Pellet gun gurus/experts/users -- I ride a valkyrie! (now related)

[Tx Bohemian]

Ok, I’m looking to buy a pellet gun.  I’ve never owned one before, I have/had other guns (BB,22s,etc…) but never a pellet gun. Don’t really need it but always wanted one.

I intend to mainly plink in my back yard (I live within city limits). Possibly take care of a squirrel or gopher at times if/when the occasion arises.

The local Academy has a Gamo “Whisper” for $99 and it looks like the reviews are good.

Also there is a Ruger “Talon” for $120 that seems good but the Gamo seems a bit better, and the price is better.

Both comes with a scope but some reviews on the Ruger scope aren’t that good. Both have around 1200-1300 FPS velocity.

Comments/suggestions on these or any others?

[Earl43P]

I bought my boys a $150 Chinese knock-off .22 cal (not .177) pellet rifle years ago. It was a break open at the barrel, hand-load one pellet, one pump deal, adjustable sights, but the rear sight stayed on the stock, not the barrel when cocking, and so did the 4x scope that I later mounted.

I never expected it to be very accurate with the sights set up on opposite ends of a hinge, but it was. Impressively enough so, that I mounted that 4x scope. Those boys could and would shoot squirrels in the head/neck. Yes, we ate them, but they were lazy and would freeze them without skinning them (but they liked the gutting part, go figure).

The buttstock eventually broke and it was left to rust in the woods, but it was a surprisingly good value. The .22 pellets were harder to find retail, but searching online yielded various target/hunting/weights/tips of pellets. I want to say it was only in the 700-800 fps range, but its twin in .177 was over 1000. Bought it from the Sportsmans Guide.

Go big bore and shoot from the porch...

[six2go #152]

Here's a link to a place that seems to know pellet guns. Read what it says about speed & accuracy. If you want to shop with them, click on "Home" to get to the store.

http://www.pyramydair.com/article/Velocity_and_Pellets_April_2003/2

[solo1]

I have a practically new Gamo NRA .177 pellet rifle with a four power scope, not quite 1000fps.
It's just gathering dust but i'll hold on to it.

I hunted squirrel with a Sheridan .20 pumpand then a German pellet gun.  Accuracy on both varied, depending on how the gun was feeling, i guess

So far, I haven't been impressed with the inconsistent accuracy of pellet rifles.  Now my RWS 6m pellet pistol was a different story.

[Otus]

I have a rws .177 air rifle, single pump 1000 fps scoped. I've shot flies at 30 yards with it and it will go clean through a squirrel. Also comes in 22 caliber.

[Jess from VA]

First you want to read up on the different propulsion types.  Spring piston, pump-up, co2.  I like the better German RWS Diana spring piston (one rooster), but they are almost as noisy as co2.  Not only is there a loud twang from the spring, but the pellet is supersonic.  I also have an old Benjamin .177 10 pumps to max power.  This is a PITA to keep pumping up for each shot... too much like exercise.

Now if you want to shoot small furries, a .22 cal (even at slower speeds) has better knock down than .177, and handling/loading .22 pellets is easier than tiny .177s.  

I can only speak to my RWS, but the package deal with scope got me a Chinese piece of crap scope that I could not zero even cranking the elevation all the way to the bottom, which left me with trying to shim the front scope mount, which I never got done satisfactorily, so it just went in the round file and I stuck with iron sights.  My point is, if paying for a package with a scope, make sure it is worth the extra money (or worth anything at all).  I recently added a very nice led red dot (under $200) to a carbine, and this thing seems to be a wonderful upgrade to aging eyes and iron sights.

FWIW, I discovered my Ruger 10/22 with Aguilla Super Colibri subsonic .22 ammo (primer only, no powder; 20 grain) is much quieter than any supersonic pellet rifle.  However, there is a proviso.... about every 15-20 shots, one is much louder than all the rest (and this is not legal in my area.... but then, neither are pellet/BB guns, bows, slingshots, blow guns, or thrown rocks).  Also, the Colibri lacks power to cycle a semiauto, so they must be single loaded with needle-nose, and hand ejected.  Out to 40 yards or so, it has the accuracy of any .22, but then the power drops off, which is a good thing.  They also advertise it is for pistols only and that it may get hung up in a rifle bbl, but I have shot 10,000 thru my 18" bbl Ruger and never had a hang up.  It is dirty ammo, but so is all .22.  Obviously you have to be supremely careful of your backstop, this will do more damage than a pellet. 



  

[Crackerborn]

Beware of the Gamo/Crossman pellet guns. I have one in .22 with a red dot on it and try for head shoots at the long eared garden munchers. The accuracy is less than wonderful on this combination and the red dot was on a .22 rifle working very well before I tried it on the pellet gun. I do much better with a bow but the neighbors seem to get excited when I pin them to the ground as opposed to just walking out and picking them up dead (yep, Virginia, lightening must have struck that little pest, I guess). You will need at least 800 fps in .22 or .177 for clean kill shots and yes, a pellet gun can be loud.

[wiggydotcom]

I remember in the old days, it seemed like Benjamin and Sheridan were the cream of the crop. They might have even been made by the same company.
I bought a one pump rifle a couple years back of the one pump, break open the barrel variety. I believe it cocks using a large spring. What really surprised me is that, at least in Illinois, if you go over so many FPS and I believe that magic number is 1000, that you need a FOID card to purchase.

