Thread for the discussion of compressed air guns and related topics
>>62497191What’s the cheapest I can get a powerful, quality air gun that uses like a bicycle pump to charge? I live in close proximity to my neighbors and they would call the cops if I blasted a fox with my .22. I’ve always been interested in the big bore air rifles that use lead slugs, but I don’t know anybody who’s into them so I don’t know much about them.
>>62497455watch some youboob videos. start with blocketh outdoors, as he does groupings, tests various rifles, and hunts with them. you could not go wrong with something like the jts airacuda. you will want to get a compressor, as bike pumping sucks dick.
>>62497455Dunno about bike pumps but the most powerful airgun you can get for cheap is the break action Hatsan Airtact 6,35mm at 38J for only about 120 bucks
>>62497543>Hatsan Airtact 6,35mmit's cheap, but looks like shit. spend 200.00 and you can get the mod95 combo with a admittedly crappy scope in .22, and it's proper wood. good choice too, as mod95 is powerful, and springers are more fun to shoot in the long run.
>>62497579i do preffer the wood furniture but for practicality the airtact comes with a very good scope for its price
What's the best 10m air pistol for beginners to buy in the US? I remember anons suggesting the Izh-46m, but those are sanctioned here (thanks Obama).
Are lever action rifles good? Do you sacrifice things like precision, reliability, power etc for easier reloads?
>>62498135I mean the spring powered ones that you cock and it feeds a pellet from a magazine to the barrel instead inserting a single pellet directly by hand.
>>62497455>powerIf you want to hunt with an airgun you definitely don't want a kiddy model, but don't get hung up on raw power. Airguns are about precision rather than brute force. Here's a guy who got a double head shot straight through two rabbits at 54 yards with a cucked UK-legal rifle.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ksSjtsIQfY&t=648sWorry about precision and knowledge of your target's anatomy more than power. If you can hit your target precisely and know where to aim a .177 will easily and humanely take a fox.>>62498135Any manual cocking air rifle is going to have less power than a PCP, but there's no real difference generally speaking between break-barrel and side-lever type.
>>62498178>but there's no real difference generally speaking between break-barrel and side-lever type.Sorry, hadn't read >>62498143 yet and was confused. It sounds like you're asking about single shots vs. repeaters, not the power source of the gun. A repeater has a magazine and is normally loaded by a lever though some are "bolt action", others are semiauto. You are not sacrificing power or precision for that, many of the best regarded high-end rifles work like that. As to reliability, I have three rifles with those kind of mags and they've all been super reliable: BSA R10 Mk2, Ataman M2R, and FX Impact.
>>62497455You don't pump up a PCP air rifle tank unless your "bike pump" can go up to 2000-3000 PSI. There are bike pump style PCP pumps but a PCP hand pump =/= bicycle pump by a big margin. There are cheap PCP pumps though.
do bbs actually damage rifling?
>>62500793Not enough that I've really noticed. I shot a couple thousand of them before I started shooting pellets through a Crosman and a Daisy (vintage-ish) and haven't noticed a difference in how well it shot. I don't really shoot BBs anymore since they're just too ricochet prone despite the low cost. Shit, Crosman .177s are like 2 to 2.4 cents a piece at max at Walmart too. Maybe cheaper if you go with the 250rd pointed Crosman tins. I'd break out a receipt but I don't think I've bought them for over a year. Too much 22LR to focus on despite the need to drive to the range.
>>62497191Based. I'm thinking about getting an umarex pcp because they look retarded and cool at the same time. Want to take it to a public shooting range to trigger those muh 2nd amendment won't do shit dorks. It will probably start leaking air at some point but whatever.
>>62500793Huh, I was going to recommend the harmonica pellet magazine (clip?) Daisy and Crosman 10 pumps for ease of loading pellets but it appears they stopped making them? Weird because they seemed like a good idea especially when you also have a scope on top.
Is Umarex stuff any good? Most of it looks like cheap plastic junk
>>62501288I like how cheap bbs are. You can usually get about 5 shots per cent. You just need a trap so they don't ricochet
>>62497455The hand pumps for pcp guns are expensive for a reason and even with those you have to take breaks to let it cool and not try to pump too fast. Comressing air generates a lot of heat the rubber seals will burn out really fast if you arent careful. A bike pump might work and survive but fully charging your tank will take forever. Look into a scuba tank you can get refilled at a scuba shop itll actually give you quite a few refills or honestly just get a compressor.
