Getting Fast Hits with an Air Rifle

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pict

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Jan 7, 2003
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Here in Brazil I try to keep my shooting skills up by shooting with a Gamo air rifle in the back yard. We've discussed using an air rifle here for hunting small game so I thought this topic would be appropriate to the board.

The rifle I use has a hooded front sight. A few years ago I discovered that the front sight hood acts as an excellent close range sight all by itself and allows me to get off fast shots at close range, bacically using it like a large ghost ring, circle target, squeeze trigger. It is really simple and effective.

Over on Warriortalk.com they discuss this as the "Caveman Eotech" when shooting the AK or SKS. I have done this with both rifles and it works surprisingly well. The sight arraingement on my air rifle is exactly the same as my SKS and affords for cheap practice for this method.

Anyway I shot a video of it the other day that explains it better.

Getting Fast Hits with an Air Rifle

If you own a rifle with a front sight hood, or even ears that curve inwards like the AK, I suggest you try it out to about 35 to 50 meters. You can get fast close range hits very easily. In my backyard range I use a carbide cutting disc as a target about 18 meters away. Mac
 
I'm gonna try that. Thanks for the vid and the idea, it's one of those things I wouldn't have thought about.
 
Thanks for sharing Mac, I have been wanting to get a "better" airrifle to start my girls on and also for stray kritters, I live in town, they frown on a bang now and then. Pat
 
A good airrifle is an investment for life. Low ammo costs, high fun factor and they're almost unbreakable. Also, you won't ever hear "click" instead of "bang".
 
Thanks man, your timing's great: I'm getting a Gamo .22 this week for grey squirrels and crows. I work in a kennel and they are always going after the dogfood and making the dogs bark which pisses off the neighbours.
I've tried Warfarin (not crazy about the 'collateral victims' though), snares and rat traps in the trees - the tree rats have wised up and don't get themselves caught anymore so it's time for something a little more effective!
Plus I'm looking forward to getting paid for plinking, lol.

Which airgun do you guys use on pests ?
 
The rifle I'm using in the video is a hybred Daisy receiver and .177 Gamo barrel, sold as a Gamo. I would love to have a .22 cal air rifle here in Brazil but they cost a few hundred dollars and I just can't afford one. Air rifles aren't controlled here so it is easy to get practice with one here at home. The other fact is that air rifles are harder to shoot well than a rimfire so if you are a good air rifle shot things improve when you move "up" to firearms. Your follow through is very important with a spring-piston air rifle so they develop good shooting habits.

As for lethality it is ALL about shot placement, head/base of neck shots. IMO very few commonly encountered air rifles have the power to effectively drop mammals with a body shot. Granted, that opinion comes from a childhood of daily shooting with a Crosman 760. There are some very powerful guns out there but I am not an expert on them. I practice with what I have just to keep some semblence of skill up while I'm down here in Brazil.

The snapshooting technique in the video is more something I practice for my AK and SKS than anything else as it will get a FAST center of mass shot on target out at 25 - 35 meters. On game, using the air rifle, such a shot could very well disable a target of opportunity at close range that would otherwise be lost.

There are lots of air rifle hunting videos out there in Youtube and you'll notice the best of them are all head/neck shots on stationary game. Shotgun hunting is usually on running or flying game and its a totally different skill.

The more you shoot the better you get and air rifles will allow you to make lots of shots right at home so they encourage practice. Mac
 
DocArnie said:
A good airrifle is an investment for life. Low ammo costs, high fun factor and they're almost unbreakable. Also, you won't ever hear "click" instead of "bang".
Click to expand...

Funny, my gun has a diesel problem that occasionally lets off a "BANG" instead of a "sprang". For those who don't know what I'm referring to oil vapor in the gas piston will occasionally ignite (like a fire piston) and send the pellet out at some totally insane rimfire velocity complete with a little muzzle flash and smoke out the barrel. I had one of these yesterday. Very bad for the gun. Mac
 
My Slavia 631 .177 has a several hundert shots with diesel,many shots without a pellet in the barrel and around 18 000 pellet shots.It's good as new.Man I love this gun.It's bomproof.The diesel effect is nothing for it.Does not affect it at all.Low velocity - low wear out of the parts .
 
Nice writeup.



I've always used a Benjamin .22cal air rifle.



Killed many a bird, coon, rabbit, and squirrel with it. When I was a little younger I was pretty good with it, could hit the bottom round of a coke can at 50 yards. Most people underestimate the power of an air rifle. I rarely shoot it anymore cause pumping it 10 times over and over can be tiring. :D



I think I may eventually look into a good break barrel. It'd be great for SHTF food procurement.
 
I am an airgun nut as well and I agree that they are great survival tools. I prefer multi-pumps. I have a Crosman 1377 with a skeleton stock and a scope, it is an accurate carbine. I would not try to kill a squirrel or rabbit with it, but it would work for most birds. You pump it and shoot it. No CO2, no issues with carrying a hand-pump in the field (as in PCP airgun), no special hold or technique as with a springer. The ammo is cheap. With a little maintenance, these guns last a long time.

My next airgun will be .22, either a Benjie 392 or a Crosman "1322." Unfortunately, Crosman stopped producing the 1322 some time ago. There are guys that mod their 1377s into 1322s or you can buy one from various internet sources.
 
I just got a Gamo Whisper for XMAS. I love it. It was tuff deciding between the .177 cal and .22 cal. I went .177 since I wouldn't be shooting anything larger than a squirrel or rabbit with it anyway.

I have it sighted in pretty good now, but it definately needs heavier lead to shoot accurately. That light PBA crap that Gamo puts out is way over priced and shoots high all the time. Plus it sounds like a 22 rifle when shot; kind of defeats the purpose of the built in supressor the Whisper has....
 
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