[cookiedough]

I'd get the Gamo Whisper in .177 caliber if mostly plinking, good price.  It will have plenty of power to kill birds/squirrels and unless you strictly want to kill small game getting .22 caliber,  stick with .177 pellets.  The whisper in Gamo is suppose to be quieter and that is a GOOD thing.  My Gamo Big Cat is VERY, VERY loud almost bone chilling loud can hear it from 100 yards away easily sort of scared to shoot it for fear neighbors will for sure hear it even inside their house with windows closed.  Shoots around 1250-1300 fps second as well and fairly accurate (good enough for my needs).  I got it on sale also for 99 bucks at Gander Mountain with scope, very heavy duty big barrel and wood stock and  overall heavier than my .22 ruger rifle.  

I hear accuracy improves with more shooting rounds thru it as well as fine tuning the barely adequate cheap scope that comes standard with it.  Scope and mounts are at most worth 30 bucks is not even close to mid-range quality, but good chance is good enough while others replace with a better 50-75 dollar 4x scope that will probably be a tad bit more accurate.  I wouldn't go overboard on a 4x scope though bushnell or tasco being the cheaper brands should be good enough for a pellet gun.  Try the stock scope out for a long while since like said, have heard it takes several rounds in a new Gamo .177 pellet gun to become consistently accurate over time.  If still after say guessing 200-250 rounds of same pellet type after adjusting scope settings you are off more than you think you should be not consistently grouping pellets in say 1-2" groupings, you might have to upgrade to a better 4x scope.  Some have had to do that.

Also,  my Gamo Big Cat, besides being extremely loud,  believe it or not kicks pretty darn hard, if you want to call it a kick.  Nothing like a shotgun/large caliber rifle, but certainly has more kick than my ruger .22 semi-auto rifle.  Has enough kick that if you do not hold onto the barrel tight enough and snug against your shoulder, the scope will come back and pop you in the eyebrow just barely.  Don't ask me how I know that.  

That being said,  the accuracy of a .177 standard pellet will never be super accurate, unless you buy premium pellets costing 2-3x's the price as normal lead pellets (I have stock, cheap pellets to use up first still which is good enough for my plinking needs) which also fly faster and have more knockdown power as well and maybe upgrading the stock scope the Gamo Whisper comes with.  Also, if you keep switching .177 pellets size/shape/brand,  they more than likely will be off mark from one to the other mfg./design of pellet slightly needing to adjust your scope up/down left/right clicks some.  

Crossman and Remington now also offer a break action wooden stock barrel with scope also delivering 1200 or so fps  in .177 caliber for around 100 bucks on sale as well.  They all sure beat my old daisy 10 pump .177 BB/pellet air rifle back in the day  guessing 600-800 tops fps I had with very cheap and small 2-3x scope I still have that still shoots, but looses pressure now  thus less power than when I had it as a kid some 30+ years ago.  Even then I could kill black birds galore in 1-2 shots but took squirrels a lot longer which I didn't care to shoot, only noisy blackbirds.  I still remember wounding badly with 1 shot a blackbird and hearing it squak awhile which caused dozens of other blackbirds swarming all over my head crowing loudly killing a few more then as well.

I wouldn't buy for myself, which I did for my kid as just a means to have fun is all wasting bb's galore,  a daisy brand (or similar brand) CO2 powered pistol with 12-15 magazine loading BB's only where you can round off all 12-15 in a row being semi-automatic.  You only get per CO2 cartridge about 40-50 BB shots before almost total loss of power and even then is only about 500-600 fps is all barely enough to wound a blackbird, but will kill it with 2-3 shots in it, and if lucky kill a blackbird with 1 shot.  Accuracy sucks as well in most CO2 powered air pistols and CO2 cartridges even buying in bulk packs are NOT cheap.

[Jess from VA]

Regarding scopes, it should be noted that spring piston recoil is in two directions and firearms only one.  Many regular rifle scopes, can be damaged by mounting on spring piston rifles.  If you get a spring piston pellet rifle, choose a scope carefully.

http://www.lasc.us/rangingshotrifleairgunscopes.htm



 

[john]

          " Benjamin .177 10 pumps to max power"
                              will be very pleasing to your needs ....         

[Airedale]

Because of the 22 ammo availability crap I have recently got into high powered airguns so I can do some shooting and small game hunting with out worrying about ammo

Did a lot of research before I jumped in and finally decided on two Benjamin models both in 25 cal.

The Marauder is a precharged system that uses a rotary magazine, I use a hand pump to get her tank filled, you will get a workout as a side benefit. The speed, power and accuracy along with almost silence when firing is astounding for those who are used to the old time stuff.

I also just acquired  a Benjamin NP trail, this is the single shot break barrel cocking system. Instead of a spring for compressing the air these use what is termed as a nitro piston compress the air. Much quieter and less recoil than a springer.
I just got my scope mounted and sighted in, not quite as powerful as the Marauder this gun too is very accurate. Also I have to do a trigger job on this one to get it the way I like.



Like mentioned above Pyramid Air is a good source of info and also Amazon.

Al

[Tx Bohemian]

Hey, thanks for the responses guys.

A lot of good info y'all brought up!

Good interesting reading too on the links.

[RP#62]

A suppressed M4 is also a good option.

-RP

[flsix]

I like my old Sheridan Blue Streak. 20 cal. with enough energy and accuracy for tree rats.

[Gilligan]

Ok, I’m looking to buy a pellet gun.  I’ve never owned one before, I have/had other guns (BB,22s,etc…) but never a pellet gun. Don’t really need it but always wanted one.I intend to mainly plink in my back yard (I live within city limits). Possibly take care of a squirrel or gopher at times if/when the occasion arises. Comments/suggestions on these or any others?

I have a Weihrauch HW30S that I bought from Pyramid Air.  It is a quality air rifle.  I added the 3-9X40 UTG scope and killed well over 150 grackles and starlings this winter, plus several squirrels,  a couple with one shot.  The velocity is slower than you seem to want, but I don't want high velocity in the city ... too much chance of damaging property on a ricochet.

... hope you are satisfied with whatever you choose.