Airgun for Varmints?

[_CY_]

I think it would depend on his age, size, and experience. What’s his price point?

PCPs would be out for me due to cost of gun/pump easy to spend a grand here. To me a hunting rifle is a better youth choice. These can take down deer size game.

A gun at Walmart may be his best choice IMO. Hard to beat a Gamo, Beeman, or Sheridan. I’d get .22 cal for the cost/benefit myself. Most of these guns are rated with light pellets, I shoot lead. You should be able to get a good one for $99 to $150. .22 cal should be rated around 900 fps.

Here’s the two I own, these guns are as heavy as a real rifle and built that way as well, These guns will last a lifetime. The 48 is very easy to cock, the 34 is like any other break barrel, not bad but takes some effort.

I also have .177 and a .22 cal from Walmart that are fine. The difference is quality and the triggers. The accuracy to me would be a comparison between a semiautomatic and a bolt.

The real advantage to the .177 to me would be many brands let you shoot bbs as well for cheap plinking.


my .02

https://thegunzone.com/diana-rws-34-review/
https://www.thebestairrifle.com/top-air-rifle-300-diana-rws-34-wt06-trigger/
The sidewinders are easy to cock.

https://www.thebestairrifle.com/editors-pick-400-diana-rws-48-t06-trigger/

got air rifles running out of my ears .. Diana air rifles has always delivered max value.
had a number of RWS in the past. beeman R1 in .22 with custom macari stock is my fav for squirrel. but quit killing squirrels cause I never enjoyed eating em ..

it's always about ft lb energy .. beeman was the one that started arms race by bragging beeman R1 could do 1,000 fps .. never mind that was achieved with super light pellets. but R1 truly was the first magnum air rifle sold in America. also have R1 in .177 pretty heavy air rifle.

growing up in Tulsa we had an old pump up benjamin ..
what I shot the most is an old beeman R7 with trigger set to 1lb 8oz .. or same as my deer hunting rifle .270 at same 1lb 8oz.

firm believer in getting trigger time with air rifles ..

 

[_CY_]

mac 1 hunter 22 pcp at 50 yards.
jsb pellets
12 yrs ago
paper squares are 1 inch
wobbly wood bench
camera taped to stock for vid.
damn that was fun.

now that's a super nice air rifle. mac1 has always delivered innovative designs.
high end PCP can cost $$$ setting up with carbon tanks, etc etc
my one off custom PCP with electric trigger in .22 hits hard, whisper quiet where pellet impact is louder than air rifle.

have not set up video screen (too many projects), which looks super fun ..

 

[_CY_]

forgot to add my affordable pick for small critters.
was going to say a sheridan rocker safety blue streak (got 20+ pump up) which used to be $75 to $125 range for a nice example. now I'm in shock $$ at people are asking.

now don't know what to suggest .. perhaps what @ttown suggested may be the best pick .. Airgun for Varmints?

 

[Firemedic712]

forgot to add my affordable pick for small critters.
was going to say a sheridan rocker safety blue streak (got 20+ pump up) which used to be $75 to $125 range for a nice example. now I'm in shock $$ at people are asking.

now don't know what to suggest .. perhaps what @ttown suggested may be the best pick .. Airgun for Varmints?

We have a hatsan airtact .25 break barrel. I bet it would do the job on anything smaller than coyote. It hits hard

 

[_CY_]

We have a hatsan airtact .25 break barrel. I bet it would do the job on anything smaller than coyote. It hits hard

wow .. $170 amazon with claimed 24fpe (user says 20pfe) .. that's hard hitting power for an break barrel air gun .. what's cocking force?

long ago I used to have Beeman Crow Magnum .25 cal .. that was a bad ass air rifle and would break scopes. cocking force was about 47lb or way too heavy for a small youth.

 

[John6185]

Speaking of Benjamins, when I was a kid I had a friend who owned a .22 Benjamin and he could pick off a running rabbit easily. The Benjamin was confiscated by a Game Ranger because he was walking with a friend who had a 30.06 and he shot through someone's home. But he could shoot!
I have an RMS spring action bit don't know if it would do the job properly.

 

[Firemedic712]

wow .. $170 amazon with claimed 24fpe (user says 20pfe) .. that's hard hitting power for an break barrel air gun .. what's cocking force?

long ago I used to have Beeman Crow Magnum .25 cal .. that was a bad ass air rifle and would break scopes. cocking force was about 47lb or way too heavy for a small youth.

31-40lbs,but doest feel that heavy to me

 

[dennishoddy]

I would disagree in the need for .22 caliber or larger for a raccoon. I have a Gamo big cat 1250 break action .177 caliber. I killed 158 raccoons over the last 18 months with it (trapping them). The pellet weight and style have more to do with it than the caliber. Of course a .22 or .25 caliber will have more kinetic energy, but a 4gr cheap pellet will have roughly the same negative effect in a larger caliber. I shoot crossman 10.7gr domed pellets after shooting over 20 different styles and weights.

Pellet guns have come a long way since we were kids. The velocity is troublesome to control and get accuracy. This is where weight is critical. It settles down the gun and provides accuracy where a lighter pellet will be faster but spin off track.

I put a cheap simmons 3-9x40 on mine and it was a world of difference from the stock scope.

View attachment 351138

I would say makeithappen has the real world solution to the pellet gun issue.
There is a lot to be said about actual field experience vs speculation about what one would think would work.

 

[dennishoddy]

The power plant I retired from had a pigeon problem like every place like that has. They bought a dozen ,22 break barrel Beeman's for the operators or anyone wanting to use them for control.
Very accurate for several hundred shots, but eventually the break action got worn and the accuracy went away. There is that issue where the scope on the receiver no longer is in line with the barrel because of wear in the break action hinges.
Yes, they got a lot of use, but the one air rifle they bought on recommendation was a
RWS model 48.
That side cocker which has the barrel and receiver as one piece will retain accuracy way beyond what a barrel cocker will.
The rifle was still in service at the plant when I left when all of the barrel cockers went into the dumpster.

 

[_CY_]

The power plant I retired from had a pigeon problem like every place like that has. They bought a dozen ,22 break barrel Beeman's for the operators or anyone wanting to use them for control.
Very accurate for several hundred shots, but eventually the break action got worn and the accuracy went away. There is that issue where the scope on the receiver no longer is in line with the barrel because of wear in the break action hinges.
Yes, they got a lot of use, but the one air rifle they bought on recommendation was a
RWS model 48.
That side cocker which has the barrel and receiver as one piece will retain accuracy way beyond what a barrel cocker will.
The rifle was still in service at the plant when I left when all of the barrel cockers went into the dumpster.

interesting that beemans didn't hold up .. I've put through 10,000+ pellets thru airguns, mainly with beeman R7 .177, R1 .22 and a slew of others. never had accuracy problems with any beeman once correct pellets figured out, but seals/internal springs do wear out.

side loaders always had reputation for holding up and seldom come up for sale used.

had a beeman R9 .20 that was almost impossible to find pellets it liked. it had a beautiful macari stock that I still regret selling. back then when yellow forum for airguns was going. seems all I did was buy/sell airguns. at any given time I'd have about 200 airguns on hand.

it's been years since I sold an airgun .. did do some give aways for kids on OSA, which needs to be done again.