Air Rifles

[jusputtn]

Just wondering if anyone has played around with air rifles.

Got my son a Crosman Recruit when he was 8 as I liked the practicality of the adjustable stock feature.  It's essentially a 760 pump gun.  In the beginning I had to be pretty hands on helping him shoot.  But I realized that when he eventually is able to shoot it on his own, I would have to sit there and watch him have all the fun (actually a clever excuse to buy my own ).  So I did a little web searching and ended up getting an RWS Diana Model 34 in .22 cal.  It's a break barrel cocking action with a pellet velocity of about 800 fps.  Lotta fun to shoot.  Plus the air rifles give us more opportunities to shoot.  Due to being quiet, we can shoot off to the side of a family b'que without causing hate and discontent.

I've taken some grackles with it but haven't taken the time to go after squirrels/rabbits yet.  Anyone used theirs for small game? 

[132 eight pointer]

I have a Winchester air rifle made by daisy,  .177 cal. 1000 fps. They are fun to shoot.I have not hunted with it but I wouldn't mind trying.I did end a chipmunk's  suffering after it  got in to some poison a neighbor uses to kill them. Also have a Crosman G1  Extreme new in the box that I am saving to shoot with my kids.

[Fitzy]

For unprotected species you still must have a hunting license. For regulated game, all seasons and bag limits pertain. An air gun is considered a hunting 'weapon' and you must abide by the discharge distances from neighboring structures just like a bow or other firearm. But cautious discretion and friendly neighbors are always a plus.The air gun has to shoot @ 600 f.p.s. or higher to use it for hunting.

With that all said, I hunted with a guy who used an air rifle for squirrel. It wasn't much quieter than my standard velocity .22s. Although, he got one and I didn't. It was five below zero and I had a couple of misfires! Go figure! To each their own. 

Keep that young one interested in shooting and hunting. We need to keep kids in the woods instead of 'cyber land'. Only four more years 'till he can take the hunters safety course. Good luck.

[Single_shot]

Tell ya what....I will have one sooner or later,but it will be a foreign model most likely. Gamo has some heavy hitters but there are some bigger names that really hit the spot. An excellent way to keep you shooting sharp. All or most of the foreign militaries used 22cal for training purposes....there's a reason for that.

[ny hunter]

Back in my younger days.I used to shoot tree rats,For an old man on the block,He would use the tail fur for making fly's.He would cook the meat and always said to try it but I never did.i used an El Gamo Expo,In 177,and an air rifle scope.That is one rifle I wish I still had.

[FULLDRAWXX75]

I bought a used Benjiman Sharidon 5mm @ 15 yrs ago at a local gun shop, it has performed flawlessly over the yrs and is extremely accurate out to 45 yds. It has helped huge in down sizing the red squirrel population around the house.

It is much quieter than a .22 cal and for close range shooting it is the nuts.

FDXX75

[fasteddie]

I had a Benjamin air rifle when I was a kid . I ruined it by pumping it up way too much . It was a 22 cal and would put a hole through a 1" wooden shed door .

I would pump it up and then hold the stock between my legs and use both hands to pump it up more . That wasn't good for the air rifle !

[ny hunter]

My very first bb gun was a daisy 880.I wore that gun out also by pumpimg it uptoo much.

[steve863]

I think the durability of an air rifle is quite a bit less than that of .22 rimfire.  You can shoot even an inexpensive .22 for years without any need for repairs.  Shoot an air rifle a lot or even a little in some cases and you will probably need to service something on it sooner or later.  I can see the safety and noise factors for some wanting to use one, but otherwise I would take a .22 rimfire over an air rifle any day of the week!

[ny hunter]

I agree,But to shoot in yard or even the basement you can't beat an air gun,pistol or rifle.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

My first was a Daisy single pump action Model 25. I have had it since the early 70's and it still shoots. I wish I had a $1 for every BB put through that thing.

I ...I mean ...my daughter has a single break barrel crossman .177 pellet gun. we love shooting it and it comes in very handy for close quarter varmit control.

I have to agree with Steve. If I was going afield I always prefer one of my .22 rimfires

[WNYBuckHunter]

My very first bb gun was a daisy 880.I wore that gun out also by pumpimg it uptoo much.

Thats what mine was, and mine got ruined the same way. One of these days I want to pick another air rifle up just to plink with.

[ny hunter]

Very cheap now, not the same gun.

[132 eight pointer]

To anyone looking to buy air rifles, just a reminder that Crosman employs New Yorkers in Canandaigua (spelling ?). I believe Crosman owns Benjamin now too.

