Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Air Guns Seeking Air Rifle Advice

I am beginning the process of looking for an air rifle to keep my garden free of rabbits. Several criteria come to mind and the knowledgeable here may add others. Range - 30 yards or less. It needs to be quiet. I want to minimize the potential for ricochets (which I assume is more pellet composition consideration) since we have lots of rocks around, accurate, relatively easy to charge and operate, and moderately priced (up to about $400). Which rifles should I consider? Thanks.

Gamo with silencer https://www.amazon.com/Gamo-Whisper-Silent-Cat-Rifle/dp/B0024XEXQS

I would recommend a Weihrauch, either a HW50S or HW95. These are high quality rifles with great triggers that will last you a lifetime.

It doesn't take much to kill rabbits inside 30 yards. I've killed dozens over the years with my old Daisy 881 and Crosman 760. Last couple of years I've been using a Sheridan 2260MB .22 caliber C02 rifle and it is deadly. They're 149.00 from Pyramydair. Mine shoots 5 shot groups under an inch at 30 yards with Crosman Premier domed pellets from Wal-Mart.

That's helpful to know regarding the Sheridan. I had assumed that the 500 fps velocity wouldn't be enough to kill a rabbit. Is it fairly quiet?

Logger-
I have killed Skunks stone dead with lung hits at 30 yards with a HW30s in .177 .They only do about 600FPS. So, a Sheridan .20 cal should be fine on a bunny that far..

It's pretty quiet, about like a Crosman 760 with 10 pumps and considerably less than my BSA Meteor spring gun. Velocity rating is 600 fps by the manufacturer. Mine actually clocks 560 fps with the 14.3 grain Crosman pellets and that is plenty to kill rabbits.

I've killed plenty of rabbits out to about 75' (limit of my back yard) with about 12 pumps on my Crossman 766. I have a break barrel Ruger branded BB/Pellet rifle and it is not nearly as accurate though it advertises higher velocity. Hit them in the head and they die.

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Diana_RWS_34P_air_rifle/1041

A RWS 34 is perfect for your needs.

http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/spring-piston/weihrauch-hw30s-air-rifle/

I've had one of these for some time and have no problems killing rabbits, squirrels and birds with it at back yard ranges.

These rifles are pretty quiet and very accurate and have great triggers. the thing about springer air rifles is that as they get more powerful they also get more temperamental and harder to shoot well. the Hw30s is very forgiving.

Put some accurate pellets in it (like Jsb exacts) and have fun

.177 600 fps is plenty good out to 30 yards for rabbits. The important part is accuracy. From my limited experience, I would advise to stay away from break barrels. They're OK for shooting off-hand but are sensitive to changes in holding technique and position. I am getting better with them and feel that it's a lot like shooting a bow. Even with a moderator, the spring action is relatively loud. I don't consider my Gamo Silent Cat to be very silent. Pumpers are cheap fun but follow-up shots require cooperation from your target.

For ease of operation and accuracy under $400 I would recommend:

1. $180 Beeman Chief PCP and $50 HPA pump from ebay. We spent some time shooting my son's yesterday and I was impressed with fit, finish and accuracy. .177 10.34g JSB 950 fps. Add a $70 TKO brake and it is VERY quiet. So quiet that we thought there was something wrong with gun until shooting over the chronograph. The trigger is easily adjusted and, with a spring replacement, can safely go down to 1.5 lb.

2. $210 Benjamin Discovery PCP. Almost same as above but not as nice. Trigger is not great. Shot count per fill is less than the Beeman.

3. Beeman QB78 CO2. Good looking/shooting gun just like the Chief. I get 70 full-power shots from two powerlets in my .22 at around 530 fps.One negative is having to degas by dry firing 25-30 times when replacing the CO2. Temperature changes can affect performance.

PCP guns are noisier than regular firearms. Get a 22lr bolt action rifle and shoot CB longs in it.

With a shrouded barrel or good moderator .177 and .22 PCP guns can be as quiet as any air rifles or as loud as a 22lr without. The spring in a break barrel makes more noise than the Beeman Chief with a TKO.

I have a Varmint https://goo.gl/4d7Sfd and like it a lot had same problem. Pretty lightweight, good price for the quality, 4x32 scope

This ^ if you want a little nicer rifle then the Beeman R-9 is and has been a great choice for 20+ years.

The Air Arms TX200 is certainly a standard in quality and performance in a springer rifle. It is one of the favorite selections for airguns competitions. The price new is 600 new, but you could search places like the yellow airgun forum and maybe find a used model closer to 400 bucks. Money is a huge concern, but money aside, it is a great gun that would last a lifetime with no frustration.

This again....I have an RWS43, and two Beeman R10's (one .177 and one .22). All break barrel springers that shoot great. Contrary to Kenoh2's experience, mine have not be finicky to shoot. One does have to find the pellet's that they prefer. For general target shooting I use RWS Hobby Wadcutters. For killing varmints in the back yard, I use heavier domed or pointed pellets. I've gone through around 8000 pellets, most in my basement.

