Precision Air Rifles

[Mark W]

Just curious about this stuff. I have only shot an inexpensive springer for pests when we lived outside the city. It was accurate enough at 20yds but I did not like the break barrel. As Mike mentioned I've watched the prices of PCP stuff come down to where I am interested.

These days I don't have a place at the house to shoot so it would be at the rifle range. I'd want to shoot at 50yd but I'd suspect wind would be a real problem. Would it be unrealistic to expect much for such shooting with a budget rifle?

For reference I was considering another rimfire but cost of good ammo and rifle is higher than I want to go.

It sounds like you need to speak with @MikeT49. He has posted a lot in this thread. I went from a cheap springer to one of his PCP builds and oh what a difference it was. The cost of entry is a little higher due to needing an air supply. I started with a hand pump, and then went to a carbon fiber bottle that I was getting filled at the dive shop, and eventually bought a compressor to fill guns or bottles at home.

 

[charlie b]

Jeff, that is part of my dilemma. Cheap vs 'ok' performance.

I don't hunt and my rifles cost well under $1000. Scopes same. I have not spent more than $500 on a replacement barrel either. Until my hands failed me I shot a lot of cast bullets. My only real 'splurge' now days is bullets. The yellow boxes are expensive That is one reason I am looking at air guns for more practice.

Thanks Mark. I saw Mike's generous offer but am still on the fence, not knowing if I will actually use the rifle. I don't want to drop a lot of money in this only to find I don't shoot it.

 

[longbow]

You can find FWB 300s at around $500.00. To rebuild there are You tube videos. the springs and seals about $100.00. Ive probably rebuilt 20 of them since returning from the Nationals Match. I put on air rifle Matches for four years springer 25 meter, PCP LV,HV at 25 meters and unlimted at 50 yds. I'll start another on break barrel accuracy next...LOL

 

[JSH]

Had not read anything on this thread for a while. I am glad this community is interested in air. Been about three years since I got my first FX Impact .25. My good friend from SA has helped me a bunch. Did some mods and have had it apart enough that it needs a rebuild this winter.
Late last year acquired another FX, Panthera.22. All I can say is I have little to no use for a high quality 22RF for my purposes. Being able to tune a slug, is soooo much easier than chasing RF ammo. AND the end results on paper are usually better than my 22RF was.
Traded my Bergara to a fellow that lost interest in PCP. Got a Cadillac air Venturi compressor a 45 caliber Samyang Light Hunter. Have yet to shoot it. It may end up trade material for a 50 caliber.
Working on getting a lane and back stop in the basement.

Yes I know it looks like a fair bit of $$$, for a rig and set it up. No more powder/primer/ammo sourcing issues though. From what I kick around reading on the subject, technology is letting these rigs grow leaps and bounds at a fast pace. New and better every year, along with decent prices.

Get set up behind a good well tuned rig and if your an accuracy or rifle loonie, you will be hooked. FYI these can be shipped to your door as well.
lol, y’all have been warned.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Jeff, that is part of my dilemma. Cheap vs 'ok' performance.

I don't hunt and my rifles cost well under $1000. Scopes same. I have not spent more than $500 on a replacement barrel either. Until my hands failed me I shot a lot of cast bullets. My only real 'splurge' now days is bullets. The yellow boxes are expensive That is one reason I am looking at air guns for more practice.

Thanks Mark. I saw Mike's generous offer but am still on the fence, not knowing if I will actually use the rifle. I don't want to drop a lot of money in this only to find I don't shoot it.

Charlie, shop for a used HW97 or Air Arms TX200. TX advantage it's very simple to take apart, no spring compresser needed. Both have triggers that will go to ounces with zero creep. Will shoot inside dimes at 50 yrs with good conditions. 25 yards shot into the last shot. They will teach you bench manners. No compressor or bottles needed.

 

[RCE1]

I have an HW97 and the Air Arms ProSport. Both great spring guns. I also have several PCPs, which I tend to gravitate towards.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

It sounds like you need to speak with @MikeT49. He has posted a lot in this thread. I went from a cheap springer to one of his PCP builds and oh what a difference it was. The cost of entry is a little higher due to needing an air supply. I started with a hand pump, and then went to a carbon fiber bottle that I was getting filled at the dive shop, and eventually bought a compressor to fill guns or bottles at home.

if you shop you can find an older HW 35 or the like. not super powerful, but the accuracy will make you smile and can definitely kill a pest in your back yard. I think the older spring guns are great value and I think are very accurate for just a bit more money than a new/newer cheap air rifle. Others?

