large bore air rifles? WTH!?

[nynor]

you do see, from the data you posted, that the paraffin expansion is better with the .22. also, the grouping is better.

the above exactly mirrors my experience: more damage and more accuracy.

[nynor]

you do see, from the data you posted, that the paraffin expansion is better with the .22. also, the grouping is better.

the above exactly mirrors my experience: more damage and more accuracy.

[Jeff Higgins]

Crossman now owns Benjamin and Sheridan both. The Benjamin 392 is essentially the Sheridan Blue Streak, but in .22 caliber. The Sheridan is still its original 5mm, or .20 caliber.

I find the 5mm to be superior to the .22 for use on small varmints, up to very large rat / small possum size. The pellet weights are about the same, with Benjamin brand 5mm pellets weighing 14.3 grains. That's actually at the heavy end of .22 pellets. What this greater weight in the slightly smaller bore gives it is superior sectional density, promoting better penetration, and superior ballistic coefficient, giving it better outdoor performance at extended ranges in the wind, and higher retained velocities. It hits very noticeably harder than even the hyper velocity .177's, and certainly harder than the lighter .22 pellets.

I just bought my younger son a new Sheridan Blue Streak last year for his birthday. It gets an honest 650 fps with the 14.3 grain pellet. That's all you need for back yard pest control. That's with eight pumps; with only three, it makes a great target rifle.

My own Blue Streak is a 1962 vintage that I had rebuilt by Mac1 Airguns Mac1 Airgun Distributors I had them build it to their "steroid" level, with improved valves and a heavier pump arm. It now breaks 900 fps with that 14.3 grain pellet, using 14 pumps. At eight pumps, it's just like my son's; at three pumps it's the same wonderful target rifle. That's one of the neat things about pneumatics - the variable power.

Oh, and either one will outshoot any of the less than match grade spring piston guns available today. That, and they are actually small and light enough to carry around. His has the forward mounted "scout scope", mine has the peep sight. And yes, that's a 5mm Sheridan pistol as well:

[nynor]

exactly. i love the sheridan pellets. i've seen them shoot though a metal garbage can and nearly come out the the second wall. as good as a .22 short, for sure, maybe better. the sheridan .20 is a great pellet gun.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by nynor

you do see, from the data you posted, that the paraffin expansion is better with the .22. also, the grouping is better.

the above exactly mirrors my experience: more damage and more accuracy.

.42" is tighter than .67" in my world..... Just saying...


and .21" isn't that much greater than .18" expansion

Buy what you want... But I will still go with the .177. Much easier to find around here...

[nynor]

it is 16%. look again at the accuracy numbers. either the .22 is tighter, or the data is missing.

just sayin'.

again, anecdotally, the .22 just kills stuff. the .177 just injures.

[HardDrive]

.50 air rifle.

Why? WTF exactly is the point? The goal is to kill. A traditional firearm is superior and more ethical.

Did I mention, why?

Dumb.

[m21sniper]

Innovation is cool. Very neat. Nothing i would ever buy, but it's cool to see just how far air gun tech has come.

[ODDJOB UNO]

if ANYTHING i have learned over the years is you have domesticated animals and wild animals. domesticated animals are supposed to be nice. trust me from experience they are NOT NICE in many cases. wild animals are mean in all cases. and when shot tend to get real pissed off real fast.

any animal when shot will be REAL PISSED OFF if they are not DEAD! and things tend to happen faster than a human can respond to. if your a non believer please go to youtube and various other outlets and watch man vs. deer or man vs elk or man vs. moose or better yet man vs. bear and on and on.........


so taking this into account and being an ethical moral hunter................I WANNA KNOCK THEM ON THEIR ASS SO FAST THEY THINK THEY GOT HIT BY A BNSF FREIGHT TRAIN!

how would YOU like to hunt when theres a wounded animal around you and you dont have a clue because it was hit by a weak air rifle/pistol and only wounded!


i have seen plenty off animals that we thought were DEAD come ALIVE and it aint COOL! thats when it can gut FUGLY!

