Starter's Air-Rifle

[Onnet7]

Hey,

Some of you may have read my previous post in the 'general' section about getting started. I am currently in the process of convincing my parents, so I thought I might aswell look for some good value air-guns.

 

First off, I always thought of air-guns firing BBs, but can they also fire .22s? Do the ones that fire .22s require any licenesing at all, or are they all under the 'must be 18 or over' law? I have been looking and found some guns here: SMK XS19, Gamo Delta Cadet and Cometa 50 What do you think is the best value starter-gun?

 

From my reading on Wikipedia, it looks as if .22 would suit my style much more, but if there is a license requirement, or it's not practical, then .177 would do fine.

 

Regards,

Joe.

Edited October 24, 2008 by Onnet7

[Saltashshooter]

hi mate , theres no licenseing as long as they are under the legal power limit of 12ft/Lbs and yes they are all on the 18 years and over Law so your Parent would have to buy it as a first gun SMK are probably cheapest but you really get what you pay for as the SMK quality is not really very good at all if you are gonna get a SMK get the QB78 they are the best in the SMK range in many peoples opinion and they are Co2 powered which has its downfalls but is pretty reliable the cometa or gamo should be good quality for money

[Onnet7]

hi mate , theres no licenseing as long as they are under the legal power limit of 12ft/Lbs and yes they are all on the 18 years and over Law so your Parent would have to buy it as a first gun SMK are probably cheapest but you really get what you pay for as the SMK quality is not really very good at all if you are gonna get a SMK get the QB78 they are the best in the SMK range in many peoples opinion and they are Co2 powered which has its downfalls but is pretty reliable the cometa or gamo should be good quality for money

Ok, I think I'll look into the Gamo rifle then. I'm still ready to take anyone else's opinion though, if someone would rather recommend something different. My garden is quite long (rougly 35 yards, 25 of which is grass, and another 5 or so for patio) and is completely fenced in with, I think, 6"1 panels. So it's pretty safe.

 

With regards to the .22 firing air guns, are you saying that I would need a license for that, as I bet they're considerably more powerful, as the explode on impact(?).

 

Thanks again,

Joe.

[Saltashshooter]

hi mate when u mean .22 are you talking about the bullet or the pellet lol Air rifles in .22 take a pellet usaully made of lead 5.5 mm ................. orr a 177 pellet they look like this btw u wont need a license for the Air rifle .22

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2008 by Saltashshooter

[smsguitarist]

Hey Joe (good old jimi Hendrix)

 

As said above Air guns fire either 4.5mm (.177) or 5.5mm (.22) size pellets usually made of lead. There is no power or explosion involved which is why there is no license needed as long as they are below 12flbs energy.

 

In regards what rifle to recommend depends on how much you are looking to spend. The best way to do it would be to buy a quality product second hand but that may still be out your price range.

 

I would definitely recommend the SMK QB78 Deluxe as mine has proved most useful (see my topic http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...howtopic=70037). The only downsides are a slight fluctuation in power when colder and the cost of CO2 but if you buy in bulk it saves alot. It sounds to me like you need a springer. My XS20 by SMK groups within a one inch circle at 30yards and you can pick these up new with a scope and pellets for around £130-150. The build quality is very good although the works needed to be lubricated. (very easy).

 

Hope this helps in some way.

 

Lewis

[rabbithunter2008]

You could do with trying both out ie springer and a c02 and see which you like :yp:

 

Both will do the job

[Onnet7]

hi mate when u mean .22 are you talking about the bullet or the pellet lol Air rifles in .22 take a pellet usaully made of lead 5.5 mm ................. orr a 177 pellet they look like this btw u wont need a license for the Air rifle .22

Sorry XD, just me being a bit stupid. I was thinking that the .22 air-guns weren't firing pellets, but actual .22 rounds... forget everything I said

 

I'm still looking into them now. I have my eye on the Cometa 50 at the moment, it looks about right for my price-range, although I am sure I could splash out an extra £20-30 or so. It'll be about a month before I get it anyway.

 

How much would ~100 .22 pellets and a good amount of c02 cost anyway? Does the Cometa 50 even run on c02, or is it a spring? Sorry, I really don't know much about airguns.

 

Thanks again,

Joe.

[MM]

Sorry XD, just me being a bit stupid. I was thinking that the .22 air-guns weren't firing pellets, but actual .22 rounds... forget everything I said

 

I'm still looking into them now. I have my eye on the Cometa 50 at the moment, it looks about right for my price-range, although I am sure I could splash out an extra £20-30 or so. It'll be about a month before I get it anyway.

 

How much would ~100 .22 pellets and a good amount of c02 cost anyway? Does the Cometa 50 even run on c02, or is it a spring? Sorry, I really don't know much about airguns.

