BB gun

[upperclasstwit42]

I'm looking to purchase some kind of BB gun, probably something from Sports Authority near my house. I just want something to start out with, and do some target shooting the the backyard. any suggections on brand/ specifics?
thanks

 

[Blue Jays]

Hi upperclasstwit42-

There is a company named GAMO that always advertises in the NRA publications and appears to manufacture a very high-quality product. Take a look and see what you think.

I was thinking about getting one to deal with the out-of-control ferral cats who are randomly killing beautiful songbirds in my neighborhood and leaving the corpses to rot...even if it's only a sharp smack on their butts. The various BB and pellet guns are quiet and accurate.

~ Blue Jays ~

 

[Matt Shade]

I'd recomend a pellet gun over a BB gun. BB guns are generally made with plastic, have crudddy trigger pulls and poor sights. They also are generally smooth bore, because bb's are steel, and not exceptionally accurate.
A pellet gun on the other hand, should have a rifled barrel and will shoot lead pellets which are shaped to be much more accurate. They also have the benefit of not ricocheting quite as easily (they still will though, so be careful what you use as a backstop).
You don't have to spend a ton of money, but I would get as nice of a gun as you can. Gamo, and Benjamin Sheridan both make very high quality guns for the money. They aren't top of the line, but they are very good bargains. I'd look at a gamo CFX, or 220 as a very good gun to start with. They have great triggers, adjustable sights, and the 220 I have right now is very accurate. They might be a little bit too powerful or too loud though depending on where you live. Gamo makes other guns that are less powerful if thats the case.
Sheridan makes a really nice pump up gun. They don't offer as much power as the spring piston guns from gamo, but have variable power (just very the # of times you pump the gun). The sights are a little bit lacking, and the triggers aren't always great. But its a very solid, reliable gun that will last forever, and has the potential to be very accurate with some practice.

If you think you'd like to spend a little more, look for a Beeman or RWS gun.

I'd also recommend you think about buying from www.pyramidair.com (handle the gun at a store before hand if you can). They have the best prices I've found online so far, also the widest selection of guns and ammo. Sporting goods stores have good deals once in awhile, but don't always have what you want, and don't necessarily have the best price, you have to do some looking around.

I don't want to come across like I look down on anything that shoots BB guns either. I have a couple and they can be fun to get out once in awhile. But for someone that wants to learn shooting, I think a higher quality gun is much more rewarding, and a much better purchase in the long run. You don't want to limit your potential as a shooter by having a gun thats less accurate than you are.

 

[Blue Jays]

Hi Matt-

What is the "report" like when firing a pellet gun? Is it like, "Oh my goodness, someone is shooting a dangerous semi-automatic revolver assault weapon! What about the children?!" Or is it just a moderately loud cracking sound that would be hard to really identify in ones' mind? Heck, plenty of people use nailguns around here and it doesn't raise any concerns among the sheeple.

I saw that some of the pellets can exceed 1000 fps, so there will be a bit of noise with which to contend...unless you get a model with variable speed that can be backed down to lower the noise.

~ Blue Jays ~

 

[kamkazmoto]

I don't know how old you are or where you live or how much you have to spend but if you live in the middle of the city a pellet gun can be a little much. Any one of the Daisy BB guns would be fine. Several generations grew up with BB guns and learned to shoot just fine. Granted that pellet guns are generally a better shooting product but BB guns are just fun and cheap to shoot. Go for what you like and enjoy. PS I'm glad that you stopped lurking and joined in. Fun ain't it.

 

[Matt Shade]

Noise levels depend on the type of gun you're shooting. Of course, the more powerful the gun, the louder it will be. My gamo 220 has a pretty good bark to it, not enough to require hearing protection or anything, but it is fairly loud. I've never had anyone mistake it for a regular firearm though.
Spring piston guns seem to be the loudest. You have the report from the muzzle and there is also some spring noise. I don't find it uncomfortable, and haven't had any complaints, but my neighbors aren't right on top of me either.

Pneumatics aren't quite as loud usually. This just comes down to how powerful it is. Higher power, means higher pressure, which means more noise.

You don't have to get a pnuematic to get a gun under 1000fps either. There are alot of spring piston guns rated anywhere from 200fps on up. Gamo makes a wide variety of them if you look at their website.

 

[PWork]

Like most things, you get what you pay for. I have yet to take the plunge and buy myself a higher end air gun. I have shot and/or handled most of the better known brands.
The best advice I can give you is to weigh your wants/needs against what you can afford. Buy the best you can afford at the time.

Paul

 

[glennbad]

I'd throw a vote in for pellet gun. I own a sheridan blue streak, and my dad has a silver streak. Excellent rifle, for the money IMHO.

I have purchased a bb gun for my 10 year old son. Basic Winchester lever action. I haven't given it to him yet, the wife is a little weird about things like that. They're fun to plink around with.

The sheridans give a snappy type of pop, doesn't sound like a gun shot to me.

Have fun and be safe.

Glenn

 

[TiberiusBkirk]

It's about as loud as a small balloon popping. You know the one's you throw darts at found at carnivals etc. I've heard the more quiet one's sound like a soda pop can openning.
If you have a .22lr you can try the colibri powderless ammo, those are very quiet.

