Buying an Air Rifle for 10m competition

Zakalwe

I'm considering getting some cash together after Christmas and getting my very own air rifle. I don't even know where to begin about getting one.

I don't want to spend €1000. I don't particularily want a brand new one. I'm sure a second-hand one in good condition would be fine. The rifles I've shot are mostly the Feinwerkbau 601. I'm also left handed so that's an issue for me. The rifle will need to be left handed or ambidextrous. I have no immediate preference for the powerplant. It can be a cylinder, lever charged etc etc.

What prices am I looking at for a decent enough rifle? What models should I look at other than the Feinwerkbau 601? Who should I talk to about getting one? Is there a recommended shop even in the UK I could order one in from?

Thanks

Sparks

The Feinwerkbau 601 is an excellent beginners rifle, a second-hand model in good nick shouldn't run to a grand. The last example I saw was in mint condition and was selling for £300 sterling up north. Second-hand is definitely the way to go, but try to either buy from a dealer or else get someone who knows air rifles to look it over properly first (which is what a dealer will do). You can get 601s in left-handed stocks, though I've never seen a properly ambidexterous one. If you can, though, try to get the 603 - it lets you dry-fire the rifle which is of great advantage for training purposes. A 603 should not go for much more than a 601/602 model.

Others to consider include:

Feinwerkbau 300 series. These are quite old and spring-powered rather than pneumatic (more an advanced croquet mallet than an advanced pea-shooter). They also have a rather nifty recoil. However, for training they're quite useful and if you're only starting off and get a good example for half the price of a 601... well, I'd say take it and spend the extra money joining a club where you can get decent coaching. However, be warned that 300s have seen a lot of abuse in Ireland so you do need to get it looked at.

Feinwerkbau P70 - a pre-compressed air rifle, the first one that FWB released. Excellent rifle, but you need to set aside about a hundred euro or so to buy a scuba tank to fill the P70's tank from. Again, second-hand is the way to go. If you can afford it, I'd say this one or an Anschutz 2002CA; but then, I'm a lazy sod I started myself on a FWB601 however, so that's not to take anything away from them.

Anschutz 2001 - the older version of the 2002CA, and it's hand-cranked, not pre-compressed. Not as good as the FWB601 by all accounts, but still quite servicable.

Anschutz 2002CA - Anschutz's take on the P70. This is what I shoot with now, and I'm very happy with it.

There's a decent Walther model out there as well, but I can't remember the name of it - shot with it though, and it's a very decent beginners rifle, and there's the Steyr LG100, but that's a bit too advanced to be starting off on.

Okay, basicly - don't get anything overwhelmingly advanced. No aluminium stocks, for example, not until you're shooting over 500-520 at any rate, and it's really personal preference even then - some of the best air rifle shooters in the country right now use wooden stocks, some use aluminium. In the end, it's the shooter that matters, but for when you're learning the basics, the extra adjustments on the aluminum stock are just not worth the extra hassle. Don't buy new unless you're feeling flush, go second-hand. Nothing wrong with new, you understand, it's just going to be more expensive. Pre-compressed is less physical work than hand-cranked (meaning higher pulse rates in competition and that will affect your score later on), and can be more accurate, depending on your shooting style, but it also means more cost and you need a scuba tank. And there's nothing wrong with older firearms, they'll outshoot you for at least the first few years you're shooting, but for the love of jove, stay away from the break-barrel BB gun affairs like the really older daisys and the like. They're just not worth it, and won't usually have arpeture sights anyway.

And above all else, join a club where you can get some proper coaching, if at all possible.

And don't forget that even though it's "just" an air rifle, you still need a gun safe/cabinet. Best set aside another hundred euro or so for that as well.

I'd recommend Tiernan's (046 9054167) myself as a dealer, or Kendal-Monsons (01 2806323), purely because I know both and neither will do you an ill turn - Civdef might have more contacts, as he's in the trade.

Sparks

This thread on cheap entry points to the sport might be useful as well, Zak.

Zakalwe

Thanks for all the advice. I shot at UCD for 2 years (97/98) and joined DURC last year. I haven't managed to join up again ( still getting my college registration sorted out), but will be doing so very soon. I'm not an absolute beginner, being that I know the basics, can hit the black every time, and know how to safely handle a firearm.

Can you or anyone else recommend a place to shop for safes? I forgot to put that in my post.

I suppose a jacket wouldn't go astray eventually either.

Sparks

Again, Tiernans or K-M can help you there. If you've joined DURC though, the first thing to do is to talk to the club captain about getting advice on who to buy from, if you've been a member for a year, they'll know you're not a total nutter and will help you with advice, putting you in touch with a firearms dealer, and so on.

And if you're buying your own jacket, definitely talk to them - DURC buys a batch of gear every year and they usually will add on an item or two to the order for DURC members who are looking to buy their own gear, if they're buying from the same place you are and so on.

On safes, btw, we had threads earlier on that here and here.