Looking for Air Rifle ~€500. Any recommendations

el tel

Hi Guys, I'm currently looking to get an air rifle and have an upper price limit of €500. Years ago I owned a couple of Weihrauchs (HW77 in .177 & HW80 in .22) but have been out of the air rifle scene for a long while.

They'd be used for pest control mostly and I'd consider any make and calibre. Is there anything out there that is particularly good at this sort of price?

tuxy

why an air rifle and not a real rifle?
you could get a .22 for about 500

Chopperdog

I dont want to get into a slagging match with you tuxy but air-rifle shooters wont be too happy with comments like that from you.

Air-rifles are very real in their own right and you have to allow for peoples preferences, needs and requirements.

I'm not even going to bother try push this topic any further with you now as I am sure that there are others cooking up more fitting responses even as we speak..

Sparks is going to get you!!!...:eek: :eek: :eek:

tuxy

ya fair enough.i see your point and don't want to get into arguments with anyone
but would something a bit more powerful be more humane?

Chopperdog

Sorry about the Hi-jack El-Tel

I understand where you are coming from on the humane issue and it is very laudable, yet an air rifle is a pretty effective humane killing tool within its own limits.
The onus in this case is on the shooter to know his power limitations and to operate within them.
A buddy of mine works for rentokil and they use air-rifles to control pests in areas where poison is inappropriate or an instant result is required (e.g. a starling in Shannon Duty free Crystal section!).
Inconsiderate hunters can wound prey just as easily with a conventional firearm as much so as with an air-rifle by overstepping the limits of their equipment, essentially it all lies with the person taking the shot knowing and staying within the limits of performance of their firearm.

scout

Chopperdog wrote:

(e.g. a starling in Shannon Duty free Crystal section!)..

someone would even think about usind a gun in there fair play i wouldent

that will be €5000 for that vase please you nicked it:eek:

recipio

:cool: If you've decided on an air rifle then you you already know all the advantages : much safer around buildings or farmland than a .22 rifle and safe to take targets from tree branches .Rabbits can be taken with a well aimed head shot.
You have to decide what power source suits you A. spring B. gas ram C. pre charged pneumatic ( compressed air ) . Forget Multi pump ( mainly American ) guns--wou'll soon get fed up with all that pumping.
If you want a self contained power source I'd opt for one of the more powerful gas rams putting out about 28 ft/lbs - a THEOBEN ELIMINATOR is the daddy of them all but will need plenty of practice to put a .22 pellet into a one inch group at 50 yards.A less powerful gun is the THEOBEN CRUSADER putting out about 20ft/lbs. They don't feel as "twangy"as a springer . As you need a licence for any airgun in Ireland you may as well get one up to the job instead of the 12ft/lb guns sold over the counter in the U.K.
Moving to a PCP is a whole new ball game . They can be single or multishot , are beautifully easy to shoot and free from recoil so accuracy goes up no end. The downside is that they need a compressed air source from a divers shop needing a divers tank to top up the gun or you could buy an Fx electrical pump for about £500 sterling. Forget manual pumps - you'll see every fill like a session in the gym taking at least 20 mins--too much hassle.
I'd suggest looking at the airgunbbs.com site which offers plenty of second hand gear for sale although you would have to apply for a licence and import permit from the DOJ.
With a little perseverence it can be done ! If only we could turn the clock back to pre 1972 before the Mr killjoy Des O'malley deprived us of our hobby !

thelurcher

Is it legal to hunt with an air rifle in Ireland?????? Was reading through the Firearms acts this week and saw a paragraph on that somewhere (that they can only be used for targets) - maybe in the proposed new changes?

Anyway - gas ram system is good as you can leave them cocked as there's no spring to get fatigied. They're not 100% reiable and I know Weihrauch had a batch where many were DOA - AFAIK Theoben make the gas ram for them also.

If you're on the ferry to Wales for any reason have a look at:
http://www.keenstackleandguns.com/
They have a good selection to drool over.
To me the SuperTEN Mk3 Bull Barrel Carbine is the ideal air rifle - never even shot one - but did hold it :rolleyes:

el tel

Thanks for the advice so far, in particular recipio - that's exactly the guidance I need.

I think PCP is the way I'd like to go as I'd like a multishot gun and I already have an industrial compressor at home. I'll check out the link airgunbbs.com you provided to see what is available.

I should add that although I live in the south weekdays I'm a Northen resident and getting a rifle is (i) difficult (ii) not what I want. I already have a NI Firearms Cetrificate (have a Browning shotgun) so having a variation done to get an air rifle again should only be a formality.

I'll keep you posted with any developments!

