[shootmor]

An air rifle is a great choice for small game-rabbits and squirrels- if you can't or don't want to use a 22.

It is very difficult to shoot a powerful airgun accurately and impossible with a cheap gun. A gun that can't be shot accurately is worthless.

My recommendation for the best buy for the money, effectiveness and ease of shooting is the http://straightshooters.com/Weihrauch/hw50s.html. That is also a great company to deal with. The .177 caliber is best and the only pellets you need consider are the JSB's'

I have had many air rifles from the strongest to the weakest and tried all kinds of pellets. After all that time, effort and expense I have reached the above conclusion. Yes, I know there are times and situations that would call for a more specialized gun but the above rifle is great 99% of the time.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Early this year, I decided to get a decent air rifle. The last one I had was a Crossman 760 or a Daisy Powerline about 30 years ago. I was looking hard at a Benjamin/Sheridan, because they were "the $h#t " when I was a kid,and they're still a classic. Then a little research led me to the RWS 34 Diana for just a few bucks more. Then, before that one had even arrived, I decided to upgrade to a Beeman R9 Goldfinger and sold (sight unseen) the RWS to my brother. When the RWS 34 arrived we were immediately impressed with the quality and solidity,and after shooting it, realized, these things are a lot more than just kids toys,these things are GUNS !!!
My Beeman arrived soon after, from those wacky guys,Craig and Kevin at Straightshooters:thumb::thumb: (that's double-thumbs-up!) . I opted for the .20 after much research, and favor the Beeman field target specials.
The magnification ring was somehow permanently stuck on the low end Bushnell Banner scope that came stock on the R9, so I sent it in for warranty, but opted to upgrade to a much nicer scope direct from Bushnell
(a little-known option that makes buying Bushnell a big plus). I got a considerably nicer Elite 3200 tactical 5-15x ( I love mil-dots!) and leaning against a tree,can easily bust through coke cans at 90 yards,all day long!!
I have a fairly respectable stable of toys,but for quite a while, this little air-rifle was my very favorite gun !!
I also recommend that everyone own a humble "BB gun" !! :

 

[SmallGame2100]

Again good thread. This really isnt needed with all the threads around.
Good work, nonetheless.

I only use a Crosman 2100.
No scope. Just pellets. Outter part of the barrel is rusted. Still works like a champ. With BB's, it shoots 755 fps. Then, 725 fps with pellet. If youre close enough, you can kill a squirrel with a pellet. I love it. Still thinking about getting a break barrel gun.

In case noone knows, break barrel guns are air rifles that only shoot pellets. They shoot at 1000fps. But I'm getting a few firearms within the next month, so I may not need them. You never know with me, though.

 

[shootmor]

The Beeman and Weihrauch guns, a lot are the same gun, are the best buy out there. Good quality and no frills. If you will keep the pellet down in the mid to low 800's or even a little lower they are much easier to shoot accurately. I have an R7 and the HW50s and they are really accurate especially the little R7. I have a Walnut Longbow that I want to sell.

I bought an R9 goldfinger but like the HW50s better. It is almost identical to the R9 but one size down.

 

[tennesseetrouter]

I bought a Beeman that came with interchangeable .177 and .22. In an attempt to sight the scope, I shot 6-7 pellets and the thing just wore me out. It wasn't fun to shoot because it was so hard to cock. Neither my wife nor my ten-year-old could cock it without putting it on the ground and using body weight.

I returned it and got my money back. Are all of these 1000+ fsps air rifles as hard to cock?

 

[J&J]

A method I use on squirrels is to take standard flat face pellets, put a dab of "crazy glue" on the flat front and put a standard BB on it. I roll the combo on a flat surfce until the glue sets up.

You have to load the combo one by one, just like a pellet. My theory... which has plaid out in more than a few squirrel kills over the years is that the BB penetrates and the lead expande a bit, creating a better round than either the BB or the pellet alone.

I am not a ballistics expert... but the squirrels don't seem to know that:thumb:

John

 

[Viking Josh]

A method I use on squirrels is to take standard flat face pellets, put a dab of "crazy glue" on the flat front and put a standard BB on it. I roll the combo on a flat surfce until the glue sets up.

You have to load the combo one by one, just like a pellet. My theory... which has plaid out in more than a few squirrel kills over the years is that the BB penetrates and the lead expande a bit, creating a better round than either the BB or the pellet alone.

I am not a ballistics expert... but the squirrels don't seem to know that:thumb:

John

It doesn't jam or anything? I need to get me an air rifle when i get back home.

 

[MIL-DOT]

(quote)"A method I use on squirrels is to take standard flat face pellets, put a dab of "crazy glue" on the flat front and put a standard BB on it. I roll the combo on a flat surfce until the glue sets up."

They manufacture pellets like this,already. And from everything I've read and heard, the 1000+ FPS guns are considerbly less accurate than the somewhat lower velocity guns. Same for .22's, the slower sub-sonic and standard velocity ammo is most accurate.

 

[J&J]

It doesn't jam or anything? I need to get me an air rifle when i get back home.

Nothing to jam... open the chamber, insert the pellet/bb combo.... bb side first... and away you go...

These are .177 caliber out of a daisy 880. I admit to pumping it a wee bit more than the sugggested 10 pumps :. Sometime along here I will upgrade to a higher quality rifle, but, I have had this gun since I was a teenager... (20+ years) and it has held up fine since then...

Accuracy seems to be strong out to about 10-15 yards... which works well for squirrels low in the trees.... it is a matter of planting yourself in their likely spots and being quiet. I usually just sit out back of the house with a good book and a loaded and pumped rifle and when I hear the little grey buggers... book goes down, rifle comes up...

John