air rifles; .177 or .22?

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cheers SF, I've had a lot of reccomendations for a lightning, and there are a lot of em' going cheap S/H. Will have to consult the bank manager!!!


look at the XL tactical if you can its a composite stock so easy to maintain and clean etc plus very nice ergonomics

important to try any airguns or at least hold it if you can to find if it fits etc

ATB

Duncan
 

Everything Mac

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 30, 2009
3,112
83
36
Scotland
lol no worries Duncan.

I think Im going to go for a .177, thanks for all the info folks. I've had a good long search on the net and it looks like something from the bsa stable. I was thinking something like a meteor would fit the bill for a first air rifle, would this be a good choice?

BSA make a few good guns. the meteor and the lightning are very similar.

I considered it when I was into spring guns way back. by all accounts and reviews I read it is very accurate and powerful. the silencer takes a bit of the crack out of the shot too. Siberianfury will be able to confirm this as I only shot one briefly.

I found it a bit small and light for me but then I'm a big lad.

best bet is to get down to your local gunsmiths and have a good handle of what you like the look of.

check out weihrauch guns too - if you can afford it that is.

Have you looked into optics yet?

I would also recommend a one piece mount for your scope. - Personally I would recommend something along the lines of a 3-9x40

atb
andy
 

HillBill

Bushcrafter through and through
Oct 1, 2008
8,141
88
W. Yorkshire
I think Im going to go for a .177, thanks for all the info folks. I've had a good long search on the net and it looks like something from the bsa stable. I was thinking something like a meteor would fit the bill for a first air rifle, would this be a good choice?

Meteors run at 8ft/lbs, they are more intended for young shooters or decent plinkers.

Whats your budget? it will be easier to advise on what to get if we knew what you "couldn't" get. :)
 

jonnie drake

Settler
Nov 20, 2009
600
1
west yorkshire
I have around £100 available at the mo, but I could easily save another £100 or so on top, im not in any particular rush, just want to spend the money wisely and don't want to spend a lot of money on a first rifle as I only have a tiny bit of experience, enough to make me interested to give it a go though :)
 

catweasel

Tenderfoot
Dec 10, 2009
51
0
rotherham
ive shot .177 and .22 use the 22 if your not a good shot, it has more energy so it will do more damage on impact so you have a higher chance of a kill/bigger kill area on the target

however if you are a good shot go for the 177 with its greater accuracy, range and higher FPS



cheers CW
 

Ratbag

Subscriber
Aug 10, 2005
1,017
12
50
Barnsley
ive shot .177 and .22 use the 22 if your not a good shot, it has more energy so it will do more damage on impact so you have a higher chance of a kill/bigger kill area on the target

however if you are a good shot go for the 177 with its greater accuracy, range and higher FPS



cheers CW

Hmm. I don't think it's true to say that you get a bigger kill zone with .22. In my opinion, the kill zone on most non-FAC airgun-legal quarry should be confined to headshots (well, brainshots really I suppose). Having .22 instead of .177 doesn't give quarry a bigger head to aim at! I don't like the idea of body-shots (heart/lung) at non-FAC power levels, as I believe the chances of a clean kill (which is what we should want, as responsible hunters) are greatly reduced

Shooting .177 might actually give you a better chance of hitting the killzone because accurate rangefinding is less of a factor in a successful shot than .22. This has been done to death :rolleyes: in the posts above.

For me, the bottom line is that if you are not confident in hitting what you aim at, at the ranges you want to hunt at, keep your finger off the trigger. I "back off" a lot more shots than I take because the shot is outside my ability, perhaps because of poor visibility of kill-zone, twitchy rabbit, longer range than I'm comfortable with, cross-wind, proximity of rabbit hole, etc etc

Just my view of things

Rat
 

HillBill

Bushcrafter through and through
Oct 1, 2008
8,141
88
W. Yorkshire
I have around £100 available at the mo, but I could easily save another £100 or so on top, im not in any particular rush, just want to spend the money wisely and don't want to spend a lot of money on a first rifle as I only have a tiny bit of experience, enough to make me interested to give it a go though :)

Best thing for you to do IMO would be to save that extra £100 and try pick up a second hand Weirauch or Air Arms springer from the airgun forums. You should be able to get something. Most shooters look after their kit, and you can get a feel for if the seller is good or not on the forums. You might not get a scope with that though, so add another £100 for a decent bit of glass.

Thats the thing with air guns, you get what what you pay for. Cheap is generally just that, cheap. Quality and consistency come with a price tag unfortunately. A BSA supersport would do you well enough. But you dont want to go much lower price wise if your buying new. As i said, second hand could well be the better option.
 
Good Reply Rat, Don't shoot at a distance that you cannot hit a 10p piece at.

BSA Meteor, well was ok for clearing sparrows out from under the slates( back when they were classed as vermin), and the odd rat, but you really need something better if you wish to hunt rabbits and woodpigeon.

Like HillBill said, they are only around 8ftlb, so really only good for close stuff.
Look around for a second hand HW85 or 90, or one like SF's must be plenty out there. Stay away from the pre charged stuff until you are really sure that you want to go down that route.

Either way I am sure you will enjoy it, and as has been said, make sure you have enough for a decent scope AND DECENT MOUNTS, we are talking spring rifle here and they can move a cheap mount.
You can take the scope and mount off if you decide to upgrade the rifle so don't be scared to spend money there

Enjoy
 

Miyagi

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 6, 2008
2,298
5
South Queensferry
I thought HW35 were lightweight, or is that the beginner's HW25 I'm thinking of?

The HW80 and HW77 are heavy beasts that's for sure.
 

Miyagi

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 6, 2008
2,298
5
South Queensferry
Are you sure you're not thinking of the HW80? 25 lbft out of a 35 is a big ask - the swept volume is tiny compared with the 77 or 80

The HW80 was notorious for it's ability to go over/made to go over the limit.

Didn't the 35 have a barrel latch to open? Dainty wee rifle as I recall.
 
I think I went over the top with a 25ft pound quotation although I know that standard ones in .22 would hit 18 ft llb's no problem,
I am sure that a little twiddling would produce a few more. As for the 80, well that is a hell cat that will sail over the limit with great ease. Totally awesome

Yes the 35 does have a barrel latch, there is also a HW 35E.
 

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