Umiq88

friend of mine has a airarms .177 and loves it personally prefer my .22wmr as its better for what i want but he's able to use his aroudn his house and in his back garden for killing rats and is able to shoot of trees so it suits him fine. its an accurate liitle gun but im not sure of the range i think anything over 40 yards is pushing it

scout

if you are in the north can you not buy a 12ftp and forget to take it out of the boot :rolleyes:

not a legal sugestion do not do it;)

Vegeta

Get a PCP and manual pumps are fine if you're not a wimp. I have 2 a 30ft/lbs BSA hornet and a 12ft/lb logun mk II pro, they are class and i wouldn't trade them for the world!!

civdef

f you are in the north can you not buy a 12ftp and forget to take it out of the boot

not a legal sugestion do not do it

As you say, both stupid and illegal. Air rifles are also "on ticket" in NI.

scout

did not know that
does it date to the troubles or is there another reason?

ferdi

compressed air is the way to go, you never run out of propellant

recipio

Living in N.I. makes a difference . All airguns still need a FAC regardless of power unlike the rest of the U.K.El -Tel , if you're happy to shoot pests , rats etc out to 40 yards or so I'd opt for a .177 pcp for flatter trajectory. The Air Arms s410 is the class leader in my humble view. Do you still have the Weihrauch HW80 ?? If so, you could send it to many of the airgun specialists in the U.K. like Webley-Venom for a lovely walnut stock and gas ram fitting . You would have plenty of change out of £500 !

el tel

recipio, I don't have the HW80 any more, it's spring packed up and I never got round to fixing it so just gave it up. The HW77 was a Karbine model and I had a uprated mainspring fitted giving ~16 ft lbs. It was super effective but I traded it in against a new shotgun. Lately there have been an influx of grey squirrels where I go to shoot pigeons so I'm looking for something to pick them off without disturbing the incoming birds.

Vegeta

el tel wrote:

recipio, I don't have the HW80 any more, it's spring packed up and I never got round to fixing it so just gave it up. The HW77 was a Karbine model and I had a uprated mainspring fitted giving ~16 ft lbs. It was super effective but I traded it in against a new shotgun. Lately there have been an influx of grey squirrels where I go to shoot pigeons so I'm looking for something to pick them off without disturbing the incoming birds.

A PCP is the perfect choice, get a moderator on it and you'll have hours of fun with it. They are supremely accurate and quite deadly to game as big as rabbits up to 40-50 yards. I have used mine to control rats on one of my friends farms and there were some great nights shooting with it. I have shot pigeons from 60 yards while i was standing up with the 30ft/lb carbine.

My logun is my baby, so so gorgeous, got it for my 21st bday from the parents.

recipio

Vegeta, are you in N.I. or the ROI.? I'm just wondering how you got on with the local Super looking for two licences , assuming you're in thre ROI ?

Clash

el tel wrote:

I think PCP is the way I'd like to go as I'd like a multishot gun and I already have an industrial compressor at home. I'll check out the link airgunbbs.com you provided to see what is available.

Industrial compressors are not suitable for precharging. Something to do with the level of moisture in the air. You have to use a scuba tank. Another option is the CO2 bulb system. They are a small cylinder about 100mm by 20mm diameter that fit inside the stock of the rifle and deliver about 100 shots per cylinder. AFAIK Walther make rifles that use this system. The cylinders are disposable and cost about 75p each. The Walther Rifles also use a round magazine holding eight shots that work on the revolver principle.

Vegeta

Clash wrote:

Industrial compressors are not suitable for precharging. Something to do with the level of moisture in the air. You have to use a scuba tank. Another option is the CO2 bulb system. They are a small cylinder about 100mm by 20mm diameter that fit inside the stock of the rifle and deliver about 100 shots per cylinder. AFAIK Walther make rifles that use this system. The cylinders are disposable and cost about 75p each. The Walther Rifles also use a round magazine holding eight shots that work on the revolver principle.

He can use a manual pump, you do not need a scuba tank. CO2 is not as good as compressed air. Go with a PCP.

I live in the ROI, I have a license for the 12ft/lb air rifle and my brother has the license for the 30ft/lb air rifle.

el tel

Vegeta, out of interest what model Logun do you have?
I've seen the Logun Solo and it seems like a candidate.

Vegeta

el tel wrote:

Vegeta, out of interest what model Logun do you have?
I've seen the Logun Solo and it seems like a candidate.

I have the MKII pro and its a dream to shoot, I only use the recommended pellets by Logun though they're crossman i think, not expensive 15 euro for 500 or somethin like that

el tel

The Mark II Pro does seem the business and I like the look of
it a lot, along with the Theobem Eliminator that recipio mentioned.
At the weekend I'm going to try a few out so my decision will be made
then. Thanks for the input guys.

(It's just bloody typical that when I go looking for something bog standard I end up being drawn towards something much more excessively specced)

Vegeta

el tel wrote:

The Mark II Pro does seem the business and I like the look of
it a lot, along with the Theobem Eliminator that recipio mentioned.
At the weekend I'm going to try a few out so my decision will be made
then. Thanks for the input guys.

(It's just bloody typical that when I go looking for something bog standard I end up being drawn towards something much more excessively specced)

My bro has a single shot PCP 30ft/lb air rifle the BSA Hornet and that was much cheeper than my rifle, it does the job just as well. Don't buy a top end spec if you don't need it also if you're going to use it for vermin from hides consider getting a carbine as they are much easier to handle in confined spaces

civdef

It's just bloody typical that when I go looking for something bog standard I end up being drawn towards something much more excessively specced

This is not unusual

Sparks

civdef wrote:

el tel wrote:

(It's just bloody typical that when I go looking for something bog standard I end up being drawn towards something much more excessively specced)

This is not unusual

el tel

Sparks wrote:

2x AA battery?

Sparks

More likely mains power!

Vegeta

its a super soaker