What sort of power could you get from a break barrel air rifle ?

[BADGER.BRAD]

I've just watch a vid from an American chappy who was hunting using a break barrel rifle. I'm just wondering how much foot pound you could realistically get from a break barrel rifle, All the FAC rifles I have seen have been PCPs. so I'm guessing not really much more than our legal limit.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, you can get FAC type spring air rifles but cannot see the point my self, google FAC spring rifle power in uk

[Ultrastu]

17  fpe in .177 

20 fpe in .22 

24 fpe in .25 

Possibly 27 fpe in .30 cal 

As an estimate .

[strimmer_13]

Think you could realistically get up to about 30-35ftlb. But you'd never cock it, and if you did you'd probably break the gun as parts are not ment for that kind of stress. Most cylinders aren't strong enough or wide enough for the bigger springs for excessive power. A few exceptions of course. 

The webley patriot is the best known fac spring in the UK, and never heard much good stuff about them. Think they were 25-30ftlb. Other makers in other countries usually have their guns higher, from what i can make out 16-20ftlb. 

I see the yanks like the idea of dieseling their break barrels for more powwerrrr. Tools. Watched a few vids. Couldn't hit a barn door. 

[GingerCat]

Wasn't the eliminator 30ftlbs and a pain to cock?

[strimmer_13]

Ah yes Theobens offering. Gas ram. Probably the only one I'd actually have if I could knock it down to about 18ftlb. 

Its easy to make any gun powerful, pretty pointless when you can't use it or hit the target. 😅

[old man]

Ah, a Patriot, awful things IMO from personal experience.

 

[ratass]

hw 80 will make 18_ 20 without any bother.

JB

[Ultrastu]

I think if i was to have a springer on ticket  id have a .25 cal  

Lets be honest .a high power springer is never gonna be a long range tool so a 900 fps .177 (easily achived )  isnt really going to extend your range as the accuracy will suffer .

I would be more temped by a massive wollop of a .25 cal h+nftt.at about 24 fpe .keep the ranges realistic say up to 40 yds and SMACK  your quarry hard  .

 

 

[Chaz25]

I have seen a few 12 pounders creep in there stock my .25 supersport dose it, I guess a FAC springer would be quite harsh to itself!

[Robertt]

I set one up straight out the box for a friend in the U.S.

Ruger Airmax 177. Break barrel. 

Levering system made cocking easy, good lock up but trigger like a boot release on a Ford escort with little adjustment.

It came with a poor quality 4x scope. 

Would only group with heavy pellets and accuracy only 1" @ 25y .

A dove was shot later and the impact and damage was extremely impressive.

With a different scope and a bit of fettling I suppose it could be improved but very inferior  to a FAC PPC.

 

[stu64]

have a look at these videos- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRflBLpG3eo   and    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DqlmF7tPlM    I wish I could shoot like that with a pcp, never mind a recoiling gun! I have used an fac hw80 years ago- didn't tear itself apart and was as accurate as a 12ft lb gun.

 

[Cheshirelad]

The original Weihrauch HW80 was set at around 18fpe when it left the factory. This is a realistic power level - anything much more than this would probably kick like a mule.

[enfieldspares]

On 12/02/2020 at 19:42, old man said:

Ah, a Patriot, awful things IMO from personal experience.

 

God awful in fact! I had a .22 FAC rated Patriot. It wouldn't shoot into even 1" at twenty-five yards from a rested position and was like being puched in the face by Mike Tyson. OLD MAN was lucky as his was only awful. Mine was God awful! The only use for it was put a rope through the trigger guard and use it as a boat anchor. Horrible to fire and useless accuracy!

Edited February 14, 2020 by enfieldspares

[old man]

58 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

God awful in fact! I had a .22 FAC rated Patriot. It wouldn't shoot into even 1" at twenty-five yards from a rested position and was like being puched in the face by Mike Tyson. OLD MAN was lucky as his was only awful. Mine was God awful! The only use for it was put a rope through the trigger guard and use it as a boat anchor. Horrible to fire and useless accuracy!

Wonder where mine ended up?

More recoil than a .300 RUM. 😀

[BADGER.BRAD]

Thanks all I had thought about the difficulty in cocking but hadn't thought about the affects of the battering the gun would get, I can remember as a  teen a friend of mine was into air gunning and had messed with the gun to up the power but wondered how much difference it would have made. He is now dead so might be immune to prosecution !

[gmm243]

My brother bought a Patriot about 20 years ago.It was nearly impossible to cock and would not pattern at all.Think or was well over 20ft/lbs.I can only remember the odd occasional successful (lucky) shot.We eventually changed the spring which brought it down to a manageable level and with Bisley magnums it just about printed 1"at 20m.It is still in his cabinet,when he went to trade it in the shop would not take it off him,said there was no way they could ever sell it on.

 

I think there was a poll taken on the worst air rifle ever made and the Patriot won hands down.

[pork chop]

On 12/02/2020 at 19:17, GingerCat said:

Wasn't the eliminator 30ftlbs and a pain to cock?

I had one in .25 

20 shots n my arm joint hurt ,took some mastering but was an accurate gun when I did 

[Hamster]

The Eliminatir was “designed” to shoot at 28 ft lbs hence why Terry Doe ended up writing a booklet on how to actually shoot it ! The HW80 can run comfortably and accurately at 15-16 ft lbs even without much tuning, I have seen a fettled one where it remained accurate at 24 ft lbs but the trigger jarred your finger something chronic, the same rifle was even more accurate and a delight when dropped to 20 ft lbs, so the answer seems to be not much more than 18-20 ft lbs if accuracy and handling are to be retained.