Best bang for the buck air rifle?

bruno86

bruno86

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Minuteman
Oct 1, 2011
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Hick Town PA
#1
Well since im having a rough time finding reloading supplies and cant find 22LR anymore, i decided to get a nice air rifle. My question is, what is the best bang for the buck in air rifles? I want a good one that will last me a while. I grew up with an RWS but wondered what other options and models I should look at. Any help would be appreciated.

I never thought it would come to this where my trigger time would be spent behind an air rifle and the ammo that I have now for my big guns goes in the bank. Thanks guys.
 
#2
Definitely take a look at the Benjamin models, very accurate rifles that don't set you back too far ($125-450). Some are switch barrel and fire .177 as well as .22 pellets, making small game an easier task(find a rat infestation and start ambushing them).

As far as triggers go, they're hit and miss in my experience, unless you make the jump into higher end air rifles. I have a 7 year old Gamo 400 that I did some polishing on in the trigger group and it now has a predictable trigger, but still not great. The Benjamin's I've had we're much better out of the box, but required polishing as well.

Hope this helps!
 
#7
Spring air rifles are not the same as shooting a firearm. They need to be held so that they float a bit.

PCP or even air chamber pistons are more like firearms.
 
#8
bruno86 said:
Well since im having a rough time finding reloading supplies and cant find 22LR anymore, i decided to get a nice air rifle. My question is, what is the best bang for the buck in air rifles? I want a good one that will last me a while. I grew up with an RWS but wondered what other options and models I should look at. Any help would be appreciated.

I never thought it would come to this where my trigger time would be spent behind an air rifle and the ammo that I have now for my big guns goes in the bank. Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Haha, "bang for the buck" is very subjective!

How far away do you plan on shooting with it? How much noise is tolerable where you live? Will you be hunting with it? What is your budget?

Springers...

I much prefer springers with a fixed barrel, they have been the most accurate for me.

Here's a few airguns I have experience with.

Air Arms TX200 is at 13-14 flbs. Can be had in 17, 20 and 22 caliber. More of a lower powered hunting rifle and not bad for general purposes like target work.

FWB300 is at 6 ftlbs, 17 cal and a old Olympic match rifle. A head shot on small game at closer distances will kill. Very well made, accurate, forgiving, ergonomic and with a nice trigger.

My FWB601 is a single pump pneumatic, 6flbs 17 cal and is also older Olympic match rifle. Another level of refinement above the 300. FWB made the 600 through 603 I believe, 602-603=same rifles but with upgraded safety features. The recoil impulse is less than any air rifle I've shot. It's a little front heavy which is my only dislike.

Here's link to other single pump Olympic rifles of that era. Walther LGR - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


PCP's...

For a lower budget the Benjamin Maurader is probably a good pick although accuracy is hit and miss with them especially with the newer ones.

Seems like the mid priced PCP's all compete well with each other. FX, AirArms, BSA, etc.
 
#9
Im mainly going to be using it for pest control and shooting between 30-70 yards if its able to. I have no real experience with air rifles other than an RWS34 and an old Crossman. I have no clue about PCP air rifles. I do like the looks and the multi shot ability but the thought of lugging around a pump that also take about 5-10 minutes to pump one up for approximately 20 shots doesn't seem practical for me. Noise isn't really an issue for me. Price really isn't an issue either if I get a good gun whatever it may be. I was starting to look at the RWS460 magnum in .22. I really like the Air Arms Pro Sport also but doesn't really seem to have a lot of power. All the PCP's seem to have a lot of power for further shots but the though of having to pump one up bothers me.
 
#10
I've been having a hard time resisting buying a Stoeger ATACS to deal with the squirrel problem around Casa JV. An integrally-suppressed, subsonic (with lead pellets), .22 air rifle ought to be big medicine on tree rats out to 50m. or so...
 
#11
bruno86 said:
Im mainly going to be using it for pest control and shooting between 30-70 yards if its able to. I have no real experience with air rifles other than an RWS34 and an old Crossman. I have no clue about PCP air rifles. I do like the looks and the multi shot ability but the thought of lugging around a pump that also take about 5-10 minutes to pump one up for approximately 20 shots doesn't seem practical for me. Noise isn't really an issue for me. Price really isn't an issue either if I get a good gun whatever it may be. I was starting to look at the RWS460 magnum in .22. I really like the Air Arms Pro Sport also but doesn't really seem to have a lot of power. All the PCP's seem to have a lot of power for further shots but the though of having to pump one up bothers me.
Click to expand...

