Mucker Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 Hey Guys, Could anyone please help me out here?? I shoot shotguns, (mainly at pigeons) but where i've recently been given permission to shoot, there is a river runs right through the bottom field and it has literally dozens and dozens of rabbits all enjoying a rabbity type day out. Now i can take one or two of the ******* out with the O/U, but then the rest of them naturally scarper and they won't come back out. (I don't blame them when they see what's happened to their mate Thumper!!). So.. I can't be bothered with the hassle of a F.A.C. and thought that i'd buy an Air Rifle. Yeah right, like it's that simple!! Can anyone tell me which calibre i need and why? And can you guys please recommend a good set up for me to try please? Weight is a consideration as i will be carrying this alongside my shotgun. Thanks for any information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realtreedave Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 personaly i preffer.22 and cant get on with .177,but its all down to what you can hit the rabbits accurately with[you nead to group your shots within an inch].for what you require a take down rifle would suit as it could be dismantled and carried safely in a game bag.the two i have experience with are the gunpower stealth[very lightweight but looks a bit futuristic]and the brocock enigma[more traditional looking,multishot more weight].you could also try-fx verminator,logun s16,airarms 410tdr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 For a start, .177 is my choice - always! As long as you can hit what you're shooting accurately you can be pretty sure of a clean kill. The .22 hits harder but what good is that if you miss the vital area? The trajectory of a .177 is far flatter than that of a .22, so slight misjudgements of range aren't going to spoil the day. At the moment all the top shots are saying you can get extra range from he .177 for just that reason. The old fashioned opinion that bigger is better is slowly dying and common sense is takng over! As for rifles, what do you want? Springer? Pre charged? A light weight springer is hard to shoot well in my experience. A pre charged rifle is the way to go if you can cover the cost. The Air Arms S200 is a very good gun and is pretty cheap for a PCP. I had one in .177 and at 25 yards I could knock the ember off a roll up with it 9 times out of 10. I've never got such good accuracy out of anything else. They are also extremely light and you can get a 10 shot mag kit for them if you want. Just as a last word, why can't you be bothered with a FAC? You go through all the bother of a SGC so apart from having to fill out more forms and get some land checked you haven't got a lot to do. A HMR will do all a .177 will do but at 4 or maybe even 5x the range! It will be cheaper to get the gun and you will also be able to take Fox with it at air rifle ranges. The only thing you can't do with it is shoot things out of trees. A Crow on the ground though, dead before it thinks you're close enough to hurt it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucker Posted April 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 I've checked all those guns out on your list, and WOW!! they certainly don't look anything like i imagined an air rifle to be. Have they changed so much since i was a boy?? Is pre charged pneumatic the way to go? What ever happened to ones with springs in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realtreedave Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 springers are fine but for mr average youd be more accurate with a top dollar springer and theyre heavy.a pcp will give you pinpoint accuracy without the weight penalty.zero recoil,you can clamp them right down on a bipod without loss of accuracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucker Posted April 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 What kind of kill ranges (for rabbits) are we looking at here with an air rifle?? I'd much prefer a spring (break barrel) than a pre charged pneumatic one. Maybe for no other reason than aesthetics... (Those one's with the cannister things on are kinda ugly). But that aside, surely there are less complicated working parts in a spring one? No valves, seals, pistons, acctuators, whatever. Unless i'm totally missing the point here?? Like i say, i'm a shotgun kinda guy, and am cpmpletely foreign to this. Sorry for my stupidity in the matter, and thanks for any input, information, advice atc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 45 yards maximum (compared to 200 with a HMR). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_R Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 The calibre argument is one that go on and on for ages, and frankly either will do the job on a rabbit. However, my own take on it is this. If most of your shots are at shorter range, maybe out to 25/30 yards max, then a .22 is good. A .177 can over penetrate at short range, and lead to runners. If you are needing 35/40 yds then .177 is far more reliable from a trajectory point of view. As for spring vs pcp, I am much in favour of multishot pcp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realtreedave Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 personaly with a springer i would keep ranges to below thirty metres.pcp,s deppending on the nut behind the butt you can stretch ranges to fifty metres plus.springers work by putting relatively crude mechanicals under high stress .pcp,s