Need help with choosing my first air rifle

[Hays47]

I have never owned an air gun of any type. My neighbor had me set up two of his 22 caliber guns. I was impressed with both of them @ 25 yard accuracy.

I have done a bit of research online and decided to go with a gas piston break gun. I absolutely can not make up my mind on which one. I was looking at the under 250 dollar range.

At 75 years of age I wonder why I am even interested. I own all kinds of powder burners. All I know I was kind of sad when neighbor picked them back up.

I have been trying to talk myself out of purchasing one. But I am losing that argument with myself.

[Kestrel4k]

I have owned spring-piston, single-stroke pneumatic, and gas-piston; all together about a dozen air rifles & pistols.

I was very disappointed with the accuracy of the gas-piston (Benjamin NP) and after trying everything over a period of a few years, sold it at a loss; it wouldn't shoot any pellet accurately, even heavies to ensure subsonic velocities. They are difficult in this regard; and anecdotal evidence indicate that the gas piston will not last as long as the spring-piston (easy to service) or pneumatics (very easy to rebuild).

I would very much recommend a mild (not 'magnum') spring-piston or a single-stroke pneumatic as a first air rifle - /FAR/ easier to obtain good accuracy.

[dverna]

I am a bit younger at 72. After having a good quality RWS springer for years that I rarely used I went to PCP's and it was one of best the gun decisions I have ever made.

PCPs will cost more but the pulses are accuracy and ease of use.

My suggestion is to sell the two powder burners you do not use much and fund a good quality .22 cal PCP and an air tank. I am getting sub 1" groups at 50 yards using pellets that cost $6.24/500. This is with either the $300 (DAR) or $1100 (Daystate) rifles.

I can shoot for hours for a few dollars and do not need to police brass, clean it, cast bullets, lube/size bullets, or load cartridges. And I do not need to wear hearing protection.

My air guns and accessories cost me nothing. I sold stuff I was not using to get stuff I enjoy using.

[georgerkahn]

I have never owned an air gun of any type. My neighbor had me set up two of his 22 caliber guns. I was impressed with both of them @ 25 yard accuracy.

I have done a bit of research online and decided to go with a gas piston break gun. I absolutely can not make up my mind on which one. I was looking at the under 250 dollar range.

At 75 years of age I wonder why I am even interested. I own all kinds of powder burners. All I know I was kind of sad when neighbor picked them back up.

I have been trying to talk myself out of purchasing one. But I am losing that argument with myself.

I share your age, also being three-quarters of one century old! I have a bevy of springers -- both pistol and rifle size -- as well as a few PCP's. While I so much agree with dverna vis his suggestion to go "PCP" -- as much as I adore mine, there is quite an investment to enter the PCP genre. I live on SS Retirement and a small retirement from work -- so my means are of limit.
A couple-three years ago I read a review or two on the SIG Sauer ASP20-2211 Gas-Piston Breakbarrel .22Air Rifle, with a Sig Sauer scope attached and was quite intrigued. A short time later, I saw this package advertised on sale -- and it became mine.
While we share the same age, I'm probably in worse shape than most of our age -- I require two canes to get about -- but found this nitro piston air rifle NO problem to load, cock, and/or shoot. The 'scope is so great I even purchased another exact model for another air rifle I have. The ASP20-2211 is in your price range, too.
If I were alookin', with your suggested criteria, that's what I would choose. A nice video vis the rifle is at https://buckshotsupply.com/products/...air-asp20-2211 , with a longer, but more detailed review at https://www.airgundepot.com/sig-sauer-asp20.html .
geo

[Winger Ed.]

Pellet guns are fun, and almost as quiet as CCI CB shorts fired out of a rifle.

When I was a kid, I wanted a Benjamin .22 single shot pump.
My parents wouldn't say, "No", but that I'd have to buy it myself. In 1967, there was no way a 12 year old kid was going
to have $35. in one place at one time to buy one. Case closed,,,,,, and they forgot about it.

Anyway--- Time goes on, and fortunes improve:
At 15, when I got my first paycheck, from my first job, it was almost $38.
Mom picked me up that day, and we went to the local FedMart to cash it.
I cashed my first payroll check and came out with my Benjamin and two cans of pellets.

I had it re-sealed last year, and it may work better now than when it was new.

In your case, if you have a hard time pumping or cocking a spring or pump gun-
ya might should check out the new generation ones that charge up several shots from a air compressor.

