Ok... I often glance at different forums on this board. I see some folks talking about air guns. So tell me why would someone shoot these air guns? Can they be shot in your backyard in a suburban environment? Are they that quiet compared to the 22 rimfires? Can they kill a squirrel at 50 yards? Crow at 50 yards? Seem this would be a fun project and my boy can shoot this but hey he has his CZ scout so this would be moving backwards for him!

As someone said I cannot imagine paying more than $150 for an air rifle. Do they last long if they are pumps/springs? Anyone know where I can learn/look at the internal difference between a pump and springer?

Yes they can, just as long as its allowed in your city.
Airguns are a lot quiter than a .22 rimmie, but can also be very loud. It just depends on what type of power plant the gun is. The quietest is probably a Co2 that's suppressed. Followed by a PCP (Pre Charged Pneumatic) that's also suppressed. Than a pumper that also suppressed. Springers/gas rams would be the loudest, being that most of the noise comes from the action and not so much from the muzzle. But side by side, a airgun is way quieter than a .22 rimfire, hands down.

Most, if not all good quality airguns can make kills within 50 yards. But like all types of shooting, shot placement is the key to a fast humane kills.
This was done at 100 yards by my gas rammed .177 Weihrauch, a German air rifle. There are lots of powder shooters that shoot air rifles to stay in practice, hunt small game, and to keep pests in check around the house. Air guns aren't just for plinking. These guns can be very serious shooters and AREN'T toys.

Take a look at demo 7 & 10 to see the differences between them.
http://www.arld1.com/

I'm a powder shooter myself and have been a avid air gunner for the past 10 years now. Considering what Obama and his cohorts are trying to do to our 2nd Amendment, I can still get trigger time with my airguns, and yes, believe it or not, practicing with an airgun can help with powder shooting.

Buy yourself a cheap pump up airgun, set up some targets in the back yard and fire a few shots off when ever you want to. It doesn't take long to see that the mechanics of marksmanship is just as important at 10 yards as 100yds.

I shoot clays in the back yard and have a backstop to where I can shoot any gun I own off of my front porch. That being said I shoot my airguns daily just for the sheer fun of it. Little noise, easy to secure pellets/bb's to eliminate danger of fired rounds (traps, etc) can be shot most places...

$10 for 500 pellets is a plus also

Just remember that cheap equipment seldom is as good or nice as more expensive gear. One can get addicted to airguns real fast and $150 is just the very bottom of what a decent one will cost. Good luck and have fun

Yes, airguns can be very effective hunting tools. In my youth I took piles of squirrels, many bunnys and a couple raccoons with my trusty .20 cal Sheridan Silver Streak I bought in the 60s. I still have it and it's accurate and deadly as ever. Among a couple others, I have a .25 cal Benjamin Marauder pre-charged pneumatic that in the past couple weeks have used to take 3 adult woodchucks at 50-65 yards. It has a shrouded (supressed) barrel and is very quiet.....much quieter to my ears than my 24" barreled .22 LR firing subsonic ammo. It is also incredibly accurate. If you want practice to become a better shot, buy a quality "springer" like the above mentioned Weihrauch. If you can master the follow through required to wring out the accuracy of these rifles, a powder burner is a piece of cake.

I do not know that "everyone" is enamoured with air guns. I am.
I like the added sense of independence from the marketplace that accurate, powerful air guns provide for me.
Note: for many, the idea of an air gun is forever tied to that Daisy Red Ryder that they had as a kid. The connection is that an air gun is a toy.
Modern Airguns have moved way past that.
My most accurate pistol is an air pistol, a Feinwerkbau target pistol that my wife gave to me as a present many years ago....it cost as much as my Gold Cup.
It will put five shots through the same hole at match distance.
Here's a pic of a test target with a pellet for comparison:


I have added two PCP air guns over recent years...a rifle and a pistol. The rifle is .45 caliber and shoots the same bullets that I cast for my .45-70 (though not as fast). Not your Daisy BB gun. Not $150 either.
Pete

I don't know that I'm enamored with air guns but they are fun.
I also enjoy Rifles,for hunting and target, Pistols, for hunting and plinking, Archery for hunting and competition and even Golf ,Blackpowder and shotguns too.
They are all tools for accuracy games! So I like them all.

