Air Guns

[kellyg]

OK, I occasionally shoot things I don't want to kill.....i.e. the neighbors dog ;D

I been reading a bit and it seems like a lot of air guns are in the 800 - 1000fps range these days but which of them are accurate, reliable, etc..

[slammy]

Hey kellyg,

I have an RWS, "Diana Mod.34". It seems like a pretty nice airgun. I've had it for a couple of years. It's accurate and powerful. Never had any trouble with it. Sorry, I don't know the precise specs, but it kills mystery birds and will kill crows at 20 to 25 yds.

Killed a cottontail too. Good for these types of garden predators.

[MarkB]

kellyg, I have a Beeman R-9 in .177. It's a break-barrel pellet gun that shoots just under 1000 fps and is deadly accurate and very well made. I paid about $240 for it 3 years ago. From what I have read on airgun forums it is the best pellet gun for the money. I live just outside of Round Rock in a new subdivision that is over run with cotton tails. I have taken a bunch of them with my R-9. It's a real blast to shoot.
Check out straightshooters.com, they have a chat forum on their site that has helped educate me on airguns and they sell just about every type of serious air rifle that is made. They aren't the cheapest you'll find, but their customer service is second to none. They have really treated me right.
I should probably apologize now for pointing you toward another hobby that is just as addictive as powder burners.

[NESoDak]

The modern airgun is an amazing thing. If you are talking about giving the neighbors dog a good stinging, and I presume that is all, then an air rifle in the realm you are talking of is a bit much. An airgun at that velocity will certainly lodge itself in the meat of an animal and may cause permenant injury and/or disfiguremtnt. If the dog is small enough it can kill them. An air rifle to do the job you are asking of it and still be very practical as a light hunting arm for pests is something like a Benjamin Silver Streak on one end of the spectrum or an Air Force Talon on the other. The Benjamin is a multi-pump pnuematic that allows you to control the power rating, the Air Force is a pre-charged pneumatic adjustable via a power wheel. Such an arm will allow you to sting the neighbor's dog at less than wounding velocity and give you the potential to take small game and varmints at full power. This is one of the better dealers of airguns available. www.airgunsofarizona.com

As a rule of thumb most of the British and German airgun makers are at the top of the scale as far as quality is concern. The Italians and Spanish are up there as well, not unlike high grade shotguns in that respect. The American maker of Air Force Talon airguns is very very good. Beeman is a very familiar name that imports many high quality airguns. The Germans produce RWS and Dianna airguns that are top shelf arms as well.

A person has to be a llittle careful when buying an airgun. Not for the quality that is available, any respected name brand will provide good service, but because the little devils are terribly addictive. I have a Beeman GH-1000 in .22 caliber that is a favorite plinker, especially in the winter and spring, and am planning on adding a more powerful Webley and Scott Patriot. aka Beeman Kodiak. The airgunning world is not so large as the firearms market, but it certainly is as intricately detailed. Just for fun check out www.airguns.net/ and get a taste of how detailed this genre of gunning is.

[kellyg]

Thanks for the info guys! I have a Crossman 66C which is a pump gun but it lacks a LOT in accuracy with either BB or pellet. The pellets are not toooooo bad but you can see the BBs corkscrew downrange Most of the animals that run loose around here know the sound of the gun being cocked ;D

[Sabre2th]

My neighbor has one that he bought and wants to use it to take out turtles on my tank. I thought that I might pick one up for just that same thing, because the flat area of a pellet will most likely not skip off of the water if I happen to miss(Not Likely)

[NESoDak]

KellyG,

I forgot to speak of accuracy. With my entry level magnum or near magnum air rifle I get 5/8 inch groups at 30 yards from field positions and a variety of pellets. Most reviews list accuracy of air rifles at 10 meters and run plenty under 1/4 inch. The tricky part is learning to dope the looping trajectory of even heavy pellets. And that doggone reverse recoil takes some getting used to. Also, at around 750 fps a .22 pellet makes squirrels, cottontails and feral pigeons succum without the need for a second shot. The total price for my rig set me back a modest $325 after adding scope, hunting pellets and cleaning kit.

[buzzsaw]

kellyg,
If you want to get the neighbors dogs attention try a wrist rocket and glass marbles. I still use one some times in place of a electric dog collar. The neighbors dog was in heat and a stray would not let the neighbor in to her house. Rather than sturr up the neighbor hood with a pistol, one shot to the flank with a marble. The stray would walk down the street and if he see's me he still crosses to the other side of the street.

[slammy]

Oh yea!

A Wrist rocket and .30 caliber lead balls. I use to have one of those suckers. I killed a possum with it and the lead balls at ten steps. That thing was a blast. A big improvement over the slingshots I had as a kid.