BEST RIFLE @£200 MAX

[SNAKEBITE]

If you only had £200 to spend on a .22 air rifle what would you get and why?

 

(No scope or mounts JUST THE RIFLE!)

 

Sorry to bring it up again if it's been asked before.........

 

Oh and it has to be an all rounder, something that can be used by a new comer to the sport, someone who wants to try a little of everything before they settle down to their "chosen discipline".

[Fisherman Mike]

You would be limited to a spring gun at that price as I assume it excludes any charging gear and I would without hesitation recommend The Weirauch HW57.

 

A fixed barrel underlever sporter which is very well built and superbly accurate.

 

FM.

[dunganick]

i would recomend the weirauch hw77 and you could get a 2nd hand whole rifle for 195 i saw one today in anderson's (east grinstead S/E) for the above, with a good condition rifle, 1 piece mounts, and a tasco 3-12x45, its exactly the same rig i have 2 of (one in each calibre) they are great rifles, they are heavy, but perfectly ballenced, they are as accurate as any precharged, not pellet fussy, they shoot ragged holes with anything.

 

as was said above, fixed barrel accuracy, full power, amazing triger,and for just 195 you can get the 57's bigger brother and some optics....deffinate bargin..... ive killed more with my hw77's than all of my other guns put together... great guns

Edited February 14, 2005 by dunganick

[ferretmanabu]

Secondhand TX. Best springer ever made.

[1 of 5]

As above - the TX is the best springer about (along with it's stablemate the pro-sport) baring the exotic stuff such as Whiscombes. A secondhand minter will be under budget BUT if you're after an all-rounder you're looking at the wrong calibre. Target shooting in .22 is like urinating into the wind. You can however hunt quite successfully in .177. Many, myself included will argue you can hunt better in .177 than .22 due to the ease of pellet placement when compared to the mortar like trajectory of 12 ft/lb .22.

[Fisherman Mike]

Target shooting in .22 is like urinating into the wind. You can however hunt quite successfully in .177. Many, myself included will argue you can hunt better in .177 than .22 due to the ease of pellet placement when compared to the mortar like trajectory of 12 ft/lb .22.

Sorry I cant agree with this but I am not going to open up an old debate we will be here for years.

 

I assumed snakebite was looking at a new gun and not at the secondhand market. in which case many guns will be out of his reach.

 

I would have you know also that in the 70,s when I was regularly shooting field target and indoor 15m ranges I won my share of Club matches and regional FT tournaments with a .22 so your statement about ******* into the wind is not correct.

 

It takes real skill to accurately place a .22 pellet. .177 is ok for plinking or shooting metal ducks at the fairground But I have been hunting rabbits with a.22 for over 30 years and I have never found it necessary to resort to a .177 calibre.

 

Each to his own... But the .22 is still the best all-round calibre ( In my opinion )

 

FM.

[1 of 5]

We're not in the '70's today. NO and I mean NO target shooter chooses .22 these days.

At 15 m ranges you could use a 9mm career at 12 ft/lb without being at a disadvantage but how many target competitions use such low ranges these days?

If it's purely hunting then it's as much a personal choice thing as any and if .22 is your choice then that's great so long as it is an actual informed choice and not just because that's what you were sold in the shop, but for an all rounder a .22 is a lemon against targets. I've seen many a new shooter turn up at the club with their brand new .22. They've nowhere to hunt so are purely going to be shooting targets until they aquire land and then the difference in calibres is demonstrated to them. Without fail you can see it register on their faces that they've spent their money unwisely.

Best advice is as always to go to a local club before buying a gun OR choosing a calibre. Most shooters will gladly let you try their guns. Only when you've an understanding of the differences can an informed choice be made.

If £200 has to buy a new gun then I'd pick the HW95. I've shot a few and they're built to last a lifetime. The 57 however is IMO quite poor beside the 95 - the pop-up breech is awful. Again though if the gun has to be new the original poster will be better off finding an extra £50 or so for a new TX. The differnece in quality is worth the difference in price.

[Fisherman Mike]

Fine stick with your fairground gun Seriously I agree with your point about taking proper advice from a gun club.

 

But the original question was what was the best .22 calibre gun for under £200 quid. Not what are the merits of each calibre.. that is an old Chestnut indeed.

 

No point saying a TX although it is the finest spring gun evermade... you might as well recommend a Logun or Daystate and wait for one to come on the market at £200.00 !!!

 

To be honest the 95k aint a lot different in weight and performance to the 57. I found the pop up breech a brilliant innovation as did Giant Spanish gunmakers Gamo who adopted it for their CF30 range. Also the fixed barrel by its nature must over time be more accurate than a standard break action rifle which is prone to wear. I have had both and although initially there was not a great deal between them I prefer the underlever.

 

By the way the gun Club I used to belong to still have trial competitions dedicated to .22 users and open calibres. Earlier this year one was I believe won by a AA S200 shooting .22 calibre. beating the seasoned member and favourite with is £2000 .177 Ripley and B & L Scope combination into second place. Target shooting dont forget is 90% skill and 10% skill !!!

 

Cheers

 

FM.

[old rooster]

RWS/Diana/Original Model 52. Got one you can try out if you like.