Some folks can't imagine what others do for fun and wouldn't spend a nickle to join in.

That's to be expected I suppose.

A lot of people relate air gun to Red Ryder or Daisy 25 ( my very first "rifle "
Remember, quality air guns have always been very costly and for the elite or rich poacher in Europe.
AND large caliber. Like the one carried by Lewis and Clark.
They amazed the "natives" with it.

Air gun competition in the Olympics brutally tough.
Won or lost by thousands of an inch.

Then toy , BB guns were made.

We, as pre teens had BB gun wars in the summer. The only rule?
Do not intentionally shoot above the shoulders.

But then the Benjamin and Sheridan hit the scene and it became too deadly to continue!

Over this side of the Pond, a lot of folks don't want to go through all the red tape to own a firearm for small game and plinking, so get a sub 12foot/lb air rifle instead. You can get a decent one for not a lot of money, and it will kill rabbits and other small pests out to 30 yards with ease, and probably a little further with practice.

They are also good for shooting pests indoors such as within farm buildings where a rimfire might cause excess damage.

Of course some folks use CB caps in their rimfire, but generally I find a good air rifle is more accurate...

I'm enamored.
I don't know why.
Well,yeah I do.
For killing things..
Quiet,accurate, and deadly to 100 yards and more.
When I get my my .30 cal. Matador I think I will call it good

Just about everyone has hit on some of the many merits of airguns. Within their distance they're the most accurate firearms in the world. World class 22LR's won't hold the micro 10 meter groups of world class airguns. Most are super cheap to shoot, many are very quiet, and all are great fun.

As I said Air Guns are way over priced!!> prove me wrong!> I was going to buy a top of the line rws 350 22 mag, at 500 Buck think not. Rip me off I think not! went to a 22lr> enjoy!

I started to buy a 22LR. Rip me off I think not! I bought a 30-06 instead it will shoot further, has more power, etc. All for the same price as the 22LR. I actually almost bought a bow as well, but figured the 30-06 was better. Man I need to sell off a lot of my junk

270 &308 more better^ wrong prove me.
But I don't shoot so muny spent is moot!

DON'T FEED THE TROLLS!

You have to check local laws about firing an air gun in the city. Where I live the are legally the same as a firearm.

PCP guns are louder than a 22lr. Pumps are the same if pump to the same power (3000psi) as a PCP. Sprinters are quieter than a 22lr though not as quiet as some of the quiet 22 rimfire rounds in a bolt action or single shot.

They make quiet PCPs with a builtin moderator but only 177 cal are allowed in the USA without a fed stamp ($200).

I use to shoot airguns but found that they had no advantage over a 22lr and lots of disadvantages. Lower power, more complex, less reliable, more expensive (PCP) and less accurate. Some may argue but these are my experiences.

Not hardly. Take a low power, unshrouded PCP rifle that shoots under 12 fpe, and you're nowhere near .22 sound levels. Shroud that rifle, and you're silent in a suburban environment for all intents and purposes. Even higher powered shrouded or LDC'd guns run from nearly silent to sound levels still very much below .22 LR. Bullet strike with my .25 Marauder (available for $325 refurbished) is louder than the "report" from the rifle. And that Marauder is (relative to a lot of other PCP guns) not all that quiet.




Puhleeeeze - show me one of those 3000 psi pump air rifles.




Again, sooooooo very wrong. I mean, completely, utterly, nowhere near the truth wrong. El wrongo. Pinocchio getting a nose boner 18 feet long wrong.

Now, I hope you're well intentioned, and that maybe your experiences were not all that positive. But those three items are just wrong. I'll not debate your other opinions, other than to say both air and rimfire have advantages and disadvantages when compared.

