Air Rifle vs 22 Rim Fire Rifle?

[Baby Grand]

I've been looking long and hard at the Benjamin Marauder air rifle after plinking with my friends a few weeks ago.
The eight shot magazine and .25 cal ammo gives it some varmint cred.
Crosman | Airguns | Rifles | PCP | Marauder Rifle (.25)

 

[bilrus61]

Ok for ground squirrels and plinking I would reccomend a HW50s in .177. Enough power and quiet. Very accurate and German made. Don't be suckered into those 1200 FPS air guns. They only get that speed if your shooting ultra light pellets and even then they usually never get that fast. They are loud and hold sinsitive. The HW50s is deadly accurate and not too heavy and fun fun fun to shoot. Get a nice scope for it also. Its made like they used to make stuff. Very fine rifle.

If your shooting a .22 get some Eley subsonic HP ammo. Very quiet and very effective. Shoot off some fireworks year round (national compact utility tractor day!!) and the neighbors might get accustom to noises from your ranch.

 

[veemaxx]

Ok for ground squirrels and plinking I would reccomend a HW50s in .177. Enough power and quiet. Very accurate and German made. Don't be suckered into those 1200 FPS air guns. They only get that speed if your shooting ultra light pellets and even then they usually never get that fast. They are loud and hold sinsitive. The HW50s is deadly accurate and not too heavy and fun fun fun to shoot. Get a nice scope for it also. Its made like they used to make stuff. Very fine rifle.

If your shooting a .22 get some Eley subsonic HP ammo. Very quiet and very effective. Shoot off some fireworks year round (national compact utility tractor day!!) and the neighbors might get accustom to noises from your ranch.

I second what bilrus61 said, I have had a RWS 48 for over 20 years and it gets all the use over my .22's. For rabbits and squirrels it works fine in .17 caliber out to 40 or 50 yards, I only take head shots and it is that accurate. I believe mine shoots regular crossman pellets at 1100 fps which breaks the sound barrier. Pure poison on ground squirrels too and fun to shoot.

 

[like2wheel]

I second what bilrus61 said, I have had a RWS 48 for over 20 years and it gets all the use over my .22's. For rabbits and squirrels it works fine in .17 caliber out to 40 or 50 yards, I only take head shots and it is that accurate. I believe mine shoots regular crossman pellets at 1100 fps which breaks the sound barrier. Pure poison on ground squirrels too and fun to shoot.

I've had the same gun for about that long, & can vouch for everything said here. Buy a good scope specifically made for air rifles for best results.

 

[ultrarunner]

Poison is no longer an option because the area is an endangered species habitat... at least it became one recently!

If I'm out and about and look in any direction it won't take long to see one the little guys scampering around... and boy can they dig!

Any preference between breach, pump or cartridge?

(Have not did a search yet on the recommendations)

PS Is it still true that an air rifle is not considered a firearm or are they all lumped together now?

 

[blackdog2086]

Poison is no longer an option because the area is an endangered species habitat... at least it became one recently!

If I'm out and about and look in any direction it won't take long to see one the little guys scampering around... and boy can they dig!

Any preference between breach, pump or cartridge?




(Have not did a search yet on the recommendations)

PS Is it still true that an air rifle is not considered a firearm or are they all lumped together now?

All pellet guns are considered firearms, but what is required for ownership will vary from state to state. Some consider any with rifled barrels a weapon that needs BATF paperwork. The biggest issue with that, is you can't just buy one online and have it shipped to your house. You have to actually go to a licensed firearm dealer and fill out paperwork.

And on that note, I will try not to turn this into a "big government with too much control over the people" rant.

 

[bumperm]

I've been looking long and hard at the Benjamin Marauder air rifle after plinking with my friends a few weeks ago.
The eight shot magazine and .25 cal ammo gives it some varmint cred.
Crosman | Airguns | Rifles | PCP | Marauder Rifle (.25)

The Marauder gets really good reviews and is one of the more popular pre-charged air rifles now. I bought mine in .22 cal from Pyramid Air on-line. The .25 has more muzzle energy, but far less pellet choice and more expense than the .22 pellets. One real advantage of the Marauder is the built in "shroud and suppressor" - since it's non removable in the sense it cannot be used on a firearm, it doesn't come under the NFA rules. It really does make the gun a lot quieter (just about the same noise level as my .22 rimfire shooting sub-sonics with a suppressor - the loudest sound is the bullet or pellet hitting the target.

Besides the economics of shooting pellets vs rimfire, the pellet gun is legal to shoot in many instances where a firearm would not be. However, a .22 rimfire has several times the energy, shooting a 37 grain sub-sonic round at >900 fps vs my Marauder shooting an 18.3 grain pellet at >900fps. So with the pellet gun, shot placement is more critical for clean kills.

bumper

 

[Tor Arne]

I have a Hatsan mod 70 that I use. It is fitted with a Aspect 3x9 telescopic sight and CZ rifle mounting, the assembly intended for general air gun does not withstand the recoil this air rifle supplies This is the first air rifle I've seen that kicks you in the shoulder when you shoot. CA 300 m / s velocity of the bullet depending on the type of bullet, recommend promethouse pellet with rubber gasket which I have found very effective. The bird I hunt is mainly Black-billed magpie which in principle are garbage cans with wings and can make a huge mess.

 

[forgeblast]

Air Guns and Airsoft Guns | Your Source for Air Guns and Air Gun Accessories has tons of reviews. I have a .177 that my daughter shoots. I was between a .22 and .177 but I just wanted it for target so I did not get the .22
IZH-Baikal IZH 61 Target Pro Air Rifle. Air rifles - PyramydAir.com is the one we have. Its a nice little shooter. I would sign up for their email, you get promos, and 10% coupons and buy 3 get one free ammo.

 

[dmccarty]

I have an RWS 52 or 54, I can't remember exactly but I am pretty sure it was the same rifle as the 48 except with a better finish. I bought a scope for the rifle, and if you, make sure you buy a cope designed for a pellet rifle.

The RWS is very, very accurate. We can consistently hit plastic soda tops at 45-60 feet. I suppose we could go for longer range but we never have tried. The rifle is a .22 and it certainly would kill small game. The side cocking takes some strength, 39 pounds according to the website, and I would say that is about right. The rifle is quieter than a .22 LR but the pellet gun does make noise due to the spring. You don't need hearing protection but the rifle is not quiet.

Later,
Dan