Air Arms TX200 for squirrels

[Nobade]

I currently have a Beeman R9 .177, fun rifle to practice with but I'm looking for something with more power to use on squirrels. A PCP rifle would be great but I'm nowhere near anywhere that can fill the tank and don't really want to use a hand pump. There aren't a great many spring guns out there that are interesting to me but the TX200 looks like it might be a good way to go. Does anybody here have one? Care to share your thoughts on it? That's a big chunk of change for something I have not gotten to handle or shoot personally.

[sparky45]

I have a Weihrauch break barrel in .177 that I use on Squirrels, ect. that is a stopper for sure. Model is a HW 30 and the fit/finish is excellent. With a scope she's deadly. I've moved up to a PCP and frankly the Weihrauch just sets in the corner of my closet. Can't go wrong with a Weihrauch IMO.

[elmacgyver0]

I would go with an inexpensive PCP, I have the Beeman 1358 Underlever in .22caliber.
I know you don't want a hand pump, but the Beeman is very easy to fill with one.
My plan was to start with the pump then later progress to a cheap compressor.
The biggest problem with a PCP is it will spoil you for anything else.
For guns with a smaller reservoir the hand pump is not bad at all, for a gun with a large reservoir I imagine it could be a bit of a nightmare.
At some point I still want a compressor but that is a way off. I don't have any inclination at all to get a tank, seems like more hassle than it's worth and they are pretty proud of them cost wise.

[NSB]

I’m 73 years old and I can fill the reservoir on my Daystate PCP (168 cc) to 250 bar in about three minutes. I’d rather not pump, but that’s how I started until I got a SCBD tank. If I couldn’t use a SCBD tank, I’d just pump it and use it. I get almost fifty shots before it “falls of the reg”. That’s a decent day of practice and a couple of days of squirrel shooting. FWIW, I’ve got four cardiac stents and it hasn’t hurt me yet…..probably good exercise. My advice is get a PCP and pump it until you get to where a tank fits in your budget. Nothing compares to a PCP for shooting.

[centershot]

Nobade,
I was where you're at about two years ago. In the end I decided that I wanted a rifle that wouldn't rely on "peripherals", so that left the spring-piston actions. I wanted a powerful, lightweight (reasonably), accurate, reliable rifle. I chose the Weirauch 95, and let me say, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the TX200, I just wish it were a little lighter. With a scope and mount my 95 runs a tudge over 9 pounds, same as my muzzle loading rifles. The TX200 is north of that, that's why I chose the 95. Pick your poison, they're both excellent rifles.

[gc45]

Have a tx200 and like it! very accurate with several bullet weights. You can't go wrong with Air Arms.

[Black Beard]

The TX200 is one of the best spring guns you can get. They are reasonably heavy and I don't like them (personal opinion- safety catch is fiddly) but most people do. With good pellets they should be good for about 40 yard shots. Power on the US models will be about 14ftlb, which isn't a lot more than a R9. The carbine version TX200 HC might be a bit easier to handle. The Weirauch equivalent is a HW 77 ot 97, which have the same power and accuracy. The Diana equivalents are equally good. My favourite air rifle of that type is the Diana 52 carbine side lever. Some of the Dianna's (48/52/440) can do 20ftlb comfortably in .22 which is a big jump in power. Mine does 11 because of UK laws and I have taken squirrels with it.

Walther did a TX200 copy which was also good.

You don't really need any more power if you shoot them in the head and a TX can do that all day. But I don't think you will see a big change in knock down power compared to your air rifle unless you go up to .22. I think a R9 is a HW95 with a Beeman badge so your current air rifle should be almost as accurate as a TX if you find the right pellets. JSB Exact or JSB Hades are usually really good.

BB

[chutesnreloads]

Agree with Blackbeard. If it's better killing power you seek, go up to .22. Lot of folk claim the .177 is a good squirrel killer.
After many many many squirrels with both .177 and .22, I say even a lower powered .22 is a better squirrel getter than a higher powered
.177. Which rifle you launch them from doesn't really matter if you get the pellets in the right spot. Even a higher powered higher caliber
won't be satisfactory without precise shot placement. The TX200 is well known for precision, so is your R9

[idahoron]

I wish you were closer you could shoot mine.
I got my TX200 22 cal, when I was just fed up with the inaccuracy of the cheap break barrels. I got mine to shoot Rock Chucks and skunks. When I decided on it I wanted a super accurate rifle that was easy to work on. After a lot of thinking I got it. My first scope was a Vortex Crossfire II. It was a good scope but I wanted more power and FFP. I put the Crossfire II on my 17HMR and I put a Diamondback Tactical 6x24-50 FFP on it.