Scott

I m an old timer who got into shooting a Beeman R-1 17 barrel cocking spring powered rifle over 20 years ago. I used it to control small critters when using a 22 RF would not be safe. After retiring I got a Beeman GS 1000 22 Cal spring powered air rifle that was not very accurate so I learned what caused it to be inaccurate. After being retired for about ten years I got a old Benjamin Mdl 312 pump up 22 Cal air rifle that I repaired . Since then Iv added a Benjamin 342 22Cal ,Sheridan 5 MM rocker safety Blue Streak , and Crosman tang safety ,and safety in the trigger housing 20 Cal pump up air rifles. I have a portable bench rest in my den with a pellet trap 10 meters away in a storage room. So I can shoot year around indoors. I have rimfire, center fire varmint and big game rifles. I started reloading ammo in 1953 but for low cost shooting you cant beat the cost of a 17, 20, and 22 pellet.

That's probably the best thing posted yet.

Now this guy has the good stuff! Airguns are a blast.Initial startup can be a little pricey ( scba tank,hose assembly or even compressor). But once that's done it don't take much,a tin of 500 pellets goes a longways.Oh yeah the woodchucks don't even know what hit em @ 100yards.There dead! The quality that goes into high end airgun surpasses most other powder burners from any country.
Nice day state,edgun and hw.

"Again, sooooooo very wrong. I mean, completely, utterly, nowhere near the truth wrong. El wrongo. Pinocchio getting a nose boner 18 feet long wrong."

You are correct.... and I'm laughing my a$$ off!!

I am "enamored? by my air gun because I just got home and laid two pecan steeling squirrels on the ground. Theoben 177.

I can still get ammo for my Pellet Gun, not so much on my 22lr. The pellet gun has it's place as does the 22lr. The chucks in this pic along with a hundred or so of his buddies were taken with this R9 in .22 in a semi rural area with home around that would not be safe with the .22lr, but with the pellet rifle the shots were safe and nobody even knew I was around but the farmer that was glad to have them out of his hay. I have laid to rest 100-300 of these guys per year for the last 5 or 6 years with pellet guns. Shots range from 10 to 60 or 70 yards. Head or chest shots and it's good night.

Hard to beat the R9. Springer's rule.

Just finished with about 20 rounds of .22 pellets at water puddles from the rain/snow mix. No worry about noise or over travel of the projectiles - all from the comfort of my front porch. Can't do that with a .22lr. Hell of a lot of fun just to shoot...

The whole point of a PCP gun is to get power. I had a Career 22 lever action and it had close to the power of a 22 short. It was much noisier than a 22lr at full power. Though you could adjust the power way down.

You can shoot subsonic heavy bullet 22lr rounds that are quieter than a PCP with the same energy. Furthermore, you don't have to worry about running out of air.

I had a friend who loaned me his air arms S410 (22lr) which was precharged with a build moderator and it was pretty quiet. I read that the ATF had decided that 17 cal airguns with moderators were not considered to have suppressors. Larger calibers were considered to be suppressed. They may have changed that ruling and I missed it.

I shot my career for a few years and switched to firearms because a 22lr is so much simpler and for me had no disadvantages.

Conrad..

It's 2013... Not 2001.

Crosman makes .17 to .35 cal ariguns with FACTRORY installed moderators /shrouds that screw right off. There is NO ATF caliber reg as to what is an is not legal on an Airgun which to the ATF is a NON FIREARM. Maybe in some of the more ant-gun statyesd like MI , CA or NJ that might be the case, but it's not Federal law.

Their doctrine is "intended use". As along as any silincer or shroud is designed for use ON AN AIRGUN and used ONLY ON AN AIRGUN then there is no violation of the law. It pretty much like the law regardijng putting shoulder stocks form T/C RIFLE carbine on a handgun length T/C and making an illegal short barreled rifle.

