[alf]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

One of the best deals going in air rifles is still the old Sheridan line of 5mm (.20 caliber) pneumatic rifles. Mac1 Air Guns in L.A. will either upgrade your own, or sell you a brand new Sheridan with their proprietary valves and pump mechanism. A brand new one will only set you back about $250. They completely rebuilt and upgraded my 1962 vintage Blue Streak for only about $150.

A standard Sheridan will shoot its 5mm, 14.3 grain pellet at about 670 fps. Mac1's "Steroid" conversion approaches 900 fps with that pellet. Any Sheridan will shoot cloverleafs at the standard air rifle match range of 10 meters. Not the one hole groups of the $3000 match rifles, but certainly all shots overlapping. Where they really come into their own is at extended ranges, outdoors, in the real world. The 14.3 grain .20 caliber pellet is heavier than most .22 caliber pellets and has the highest ballistic coefficient of any air rifle pellet. This translates into far less wind drift when shot outdoors at longer range. Those expensive .177 caliber match guns simply fall apart in the wind at extended ranges. There is a reason air rifle matches are fired at 10 meters, indoors.

I've had a lot of fun over the years, whipping out my Sheridan and mopping up on the guys with the $3000 match rifles, in friendly matches. I just take them outside, and put the targets up at, say, 50 yards. At that range, they're done. Those little .177's blow around like badmitton birdies. At that range, the Sheridan still groups well under an inch. And will shoot clear through a rat, or even still kill a possum. There is not a .177 on earth that will do that. Plus, the Sheridan is light and handy, and can actually be carried afield like a real rifle. Here is my '62 vintage, along with a mid '80's vintage Sheridan pistol (sadly, no longer made):

I have to get me, um i mean my boys one of those!