Air Gun Hunting (.177, .20, and .22 cal.)
First thing being first:
For these smaller caliber Air Guns we are talking about hunting small game, not the big stuff.
Why?
In short, Air rifles and air pistols are a lot quieter than firearms, and hunting small game will keep meat on the table at all times. Also ammo is a lot cheaper and takes a lot less space.
What Air Gun(s) for Small Game Hunting:
For hunting small stuff with a PISTOL any .177 cal air pistol that can put a 7.9 grain lead pellet downrange at 600FPS is quite enough, any .22 pistol that clears 460FPS with 14.3 grain pellets is great (pistol will be very close range, less than 15 yards). For a bit longer range we want an AIR RIFLE that will do 550FPS or better in .22 cal, or over 700FPS in .177 cal, that is with real lead pellets.
The biggest issue is the power plant (what type of AirRifle). There are a few choices; PCP, Pumpers, Spring Piston, and CO2. In a survival situation you do not want to worry about running out of CO2, so that takes CO2 Completely off the table. So lets look at the others.
PCP air pistols and air rifles can be quite powerful and accurate, though you will need a way to refill them. There are hand pumps available for these 2000PSI to 4000PSI air rifles, though that is something extra to fail, and if roaming something extra to carry. PCP's have there place, they could be a good option for a bug in situation, where you will always be close to the high pressure pump, and will have extra seals stored in case something does go wrong.
Spring Piston and Gas Piston air guns are self contained, though the higher the power the more likely the spring is to give out, and the more often it will need replaced. Same issue with the Gas Piston air guns, they are just spring piston air guns that use a gas chamber as the spring. There is also the need of a spring compressor if you do need to repair these kind of air rifles. And one more thing, they take some time to learn to shoot, unlike other Air Guns spring piston air guns do not shoot like traditional firearms.
Pumpers have the least to go wrong, and thus are the most likely to last with out issue. You can carry multiple complete reseal kits in your pocket with even noticing the difference, and usually if you need to work on one the only tool you need is a screw driver.
Both pumpers and PCP's shoot like normal firearms, just with out the recoil. Pumpers are generally a lot lighter weight and tend to be more reliable.
So I would recomend a good pumper. Something like a Crosman Benjiman 392, Crosman 140, Crosman 1400, or Crosman 101 for a Rifle. For a pistol something along the line of the Crosman 1322. For a break down carbine that will easily fit in your pack, the Crosman 2289g Backpacker.
I only list the ones that are easy to find in the examples above. There are more, like the Sharp Ace, and any number of others. The FX-Independance is not really a pumper, it is more a PCP with the hand pump attached to the gun.
How to Hunt with Small Cal Air Rifles (and Air Pistols):
When hunting with the small caliber air guns you want a brain kill shot on any thing with fur, and you must be able to hit a target the size of a dime 100% of the time with your air rifle and pellets out to the maximum distance you hunt.
You must know exactly to hit for the best kill shots, and show restraint when the ideal shot is not available. Always one shot one instant kill.
Generally you want to keep all shots inside 30 yards. This helps assure one shot one kill.
Always know your limits, the limits of the combination of air gun and pellet you are using, and never exceed these limits.
Ammo selection:
There are two parts to this:
First you want ammo that is consistantly accurate in your air gun. The only way to figure this out is to try a bunch of different pellets in the correct caliber. Two air rifles of the exact same type will often like different pellets, it is the nature of the beast.
Second you want the HEAVIEST pellet that your air gun likes. The heavier pellets generally produce a bit more energy, and are always better at retaining that energy down range. It is the energy that kills, yes the FPS goes down though the FPE goes up, so the "stopping Power" increases. Also you never want to shoot any pellet faster than 850FPS as you will lose accuracy if you push past that speed. Pellets are different than bullets, they are not stable at higher velocities, so to keep accuracy and get more power you need to go heavy.
Sumery:
I would recommend a good reliable high power pumper for survival small game hunting. There are other options, and different people have there reasons for there preference.
Small cal air rifles will do the job of providing meet, saving firearm ammo, keeping relatively quiet (so not likely to give away your position), and being durable.
There are even more advantages to air guns, though I think this post is about long enough for a simple thread starter.