[Hawks Feather]

While I am not giving you a suggestion for an air rifle that a meets your post, I will say that once I went to the PCP I seldom shoot my springers. I am over 70 and can still cock a springer, but it is so nice to just open the bolt, put in a pellet, and shoot. Better yet, there is very little air gun movement as opposed to the springers.

[BLAHUT]

I have both one pump Numatics and PCP's, I have found in airguns you get what you pay for, you want Olympic accuracy or satisfied with dime size groups, same goes for pellets most of the time, depends on what the gun likes, don't matter what you like. I have $100.00 dollar springers, $1000.00 dollar one pump, or 2 Olympic big dollar PCP air gun.
They all do the same thing, just some do it better, just all in what you want or willing to accept for accuracy ??

[MrWolf]

I physically can't do the pumps and such and went with pcp. As Don stated it can be expensive depending on which route you guy. I would look at https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...ghlight=Airgun to get some ideas. Plenty of other posts also. Good luck.
Ron

[CWME]

Another vote for PCP. I run two FX impacts, one for pellets and one for slugs. I knock down rodents at 50+ yards with either setup on a regular basis. The 25gr slugs I swage slap them a bit harder than the 18.1gr JSB pellets but dead is dead. Out of the $250 price range but they are the most accurate and the most used rifles I own now.

[chutesnreloads]

You never stated what you would use it for. That info could help with suggestions.
I have a Benjamin Gas spring that I still like very much. These are in your price range but there are some draw backs.
1) it is hold sensitive. A slight change in your hold will change your POI. If you shoot it enough you learn what it likes
and work with it
2) It's a powerful springer and it is hard on scopes. Be willing to pay more for an airgun rated scope and expect even that to break eventually
3) Being powerful, Just fun shooting gets tiring pretty quick. Even when I was younger I would leave plenty time to rest the cocking arm.
If you can live with that then have at it. One the 1st replies was go with a less powerful spring gun. I'd second that unless you plan
to shoot critters with it or you can get good enough with it for very precise shots and limit how far you shoot them.
There are some good multi pumps out there. They also get tiring with extended shooting but they won't break scopes, not hold sensitive,
and there is the added benefit of watching your shots hit the target.
The PCPs are great but to fill them, its a chore to hand pump and expensive to fill the easy way. Having said that, I'm about to invest in some
equipment to increase my PCP enjoyment. There are some decent PCPs for a little more than your price range.
I don't envy your time deciding which way to go, but no matter what you decide, it'll almost certainly be fun

[dverna]

For us older guys who want to shoot a lot, or have grandkids who want to shoot a lot, PCP’s allow us to shoot for more years. For just plinking and fun shooting, another option is a CO2 .177.

[georgerkahn]

Dverna again brought up a great option!!! It made me recall a real fun airgun I have at camp: Crosman 1077W Repeatair 12 shot .177 CO2 Rifle. This nifty airgun repeats almost as fast as you can pull the trigger? I have several soda-can target (an empty pop can is loaded in a vertical spring-loaded tube. A small target disc is below it. When you hit this disc with your pellet, it release the spring and the soda can flies about ten feet in the air! With the 1077WRepeatair, the challenge is to take a 2nd shot and with it hit the flying can! It is awesome challenge.
Crosman lists it on their web-site at $80.00 USD with ten percent discount added -- which now makes it $72.00! The CO2 cylinders, in bulk, are super-inexpensive, too.
Another option for you? [Crosman listing is at: https://www.crosman.com/product/cros...ir-rifle-black ]
geo

[Dapaki]

I would say that a beginner PCP first choice right now would be the Umarex Notos. Handpump friendly but a real tinkers dream if you like to smith at all.

I live in Minne-snow-ta so CO2 is almost worthless to me 9 months of the year and after a second shoulder injury, pumps and springers are a no-go as well.

I have a couple top shelf air rifles too and boy-oh-boy, do they shoot but the Notos is the one I grab when a grinner starts for momma's garden! Peek at Airgun Nation or Gateway to Airguns and you will see that the Notos was made with a very nice barrel, accurate enough for 40y shots on starlings and gophers and very quite as well.

Another gun that I like a lot is the JTS Airacuda MAX in .22. Real wood stock, very comfortable and accurate. The magazines are about perfect and I bought a bunch so I could shoot a hundo in one sitting at paper or steel.

