My Mom has had it with deer in her garden. This summer's losses have used up her last bit of patience and now she wants payback. She has asked me to get her an airgun for Christmas. I know precisely dick about air rifles.... So I'm consulting the brain-trust here.
That being said, here are my criteria.
1) .22 cal. Reason, we don't want to kill the deer - or even penetrate hides at shooting distance of 30-60 yards. Just a nice, sharp sting, and a reason to fear people and not to be in her garden. I figure the lower velocity and greater frontal area of a .22 pellet will have less penetration than a .177 ... Seem plausible? Legalities of shooting game animals out of season aside, all I'll say is 1)this is in another state, out in the boonies, where boonie-rules apply, and 2) their prior solution up until a few years ago was to allow the neighbor to kill any deer in their garden, any time of day or night, any time of year. And he did. Dozens worth. But he passed away a couple years ago, and now she needs another solution.
2) Ease of cocking. My Mom is 66. She's in decent shape for an older lady, but she is an older lady. Something that is a chore for a 20 year old guy to cock is going to be impossible for her. And it MUST be a single-stroke spring piston type gun - no multi pumps or pre-charged guns. Those are too complicated for her, and she has said so. The point is to get her something she will use.
3) Noise is NOT a factor, but quieter is better in terms of it being less intimidating to her.
4) Cost - less than $300. I realize spending twice that is possible. If I were getting one for me, maybe I would. But I'm not.
5) Durability/reliability. The gun will NOT see prolonged or hard "field" use - just fired a few times a week from the deck or back yard. Other than that, it will spend most of it's life leaning in a corner next to the back door. But it does need to have sufficient build quality to operate for several years in this manner without maintainace beyond specified lubication. I live 6 hours away. I can't run down the road everytime something is wrong with it.
6) Optic/Scope. She needs this. 10x probably. She understands how a scope works, holdover, windage, elevation and such. If I sight it in, she'll be fine with it and won't mess with it. She just wants the pellet to go where the crosshairs are.
7) Ease of loading. Anything beyond popping a pellet into the breech hole and folding the barrel back up is too complicated. No loaders, nothing using magazines or anything like that. Simple only.
8) Light trigger, or adjustable trigger. Again, it's a strength thing. If the trigger feels like a DAO Sig pistol, she's not going to like it or use it. It needs to be light.
9) "Looks". My Mom would be a Fudd if she were a gun nut. She's not going to like the AR-15 equivalent of an air rifle. A Monte Carlo stock is about as tactical as she gets. A black plastic Monte Carlo is fine, however.
10) Serviceaility. I need a reputable brand with a history and track record of doing repairs in and out of warranty. Not a junk Chinese gun from Tractor Supply that can't be sent back and fixed if it stops working.
I've been looking at a Gamo Whisper 22. It seems to meet all these criteria, but I need other opinions from people who know more than me.
Thanks in advance.
That being said, here are my criteria.
1) .22 cal. Reason, we don't want to kill the deer - or even penetrate hides at shooting distance of 30-60 yards. Just a nice, sharp sting, and a reason to fear people and not to be in her garden. I figure the lower velocity and greater frontal area of a .22 pellet will have less penetration than a .177 ... Seem plausible? Legalities of shooting game animals out of season aside, all I'll say is 1)this is in another state, out in the boonies, where boonie-rules apply, and 2) their prior solution up until a few years ago was to allow the neighbor to kill any deer in their garden, any time of day or night, any time of year. And he did. Dozens worth. But he passed away a couple years ago, and now she needs another solution.
2) Ease of cocking. My Mom is 66. She's in decent shape for an older lady, but she is an older lady. Something that is a chore for a 20 year old guy to cock is going to be impossible for her. And it MUST be a single-stroke spring piston type gun - no multi pumps or pre-charged guns. Those are too complicated for her, and she has said so. The point is to get her something she will use.
3) Noise is NOT a factor, but quieter is better in terms of it being less intimidating to her.
4) Cost - less than $300. I realize spending twice that is possible. If I were getting one for me, maybe I would. But I'm not.
5) Durability/reliability. The gun will NOT see prolonged or hard "field" use - just fired a few times a week from the deck or back yard. Other than that, it will spend most of it's life leaning in a corner next to the back door. But it does need to have sufficient build quality to operate for several years in this manner without maintainace beyond specified lubication. I live 6 hours away. I can't run down the road everytime something is wrong with it.
6) Optic/Scope. She needs this. 10x probably. She understands how a scope works, holdover, windage, elevation and such. If I sight it in, she'll be fine with it and won't mess with it. She just wants the pellet to go where the crosshairs are.
7) Ease of loading. Anything beyond popping a pellet into the breech hole and folding the barrel back up is too complicated. No loaders, nothing using magazines or anything like that. Simple only.
8) Light trigger, or adjustable trigger. Again, it's a strength thing. If the trigger feels like a DAO Sig pistol, she's not going to like it or use it. It needs to be light.
9) "Looks". My Mom would be a Fudd if she were a gun nut. She's not going to like the AR-15 equivalent of an air rifle. A Monte Carlo stock is about as tactical as she gets. A black plastic Monte Carlo is fine, however.
10) Serviceaility. I need a reputable brand with a history and track record of doing repairs in and out of warranty. Not a junk Chinese gun from Tractor Supply that can't be sent back and fixed if it stops working.
I've been looking at a Gamo Whisper 22. It seems to meet all these criteria, but I need other opinions from people who know more than me.
Thanks in advance.