Whats the best way to carry pellets other than the little circle boxes? Can you carry them in a chest pocket or will the lead kill you?
>>62505087>pellet containersThere are purpose-made airgun pellet holders and pouches for competition shooting. You could also use any small container like a pill bottle, soda bottle preform like the geocachers use, a candy or mint container, but I feel that most don't offer any real improvements over just using the tin that the pellets come in. There's nothing dangerous about carrying pellets in your pocket but they're pretty much guaranteed to get dirty and if that dirt happens to include sand then that's going to wear out your barrel with every shot. You also want to keep in mind the pellets are soft lead. If they get dinged up they won't fly straight. A hard container is nice because it prevents the pellets from getting smashed against each other. Lead is not dangerous if you touch it, it's only only if you eat it. So don't carry pellets in your mouth and wash your hands before you eat.
>>62501943I have an Umarex BB gun/co2 pistol and it's accurate enough to where I can shoot snails at 7 metres. It has a weird reciprocating barrel, the trigger pull is horrendous and the magazines are shit. I don't know if other BB guns are better. I specifically wanted one that isnt modelled on a real gun.
>>62505158>I don't know if other BB guns are betterI can't speak to Umarex, but back when I had CO2 pellet pistols I remember that on some models the shape of the pellets you used affected the trigger pull If you used plain flat-faced target pellets the trigger was least affected, domed ones weren't so bad. Put pointed pellets would result in a terrible trigger pull because the point of the pellet dragged against the base of the pellet above it in the magazine stack.
whats better for small game? a faster 4,5mm pellet or a slower, bigger 6,35mm pellet? i was arguing with a buddy who said 4,5mm was better because it would have better penetration due to being smaller and lighter
>>62505960I think .25 is better because you can stretch it further. You don't need a lot of penetration to take out a small game. My opinion. I also don't hunt.
drag coefficient of different shape pellets (lower is better)>>62506083well im stuck with 5,5 for now plus my country limits the power to 24J so idk if its even worth it going to 6,35whats the best type of pellet for killing vermin, rats, mice, etc btw?
>>62505960There's pros and cons to both. Smaller pellets have a flatter trajectory, that's important for practical accuracy. That said, larger pellets are less affected by wind and they tend to have better terminal effectiveness. Penetration is not much of a concern for the typical game people hunt with airguns, even relatively weak airguns zip right through (see >>62498178). Now it might be a concern if you were trying to really push the limits and shoot larger game but that's outside my experience. I've seen videos on YT of people taking quite large game with .177s, including feral hogs, but they were doing that with a very precise shot through the eye or ear hole, basically to prove it was possible with such a small caliber. I'm sure a .22 or larger pellet would have more than enough penetration ability to make that shot, it's hitting the right spot that's the harder part.
>>62506192okay, i assume pointy pellets are better for trying that kind of shot on thick skulls in larger game while a flat point or hollow point might be better for the feeble bodies of birds or mice
>>62506134>whats the best type of pellet for killing vermin, rats, mice, etc btw?In my experience most hunters tend to use the dome head pellets, specifically because they have the lowest drag, and also because they tend to be among the heavier pellets, and heavy is good for both terminal effectiveness and resisting wind drift. I prefer JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy, that is one of the most popular pellets out there.#3 and #5 seem to cause the biggest wounds, the hollow points can really expand if the gun makes good velocity. There are different variations of the hollow point design. Some are smaller like the Beeman/H&N Silver Bear, others have a bigger cup like the Crow Magnum. Other brands have their own versions. I think they preform quite similarly.
>>62506134>my country limits the power to 24J Do they really check how many J's your pellet gun pushes?
are there any recommended tools for restoring an old rifle ? what are the most common issues you can encounter on a really old rifle?>>62506388they simply limit the power on whats for sale, i dont think anybody will check your airgun ever to test its power and im sure some can easily be modified to go past that
>>62506425A standard break barrel will do like 30 in any caliber. Magnum will do 40. That part where the air is coming from into the barrel, I forgot the name of it, has to be standard size. Also just buy a regular spring on eBay.
