Airgun as a survival tool?

Probably a good choice...I think you would have to look pretty hard to find a guy who regretted having a .22 around! And while I THINK I could kill a lot of game and possibly more with a .177 air rifle, I KNOW I could do it with a .22.

Besides which, my .22s are mostly smaller and lighter than my air guns, and that two or three pounds can mean a fair bit of ammo!
 
misanthropist said:
Probably a good choice...I think you would have to look pretty hard to find a guy who regretted having a .22 around! And while I THINK I could kill a lot of game and possibly more with a .177 air rifle, I KNOW I could do it with a .22.

Besides which, my .22s are mostly smaller and lighter than my air guns, and that two or three pounds can mean a fair bit of ammo!
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I have a .22 already, I just think in a survival situation you need one that is a tack driver. As much as I like my .22 it uses long rifle ammo only. I want one that will be able to use shorts too.

The good air rifles weigh to much, up to 9 lbs.:thumbdn:
 
magneto said:
The good air rifles weigh to much, up to 9 lbs.:thumbdn:
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I disagree, the Benjamins don't weigh near that much, closer to 6. And I know they will kill small game up to raccoon size becuase I have done it, time and time again. There is no telling how many squirrels and birds my 392 has accounted for and it is still going strong.

My 2240 franken rifle has accounted for it's fair share also, although I don't count it becaue you can't buy it and it is a gas gun, it runs on CO2. As far as a tack driver, I can stack crosman premiers on top of each other till I am bored with either rifle. Chris
 
magneto said:
I have a .22 already, I just think in a survival situation you need one that is a tack driver. As much as I like my .22 it uses long rifle ammo only. I want one that will be able to use shorts too.

The good air rifles weigh to much, up to 9 lbs.:thumbdn:
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Well, you'd still probably have to look pretty hard to find a guy who regretted having a few .22s around!
 
runningboar said:
I disagree, the Benjamins don't weigh near that much, closer to 6. And I know they will kill small game up to raccoon size becuase I have done it, time and time again. There is no telling how many squirrels and birds my 392 has accounted for and it is still going strong.

My 2240 franken rifle has accounted for it's fair share also, although I don't count it becaue you can't buy it and it is a gas gun, it runs on CO2. As far as a tack driver, I can stack crosman premiers on top of each other till I am bored with either rifle. Chris
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I shoud have said the single cock airguns. I checked out the Benjamin that you recommended, and yes they are around 6 lbs. But my whole purpose in this is to be as silent as possible and pumping it up 8 times may be a little loud, especially being it gets harder with every pump. I could have opted for the one that has been refit to keep all pumps at 28 lbs, but at $350 or so I can get a Marlin 39A that breaks down for a little more money.

I do know airguns work well, my son used to bring home all kinds of critters, enough so that I was thinking about using the airgun in the first place. I still love the fact that you can take thousands of rounds with you with little weight. Perhaps my wife would like to carry one. :D
 
Magneto,
Typically speaking powder burners are cheaper than quality air rifles, we won't even get into what my 25 caliber Daystate sells for.

Air rifles are just another tool in the bag of tricks and I don't think about them replacing my powder guns or vice versa. Chris
 
runningboar said:
I have a real hard time believing that, not to mention it would be thrown out of court in a heart beat.
EDIT: If a woman tells a LEO that you raped her you will be arrested also, I guess you can leave that at home with your knife.
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If I raped a gal a block away, then I need to be arrested. That's too big a weapon for anyone. :jerkit:
 
bltjr1951 said:
If I raped a gal a block away, then I need to be arrested. That's too big a weapon for anyone. :jerkit:
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LOL that's just wrong. Very funny tough.

It's also perfect timing since it brought this thread back top or the page for me to find just as I've begun having thoughts about picking up an air rifle myself. I haven't done any shooting since I was in high school 15 years ago or so. I've kind of always wanted to try my hand at hunting but when I've had the money other interests have taken precedence and when the interest in hunting has been strong, I haven't had the money. Life's funny like that.

Anyhow, I was wandering around Dick's Sporting Goods the other day and saw a Gamo air rifle with a scope and some other stuff, basically a beginner's kit, for about 75 bucks and all of the sudden the interest was back. I decided to do some research before buying though. I'll check out the links that have been posted, and maybe come back with a question or two of my own.

After I get some experience with whatever air rifle I choose and get proficient (hopefully) at bagging squirrels and rabbits I'll probably look into "powder burners" to try my hand at deer hunting.

Thanks for all of the advice so far.
 
