The Official Airgun Thread v1.0

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sh00ter

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Why don’t you just go to your first post on this thread, click on Thread Tools, click on Edit Title and rename it The Official Airgun Thread——— Voila, you have an Airgun Forum/Thread.

DONE!!! - and with that, let me contribute further to this thread now. Some of what I have learned on my recent "rediscovering airguns journey" through research & some of my own observations is below:

- lighter pellets at close range can have as much or more FPE (& FPS) than heavier pellets of the same caliber, but more quickly lose power with distance compared to heavier pellets & can be less accurate in more powerful guns

- The higher velocity guns prefer heavier pellets for both accuracy & power (not necessarily the heaviest available though; only PCP guns are made for the true heavies). A good rule is lighter pellets for weaker guns, medium for medium guns & heavy for high-powered guns

- round-head pellets are generally superior to all others of the same grain weight when it comes to maintaining power (FPS & FPE) for longer shots

- .177 cal shoots flatter than .22 & more economical for pinking, but .22 more resistant to wind & of course has more power for hunting in most cases (some .177 can be comparable power for closer shots depending on what you are shooting it out of, and the weight of the ammo)

- if I was only going to own one caliber air gun, of course it would be .177 as it really can do it all for most people, especially if plinking is number one on the list. If you do use it to pest or hunt and have the right .177 rig for the job, and keep the shots at the right distance for you gun and the game size small, then I see no need for the .22 (I just had to have both though LOL)

- hollow point pellets won't expand unless they have plenty of velocity behind them, and they do not penetrate as well as other kinds of pellets of the same weight, especially at a distance

- HP & wad cutters still probably the best option for closer shots on smaller game for pesting & hunting because they won't over penetrate and expend more energy into the target

- I mainly kill cans & paper with air guns...I don't shoot animals just for fun (I am a hunter though), and I'd never shoot medium or larger game (coons, jackrabbits, etc.) with an airgun unless I had no other choice. Some of my research has been disturbing to say the least on people torturing animals because they don't have the right rig to take them humanely (big-bore hog hunters are not included; off soap box now, I feel better LOL)
 

1mathom1

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I just ordered a Umarex Origin .22 PCP. This will be my first PCP, we'll see if I can handle the pumping.


I am working on setting up a PCP system using an airtank to refill the gun's tanks. Some fire stations will fill them for you if the tank is up on it's specs. If you take it to a scuba shop, the tank must be labelled "For Airgun Use Only" if you do not have a scuba license. I have seen a high pressure compressor in the $280 range but know nothing of the quality.
 

chuter

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I am working on setting up a PCP system using an airtank to refill the gun's tanks. Some fire stations will fill them for you if the tank is up on it's specs. If you take it to a scuba shop, the tank must be labelled "For Airgun Use Only" if you do not have a scuba license. I have seen a high pressure compressor in the $280 range but know nothing of the quality.
Yeah, I know about those options, and if I really get into PCP's I'll probably get my own compressor.
This gun comes packaged with a pump and it's supposed to take fewer pumps to get up to pressure than some guns.
I can use the exercise, but then again I'm old, so we'll see.
 

sh00ter

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I'm sure I will eventually make it to PCP, but when I spend money on stuff like air guns, I tend toward something that would remain useful if SHTF and not be an expensive wall ornament. PCP is for normal times and times ain't normal LOL...A good pump gun could feed you for years which is why I got the 2289 with the removable stock (same concept as the 10/22 take down model but quieter). The the CO2's guns are cheap, good for training and plinking, and I don't mind those becoming useless as much as a 1000 dollar compressor and 500 dollar PCP rifle. But, eventually I'll get around to them, I just need to work through the CO2 & pumps first...not a fan of break barrels as much but they are an economical way to get more power for sub 30 yard hunting shots. I stick to the gas rams for those kind for my plinking hobby, as the "springers" are harder to shoot, but I've had 2 out of 3 gas ram break barrels fail almost right out of the box so far. If you get a break barrel for SHTF, then I'd still get a springer as they should last longer as long as you have some oil to maintain them. If I was a serious air gun hunter, I know I'd eventually be using PCP for that if I could.

For those who don't care much about airguns as a hobby, and just want the cheapest way to have a SHTF air gun, the Daisy 880 is still by far the best bang for the buck on 10 pumps w/ pellets (the Winchester 77xs is same gun with more power for more money so better if you can afford it)...I never shoot BB's out of anything with a rifled barrel; if you want a cheap plinker pump for BB's, get a Daisy 35 or Crosman 760 which both have a smooth bore but decent power, AND you could still use a pellet through them to kill a rat (I used my 35 for that as already mentioned earlier in the thread). Heck, the 35 was less than 30 bux last I got mine, if you want to plink w/ BB's on the cheap and be able to take small game for SHTF with ONE GUN, that might be the best option (it is also shorter than the 880)...I am all over the place but it really matters your budget and intended purpose(s).

I'm not even sure if "air gun hunting" is legal in OK? If so, I'd probably do some squirrel hunting.
 
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chuter

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As far as being legal is concerned, yes, but consult the regs for the game you're hunting.
Legal means of taking for squirrel and rabbit include 'air-propelled missile'.
 

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