Are Air rifles the pacifier or alternative to ammo availability & cost?

[steve123]

I have a 10/22 with an AAC element and can get away with shooting it in my yard. Segmented hollow points help... but more often than not I reach for one of my Theobens. The shape of the pellet keeps it from carrying very far at all and its only a 30 foot pound gun to begin with. This groundhog was taken at 50 yards. I knew by the sound of the impact that I hit my mark; a perfect eye shot. It really stacks the pellets out to 70 yards.

Great shot Henry, right through the eye! Thanks for posting here.

 

[steve123]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the info on the scope. I know what you're saying about the S&B, once you look through good glass, its hard to go back. I wish there were more affordable FFP mil/mil scope choices out there. You'd think somebody could do one at $400 or $500 that would be a winner... like how the old bushnell 4200 6-24's used to be an easy choice back in the day...Definitely give us a full report if you do go for that March scope!
My Ev2 is below. Its a very rare lefty! Its a 12fpe gun and does 800fps with 8.4g jsb's for 100 shots per fill. 12fpe is great for the 45yds I have in my yard -the wind keeps things from getting boring at 12fpe. I think the Ev2 is one of the best options out there in a 12fpe gun. Super reliable and a very well thought out design...and it shoots as well as you would expect...
Did you shoot the HFT match today? How'd the panther shoot for you? I'm down in Raton right now. Looks like its going to be a mud bath out there tomorrow!

That's a really nice looking air rifle! I shot a EV2 once and had always wanted one since. That's a gap in my airgun arsenal, 12ftflbs.

Thanks for the pic.

Oh BTW, some of us from Arizona are coming out to the SRM next month. If you end up coming too lets squad up together.

 

[steve123]

how'd you do?

i like the look and setup of FT and would love to get a match together in my area, however i got a ton of irons in the fire and really can't get a course going.

i did get a prelim AR silhouette 20 pellet match going after my SB ones. as it's the same day and pretty much the same portion of the club's range, it's not too much more work to get going. shot 12 of 20 targets on my first go. amazing how one can hit them good in the yard or during practice, but when the timer goes off....can't hit $hit. with the silhouette nationals going relatively close, most of the "regulars" were there, so can't really get a bead on how popular it may be.

will run them as fun matches the rest of the year, probably going to sanction them next year if the popularity is there.

You seem to be super active in your community and the SH community with running different shoots. The world needs more giving people like you and thanks for all your hard work promoting the shooting sports!



12/20 is pretty good. What was the high score ? It's been years since I shot a Silhouette match. You're making me want to go down to Phoenix this winter and get into it again, LOL.

FT is a relaxing a shooting sport as they come. I like not having to wear ear protection and catching up with my shooting buddy while were competing at the same time. Any time steel is falling it's a good time!

Sorry guy's I was supposed to say weekend after next is the FT shoot. I shot the AZPRC long range match this weekend. We had a night shoot till midnight then got up early and shot the regular match. I'm tired! Somehow I came from behind on the last stage and pulled off a win??? Not much time lately to practice long range centerfire so the practice with the air rifles
payed off I guess.

 

[steve123]

I'm am thoroughly enjoying my Daystate Huntsman XL. Things changed downrange from my house that ended my suppressed rimfire shooting. We started talking about moving to another area, but family and friends started getting bummed out by the potential move. I talked to my wife about a quality PCP. Her comment was, "It's cheaper than moving. Get one on the way." It came in two weeks ago. I'm very pleased. Groups got very tiny after I figured out the best fill pressure to get 40 consistent shots. I've got spinners out to 50 yards and am hitting the 3/8 spinner repeatedly from the bench. After the initial learning curve I started on the house sparrows and black birds. (Black birds are good eating by the way.) The 15.9 JSBs smack them down with authority. Much more dramatic than my .177 spring guns. DRT.
Currently I'm working on setting up a Marauder Pistol with a Marmot Militia stock for the kids.
Good shooting. Good practice. Good fun.

That's gotta be a pretty gun. Pics please!

I never ate a blackbird. I think somebody would have to give me a couple tins of pellets just to give it a taste, LOL.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

thanks for the compliment. it's real easy to bite off more than you can chew, i just also volunteered to take on writing the shooting club's newsletter. worst part is about running too many things and trying to make them the best that i can within my means is not actually being able to shoot as much as you tend to be doin more rangework and paperwork. being a bit of a control / order freak doesn't help either.

sorry i mis-typed it was 12 out of 40, that changes things a bit, but i still didn't think that bad of a go of it. for this time out, it was only myself and another (ya i know, pretty lame) but most of whom wanted to do air rifles were at the nationals. i'll get a better feel for if it'll continue, but i learned some stuff for when the regulars come back for the next match, and was fun none the less.

congrats on your LR win.

