what do you guys know about Pellet rifles?

[vash]

are manually pumped up rifles less accurate than one that uses a CO2 charge? Precharged Pneumatic guns.. high tech stuff.

i want something very very accurate. bigger than .20 caliber..something closer to .25cal.

[ODDJOB UNO]

go RWS or DYNAMIT NOBEL.com


my rws 54 is a single cock .177. uberized by airizonaairgun.com w/illuminated(red or green) mil-dot reticle, 3x9 scope, harris bipod,sling



lets just say this...........................jackrabbits/rats/snakes cringe at the mere mention of my name.


.177 higher velocity

.22 and above slower velocity but more voodoo poo mass hitting critter.


kind of like 9mm vs .45.

[Dueller]

Go .50 or go home

[Evans, Marv]

I have an RWS48 from Arizona Air Guns. It's zeroed in pretty well and without a scope. Got it for the ground squirrel population around here. I really like it. It's supposedly 1,100 fps. All I can say is the trajectory seems to be pretty flat, and there are lots fewer squirrels now. Fun too.

[Bill Douglas]

These are pretty powerful, it's an FX Monsoon.



In fact a meth dealer killed a cop with one recently here in NZ.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Go .50 or go home

...

For an air rifle that is ridiculous...

[Milu]

Originally Posted by vash

are manually pumped up rifles less accurate than one that uses a CO2 charge? Precharged Pneumatic guns.. high tech stuff.

i want something very very accurate. bigger than .20 caliber..something closer to .25cal.

Accuracy is about consistency in an air weapon. Spring powered are less accurate in use because of the recoil. Manually pumped can vary, CO2 or any precharged air will vary according to how much charge is left in the bottle (and temperature), This can be compensated with a regulator valve, you will get what you pay for. Best quality imho are the upmarket English brands such as Skan, or Daystate or some of the exotics. On a quality air rifle consider spending as much on the optics as the gun itself.

[Milu]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

These are pretty powerful, it's an FX Monsoon.



In fact a meth dealer killed a cop with one recently here in NZ.

I had a look at the website. The power quoted is about half the power of a 22LR. Of course it is usually quite easy to up the power at the expense of number of shots per charge.

[vash]

bill douglas, that is sick.

i need .20 or greater. thanks........

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

snipers in ww2 used .22 air, with rifled barrels. easier to jump in and carry ammo.

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

i mean assasins

[Jeff Higgins]

How much are you willing to spend? What are you going to use it for?

I've mentioned it here before, I'm a big fan of the Sheridan pneumatic rifles, their Blue Streak or Silver Streak in 5mm (.20 caliber). In "stock" configuration they are tough to beat, but once Mac1 Airguns does their "Steroid" treatment on them, they are very close to, if not the most powerful air rifle available that is not a pre-charged pneumatic.

Mac1 Airgun Distributors

I like pump-up pneumatics for their versatility. With two or three pumps, they can be shot in the backyard or even the basement or garage, providing cheap, low powered plinking fun. Pump a standard Sheridan up to its maximum eight pumps, and it will easily kill large rodents. Pump a Mac1 Steroid Sheridan up to 12 or its maximum 14 pumps and it will shoot through a possum or racoon. I'll vouch personally for that...

The 5mm (.20 caliber) bore size is perhaps the best compromise for a self-contained air rifle. At 14.5 grains, the Sheridan pellet is over twice as heavy as most .177's, and still heavier than most .22's. It has by far the best sectional density and ballistic coefficient of any air rifle pellet available, which translates to superior penetration and long range accuracy outdoors in the wind (.177's are notorious for getting blown around like badmitton birdies).

Beeman imports a couple of higher end spring piston guns in this bore size, if the inexpensive Sheridan is not to your liking. The Beemans will run several times the cost of the Sheridan, though, with no performance advantage whatsoever. They are neither more accurate nor more powerful. The Mac1 Steroid gun ups the ante even more, and still only runs in the mid $200 price range.

I have won local, informal airgun matches with my Sheridan. It is that accurate. Part of it is the absolute lack of recoil (spring pistons guns have very noticable recoil) and extremely consistant velocities. Extreme spreads in the two I own are always less than 10 fps for five shot strings over my Chrony.

They represent one of the best deals going as well. They are more accurate than "sporter" quality spring piston guns, can be made to be more powerful, and unlike the pre-charged guns, are fully self contained and capable of extremely consistent velocities.

[m21sniper]

My uncle has a cheap-o single pump break open Chinese air gun that has killed more squirrels and other rodents than the average Bald Eagle does in it's entire life time.

To me, spending any more than about $150 on an airgun if you're not competing is totally unnecessary.

[vash]

JEFF, sheridan...this is exactly the type of information i need. i just found out that i can legally take a california turkey with a pellet gun. it just needs to be .20cal or better. i hunt private property..these little ole ladies with these huge mega lots out in the boonies..hate these turkeys. they eat everything.

but no shotguns. it disrupts their afternoon tea, and bingo games.. i use a bow exclusively, but i would love a pellet gun option. i cant check that mac link from my work computer. thanks, i check it out tonight.

how much money are we talking about. less than $500?

[Joeaksa]

Problem with gas is that you never know how much is left in the bottle. At least with a pump you can give it another pump or three and make sure.

[M.D. Holloway]

Get a good Dog and train it to wring its neck...

[Jeff Higgins]

A standard Blue Streak from Mac1 is $140. Their basic Steroid tune adds $45 to that. A highly recommended upgrade is their billet pump lever (due to the additional pumping force required), which adds another $45. They have some other options, like scope mounts, peep sights, and stuff like that, but you would be hard pressed to spend $300 on one with all the bells and whistles.

[vash]

thanks JEFF! $300 is cake (to hide from the wife)!!

[JTO]

The Benjamin Marauder sure has good write ups. Its a precharged pnuematic but has a ten shot magazine. In .22 it does about 1000 fps. Expensive though at $400 just for the gun plus you need a special pump at about $200.
Troy

[Jeff Higgins]

All of that said, while I think the Sheridan is a wonderful pellet rifle, I'm not sure any pellet rifle can ever be a real turkey rifle. These are some big, tough birds we're talking about. I would think a head shot would be required. The Sheridan is accurate enough to do that if you are, at any range it still has the energy to dispatch one (maybe 30 yards), but that sounds like kind of a dicey game to me. I would hate to be charged by an enraged turkey while I'm trying to re-pump my rifle.

A rat did that to me once. When I shot him off the bird feeder, he hit the ground running. Straight at me. He had that steely look of sheer determination in his eye, the one they get when they know they are fighting for their life. I resisted the urge to run, and braced for the charge. Luckily, I had a side arm - my trusty (but now discontinued) Sheridan pump-up pistol. I knew I had only one chance, so summoning all of my will and courage, I waited for the sure shot. The shot was true, but his momentum carried him forward, where he came to a stop against my boot. A worthy foe, that rat - his heroism earned him a special place in my garbage can.