Air rifles? Whats good? Whats junk?

[Mudman]

So ive been thinking about these and want input whether or not they actually kill pigs and coyotes with these?  Which ones are actually worth the money and which ones are just toys? All I know is Gamo is supposed to be good and shoots 1200fps!?  What is the range of these and accuracy?

[ribka]

I would look at RWS in 22 cal. I have a Gammo and not nearly as accurate

http://www.airgundepot.com/rws-350p-magnum-22-caliber-1000-fps.html

If you shot in the head would kill a coyote. Would limit shots to under 30 yds though.

Have killed foxes raccoons with mine. Would not take pig hunting.

They do make larger cal specialized air rifles though

[huntinguy]

http://www.airforceairguns.com/

arguably the best on the market.

[Kola16]

RWS is probably the best, but they are about $400 more than a gamo. Gamos are still good. I have one, and yes, a headshot would kill a yote. It (Gamo Big Cat) is so accurate that it can hit a nail on the head from 20 yds. 

[Mathews Heli m]

i have a gamo wisper and i love it! shoots really good and i have killed tons of birds with it. fun to shoot, i would reccommend it!  

[270Shooter]

For break action air rifle, beeman are by far the best, and i dont mean the cheapo ones in cabelas. I'd post a link but their site is under construction. Otherwise Airforce if you're looking at a precharged gun

[Dhoey07]

Benjamin 

[high country]

I have an rws in 177 that has taken skunks at 40-50yds. For coyotes, a big bore would rock. There are some that send a 230gr 45 slug at 45acp velocities.

[pips4bucks]

I have a Gamo hunter that I've had for several years now.  It shoots .177 pellets and it's far more accurate than I am.  Killed plenty of starlings, a few rabbits, and crows with it.  My best shot with it was an 80 yard shot on a crow.  I found that I can't shoot crows if they're broadside, their wings act like an armor plate.  I think it's more of the caliber in that instance. 

It's a decent air rifle for the money.  There are better ones out there, but for the cost, it's hard to beat.

[KFhunter]

whatever you get it takes ahwile to get em shooting at their best.  With a spring gun especially be it a nitro piston or true springer.

I picked up a benjamin trail while back, and wasn't happy AT ALL with it, pellets hitting all over the place.  Then I got to reading up on it and found there is a huge difference in pellet quality, and that different guns like to eat different pellets.  So I got like 6 of the most reccommended brands that the Benjamin trials tend to like and started shooting them and catagorizing them on the paper.

big difference


Also, the gun really started settling down and shooting well after a good 500 shots 
I found they like the barrel good and clean and slightly lubricated, also the sealing O ring gotta keep a dab of grease there too.


So it's a learning experience - don't buy a gun and open the box and expect it to drive nails right away.

[rock]

Unless you can't use an actually gun where you are, i would just invest in a actual gun for the price you would have to pay for a quality air rifle and ammo

[Fl0und3rz]

Benjamin/Sheridan (owned by Crosman) makes some fine rifles.  The Blue Streak in .20 caliber is pretty good for rabbit and below and has been a standard in small game airgun hunting for a long time.  Add a Williams peep sight, and you'll be good out to about 30 yards for under about $250.

For larger game, I would look into getting something larger, such as a pre-charged pneumatic in .22 caliber or above.   

Here is some shooting of the Benjamin Marauder in .25 caliber at 100 yards.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNTepTqFRpk

With anything other than exotic large caliber airguns (about .25 caliber and above), or actual firearms as suggested above, I would not attempt shooting coyotes or pigs.

None of this speaks to the legality in WA about shooting such game with an air rifle.  You should check into whether air guns are legal for such game.

[high country]

The Sam yang is bad, but this one looks mean too.....

http://www.airgundepot.com/benjamin-rogue-bpe3571.html