looking to get into AG - Advice plz

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KingPin

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So I'm looking to get into AG for the purpose of ridding my barns and out buildings of feral pigeons. I'm overly confused now on the topic of FPE vs FPS and am clearly mystified as to why i would go sub 1000fps with a high grain pellet which I should be able to dispatch most targets with a .177 and medium weight pellet.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Any real experience is welcome as well as recommendations for types of guns.

I've got a couple that I'm thinking about including the GAMO big cat and Ruger Hawk.

I have asked this question on another forum and all i received were comments about how a new shooter like me shouldn't be using a springer.

TIA
 
A solid crosman .177 break barrel and learn the artillery hold. Fpe is foot pound energy essentially a calculation used to determine the weight of a target in pounds that a ballistic projectile can cleanly dispatch. Advertised fps or feet per second is how fast a projectile is and is used in conjunction with the grains or weight of a projectile to determine its fpe. A .177 advertised at 1000 fps will probably realistically yield about 750 fps and with a standard .177 pellet produce an estimated 17 fpe which is by far enough to drop a pigeon where it sits very humanely. According to the calculation a 17lb varmint should die humanely. With a .177 you will need to be precise and you will need to figure out your comfortable distance that your accurate with to ensure clean shots each and every time. I have squirrel hunted with a 177 at 800 fps and a true shot is a clean dispatch with a little residual twitching. For a pigeon it will be lights out with a solid body shot - good luck and practice as they seem to be inaccurate until you get the just of break barrel shooting.
 
I have a Gamo Hornet .177 (Big Cat Series). 1000 FPS with lead, over 1200fps with composite (PBA etc). My preference is to use gamo pellets, primarily Rocket (lead) & Lethal (composite), with lethal, I have taken down rabbits. But the Lethal pellets will penetrate .016th inch steel..
 
Spring pistons rifles, and nitro or gas pistons fall into this class, can be hold sensitive. This is because the gun recoils in two directions (back with the release of the piston, and forward when it gets to the end of the chamber) before the pellet leaves the barrel. It is very important to hold the rifle lightly and not try to over control it to get consistent shots. Look up the artillery hold.

The Ruger AirHawk and Blackhawk are decent entry level springers, copies of a popular German gun, the Diana Model 34. The Crosman Nitro piston guns are also supposed to shoot well.

I wouldn't look for anything too powerful. You want to kill pests, not shoot holes in your buildings. 650 to 800 fps with standard weight lead pellets in .177 calibre is plenty. You could even get by with a non-PAL rated (sub 500fps) rifle if you're shooting close range (less than about 25 yards tops).
 
Everyone has their opinions... and assuming you have a PAL.

so, I would say (and no affiliation other than I have bought from Eric before and never had an issue- but shop around):

http://scopesandammo.com/storefront...amin-trail-np-hardwood-22-caliber-rifle-p-901 plus I would instantly add a GTX trigger which Eric also sells (makes a world of difference if you like a good trigger- most cheap airguns will have horrible triggers by any normal rifle standard).

For killing things, nothing beats a .22 cal. High power .177 pellets will go through pigeons and anything behind. .22 can still go through, but will have much less energy. .177 is more for targets IMO.

The spring guns do take some practice to get accurate with, but basically once you start understanding hold sensitivity they can be accurate enough. I personally like the nitro pistons on cheaper guns- but if you want to get spendy there are some really nice coil springers (like an Air Arms Tx2000- drool) that would be VERY nice. Find a pellet your gun likes (all are different- like .22lr) and enjoy firing away when ammo is $10/500 rounds!

Any springer at that sort of price range will be similar- but will have much different "feel". Best bet is to try and handle whatever you are interested in buying first if you can. I would avoid the "stupor magnums"- they have a lot of recoil and you don't need the power for pigeons. If you want to go high power you need a PCP rifle- but that should probably be next after the addiction starts... Let us know how many airguns you have a year from now!
 
For pest birds look at a crosman trapmaster. It's a .38 caliber air shotgun. It uses shells that can be reloaded. Extremely powerful up close and can shoot anything from .378 80 grain ball to shells loaded with birdshot or .177 bb's no PAL needed will clear any barn of pest birds no problem. Can also be used for pheasant turkey rabbit possum with the right loads. More info on it athttp://www.luftvapenbladet.com/crosman_1100_trapmaster.htm these are older guns that come up every now and then on the Canadian airgun forum for sale section. Or google mrmarvin's golden oldies. He sometimes has them.
 
I vote for the Ruger Hawk, good Chinese copy of a proven european rifle, not over powered at the PAL level. Pellet weight comes into play when the rifle is capable of 1000fps especially, the heavier pellets usually are more accurate in my opinion and carry energy further as well as reducing vibration and hammering of the piston into the end of the chamber. If the price wasn't an issue and you don't have a PAL then I would recommend A Diana 280 from the Canadian Airgun forum store, I have one and with Crosman hollow points it is a performer in accuracy and power.
 
I work in pest control and have two main airguns I use. One in a stoger x10 at 1200 fps (more like 800-900 with 8 grain pellets) And a crosman 760 pump master rated at 495 on the box. I have started using the crosman a lot and at 25 ft or less with the scope on it head shot or high neck shots drop them very cleanly. I had 52 pigeons in a car wash that took me 2 hours to clean out. pellet count 88. Some misses some second shot dispatches but fps is no substitute for shot placement.
 
When I was 13 my grandfather got me a Russian break action. He proceeded to spotlight sparrows in the hayloft for me. Every shot we would hear a whap, then a few seconds later a light tic. The next morning when we went out to do chores there was daylight where every sparrow was. Be careful about the power when shooting in barns!
 
Another great reason to get a non pal airgun and learn to place shots. I know that unless its cold the crosman 760 will not go through steel barn roof or plastic wavy roof? Not sure what to call that stuff used for light. :)
 
Hello KingPin....Its kind of a tough decision on what to try and suggest to you....I think the biggest consideration would be what's behind the pigeon....too much power and possible hole in your roof....so you might want to look at a BenjaminSheridan.22 pump up rifle..you can vari the power by how many pumps you put into the gun..3-5 usually..22 cal would carry more energy..no hold problems or special scope considerations.....
But as with all airguns shot placement is No.1...there is nothing faster to #### and shoot than a break barrel rifle..they take a little time to figure out how to shoot, but easy to learn,..just don't grip the life out of them on the fore grip, an open and loose hold is all that's necessary, just do that every time.
I sell a lot of springer units to farmers and rodent dispatching fellows....mostly Crosman Quests and Phantoms ....with Red dot sights..like a Tasco or similar..not a scope but just a red dot...a .22 would be your best bet...these are fairly cheap units but if the dollar is not an issue maybe try a Diana 34...22 cal...or a Weihrauch HW 50 ..22 cal.... These units have very good triggers,,the Crosman do not, but will work fine for the job...you get what you pay for...you might be surprised that a Non Pal gun might do the job for you....Hope this sheds some light... KEN.
 
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