As long as your don't use the moderator for a non intended, illegal purpose you are fine. Most makers go the extra step of using attachment systems (grub screws) and lightly constructed internals that will not last more one shot a Powder gun. Crosman went ahead and threaded their Shrouds on. They are the FIRST us Arigun MGF to build an Airrifle with a intregal supressor.. I am sure thir legal dept thoroughly researched US case law regarding silncers before they made that move.

As far as a Silenced PCP in .25 on down, Decibel level meters have shown they are quieter than even a supressed .22 LR subsonice round. And there are guns currently out of the box (like the Mauraders) that WAY outperform an unmoderated Career model rifle in terms of Noise level.

In most States, it's legal (and cheaper) to shoot a silenced air gun in your yard as long as pellet doesn't leave your property. Some of these are no joke at all, as in the past 10 years big bores have come along spitting lead slugs; not Diabolo low BC pellets.
Shooting some air guns at 200-300 yards is good practice for reading wind. Compare the Diabolo or air gun slug to a CF at 600-1000 yards. Fact is most of US Hunters 50-75 yards on a Whitetail in the woods is a long shot. Out West is a different story.
I personally got into air guns to get back to what my Father started me in when I was 7. Target shooting & hunting. I don't care to hunt anymore, even though it's now legal in my State. I still love to shoot groups anywhere from 25-200 yards currently. Once I get my .257 Texan hot rodded I'll be able to reach out to 500 yards with 40.6' of drop and gain a lot of experience with wind. It's cheaper, quieter, fun and w/ Diabolos you don't have to worry about over travel so much, where as I really don't want to shoot any red squirrel up in a tree if I used a .22LR unless I had tree as back stop. To each their own.
Why would I spend $3674.00 on a .25 PCP? Because I was an idiot who used drugs when young, hung out with the wrong crowd, and ended up loosing all Rights even though no weapon was ever used in any way. I've made NO secret about this on air gun forums for over 12 years now.
It's common sense. If I wanted to be a criminal I could spend $50-$500 and be in possession of a firearm. I choose to stay out of jail & not cost taxpayers $55,000 per year to house me.
Play Judge all you want if that's your game. I'll be shooting groups on my property in the middle of nowhere bothering no one.

Ohio does not allow for air guns in it our yard, any more than firing a firearm. And according to the regulations, here, there is no difference. (I know. I spent time in the back of a cruiser due to shooting a squirrel that was causing destruction to my wife's flowers. ) believe it or not, even a bow and arrow is classed as a "firearm" here, so no back yard practice.

However, when the all mighty .22lr was not to be seen on any shelf, at any price, I could still find pellets in many places.

Fun
Cheap to shoot
A fair one can be had for fair money, depending on what level of quality you're looking for
Springers require more skill to shoot well, and learning that skill is a worthy pursuit. Like the difference between fishing and fly fishing.
And (basically), no specialized range required

Sucks that OH is a fk'd up as CA, neither an airgun or a bow is a firearm, never was and never will be.

Hell, do they classify blowguns as a firearm?

I would make a sling and start hurling rocks for fun!


I am in the county and there are no restrictions but I do live near other houses and the HOA specifies no firearms. I shoot 22 suppressed often as well as CB's but have a chit ton of fun shooting my FX .25 caliber. Sucker simply smacks squirrels, rabbits, grackles and piglets with a 33.9 gr pellet at 975 <<< damn close the CCI standard velocity (grin)

I just joined the forum and am an avid Airgunner.
I also shoot Rimfire, Centerfire and Scattergun.
I literally can not believe what I just read in this thread.... So many untruths.

I have Pumpers, Springers, Co2 ...even a few PCP. (hover ~ 30 or so)
NONE are as loud as my .22LR. Some have suppressors or shrouds that is totally legal.... and the loudest thing is the trigger until the pellet hits the backstop.

If your thinking of going to Walmart and seeing a $50 air rifle, but it's too much for a "BB Gun"... they are probably not for you.
Sure it may be able to group fairly well, about like an out of the box, bottom of the line 10/22... but just like anything else, you get what you pay for.

