Advice for pellet rifle

[Tommie]

I have a couple of HW springers but my favorite is an old Benjamin model 397PA with wood stock that was about $200. It is 17 cal and is a pump with tView attachment 1692455 forend as what is used to pull down to pump. I leave it with 3 pumps in it at all times. Then if I need to shoot a coyote or kill a varmint, I just give her few more pumps and she is ready to go. I keep it by my garage side door. Very accurate and it uses a bolt action to load the pellet.

100% agree. For urban/suburban pest control, having variable power and noise control is a big thing.

 

[lachoneus]

Looking to purchase a pellet rifle and cap the budget spend at around $300. I have beeen looking at the Gamo Swarm Magnum Pro 10 Gen 3i in 22 cal.
To be clear, this purchase is based off “wants” far more than “needs”. But for general plinking what are your thoughts on this model? Are there other models you’d suggest considering? And the age old question, “22 cal or .177”?

Thanks in advance for any guidance offered.

If you are just getting started, get one of the CMP Daisy M853 rifles. They are used but refurbished. They cost about $140 shipped to your door and they are ready to use as soon as they arrive. They have fine adjustable iron sights, and every one that I have purchased has been wonderfully accurate: if you are shooting quality pellets at 10 meters, every pellet goes into the same hole. I have trained many new shooters on these rifles and I cannot say enough good things about them. You can find them on this page:

Sporter Air Rifles - Civilian Marksmanship Program

Sporter air rifles are characterized by their light weight, low cost and basic target features. We offer several varieties for purchase.

thecmp.org

 

[450BM]

Fx Impact, 25 caliber, 33gr pellet 860 fps, 33ish yards, just shot this afternoon.

 

[20 TAC]

I have been reading/watching a lot on the guns suggested above. In particular, the Ted’s Holdover YouTube suggestion was great. In researching, I have found a lot of good reviews on the JTS Airacuda and Airacuda Max. Does anyone have any experience with these? The standard Airacuda can be found for under $300 and the Max around $400. May be convinced to stretch the budget if they’re worth it.

 

[Lefty2506]

My 2 bits is that if you're going to shoot at anything with an air rifle that breaths and doesn't have feathers, you need to go bigger than a 22 cal. Punching paper, I personally think 17 is better because there are a number of top quality pellets available. Many years ago I bought a custom CO2 powered 22 Crossman for my (then very young) daughter with the idea that we could eventually use it for squirrels if she really wanted to. I've used a 22 cal Crossman pellet gun to dispatch some birds that were in the same size category as chickens and it works well for head/neck shots at short distances. I also had an issue with a stray cat getting into my shop at one point. I didn't want to use a rimfire and risk damaging the roof or penetrating the paneling and hitting an electrical wire so I thought the 22 cal pellet rifle would be a good option. That was a HUGE mistake. I hate cats, but I really felt bad for that thing.

 

[MikeT49]

My 2 bits is that if you're going to shoot at anything with an air rifle that breaths and doesn't have feathers, you need to go bigger than a 22 cal. Punching paper, I personally think 17 is better because there are a number of top quality pellets available. Many years ago I bought a custom CO2 powered 22 Crossman for my (then very young) daughter with the idea that we could eventually use it for squirrels if she really wanted to. I've used a 22 cal Crossman pellet gun to dispatch some birds that were in the same size category as chickens and it works well for head/neck shots at short distances. I also had an issue with a stray cat getting into my shop at one point. I didn't want to use a rimfire and risk damaging the roof or penetrating the paneling and hitting an electrical wire so I thought the 22 cal pellet rifle would be a good option. That was a HUGE mistake. I hate cats, but I really felt bad for that thing.

Yeah, some of your typical entry level factory .22 cal air rifles are too wimpy for anything larger than squirrels. A slightly more expensive Benjamin Marauder PCP in 22 and others can be adjusted to over 30 fpe without mods, about the same as a .22 CB Short rimfire. With mods, you can up them to over 60 fpe. Not quite up to a 22 Short, but close. A modified entry level Benjamin Disco PCP can also go to over 60 fpe. That's a 33.95 grain JSB Exact Jumbo Beast @ over 900 fps plus as measured by chrony. This one will do that:

 

[Uncle Grinch]

I bought one of the CMP Daisy air rifles a few years ago and found it lacking in my needs at pest control. Should have realized they are more of a target rifle than a game rifle.

Ended up buying a Beeman R7 and it’s a totally different air rifle. Very top end and accurate with modest velocity. Added a 2-7 air rifle scope and it does an excellent job on those pesky chipmunks.

 

[Lefty2506]

Yeah, some of your typical entry level factory .22 cal air rifles are too wimpy for anything larger than squirrels. A slightly more expensive Benjamin Marauder PCP in 22 and others can be adjusted to over 30 fpe without mods, about the same as a .22 CB Short rimfire. With mods, you can up them to over 60 fpe. Not quite up to a 22 Short, but close. A modified entry level Benjamin Disco PCP can also go to over 60 fpe. That's a 33.95 grain JSB Exact Jumbo Beast @ over 900 fps plus as measured by chrony. This one will do that:

View attachment 1695301

After the whole stray cat ordeal, I quickly came to the conclusion that if I were going to ever buy another air rifle, it would absolutely be PCP. Nice rifle by the way!

 

[MikeT49]

After the whole stray cat ordeal, I quickly came to the conclusion that if I were going to ever buy another air rifle, it would absolutely be PCP. Nice rifle by the way!

There are left hand bolt breeches available for installation from the aftermarket.

 

[Lefty2506]

I'm actually right handed. My user name comes from a nick name we gave my first handgun. It was a S&W Mod 60 in 357 mag. I carried it with 5 rounds of magsafe 70gr defenders that would run close to 2000 fps out of the little 2" barrel. We called it the left hand of God.