 

[ScottyD]

That's a really nice looking air rifle! I shot a EV2 once and had always wanted one since. That's a gap in my airgun arsenal, 12ftflbs.

Thanks for the pic.

Oh BTW, some of us from Arizona are coming out to the SRM next month. If you end up coming too lets squad up together.

Hey Steve,

If you feel the need to fill the 12fpe gap in your collection, check out this new "FTP 900" that Air Arms just came out with:

Airgun forum: New offerings from Air Arms

I am planning on making it to the September match at Raton. I would be GREAT to squad up with you! Let's plan on it! I'm pleased to report that my air rifle "shooting-stick training" paid off yesterday. I was shocked because I managed to clean the stick stage yesterday! Wahoo! -That was some huge progress for me. I figured out how to shoot it sitting and use some FT tricks to help steady up my hold (I actually had my FT bum-bag stuffed in my pack all day and sat on my pack for that stage!). Too bad I was one step behind the wind the rest of the day and got my ass kicked otherwise... LOL! So over-all, my score sucked yesterday, but I can still be happy about that one stage! LOL!

Congrats on your win at the AZPRC match! What's that night portion of your shoot like? Are you guys using NV optics for that?

 

[steve123]

Hey Steve,

If you feel the need to fill the 12fpe gap in your collection, check out this new "FTP 900" that Air Arms just came out with:

Airgun forum: New offerings from Air Arms

I am planning on making it to the September match at Raton. I would be GREAT to squad up with you! Let's plan on it! I'm pleased to report that my air rifle "shooting-stick training" paid off yesterday. I was shocked because I managed to clean the stick stage yesterday! Wahoo! -That was some huge progress for me. I figured out how to shoot it sitting and use some FT tricks to help steady up my hold (I actually had my FT bum-bag stuffed in my pack all day and sat on my pack for that stage!). Too bad I was one step behind the wind the rest of the day and got my ass kicked otherwise... LOL! So over-all, my score sucked yesterday, but I can still be happy about that one stage! LOL!

Congrats on your win at the AZPRC match! What's that night portion of your shoot like? Are you guys using NV optics for that?

I stumbled across that FTP900 on youtube a while back. It does look like a winner! I need to reign myself in and quit spending money on anything but components for the rest of the year, LOL. We'll see what next year brings though.

Congrats on cleaning up on that stick stage! I really do believe that training with AG's helps. I'm glad you reminded me about the shooting stick stage at the SRM. I have a short torso and I have to kneel with the sticks on that stage. Kneeling for some reason is super uncomfortable for me, thus bad scores. My mongo friend was able to sit and shoot that stage. Bastard...just kidding, he got 4 of them that day. Yeah sounds like a good plan at the SRM.

Thanks, it was fun, almost too much for me though, Damn I'm getting old.
Through trial and error Brad has found that the best way to make the steels stand out is too paint them with reflective paint. He bought a bunch of cheap LED flashlights which are in front of the steels about 15 feet away and aimed right at them. It's a very good system! A illuminated reticle is crucial because of the time limits involved but it's possible to hit them without illume, the crosshair appears black against the steels and it takes alot of time to align the reticle and the steel. Nobody has used a NV scope that I know of so far. When the targets are hit they flash from the movement and we hear that pleasant ding in the distance. The course of fire is similar to the day shoots, just fewer shots. It was weird, almost no wind on Sat night, the scores were on the low side. At night we can't see where our misses are so we don't know how to correct for the next shot. We end up aiming high, low, left and right till we figure out some kind of a pattern.

 

[ScottyD]

I really do believe that training with AG's helps. I'm glad you reminded me about the shooting stick stage at the SRM. I have a short torso and I have to kneel with the sticks on that stage. Kneeling for some reason is super uncomfortable for me, thus bad scores. My mongo friend was able to sit and shoot that stage. Bastard...just kidding, he got 4 of them that day. Yeah sounds like a good plan at the SRM.

Thanks, it was fun, almost too much for me though, Damn I'm getting old.
Through trial and error Brad has found that the best way to make the steels stand out is too paint them with reflective paint. He bought a bunch of cheap LED flashlights which are in front of the steels about 15 feet away and aimed right at them. It's a very good system! A illuminated reticle is crucial because of the time limits involved but it's possible to hit them without illume, the crosshair appears black against the steels and it takes alot of time to align the reticle and the steel. Nobody has used a NV scope that I know of so far. When the targets are hit they flash from the movement and we hear that pleasant ding in the distance. The course of fire is similar to the day shoots, just fewer shots. It was weird, almost no wind on Sat night, the scores were on the low side. At night we can't see where our misses are so we don't know how to correct for the next shot. We end up aiming high, low, left and right till we figure out some kind of a pattern.