 

Thanks again,

Joe.

 

 

 

you have a lot of reading to do before you buy a rifle then. these things are not toys, and for your first gun, you need to know what you doing.

[Onnet7]

Sorry for the double post. I was just reading up on Cometa 50, and in a matter of minutes I found a lot of bad reviews. Apparantly it's not very powerful at all, and isn't very reliable ...

 

From what I'm hearing, I might go with a c02 gun to begin with. I'm reading up on the SMK QB78 Deluxe at the moment

[MM]

why not start with a basic springer (break barrel) and see how you go.?

[Onnet7]

why not start with a basic springer (break barrel) and see how you go.?

Alright then, if that would make more sense; of course. Any more recomendations for a good value springer? (Taking ~£100).

Edited October 25, 2008 by Onnet7

[MM]

something like these....

 

http://www.solware.co.uk/air-pistol-air-rifle/cometa.shtml

[Onnet7]

What would you guys make of something like this: SMK XS19 for the price? Judging from most reviews, it's getting ~8-9/10 and is apparantly very good for beginners. The accuracy isn't too bad either.

 

Also, another quick question- am I right in believing that if I order online, I have to get it shipped to my local rfd, rather than have it sent directly to my house? If so, how much is the fee, typically?

 

Thanks again,

Joe.

[MM]

What would you guys make of something like this: SMK XS19 for the price? Judging from most reviews, it's getting ~8-9/10 and is apparantly very good for beginners. The accuracy isn't too bad either.

 

 

a good bit of kit

 

 

 

Also, another quick question- am I right in believing that if I order online, I have to get it shipped to my local rfd, rather than have it sent directly to my house? If so, how much is the fee, typically?

 

about £25

 

Thanks again,

Joe.

[acsimmo]

Hello mate, i have just got back into it and had the same problems as you after being out of the UK for a few years(a lot of reading up). Before you buy you really need to know the laws of airgun use, if you know them and adhere to them then you are covered. You might want to look into some insurance as well.

 

When i went to the gunroom i had a play with a few different rifles and decided on a GAMO CF-30 .22. i have found this very reliable, accurate and with enough power to despatch vermin properly. Its a nice gun and suits me but you really need to try and most gunshops will help you out.

 

All the best with it mate

[Onnet7]

Hello mate, i have just got back into it and had the same problems as you after being out of the UK for a few years(a lot of reading up). Before you buy you really need to know the laws of airgun use, if you know them and adhere to them then you are covered. You might want to look into some insurance as well.

 

When i went to the gunroom i had a play with a few different rifles and decided on a GAMO CF-30 .22. i have found this very reliable, accurate and with enough power to despatch vermin properly. Its a nice gun and suits me but you really need to try and most gunshops will help you out.

 

All the best with it mate

 

My local gun store doesn't really specialise in air-guns, and I'm not sure if they let you actually test-fire them; so I am going on other peoples' experience. I think that as it's a first gun, and I don't have much to compare it to, it's best for me to spend as much time researching and finding out the best value one as possible, then just go for it. I should get used to it fine.

 

Also, thanks for the comfirmation of the SMK XS19, I'll look further into that .

 

Regards,

Joe.

[marky_boy]

any spring gun id say buy second hand keeps the outlay down incase you dont fancy it bsa supersport with a 4x40 scope or sumit like that

[Trussman]

I have an SMK springer. It's great for the money and very accurate. The only negative thing I'd say about it is the trigger is very heavy.

[air arms s410]

Hi mate, bsa normally do cheap nice spring rifles, as the bsa lightning has a lot of good reviews.

 

All the best.

[rabbit assassin]

If you want some really cheap airguns go on www.airguns-online.co.uk they have springers, the B2 from as little as £35, £50 inc p&p to gunstore!

I have no idea of the quality, so i am opening up a thread on them in the airgunners section. Thier cheapest CO2 is £95.95 for .177 or £99.95 for .22.

I also suggest you speak to some sort of local policeforce, sorry, policesevice or gu club before you buy. Your gunstore should be able to give deatails on this to yo if you ask nicely. lol. Some people say that you want .22 for fur and .177 for feather, but i use both for both and haved good results.

As for liscencing, i am only fourteen so my guns are in my dad's name, but as long as they are under 12ftlbs there is NO LICENSE FOR .22 OR .177 contrary to many non-shooters opinion that you need licenses for everything!

Pistols on the other hand (not very useful exept for "finishing off") but are fun for plinking in the yard, have a legal limit of only 6ft lbs and are is ILLIEGAL to have in a public place without VERY good reason. If you do have it in a public place, unless you have told the police why etc... they are likely to shoot first ask q's later. (not ovverly suprising though with all the gun-hype at the moment!)

