All of a sudden....

thehunterman

thehunterman

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Well it seems like this time of year always gets me thinking about so called "offseason" hunting and airguns and such,after fiddling around with the under 500fps guns for the last couple years I've finally gotten fed up with lobbing pellets at 15 yards and have decided to get something a little more snappy,not really interested in pcp right now as I like to go for long walks with lots of shooting and am not really intersted in lugging pumps,nor is the price very appealing.I am more inclined towards the gas ram systems as when hunting or pesting there are often long waits between shots and I always feel a little guilty leaving springers cocked for any length of time. I have been looking at the Gamo socom extreme or tactical or something along those lines but am not sure if they are offered in gas ram? I also cannot seems to find the socom on the usual sites,anybody know a place that stocks them? I am also totally open to recommendations as to other guns to look at, All answers will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Hunterman.



*EDIT* also really looking at the benjamin NP trail as they seem to be everywhere, still cannot decide between the 22. or 25.
 
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The Benji/Crosman guns are all made by the same people, but it seems like the Crosman nitro guns get less bad publicity, so thats the one I chose and I have been quite happy. Regardless, if anything is wrong, they probably offer the best manufacturer service - just tell them something is not right and they will throw replacements at you.

I paid less than $200 shipped for my Nitro Venom Dusk, and then put about another $50 and a few hours into a home tune, and I will suggest it is just as accurate and reliable as a $400 gun.

The majority of the $50 I spent on the home tune was a GRT-III trigger ($35 shipped) but it made such a big, positive change, it would have been worth twice that, and took 5 minutes to install. The rest looked like this:

- new piston seal
- new breach seal
- de-burr crown (I was basically fine, not a lot of work needed, but many guns will need this done and it should be checked. Just lightly spin a q-tip around the crown, and if any fibres catch, it will affect accuracy)
- polished the piston
- burnished the cyl
- moly where appropriate (I already had moly 70, from previous springers so I did not have to buy a new tube)
- brass breach washers
- loctite breach bolt and all stock bolts

Even though I cleaned the heck out of it (they come with absolutely filthy barrels) it still took most of a tin to break it in, but now it is very smooth, amazingly quiet, and hits very hard. Mine is a .22, likes Crosman Premier domes, and certainly moves them well above the 800 mark, although I have not chronied it. Mine is a .22. I will suggest a .22 over a .25 because the slightly reduced pellet weight will translate to further distance and better accuracy, and also there is a much wider pellet selection in .22. You'll want to experiment in this space, and these guns tend to like the pellets they like, and not so much for anything else.

I shoot paintballs @ 75 yards with mine with more than reasonable consistancy - I replaced the scope that came with the gun for a 3-9x50 mildot AO Leapers. It was $80, but is quite nice and properly airgun rated - I loctitied the rings, etc for it, and it has held zero perfectly over several tins since I have mounted it. It's also great for small game/varmiting - drops them clean with good hits. And, it can stay cocked for hours without losing power, or risking the longevity of the gun.
 
You can check airgunforum.ca for lots of info.
airgunsource.ca
dlairgun.com
specialtyshootingsportsonline.com
scopesandammo.com has a smaller selection, but is a great place for stock or upgrade parts.
lebaron has good prices on their limited selection, but 'in stock' seems a foreign concept to them sometimes.
 
TargetAcquired said:
The Benji/Crosman guns are all made by the same people, but it seems like the Crosman nitro guns get less bad publicity, so thats the one I chose and I have been quite happy. Regardless, if anything is wrong, they probably offer the best manufacturer service - just tell them something is not right and they will throw replacements at you.

I paid less than $200 shipped for my Nitro Venom Dusk, and then put about another $50 and a few hours into a home tune, and I will suggest it is just as accurate and reliable as a $400 gun.

The majority of the $50 I spent on the home tune was a GRT-III trigger ($35 shipped) but it made such a big, positive change, it would have been worth twice that, and took 5 minutes to install. The rest looked like this:

- new piston seal
- new breach seal
- de-burr crown (I was basically fine, not a lot of work needed, but many guns will need this done and it should be checked. Just lightly spin a q-tip around the crown, and if any fibres catch, it will affect accuracy)
- polished the piston
- burnished the cyl
- moly where appropriate (I already had moly 70, from previous springers so I did not have to buy a new tube)
- brass breach washers
- loctite breach bolt and all stock bolts

Even though I cleaned the heck out of it (they come with absolutely filthy barrels) it still took most of a tin to break it in, but now it is very smooth, amazingly quiet, and hits very hard. Mine is a .22, likes Crosman Premier domes, and certainly moves them well above the 800 mark, although I have not chronied it. Mine is a .22. I will suggest a .22 over a .25 because the slightly reduced pellet weight will translate to further distance and better accuracy, and also there is a much wider pellet selection in .22. You'll want to experiment in this space, and these guns tend to like the pellets they like, and not so much for anything else.