The rifle proved to be super accurate and easily capable of killing chucks with head shots. The pellets smoke right through.





On squirrels it has been equally as efficient.



I had 8000 rounds on it when it finally gave up. The spring guide wore out and it would not cock. I had a rebuild kit sitting on the reloading bench and in about 15 minutes I had it rebuilt. I know I could do it now in less than 10 minutes.
The TX200 is a quality rifle that will last for generations. They are solid guns and are easy to work on. I have two rebuild kits on the shelf. I keep them on hand just in case.

[Nobade]

Thanks Idahoron, you have the setup I was thinking about. Definitely want a 22 caliber, and if it's good enough for rock chucks it's going to be plenty for squirrels. Also good to know that scope has held up on your rifle, I have a dedicated airgun scope on my Beeman but there are so many good options out there to pick from and I don't want to get one that will break in short order. Going with Vortex is smart, with the lifetime warranty they have. What mount do you have on there?

[dverna]

The weight of the TX would be a concern for me.

You are smart going with the .22. If pellets were not so expensive, I would go with a .25 cal for hunting.

Wind makes shot placement more difficult with pellets as ranges extend past 25 yards. At 50 yards, the .22 JSB 18 gr pellet has a drift of 1.7" in a 5 mph wind.

I bought the Daystate .22 to be an "all round" air gun for small critters and fun shooting/plinking. My small critter ranges are 20 to 75 yards and I have gone back to a .22 LR.

In my case, hunting was way down the list of "needs" so it worked out well. I wanted lots of cheap shooting with an accurate rifle and the Daystate has filled that role. That would not have been possible without going to a PCP as I normally shoot over 150 rounds a session. I had a good RWS springer, but it would wear me out.

If you live in an area where a .22 LR for hunting is acceptable I cannot see using an air gun. You are sacrificing a lot of performance with an air gun. I LOVE air guns, but reality is a cruel mistress.

[Nobade]

A Daystate is an awesome machine. My boss has one and I used to use it to shoot regular 100M smallbore silhouette against 22LR rifles. And other than the wind drift I didn't give up much. Thankfully it is a while until I can afford a new rifle of any type, so I appreciate all the input. Keep it coming!

[idahoron]

Thanks Idahoron, you have the setup I was thinking about. Definitely want a 22 caliber, and if it's good enough for rock chucks it's going to be plenty for squirrels. Also good to know that scope has held up on your rifle, I have a dedicated airgun scope on my Beeman but there are so many good options out there to pick from and I don't want to get one that will break in short order. Going with Vortex is smart, with the lifetime warranty they have. What mount do you have on there?

I used BKL Triple straps I think they were medium.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't think those are offered any more. I do think the double straps are still made.
When I installed mine I decided that I was going to go over board. So I got longer screws and I added nylock nuts to it. I never have trouble with mounts. Not ever.

[elmacgyver0]

I have a Hatsan 135QE, an awesome springer type rifle with a gas piston, in .25 caliber it hits like a ton of bricks.
It is a real mother to cock but it hits hard.
Like all high-powered springers it is sensitive to hold, goes with the territory.
I recently bought the Hatsan Flashpup also in .25 caliber, a PCP bullpup that is an absolute joy to shoot, hits perhaps a bit harder than the 135QE, and is a lot quieter due to no internal gas spring noise, both have the integrally suppressed barrel.
Either one of these rifles would have no trouble dealing with coons, groundhogs or squirrels or any other typical backyard pest.
What I really like about the Flashpup is I can mount any scope on it without worrying if I'm going to destroy it.

[idahoron]

The weight has never been an issue for me. I carry it out to the blind and I carry it squirrel hunting. It weighs 10 pounds, but I would rather carry 10 pounds and hit what I shoot at than carry a 7 pound gun and never hit anything.