[FULLDRAWXX75]

I agree,But to shoot in yard or even the basement you can't beat an air gun,pistol or rifle.

Ditto,

I had some rather lower than average lifestyle folks move a trailer onto a lot down the road from me a few yrs ago, well they moved out about two yrs later and left there rat collection behind for the rest of us neighbors to deal with.......................long story short, I had rats take up residency in my storage garage and my workshop looking for a place to hold up for the winter.

Those nasty things will chew through anything shy of concrete and steel......................................well I set a trap line, rat poison and finally took out the remainder with my pellet gun (inside the garage) shooting over bait.....................lol.

Pellet guns have there place, no comparison to a .22 cal in overall performance, but up close and personal................a good pellet gun will get it done. Quietly.

FDXX75

[ny hunter]

Some of the guns are almost exact replacas to real thing so you practice for pennys in the basement or garage.

[FULLDRAWXX75]

Some of the guns are almost exact replacas to real thing so you practice for pennys in the basement or garage.

The key word is "practice", I bought my son an inexpensive Crosman bb/pellet gun for Christmas when he was @ 6 to get him started in shooting. My first mistake was not getting a gun that fit him properly(my bad, very big bad) he would shoot it but not in proper form or accurately. But, once he grew into it...............................the kid would go through a couple tins of pellets a weekend easy target practicing.

He graduated up to a .22 cal a few yrs ago and he can put an entire box of shells into a target at 25-30 yds and cover the spot with a quarter (open sights no less)

Personally, I feel it is cheaper and safer to get a child started out with a pellet gun, I prefer pellet over BB's for safety reasons, the soft lead pellets don't bounce back at you.

A good quality pellet gun these days can help older shooters get back into their shooting form and mental state at much less cost than rifle ammo. Back to the basics...................................

FDXX75

[jusputtn]

Another reason to shoot pellets is that they're more accurate.  Using my son's Crosman Recruit, I get about a 2" group at 50 feet with BB's and a 3/4" group with pellets, when shooting from a sitting position.  I want him to be encourage with more hits so we use pellets.  Paper targets bored him pretty quick.  We've used tin cans, clay pigeons and even toy soldiers.

The airguns have given us more opportunities to shoot.  At family B'BQ's we'll go off to the side and pop a few targets.  No bother to anyone. 

[Elmo]

If only I had $3000 sitting around...

http://www.edgun.ru/en/cat/guns_01.php

[Elmo]

All this talk of air guns has me interested.  Is this what happens when you get into hunting?  You spend the off-season day dreaming in the office about getting out in the woods to do some shooting?

Anyone know the rules are for air pistols in New York.  I would like to pick up an air pistol to shoot European sparrows, Starlings, etc. while out hunting.  Would prefer a pistol so I don't have to carry two rifles out into the woods.

[ny hunter]

your just gonna kill the birds Because?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I would think because they are vermin...lol. More introduced species. The ones he listed I believe are unregulated and may be taken in any number at any time.

I think there was a thread that discussed this in the frame work of squirrels during bow and I dont remember if it got resolved 100%. I think it was if it is capable of the speed to be legally used to take game it was a firearm by definition and couldn't be carried in conjunction with a bow. if you are gun hunting I wouldn't think there would be an issue.....no different than carrying a .22 and your shotgun.

Do they make reasonable air pistols that make the speed required?

[jusputtn]

European sparrows and Starlings are invasive species, which is why they are unregulated...or is it a regulation to say anytime/no limit?  So shooting them does a service to our native song birds which they compete with. 

Check the hunting syllabus on the regs.  I don't try to memorize them, just keep them handy to refer to.  If you don't find the answer, contact the DEC with the question.

[Elmo]

When I read Steve Rinella's book and his explanation on the destruction to native song birds when the European Sparrows were introduced to the northeast, I viewed them differently now.  Plus, I'm from NYC so you know about our "love affair" with the common pigeon.  It's a joy for me to see a blue jay or a cardinal in the city but they are simply being over run by the "rats of the sky".

The new Benjamin Marauder generates 700 fps.  My only concern is that as a NYC resident, I can't get a carry/conceal license which means if the same exact rules that regulate firearms are cardon copied to airguns then I won't be able to get an air pistol.

[Elmo]

Nope.  Apparentlyin NYC, air pistols are also treated as regular pistols.  That sucks.

http://www.nysrpa.org/files/nyc-admincode.pdf