New to air rifles

[T.B.G.]

Hey guys I'm a newbe to this game but not to shooting...I'm looking to shoot squirrels (QUIETLY) and gophers... I've been looking at the Benjamin Trail XL 1100 .22 or the xl 1500 .177 OR would the NP Allweathers' be good enough ?? Shooting distances would be a max. of 30 yds squirrels a lot closer in the yard.. Question are the Ben's of good quality and as quiet as they come and if so .177 or .22 thanks in advance for the input..........TBG.

 

[gwilder]

As far as I've been able to find out, the Benjamins are about the quietest air rifles legally available in Canada, next to a well tuned, non-magnum springer. However, the estimated service life is about 10 years on the Chinese made nitrogen gas piston before it needs rebuilding or replacing.

For squirrels and gophers, stick with the .22, XL .22, or .25 versions. .177 won't reliably have enough energy for consistent clean kills. I like that all the versions I've seen come with a usable Centerpoint scope. airgunsource.com and dlairgun.com have great selection and trade best prices, unless you're a LeBaron club member (for the 3 they list, if they have stock).