Steve,

That night shoot sounds like a good time. I wonder, did it come about because you guys wanted to shoot in the cooler temps at night? Do you generally see less wind at night as well? Not being able to spot my misses was killing me at Raton. Its been raining a ton at Raton lately (two stages completely flooded out this match!) and its gotten really lush and green down there. Usually you can count on some nice dry dust to kick up and tell you where your bad wind call ended up. This match shots were just disappearing in the lush muddy grass. It was brutal wasting shot after shot just guessing and trying to figure out a wind call!
I hear ya on those kneeling shots. I can't hit a f'ing thing from kneeling! LOL! Early this spring that log pile at the stick stage was high enough that I had to kneel. I saw the same thing from my 6'2" buddy -that bastard could still sit on the ground just fine! But now with some weathering, some rotting, and enough guys clipping the highest branches, that log pile is a lot lower now. You can get away with a little more there now. I'm only 5'8" and if I can sit on something I only need to come up 5 or 6" and I'm good from sitting now. I bet it'll be the same for you...

 

[steve123]

Steve,

That night shoot sounds like a good time. I wonder, did it come about because you guys wanted to shoot in the cooler temps at night? Do you generally see less wind at night as well? Not being able to spot my misses was killing me at Raton. Its been raining a ton at Raton lately (two stages completely flooded out this match!) and its gotten really lush and green down there. Usually you can count on some nice dry dust to kick up and tell you where your bad wind call ended up. This match shots were just disappearing in the lush muddy grass. It was brutal wasting shot after shot just guessing and trying to figure out a wind call!
I hear ya on those kneeling shots. I can't hit a f'ing thing from kneeling! LOL! Early this spring that log pile at the stick stage was high enough that I had to kneel. I saw the same thing from my 6'2" buddy -that bastard could still sit on the ground just fine! But now with some weathering, some rotting, and enough guys clipping the highest branches, that log pile is a lot lower now. You can get away with a little more there now. I'm only 5'8" and if I can sit on something I only need to come up 5 or 6" and I'm good from sitting now. I bet it'll be the same for you...

Yes, normally the wind dies down some for us at night. Cooler temps in the summer is part of the reason. I remember one time we froze our asses off though, LOL, it was windy too that night. Most of the reason for the night shoots are just to try something different and make a weekend of it. Brad being the funny guy he is makes us do a KYL of sorts at night sometimes. 3 shots per steel, if you hit the first two and miss the last one you loose all your points. Not just one either, like 5 of them, not easy in the daytime and nerve racking at night, LOL. BTW the closest shot is 385Y and longest 800Y and change.

Well at least it'll be pretty and green there in Raton! I do like knowing where my misses go. Hey I have a good idea for the stick stage! Lets use both our bum bags on top of each other, that should get us about 8" off the ground. That'l teach those mongo's a lesson, LOL.

 

[steve123]

Any news on the airgun front?

I ordered another 45 more round steel targets from Steelplinkers, 15 each- .625", 1" and 1.25". Also a 1" quadrant target for 45Y.

I'm planing on shooting Hunter Field Target next weekend with my Daystate Panther. Only problem is I don't have a side wheel for my SWFA 3-15. So I've been practicing ranging with the reticle on the kill zones. I can do pretty good till I get to 50Y and 55Y. The dope calls for .8 mil of holdover at 50Y and 1.1 mil at 55Y. It's kinda hard to distinguish .1 mil while trying to hold the rifle still enough to range especially if the kill zones aren't freshly painted. The parallax knob helps a little with trying to determine a distance, I can see a slight difference in it's setting from 50Y to 55Y but not much. Well it'll be a fun experiment anyway. Wish me luck.

The FT shoot was a lot of fun and shooting it in Hunter (HFT) division was a quite a education. I set the course up kind of hard this time, LOL. What happened in practice, referring to ranging the kill zones with the reticle, turned out to be really hard at the longer distances. 40Y to 55Y were giving me fits. After the match I came to the conclusion that to do the ranging with the reticle on 12x well would require a mono pod on the rear stock so I could hold the rifle still enough to accurately align the reticle and the KZ. I started off by missing the first two shots. The first target ,"1.5" KZ, was 42Y and I had ranged it at 49Y thus missing high. At the time I couldn't tell where I was hitting but made a lucky guess on the second target sitting just to the right of the first target, hitting on both shots. I got all the close targets which helped my score when it was all said and done by the end of the day.

Ranging with the reticle vs the side wheel...In contrast if I were using my S&B and using the big side wheel to range with I would have been within a yard of error. That's why the guys that shoot open FT typically have higher scores because there's less ranging error.

My Daystate Panther is working great, it's a hammer! When practicing at 50Y with the wind being down it'll shoot 1/2" pretty easily. I'm liking it more and more.

Here's a match report that Mark wrote.

FT forum: Airgunners of Arizona August Field Target Match Report

 

[bohem]

Well, this thread as well as some discretionary income have pushed me "full retard" into trying the precision air rifle market.