 

[mwerner]

I owned all kinds of BB guns as a kid, ranging from Daisy spring-air jobs to Crossman CO2 models. Finally got a Benjamin .22 pneumatic, which I must have put thousands of rounds through. Advantage of a pneumatic is that the power level is adjustable. Two pumps was fine for plinking with mine, but 10 or so would kill rabbits.
I also brought a break-action "Diana" .177 back from Germany. Nice rifle, but very cheesy plastic sights which eventually broke.

 

[Ryan8]

Hi Matt-

What is the "report" like when firing a pellet gun? Is it like, "Oh my goodness, someone is shooting a dangerous semi-automatic revolver assault weapon! What about the children?!" Or is it just a moderately loud cracking sound that would be hard to really identify in ones' mind? Heck, plenty of people use nailguns around here and it doesn't raise any concerns among the sheeple.

I saw that some of the pellets can exceed 1000 fps, so there will be a bit of noise with which to contend...unless you get a model with variable speed that can be backed down to lower the noise.

This really depends as Matt Shade wrote. If you hit around the sound barrier, it will sound much like a rifle with a good "CRACK!" sound. However you don't want to do this as it will cause the pellet to tumble, greatly reducing accuracy.

Pre-charged pneumatics, the kind that take tanks of compressed air, will make a lot of noise. Especially the shorter barreled and higher powered ones. Spring pistons rank #2 as a general rule. The spring pistons aren't terribly loud IMO. Easily less than your average .22LR.

Remember that manufacturers generally rate the FPS on their guns with light weight pellets. You can always use heavier ones which should reduce the noise - especially when you get around the sound barrier.

 

[tallpaul]

It's about as loud as a small balloon popping. You know the one's you throw darts at found at carnivals etc. I've heard the more quiet one's sound like a soda pop can openning.
If you have a .22lr you can try the colibri powderless ammo, those are very quiet.

Colibri is still a "fire arm" and in most locals discharging a firearm in the city is a criminal offence. Some of the more restrictive locals even frown on airguns. A pnumatic gun will be a bit louder as in a ballooon pop but a lower power "springer" is a bit quieter usually. A pellet gun to me is a bit safer with less "bounce" to a pellet than a bb but they both can richochet. I started with an old daisey 99 and it was a "target" bb gun and it sits about 10 feet away as I type this and it is about 32 years old and I have alot of "modern" high performance airguns. I find that the more accurate the gun the better. A beginer can really get discouraged trying to learn on a cheap innacurate gun. Not impossible if you "stay close" but not easy sometimes. You may see if there are any gun clubs in your area that have airgun leagues or even a seminar/range ttype introductory class.

 

[jackknife]

I had a daisy Red Ryder when I was a kid a long time ago. I must have shot a zillion bb's through it in the woods around my house in Maryland. I sometimes wonder why the earth did'nt go sideways from the weight of the concentrated copper deposits from all those bbs.

I later got into the european spring air guns, and to this day I have a special place in my heart for air guns. Every kid should have a couple in those "formative" years.

I don't think the modern Daisys have the quality anymore. I have some freinds who's kids have the Sheridens and they seem to be a real good air gun. My nephew has a Crossman pump up that uses bbs or .177 pellets, seems pretty good. I think the model number is 760.

But you guys are right on about noise- my Feinwerkebau 124 has a report that can be noticeable in a urban or suburban area.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

My 760 has jammed, and does not fire BB's. It's a great gun when it works. As for a good pellet air gun to start out with, I would go for a Crosman 1377. It fires a 177 pellet, 30 bucks is a great deal, you might have to pay about 50 for a brand new one. Get the custom stock, and it's fast and easy to put the stock on. Great for birds, rodents etc. As with any firearm, even air soft, be careful with it, practice good safety habits, and with the right amount of TLC, the 1377 will last for years.

 

[Daniel Koster]

what do you guys think about revolver bb/pellet guns?


like these?

Gamo R-77

Smith & Wesson 686-6

Crosman 357 W

They all are CO2 guns and average a little over 400 fps...

Anybody here owned one? what other revolver models are there?

 

[mwerner]

I had one of the early (maybe 1980s...?) Crossman revolvers, and it was pretty cool. Sometimes the CO2 cartridge would freeze up, but mostly it was pretty reliable.
I thought I could use it as an in-the-garage training weapon, but the grips and trigger pull characteristics were so different from the S&W M19 I carried on duty that there wasn't much corellation.

Still fun to shoot, however.

 

[jbWoods]

I've learned not to waste money on bottom line starters. They usualy wont shoot the same place twice. I'd look into multi pump pellet guns. You can plink with them at one or two pumps or go hunting small game at 8 pumps. The old stand bys are Benjamen and Crossman at 100 bucks or less on sale. Then the choices go up with Beeman RWS and others well over 100. Read the web sites on the subject...you will soon form your own opinions. Good luck and have fun. jbW

 

[silenthunterstudios]

what do you guys think about revolver bb/pellet guns?


like these?

Gamo R-77

Smith & Wesson 686-6

Crosman 357 W

They all are CO2 guns and average a little over 400 fps...

Anybody here owned one? what other revolver models are there?

I had one of the Crosman 177's that looked like a 357, it was pretty neat. Learned to shoot on that and my Daisy bb gun.