I have a HW98 break-barrel springer that I will match accuracy with any gun out to 50 yards.
I have a 40 year old FWB-300s side lever that will stand up to anything that old at the 10M game. Including an Anshutz. The FWB was THE Olympic gun in the late 70's early 80's
I have a Air Arms S400-SL carbine PCP that will take a wood-chuck at 75 yards because I can surgically hit it in the fusebox between the eye and the ear.

If I want to shoot past 100 yards or hit a goose in flight, I grab one of my powder burners .

Sometimes I just want to shoot, and shoot well.
I can come home after work, grab one and a tin of pellets, walk out my back door and shoot all night long at the bench for about $5.

Recently picked up a Beeman R9 in 22 and am quite impressed. Amazingly though, we pretty much have a silent majority around here on air guns. I had no idea I was the only one going without.

On the outer edge of town now with not a Beldings ground squirrel in the yard. Might start supplementing the diet with Eurasian Collared Doves next.

Welcome to the 'Fire, get used to it.

i own a couple of air guns /air piston spring rifles yes they are alot of fun ! i have killed plenty birds,chipmunks ,rabbits,woodchucks even a fox. but for bigger tougher critters like possum or raccoons i like at least a 22 LR and a head shot. i would like to purchase a new type air rifle with the fill type air tanks which are kinda a semi-auto.

*Mods* I am a new member and if these are too graphic please delete.

'Chuck with a 1377 pumper pistol.



Bandit with a Gennisis NP

Now that I figured out how to post pics here, I will just leave these to name a" few" of mine.

My Hot Rod Benji Maximus...



My Vintage pumpers



And my latest pride and joy... HW 98

You aren't a real varmint hunter unless you have at least one air rifle.........................................

I’ve had a BB or pellet rifle for as long as I can remember. Currently it’s a Gamo Hunter 22cal. Enjoy it very much mostly just plinking around the house at 30 yards or so.

Friend of mine just bought a FX Infinity X. It plus accessories cost around $3k. I was skeptical to say the least. Thought he was off his rocker. We drank some beers and watched videos of guys using these for Varmint control and hunting. While his was on back order. After watching I was intrigued, but still a bit hesitant to accept their potential.

Since it’s arrival we have been out twice with it target shooting. This thing is for real! Way more accurate than any of my .22rf. It’s currently set up for .25 pellets. He has a slug barrel ordered. Once dialed in to about 910fps it literally stacks pellets at 110yards.

As the day progressed we had some empty Miller Lite 16oz cans with the bottle like top. I set these with their wide mouths facing us on the berm at 115yards. The caps were hung facing us on dead iron weed stalks. We proceeded shoot the caps easily, then one by one shoot through the can opening and out the back. Really fun plinking!

He is way more versed on the rifles particulars than I but I can speak to it’s ease of use. It’s magazine fed and holds 12 or 15. A lever on the right easily cocks it. The trigger is very light and crisp. A full tank of air was giving us 30-40 shots before velocity fell off. It’s incredibly quiet with very little recoil.

Old news for some of you Im sure. Impressive to say the least for me. I got to have one someday!

I have a RWS Air King .22. It's fun, but pretty dang heavy and also loud, not .22 loud, but probably just as disturbing to game in the woods as SS .22s. Mostly I shoot it in the yard into a putty trap I made, which is quieter than a steel trap.

Airguns are legal for hunting small game here, but I can't see using them anywhere guns are legal (and everywhere I hunt currently they are), as IMO guns are generally lighter and more convenient to use, as well as flatter-shooting. All that futzing around with figuring out the holds for even ordinary small-game ranges is more "fun" than I want to have for hunting. Certainly they have a place for those who are restricted, for whatever reason, from owning or using firearms, and are fun to fiddle with, like everything that shoots bullets, point-ed sticks, marbles, rocks, whatever. As I slide into my dotage, I may even pick up a nice PCP setup with a tank for farting around at home, but for now the bucks that would cost are better spent on other stuff.

