Best bang for my buck? $350

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RoscoeP

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I know nothing about airguns but would like to get one. In the winter on the coast(rain) the rats come out. I noticed last year one would climb over my wood shed then down onto the bird feeder. What would be the best gun for my dollar? I don't want something that is a piece of crap but with some quality. Single shot, good open sights, not sure what is the best caliber .17 or .22? Accurate.
I looked at a bunch on air gun source and thought the "Norica Massimo .177" looked pretty nice. Does anyone know if this is a decent gun for my needs.
Appreciate any help. Cheers Roscoe
 
Anything decent (IMHO) is going to be above 500 FPS, so considered a firearm.

I have an RWS-34 (I think) that's been upgraded to shoot about 1100fps, and I can drop crows/magpies at 75 yards... i think that'd be sufficient for rats! Very accurate too... headshots for a clean kill. Had open sights, but I prefer scopes, so mounted a cheapy.

If i had to do it again, since it's a firearm anyway, I'd go .22 over .177. Much better killing power!
 
canucklehead said:
Anything decent (IMHO) is going to be above 500 FPS, so considered a firearm.

I have an RWS-34 (I think) that's been upgraded to shoot about 1100fps, and I can drop crows/magpies at 75 yards... i think that'd be sufficient for rats! Very accurate too... headshots for a clean kill. Had open sights, but I prefer scopes, so mounted a cheapy.

If i had to do it again, since it's a firearm anyway, I'd go .22 over .177. Much better killing power!
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22 cal for sure and 1000 fps,single shot,hand crank ( co2 don't work too well when it's cold outside. I own exactly that,Xisisco XS-B28A,
From airgun source, very accurate and powerful as Fu$k! Its a bit heavy but is built to last! You buy now. :)
 
For a little bit more you can get a HW (Weihrauch). They are well made, accurate, and have excellent triggers. Well worth the money. Available in both .177 or .22, as well as PAL or non PAL rated.

Denis
 
Do you have your PAL? Do you have a scuba tank? If so, I'd recommend a precharged pneumatic air rifle. 22 cal would have more killing power than 177. You can get a Benjamin Discovery and pump (no need for scuba tank) for under $500.00

Take a look at my post on the hatsan at44. Lots of power and good accuracy.
 
look here

I happen to have one for sale. Break barrel .22 cal with rifled bore. Its a nice piece and real accurate. Made by benjamin. Scope/optic only no open sights. I can ship it to you for less than your $350 budget.
Send me a PM if you're interested.
Thanks
 
Grizzlypeg said:
Do you have your PAL? Do you have a scuba tank? If so, I'd recommend a precharged pneumatic air rifle. 22 cal would have more killing power than 177. You can get a Benjamin Discovery and pump (no need for scuba tank) for under $500.00

Take a look at my post on the hatsan at44. Lots of power and good accuracy.
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wont work in the winter,,pressure will get too low
 
177

get a diana model 34 shoot about 1000 rds to breakin , then try lots of different pellets untill you find the one the gun likes, i kill piegons and such at 60plus yards. 177 shoots flatter and penetrates very well
 
Jesuswon said:
wont work in the winter,,pressure will get too low
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CO2 produces less power in the cold. Temperature isn't a significant issue with compressed air.

I bought a sub 500FPS .177 Ruger Blackhawk (Chinese copy of the Diana 34) with 4x scope on sale at TSC for $100 last year. I installed a $80 Vortek spring kit which brought the velocity up to 880FPS with H&N 8.49 grain Field Target pellets (yes, I registered it). The original scope would probably meet your needs. I added a Bushnell Banner 4-12x40AO scope for about $120 at Lebarons and it's been fine for the first few hundred shots (though if I were doing it again I would have gone for Leapers). It's quite accurate (consistent hits on a 1" swinger at 30m) and well made.
 
If you get a spring gun, make sure to get an air rifle rated scope. A springer will toast a couple of hundred bucks worth of scope as fast as puttign it on a crossbow.
 
Jesuswon said:
wont work in the winter,,pressure will get too low
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Air pressure doesn't drop much in the cold, and precharged pneumatics are not affected greatly by pressure changes. Mine shoots faster as the pressure drops, then eventually speed drops off after a certain number of shots. At say 10 percent down from full, the feet per second is still rising.
 
Diana 34 in .22 caliber. Airgun-rated scopes can be very reasonably-priced, but you have to use one of them if you're scoping the gun. Lots of options out there, check-out D&L Airgun.

Anyhow, for no-nonsense shooting...stay away from PCP (pre-charged pneumatics) or CO2, too many headaches. Also, magnum PAL-rated spring guns are no laughing matter with regards to power/size/heft. Any rat blasted with a .22 that comes screaming out of a Diana 34 won't live long.
 
I agree the most practical solution is a quality PAL rated springer. No apparatus to fill, just #### and load. I am curious what you see as the headaches associated with pcp gun 22lrguy. Is it just the filling?
 
"Headaches" might be over-stating it, but I assume that anyone who would ask a pretty basic air-gun-choice question might not be ready for pumps/pressure gauges etc. They're also louder than most people realize, so I, again, "assume" that noise might be a factor and .22lr/.22CBs have already been ruled-out. The PCP rifle I've shot, and others I've heard, are way louder than .22CBs, and close to (or louder) than .22 subsonic out of a full-length barrel rifle like my Cooey 75.

Allot of "assuming" of course...could be wrong! :rolleyes: A good springer has a bit of a report, but nothing like the "crack" sound of compressed air~PCP or even pneumatic pumpers.
 
Well on the cheap and non-PAL side of things you can get a Canada only under 500 FPS Crosman Phantom 500 .22 at Wal-Mart for about 100 bucks. It's been a rather accurate and fun plinker that doesn't have any of the hoops to jump through that one requiring a PAL has. Considering it can punch a hole through both sides of an empty soup can it should dispatch a rat effectively, but as with anything shot placement is key. Keep in mind that many municipalities have very strict bylaws about discharging not only fire arms, but any sort of air rifles regardless of propellant or velocity within their boundaries.
 
RoscoeP said:
So far the Diana 34 is winning my vote, still on the fence about caliber? Thanks for all the input. Roscoe
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I was too.....until I owned both. :) .22 is better if you plan on doing any hunting with it. Shot-to-shot consistency is excellent with Dianas...not too hard to shoot them well.
 
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