Venturing into a new area.......air rifles!

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Dantforth

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So, at 66 years of age I am looking at something new. So, I have been looking here and at other forums for advise. I have decided on a .22 or .25 caliber with nitro piston and under lever cocking. I want every bit of power I can buy. One thing that I notice is that when looking at specs for particular rifles the only ones which indicate country of manufacture are European made. Are most all made in China? I absolutely don't want anything made in China. Given my likes and dislikes can anyone make a suggestion or point me to a thread which addresses this? David
 
Hi David,

I'm not sure if there are any factory underlever gas piston rifles. I know there are conversions available for some spring piston models, perhaps you'll find one that could be modified.

You mention that you want as much power as possible - for that you'll want to look into pcp rifles. Check out Crosman Rogue .357 :D

If you'd take the gas piston requirement out, then I'd recommend you take a look at Weihrauch HW 97 line of rifles - underlever spring piston. German, excellent accuracy, with .22 pellets they are rated at about 750fps. Not the most powerful air rifle ever made, but it will take small game at medium distances without problems. It is however spring piston and as far as I know there are no gas ram conversions for it.

There is also Diana RWS 460 Magnum in .22 which is also underlever spring piston (and I don't know of a conversion for it either), a bit more powerful than the HW 97, but maybe a bit less accurate.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in with better choices :)
 
leonardj said:
The more powerful the gun (20+ FPE), the more hold sensitive, and generally speaking, the more harsh the firing cycle. As well, with some of the heavy magnums, the effort required to #### that heavy mainspring will diminish some of the enjoyment during a long shooting session.
Click to expand...

I bought a Weihrauch HW95 Luxus (break barrel), not really knowing much about air guns. i just wanted something of quality to go plinking with my children. It is an amazing rifle, extremely well built, and absolutely worth every penny. However, for my uses, I wish I had bought a less powerful model. If this is not a concern for you, get the HW97 if you want an under lever...you won't regret it.
 
OP: Be warned, this can be addictive, this could be because you can shoot safely at home and there is such a wide array of ammo thats affordable, also last I checked the average age of airguners is 51.
Best springers are IMHO as already mention the HW97K underlever, TX200MK3 underlever, and lastly the Diana M54 Airking sidelever. I have all three, and they are all that, but the 54 has a recoiless feature that just makes it such an accurate and fun rifle to shoot that I would have to reccomend it above all others, imagine 1115fps with zero recoil on a springer, very neat. Be preparred to lay down average of a thousand dollars for rifle, mount and scope. Good luck.
 
My wife and I went to buy a tarp at Tool Town. I saw a break barrel pellet rifle for $30 and said "I haven't had one of those since I was 14" Wife said "Buy it". I did. That started it all. I am 60 yrs old and retired. Been a shooter for 50 years. Own two lathes. Internet research showed me how to tune. I bought a chinese b3 ($40) to go with the b1. Tuned both of them. Great fun. Just bought a crosman fury springer that shoots a chrono'd 950 with lead pellets and will give .5' groups at 30 meters. All three of these guns are made in China. They range from deplorable (the b1) to excellent (the fury). In my opinion, you are omitting a class of guns that offer a lot of bang for the buck. Is there a difference between a Crosman and a Weirach(sp)? Holy cow, you bet there is. Both will shoot well and provide lots of fun. If you can afford the higher end guns, they are definately nicer to shoot. Nice wood, excellent bluing, and most importantly, a good trigger.

I have built bench guns that shoot one hole groups at ridiculous distances, and I'm shooting cheap airguns. Wife thinks I'm nuts. I tell her it's stage one alzheimers. Be warned, airguns can be really addictive.
 
I have a handful of airguns, and I don't think I have seriously used or looked at any of them since I because accustomed to the gas ram. I did put about $60 into a good tuning, but it is fun to shoot, accurate, hard hitting, and reliable. I don't know of a fixed-barrel gas ram, but it might be out there. When I was shopping for one, I was inquiring like mad about a side-cocking gas ram, and just came up empty handed. As accurate as I have mine, I do think a fixed barrell version would be better still. And, for what it's worth, mine is a Crossman Nitro Venom Dusk - made in China. I'm not a fan of Chinese either, but Crossman customer service and warranty is rock solid.

On ammo, I would probably suggest .22 over .25, especially if you're just going to be plinking. A wider variety of ammo that is more readily available, and regardless of the brand or style you end up with, you will want to experiment with several different ammo types, even within the same brand - air guns are quite ammo sensative. If you see a variety pack that piques your interest, buy it - the 25 or 50 rounds of each type might not seem like a lot, but it will be enough to tell you if it's worth buying more, or avoiding completely for your gun.
 
There are lots of air rifle forums out there, it would be a good idea to take some time to find them and then do some reading. Some like the Yellow airgun forum specifically have a very good search feature, another thats easier to join is the Gateway to airguns forum as well as the Airgun Home forum.
 
See if you can find a Gamo CFX underlever About 900 fps and made in Spain. Add a Chalie Detuna Trigger and you are away for under $300.
 
snibbort said:
I bought a Weihrauch HW95 Luxus (break barrel), not really knowing much about air guns. i just wanted something of quality to go plinking with my children. It is an amazing rifle, extremely well built, and absolutely worth every penny. However, for my uses, I wish I had bought a less powerful model. If this is not a concern for you, get the HW97 if you want an under lever...you won't regret it.
Click to expand...

i have aHW97k with a 30mm scope these are great i got on the web and powered mine up most say ARE YOU KIDDING ME i have not used it for a while get the 22cal it is a must for geese
 
I agree that I've never hear of an under lever gas piston air rifle. Typically gas piston Nitro Piston air rifles are break barrels.
You are making a good choice choosing an NP air rifle because they shoot quieter and with less vibration than a spring powered air rifle.

I own a non-PAL Benjamin Trail NP All Weather in .22 cal. It's a heavy air rifle but very nice shooter (under 500 fps).
If you want a PAL rated Benjamin air rifle capable of 1,100 fps I recommend the Benjamin Trail NP XL 1100
http://www.airgunsource.com/store/index.php?product=CR-BT1122WNP&c=49

I'm a member of the CAF too and can vouch for the knowledge of the forum's members. No question is "dumb".
http://www.airgunforum.ca/forums/
 
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