First thing being first:
For these smaller caliber Air Guns we are talking about hunting small game, not the big stuff.
Why?
In short, Air rifles and air pistols are a lot quieter than firearms, and hunting small game will keep meat on the table at all times. Also ammo is a lot cheaper and takes a lot less space.
What Air Gun(s) for Small Game Hunting:
For hunting small stuff with a PISTOL any .177 cal air pistol that can put a 7.9 grain lead pellet downrange at 600FPS is quite enough, any .22 pistol that clears 460FPS with 14.3 grain pellets is great (pistol will be very close range, less than 15 yards). For a bit longer range we want an AIR RIFLE that will do 550FPS or better in .22 cal, or over 700FPS in .177 cal, that is with real lead pellets.
The biggest issue is the power plant (what type of AirRifle). There are a few choices; PCP, Pumpers, Spring Piston, and CO2. In a survival situation you do not want to worry about running out of CO2, so that takes CO2 Completely off the table. So lets look at the others.
PCP air pistols and air rifles can be quite powerful and accurate, though you will need a way to refill them. There are hand pumps available for these 2000PSI to 4000PSI air rifles, though that is something extra to fail, and if roaming something extra to carry. PCP's have there place, they could be a good option for a bug in situation, where you will always be close to the high pressure pump, and will have extra seals stored in case something does go wrong.
Spring Piston and Gas Piston air guns are self contained, though the higher the power the more likely the spring is to give out, and the more often it will need replaced. Same issue with the Gas Piston air guns, they are just spring piston air guns that use a gas chamber as the spring. There is also the need of a spring compressor if you do need to repair these kind of air rifles. And one more thing, they take some time to learn to shoot, unlike other Air Guns spring piston air guns do not shoot like traditional firearms.
Pumpers have the least to go wrong, and thus are the most likely to last with out issue. You can carry multiple complete reseal kits in your pocket with even noticing the difference, and usually if you need to work on one the only tool you need is a screw driver.
Both pumpers and PCP's shoot like normal firearms, just with out the recoil. Pumpers are generally a lot lighter weight and tend to be more reliable.
So I would recomend a good pumper. Something like a Crosman Benjiman 392, Crosman 140, Crosman 1400, or Crosman 101 for a Rifle. For a pistol something along the line of the Crosman 1322. For a break down carbine that will easily fit in your pack, the Crosman 2289g Backpacker.
I only list the ones that are easy to find in the examples above. There are more, like the Sharp Ace, and any number of others. The FX-Independance is not really a pumper, it is more a PCP with the hand pump attached to the gun.
How to Hunt with Small Cal Air Rifles (and Air Pistols):
When hunting with the small caliber air guns you want a brain kill shot on any thing with fur, and you must be able to hit a target the size of a dime 100% of the time with your air rifle and pellets out to the maximum distance you hunt.
You must know exactly to hit for the best kill shots, and show restraint when the ideal shot is not available. Always one shot one instant kill.
Generally you want to keep all shots inside 30 yards. This helps assure one shot one kill.
Always know your limits, the limits of the combination of air gun and pellet you are using, and never exceed these limits.
Ammo selection:
There are two parts to this:
First you want ammo that is consistantly accurate in your air gun. The only way to figure this out is to try a bunch of different pellets in the correct caliber. Two air rifles of the exact same type will often like different pellets, it is the nature of the beast.
Second you want the HEAVIEST pellet that your air gun likes. The heavier pellets generally produce a bit more energy, and are always better at retaining that energy down range. It is the energy that kills, yes the FPS goes down though the FPE goes up, so the "stopping Power" increases. Also you never want to shoot any pellet faster than 850FPS as you will lose accuracy if you push past that speed. Pellets are different than bullets, they are not stable at higher velocities, so to keep accuracy and get more power you need to go heavy.
Sumery:
I would recommend a good reliable high power pumper for survival small game hunting. There are other options, and different people have there reasons for there preference.
Small cal air rifles will do the job of providing meet, saving firearm ammo, keeping relatively quiet (so not likely to give away your position), and being durable.
There are even more advantages to air guns, though I think this post is about long enough for a simple thread starter.