in comparison are under a lot less stress.as for worrying about seals i abuse my pcp,s something cronic and have never blown one yet.pcp,s often seem like a lot of hassle until youve tried one,and then youl be sold on the idea.if aesthetics are your thing try looking at a daystate or a stalker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realtreedave Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 the stealth is a case in point as to how simple a pcp can be to work on.i can strip mine to its constituent parts in under five minutes[tank excluded].it is a slide hammer built around the outside of the barrel powered by a lightweight spring that opens a knock-open valve[no springs just air pressure].apart from the tank none of the mechanicals are under very much stress.try stripping a springer to its constituent parts and you need a heavy spring compressor to safely remove,replace the spring.for me with the relatively low power of air guns accuracy is essential over aesthetics to do the job humanely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinytim38 Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 get a 17 hmr you will never look back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucker Posted April 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 Re: realtreedave With regards to the humanity of kills over the aesthetically pleasing characteristics of individual guns, you make a good point. I get the impression that PCP rifles are the thing that most people use. Are these moderated and regulated somehow, so that every single shot is the same pressure? If they aren't would the first "batch" of shots not be more powerful due to the tank being full and under most pressure, as opposed to the last "batch" of shots as the tank will be nearly empty and therefore down on pressure. I would have thought that a conventional spring rifle would have been more consistent? Once again, please forgive my ignorance on this matter and allow me to get away with the most inane of points and questions. As for some of the rifles that you guys have mentioned. ie, Daystate, I'd have to sell my kidney on Ebay to afford one of those!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 .177 nice flat trajectory-great for drilling pigeons!.22 hard hitting especially in my FAC Rapid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 (edited) im with njc110381-at least try an S200(.177 in my opinion) -they are perhaps the most accurate and most powerfull pcp on the market for the money.If you dont expect to do loads of shooting then get a stirrup pump otherwise get a tank from fleabay.One word of warning - if you do start shooting rifles regularly you may find yourself "aiming" your shotgun as a rifle and your kill rate may suffer-just something to watch for. Edited April 4, 2009 by bruno22rf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realtreedave Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 Re: realtreedave With regards to the humanity of kills over the aesthetically pleasing characteristics of individual guns, you make a good point. I get the impression that PCP rifles are the thing that most people use. Are these moderated and regulated somehow, so that every single shot is the same pressure? If they aren't would the first "batch" of shots not be more powerful due to the tank being full and under most pressure, as opposed to the last "batch" of shots as the tank will be nearly empty and therefore down on pressure. I would have thought that a conventional spring rifle would have been more consistent? Once again, please forgive my ignorance on this matter and allow me to get away with the most inane of points and questions. As for some of the rifles that you guys have mentioned. ie, Daystate, I'd have to sell my kidney on Ebay to afford one of those!!! the shot count quoted by the manufacturers is the useable part of the charge,most pcp,s produce more shots than this but with less consistency.if a rifle is quoted as needing 200psi charge then i charge to 190psi to avoid eratic shots at the top of the charge.try looking at falcon prarie or brocock hunter/contour air rifles these are cheeper than daystate and better looking than an s200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerico Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 .22 for those that can shoot and .177 for those that need parking sensors and aren't allowed to eat yorkys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biffo1262 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 (edited) Duplicated Edited April 6, 2009 by Biffo1262 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biffo1262 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 .22 for those that can shoot and .177 for those that need parking sensors and aren't allowed to eat yorkys! I like that!! Must use it at the club. Just to throw a spanner in the works - no-one has mentioned .20 calibre or .25! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realtreedave Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 [quote Just to throw a spanner in the works - no-one has mentioned .20 calibre or .25! lack of choice of ammo and in the case of the .25 a very loopy trajectory[unless at fac power].stick to the two main calibres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobyb525 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 I've always said .177 for pcp and .22 for springers (less recoil). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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