I have a Kalibrguns Cricket Rifle (not bullpup) inbound from Topgun right now. I opted for the 22c version because I wanted more punch because the air rifle will be pulling dual duty for thwacking rodents and shooting "distance" in the back yard (I have 102yd from the deck to the backstop).

Libertyman777 did a review on the rifle during a stop-over prior to my taking posession, with unsorted JSB 18gr pellets he was able to put together a 50m 15shot agg <0.5" with the "screamer" under 0.3" for 5 shots.

So yeah... I'm looking forward to it, I'll have to see how loud it is with the factory moderator on there, I may rebuild it myself with new parts/baffles after hearing it.

 

[JelloStorm]

I might have to for this year's small game season since I can't find any damn CCI 17HMR FMJ that my rifle likes.... anywhere even online....

 

[steve123]

Well, this thread as well as some discretionary income have pushed me "full retard" into trying the precision air rifle market.

I have a Kalibrguns Cricket Rifle (not bullpup) inbound from Topgun right now. I opted for the 22c version because I wanted more punch because the air rifle will be pulling dual duty for thwacking rodents and shooting "distance" in the back yard (I have 102yd from the deck to the backstop).

Libertyman777 did a review on the rifle during a stop-over prior to my taking posession, with unsorted JSB 18gr pellets he was able to put together a 50m 15shot agg <0.5" with the "screamer" under 0.3" for 5 shots.

So yeah... I'm looking forward to it, I'll have to see how loud it is with the factory moderator on there, I may rebuild it myself with new parts/baffles after hearing it.

Nice!

Hey man, that's a great air rifle. I shot one of the carbine versions when I was in CA earlier this year and liked it a lot.

Going "full retard" is going to net you tons of fun and welcome to the world of PCP airguns!

FYI, Ben from steelplinkers.com makes very high quality steel targets and he is down right cheap on his prices. I bought a couple quadrant targets and 75 custom made round steels in six different sizes. 15- .625", 15- 1", 15 1.25", 10- 1.5", 10- 2" and 10-2.5" and spent less than $200 including shipping. What a bargain!

 

[bohem]

That's pretty solid for those targets. I'm probably going to just use paper with homemade pellet traps full of electrical goo so that my neighbors aren't hearing "tink... tink... tink..." all the time wondering what I'm doing.

I may change that up in the future as I understand more about my neighbors (or in the winter months when windows are closed), I appreciate the heads up on them. How thick are they? 1/8" would be my guess.

 

[NickS510]

Hi guys, I'm new to your forum-not sure where introduce myself so I'll do it here if that's ok.
I used to do a lot of long range CF many years ago and then stopped and went over to archery for about 19yrs. I've stopped that and gone over to airrifles and been at it for 4 yrs. I only do long range shooting and have found that even a 12fpe pcp is capable of astounding accuracy at 110yrds.
I now have an Airforce Condor .22 that I've had for about 2yrs and I'm quite comfortable out to 170yrds-always wind dependent.
Here's a link to Youtube where I was shooting at airrifle silhouettes at 110yrds with an Air Arms s400.
S400 silouette 100m - YouTube

Atb Nick

 

[steve123]

That's pretty solid for those targets. I'm probably going to just use paper with homemade pellet traps full of electrical goo so that my neighbors aren't hearing "tink... tink... tink..." all the time wondering what I'm doing.

I may change that up in the future as I understand more about my neighbors (or in the winter months when windows are closed), I appreciate the heads up on them. How thick are they? 1/8" would be my guess.

They are 3/16th's thick. I tried them for the 22 rimfire past 100Y and they worked fine, little dimples at 100Y and past that nada.

Cutting some 2x4's and 2x2's into squares makes for some pretty quiet reactive targets.

 

[ctressler]

electrical goo

What is this goo and where do you purchase it?

 

[Kiba]

What is this goo and where do you purchase it?

Duct seal makes a great silent pellet trap. You can get it at your local electrical supplier or at Home Depot or Lowe's in the electrical aisle, usually in 1lb bricks.

Shop IDEAL 1 Lb. Block Duct Seal at Lowes.com

Build a box of some sort and line the back with duct seal. Depending on the energy level of your air rifle and the range you'll be shooting at you might need more than one layer of the stuff. One layer is more than sufficient for my IZH-46m 10M pistol at point blank ranges but my .25 Edgun goes all the way through one layer and leaves a dent in the back of the trap at 30Y.

Sent another deposit into Tony about a month ago, I'm on the list for Edgun #4-- this time a .25 multishot (rotary mag.) Going to try it for a while alongside my current single shot Edgun .25 and keep whichever one I like best. If the mags are reliable and don't ding up the pellet skirts (affecting accuracy) I have a feeling I'll be keeping the multishot.

 

[bohem]

Steve, thanks.

