Newb to Airguns

[knownalien]

I had a Daisy Powerline 880 when I was young. I want desperately to get a new airgun. I want it because it can take down small game in a pinch. And they are fun to shoot. Anywho, I recall that they basically came in two flavors: multiple pump & single pump at the barrel (usually).

I like the single pumps, I think. But this is my main concern. My Daisy Powerline eventually gave out because of the seal/plunger. It got to the point where it could no longer hold the air in its chamber.

My question is

1) has technology changed so that you get a longer lasting seal lifetime

2) does anyone recommend any particular brand or specific airgun for me

3) what caliber . . . and/or should it be able to shoot BB's too??

My price range is quite high, but I do not wish to spend more that $500.

 

[woodstock]

hmmm, i think not too many folks here are into airguns. i have recently discovered the benefits of practicing with an airgun.

currently i have a remington .177, break barrel, with scope. great gun, out to about 25 yards.

have you cleaned and oiled it? sometimes that will make a difference.

 

[knownalien]

hmmm, i think not too many folks here are into airguns. i have recently discovered the benefits of practicing with an airgun.

currently i have a remington .177, break barrel, with scope. great gun, out to about 25 yards.

have you cleaned and oiled it? sometimes that will make a difference.

the gun is long gone.

 

[vin]

Break barrels seem to be the thing these days. When you open it you are compressing a spring and a plunger and that is what is cocked, it doesn't have to hold a load of compressed air. When you fire it and the plunger drops it compresses the air in front of it to fire the pellet. They seem to be quite reliable and the better ones can fire a .177 pellet about 12-1300 fps. The downsides are that they are not repeaters and cannot Shoot cheap bb's. But they are suitable for pest control and small game hunting. Cheap pellets can be had, but just like any rifle, changing ammo will change your point of impact some.

To get a rifle like this you don't have to spend nearly your budget and can put some money into a scope and target/pellet trap system for the backyard. Good luck!

 

[knownalien]

Break barrels seem to be the thing these days. When you open it you are compressing a spring and a plunger and that is what is cocked, it doesn't have to hold a load of compressed air. When you fire it and the plunger drops it compresses the air in front of it to fire the pellet. They seem to be quite reliable and the better ones can fire a .177 pellet about 12-1300 fps. The downsides are that they are not repeaters and cannot Shoot cheap bb's. But they are suitable for pest control and small game hunting. Cheap pellets can be had, but just like any rifle, changing ammo will change your point of impact some.

To get a rifle like this you don't have to spend nearly your budget and can put some money into a scope and target/pellet trap system for the backyard. Good luck!

SO THAT METHOD SHOULD LAST A LONG TIME?

 

[vin]

It should. I Have a cheapo low powered one that was given to me and know a few people that have the 1000 fps ones of different makes and I've never seen any failures. The one caveat is that the higher the power the tougher to cock the gun, so it can be a problem for kids. The 1000 fps guns can be had for $100-150.

 

[Bart_man]

Each of my three boys has a pump airgun for learning and practicing on. They are good for that purpose but the couple of times I've chased away squirrels with one, that's all that happened they got chased away
By contrast you can get much more elaborate I recently shot Marko12's Gamo 1200fps rifle and suspect I could take down a groundhog with it. These can be had for $250
Or there is the air force condor which is available in a variety of calibers. 177, .22, .25 etc
These could blow your budget right out of the water

I'm doing research myself and have found the pyramidair website to have a lot of good information and as far as I can tell - decent prices

 

[RollTide]

I bought ans still have an RWS 52. It's almost 20 years old and still runs like a champ. I know there have been years I haven't shot it but as long as I put a drop of that RWS lube for the piston chamber it has continued to work great. Its a .22 cal and it shoots pellets around 900fps+. I have taken everything from Squirrels to ducks and even a canadien goose once. So if you are looking for one to hold up the RWS will do just that IF you take care of it. I do believe when I bought it it was around $700 but I also got a nice scope and some other accessories at the time. From time to time I think about trading or selling it but its really neat to have a rifle I can hunting with out in the woods behind the house. BTW, I found the domed pellets worked the best. I never really had any penetration problems and the domed were the most accurate in my particular rifle.

 

[RollTide]

I bought ans still have an RWS 52. It's almost 20 years old and still runs like a champ. I know there have been years I haven't shot it but as long as I put a drop of that RWS lube for the piston chamber it has continued to work great. Its a .22 cal and it shoots pellets around 900fps+. I have taken everything from Squirrels to ducks and even a canadien goose once. So if you are looking for one to hold up the RWS will do just that IF you take care of it. I do believe when I bought it it was around $700 but I also got a nice scope and some other accessories at the time. From time to time I think about trading or selling it but its really neat to have a rifle I can hunting with out in the woods behind the house. BTW, I found the domed pellets worked the best. I never really had any penetration problems and the domed were the most accurate in my particular rifle.

Sorry, the model I have is a single pump side cocker. I liked it because I wasn't putting pressure on the barrel to cock it each time. It has a side lever, you pull that out and it exposes the chamber so you can load a pellet. You push the level so it fits flush and parrallel with the reciever and your ready to rock.

 

[Indiana Jones]

Old thread but I would get the Crossman Phantom. It comes with a nice scope and it looks great. Thing is 1000fps with a .177 and addicting. I've nailed WAY to many squirrels and even a raccoon with it. Deadly accurate and pretty quiet. Got it al Dicks a few years ago for $110. Specialty hunting ammo and your set. I've only recently gotten back into shooting it. Forgot to add its a break barrel and is extremely comfortable to shoot and has no wiggle at all.