 

[charlie b]

Thanks everyone. If I were still back in the old house I'd have one in a heartbeat. Shoot off front porch. Enough distance for a nice range. Plenty of pests to take care of.

In town, not so much. Small house, small yard and neighbor kids that like to climb fences That's really why the interest in 50yd range.

I have considered a spring/pneumatic, just based on overall cost. I guess I need to get serious about this and decide what to try. Had not thought of used, but, at least then I could get back the investment if I decided it was not for me. I'll have to come up with my budget and see what's out there.

 

[Allen Corneau]

There's a TX200 for sale here on the forum...

https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/airarms-tx200.4167908/

 

[longbow]

If your A middle age guy like me...72 now LOL The 300s with a 3x9 Leupold EFR works well.I put a 1.0" spacer on back of stock to help me pull the scope back to load in port.The objective being behind port.Only way i can do it now with this Arthritis.I cant shoot the TW200 ...the 300s lets me get in there.Heres a pic of a 300s with an enlarged port.Works great for me ! Same gun in last pic with 1.0" added at butt stock

 

[longbow]

Here are pics of my trap i built...6" deep 22 wide 18 tall. For a TW200 or FWB 124,etc go 8" deep with a tad more angle and it'll work. I put a piece of rubber mat on bottom, sheet metal . Holds two targets,change out cardboard when needed and to dump pellets. I can shoot 10 meter or 50 feet barely in my basement
4" plywood across bottom..or deeper to catch pellets from skipping out.....

 

[Mark W]

if you shop you can find an older HW 35 or the like. not super powerful, but the accuracy will make you smile and can definitely kill a pest in your back yard. I think the older spring guns are great value and I think are very accurate for just a bit more money than a new/newer cheap air rifle. Others?

No offense, but that ship has sailed for me. I’m already set up for PCP and a springer would be backing up, IMO. I have plenty of room to shoot and I regularly shoot to 100 yards and have taken head shots on pests at 82 with a .25 caliber PCP running 55 FPE.

My next step will be diving into slugs and expanding range and knock down power even farther.

 

[charlie b]

If your A middle age guy like me...72 now LOL The 300s with a 3x9 Leupold EFR works well.I put a 1.0" spacer on back of stock to help me pull the scope back to load in port.The objective being behind port.Only way i can do it now with this Arthritis.I cant shoot the TW200 ...the 300s lets me get in there.Heres a pic of a 300s with an enlarged port.Works great for me ! Same gun in last pic with 1.0" added at butt stock

LOL, yep also 72 this year. How do you do with the lever? The cheap break barrel I had would break me after 50 rounds.

Allen, sorry, $800 is way too high for me. That is close to what I spent on my most expensive rifle.

 

[justinp61]

I have a few air rifles, two 300s's a 601 SSP and a AA TX200, all lefties. IMO the FWB 300S is the best 10M springer ever made. I shoot better scores with the 601, but it's so accurate and easy to shoot it's almost boring to shoot. My TX200 is an amazing rifle, but it's not a point and click rifle.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I have a few air rifles, two 300s's a 601 SSP and a AA TX200, all lefties. IMO the FWB 300S is the best 10M springer ever made. I shoot better scores with the 601, but it's so accurate and easy to shoot it's almost boring to shoot. My TX200 is an amazing rifle, but it's not a point and click rifle.

Take your shooting to 50 meters and you will want the TX.. I will agree the 300s are easy to shoot well as they like to be held much like most guys shoot centerfield. I own 300s, 54s, 75s, tx200s and an LGU. I don't think any one of them is overall more accurate than the rest. But my TX with 8.4 gr pellets at 860 fps if I shoot them all from 10 meters thru 50 meters would be pushed only by my LGU at 760 fps. Don't discount the 54. So overall shooting not limiting to in the basement distances the 10m rifles take a back seat in my opinion. So one shot to save my life somewhere between 10 and 50 meters......toss up between the TX and LGU.

