Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns airguns for small game hunting

other than an old daisey i got as a kid and still have i dont really have much airgun knowlege.my wife works at bass pro but them folks arent much help there either.

im looking for something i can get for my 11 year old when he is out on the farm.i trust him but i would rather him not out with his 22/410/20 ga if im not with him.and he loves to squirrel hunt.

177 vs 22?
minimum f.p.s?
is the pba ammo really all that with the increased speed?
recommendations?

i really havent thought about a price cap.i did look at some benjamins online and know they can get up there price wise.

The Pneumatic pump Benjamin or Sheridans are in the 100 buck range. I had one as a kid and learned quickly that the pumping effort made me make every shot count.

They will easily take any small game you want. I took Geese, pheasants, turkeys with head shots, squirrels rabbits etc. with body shots. It will kill bigger stuff then that too.

It's hard to beat the all wood and steel construction, and it's American made. I would not use anything smaller the 5mm or 20 caliber when trying to kill small game.

I have a few here, some from 1960, they can still be repaired although they will work for decades without any problems. They can also be ready to shoot without any loss of Spring tension like the Break barrel designs.

Accuracy will rival all but the most expensive european rifles made too.

The Pneumatic Benjamins or Sheridans are more like $180 bucks now. But probably the best at that price range. I also had one a while back, loved it. Recently bought another but my eyes won't let me see the open sights very well.

ive been doing some research on pyramid air's website.compairing models and looking at reviews.still undecided for the most part.

A lot depends on what you want to spend.

The nitro pistons are supposedly nice, but the guns are long. Underlever vs break barrel has some people saying break barrels are less accurate. Fps sounds nice, but does not necessarily mean much in ft/lbs of force or as the pellet spirals away like a cork screw.

For hunting, I'd say .22 because it hits with more force than the .177 (IMO)

Check out : http://www.airgundepot.com/airgunreviews.html

Pyramid is a good place to start. Call them, they are good people and will answer questions for you. I opted for a AA TX200HC in .22 cal. Then I had it tuned to be quiet/smooth. Yes, it pushed $1000 when all was said and done. That said, I have friends in the UK that pushed me that way b/c they can ONLY hunt with air guns with less than 12 ft/lbs of force. It's heavier too.

Nothing wrong with with a Benjamin or even start with the classic Crosman 7600 pump. I love my AA, but it may be too much for you son to start with. If he is a bigger kid, look at the nitro piston Benjamin or Gamo underlever. That would be my recomendation.

Wardman

^this

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Air_Arms_TX200_MkIII_air_rifle/174

Top it with an Air Force 4-16x50AO scope and RWS pellets. The one I has was a .177 and it took plenty of squirrels and would do a dime at fifty yards. The trigger is amazing and the recoil is much less than other springers meaning a longer scope life. The blueing is better than a Weatherby Mk V. The stock (mine was walnut) is incredible with fish scale checkering. The action is incredibly smooth and it could shoot a flea off a dog's arse at fifty yards. It's pricy but if cared for like a center fire minus the bore cleaning it will last for generations. Pushed standard weight .177 pellets at an honest 950 fps. Only rifle I regret selling. YMMV

For $200 or under, look at a lower RWS model.

I have a relative that isn't a hunter, but is a gardner. He uses an old Crossman 760 pretty effectively on cottontails. He loses a few, but very few. I suspect the losses are from shot placement, because he doesn't see very well anymore. It is a .177.

Bigfish I have that same gun right now only mine has a full tune and shoots JSB's at 860 fps. Shoots harder than you think it would. We have an old birdbath in the backyard. You know the kind with the little cement birdies on top. Oh how nice! Well the kid in me got the best of me so from about 20 yards I proceded to shoot the heads off with one pellet a piece. No problemo. My wife came out weeks later and said "I just noticed the heads are missing on the birds on the birdbath"? Just shrugged my shoulders. Huh, who knows.

Funny - I've taken a few things out "for fun" and had to plead the fith as well :-)

My TC200HC is an awesome little package - remember above too, and DO NOT clean the barrel. Learn about leading them up. Mine likes H&N Sports in 14.66 gr.

Have fun!

I thinks it's amazing some here refer to the TX -200 as a "little" rifle.

Or even recommend it for a child or youngster for hunting.

The gun is $600+ brand new and WEIGHS NINE POUNDS without a scope!!!!!

jim62, I was thinking that too. That rifle cost more then most guys spend on a centerfire hunting rifle!

My AA Pro Elite went thru piston seals about once a year and cost more to ship and fix then the Sheridans cost new. I could replace the entire internal seals on the Sheridan in 30 minutes taking my time for 20 bucks and get another 20 years out of it.

Hi JJHack,do you still have the ProElite?.Heard it was among the best break barrel air rifles made with high quality parts.Are they still eating up the seals.And where do you have to send it for repairs.

Yeah, I had one in .22 too. Nice enough gun but heavy and ate it's share of scopes up.

FVA just curious, what brand/model of scopes? Leu 3x9x33 AO on mine and so far no troubles knock on wood. And you guys are right,it is a heavy and expensive gun. Bought mine LNIB very affordable and accurate. Have shot a few 5 shot groups at 50-55 yards the .5 range. Some a wee bit tighter. Squirrels? Hard to catch a pellet in one. Zip right through.

Pyramid is having a used airgun sale right now (mostly returns for one reason or another). Maybe chceck that out.

And like I posted, the TX200 and any of those style guns are heavy.

Good luck in your search!

A Bushnell Trophy and then a Weaver 3-9 Adj. AO rim fire scope. Broke the lens on that one. Finally spent the money and bought a Leupold 3x9x33 AO and all was well until I sold the rifle pretty much solely due to it's weight. It was a great rifle.