 

As i say, these guns are cheap, but i have no idea of thier reliability or quality, so pop over to the thread in a few days to see what theyre like.

 

Essay over, hope i helped.

 

Rabbit assasin

[j.stuart]

I'm sure it's over 18 to buy and you will need some one over 21 supervising you "i may be wrong but im 95% sure"

you can not buy pellet's either.

 

recommended guns

bsa lightning or any thing bsa/air arms/wheirauch/theoben.

 

keep away from smk as you will soon be needing another rifle.

I'm currently planning on getting my eldest a airgun he is "9" and here's what is on my list.

bsa ultra single shot/faclcon fn12 single shot both pcp's and i would build a custom adjustable stock for him to grow with.

springer i'm considering bsa lightning/hw35 again with custom adjustable stock's for him to grow with.

 

calibre will be 177 as the legal limit is 12ft/ibs and 22 seem's to have a serious dip over range.year's of shooting tells me 177 for under 12ft/ibs and 22 for over 12ft/ibs which you will need a fire arms lisence,basicly the more power over 12ft/ibs the straighter the pellet will go.

 

other option's im considering.

budget bsa meteor/cometa shorten the barrel to bsa lightning size and getting it threaded for wheirauch silencer "in my opinion the best"again with custom adjustable stock for him to grow with.

 

you may be asking why a custom stock?well he is 9 and all the gun's im considering will last many years and he will obviously grow and as he grow's he will be able to adjust the stock to fit him.

 

why the rifle's i have mentioned? they are all light weight with short barrells so easy for him to carry on a sling or shoulder and easy for him to shoulder and shoot.

 

scope's.

i think i will get him the same as me either simmon's wtc or simmon's aetec and why?very under rated/life time guarantee/crystal clear in night and day pluss nice and tidy recticle with turret's you set-cover and forget.

 

read what i have write again as i with out doubt would recommend these for you too.

they may not be the cheapist but can be found used reasonably priced and i know i wont have to buy him another rifle for a long long time specialy if i gas ram the lightning.

 

in all honesty i'l either get him the bsa lightning and gas ram it which is the cheapist option "infact the meteor or cometa is but shotning and threading will add on price which would meet the lightning.or falcon fn12 or bsa ultra.the ultra is the cheapist pcp on the market and is very compact and easy to handle,this might be what i will go for.

hope i have helped a little

 

ps you really need a shooting partner over 21 to supervise you as well as company and advise

[8shot]

imho get urself somthing like a webley trakker

and put a gas strut in it it will last you forever or till you out grow it

have a look brilliant guns

[MR.LAG]

basicaly

 

co2- good points -less noise(even less with silencer) when shooting and loading

no recoil

 

bad points- constantly having to buy co2 capsules

very different power levels and consistency in cold weather

 

springer- good points-very consitant power levels

reliable

so easy to use

no extra expense for co2

bad points-a fair bit of noise when shooting even with silencer

takes a little bit of effort to reload not good when there are multiple rabbits and pigeons.

 

id suggest that you save up a bit more and get a good quality springer like a bsa lightning

 

and id be very careful shooting in you back garden as its illegal to shoot an airweapon within 50 feet of a public highway e.g roads,footpaths

[porter]

As others have suggested, if i were you i'd go for a springer. Probably a BSA or GAMO, both make reliable cheap rifles. My little brother will soon be getting a Gamo viper max as his first gun. if at that point, 3 weeks or so, ill let you know what thats like. if that isn't too late. I have experience with a few bsa rifles eg meteor mercury supersport and they are good guns for the price.

 

But they aren't all full power, are you going to be hunting? as you would need a full power rifle if you were!!

[lord_seagrave]

Some good advice here in parts.

 

My two penn'oth:-

 

Buy second hand from a face-to-face gunshop, and ask lots of questions (how old is it, how did you acquire it, was any repair work carried out, do they recommend any repair work, have they checked its power and what pellets did they use, etc.). Everyone has to start somewhere. Explain what your budget is and what you want to do with it. If necessary, make a note of his recommendation and come back to the PigeonWatch for some user reviews.

 

Use the Meet Up part of the forum to look for someone in your area whom may be willing to take you out with them, or look for gun clubs that cater for air rifles in your area. You may not have to pay an annual subscription, my 'local' (19 miles away from where I lived at the time) allowed pay-per-session at certain times, and this was really handy when it came to handling, zeroing and basic maintenance. Again, everyone has to start somewhere.

 

All the finer points will come with time, and you may find that when/if you come to trade up, a good-quality second hand gun will have held some of its value. Just remember to stay safe at all times, check and double check your gun is unloaded and safe before putting it away, and again when you get it out, and always practise safe handling wherever you happen to be.

 

LS