I shoot paintballs @ 75 yards with mine with more than reasonable consistancy - I replaced the scope that came with the gun for a 3-9x50 mildot AO Leapers. It was $80, but is quite nice and properly airgun rated - I loctitied the rings, etc for it, and it has held zero perfectly over several tins since I have mounted it. It's also great for small game/varmiting - drops them clean with good hits. And, it can stay cocked for hours without losing power, or risking the longevity of the gun.
Click to expand...

I just picked up a Nitro Venom in 22, and it seems like a very nice little gun (only about 10 shots fired,though). You're right that the trigger has to go. Other than that, I'll Youtube a tuneup for it, but it is quiet, no recoil (that's only an issue due to the scope). Who did you order the trigger from?
 
damn sorry I forgot to add the XL into that edit because that is the model I am looking at,the only reason the 25. was interesting is because I do a lot of crow hunting and they can be pretty tough so I figured the 25. would add a little more thump, But in thinking about it more I think having to order pellets all the time would begin to bug me as I shoot lots.
Thanks,
Hunter.
 
Springs don't take a set or wear over time from being cocked, they weaken from use or cycles, walking around with a spring compressed won't harm the gun one bit, besides replacements after many years of use is really no big deal.

I got myself a Weihrauch HW77K in .20, odd yes but imo .20 is the best balance between .17 and .22, actually it punches well above what you'd expect from it shooting closer to the flat .17 yet hitting closer to the .22. I've hunted my a bit and it hits like a hammer, very impressive. Needless to say the quality of Weihrauch is top notch. Something different to consider.
 
Papaclaude said:
I just picked up a Nitro Venom in 22, and it seems like a very nice little gun (only about 10 shots fired,though). You're right that the trigger has to go. Other than that, I'll Youtube a tuneup for it, but it is quiet, no recoil (that's only an issue due to the scope). Who did you order the trigger from?
Click to expand...

Here:

http://www.charliedatuna.com/GRT-III Trigger New.htm

Be forewarned - you will send an e-mail, he will respond. That is where contemporary ends. You will obtain $35 in ugly, smelly, American greenbacks and put them in an envelope. You'll put a stamp on that envelope. You'll put that envelope in a mailbox (they still exist, trust me). Then, a different envelope will show up in your mail one day, with a trigger and stuff in it.

Also, don't kid yourself about the recoil on the Venom .22. It's not powder burning recoil, but it will destroy a scope in 5 shots that is not properly rated. Gas ram guns work like springers do - 2 types of recoil, forward and backward. Very minimal in feel when you shoot, but murder on optics that are not rated for air guns. This is the scope that I have:

Leapers/UTG SCP-395AOMDLTS

I got it for $80 to my door, and to be honest, it could cost 3x that. Very nice optics.
 
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I've just recently put myself in the market for a higher than 495 fps air rifle. We have encountered a squirrel problem that needed to be resolved sooner than later. I had originally wanted the Nitro Venom, but LeBaron didn't have stock, so after a bit of tire kicking I bought the Benjamin Trail NP XL 1100 - .22 Cal. It's a big frikkin gun, especially when compared to my RFB which is nearly half the size. The build quality seems very good, and it came with a 3-9x40 APO optic which was well reviewed. I decided on .22 based on easily available ammunition - in a pinch, I can goto Canadian Tire and grab something.

I took one shot yesterday into the lawn, and it had quite a boom / crack, leaving a softball sized crater in the ground. This evening, I gave it a bit of a cleaning, and tried two shots in the basement. I figured some peltors would be a good idea, and the first shot went "pffffttt" as it pounded clean through some 3/4" plywood. Second shot - now without hearing protection as I was curious did the same thing. It was much quieter than day 1. My wife didn't even hear a sound on the main floor. I'm thinking that there may have been a fair amount of oil in the system and my initial round could have been enhanced by a little dieseling.

I've lasered the optic to 50 meters, and will try to get it out to the bench soon to sight it in. My very thorough three shot review should convince you that it's a fun air rifle ;-)

Can't wait to show it to the squirrels... I hope they share my enthusiasm!

Cheers

Mike
 
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