Do you have any friends or family that work at the fire station? They have compressors that'l fill a scuba tank. How about a dive shop. Or a paint ball store, sometimes they use compressed air.

Buying 2-3 scuba tanks and having them filled next time you go to the big city.

Last try would be buying a shoebox compressor. If money isn't a issue that will solve a lot problems for you. PCP's are amazing in so many ways! You won't believe the quality and engineering that a high quality PCP has, seriously. They make most of the firearms out there seem poorly made. I like PCP's way more than spring air rifles for many reasons.

Here's my wifes Mac1 USFT with it's 12 shot 51 yard test target that was sent with the rifle.

and mine

My Daystate Panther


Probably the most versatile air rifle I own is a FX Royale 400. PCP, 22cal, 12 shot repeater, 3 power levels to choose from - 12ftlbs, 20 ftlbs and 30 ftlbs. There are advantages to having adjustable power. low power is great for shooting indoors in the winter or letting kids plink with, and has a huge amount of shots per fill, about 150 shots in my Royale. 30 ftlbs still gets 90 shots per fill. I shoot it at 100Y often and have shot .6" groups with it at that range. It'll knock over a Jackrabbit DRT too.

If you want more powder get a 25 or 30 cal PCP. The FX boss 30 cal hits like a 22rf standard velocity - 46 grain pellet at 875 fps.

Airguns of Arizona is a good place to shop.

FX Airguns » The Royale 400
 
#13
#14
If money isn't an issue and hunting is the primary use then I suggest EdGun Matador either .22 or .25 long. If I had to pick 1 I would take .25. Either way I would shoot JSB ExactJumbo Heavy(18.1) in .22 & Exact King(25.4) in .25 pellets for the best accuracy out to 100 yards. They are PCP and require a pump(hand pump works fine) and you can expect 70 shots at 890fps. Don't let the looks fool you, they are extremely accurate.

Air guns | EDgun: ?????????????? ???????? ? ?????????
 
#15
You have to ask yourself if you want long range accuracy or convenience? PCP = long range accuracy PERIOD.

PCP's are great because you can adjust the power(not all allow this) to infinite settings allowing you to find the power that is best for the pellet you select. Yes, each pellet will have a speed range where it's long range accuracy is best. Getting a PCP with little adjustment or set adjustments limits which pellets you can shoot.

In 22 and 25 call the JSB exact pellets are generally the most accurate when at a speed of ~890-895fps. Inside of 50 yards you can dial it up and still have effective hunting accuracy.


bruno86 said:
Im mainly going to be using it for pest control and shooting between 30-70 yards if its able to. I have no real experience with air rifles other than an RWS34 and an old Crossman. I have no clue about PCP air rifles. I do like the looks and the multi shot ability but the thought of lugging around a pump that also take about 5-10 minutes to pump one up for approximately 20 shots doesn't seem practical for me. Noise isn't really an issue for me. Price really isn't an issue either if I get a good gun whatever it may be. I was starting to look at the RWS460 magnum in .22. I really like the Air Arms Pro Sport also but doesn't really seem to have a lot of power. All the PCP's seem to have a lot of power for further shots but the though of having to pump one up bothers me.
Click to expand...
 
#19
U need to check out Arizona Airguns and Pyramid websites and listen to steve123
You can experiment with springers but you will end up with PCP's if you sre a serious
shooter as are most on this site. If money isn't a problem, skip the experimentation
stage and get an FX, Daystate, Cricket, or Edgun. They resell like a GAP; if you wish to
compete you will best be served with a field target weapon like Steves personal stuff.
 
#23
bruno86 said:
How about the Airforce line? Been looking at the Condor SS now as well.
Click to expand...

It's not a bad air rifle. A friend of mine has the regular condor. It does 1.25" groups at 50Y with heavy 22 cal pellets going 1150 fps on it's highest setting. Slowed down to subsonic it would probably shoot better. Airforce doesn't have a regulator so there is a fill pressure range where the shots will be more consistent along with velocity. You can find that range with a chrongraph and then fill more often.
 
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