I am considering getting an air pistol for shooting rabbits and general plinking out to 20 yards. The gun will not be scoped so it will need to have decent sights and an acceptable trigger. Pretty sure CO2 and the ones you have to pump a bunch of times are out. I am leaning toward .22 caliber.

Thanks for the help.

Not sure what you mean by the ones you have to pump a bunch of times. You gotta get air in there somehow.

A PCP can be filled with a tank, or compressor,... at a considerable extra expense. Or a high pressure bicycle type pump.
The most popular option is the Benjamin Marauder Pistol aka P-Rod. About $450 plus a couple hundred for the manual pump, or $300 for a carbon fiber tank (that you’ll have to find a source to refill), or more for a high pressure compressor.

I haven’ t hunted with one, but my Crosman 1377 will punch two holes through a steel glade can at 10 yards with Crosman Premier 10.5 grain pellets.
And it’ll stack’em in a tiny ragged hole on paper.
Killed a possum with a neck shot once.
Yeah, you gotta pump it up about 10 times with the built in lever arm. But it’s easy. And about fifty bucks and a pretty solid piece for the money.
Comes in .22 also. But velocity is only about 450fps.

HW45/Beeman P1


ETA: Mine is in .177. At the lower power of air pistols, I prefer .177.

Not exactly what you're asking about, but offered as a data point.
Yesterday at 30 yards, 1 shot and dead as a stick.
1377 with mods (steel breach, better sights, longer tube, etc) . The heavier domed pellets made a very big difference in one-shot kills when compared to lighter Crosman pointed or domed pellets.

Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna buy a 1377. For $45 on Amazon right now it's a low risk sweet deal.

Can’t go wrong with the 1377.

Full disclosure... it says 10 pumps max, but mine tops out on power at about 14 pumps. I filed the rear sight to a V, and painted the front sight.

Available mods are nearly unlimited. So even if you decide you want something better, you can upgrade the 1377 to your hearts desire.
Everything is available. Standard and high end barrels in a wide variety of lengths, exotic wood stocks, rifle type buttstocks, adjustable triggers, high flow valves, the works.

After reading this thread I decided that I needed (wanted) a .22 pellet pistol to go along with the rest of everything that I've gotten into with the world of airguns so I bought the Crosman 1322 at the advice above. I went down the immediate rabbit hole on YouTube and research and already ordered the upgraded parts like the valve, spring and transfer port but I just found that a company makes a kit to convert them into PCP's! And they look nice assembled and all.

DS,
I've often wondered about this. Mind if I ask how you know yours tops out at 14 and not 10? Chrono?
I use about 5 or 6 pumps for starlings in the cherry tree, 7 or 8 for long shots on Eurasian collared doves, and 8 or 9 pumps for squirrels. I've never yet put 10 pumps in it.

Penetration on the steel glade cans with the heavy 10.5 grain pellets.
14 pumps blasts a big hole out the back side. Less does gradually less damage with each less pump.

Also, it seems to use all the air, or most of it, at 14 pumps.
You can pump it more, but the valve starts retaining air after the shot with more pumps. You can cock it again and pull the trigger without loading or pumping and it will release the leftover air.

Thanks, DS. I'll have to do a bit of similar testing with mine

My old 1377 has killed a PlLE of grouse and quite a few rabbits and squirrels. I have never pumped it more than ten. I assume the new versions are better than my old one.

When I first got it I set up a pistol rest and did some test shooting corner to corner of a roomy double garage. Mine is most accurate at seven pumps, but almost as accurate at 9 pumps. I shot all of my game at 9 pumps. It would make a ten shot dime sized group, plenty good for a grouse head at 40-50 feet.

I shoot a pointed pellet, Beeman Silver Jet (?), and stocked up on them years ago, don't even know if it is still made but I still have quite a few. Haven't hunted with it for several years, since I moved away from abundant grouse and ptarmigan numbers. With the .77 pellet, I needed to hit grouse in the head or neck to put them down without having them fly away wounded, and rabbits did best with a head shot.

You will enjoy it more than you do your center fire rifle!

Added re original query: My 20 year old 1377 trigger has a slight burr or catch just before the sear breaks. Once I got used to it, it made me a better shot with that pistol! Original open iron sights on mine, very good for my use.

I think the new ones have a stiffer piston. And a cup that matches the shape of the valve top, somewhat mimicking the advantage of aftermarket flat top piston and valve.

Here’s how I filed my rear sight to a V. And haphazardly dabbed some white paint on it.

I ordered a crosman 1322 from Amazon and they sent me 3 of them for $45 and tax. Contacted the seller and they said to keep them. Okay, cool. Took it to my shop, disassembled and opened up the transfer port in the lathe and put a stiffer hammer spring in it. Reassembled and shot it through the chrono with Crosman Premier pellets. Worked my way up to 20 pumps which gave a velocity of 542 fps! Pretty impressive for an air pistol. And I still have an aftermarket valve, transfer port and spring kit in the mail to install along with a shoulder stock for it.

542fps? That’s awesome!

.... 3 for 1 aint bad either.

A couple of years ago I got a Blue Streak at a pawn shop for ten bucks!
It had some stuff burned on the stock. Apparently with a large soldering iron. Had a bunch of oil coming out of it.They said it leaked but I pumped it up a couple of times and threw down a Hamilton!
It’s a hammer!

I have the CO2 version. Installed the metal breech, a rail, and a shoulder stock. Put a Bushnell Lil P prism sight on the rail. Lotta fun for cheap. That metal breech is a worthwhile upgrade for all the Crosmans in that lineup.

I've seen a few people on YouTube convert their co2 pistols to pcp. Turns them into a monster.

I love my 1377 so much I got 2 of them. One's scoped-the other open sights. It's a great system for learning and practicing long-range shooting IMO.

Just a heads-up for anyone wanting to buy aftermarket parts for their crosman from ebay:
The guy that goes by Alchemy Gunwerks puts out some garbage parts, is an azzhole when you contact him about it and also turns out to be a Trump hating, diehard liberal. The air valve I got from him was literally opened up with a drill bit and dremel and lasted two shots before blowing a seal and didn't line up to the transfer port.

Rabbits are pretty easy to kill. I you mainly need to concern yourself with hitting them. I found them pretty boring to hunt as the would stop out in the open where they were ditty ducks.

I've killed a couple truck loads of rabbits and squirrels around the yard/ garden with my Crosman 2240. Head shots or chest are plenty effective.

Why do you want a pistol instead of a rifle. Rifles are more powerful and accurate. If you’re concerned about stealth get a springer or a bolt action 22lr and shoot 22 short long rifle rounds that are subsonic. These a more powerful than a pellet pistol and quieter.

This is what I've been using for the last few years.