OK I give up. I'm being over run by pests. OK not over run but enough I want to be able to hit them.

After doing several hours of research I believe I want to go with a RWS 34. Now which one. Regular compact etc. of course let's not forget .177 or 22.

I will be shooting critters in the yard while we have 1.5 acres we do have neighbors I felt the 34 would be better than something like the 350 etc. My Crosman was a .177 and it never failed to kill if it hit them.

I suggest a 22lr rifle and shoot CB Longs if your concerned about noise.

.22 hands down.

I've never had what I would call acceptable accuracy with cbs

I have a Chinese made Crosman version of the 34 in .177 caliber and use it for pigeons in a friend's barn and chipmunks around my house in a subdivision. The little buggers would take up residence in the siding of the house if I left them alone.

The .177 so far has had plenty of power without worrying about noise or excess penetration. I tried .22 CB's in the friend's barn and they would put holes in the tin roof. They go through a 1 inch board and a layer of tin, and leave bright little spots in the roof when the sun shines through. I would be afraid to use them if there were neighbors who could be on the receiving end of a ricochet. They are also louder than the air rifle.

The .177's do not put holes in the barn roof, but they kill the pigeons quickly and humanely. Accuracy has been very good as well. I vote for the .177.

I have a 34 in .22. Our house in AL sat on an acre, bird feeder was 41 yards from the back door. Many a squirrel and feral cat met their demise from a 22 pellet. It will still penetrate a coke can full of water at that range.

I have a .177 and it will handily kill squirrels, but I'd go .22 if I needed to take care of something bigger than that.

That's because your shooting CB shorts not longs. CB longs are the same length as a 22 LR, but don't have as much power as an LR.

I have been using one of these:

http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/XISICO_XS46U.html

I had it tuned and an air-ram installed. I wanted something that was able to be cocked for a while while hunting without worrying about the spring setting.

It takes some effort to cock at first, but it's gotten easier. It shoots well enough for red-squirrel head-shots at 15 yards. The trigger isn't the best, but it is much better than what I've found on comparably priced air-rifles.

I think the 22's are better killers than .177's. Even though the 22's have a lower velocity, they are roughly double the weight of the .177's.

Double bullet weight! Man think about the increase in recoil.

I've had no issues with a .177 not killing at the range I'm shooting. Provided I can hit it. Pellet performance hasn't been an issue.

I have a .177 RWS 34 that has taken a good many pests, they work well but won't knock down nearly the critters my .22 Discovery PCP will...I haven't shot the RWS 34 in a couple years, the Discovery does everything the 34 does and more when it comes to larger game.

If you plan to go with a spring air rifle the 34 is awful tough to beat, they shoot lights out and have the feel/weight of a real rifle. You will need to practice different "holds" with it as springers are very hold sensitive.

Dixie,
I've figured out in the last few days my hold SUCKS. Had a friend lend me his 34 compact. I couldn't hit things hardly any better than with my old Crosman. After probably 100rds I finally got to the point I could barely hold the rifle let it do it's thing and get 3 of 5 shoots in the 1/2" range at about 20 yds. I did find the pellets I had been using in my Crosman and using my better hold I could get some 1.25" groups with the old rifle. I also remounted the scope. I guess my eyes just won't handle open sights any more.

My friend ordered a Marauder so I'm going to see how he likes it. If I can't get my hold more consistent a 34 would probably be a waste. I might have to consider a PCP.

I also picked up some cci low velocity to see how loud they are and if my rifle will group them.

RWS are heavy, I had a 48 years ago.

This is a group shot with my Benjamin Discovery and the Crossman HP pellets at 50 yards outdoors. The rifle will print them like that all day, everyday




For the money you won't beat a Discovery ...gun with pump $320 ish and they shoot great, the added benefit to them is they are lightweight. A bit loud but not much more than a springer if any and you can get a moderator if it matters to you. Best deal in air rilfes out there $.02

I agree with this. I have owned several 34's, decent guns but not in the same league as the R9. Whichever you choose the .22 is a better 'killer' in my experience of several hundred rock chucks over the past 10 years shooting both .177 & .22.

A friend has an RWS and it is insanely accurate. No problem at all to hit squirrels in the head from reasonable distances with just the irons. He scoped it for a while but it was so accurate and fun with the open sights he took the scope off

Your friend will love his Marauder, I have one in 22 and 25. I shoot my 22 Marauder for indoor 22LR shoots and it kicks azz. I don't use my 22 LR anymore for indoor shoots as my Marauder will shoot bug holes. Wish we could use them for hunting here in PA

I have a RWS 34 in .177 and 2 Daisy multi-pumps in .177. I use them like tools, the RWS is preferred on long shots at larger pest birds like crows, and it has a flatter trajectory at distance over the mult-pumps. Because I also have neighbors nearby I mostly use the Daisy guns as I can adjust the power to fit the situation, and they are less noisy too. The accuracy is better on the Daises as well, but I have gotten good with my "Artillery hold" method with the RWS and the accuracy is acceptable.