Ohio Game Fishing banner

Air guns for small game

9K views 41 replies 15 participants last post by  baitguy 
#1 ·
Me and a couple of my friends want to start hunting small game with air rifles. The ones we have are enough to knock down squirrels but we are looking to get knew ones. We want to try hunting squirrels, rabbits, *****, and groundhogs. Id prefer .22 caliber pellets but if you know of a good .177 that could handle it Id be all for it. Our budgets are around 150-180$. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
 
#2 ·
I have 3 pcp air rifles and 1 break barrel. You can't go wrong with the gas piston break barrel air rifles. I have a Benjamin Trail NP XL in .25 cal. Crosman/Benjamin makes the NP2 now which is even better but it is only offer in .177 and .22. If I were you I would go with the .22 in this model. http://www.airgundepot.com/benjamin-trail-np2-air-rifle.html
 
#5 ·
Order a Titan(gas piston).22 for @$140 on eBay and do a $40 GRT trigger upgrade.You'll have yourself quite a shooter.About the cheapest route for a high power .22 cal gas piston w/a quality trigger.I use a Storm XT w/the trigger and its WORLDS better than ANY stock trigger you'll find.Even in higher end guns.
 
#6 ·
$150-180 isnt bad at all. But a few things first.
Are you guys willing to put up with spring piston rifles hold sensitivity? When not tuned, they can be extremely finicky to hold and will change group size and point of impact if held with a inconsistent hold.
If you can, then I recommend a purchase from flying dragon air rifles. you can have the guns there tuned, either a basic for something like 30 or 40 or a full for 100. Or you can learn how to do it yourself. A tuned gun shoots much smoother and is less hold sensitive.its a good idea to do have a gun tuned.
if you already have a scope for your gun, then you can put everything you have towards getting it and staying within budget. If not, youll want something with adjustable objective (AO) and mil dots. Theres a leapers compact bug buster but its like 89 dollars or something.
if you dont want to deal with springers, then you can get a co2 gun or Multi pump.
Co2 doesnt do well in the cold but if you want to go that way anyway, you can go with a QB-78 or 79 (uses paintball tanks)
As for the multi pump guns... the only option that will handle what you want to do that I can think of is a highly modified 1377. Highly as in modified to do about 12 foot pounds of energy with .22 cal 14 grain pellets. I have one. Mine is modified with a flat top piston and valve, conversion to .22 cal, 24 inch barrel, long probe bolt, heavy hammer spring. These are all power mods and I can dump up to 40 pumps in my gun. Im confident that I could take a raccoon or opossum with a shot to its eyes.
However, thats a suggestion. The easiest way would probably just be to buy a spring gun. Flying dragon has a xs 25 break barrel or a xs46u thats a underlever. They can be more accurate and less hold sensitive than a break barrel due to a fixed barrel, but slightly heavier.
And either caliber can handle everything you want to shoot on that list. But youll want to use slightly heavier pellets for .177 if you want to shoot something with a thicker skull. But keep in mind that will reduce spring life a bit so you might need to change a spring a bit more often when using heavier ones.
and one last thing. Avoid shooting very light for caliber pellets in spring rifles.
 
#9 ·
My brother in law has the Titan and he loves it. Very accurate gun in .22. I agree with cajunsaugeye that the Titan is one of the best options for inexpensive rifles. Benjamin was my first choice, but I mentioned the Hatsan as well because I've read good reviews and don't want to be bias because everything I own is either Benjamin/Crosman. Not sure if any of you have seen the Benjamin Bulldog .357 in action but youtube some videos. Powerful rifle, but I would never pay a grand for a big bore. Plus I do not care for the tactical design. I prefer a traditional rifle look. I was excited when I heard Hatsan releasing a .30 and .357 big bore rifles but then I saw they do not have the FPE that I would justify paying 600 to 700 for. I am waiting someday for a big bore air rifle and stock pile up on lead for it. Having spare parts for the pumps for them makes those rifles the perfect gun for a bug out bag/prepper/survival situation.
 
#10 ·
I mentioned spring guns because my experience with a gas ram hasnt been the best. I own a .22 titan and I had to get it repaired because the piston seal blew out. 65 dollars. The gun is hold sensitive to the MAX and very pellet picky. Its not my favorite gun. Very powerful sure, but very difficult to get to shoot accurately. Then again, this was from about 5 years
Id have recommended a gas ram gun but wouldnt feel right speaking about something I didnt have a good experience with. the only gun thats not a multi pump that I liked is my storm xt I bought from another forum with a lube tune. It shoots smooth and isnt very hold sensitive. But the spring is broken and I dont have money to fix it.
Honestly, im not a big fan of springers. My experiences haven't been that great and it took lots of hours of frustration and money to get to the point where I can shoot with them and actually hunt. I understand that may not be for everyone, so I included other options in case the OP doesnt want to do with potential headaches that could come with using them.
And as for gas ram rifles, my experience with the one I have says that other than being able to stay cocked for longer, there really isnt much I can say is better than a springer. They are both violent shooters and both are relatively heavy. both are hold sensitive and require a artillery hold for best results. Cocking effort is the same. Both can be pellet picky. As for consistency in pellet velocity and change in cold temps, I cant really say anything because I dont have a chronograph.
That being said, one thing I did notice thats a plus is no spring twang from firing. Thats a bit of a plus as I find that vibration to be really annoying.
Personally, if I was on the lookout for a new airgun, I wouldnt bother paying extra for a gas ram over a spring gun. Not that you have to it seems, as the prices are going waaaay down from what they used to be.
 