I will say that a 22 with CB caps is quieter than a springer, in a back yard environment.

Daisy 880 is quiet and easy to shoot accurately. Spend $360 on a scope if you want to get up to $400.


I might choose a Benjamin Marauder Pistol and a chinese e-bay hand pump

look up the umarex gauntlet pcp. Great features for the price
$300.00 for gun, pump will run about $275.00.

Good call on the Umarex Gauntlet. I recently got one in .177 from Buds for under $250 shipped. Hand pumping to 3000 psi is not my idea of fun but you could just go to 2000psi and still get a lot of shots.

Out of a couple dozen air rifles purchased this year, the very cheapest good option I have found so far:
Umarex Surge XT .177 break barrel from Sportsman's Guide. $38 for members, $42 for non-members.
Replace the included scope with one that has a mil-dot reticle. I have a Nikko Stirling 4x32AO on mine and it works pretty good. Crosman Premier HP 7.9g at 910 fps. Very accurate and does not require a loose artillery hold. It shoots under an inch at 50 yards. After figuring out holdover and windage I put four shots in 1.25" at 100 yards today.

My Benjamin 342 was purchased in 1972. Nearly all the finish is gone now (beautiful brass taking over all surfaces). Buttstock has been replaced once. Seals have been rebuilt about every 5-8 years. I can confidently say that as a lifetime hunter (since age 4 and "Ike" was president when I was born), this gun has killed more stuff than all my guns put together. (And I'm one of those idiots who thinks if you count your guns you might have a problem.)

The Benjamin still stands sentry at the kitchen door as I write this. Quiet, powerful, reliable, and deadly accurate. Will knock a 'coon out of a tree, or splatter a housefly dumb enough to land on a paper target.

Find one. Keep it.

I got an old Sheridan Blue Streak, a terrific rifle, that is similar in style to a 342.
Both now replaced by the 392 and 397.

BUT... These rifles aren't exactly quiet. I mean they're quieter than a .22short or lr, but not quiet compared to many other air rifles, and not completely backyard friendly. And nearly impossible to mount a scope on, if you prefer a scope.
Otherwise, lightweight and nimble, solid as a rock, and a fine addition to any collection.

Yeah, I agree with the difficulty mounting a scope on the 392/397 so I went with an aperture sight and that works very well. One of the nice features of those rifles are their size and weight and I really enjoy using mine with iron sights. Three or four pumps for target practice and 5 or 6 pumps for something more serious.

I have a Williams receiver sight on my Blue Streak too. But I don't know if I actually like it better than the barrel mounted notch.
It seems less precise to me. The hole is maybe too big, I don't know. Still works for cans and stuff.

That peep sight should be more precised than the standard sights, even with the large aperture. Just forget about the rear and focus on your front sight and target. I love the Williams mounted on the Sheridan guns.

My eyes are pretty old (not the rest of me, of course), so the Williams aperture works much better than the factory notch sight.

RWS 34, HW 30 or 95. You're grandkids, kids will be enjoying the use. With proper maintenance, of course.

Another vote for the RWS Model 34 w/ the T-06 trigger. The 34 is an excellent German made, break barrel rifle with a lifetime warranty, and it's incredibly accurate. Mine is a .22 and will knock the snot out of rabbits and other varmints. The 'combo' package comes with an RWS scope and rings, but the iron sights are great quality, fiber optic (front and rear), and are quite useable for those of us with aging eyesight.

is there a high quality 1000FPS range semi-auto out there? Like maybe a 5 or 7 shot?

Hatsan makes a semi auto PCP air rifle.
I have the Torpedo, one of their unlerlever spring guns, and it's a tank. And very powerful. Most of their stuff is overbuilt and heavy.

cool, I'll check it out

note: I just checked on the Hatsan and then stumbled on the Diana Stormrider PCP 7 shot.

That's not an autoloader. It's a Diana branded Chinese bolt action, made by Snow Peak I believe..

Any semi auto will of necessity be a PCP, which opens up a new, somewhat expensive, can of worms. You have to buy a scba or scuba tank to fill it or buy a hand pump.

Crosman has a cheap CO2 semi auto. But probably closer to 600 fps with lead pellets.

Crosman has a cheap CO2 semi auto. But probably closer to 600 fps with lead pellets.

bummer

yes and it appears those hand pumps are about $160

I own both but would put the Beeeman R9 as a superior rifle to the RWS 34. It's a more refined, but more expensive, rifle.

And the $160 Bemnjamin pumps are worthless. Constant seal rebuilds. A good FX pump is twice the price but lasts longer between rebuilds. The best bet is a used scuba tank and a nearby scuba store to fill it. Or do what I did- buy a Bauer 4500 psi compressor and a few used scba(firemen’s) bottles. But I have 6 Daystate PCP’s and use a LOT of air....