Precision Air Rifles

[Adam in WI]

S-P-R-I-N-G-P-I-S-T-O-N............

The original one-pump-chumps lol

 

[markT]

Hey OP...... 88 posts later are you thoroughly undecided? Let me help you.

S-P-R-I-N-G-P-I-S-T-O-N............Weihrauch, nothing less.

= "Dial up"

 

[markT]

Start with a quality springer. Not a Gammo or anything made in China. Break bbl or under lever.. Then find someone to let you shoot their PCP.. Then you will be hooked.. You will never find the perfect airgun..

 

[Jager]

Hey OP...... 88 posts later are you thoroughly undecided? Let me help you.

S-P-R-I-N-G-P-I-S-T-O-N............Weihrauch, nothing less.

Well, what I've learned so far, over the last couple days... is that the airgun world is far bigger and richer than I ever imagined!

I can't say enough about how helpful you folks have been. I've read each of your responses a few times and you've all helped clarify a number of things for me. Can't thank you enough for that.

I'm still debating (with myself) on where all this will go...

 

[Boilermaker]

Hey OP...... 88 posts later are you thoroughly undecided? Let me help you.

S-P-R-I-N-G-P-I-S-T-O-N............Weihrauch, nothing less.

What scope do you suggest for a piston gun? This thread inspired me to get Dads Diana out of the safe before spending any more money on my own rifle. 10 rounds later and I broke the crosshairs on his scope. While it was a cheap one, dad was frustrated. He bought the scope specifically for his springer and killed multiples squirrels with it.

 

[bobm]

What scope do you suggest for a piston gun? This thread inspired me to get Dads Diana out of the safe before spending any more money on my own rifle. 10 rounds later and I broke the crosshairs on his scope. While it was a cheap one, dad was frustrated. He bought the scope specifically for his springer and killed multiples squirrels with it.

My HW80 has destroyed seven quality scopes. Get one with a good warranty, no one makes a scope that will withstand life mounted to this rifle. I no longer use a scope, instead enjoying the factory open sights.

My 80 has 36,000 shots fired to date using only HN FTT .22's. It is on it's seventh mainspring and seal. I've replaced several parts that have worn as expected and a couple unexpected. The rifle is easy to work on and parts are readily available. Superb accuracy and well made. It will last a lifetime.

 

[markT]

There are scopes that are "springer / airgun" rated. Refer to scope mfg to see if the scope will handle reverse recoil.. Air guns of AZ probably has list of springer rated scopes.
Here's a vendor with approved scopes.

Rifle Scopes | Air Rifle Scopes | Airgun Depot

Shop for rifle scopes and air rifle scopes that help you hit your target every time, short range or long range from the airgun experts at Airgun Depot. Free shipping available.

www.airgundepot.com

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Seems unfortunate there isn't clarity about these devices destroying ordinary CF scopes ...

Ive heard about it since the 70’s

 

[bobm]

markT, I stand by my statement. There are springer rated scope warranty's, not scopes. No scope made could have lasted on my 80 all this time. Lighter, gentler shot cycle rifles maybe.

Advantage PCP

 

[Mark611]

Springers do need a good spring gun rated scope, SWFA SS series scopes are spring gun rated, although I have had good usage with the UTG 3x9x32 TFII scopes, I run these UTG scopes on just about every spring gun I own, I run them on 9x, they have 9mils of hold over in them and work very well for me, all my guns are also tuned and shoot like butter compared to out of the box, the biggest thing that kills a scope on a spring gun is harmonics from the piston spring, or having piston slam from a piston seal that's wore out or doesn't fit correctly in the compression chamber, the thing about spring guns is they do not require any support equipment, like air bottles or pumps, or compressors, their self-contained, I have owned a few custom built THEOBEN Rapids, built by ALLENZ, they cost about 3k apiece, nice yes! but I sold them off years ago and kept my spring guns,

 

[JSH]

I need to catch back up with this thread. I had $$$$ put back for a PCP, then another powder burner showed up at a good price.
Gonna be 60, so the PCP will be my present to myself. I have an RWS45 Diana .177. I have nothing against it and it owes me nothing, had it for 40 years. A pile of pigeons decided they would roost at work a few years ago. Unless you have seen the damage their crap does, you have no idea. We had hundreds of feet of new aluminum jacketed/insulated pipe line and it would etch and stain it.
So I went to work on them, over 100 the first day. This went on for over several months before they decided to return to their original roost, local grain elevator. Between my son and I we lost count, over 500 and you couldn’t tell we put a dent in theirs numbers.

Well they are back.

I priced pumps and tanks for PCP. Yeah I thought it was pricey, then I look at ALL of my center fire loading gear and gadgets. If you still think PCP is overly expensive you really don’t shoot to much.

I look at what primers, powder and bullet replacement cost will be for what I have loaded for colony critters this year, it would pay for PCP for a number of years.
I look at it as more trigger time at home with out traveling to the range.

 

[JEFFPPC]

markT, I stand by my statement. There are springer rated scope warranty's, not scopes. No scope made could have lasted on my 80 all this time. Lighter, gentler shot cycle rifles maybe.

Advantage PCP

I have spoken to most of the current name brand scope makers who all say their scopes are Airgun safe. From what I read it seems like etched reticle have eliminated a lot of scope failures. I have a Hawke Sidewinder with about 8000 Springer shots on it and a Sightron with close 1000 on Diana 54 with no problems. Now once entering the Airgun world last year I have heard scope brands I never knew existed, I stay away from them.

 

[markT]

Took this pest bird out from seated position in my truck. That’s a dime. About 27 yards. 15.83 gr diabolo pellet.

 

[6MMsteve]

I have the Benjamin Trail it's very powerful but you need to be able to push the nitro piston, it will go through 3/4 plywood at 17 yds without dieseling,

 

[dgeesaman]

For springers my standbys were Bushnell elite and Leupold EFR. The Bushnell are only available used anymore so I’ve been mostly using Leupold EFRs.

I also have a Sightron STAC on a medium powered springer but I don’t have enough shots down to say it’s holding up.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Took this pest bird out from seated position in my truck. View attachment 1425700That’s a dime. About 27 yards. 15.83 gr diabolo pellet.

What rest setup did you use?

 

[markT]

Left arm on window jamb pushing Bushnell scope against top of window jamb. Right elbow on bottom of steering wheel. I’ve killed 100.s of sparrows doing crop damage.

 

[Brians356]

I have spoken to most of the current name brand scope makers who all say their scopes are Airgun safe. From what I read it seems like etched reticle have eliminated a lot of scope failures.

I'd always read that the lenses need to be buttressed on both sides, to proof against the two-way recoil impulse of the piston action.
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[Mark611]

LOL!! that's funny

 

[Brians356]

"Anchored optics refer to optics that are anchored front and back to handle the forward and backward recoil caused by the mainspring's movement. Recoil in a spring airgun is different than recoil in a firearm in the sense that it isn't only the amount of recoil that matters, but the direction of the recoil as well. Mainsprings cause an airgun to recoil backward and forward while firearms only recoil in a backward direction. It is this two-direction recoil that can cause damage to non-airgun rated scopes."

Choosing an airgun scope - Straight Shooters Precision Airguns

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