help getting started in AIR RIFLE...

[Hornet_RN]

i'm slowly getting my collection of all kinds of various firearms and now i'm starting to look into air rifle because my gun club does air rifle silhouette shoots. and fellow club members have been trying to get me into joining the air rifle matches with them...however, i don't really know where to start?

friends have suggested i look into the RWS Diana 34? what are other suggestions?

what caliber should i purchase it in? .17 or .22?

i'm also planning to use this air rifle for a bit of squirrel hunting too...so yeah.

thanks,
hornet_rn

*it's great knowing that i don't register an air rifle to the CA DOJ...heh

[Greg-Dawg]

Man the only air rifle I've had was an old Crossman bb/pellet gun. I now only shoot lead, no air/paint.

[Capaholic]

I would say go with .22 for sure, more stability in wind and really gives a good thump when hunting.
I have a Umarex 850 Airmagnum in .22 and I love that rifle, it gives quarter sized groups at 25 yards with the right pellets. Only downside is it uses 88gram co2 cartridges to power it so the shot poi can fluctuate when its too cold outside or if you shoot it too fast.
The RWS spring powered breakbarrels are nice rifles, though take a little skill to shoot accurately since there's both forward and reverse recoil from the spring happening at the same time when you shoot. All you really have to do is hold the forend with a light, open grip.
The cream of the crop though IMO is the Air Arms TX200 MkIII. Its a little pricey at $550-650 but if you get that rifle you'll be set for life. They are EXTREMELY accurate(Lothar Walther barrel), powerful, have a built in sound moderator & reduced cocking effort. They also have two stage triggers with adjustable weight & length of pull.

[DaveInOroValley]

I do own a Beeman .22 cal break style with a Beeman Air Rifle scope and can hit bottle caps taped to cardboard every time at 25 yds. with a rest.

There are many theories as well behind air rifles no scope on a break model etc. etc. but a good resource for you is:

http://www.airgundepot.com/benjamin-airguns.html

[CHS]

I know this will be a really silly question, but why aren't you asking your club that actually does all these shoots?

[ajaffe]

I know this will be a really silly question, but why aren't you asking your club that actually does all these shoots?

Wider audience and less bias for brands and calibers and such.




Google would be your best bet to see the differences between .177 and .22 in flight. I would think the .22 would be more stable and consistent since it is larger, but I am not 100% on that.

[Steyrlp10]

If you're interested in a match-quality product and have the moolah to buy whatever catches your eye, you could always look at the USA Shooting web site or post your question on Target Talk. International Bullseye shooters are the ones who know best about competition models in air rifles.

I'm not a rifle shooter, but I do understand air pistols. With compressed air, you can set the PSI with a chron to mimic a .22 round. It all depends on what your needs are.

Personally, if you're going to shoot air, why would you want recoil?

Happy shopping -- there's a lot out there.

[SPROCKET]

Granted, I know next to nothing about airguns, but I want one of these in the worst way.

http://www.airguns.net/reviews_super10f.php

Check out the 50yd group sizes.

[j1133s]

I did a little bit of air rifle silhouette a while back (only at the club level ). Most shooters use 177 (there are . A consideration for me was to use pre-charged rifle because I worried a spring rifle will mess up my normal shooting. Oh, I quite after they changed the rules and push all pre-charge into the open class.

Since your firend shoots already, maybe you can borrow his rifle and shoot in a different relay to try out things?

[j1133s]

If you're

Personally, if you're going to shoot air, why would you want recoil?

.

different competition class.

[9mmepiphany]

i'm pretty cheap, when it comes to air rifles, but i wanted a lot of power. a bit of research lead me to the Chinese XS-B21 (.177, 1000ps, $150).

like most Russian/Chi-Com firearms, they spent everything on function and just enough of appearance. what i really liked was that it was that it used a side-handle to cock the action...the break barrel design just stikes me as "wrong"

[checkenbach]

There is an air rifle silhouette at USI in Concord tomorrow(3-21-010) at 1o'clock at the multipurpose range. I'll be shooting my FX Typhoon pcp rifle, you can try it if you like.

[Hornet_RN]

There is an air rifle silhouette at USI in Concord tomorrow(3-21-010) at 1o'clock at the multipurpose range. I'll be shooting my FX Typhoon pcp rifle, you can try it if you like.

i'm actually a member there, but i think i'm busy doing family stuff that day.

once in a while i'll compete at the rimfire matches there though! and those are a lot of fun. i'll even do action pistol too sometimes.

[acousticmood]

Do yourself a favor and get right into PCP. You will eventually anyway - just save the cost of the first springer!

[pullnshoot25]

Air force talon
Bsa Shoer ten
Shin sung career
Sumatra

Go for it.