[berettafan]

noticed this thread as i've been playing with the idea of getting an inexpensive air rifle for the back yard. we live in a regular neighborhood on 1/2 acre backing up to a couple large fields that would make a great backstop for plinking at cans and such.

but a .50 air rifle? really all firearms are essentially 'air guns' just different gasses used to propel the bullet/pellets. but that is just goofy. i really don't get why you'd want this. i mean if i lived on a farm i'd plink with my .22 but since my neighbors wouldn't really appreciate that i'm forced to look at air guns as an alternative. but darned if i'd choose to pump on purpose!

[RPKESQ]

Air rifles of large bore were made in the late 1700's and early 1800's that would routinely be able to kill deer sized game at 100 yards or more. They were nearly silent and eventually outlawed as to prevent their use in poaching and assasination.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

Air rifles of large bore were made in the late 1700's and early 1800's that would routinely be able to kill deer sized game at 100 yards or more. They were nearly silent and eventually outlawed as to prevent their use in poaching and assasination.

I've seen several of these over the years, in museums and some private collections. The ones I have seen are the equivelent of the modern pre-charged pneumatic. Common air reseviors were the buttstock itself, or a copper sphere hanging ahead of the trigger guard. The ones I've seen have mostly been in the 40-50 caliber range, with the odd 20 bore or .69.

Back when black powder in muzzle loaders ruled the roost, one can see where this would be a desireable alternative to the fouling and mess inherent in the old propellant. The air powered rifles supposedly matched the muzzle loaders of the day of the same bore size, as far as power and accuracy. The big advantage was in that they did not have to be cleaned nearly as much, if at all.

Matching the power of the muzzle loaders (of equal bore) of the day is not nearly the feat one might imagine. Typical muzzle loader charges of the time were far, far lighter than what we consider to be "normal" today. Still, our forebears managed to kill game and each other with aplomb, even with what we would consider very "anemic" ballistics today. Times were different then...

As kind of an aside, I often chuckle at what we consider today to be "minimum" calibers for our various big game animals. Who would even consider a .38-40, or a .44-40, much less a .32-20 or a .25-20 a "deer rifle" these days? Yet the mountains of deer these calibers killed a century ago are staggering. That said, though, things were different then...

Hell, modern poachers still rely on the lowly .22 rimfire. They kill deer just fine. Yes, some run off to die somewhere else, unfound and wasted. Their ethics are different than ours, though. So were those of our forefathers, with regards to their respect for game. A lost animal was no more or less than lost meat; no ethics of the chase such as we recognize today. Just go shoot another one...

So, "kill" and "ethically kill", so that one can find every one of them and make use of every one of them impose different requirements. Today, we demand that every animal shot is recovered. Not so much back then.

[Schumi]

I had a friend who had a Benjamin 1000fps .22 cal pellet gun. We'd take it squirrel and rabbit hunting all the time.

[jtkkz]

big bore air rifles are popular in the Philippines, my cousin had one chambered in .50 and they use them for boar hunting...

we tested in at around 30 yards and it easily went through a huge pot filled with soil

we also had a high powered .22 air rifle C02 that went through 1/4" plywood, and can be converted for use with arrows... pretty neat guns

the manufacturer wanted to import them to the US but US banned it for import, too powerful and silent....

[lowyder993s]

Originally Posted by nynor

i prefer the .22. the holes it makes in small varmints is much more satisfying. plus, i've shot a few squirrels with .177 and it just doesn't do the job.

2 words... .17hmr

YouTube - .17HMR vs. Ground Squirrels

[nynor]

OMG!!!! it went on so long that it got funny. then not so funny. then funny again! that is a lot of squirrels.

[lowyder993s]

In the comments I think the OP said it didn't even dent the population on the property.

[nynor]

check out this comparison video 22LR vs 17HMR. pretty impressive.

[azasadny]

Very cool! I'd like to get an accurate, powerful air rifle to get rid of possum, etc...