#12 ·
I have a Gamo Bone Whisper break barrel in .22 ... 900 FPS with the match grade, 750 w/the heavier ammo ... the lighter pellets don't have the punch, IMHO the heavier ones are worth the drop in velocity ... mine's reasonably accurate at 40-50 yards at most ... I'm not sure if it would even take out a ground hog or **** at that distance with anything but a head shot, but would work on squirrels, rabbits and such ... it just annoys the deer ... remember, these bullets are about 1/3 to 1/4 of the size of a regular .22 LR and maybe 60% of the muzzle velocity, it doesn't have the knockdown power or range of a gun shooting regular ammo ... I wouldn't recommend .177 for that size critters
 
#14 ·
$150-180 isnt bad at all. But a few things first.
Are you guys willing to put up with spring piston rifles hold sensitivity? When not tuned, they can be extremely finicky to hold and will change group size and point of impact if held with a inconsistent hold.
If you can, then I recommend a purchase from flying dragon air rifles. you can have the guns there tuned, either a basic for something like 30 or 40 or a full for 100. Or you can learn how to do it yourself. A tuned gun shoots much smoother and is less hold sensitive.its a good idea to do have a gun tuned.
if you already have a scope for your gun, then you can put everything you have towards getting it and staying within budget. If not, youll want something with adjustable objective (AO) and mil dots. Theres a leapers compact bug buster but its like 89 dollars or something.
if you dont want to deal with springers, then you can get a co2 gun or Multi pump.
Co2 doesnt do well in the cold but if you want to go that way anyway, you can go with a QB-78 or 79 (uses paintball tanks)
As for the multi pump guns... the only option that will handle what you want to do that I can think of is a highly modified 1377. Highly as in modified to do about 12 foot pounds of energy with .22 cal 14 grain pellets. I have one. Mine is modified with a flat top piston and valve, conversion to .22 cal, 24 inch barrel, long probe bolt, heavy hammer spring. These are all power mods and I can dump up to 40 pumps in my gun. Im confident that I could take a raccoon or opossum with a shot to its eyes.
However, thats a suggestion. The easiest way would probably just be to buy a spring gun. Flying dragon has a xs 25 break barrel or a xs46u thats a underlever. They can be more accurate and less hold sensitive than a break barrel due to a fixed barrel, but slightly heavier.
And either caliber can handle everything you want to shoot on that list. But youll want to use slightly heavier pellets for .177 if you want to shoot something with a thicker skull. But keep in mind that will reduce spring life a bit so you might need to change a spring a bit more often when using heavier ones.
and one last thing. Avoid shooting very light for caliber pellets in spring rifles.
Question. What is involved in "tuning" a gas piston air rifle? I'm kind of new to this with much to learn. I bought a Benji Trail NP (not an NP2, which I understand are much easier to shoot), a tin of Crosman Premier lead domes, 14.3gr, and started shooting. It got to the point where I had kinda, sorta figured out how to hold it, it would be shooting really nice groups, and then WHANG!, the wild flyer! And suddenly I'm all over the paper!

This left me confused. Was it me? Was it the rifle? Was it the pellet? I'm a pretty good shot with anything center or rim fire, but I have to admit I'm feeling kind of lost. Just not getting the consistency I want. And this Benji kicks harder than my old Winchester Model 61 shooting .22LR's!
 
#18 ·
Not quite sure about that random flier. But it could be your ammo. I haven't had any success with CPHP. Well sort of, mostly because they are not very consistent in head size. The minute 0.01mm difference in the pellets can cause fliers. Also, very *slight* changes in hold could cause fliers. some rifles, you could touch it with a feather and cause a flier.
As for tuning, im not quite sure what exactly goes into tuning a gas spring, but I know it involves a compressor and taking the gun apart and polishing all contact points and applying a certain type of lube, moly I think its called. The simplest way of tuning I know is a lube tune, and that makes a gun that feels MUCH better.

Definitely toss the scopes that come with the guns. They add unnecessary cost to the gun and are pretty much useless to a hunter. Plus they dont hold zero and sometimes just break.
 