After this talk I got my 2250 out and shot it some, if you can't bring home some birds, squirrels or rabbits with this then you don't need to be hunting, it thinks the pellets into tiny little clusters. The only draw back is that it is CO2, in a warm climate, no problem, but if you live in the cold you might not get the power you need. I have a 2x7 leupold on it and it might be my funnest airgun, best of all no pumping.:D

Yall check out this website and I bet you will find something you like. Chris

http://168.144.194.108/index.htm

My gun
Picture045.jpg
 
I havent read everything but I did pick up that some people said air rifles dont last very long. I dont know about The cheap walmart ones but I learned to shoot using a German made Diana air rifle. It was a hand me down from my brother and It was 19 years old. I still have it and pop tin cans in the backyard with it all the time. It hasnt lost any of its power at all and the only damage that happened to it at all is that I blew off the rear sight 2 years ago. Easily remedied with a scope. It is awsome for small game hunting and it doesnt blow a large hole in pigeons and rabbits. The model is now discontinued but I understand it cost $950 :eek: and that was 27 years ago!
 
runningboar said:
Magneto,
Typically speaking powder burners are cheaper than quality air rifles, we won't even get into what my 25 caliber Daystate sells for.

Air rifles are just another tool in the bag of tricks and I don't think about them replacing my powder guns or vice versa. Chris
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REALLY !!!!!

I recently got 2 Marlin 39A Mounties in very nice condition (A '59 and a '60), for not much more than a new FWB124 after tuning.

A new CZ452 (~$200-$350 depending on the model), is a real tack driver and is generally cheaper than a QUALITY air rifle. This is a top notch .22.

Like Magneto says, they are both tools, but the neighbors complain if I shoot the .22 in the basement. LOL The air rifle is great for keeping your eye on in the offseason or, when you can't get to the range.

I'm very big on both .22's and air guns and doubt if I would go hungry if I just had one or the other.

Rob
 
I have a Beeman R9 in .177 that I shoot rabbits with regularly. I have shot crows, starlings and squirrels also.

Many of these "adult" airguns are plenty powerful for small game with well placed shots.
 
I have a Gamo 1000 that I've used to take chipmunks, red squirrels, gray squirrels, one ground hog (woodchuck), and many pigeons...from 15 feet out to 30 yards. I try for headshots only for a clean kill, if I miss I miss, the animal usually sits there confused waiting for a second shot.

This is a great rifle for backyard shooting because it doesn't sound like a rifle, it sounds like a nail gun. Neighbors don't worry about it the way they would if I was shooting my .22.

Gamo sells a .177 now that is touted for 1600fps, about $300 +. I think 1000-1200fps is now the minimum norm (springers, not pump or C02, I don't know about them).

As far as the effort involved in breaking the barrell and cocking it, I don't think it's any more effort than drawing a 35-40# bow.

The air rifle does not replace my .22, I also have a CZ452 that's a tack driver. But the air rifle does allow a lot of cheap and inconspicuous backyard target practice.
 
I have decided to build myself a PCP gun, I already have a daystate that I mentioned before and the pump to pressurize it with. I have built CO2 guns and the concept is the same. I have already ordered the high pressure steel tubing and am looking forward to the project. I should be able to get about 22 to 25 FPE out of a 22 caliber for a total cost of about 245 dollars.

I have killed jackrabbits with my daystate at almost a 100yds, I am not expecting that sort of performance but I should have a great little squirrel gun, I will keep you guys posted. Chris
 
magneto said:
I shoud have said the single cock airguns. I checked out the Benjamin that you recommended, and yes they are around 6 lbs. But my whole purpose in this is to be as silent as possible and pumping it up 8 times may be a little loud, especially being it gets harder with every pump. I could have opted for the one that has been refit to keep all pumps at 28 lbs, but at $350 or so I can get a Marlin 39A that breaks down for a little more money.

I do know airguns work well, my son used to bring home all kinds of critters, enough so that I was thinking about using the airgun in the first place. I still love the fact that you can take thousands of rounds with you with little weight. Perhaps my wife would like to carry one. :D
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Hope you guys are eating all these "critters" killing anything for the sake of killing is irresponsible. No objection to hunting, but kids should be taught that all life is valuable and important. To me, animals killed merely for trophies sake, or merely to say you killed it, is a sign of a weak person with low self-esteem.
 
southbeachlaw said:
Hope you guys are eating all these "critters" killing anything for the sake of killing is irresponsible. No objection to hunting, but kids should be taught that all life is valuable and important. To me, animals killed merely for trophies sake, or merely to say you killed it, is a sign of a weak person with low self-esteem.
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True, I only shoot rabbits that I plan on eating and then keep the fur for later use.
 
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