Starter Setup Recomendations

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crocty

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Hi there CGN,

Air rifles are totally out of my wheel house however; a colleague of mine knows I'm a nutter and wanted advice. Rather than giving him my two cents I offered to post a thread here for those with more expertise to weigh in.

The requirements seem simple to me (maybe even Canadian Tire simple); price range on the rifle would be between $100 - 150, $100 for an optic, no PAL requirement, spring loaded, it will be used by a ten year old at a controlled 30M range. I'm guessing he's looking for a 3X (or so) optic - I defer to you all.

Thanks for taking the time to offer up suggestions.
 
1. Get a spring or gas ram powered gun - either are good. The pump action rifles look cheap but are a lot of extra work.
2. Go .177 calibre. Much flatter trajectory, so much easier to shoot as a beginner.
3. Get one with a scope already fitted. It's important that you use a dedicated airgun scope - a scope for another type of rifle will not stand up to the double recoil well.
4. At 30m it's fun to learn how to shoot without a scope as well as with - look for something which has got built in iron sights too. 3 or 4X is a good magnification. But try to avoid the cheap 20 x 4 scopes - you will find a 32 (or bigger) objective lens adds a disproportionate amount to the experience.
5. Youtube for videos on "artillery hold" - the way you fire spring power airguns is quite a bit different from rifles - I found it very strange when I made the change.

You will definitely be able to find something suitable at a decent sized Canadian Tire - take the kid and have him hold a few and judge for size / fit. Your budget is good too. I bought my kid his air gun from CT when he was that age - half the fun is trying them out in the store :)

Final point please, please, no hunting at all with the non PAL rifles. He will be tempted but they really aren't powerful enough for even the smallest prey, and it would be just horribly cruel.
 
Best advice is avoid Canadian Tire for airguns. They are crazy over priced.
I have 40 year old spring guns that still shoot great. I have seen nitro pistons leak after just a few years. Call me old school, but I prefer springs.
There are many options these days for springers. Most Crosman and Benjamin and a few others like some Stoegers are all based on the same platform (Chinese B-18), just different bells and whistles to market them. Decent guns with lots of mods, parts and advice available.
I would recommend a site sponsor, but don't know many that carry Airguns.
I suggest a Slavia 630 for about $200, Gagnon Sports has them. They are great guns that have been around for a long time. Great quality, nice shooting gun. They are under 500fps, can be brought up to 600ish with a new spring if you have your PAL.
Another suggestion is a Ruger Airhawk. It is a clone of the Diana 34, which is a great gun. They shoot around 500fps, can be brought up to 800ish with new spring if you have your PAL. They are available for $100 with a crappy scope from Walmart.ca, with free shipping.
 
I would agree to generally avoid Canadian Tire for airguns. Also, note that most rifles that are non-PAL will shoot just below the 500 fps mark, so trajectory isn't much of a issue regardless of caliber.

That being said, here's a very acceptable non-PAL rifle that's just above the budget, made in Germany (currently out of stock unfortunately):

http://airgunsource.com/diana-model-21-panther-177-cal-(495-fps)/dp/1563

For optics, maybe consider these airgun rated models:

http://airgunsource.com/hawke-vantage-4x32-ao-mil-dot/dp/2297

https://www.dlairgun.com/Scopes/Leapers/036_UTG_1_4X32_Full_Size_AO_Mil-dot_Scope_SCP-U432AOW.html
 
Barfman said:
I would agree to generally avoid Canadian Tire for airguns. Also, note that most rifles that are non-PAL will shoot just below the 500 fps mark, so trajectory isn't much of a issue regardless of caliber.

That being said, here's a very acceptable non-PAL rifle that's just above the budget, made in Germany (currently out of stock unfortunately):

http://airgunsource.com/diana-model-21-panther-177-cal-(495-fps)/dp/1563

For optics, maybe consider these airgun rated models:

http://airgunsource.com/hawke-vantage-4x32-ao-mil-dot/dp/2297

https://www.dlairgun.com/Scopes/Leapers/036_UTG_1_4X32_Full_Size_AO_Mil-dot_Scope_SCP-U432AOW.html
Click to expand...

Very good point about the trajectories. I'm used to being limited by total energy not velocity (UK rules).

For the same velocity the trajectory would be minimally different.

Thanks for the correction.
 
linux99 said:
Very good point about the trajectories. I'm used to being limited by total energy not velocity (UK rules).

For the same velocity the trajectory would be minimally different.

Thanks for the correction.
Click to expand...

No problem, I can certainly understand the thought process.

I initially agreed, but remembered my days prior to getting a PAL and wanting to lob as big a pellet as possible at sub-500. It resulted in a customized 2240 in .25 with a BNM repeater breach shooting lighter pellets just under the 500 mark.
 
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