I'm tempted to just buy a sheet and take it to my local laser/water cutting place and see what the quote would be to bust out a bunch of them for me. I might even do a group buy of them to help defray costs, it's cheap material and cheap time, the setup fee is what will kill ya on stuff like this.

 

[NickS510]

..Double post..

 

[bohem]

Here's a place that has 5lb blocks about $0.80/lb cheaper than lowes and free shipping over $50

5 lb. Duct Seal

 

[steve123]

Hi guys, I'm new to your forum-not sure where introduce myself so I'll do it here if that's ok.
I used to do a lot of long range CF many years ago and then stopped and went over to archery for about 19yrs. I've stopped that and gone over to airrifles and been at it for 4 yrs. I only do long range shooting and have found that even a 12fpe pcp is capable of astounding accuracy at 110yrds.
I now have an Airforce Condor .22 that I've had for about 2yrs and I'm quite comfortable out to 170yrds-always wind dependent.
Here's a link to Youtube where I was shooting at airrifle silhouettes at 110yrds with an Air Arms s400.
S400 silouette 100m - YouTube

Atb Nick

Welcome to the forum Nick!

Thanks for the video BTW. I have very similar results by the looks of it. I tried shooting at 135Y with my FX Royale with JSB 18 grainers at 2.5" steels and had about 60% hits in light winds. 100Y was 9/10 in the same conditions.

 

[steve123]

Steve, thanks.

I'm tempted to just buy a sheet and take it to my local laser/water cutting place and see what the quote would be to bust out a bunch of them for me. I might even do a group buy of them to help defray costs, it's cheap material and cheap time, the setup fee is what will kill ya on stuff like this.

Hey if you end up doing that I'd like to buy some more steels for the rimfire.

 

[steve123]

I might have to for this year's small game season since I can't find any damn CCI 17HMR FMJ that my rifle likes.... anywhere even online....

Let us know if you end up getting a air rifle.

I shot a rock squirrel at 55Y last week, found it lying DRT on the other side of the rock it was on, high chest shot.

 

[NickS510]

Thanx for the welcome Steve. The Fx Royal is another brilliant airrifle for long range shooting. I've spent a lot of time working on getting a hit with the first shot at any distance, mainly for starling and crow eradication. I have a click chart that marks my distances on the aplicable mildots. Targets are ranged and then its just compensating for the wind. I regularly hammer starlings at 100-170yrds with my Condor. I'm now working on 200yrds+. My mission in life to is to free the world of the devil birds. Have a look on Youtube-Long Range Nick, I've just started posting vids on long range EAI eradication-the vids are abit shaky, I'll take more care when making the next vids. The last vid posted was 105m headshot on a starling-unfortunately the part where it fell out of the air wasn't caught on video.
The idea of the vids are just to show what these airrifles are capable of as even airgunners who have been shooting for years didn't believe me-no bragging intended.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

if you guys go ahead with an AR sized silhouette target group buy (which is what i think you guys were talking about) i'd be in on a set or two depending on what the priice would be.

i got a set off ebay 1/10 size, they work rather well, but can use at least another 40 piece set for air rifle silhouette matches next year

the NRA site has drawings to provide

 

[steve123]

A few weeks ago I got all my numbers from 10 to 50 yards figured out with the aperture sights for my Steyr LGB1.

Here's the double check from 10Y-25Y. Take a look at the upper right corner of the target by the smiley face. It was funny because when I went up to see if I'd hit the fly I heard a faint buzzing, so faint it took me a while to locate it's source. I found the fly with it's ass shot off cleanly, the upper abdomen was perfectly intact and doing circles on the ground about six feet behind the target, LOL.

 

[woogie_man]

Could pics of the fwb300s. Shots were all at 10 meters, the last ave of heart was shot of hand.

Great rifle for around $550 shipped. Though once you shoot one of these you will be ruined when you try other air rifles.



Ok guys have a question about suppressing an air rifle. Been looking at getting another pcp but don't want the loud pop when shot. Now I currently have a sparrow for my .22Mr, and was wondering if this could be used on an air rifle. Want to know if it is ok to use or if it would hurt the can.

 

[NickS510]

A few weeks ago I got all my numbers from 10 to 50 yards figured out with the aperture sights for my Steyr LGB1.

Here's the double check from 10Y-25Y. Take a look at the upper right corner of the target by the smiley face. It was funny because when I went up to see if I'd hit the fly I heard a faint buzzing, so faint it took me a while to locate it's source. I found the fly with it's ass shot off cleanly, the upper abdomen was perfectly intact and doing circles on the ground about six feet behind the target, LOL.

That's some decent shooting Steve, I think we've all hammered a fly on a target at some stage.
My rifle gives me sub 1/2" at 55yrds and in perfect sub MOA at 110yrds but the problem is we very rarely get perfect conditions outdoors at long range. These groups were done at 55yrds.