Anyone who likes airguns or is interested in them should check out the YouTube channels like The Airgun Show and whatever the Fieldsports channel calls their version. The Brits are into these big-time, and do a lot of squirrel, rat, bird, and rabbit whacking with them. The rat killing at dumps is kinda icky to me for some reason, but the other stuff looks like fun.

ring3

I have not heard of an Infinity, are you referring to the FX Impact?

If so that is a BADA$$ PCP and was certainly tempting when I bought the Wildcat MKII.

After a few years with the Benji Marauder .25 at my old house that backed up to a private lake, I slaughered the varmints and small game. Coon, nutria, beaver, squirrel, rabbit, possum and grackles. The Benji is quiet but it was a beast, too long and too heavy for my interests and I was without an air rifle for a few years.

I had pretty much settled on an Airforce Condor or Talon until I stumbled on FX. I wanted short and light and the Wildcat was a purpose build bullpup and is worth it to me. I have shot it once at 100 yards and the groups were far better than my RAR 22 WMR but not as good as I believe they can be.


Hoosier

What is the story on the Benji?

I have not hear of the model.

That Benji started life as a Maximus. It is based on the Discovery.
I love to tinker, so mine is fitted with a Boyds Evolution stock, Magnum Airpower goodies, Rocker1 moderator, and a bunch of trigger work.
I have a MellonAir power adjuster that I still need to install.

It is an FX Impact X. Had to look it up. Not sure we’re I got the “Infinity” from. For some reason it was in my head as the brand name after we shot it the other day.

He’s getting a slug barrel as soon as the come in. Wants me to cast slugs for him. A quick search didn’t turn up any molds with good reviews. I’m sure something is out there though.

Now apparently there is an FX Impact X Mark II which has some upgrades to the original. He’s looking at upgrading his. If not, buying one. Might leave the one he has now up for sale. I’m being patient😁

Cheap to shoot, deadly on small game, accurate, city target practice, not to mention they could even feed you in the SHTF.

^ A-Men Brother! ^

No rifle of any caliber is legal to hunt on Long Island. This pellet gun is a death ray...enough said !

Something to consider on air rifles, Texas made hunting deer, sheep, javelina, alligators, and antelope legal with air rifles .30 caliber and greater with 215+ FPE in 2018. They did studies on them and determined that they were sufficient to humanely kill large game.


https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/air-gun-arrow-gun-regulations

50 yards, love the FX!

Marauder .25 at 98 yds this morning

Very basic question, but I'm an airgun newbie: Can you leave a PCP charged for a long time without damaging it? I'm looking for something I can lean against the door for days/weeks yet pop a ground squirrel quickly without messing with tanks or pumps.

I left mine charged over the winter at around 2500 psi without any drop in pressure....shot it this spring down to 2000 to re zero then charged back up and went hunting.

Son Shot off the porch at 186 yards a pest species bird with .25 cal and scope. First shot was the only shot. Has repeated it at odd distances. Be Well. Rusty

I'm looking at an FX Impact MKII. The Air gun company is testing and tuning it before he ships the 25 caliber gun. It has an LDC from FX. I have a DonnyFL here on my Condor .25. It shoots quietly, backyard quiet! I need a different scope but will look through my inventory. I have been buying scopes from individuals on a couple boards for a while. May have what I need right here. I have ordered the slug barrel as an accessory. Will let you guys know as I get it set up the way I want it. Good luck to you guys already hunting with one. Be Well. Rusty

PCP gums are louder than 22lr.

Not the ones with moderators or LCD (Lead Dust Collectors) that I've had experience with. An unmoderated PCP gun can be very loud though.

yes. its better to leave them charged bc it keeps pressure on the seals.

All of mine have suppressors and are quieter than my old Benji nitro piston break barrel......

The FX impact MK II in .25 is fantabulous. Be Well. Rusty