air gun selection

john jameson

Hi ladies and gents I'm looking for your opinions please in regards to an air rifle preferably a springer or gas piston iv already owned a gamo hunter 440 .22 and it was a great springer I sold it on to a friend a while back and I'm thinking of getting another springer or piston any suggestion?
I will mostly be using it for light hunting around farm sheds jack daws and starlings in doors and out and some plinking aswell
Budget up to about 300 don't want to go mad.
Thanks

coin

I've gotten back into air rifles myself over the last while. I always had break barrel types before but only use pcp now.

I know you mentioned you want springer but here's a decent pcp for sale at moment. But over budget and will need to be scoped and charger bottle. But it's an example that pcp doesn't need to be hugely expensive.

http://www.sportsden.ie/guns/gun-showroom/air-rifles/air-arms-5410tdr-22.html

As for break barrel; I'm quite partial to an air rifle I had before. Apologies for going over budget again!the Theoben Eliminator on this link is a serious air rifle:
http://www.mccullaghsports.ie/news/rifles/


Plenty of Gamo on these links I see:
http://www.thegunstore.ie/eu/guns/air-rifles.html

http://www.mcbrides.ie/product-category/guns-2/airrifles/

rsole1

john jameson wrote: »

Hi ladies and gents I'm looking for your opinions please in regards to an air rifle preferably a springer or gas piston iv already owned a gamo hunter 440 .22 and it was a great springer I sold it on to a friend a while back and I'm thinking of getting another springer or piston any suggestion?
I will mostly be using it for light hunting around farm sheds jack daws and starlings in doors and out and some plinking aswell
Budget up to about 300 don't want to go mad.
Thanks

Theoben Eliminator is gas ram and is 25 or 30 ftlb and plenty powerful enough for farmyard work. Not sure of the price. Have also had a Weihrauch HW80 which was good and powerful.

john jameson

Thanks coin for the links and il defo look trough them in detail later. In regards to that pcp you referred to for me it's more expense with buying bottles and getting refills and there is the power to consider aswell I don't want to be punching holes in the roofs of the sheds so a mildly powered springer for me is the way to go . I see that Duffy in Galway has a gamo whisper for 275 euro he is the cheapest iv seen with that rifle so far and it's got the I g t system it may be worth a second look?

extremetaz

You can't beat the Weihrauch HW's for a springer, or their Theoben gas ram counterparts - two HW90's have come through our house, a .22 and a .177; both crackin' fantastic machines, although the .177 tends to overpentrate so I'd recommend the .22.

Only hiccup is that you won't get them for that budget I'm afraid.

john jameson

extremetaz wrote:

You can't beat the Weihrauch HW's for a springer, or their Theoben gas ram counterparts - two HW90's have come through our house, a .22 and a .177; both crackin' fantastic machines, although the .177 tends to overpentrate so I'd recommend the .22.

extremetaz wrote:

Only hiccup is that you won't get them for that budget I'm afraid.

There are the biz alright but as you mention il have to part with a few more notes. Iv already got a cz455 .22 and I use subsonic ammo with silencer for a lovely pest control rifle and for more of a bang a Remington wing master 12 gauge pump so I'm just looking for a plinker for dropping starlings and crow s in the sheds

coin

I see Patrick Carley is selling a scoped HW90 for 350€. Good rifle.

If it's break barrel, the HW90 or the Eliminator are serious air rifles. Well put together and quite powerful.

john jameson

coin wrote:

I see Patrick Carley is selling a scoped HW90 for 350€. Good rifle.

Thanks coin il look in to it I suppose it better to go the few extra in a decent one that buy a cheap one il give him a ring and c what condition it's in thanks agen

john jameson

I'm torn between these two rifles the theoben exterminator or the hw90 both are for sale at different dealers and both I can stretch budget to but with one? I believe the theoben has stopped making these rifles so is parts going to be a problem in the future or will I just go with hw 90 as I know il have no problem with replacement parts in the future if need so opinions please

goz83

If you didn't know that theoben stopped making the exterminator and you were 50/50 between them both anyway, then the hw90 is clearly the better option when considering easy parts replacement.

However, if you prefer the former and the parts issue is causing the 50/50 split, then you need to consider how popular the exterminator is/was and you can investigate parts options, or pick up a couple of parts that you know will need replacing in the future.

john jameson

I'm sure there is not much between them over all in quality add performance maybe the theoben is the prettier looking but it's probably hard to beat the hw and as for spare parts and upgrades it's a clear winner so I think il ring about it today and get some details will make my mind up then
Thanks all

john jameson

coin wrote:

I see Patrick Carley is selling a scoped HW90 for 350€. Good rifle.

Thanks for all suggestion and iv placed deposit on the hw 90 so that's that
Thanks agen

amadablam

john jameson wrote: »

Thanks for all suggestion and iv placed deposit on the hw 90 so that's that
Thanks agen

Good choice. Listen to the posts from lads that use air rifles over those that don't too as some air rifles can be almost as powerful or more powerful than rim fire 22lr rifles. Im an avid air gunner as well as other firearms (i have had / have quite a few) and sometimes people really under estimate the power of high power air rifles. I've used most of the rifles mentioned here and the theoben eliminator is pretty powerful for use in indoor situations but will deal with most outdoor situations very well. Spares are still readily available for theoben too. The choice you made was probably more versatile.