 

[steve123]

That's some decent shooting Steve, I think we've all hammered a fly on a target at some stage.
My rifle gives me sub 1/2" at 55yrds and in perfect sub MOA at 110yrds but the problem is we very rarely get perfect conditions outdoors at long range. These groups were done at 55yrds.

Nice groups!

A friend has a Condor and with a 21 grain pellets he's getting like 1150 fps, man that thing is loud though. I tried to talk him into turning the power down but he likes to see that steel go flying.

For pellet gun I can get 200Y here at my property if shooting onto the forest service but I decided a while back I'd use the rimfire for past 130Y or so.

However, another friend just bought a FX Boss 30 cal. That might be worth trying farther out! He'll be coming over later this week. I'll give my thoughts on the Boss afterwards.

 

[steve123]

Could pics of the fwb300s. Shots were all at 10 meters, the last ave of heart was shot of hand.

Great rifle for around $550 shipped. Though once you shoot one of these you will be ruined when you try other air rifles.



Ok guys have a question about suppressing an air rifle. Been looking at getting another pcp but don't want the loud pop when shot. Now I currently have a sparrow for my .22Mr, and was wondering if this could be used on an air rifle. Want to know if it is ok to use or if it would hurt the can.

You reminded me to call and find out if my 300 is finished yet...breach seal eroded. Last time I talked to the gunsmith they had sent him the wrong seal kit, arg.

Yes, those are fine springers!

Sorry I cant answer your question about the suppressor.

 

[NickS510]

Nice groups!

A friend has a Condor and with a 21 grain pellets he's getting like 1150 fps, man that thing is loud though. I tried to talk him into turning the power down but he likes to see that steel go flying.

For pellet gun I can get 200Y here at my property if shooting onto the forest service but I decided a while back I'd use the rimfire for past 130Y or so.

However, another friend just bought a FX Boss 30 cal. That might be worth trying farther out! He'll be coming over later this week. I'll give my thoughts on the Boss afterwards.

Yes the Condors kick up a fuss at high power settings, in a confined area or amongst buildings it sounds like a large caliber rifle-not the .22 clap sound. My rifle delivers 90fpe at full power, wih some mods I could get 100fpe but I'll never use that kind of power.. I measured the .22 on the farm with CCI std velocity which delivered around 88fpe.

Steve it will be intersting to hear what you think about the Fx .30. In South Africa we're limted to .22 before we have to apply for a fire arms permit which is a schlep reserved for CF rifles, nobody here wants to go that route.

 

[NickS510]

Could pics of the fwb300s. Shots were all at 10 meters, the last ave of heart was shot of hand.

Great rifle for around $550 shipped. Though once you shoot one of these you will be ruined when you try other air rifles.



Ok guys have a question about suppressing an air rifle. Been looking at getting another pcp but don't want the loud pop when shot. Now I currently have a sparrow for my .22Mr, and was wondering if this could be used on an air rifle. Want to know if it is ok to use or if it would hurt the can.

Woogie, apologies I missed your post. Yes you can fit a .22 silencer to an airrifle, I had one on my first Condor. It was super silent and the only surpressor that could handle the high power levels.
Silencers aren't always effective on all rifles, it will be brilliant on one rifle but not very effective on the next.
My Condor currently has a silencer I designed that makes it as silent as a Air Arms 12fpe rifle. Its fantastic when hammering crows or starlings, very often I can get a second shot if I miss the first as coz they don't hear anything but the pellet which doesn't always send them flying after a miss.

 

[woogie_man]

That is good to know, thanks. Ben looking at possibly selling the 300s and put that money with some o have saved up and either get a nice target rifle, or jump back into the pcp side of things.

 

[steve123]

Yes the Condors kick up a fuss at high power settings, in a confined area or amongst buildings it sounds like a large caliber rifle-not the .22 clap sound. My rifle delivers 90fpe at full power, wih some mods I could get 100fpe but I'll never use that kind of power.. I measured the .22 on the farm with CCI std velocity which delivered around 88fpe.

Steve it will be intersting to hear what you think about the Fx .30. In South Africa we're limted to .22 before we have to apply for a fire arms permit which is a schlep reserved for CF rifles, nobody here wants to go that route.

I shot the 30 cal FX Boss today here at the house.

The recoil and noise level(slight with moderator) were on par with my 22 cal FX Royale, which I wasn't expecting.

The 30 cal pellets hit steel just like a standard velocity 22 rimfire! The trade off was less velocity-870 fps but more weight-46 grains.

Accuracy was fantastic with weight sorted pellets, like .3" at 75Y for 4 shots, for some reason a fifth shot would open the group to a inch??? This happened twice.

