Realistic expectations?

[fishnbeer]

I dipped my toe into airguns a couple years ago. I bought a nitro piston benjamin mayhem in .22. Its got a lot of power, it can pass through 3/8 plywood at 25 yards but the groups are not what I had hoped for. It got better as the gun broke in and I have about 500 rounds through it now. At 50 yards the groups are around 2" which is ok for plinking but I want to use this for hunting rabbits and I can seem to get any closer than 75 yards.

Airguns are attractive to me for hunting because they are exempt from the non-lead BS and low noise. But for the hills I go to for rabbit hunts I need a gun that can reliably hit at 75 - 125 yards. My 10/22 would be perfect, but the non lead ammo is all over the place. My nitro piston will get out to 100 but the groups open up to +/- 4". I am not confident I can get a clean kill past 60 yards.

So I am at a point where I am on the fence: Do I spend more and get a PCP gun, like the airforce talon OR buy a 17 HMR? But even with a higher quality air rifle like that, really how much better would it be than what I already have? Is the rifle going to be something I could actually hunt with or just turn into (another) expensive toy?

[therealnickb]

I’d try a dozen or so different pellets before anything else. My 34 seems to like field points better than any others. And it doesn’t seem to like the heavier dome pellets at all.

[Rizzo]

^^^^^^^
This.

I did that and was surprised at the different groupings from the different brands/types.

Some pellets come in sampler packs for this sort of thing.
If you haven't done so, give it a try.

[fishnbeer]

I got a bunch of different size and shape pellets. H&N, JSB, crosman and it shoots the crosman premier hollow points better than anything else

[Rivers]

In addition to the above testing with different brands, even the best will vary in actual weight. Get a jeweler's digital scale and weigh the pellets, then put them in sorted groups. I know for me, at 100 yards, that tightened my groups significantly.

Example, in the same tin of JSB .30 Diabolo Exact, the pellets a single 50.15 gr. tin could vary from 49.5 – 50.5 gr. By taking a small drill bit and removing some extra lead from inside the pellet, I could "tune" heavy pellets to a lighter, more "popular" weight. That gave me much tighter groups. I would also shoot by sorted weights for extra consistency.

[crufflers]

My long airguns shoot relatively horrible groups with most pointy hunting type pellets compared to the ones they like... which are mostly wadcutter in my small sampling of pellets. The right pellets make a huge difference.

[fishnbeer]

Interesting idea... I had not thought about that. It makes sense, it seems with airguns these minute differences seem to have a greater affect. Ill have to tinker with that

[fishnbeer]

I'll be damned.. I weight out a bunch of pellets. The tin says 14.3 grain, I got 14.0 - 14.5. I seemed to have mostly 14.4 so I put 3 dozen aside. I might be able to get away from the kids on sat morning to go poke holes in paper and see what happens

[UKScott]

75 to 125 yards, I think that you are expecting too much from an air rifle.

[RR.44]

75 to 125 yards, I think that you are expecting too much from an air rifle.

[RR.44]

75 to 125 yards, I think that you are expecting too much from an air rifle.

[LazyJ]

I vote PCP also. you'll thank us later.
bought a a marauder .22 a couple months back. I should have bought it years ago.

Over 600 rounds down the pipe so far and it's still spot on at 50 yds. my nitro benjamin would not stay sighted in much longer than 20 rounds

[Daniel Hunter]

My Weihrauch HW100 PCP will put pellets into the same hole at 40 yards from a rest.

[SharedShots]

OP, whatever you are going to get, get it soon because the fools on utubin are about to attract a lot of attention with their full-auto airgun antics.

What do I say this? Because the never ending quest for more power, higher velocities, advanced pellet design to include pellets that can now penetrate rather significantly through many mediums are all the rage. Then add the same tacti-jonnies who start blasting away at cinder blocks, wilding claiming how they stack up against 22 rimfires and such and we are one pen stroke away from needing find grips, limited magazine capacities and registration.

Don't think people aren't watching. They see wild pigs get taken and then the next video shows some fool turning something into confetti and it won't take much to get some anti-gun legislator to slide a new regulation into Newsomes hands.

Oh, it won't happen? Within the next very few short years, count on it. First it will be any airgun that is full auto and then the snowball keeps going. If you think any gun advocacy group is going to lift a finger to help, keep dreaming, their track record in California is so stellar.

[Puss]

https://www.airforceairguns.com/product-p/u2050.htm 50 cal very high pressure air gun. Very high pressure for air. Not in the same universe as double base propellant. Still fun for all the reasons mentioned above. Pricey for a non-gun. Cool factor pretty high though.