[darren m]

HW 95 , or try that new XL lightening supposed to be much improved internals , trigger , silencer and stock etc , only £190.

for a pcp a cheap second hand webley raider or s200 , built to last .

[SNAKEBITE]

Well I listened to some advice and ignored others. No offence meant to anyone!!

 

I am now the proud owner of a HW57.

 

Well chuffed with it. If I've made a mistake I can live with it (hopefuly) and no doubt there will be people telling me they told me so!!!

 

Oh and I have donated my old Chinese rifle to a friend so don't you all go asking me if that piece of desirable kit is up for sale

 

Thanks for all your help.

[Fisherman Mike]

Snakebite I am sure you have not offended anyone. We are all here to help.

 

It would be a pretty drearie world if we all agreed on these things and I am sure you would have been equally as happy with the 95K.

 

If you dont get on with the 57 let me know. I would happily take it off your hands.

 

Cheers

 

FM.

[zebedee71]

Glad your sorted

Edited February 16, 2005 by zebedee71

[Devilishdave]

We're not in the '70's today. NO and I mean NO target shooter chooses .22 these days.

At 15 m ranges you could use a 9mm career at 12 ft/lb without being at a disadvantage but how many target competitions use such low ranges these days?

If it's purely hunting then it's as much a personal choice thing as any and if .22 is your choice then that's great so long as it is an actual informed choice and not just because that's what you were sold in the shop, but for an all rounder a .22 is a lemon against targets. I've seen many a new shooter turn up at the club with their brand new .22. They've nowhere to hunt so are purely going to be shooting targets until they aquire land and then the difference in calibres is demonstrated to them. Without fail you can see it register on their faces that they've spent their money unwisely.

Best advice is as always to go to a local club before buying a gun OR choosing a calibre. Most shooters will gladly let you try their guns. Only when you've an understanding of the differences can an informed choice be made.

If £200 has to buy a new gun then I'd pick the HW95. I've shot a few and they're built to last a lifetime. The 57 however is IMO quite poor beside the 95 - the pop-up breech is awful. Again though if the gun has to be new the original poster will be better off finding an extra £50 or so for a new TX. The differnece in quality is worth the difference in price.

I was recently in my local Gun shop and a Lady in her mid 40s was in to buy her son an air rifle and was asking whats best and the son of the Propriter (who is verry knowledgable with fire arms) straight away you want a .22 I almost choked he said exact words .22 is more powerfull!!!!!

 

If thats the so called expert opinion what chance have we of educating the true pros and cons of different callibers?

 

Dave

[SNAKEBITE]

Some people want to hear those words though. "I want a BIG gun".

Once they have them hooked then they can spin the information and baffle them with lbs/ft , pellet trajectory and stopping power, AND maybe selling them the slow moving stock that has been gathering dust in the backroom!

 

I know thats cynical sounding but I have seen it done! (albeit in the area of cycling from which I am reasnably knowledgeable).

 

AND to a certain extent I can relate to that when I bought my Chinese rifle last December.

[Nashty]

I agree snakebite I have also recieved bumff information about a particular make of air rifle which turns out to be nonsense but thats a salesman for you I think if you look around hard enough you will find an absolute bargain. Like my mate who walked into LITTS at newport and bought a Theoben Fenman with a simmons scope attached, the gun was mint. It had a lovely smell of leather and oil all for a measley £200 notes. Jammy b***er

[SNAKEBITE]

Good for him!!

[Fisherman Mike]

Sadly the mis-selling of Air rifles happens all too frequently...

 

A few summers ago I was in a well known West country sports store which has several departments and a young assistant was selling an air rifle to an old Farmer.

 

I felt it was my duty to put him right as the assistant didnt have a clue what he was talking about. In fairness he was seconded from the fishing dept because of illness.

 

The old boy wanted an air rifle to cope with the feral pigeons on his farm and the Corvids which raided his silos and mangers on a daily basis.

 

The guy had taken a shine to a Anschutz target rifle with diopter sights which was totally un appropriate . On my advice he bought a .177 BSA Lightning coupled with a 42mm fixed mag scope ( cant remember the make). I offered to set it up for him and he invited me to his farm in Glos on the Saturday afternoon.

 

We became good friends and I persuaded him to let me shoot over his 600 or so acres of mixed farm and woodland ( which was nice ) I am infact shooting there on Sunday and he rang my wife last night to ask me to take over some more pellets.

 

He was more than pleased with the BSA as all he really wanted was a "cock it, load it, point it, and fire" airrifle without all the whistles and bells. I rekon I saved him a good 500 sovs.

 

The amazing thing was his collection of some 8 or so shotguns which apparently were compiled by his father. It includes a 12g Boss. a pair of matched 12G Aya No. 1,s and a couple of early 70,s Brownings. They all looked as though they could do with a good clean as I dont think he uses them much and his son has no interest in shooting at all.

 

He knows i have my eye on them and keeps saying " OYE AINT DEAD YET "

 

FM

[SNAKEBITE]

Hope you get them mate!

 

If they were his fathers' and he has kept them then he is obviously attached to them. If his son has no intrest in them then you are the next logical choice.

A fair bit of history to them I bet. I wonder what they've bagged in their lifetime?