Suggestions on an air rifle

[Saber]

I'm looking to buy a cheap ($150) air rifle .177.
I don't know anything about these or the companies that make them.
I would like the fastest and most accurate one I could get for that price range.
Can any one of you guys steer me in the right direction?
Thanks in advance.

 

[gregkl]

I'm going to tag onto this. I have way too many animals in my yard and I live in the city where I can't shoot them. If I can get a decent air assisted gun that is quiet enough, I could probably pop a few of them and the neighbors would be none the wiser.

 

[SmileDocHill]

I bought one years ago. They are hearing safe but loud. Keep in mind (IIRC) the suppressor laws do not apply to these and they can be purchased with integral suppressors. If I had it to do over again I would have bought a quieter one.

 

[pudly]

Check out pyramydair.com. Basically Amazon for airguns. Lots of reviews to get a feel for what people like.

 

[jinks]

I have purchased from Pyramy Air Gun Mall and have had good luck with the Daisy Powerline.

Here are their recommendations:

The new best airguns for the money: Part 1 | Air gun blog - Pyramyd Air Report

 

[Notalentbum]

The thought of an air rifle came up for me again today when I got one of Pyramid's emails today with a review of a "Rocket Shot Target". You shoot a trigger pad and it pops a soda can up in the air 10-12' high. That sounded like fun so I started looking for an air rifle. Since this target requires two quick successive shots, I'm leaning towards the Crosman 1077.
My only concern is since I'd be shooting up in the air, how far would the pellets travel when I miss?

Matt

 

[Mgderf]

Right now Walmart has a Beeman air gun with interchangeable barrels (.177 & .22cal) for $99!

 

[Saber]

Doing some reading and it looks like all of them are made in China except the Gamos.

 

[patience0830]

You can spend $2500 on an FX. Check Ted's Holdover on YouTube. Fastest and most accurate don't always go together. Prepare to try different pellets to achieve desired accuracy. Some are tunable to improve performance.

 

[Leo]

Doing some reading and it looks like all of them are made in China except the Gamos.

Not generally a lot of quality at that price point.

I never owned a Gamo but the two I have shot against were not very good. One of them could not out perform my 45 year old Daisy smooth bore. I would stay away from them if you could not try it out first.

A friend bought a break barrel labled "Remington" at Rural King last fall, and it shoots pretty good. We had matches in his basement last winter. I beat him with my FWB 300s, of course you could by 12 of his for the price of an FWB.

 

[FireBirdDS]

picked up a cheap chinese made one 6 years back at a gun show, spring piston powered for like $40ish. Put a cheap red dot on it, and have thus far bagged and tagged more than a dozen pigeons, various squirrels, possums, and even some mice and rats.

 

[bauerr3]

I have had 10 air rifles in the last two years, and sold all but two. Here is my .02...

The Crosman 1077 is much louder than you would think, and people around you will hear you. Thankfully my neighbors also had guns they wanted to shoot, so anytime I was shooting the 1077 they would come on over, but be aware.
A .177 pellet rifle, if powerful enough, can break the sound barrier, which would be almost as loud as 22LR. I had this happen on numerous occasions, and those same neighbors I shot with were concerned I was shooting 22LR in the neighborhood...not good. Most pellets are not designed to break the sound barrier, so if they do, that is a problem. The only sound that should be heard is the spring/piston slamming home.

I see you specifically mentioned .177, but why not consider .22? They are slower, more quiet overall, and they will be hard pressed to break the sound barrier. They are heavier and bigger, which give more knockdown power...I had 5 .177 pellet rifles and they were great. Then I went out and bought a Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston .22, and sold all of my other guns within the week. Put in a trigger modification, and I can shoot rabbits from 50 yards with no one knowing what happened.

I would suggest looking into the Nitro Piston, as it removes the spring and just uses consistent compressed gas. With a spring pellet rifle each shot will typically sound like a loud twang, but with the Nitro Piston, it is a poof, quieter and more sudden than a spring. You can look it up, there are many other benefits to NP over spring. The Benjamin would be a little above the top of your price range, but I would highly recommend either that or the Crosman Nitro Venom. Benjamin is to Crosman like Acura is to Honda, a nicer version of a reliable company....even if it isn't made in the USA.

 

[churchmouse]

I have (2) air rifles.
Both are Gamo.
(1) is rated at 1000 FPS and has a reasonable crack when fired. It will readily handle tree rats and other varmints.
(2) one is a Bone Hunter and rated at 1200 FPS. You might as well run a .22 short. That thing pops when fired but it will handle possums and the like very handily.

 

[stocks52]

I have a Gamo .177 that has a muzzle velocity of 1300 fps, which is higher than my .22LR.

 

[Sniper 79]

I refuse to spend any money on a air rifle when you can get a 22or for the same price.

For backyard use you can fire Aquila Super Calibri or CB caps. Loads of fun and cheap too. Lots of critters have fallen to my 22 and Aquila.

 

[Ash]

Yes, the Aquila Super Calibri rounds can certainly to the job. I've gone through a few boxes over the years. Now I have owned a Benjamin 397 (.177 pump action) for a few years, but have never shot anything but paper targets, and cans. Though it is plenty accurate enough for small varmint control.

 

[gregkl]

Yeah, there are some .22 rounds that are quiet but I think if you were caught shooting them in the neighborhood, the arresting officer won't accept that it was a lower power round. I am not sure about the various city ordinances but can't you legally shoot a pellet gun on your property if you live in a neighborhood?

 

[churchmouse]

Yeah, there are some .22 rounds that are quiet but I think if you were caught shooting them in the neighborhood, the arresting officer won't accept that it was a lower power round. I am not sure about the various city ordinances but can't you legally shoot a pellet gun on your property if you live in a neighborhood?

We shoot ours all the time. Never a problem.
Now, if we were shooting a .22 and had a FTF with LEO......well, you know how that is going to end.

 

[Squirt239]

I just bought a Crosman 1077 from Meijer in Whitestown/Anson/Zionsville. It was originally 79.99, on clearance for 47.49. I had a $5 off coupon, so I paid $42 for it. It is CO2 powered, has a 12 shot rotary magazine.

First thing I did when I got it home was clean it and look on the interwebs for mods for it. I came across this website ( Air Gun Home :: View topic - Modding the Crosman 1077 ) and did all the mods the guy suggested. My groups with it are the size of a pea at 5 meters. I have not used a chrony yet, but I imagine with the mods made, I'm around 700fps. It's definitely not what the Gamo or Beeman rifles are doing, but for my purpose, it works great.

 

[FireBirdDS]

An air rifle would definitely be preferred for taking out intruding critters that have infiltrated inside the house.