refillable paintball tanks and 88 gram CO2 cartridges in addition to the regular tank. Performance suffers a bit, but is still good enough for most shooting. No pumping, no scuba tanks, just money. Not a bad option.

Why would a springer make you shoot better form than say my Marauder?

Just curious.

In my case, I don't know if it's better form, but more consistent form. Springers continue to be a conundrum for me. I want to love them for the reasons centershot stated, and my hats off to him for the fine work he does with his Beeman. I picked up a Weihrauch HW50S last year to try to emulate his success, and I can shoot nice groups with it. However when I take it, or my other springers, in the field I fail miserably mainly because my shooting positions are not consistent. So for hunting I mainly rely on "The Beast", my .25 Marauder, because the POA/POI doesn't change whether I'm shooting prone, offhand or using a handy tree to rest against. I haven't given up on the springers just yet though, maybe someday I'll get good enough.

Most springers suffer the effects of reverse recoil caused by the piston flying forward to force air through the port to the barrel. To get the best accuracy, a consistent hold is required to allow the gun to recoil the same each time. The preferred method is the artillery hold, which allows the gun to recoil freely. The RWS 54 I have uses a howitzer-style moving action to counteract the recoil. It works, but adds weight and expense. RWS 48s and 52s are essentially the same gun, but without the free-moving action. The velocities are the same as the 54, but they're a bit harder to shoot accurately.

PCPs, pump pneumatics, and CO2 guns are essentially recoilless and can use regular scopes, not special airgun models designed to handle the reverse recoil and vibration of the spring guns. I've not shot a PCP, but from watching video, they seem to be insensitive to how they're held. I kind of have my eye on one of the Air Force models as descibed above, but have a lot of other stuff to play with for the time being, including my 54.

I think all spring guns have the reverse piston action, (some recoil-less guns have an action that slides inside the stock, but the spring still does it thing) it takes a split second for the piston to whip forward and the pellet to leave the barrel. If you shoot with poor or inconsistent form the time it takes for the pellet to leave the barrel can cause inconsistencies. Sounds much worse than it really is for me. I just put the X on the critter and watch the pellet hit. If you do that, your follow through is good and there is little torque in your system.

One other thing that happens quite often is that guys will try to shoot them from a solid rest. As noted above with the artillery hold, a spring gun likes to move when fired. I have had excellent luck using cross sticks with a leather pad or when shooting groups resting the gun on a rolled up sleeping bag. Those rests tend to allow the gun to move but also provide a nice platform to shoot tiny little groups from. Rule of thumb: The more powerful the gun, the more difficult it is to shoot and like everything else, the nicer (more expensive) guns have better triggers, smoother actions etc.

The PCP guns are basically recoil-less, Like shooting your old pump up Benjamin only without pumping it up. The effects of torque on the stock or firm holds or rests are minimal. They can be very powerful and fire pellets into the super sonic range. If you shoot a lot, then one may be worth the extra effort and expense. For around the same money as a good PCP one could have a TX200 and be very satisfied. It's all fun, shoot whatever makes you smile....I have often said that Air Rifles are the fountain of youth. A nice one will make you feel like a kid again.

I just spotted this thread. I just started looking for a good .22 cal springer. While looking I found that Benjamin is about to ship a $200 version of the Discovery with a synthetic stock called the Maximus. Should I even consider this rifle considering that I would have to buy a hand pump for almost $200. This rifle operates at 2000 psi, so the hand pump would be doable.

Some years back I bought a Benjamin Trail Nitro, but the accuracy is not there. I know many people swear by the rifles, but mine may be defective in some way. Velocity varies too much and with it accuracy is not there. I was considering a RWS 34 in .22 cal, but now I am thinking Maximus.

I suggest going on Youtube and checking out the videos by Paul Capello; Airgun Reporter and American Airgunner. He does a lot of reviews of guns in all price brackets. They also feature some of his stuff on the Pyramyd Air website.

If I were going to hunt, I'd probably "spring" for the PCP, for the convenience and performance, but a good springer is a fine choice as well. All action types have their good and bad points. I shoot my 54 almost every day in the basement, and it's a fine shooter, but I wouldn't want to have to carry it very far. Lighter models without all the machinery will kill stuff just as well without killing you.