First Air Rifle - opinions please?

[benharding]

Hi guys, looking at buying an air-rifle after a fair few years of shotguns.

 

What would you guys recommend? Happy with either a PCP or a Springer, and also happy to buy used.

 

Budget is about £450/500. Don't want to spend a bunch as it may just end up sitting gathering dust, but don't want to buy something too terrible either so I can adjust if necessary.

 

Based in Norfolk, and can travel about (not 100's of miles though, haha) if any of you guys have anything you might want rid of for a decent price.

 

Cheers.

[Ultrastu]

Well if its just for the occasional shoot ./plink

Then a springer is ideal .gun pellets scope and bag and your set .

No pumps or bottles to worry about .

 

Personally i really like bsa lightening xls

But a hw 99 or 95 would go well too .

I have a tx 200 and although accurate it is very heavy and slow to load .which doesnt make for a fast follow up shot .

You coyld get a gammo fox which i belive is around your budget with scope bag and pump included .

Shame they dont do em in .177 yet

[Walker570]

It all revolves around what you intend doing with it. I purchased a like new TX200HV for £300 and I liked it BECAUSE it was heavy, BUT, I shoot exclusively from static positions, popups, custom made blinds and it is awesome accurate. I would not suggest it if you entertain stalking bunnies around hedgerows as it is HEAVY. I did use a BSA pcp once as was impressed with that rifle as well. The problem being that there is so much choice and I'm sure everyone on here will have their favourite. As well as learning what you can on here from knowledgeable folks, try as I did to find a shop which has some specialist knowledge where you can get good advice as I did.

[Mice!]

Go second hand get a rifle scope probably bottle as well for that money, make everyone has got there opinions, just have a read through whats being said on the other threads, I'm a .22 man .177 too fiddly for my liking.

 

Someone said they were selling a bsa for around your money but you will find plenty

 

Mice!

[vampire]

Pcp = AA 410 or 200,

for hunting live quarry should be multi shot

pump or bottle,bottle if its still in your budget,pump if you are young and fit

Yes get a silencer

dome head pellet like rws superfield for example only,try a mixed box to see whats best in your rifle

bipod,never found the need

Try various types before you spend

 

Now dont get us started on this bit......... .177 or .22 no don't

[golfshot]

As suggested an AA410 look on freeads there is one on there that looks in good condition with scope silencer and bag at £440 . this would still leave cash in the budget for a pump.

ATB

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, gathering dust !!!!!! just get a hatsan 900 X less than £100, oh comes in a box !!!!!

[benharding]

Ended up picking up a mint HW97KT Stainless in .177 with TBT tuning kit already installed, Hawke Panorama Scope + rifle bag for £300.

Seemed like a good deal. Did I do good or bad?

Cheers for all the responses, last question - what sorts of pellets would you guys recommend? Ideally I'd like some to shoot targets in the garden, and I guess i'd need some other pellets if I wanted to take some bunnies out. Or should I get some mixed ones and see what I like?

Edited June 4, 2017 by benharding

[chrisjpainter]

sounds like a fair deal.

The answer to your pellet question is whatever the gun likes! try a few out and see what's best. AA Diabolo Field, JSB Exact and H&N FTT would be where I'd start, but maybe RWS superfield and superdome could be worth looking at; I've heard good reports out of HW springers with those.

[Elmer Fudd.]

Post deleted

Edited June 4, 2017 by Elmer Fudd.

[Ultrastu]

What chris said .

Ive found that jsb pellets in either 7.3 grn (rs or falcons ) 7.9 grns (express jsb /air arms ) or 8.44 grn (exact or air arms field ) all shoot the same trajectory .so you might as well shoot the 8.4 grn as they hold most energy and resist the wind better .

[Mice!]

Go with what's said above but I wouldn't chop and change pellets, there not that dear if you've got a pellet the rifle likes then stick with it, accuracy is your main aim.

 

And it won't be your last question just the first of many, welcome to the funny farm 👍

[manthing]

When pellet testing run about 20-30 pellets of that type down the barrel and the shoot groups of 5. Zero your first pellets and the rest should be near enough, use the bull of the target as your aim but don't worry to much about chasing zero for each pellet, you're looking for a pellet that groups best. Once you have a couple of pellets that group better than the rest get a chronograph out and see which is most consistent.

At 25 yards my .22 97k will put 10 pellets inside a £1 coin hole with AirArms Field Diablo with a >7 FPS variation, if I do my bit.

 

Oh yes by the way you done good.

Let us know how you get on with the thumbhole stock and the safety, I couldn't get on with it personally.

Edited June 6, 2017 by manthing