Farthest we shot was 120Y. I was able to hit the 2.5" steels just as often with my 22 cal FX Royale as he could with his Boss. This was in fairly windy and switching conditions. Seems like the Boss had some vertical issues when unsorted pellets were used. I couldn't tell any difference with the wind holds between both guns but the 30 cal has a small advantage I'm sure.

 

[NickS510]

I shot the 30 cal FX Boss today here at the house.

The recoil and noise level(slight with moderator) were on par with my 22 cal FX Royale, which I wasn't expecting.

The 30 cal pellets hit steel just like a standard velocity 22 rimfire! The trade off was less velocity-870 fps but more weight-46 grains.

Accuracy was fantastic with weight sorted pellets, like .3" at 75Y for 4 shots, for some reason a fifth shot would open the group to a inch??? This happened twice.

Farthest we shot was 120Y. I was able to hit the 2.5" steels just as often with my 22 cal FX Royale as he could with his Boss. This was in fairly windy and switching conditions. Seems like the Boss had some vertical issues when unsorted pellets were used. I couldn't tell any difference with the wind holds between both guns but the 30 cal has a small advantage I'm sure.

Thanx for the update Steve, if that FX .30 had the same power as the Condor it would be a brilliant 200-300yrd rifle. I've never owned a FX rifle but I hope to some day.
Below is a link to a vid of a FX .30 at long range.

FX Boss .30 CRUSHING Pest Birds (when I didn't miss) - YouTube

And here's a Condor/Talon at 1/4mile
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QV1caY8myfs&desktop_uri=/watch?v=QV1caY8myfs#

 

[steve123]

Thanks for the vid's Nick.

That was a pretty cool long range custom Airforce PCP! It sure makes a huge difference using a actual lead bullet with some BC too it vs a pellet. If I had my own 4 stage compressor and knew how to cast bullets I'd consider doing something like that just for the heck of it.

I used to have a Career 909. It was a PIA because there was only 6 shots per fill and it wasn't very accurate, 2" at 50Y.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

friggin sweet video. thanks man, that's real neat

 

[jbell]

Well I guess I can now contribute some to this thread. I am hoping to be able to start shooting Olympic Air comps again. I just picked up this Feinwerkbau 602 from a friend of my brothers who was a national level shooter. This rifle was selected at the factory for that purpose and matched to a specific pellet. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of 60 rounds offhand. The diopter was broken so I need to give Champ Choice a call for a new one but other than that the rifle is ready to go.





Factory test target (I am 99% sure it is 10 rounds at 10 meters)

 

[yoteman]

Well I guess I can now contribute some to this thread. I am hoping to be able to start shooting Olympic Air comps again. I just picked up this Feinwerkbau 602 from a friend of my brothers who was a national level shooter. This rifle was selected at the factory for that purpose and matched to a specific pellet. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of 60 rounds offhand. The diopter was broken so I need to give Champ Choice a call for a new one but other than that the rifle is ready to go.





Factory test target (I am 99% sure it is 10 rounds at 10 meters)

ol crap jbell, show some range targets when you can, i might have to take another look at those air pushers

 

[jbell]

I am going to order the iris today and also a pack of targets. I think it will take me a while to get back up to speed with the offhand shooting (I still need to get a coat and pants) but I will shoot it as soon as the rear sight is fixed and get you some info on how it shoots. However based on past experiences when you get a quality air rifle (Anschutz, Feinwerkbau, Walther, Steyr) they will out shoot most any shooter and day of the week. But then again look at how the 10M target is broken down in to the decimals with the electronic scoring system...

 

[steve123]

Nice 602, J! It looks a bit like your Sauer actually. Now you'll have a trainer for your trainer, LOL. Somewhere on this forum is pic of my Steyr LGB1 Biathlon trainer, because of it I got that 1827 Fortner rimfire.

A while back I ordered Champions Choices "clear" front aperture set. It's really helped center up the target because the lens has the floating circle and also I've noticed using the appropriate size aperture makes for a little less shot error.

Oh and get some JSB 8.4's to try in the 602. When the wind is down you'd be surprised how well it'll do at longer distances for a 6ftlb power level. My daughter and I were hitting airgun Silhouettes at 50-55 and 60 yards one calm morning with my Steyr.

 

[jbell]

HA, yes I suppose I do have a trainer for my trainer. It is quite crazy how the ergonomics on the FWB, Sauer, and my TRG are all so close... I just need to get the weights set up right on the FWB to match the other 2. I may also have to increase the trigger weight as much as I can so I don't get spoiled. IMO the Olympic air rifles have the best triggers on the planet. I may order some of those pellets to try but I have the specific pellet that was matched to this rifle at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs. However it is a 10m pellet. Do the domed pellets help with longer shots? I cant wait to get it up and running, I just need a coat and pants...