>>62506425>most common issuesOther than the usual crap that happens with any gun (rust, dings in the stock, etc.) the most common issues with airguns would be seals. Piston type airguns have a cup seal on the piston, multi-pump type guns often have O-rings on the pump piston. Nearly all airguns have some kind of seal at the breech, there are also various seals and o-rings inside. Those can wear out over time, lose integrity with age or chemical exposure, dry out from disuse.
>>62501943I have their Glock 19 Co2 BB pistol. Thing looks and feels like the real thing, fairly accurate if you can get used to the 5" trigger pull
>>62505960I think a .22 (5.5mm) or .25 (6.35mm) might actually penetrate or break through bone and not deviate a little better because of the extra weight. Hard to say. I think .22 would be a good compromise over .25 if you're stuck with a power limit (ie. "sub 12 foot pounds" in England) since you're not having to go too much heavier where you really start to see large changes in pellet speed and drop. Really depends; PCP I might go .22 or .25. If I'm stuck with non-PCP rifle, I'd go with a break barrel .22.>>62506134>my country limits the power to 24J>24J = 17.7 Foot PoundsThat's not too bad compared to a lot of countries with a limit. I'd go with .22 (5.5mm) if you can find it over .25 (6.35mm). Better pellet selection, at least in the US, and more common. .22 would drop less over distance meaning you don't have to learn hold-overs so much and you can probably hunt quite a lot of animals with .22 even when restricted to that power. I'd only get a .25 if you're starting to often hunt something groundhog or raccoon sized. Not sure what a similar sized animal would be over there; Badger, maybe? These animals would weigh about 10-20 pounds (4.5-9kg).>whats the best type of pellet for killing vermin, rats, mice, etc btw?You could kill mice and rats even with a lower power .177 (4.5mm) though a bigger pellet with more power is nicer. With rats I'd prefer a .22 if they're not hard to find in your country. For some reason I like the wadcutters like number 3 in your picture for mice and rats to try and prevent damage from pellets that pass through, but I mostly used to use something like number 5 with a hollowpoint. In the US I buy Crosman hollowpoint domed in .177 and .22, which are like if pellet 2 had the cavity from number 5.
>>62506425Seals (rubber seals, o-rings). Airgun oil. I have a lot of vintage pump rifles and the biggest problem is the original seals and o-rings failing. I went to use my favorite 10 pump Crosman one day and the seal/o-ring was just dead. I used to use it all the time but in the year I hadn't used it, the seal stopped holding air and the pump is completely limp. It's hard to predict if or when it'll happen; I have guns with original seals (30-40+ year old rubber o-rings) that are fine but I have others that died shortly after I bought and oiled them if they even held air at all after the first use. You need an oil that's safe to use on the seals which won't degrade the rubber seals or they may start failing early. Even if you do use airgun specific oil, though, that doesn't always mean old original seals won't fail; sometimes they're already "dead" and will appear to work for a while until they very suddenly do not hold air anymore, maybe even between shots or when you go to use your rifle the next day.>vintage riflesBe aware that a lot of vintage break barrels and underlevers do not make a lot of power to begin with and a lot of them probably make even less than they would've when new due to worn seals. IIRC 10-20 foot pound (13.5 - 27J) break barrels are a relatively recent thing to be cheap and common. Do some research on any vintage/used rifles you may be looking at to see how much power it really makes before buying one. I'd buy new airguns if it's possible; it just makes it easier to find information on the air rifle you have and you're more likely to be able to get parts and you're more likely to easily be able to do things like put a scope on the rifle, not to mention you won't need to worry about old seals failing. The newer break barrels for the most part are also not as harsh to rifle scopes as well depending on their design AFAIK.
Should I get a gun with a gas piston or a spring?
