Air rifle for deer?
Hey guys/gals,
I bought my 8yr old son a ruger impact in .22 and now I have revived the air gun craze I had as a child:)
I had never heard about PCP air rifles til now and It’s a must have. OK, here goes my extended question. I like to prep and have most everything I need ready to go. I also have a number of firearms and plenty of ammo but their all a bit too loud. I’ve decided for stealth I would like a PCP. It would need to be quiet, accurate and have the power to take a deer if need be. Between the rifle and the pump I would like to stay below 8-900.00.
I have been looking at the marauder in .25 and the condor ss in .25. What say you guys? School me…please.
Thanks, Dan
All Replies
That looks like another nice one to consider but man these things are expensive.
You might also want to take a look at the Evanix line. I’ve been contemplating the “Rainstorm 2”. It’s available in .25, .30 and 9mm. Powerful but loud!
Wildfire :5:
Yup! Look at the 2500 also. It is not a hard procedure to convert a .25 Condor to a .257. This could always be done at a later time. That’s the magic of the Air Force line of rifles.
Wildfire :5:
I think you would be very happy with a Condor. 1050-1100fps is not a problem, depending on projectile weight.
There is a misunderstanding among people who are new to air guns, faster is better! This is not always true. There are magnum break barrels in .177 that will shoot 1400fps with alloy pellets but you couldn’t hit a 4’x8′ sheet of plywood with it @20 yards. A lot of air gunners actually choose to “tame” their guns down a little to improve accuracy and increase shot count.
The first coyote I ever shot with my Talon-Dor was with one of Jerry’s 7 ring slugs (70+ grain). At only a little over 800fps, and at 40 yards, it hit her like a locomotive and dropped her where she stood.
Try not to be too concerned with breaking sound. Accuracy and shot count are what matters ( in my opinion anyway).
Are you planning to fill with a hand pump or are you going the scuba tank route. If you’re going to be pumping, think seriously about your shot count.
Wildfire :5:
Yeah, I figured a condor ss in .25 just under the sound barrier would give me speed, weight and accuracy without the sound barrier crack. One of the best sounding set ups is the 257 talondor’s that I’ve been studying but they I’m sure would be way out of my price range.
Yes, I would be using a hand pump and pumping after only a small number of shots to save energy:) I have other airguns in mind for plinking but this would be a bug out gun capable of taking deer and other game.
Other than the condor what else would fit the bill of 1000-1100FPS with .25 cal? The sumatra 2500 seems to deserve a look…
Good morning Dan;
I think you would be very happy with a Condor. 1050-1100fps is not a problem, depending on projectile weight.
There is a misunderstanding among people who are new to air guns, faster is better! This is not always true. There are magnum break barrels in .177 that will shoot 1400fps with alloy pellets but you couldn’t hit a 4’x8′ sheet of plywood with it @20 yards. A lot of air gunners actually choose to “tame” their guns down a little to improve accuracy and increase shot count.
The first coyote I ever shot with my Talon-Dor was with one of Jerry’s 7 ring slugs (70+ grain). At only a little over 800fps, and at 40 yards, it hit her like a locomotive and dropped her where she stood.
Try not to be too concerned with breaking sound. Accuracy and shot count are what matters ( in my opinion anyway).
Are you planning to fill with a hand pump or are you going the scuba tank route. If you’re going to be pumping, think seriously about your shot count.
Wildfire :5:
Wildfire :5:
Hah! Yeah…that’s kinda what I was thinking.
I also read that if there is no law on the books against hunting with an air rifle then it can’t be illegal… Then I read a chart from benjamin on states laws and it seems to say NC is legal with .45 caliber for whitetail. I’ll do some more research and update if I find anything concrete regarding NC airgun law.
As far as 1500 for a condor; Yeah I see people spend 1500+ on a set up and then sell all for 5-900.00. I guess I’m hoping to get lucky. I’m going to sell/trade 1 of my AR’s in 300aac in order to get the PCP I need. Trades anyone?
I’ve been looking for a PCP that will shoot a .25 lead pellet at 1050-1100fps. It seems that most are 900 with lead in .25.
Thanks
I think you’re correct Gene about the center fire thing. Last I heard, N.C.was not legal to hunt big game with an air gun. Of course when the shit is hitting the fan, all laws will probably not matter anyway!
Wildfire :5:
I think NC specifies a “centerfire” (i.e. powder burner) .22 or larger. If you’re looking at PCP, $7-800 may be reasonable for the rifle alone, but expect to spend $1000 – $1500 before you complete even a minimal setup. I’d consider something like a Condor ‘just adequate’ – it will certainly work with a good shot, but in a survival situation you probably want something that will work with any reasonable shot available. I wouldn’t expect a heart/lung shot from a Condor to work all that well… Also, these high power airguns aren’t much quieter than .22, except that you can get a legal silencer. (You can get a legal silencer for a powder burner as well – just $200 more, more hassle, and a long wait.)
GsT
Thanks for the advice.I checked NC air gun laws and found some info.It seems that a rifle cal .22 or greater in a 16″ minimum length is legal.I’ll check into it further.
Any other suggestions for what would fit my needs as described above would be appreciated.
People have taken (small) deer with both .25 Condor’s and .25 Marauder’s with properly placed head shots. In a prepping survival situation, I would say go for it but there a few things to keep in mind. 1, there are only a few states which allow the harvesting of deer and other large game with air guns. 2, as far as I know (and I may be wrong), the states that do allow it, have restrictions on caliber. Alabama, for instance, just last year, started allowing the use of air guns to harvest deer but the gun must be .30 cal or larger.
Hopefully, we will never be in a survival situation because I’m certainly not PREPared!
Wildfire :5:
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Recluse 9mm or 909 45cal for deer. Just do it right. Gun and pump under 900 dollars