 

[steve123]

HA, yes I suppose I do have a trainer for my trainer. It is quite crazy how the ergonomics on the FWB, Sauer, and my TRG are all so close... I just need to get the weights set up right on the FWB to match the other 2. I may also have to increase the trigger weight as much as I can so I don't get spoiled. IMO the Olympic air rifles have the best triggers on the planet. I may order some of those pellets to try but I have the specific pellet that was matched to this rifle at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs. However it is a 10m pellet. Do the domed pellets help with longer shots? I cant wait to get it up and running, I just need a coat and pants...

Yep, there's a very noticeable difference at distance and very accurate.

My FWB 601 is in line for repair, going on a couple months now. I've had to be patient because I'm really wanting to shoot it!

 

[woogie_man]

The domed pellets will work better at longer ranges, due to the aerodynamic shape. Think of it like throwing a brick and a baseball at the same speed. Which will go further?
The wad cutter pellets ( flat heads ) are made for making nice clean little holes in paper. And they do a great job at that, and to be honest they do great on critters at closer range as well

In my FWB300s I have been shooting some 8.64 grain pellets and they are great! The 300s is shooting around the 6# mark as well, but I have hunted with others I have had in the past. With the accuracy of these things you don't need much more. Just a clear shot to the head and it is all over.

Take a look over at pyramydair.com for pellets. There when you buy three you get a tin for free! I know in my rifle it will shoot the Poly Preds very nice, and these are some great little hunting pellets.

 

[jbell]

Thanks for the info. I don't have much experience with air out side of 10m comps. I usually see Homer at Champion's Choice. But Ill get on google and start doing some research.

 

[steve123]

Well, this thread as well as some discretionary income have pushed me "full retard" into trying the precision air rifle market.

I have a Kalibrguns Cricket Rifle (not bullpup) inbound from Topgun right now. I opted for the 22c version because I wanted more punch because the air rifle will be pulling dual duty for thwacking rodents and shooting "distance" in the back yard (I have 102yd from the deck to the backstop).

Libertyman777 did a review on the rifle during a stop-over prior to my taking posession, with unsorted JSB 18gr pellets he was able to put together a 50m 15shot agg <0.5" with the "screamer" under 0.3" for 5 shots.

So yeah... I'm looking forward to it, I'll have to see how loud it is with the factory moderator on there, I may rebuild it myself with new parts/baffles after hearing it.

Bohem, liking that Cricket?

 

[steve123]

Speaking of the JSB 8.44's...

I decided to use them in our Field Target match this month in Hunter class. The rifle runs 900 fps with the 10.3 grain JSB pellets vs the 8.44's grain pellets going 1015 fps. I also changed my sight in distance to 40Y instead of the normal 30Y. Doing both gave me a .4 mil decrease in trajectory in drop from 30 to 55Y compared to the old 30Y zero and the 10.3's. I know that doesn't seem like much but believe me it made a big difference in being able to knock targets down!

Another thing I changed compared to last month is I used my S&B PMII 5-25/H59 instead of the SWFA 3-15. The Horus reticle, which is divided in .2 mil lines makes exact holdover/offs incredibly easy! And more significantly, the mil ranging "bracketing" lines above the horizontal crosshair worked waaaaay better for ranging distance with the reticle! Those lines are thin and the scope is so clear I could see whether a kill zone bracketed at 1 mil, .9, .8 or .7 mil. Oh, just so you know in hunter class the scope must remain on 12x with holdovers/holdoffs used only-no dialing.

With the S&B I tried using the side focus parallax/side wheel to judge range but past 35Y I was not able to get accurate enough readings to be very useful. In one of my earlier posts I mentioned that using the side wheel for ranging with the S&B would be easier, and it is on 25X - (usually within a yard) but not so much on 12X.

FT forum: Airgunners of Arizona September Field Target Match Report

If you ever get a chance try Field Target air rifle! I enjoy it as much or more than any type of shooting sport I've ever tried!

 

[bohem]

I'm really enjoying the Cricket. I haven't shot it in 2 weeks because I'm waiting for my SCUBA tank to get the 5yr Hydro cert done as well as annual VIP to fill it and the rifle is off-reg right now.

I'm using the 18gr JSB's but I shot some of the 25gr version and while they drop more, by about 60yd they're straighter and hit a lot harder.

 

[steve123]

I'm really enjoying the Cricket. I haven't shot it in 2 weeks because I'm waiting for my SCUBA tank to get the 5yr Hydro cert done as well as annual VIP to fill it and the rifle is off-reg right now.

I'm using the 18gr JSB's but I shot some of the 25gr version and while they drop more, by about 60yd they're straighter and hit a lot harder.

Yep, that's a real pain!

I'm thinking real hard about getting a shoebox compressor! I can only get my tank filled to 4100 psi when the owner of the dive shop happens to be around. The employees are only allowed to fill to 3000 psi.

I'm interested how well those 25 grainers group compared to the 18's.