Air Rifle Advice wanted in two cost brackets
I have a bunch of friends that keep asking me what air rifle I’d recommend in the following price ranges:
$300 or less
$600, about.
Nitro piston, pcp, springer are all OK. .22 or .25 cal. I’m just not familiar with the more economical ones these days. I generally get the 😯 when I give them the scoop on FX, Air Arms, Daystate and modded Airforce.
Personal experiences with suggestions are all welcome. Thanks!
All Replies
Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
Tell your friends to put their hand a little bit deeper inside their pocket and buy a used Tarantula or a Hogan Ripley Elite(plus filling equipment),if they can find them.
The second is one of my most favorite BB’s.Accurate as a pendulum,uncompromising quality,lightweight,reliable,comfortable.
The long-barrelled model gives 55ft/lbs at .22 and about 30 for the carbine edition.
If they insist to a total 400-600$ cost,a used AA TX200or Pro-sport,HW97 could do the job but not as good as a PCP beyond 55yrds.
Three years ago I had the same choice, I went with Condor, talon SS Airarms 410 carbine, FX Royale in 400 and 500, Rapid in 25 ACP and Edgun and eventually the love of my Diablo shooting life the FX Tarantula.
The Mrod is a reliable rifle and accurate in 25, but has the ergonomics of a one legged fat girl at a potato sack race as does any AF rifle.
Remember if you get a PCP, and for me that is the only choice, you need to fill it, pumping gets old quickly and a used tank is another 400 bucks if you find a place to fill it.
I say for me PCP is the only choice, they shoot like a 22 lr and are superbly accurate and powerful while springers eat scopes and are a bitch to learn to shoot, once you do learn they say there is a freedom associated with them, but for me the freedom would be giving them to a acquaintance I really did not like all that well.
If you just take the $600.00 and buy a rifle, I would get the FX Tarantula, the going price for a nice one is a great deal at $600.00, it is a first generation PCP, parts are available and is said to be the finest looking air rifle ever produced, and it is accurate as a target 10-22, I shot a .70 group at 100 yards with mine this morning in a field position.
They have a 8 shot magazine and are a 28 FPE 22.
. The .25 M-Rod is Very Accurate! 😀 And in the price range you are looking for! 😉
KnifeMaker
Thanks Maw. Is there a particular model you’re talking about?
If anyone knows if the gas/nitro pistons are less shaky or more accurate than the spring piston, I’d like to know. Also if there is any difference in overall power fps. The RWS model 48 springer I have was tuned by John in PA and it’s pretty decent, but damn heavy. Plus, the price has topped $400.
Been wondering about the accuracy and reliability of a Marauder.
Hatsan is making a pretty good .25 cal, breakbarrel, and of course, I like used Airforce guns.
Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Thanks for the input, guys. Yeah, I’m a pcp convert myself. The springer has appeal for short shots and especially to dispatch animals when I’m trapping- a .22 Crow Magnum at point blank is about as humane as I’ve seen, without damaging cage traps.
A Tarantula is on the wish-list for me, along with a Cricket in .25 or .30. I’ll suggest they look for a Tarantula after I find one 😛
Seems like the Marauder will fit their specs. They can mess with the stock or ergonomics if they want. It’s likely they’ll get hooked by the pcps and upgrade once they get used to them.
My shooting buddies all bitch about how the decent air guns are more expensive than a lot of powderburners. I argue the super cheap ammo, silence (on many models) and when making tree shots, you’re less likely to have a serious accident, like when a .22 magnum blows through a squirrel and lands two miles away; these features add up to more value than is first perceived. If you want to target shoot a lot, you save money in the end.
55 squirrels went down at home, since March and twice that at work. Most of these were tree shots and would not have been attempted with a regular gun, even if I had a class 3 and .22 subsonics. By Dec., my best guess is a couple hundred nutters will drop, along with a pile of rabbits, groundhogs and fruit-stealing birds (that get around the netting). Figs are coming in big time-I’ll be busy.