I've looked into air rifles a couple of times, but never really made the jump.

Who makes the rifle described in the post title?
And I do have an old sheridan that shoots quite well, but I'd like to avoid pumping...

I have several multi pump pneumatics and break barrel springers. My favorite back yard plinker/pest control rifle is a Sheridan 2260MB co2 rifle. It meets your criteria of trim, light and easy plinker. My specimen is quite accurate for what it is, adequately powerful to dispatch grey squirrels and cottontails around the yard and I like the ease of co2.

Are you thinking PCP, break-barrel, CO2, or?

How much are you looking to spend?

Just a thought, pump guns dont recoil like my springers or my gas ram rifles.

I usually don't need mutiple shots (where a PCP shines) and I shoot better with no recoil so this might fit your needs.

I've been thinking about that Dragonfly MK2 myself.

Beeman R7 is about the greatest plinker ever made. A little light for Rabbits though. A Beeman R9 is a step up in power but not as nice for a plinker. Better get one of each!

Which is best across varying temps and weather?

I'd probably like to keep rifle purchase price under $500

And I don't want a 9 lb air rifle, or one that handles like a 2x12, no matter how well it shoots...

Please also recommend a light and modest magnification scope for the rifle recommended.

I have a couple PCP's, and three break-barrels. Mine are all in the budget friendly category.

I've got two Gamo break barrel rifles, and one Hatsan. The thing with break-barrel rifles is their is an art to shooting them well. It usually takes some time and effort. That said, I shoot my break barrels more than the PCP's because of that challenge. Also, mine are not really handy/svelte rifles.

For $500, that Beeman R9 is a rifle you should look into, in the break-barrel category. They are well known for being great shooters, and well made.

My PCPs are both under $400. Air Venturi Avengers, in 22 and 25 caliber. They are not exactly small either.

Foe a compact PCP with decent power, small size, and only about $230 , you might check out the Gamo Arrow. The Arrow gets about 18 ft-lbs, 50+ shots per fill, and would be easy enough to fill with a hand pump.

Thanks Shane

Can you describe the art of shooting the break barrels well?

I owned an RWS 177 rifle many years ago. Model 34 maybe? I did Ok with it.
Never scoped it

And is there anything like the beeman R7 in .22?

It's mostly a matter of figuring out how the rifle likes to be held, and doing it that way every time. With break-barrels, the gun is recoiling long before the pellet leaves the bore, so any variations in hold, can have a big impact on how the gun groups.

For me I try to hold the forend at the balance point, and relatively modest pressure against my shoulder, and I try to keep my cheek very light on the comb.

If you google 'air rifle artillery hold' you will get some idea what I'm referring to. But not all air guns are the same, so it's not engraved in stone. You have to 'learn' the rifle.

I don't know of any break-barrel 22 cal that is as small as the R7.

Here's a few airgun YT channels that I like to follow. Some good reviews and shooting stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/@OTSA/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@ShootingGearReviews/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@razor1962/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@springpistonriflefeverlone9611/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@MountainSportAirguns/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@AirgunDetectives/videos

My latest airgun is the Gamo Whisper Fusion Mach 1, 22 caliber.

Depending on your personal tastes you may or may not like or want an air gun that is made with a lot of polymer. Myself I'm not bothered as long as it shoots.

Anyhoo, here's a little vid I put together on the Mach 1. It's my lightest airgun. I like it.

Good video

How big of a deal to modify the trigger?

This rifle looks to be pretty much what I'd like.

The trigger mod is no big deal at all. 2-minute job. No disassembly required. Just remove the old trigger adjustment screw, and replace wit the new one. It's the best $10 you can spend on a Gamo.

The factory adjustment screw has a head on it, so it can only go in so far. The replacement screw is headless, and longer, so you can adjust it down to your liking.

Here's the screw, You could also likely find it at your local hardware store, I'm not sure of the diameter, length, or thread pitch, so I ordered a couple from JC to support his channel.

https://airgundetectives.com/product/adjustment-screw-for-the-gamo-c-a-t-and-s-a-t-triggers-2/

Here's a video on how to install,

If you decide to buy a Gamo Whisper Fusion Mach 1, make sure you compare prices on Amazon.

I was going to buy from the Gamo website for $289, but when I checked Amazon it was being sold for $229, from the Gamo Store. So the order was still fulfilled by Gamo, I believe.

I actually looked up the Gamo Arrow after lunch

Might be just the thing

It's on my short list of airguns I wouldn't mind having.

I'd go with an R9 or maybe an RWS 34 if you didn't wanted to save a few bucks. I have the synthetic stocked 34 and it's not quite as refined as my R9, but I feel it's a big step up from the cheaper Chinese or Spanish made rifles.

RWS 34 is a pretty slim, svelte plinker with some arse behind it. They used to come in .22 cal. Not sure about now.

Which is exactly why I like my co2 rifle better. I feel practice with it is more relevant/translates better to firearm practice as it's not hold sensitive like my springers. It's also more accurate than many people would think a co2 rifle could/would be and plenty powerful enough to take care of grey squirrels and cottontails out to 30 yards. As an added bonus it doesn't require a spring/gas ram proof air rifle scope /mounts and doesn't try to rattle all it's screws loose with use. It's just far more convenient and easy to use than the pumpers, pcp's and springers. I'll probably add a Hammerli 850 air magnum co2 rifle to my collection next.

Blackheart,
Does your CO2 rifle do well at lower temps, such as near freezing???

I'm not Blackheart, but that's my biggest pet peeve with CO2 guns. The velocity normally can drop off pretty badly in lower temperatures.

A rep at Pyramid Airguns Said that they generally lacked power and consistency below about 65 degrees f...
IIRC he said they were mostly for targets or toys...

I'm not sure that a PCP would be all that much better, but I needto study on it some...

The PCP isn't really affected by cold weather. It may take a few more pumps to fill the reservoir, or a little longer on the compressor, but once it is up to pressure, it's all the same.

My PCPs (Air Venturi Avenger) are both regulated. The regulator is adjustable without taking the gun apart. Also the hammer spring is adjustable, so you can tune it to whatever you need or want.

It looses power in winter but not as much as I thought it would. Still accurate at 35-40 degrees {lowest I've used it} and powerful enough to punch holes through soup cans or kill a cottontail, just changes POI/trajectory a little. I don't generally target shoot with my airguns in the dead of winter so it's no big deal to me. At temps from 60-90 I don't notice enough difference to say so.

thanks guys...

They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

Break-barrel - Autonomous self-contained power source. Takes some skill to shoot well, heavy recoil is hard on scopes, loses power at altitude.

Multi-pump - Autonomous self-contained power, power easily controlled by number of pumps, easy on scopes, and easy to shoot well. All that hand pumping.

CO2 - Easy to shoot, not labor intensive, easy on scopes. Relies on CO2 cartridges, loses power in cold weather.

PCP - Easy to shoot, easy on scopes. Relies on hand pumping, scuba tank, or a compressor.

How to shoot a break barrel well...................shoot a Beeman R7. Avoid any springer with Magnum or 1000+fps on the box. Medium power springers such as the R7 or R9 are high quality rifles that are easy too shoot

The R7 is offered in .20 cal, but I'd just stay with .177 for lots of cheap shooting.