>>62506450>A standard break barrel will do like 30 in any caliber.define standardon a related note idk if its BS but ive been told giving 24J power to a 4,5mm will be "too much" for it and make it wildly innacurate
>>62509180>BS but ive been told giving 24J power to a 4,5mm will be "too much" for it and make it wildly innacurateThat's an exaggeration but there is some truth to it. Bullets (or pellets) lose stability whenever they transition from supersonic to subsonic flight. Match competition air rifles used for are rarely powerful enough to be supersonic for this reason. But it's not like supersonic guns are inherently inaccurate, and there are plenty of high end .177s that are both extremely accurate and making much more then 24J. They might be slightly less accurate than a subsonic one, but it's not like your accuracy will suddenly turn to shit.
I've shot 10,750 crossman pellets out of my Weihrauch HW30s since I got it in February. Do I have to do maintenance at some point? Seal looks good, it still shoots good. Just run it until it dies? Never had an airgun before this. In any case I'm glad I jumped into a good air rifle instead of risking it on turkshit. The extra $100-150 is worth it.
>>62509331Airguns require little maintenance since there's no combustion involved so they stay quite clean. I'd clean the barrel every once in a while and apply a little oil to the major wear spots like the break-barrel hinge. The manual should tell you what requires lubrication.
>>62509180Airguns have a lot of variables. Weight of a pellet, speed, distance at which the pellet is shot at, etc.
>>62509180Less about power more about speed. You really don't want to get pellets supersonic, around 1000-1200+ or so. Accuracy gets awful if you do get to those speeds, at least usually.>>62509331In the experience I had with high round count 10 pumps, clean the barrel, make sure the tube the piston/pump is in isn't filthy, keep the seals oiled. Haven't shot thousands through my break barrels unlike years ago with my pumps though. If the speed drops, either it needs oil (more likely) or the seal is wearing out (less likely). Doesn't hurt to have some new in pack seals or an o-ring set. Also sometimes when freshly oiled it may spit oil down the barrel which IIRC screwed with my accuracy especially when that oil was filthy from the dirt inside the air chamber. Been quite a while though.
>>62509331>Weihrauch HW30sI was just thinking about buying one of these. Everyone talks about them being high quality.
>>62497455 There's honestly alot of options in the 150-400 range, a hand pump will set you back about 60-180 depending on what you get but even a cheap vevor will get the job done. Anything big bore will generally be louder, if want quiet find a .22 you like and throw a moderator on it. I like donnyfl moderators for airguns and they sell moderators and adapters and such for just about everything. Picrel is my pcps all .22. If you're not shooting range you don't really need slugs imo, find a nice domed pellet your gun likes. I like jsb and jts pellets.
>>62510510Krale is where I got mine. Shipping is $50 but it arrives super quick and their prices are about $100 under U.S. stores. I highly recommend the HW30s.
>>62512516Thanks, I didn't realize they had it for such a good price.
>>62515037Hope you enjoy it! I had to loosen up the screws for cocking the rifle, basically make it so it's smoother. Mine was ratched down way too tight. Also had to purple loctite the screw behind the trigger guard. Front sight can loosen over time too, keep an eye on it.
Is touching lead pellets bad for my health?
>>62518622Nah you're good. Maybe wash your hands after if you're gonna eat something
>>62497191Does anyone know where I can purchase an accurate air gun with appropriate ammo in Canada? I want to shoot at the black squirrels in my backyard for fun Also, are there any airgun shotguns? Are they as loud as an actual shotgun? Where can I buy these pellet guns?
>>62518622First, don't ingest lead. Second, if you have any open wounds, do not touch them after touching lead. Lead is partially soluble in water and could enter you through any open wounds. Other than that, you should be fine. I would wear gloves for the extra safety precaution but you do you.
>>62518833What type of gloves do you recommend? They must be thin enough to allow handling pellets after all
>>62519277When I was worried about the lead I used nitrile gloves. Now I embrace the lead
>>62519277Honestly? 1. Anything disposable like those plastic surgeon gloves. 2. Anything that doesn't let the lead stick on your gloves, like leather gloves.3. Gloves that can be washed/laundered like wool or cotton gloves. If you plan to wash these gloves, I would recommend washing them separately from non-lead-infested clothes, as the lead could wash onto those other clothes (which is le bad).
>>62505022>scuba tankmost scuba shops won't fill em unless you have a dive cert, get a paintball tank and have it filled at your local field instead
