1000-1200 ft/s Air Rifle (Stoeger????)

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Challenger2010

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Hi All,

Last summer I purchased a .177 495 ft/s Stoeger Air Rifle with scope. Works great for pest control regarding birds (cause damage to the fruit on my parents orchard-farm).

I have it sighted in and works great as long as there is no wind as well as the distance must be short. I've been feeding it 177 Gammo plastic red-tipped pellets.

Problem is, it's not strong enough to take care of the squirrels (usually slow death) or raccoons, nor does it fair to well on birds which are located far away from where I'm standing. Usually greater than 25 ft.

I'm considering going for an air rifle that shoots over 1000 ft/sec. As I hold a PAL, purchasing one is not an issue.

My query is more along the lines of effectiveness of the 1000ft/s versus the 495 ft/s I currently own. My questions are;

- Will a a scoped air rifle with over 1000 ft/s be more effective at eliminating squirrels and raccoons or is it still too weak?
- What caliber should I be getting? Another .177 or should I get this one in a 22????
- Any particular brand I should be looking at? I like the Stoeger, but if there's something better out there, let me know.
- Is the ammo still an air-pellet, or, is gun powder now involved?
- Is shooting a 1000+ air-rifle louder than my current 495 which is just more or less a flat ping-sound?

Thanks
 
No gun powder involved, just a stronger spring. They're in the 100 decible range. If neighbors are fairly close, they Will hear it.

We know what your intended purpose is, helps to know what you're willing to spend. Like with most things you get what you pay for. With Airguns, the trigger alone is a case in point. (I admit I'm partial to Diana and Weirach rifles).
As for raccoons, that topic is garunteed to stir a hornet's nest here. But not if you post it on a dedicated Airgun site like GTA.

You really should use a PAL rated Airgun for Squirrels. I've had success to 40 yards with either caliber (the closer the better) but .177 has a flatter trajectory and greater pellet variety/availability. .22 is definitely harder hitting. Shot place matters, as always.
 
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.177 for feathers , .22 for fur and fps rating is a marketing gimmick only possibly attained with the lightest pellets on the planet , not suitable for hunting and mostly marginal or poor accuracy . The FPS rating is to impress those who know nothing about air guns .
 
With that budget you have lots of options and can go for some quality. I'd suggest looking at D & L Airgun's website. Diana 34, HW 95. Diana 48 in .22 would be an accurate Heavy hitter. I assume you already know to use an airgun-rated scope. The D48 is a magnum springer.
 
For that amount maybe you should look at a PCP air rifle. No break barrel and usually multiple shots with one charge of the air reservoir. Benjamin makes one for about $500.00 but without a scope. A good air rifle scope might hit 2-300 $
 
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