Here is some squirrel hunting videos.

https://youtu.be/tdr9ioehXcU

https://youtu.be/B4YqaFYk3e8

https://youtu.be/ALLzf180tJ8

and A rock chuck video. Notice how strong the wind is in this video. One of the chucks is heart shot in the chest. I don't normally go for that shot but it was offered.

https://youtu.be/AmqomvFfzns

[elmacgyver0]

The weight has never been an issue for me. I carry it out to the blind and I carry it squirrel hunting. It weighs 10 pounds, but I would rather carry 10 pounds and hit what I shoot at than carry a 7 pound gun and never hit anything.

Here is some squirrel hunting videos.

https://youtu.be/tdr9ioehXcU

https://youtu.be/B4YqaFYk3e8

https://youtu.be/ALLzf180tJ8

and A rock chuck video. Notice how strong the wind is in this video. One of the chucks is heart shot in the chest. I don't normally go for that shot but it was offered.

https://youtu.be/AmqomvFfzns

That is an awesome setup you have there!
I recently have had new respect for air guns.
When I was a kid all I had were BB guns, spring powered.
Killed a lot of sparrows and not much else with them.
I had no inkling that air guns could be so powerful and accurate.
With a bit of research I find, high powered air guns have been with us for a very long time.
Even Lewis and Clark had a high-powered air rifle which no doubt lead to the success of their mission!

[W.R.Buchanan]

I was about to say that Idahoron had made a business out of shooting Rock Chucks with his TX200 but he beat me to it.

I personally am a Weihrauch Fan and I have 2 HW 35's, an "E" and and "EB". I also have a HW 77.22 which is comparable to the TX200, and a Beeman R1 /HW80 .22 which is a beast. it weighs 10 lbs with the Leupold 1-4X scope. all of these guns are perfectly capable of taking out any squirrel within 50 yards of me. I have these guns set up differently for different things. the HW35E has Open Sights and is my open sight practice gun. The 35EB has a Williams Aperture sight on it and it is my Practice gun for that style of sight. I can mount a scope on either one if I need to. I have a 3-9X Bug Buster that will clamp right on.

The HW 77 has always been my go to Mocking Bird Rifle. It is a .22 and my wife bought it for me as the HW35 was not getting those annoying creatures at 40 yards consistently. The HW77 would!

A few years ago I found a Beeman R1 It is a beast adn I have to cock it with my Right arm as my left is not strong enough. I am not a weakling! I have hit Rimfire Silhouette Targets at 100 yards with it. Rainbow Trajectory but s soon as I got the holdover right I was hitting consistently. The Sun was behind me and you could see the pellets in flight. It had no problem knocking them over with 18 gr JSB Exact Pellets.

Unfortunately I don't have the Targets of Opportunity that Ron has, so most of my shooting is at paper targets and indoors.

Randy

Pics are R1, HW35EB and HW35E.

[slownsteady22]

I can tell you from my experience with pcp air rifle, i wish i would have skipped the hand pump and just bought the compressor. It makes filling the gun for range time faster and less energy expended. Also it is really nice to take an additional scba tank for refills while hunting and range time. With a springer you will not have to worry about it though.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[alamogunr]

I have the Weihrauch HW95 in .22. It is a beast for sure. When I celebrated my 80th birthday last month, I determined to go to a PCP. I'm considering a Daystate Huntsman Revere .22 and using a tank to refil the gun. I can't justify a compressor right now.

I'm going to get the tank refilled by the local fire dept(volunteer). As a county commissioner, we financed the purchase of a 4500psi compressor for the air tanks the department uses. I've got an ok from the chief to get the tank refilled. My only reservation is I don't know how many times the gun can be filled from a 75 cu ft tank. I don't want to lose the privilege because I used/abused it too many times.

[NSB]

I have the Weihrauch HW95 in .22. It is a beast for sure. When I celebrated my 80th birthday last month, I determined to go to a PCP. I'm considering a Daystate Huntsman Revere .22 and using a tank to refil the gun. I can't justify a compressor right now.

I'm going to get the tank refilled by the local fire dept(volunteer). As a county commissioner, we financed the purchase of a 4500psi compressor for the air tanks the department uses. I've got an ok from the chief to get the tank refilled. My only reservation is I don't know how many times the gun can be filled from a 75 cu ft tank. I don't want to lose the privilege because I used/abused it too many times.

AirgunsofArizona.com has an on-line calculator so you can tell how many times you can fill your gun before the tank needs refilled. I have a Daystate myself and I can look it up for you if you have trouble looking it up. I used to know how many since I have a 74 cf tank myself. It’s a LOT. I only fill mine about twice a year.