 

[justinp61]

Take your shooting to 50 meters and you will want the TX.. I will agree the 300s are easy to shoot well as they like to be held much like most guys shoot centerfield. I own 300s, 54s, 75s, tx200s and an LGU. I don't think any one of them is overall more accurate than the rest. But my TX with 8.4 gr pellets at 860 fps if I shoot them all from 10 meters thru 50 meters would be pushed only by my LGU at 760 fps. Don't discount the 54. So overall shooting not limiting to in the basement distances the 10m rifles take a back seat in my opinion. So one shot to save my life somewhere between 10 and 50 meters......toss up between the TX and LGU.

Absolutely. I haven't shot my 300's or 601 in almost three years, but when I did it was at 10M with aperture sights. I had a 48 and it was a beast, my buddy has a couple 54's and they are beasts too, just easier to shoot well. He also has a 75 and was hard to beat on match (10M) night when he showed up with it. The 601 is just dead on the shot, the sight picture doesn't change at all.

My TX 200 shoots AA 8.4gr Diabolo Field pellets very well. I do occasionally get it, and the wind flags out and shoot from my bench. It's main purpose though is to keep sparrows from nesting in my bluebird boxes, and it does its job well. I will say they are some very expensive sparrows though. LOL

 

[Stephen]

One thing that maybe has been mentioned...and apologies for repeating.........but....springers WILL eat up scopes not rated for them, even ones that claim springer rated. I bought a RWS model 34 over 20 some years ago that came with a Bushnell 4x12 and that thing shot excellent once I found the right pellet (H&N Field Target Trophy .177cal). Lots and LOTS of rats, starlings and other pests out to 50 yds....that scope finally would not hold zero, and I've gone through 3 scopes supposedly rated, but got ate. I rebuilt the rifles innards (piston, spring, seals, etc) prior to those scopes. Bought a Barska new and cheap at a gun show supposedly springer rated and has been holding out so far, at least the starlings don't fly away.... Anyway, with that said, I'm shopping for a PCP for the one reason of scope choice.....don't matter what the cost for a quality PCP and electric pump, I just want to shoot an accurate weapon....I've gone down the LR rabbit hole and buy once cry once is indeed true....

 

[Terrykuz]

I have a Walther LG400, an Anschutz 9003 Precise, and 3 HW100s.
Happy to have a herd of Anschutz 22s, but the air rifles get used the most by a long shot.
I have a nice Bauer compressor and 80cu ft SCCBA bottle, so unlimited PCP.
I have shooting match air rifles for 30 years, and very happy stumbled on precision air before the internet was widespread.

 

[JEFFPPC]

One thing that maybe has been mentioned...and apologies for repeating.........but....springers WILL eat up scopes not rated for them, even ones that claim springer rated. I bought a RWS model 34 over 20 some years ago that came with a Bushnell 4x12 and that thing shot excellent once I found the right pellet (H&N Field Target Trophy .177cal). Lots and LOTS of rats, starlings and other pests out to 50 yds....that scope finally would not hold zero, and I've gone through 3 scopes supposedly rated, but got ate. I rebuilt the rifles innards (piston, spring, seals, etc) prior to those scopes. Bought a Barska new and cheap at a gun show supposedly springer rated and has been holding out so far, at least the starlings don't fly away.... Anyway, with that said, I'm shopping for a PCP for the one reason of scope choice.....don't matter what the cost for a quality PCP and electric pump, I just want to shoot an accurate weapon....I've gone down the LR rabbit hole and buy once cry once is indeed true....

Your wrong that....Springer will eat scopes. Scopes today are a far cry from what they were 20 plus years ago. Properly mounted with decent scopes, not scopes for 99.95, most hold up well. I have 7 springers I shoot and my wife shoots. The last 4 years between us we have shot close 150,000 pellets. No destroyed scopes.One big problem seldom addressed is not having a mount that allow your reticle adjutments to stay close to center. When you getting towards the outer limits of you adjustments your asking for trouble. Everything today cost too much, yes. But relatively speaking you get what you pay for. So among our air rifle is a D54 in .22 with close 3000 rounds out of it. Sightron STac I bought new for 321.00 mounted in Burris Signature Rings with inserts is holding up just fine. Baraska would not be a brand I would spend my money on.

 

[longbow]

Plus one with Jeff! Burris signature rings are THEE only way to go on air Rifles...Period. You can center the scope crosshairs then use the +- 5 or 10 or 20 shims to move that cross hair to center( shim to the bullet hole).You will then have all the adjustment needed. I have been using these rings from when they first came out about 25 years ago. All my guns, 1K, 100-300 yd BR and air rifles wear them. Just something to try and you'll be hooked ! LOL