Best of luck with your new purchase

john jameson

Cheers ya can't go to wrong with the Germans as I think I mentioned some where before I had a gamo hunter 440 .22 I spend quite a bit of time getting that rifle as good as it could be I installed fully adjustable mount aswell as quality hawks scope and went trough almost all the pellets I could get local in the end the Bisley long range gold were the pellet of choice I had to buy on ebay but they were pellet on pellet at 25 yards I'm looking forward to the hw 90 and shooting it I'm sure I'll be happy out
Thanks agen

ligertigon

Good luck with the Hw90. Good choice.
I'm sure someone on here might have a pcp pump if you need one, not to mention pellet advice and sources.

amadablam

ligertigon wrote: »

Good luck with the Hw90. Good choice.
I'm sure someone on here might have a pcp pump if you need one, not to mention pellet advice and sources.

For his bicycle???

The rifle is a break barrel gas ram..............

ligertigon

The ram can be adjusted by pumping, this in turn adjusts the power of the gun. Some gas rams are at 40 bar hence the need for a pcp pump.

If the op chrono's his hw90 and feels its low on power, it can be re pressurized to boost power (370 psi) This also makes the gun harder to reload.

This is one reason the brits love the gas rams, because a 12ft/lb can easily be increased.

I don't recommend a pcp pump for a bicycle dude.

recipio

Theoben went bust about two years ago - their aftermarket service was supposed to be appalling anyway. The Rekord trigger on the HW 90 makes it one of the best gas rammers on the market. Otherwise the Air Arms TX200 or the Walther LGV are highly rated.

john jameson

The German reunification in 1990 resulted in many changes for every German citizen and manufacturer. Weihrauch began a cooperation with Theoben Engineering in England which resulted in the introduction of the first German/English air rifle design: the Weihrauch HW 90 (the Beeman versions are the RX, RX-1 and RX-2). This was the first Weihrauch rifle using the patented Theoben gas-spring system. These new rifles sold very well in Great Britain and the USA for small game hunting.



Little did i know when i bought this air rifle i would be buying a piece of history aswell i came across this piece when i was looking in to hw so the hw90 is the result of two countries and manufactures comming together to make a quality product.

recipio

Someone must be making the gas rams - possibly Weihrauch themselves ?
A substitute gas ram for the HW80 was available but I think no longer?
The daddy of them all is the Theoben eliminator which is bigger again and the rifle is still holding its value in the UK although its FAC.

extremetaz

john jameson wrote: »

There are the biz alright but as you mention il have to part with a few more notes. Iv already got a cz455 .22 and I use subsonic ammo with silencer for a lovely pest control rifle and for more of a bang a Remington wing master 12 gauge pump so I'm just looking for a plinker for dropping starlings and crow s in the sheds

bit redundant now but had you considered CB ammo for the .22?

coin wrote: »

I see Patrick Carley is selling a scoped HW90 for 350€. Good rifle.

If you got it for that money and it's in any sort of condition then you frikkin' stole it, well wear!

J.R.

john jameson wrote: »

There are the biz alright but as you mention il have to part with a few more notes. Iv already got a cz455 .22 and I use subsonic ammo with silencer for a lovely pest control rifle and for more of a bang a Remington wing master 12 gauge pump so I'm just looking for a plinker for dropping starlings and crow s in the sheds

Just to keep you up to date with legislation - the starling is protected and cannot be shot.

john jameson

extremetaz wrote:

bit redundant now but had you considered CB ammo for the .22?

When you say CB ammo for .22 are you referring to the bird shot ammo for the lr.22. Iv got a box of these bird shot rounds the issues I have with them is there loud to shoot in the shed and may frighten stock aswell you would be spraying lead every where so for them reasons il stick with the air rifle pellets

john jameson

extremetaz wrote:

If you got it for that money and it's in any sort of condition then you frikkin' stole it, well wear!

Pat claims the rifle is mint it was belong to a mature gent who Brough it in from England and later traded it for a hw 100 it's in perfect working order

extremetaz

john jameson wrote: »

When you say CB ammo for .22 are you referring to the bird shot ammo for the lr.22.

Nope, not the bird shot - CB Cap ammo is basically a quiet, or low power load for 22 and 22LR.

http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=960

45ft.lbs at the muzzle so it's high powered air rifle noise and power levels without the need to buy another gun.

They're also damn near silent if you've a good moderator - not as quiet as a HW100, but not far off anything else.

john jameson wrote: »

Pat claims the rifle is mint it was belong to a mature gent who Brough it in from England and later traded it for a hw 100 it's in perfect working order

Whoever the mature gent is, that was a good move - I've the HW100T (FAC) in .177 and the auld boy has the '100KT in .22; they're each incredible rifles, but you do pay for them.