[vonfilm]

I would urge you to spend a little more and get a Beeman R7 made by Weirauch. Extremely accurate, easy to cock, very well made, and with the wonderful Rekord trigger, it will last you for years. I have enjoyed mine since 1989

It is well known to be one of the sweetest shooting springers ever produced.

[W.R.Buchanan]

+1 on the R7/HW 30 !!! Weihrauch guns will out live you even if you shoot every day. All you have to do is keep them clean and lubed and treat them just like your firearms? Some Air Cylinder Oil in the Air Cylinder occasionally. I got my first HW 35EB in 1978 and it still looks new, as do my other 3 Airguns. It has been fired literally thousands of times. They are made just like good quality Firearms and deserve the same treatment. I got my Second HW35E from a Surplus Shop in town a few years ago for $60! They had no idea what it was? It had not been taken care of and was in bad shape cosmetically. Mechanically OK but needed some TLC, so I refinished the stock and cleaned up the metal. The gun had sat in someone's closet for years and got pink house paint on it. It cleaned up nicely and now is one of my favorites.

However my first gun never needed that much TLC because I considered it to be more than just a BB gun. It still looks new after 45 years. see Pics below. First one is the first one I got.

Weihrauch makes some of the best Spring Powered Air Guns out there and are certainly one of the top 3 made.

Randy

[centershot]

Another very satisfied Weirauch owner here! Mine is the HW95, more powerful than the R7 or HW30 and 35, I bought it specifically to hunt with. It takes more effort to cock it than the others mentioned but it really delivers in the woods! Randy's HW30 is quite possibly the perfect all-around air gun - good quality rifle, accurate and powerful enough for most things. You won't be sorry you bought it!

[Tracy]

I have been in the airgun hobby for a very long time. I would recommend that you do not get a spring piston nor gas piston gun. Instead, either get a PCP or CO2 gun, or a multi-pump.
CO2 is a good way to go. A QB-78 (currently marketed by Beeman) is a wood and steel copy of an old Crosman that even the military used as a training rifle. It is a bolt action single shot that is available in .22 or .177. It takes two CO2 cartridges that cost about 50 cents each in bulk, and you can even get them at Walmart. That one dollar worth of CO2 will give you about 80 shots.
Or you can get a PCP version of pretty much the same gun (QB Chief) except that it is a repeater. That one is about $200. Or about $500-$600 for a US made Benjamin Marauder, also a bolt action repeater. There is also (for more money) a semi-auto version of the Marauder now.

If you go for a PCP, you can get an electric compressor for $300 or less. Or a hand pump for as little as $50, if you don't mind a workout. Or go to your local dive shop and get a used, tested SCUBA tank for around $100 already filled. You will have to get a fill station to use it to refill your gun; about $50. Refills of your tank are maybe $6.

Or keep it simple: a multi pump. I recommend the Crosman 362. About $100, great quality, very accurate. Made in USA. 10 pumps and it has enough power for small game hunting. But you don't have to pump it that much for plinking and target shooting. I only pump mine 3 strokes, a big part of the time.

[johnzx6r]

I'm going to be another advocate for the Beeman R7 / Weihrauch HW30 (same gun). It is a break barrel spring piston, but super easy to cock, beautifully made, shoots like gangbusters, and not terribly expensive as far as German made springers go. Mine will shoot tiny groups out to a good 30 yards or so, even farther if the wind isn't too bad.

Unlike a PCP or even a CO2 rifle, you don't need any other equipment or expense to get it up and running - no air pumps, no CO2 cartridges - just take it out of the box, grab a tin of pellets and start shooting!

Krale in the Netherlands is a great place to get them. Even with shipping costs, you can usually get it for less from them that other places, and for me the shipping has been super quick - even coming from overseas it is usually at my door in about 3 days!

https://www.krale.shop/us/weihrauch-hw30-s/

[elmacgyver0]

Don't buy PCP.
If you do, you will soon be spoiled.

[Tracy]

I just took yet another new multi pump pneumatic out of the box and shot it. Like a springer, I didn't need anything else except pellets to shoot it. Unlike a springer it doesn't require a special hold to shoot accurately, doesn't have that weird double recoil that kills scopes, doesn't lose power over time due to spring fatigue, and has variable power so I can choose the power level I desire for each shot.