#15 ·
I'd be interested to know about that process ... I have a Gamo .22 break barrel ... I had it sighted in with the iron sights to consistently hit a soup can at about 25 yards ... put on the scope that came with it and it's not as accurate ... well, I guess I'm not as accurate ... I'm not Alvin York but still a pretty good shot w/a regular rifle at reasonable distances, thousands of rounds from a .22, and haven't sat down and sighted the scope in great detail but I seem to be missing things at less than 20' that I could hit with a rock as well as the longer range stuff as well ... hard to imagine it would lose that much velocity from 750 fps in less than 100 feet to be off that much ... just like bullets, some pellets are better than others too ... lol I may have to start throwing things at them
 
#17 ·
Same w/most center point(crosman) "package" scopes.And make sure the mounts are secure.After that,proper hold(stupid light pressure w/no gripping whatsoever)and a good trigger squeeze(w/a good trigger) you'll shoot plenty good without "tuning". Its more for true springers anyways.
 
#20 ·
I'm going to be placing my Benjamin Trail NP XL in .25 in the marketplace before the weekend is up. I

f you do some research you'll probably want to spend more money to get a better fit for yourself and be done with it. I had purchased a 177 "Whisper Hunter" and WalMart, first time I shot it I was like whisper?! This thing was as loud as a .22 rifle. Took it back the next day.

This set up is much quieter, at 54yrs old just found it's not my cup o tea, I think I'm going to go the route of a .22 pistol.
 
#21 ·
I'm going to be placing my Benjamin Trail NP XL in .25 in the marketplace before the weekend is up. I

f you do some research you'll probably want to spend more money to get a better fit for yourself and be done with it. I had purchased a 177 "Whisper Hunter" and WalMart, first time I shot it I was like whisper?! This thing was as loud as a .22 rifle. Took it back the next day.

This set up is much quieter, at 54yrs old just found it's not my cup o tea, I think I'm going to go the route of a .22 pistol.

I really wish you guys would invest in a Marauder if you really plan on using a pellet rifle for hunting and accuracy. I shoot out to 50 yards, never tried further dead accurate. PCP air rifles may be a smaller expense more with needing a hand pump as well but the accuracy is far superior to any gas piston or springer.
 
#25 ·
Yeah,the new crosman PCP is like $200.Then the pump to USE it is another $200! SMH. Springers and gas pistons are PLENTY accurate if you spend 10 mins researching how to shoot them accurately and throw a couple hundred pellets down range every once in a while.You just DO NOT SHOOT THEM LIKE A REGULAR GUN.Or ,I guess I should say,HOLD them like a regular gun.
 
#26 ·
Cajunsaugeye, you brought up good points, and especially about spending time shooting it enough... I recall reading many reviews of guns that most shooters will put 500 to 1000+ shots into a rifle before it becomes highly accurate.
 
#27 ·
Well I'm far short of that number. I'm only about halfway through my first tin of 500! I was also wondering about the ammo, Crosman Premier Lead Domes at 14.3 gr per. I took a walk through the local FFF last week, and noticed that they had broadened their pellet selection somewhat. No problem w/power, as this gun will punch a neat hole through 1/4" OSB at 25yds! Plenty to handle any squirrel or rabbit skull.
 
#28 ·
i will chime in on this thread, being a avid air gun hunter...someone mentioned the benjamin titan n.p in 22 cal
lets just say i killed a BUNCH of squirrels with my titan,i bought a benjamin trail np xl 1100 in 22 cal also and it shot great after a little work to the trigger and the crown of the barrel which cost next to nothing. pellet rifles i.e... n.p or spring guns and even pcp's can be pellet finicky.177 cal will put down a squirrel but the margin of error is way smaller than say a 22 or 25 cal meaning you have to head shot them to make a humane kill, where a 22 or 25 you have a little room for error, the 177 cal with a 7.9 grain pellet can only have so much energy at say 30 yards where a slower 22 or 25 cal will have 2 times the fpe or more than the 177 because of the weight of the pellet.all my guns are tack drivers at 40 yards and closer
its all in the hold (artillery hold) now i have a hatsan 125 t.h 25 cal with a camo thumb hole stock that is not near as hold sensative as my benji's. my titan 22 loves h&n field target trophies 21.14 gr with a .553 head where my np xl 1100 in 22 cal loves the j.s.b 18.13 gr 5.5.....and the scope i use on all my air rifles is the b.s.a 6x24x40 a.o.mil dot scope from airgun depot a steal at 69.99.... by the way my hatsan is for sale in the marketplace..if you have any questions you can text or message me...always like to help out a air gun hunter.......Mike
 
#32 ·
Benjamin Varmint Power Pack
Just got the same one a few weeks ago, started shooting really well after the first tin. So far it's liking the ruger pointed pellets best. As for knock down power the BB pointed pellets can do some damage on a steel target and come in second for accuracy. 25-30 yards tack driver 40 yards around a 2to3" grouping. 60 yards was consistently hitting a piece of computer paper. The accuracy has going up the more I fire it, sure it's a me getting use to it and working the barrel in.
 
#36 ·
The scope that came with it Just make sure you use lock-tite on all the threads. And remember 1 click @ 25 yards is only a 1/16" POI adjustment. I hear people say they try adjusting them and do nothing and are junk but I don't think that they get 16 clicks will only move ya over an inch at that distance.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top