OT: air rifles, which is better?....

I've got a Beeman R7 springer that I've owned for about twenty years, shoots Crossman Light Premiers to around 650 fps. It is a great little rifle with a relatively low cocking weight, fun to shoot in my garage.

Never scoped it, as the irons are more than adequate for my uses (grey squirrels, starlings, and chipmunks).
 
excellent thread, had planned on buying a beeman R1.
didn't realize RWS 350M is more powerful at close to half the price. seems quality is on par with beeman.
 
Hey Cy...

Yaaa I would say the quality is right up there for sure..
For the price $359+/- with a Scope I think it's a Hell of a gun...

One thing I suggest is to buy the rifle alone without a scope, and spend a little more money on a decent scope..
The scopes that come with them are pretty decent I think,, but a better/bigger scope is well worth the investment,,especially if you plan on doing anything more than just plinking with it...

The 350 Magnum in 4.5mm sizzles at 1250 fps and 950 in 5.5mm..
Personally I believe that a lighter pellet in the 4.5mm can become unstable at this speed, and have heard quite a bit about tuning them down into the 900's...

My 350 is 5.5mm and it's a tack driver out to 35 yards with an RWS Super H pellet..
I've taken several tree rats with it already,, and it simply knocks them dead.

Heres a few targets shot with the 350 at 25 yards using a Simmons Proair 6 (3X18X40AO) an incredible scope for under $200 Bones..

2@25.jpg


1@25.jpg


At 35 yards this target could have been all X rings...

Even the lower FPS like the RWS mod 24 is an awesome little gun..
I just traded my sons new(old) one for the mod.24 and it's quite a step up than the other gun I bought him...

ttyle

Eric..
 
many thanks for the feedback! nice groups..

here's a pic of my Beeman FW124 w/blue ribbon scope. one of nicest air rifle scope I've used.

beeman scope.JPG
 
Another item that may be of some consideration: high velocity springers do produce quite a bit of noise. A CCI .22 CB Long is more quiet than most of the 1000 fps springers.
 
Hey CY..

Tell me about that scope...

Any problems with the base wandering with that gun ??
Ya really need a wicked base to hold that scope on the guns..
I'm using a really nice Webley base,, that grabs the 11mm scope rail all the way along..
No movement,,no more wandering....

I do notice though after 500 shots I get a flyer ever once and awile..
Run the bore snake though it,,and it clears up..
Really gotta keep that barell clean..

ttyle

Eric....
 
If noise is a concern can one go with the .177 at 700 fps and not have to wear hearing protection? Will that set up still have sufficient umph to take down a squirrel?

What are we talking about as far as cost and availabilty of pellets for both 177 and 22? Are both easily obtained at Walmart?

Thanks.
 
Beeman Blue Ribbon scopes were available on early Beeman rifles and are now worth as much the air rifle.

found mine used mounted on a benjamin pump rifle. jumped all over that deal! didn't even care about rifle.
Scope is solidly mounted on original Blue Ribbon hardware. Very stable!

here's a bit of info written by Robert Beeman http://www.beemans.net/rare beeman guns.htm

"The super popular Beeman Blue Ribbon Model 66RL (Skylite 2-7X) and the unique, and tank-tough Beeman Blue Ribbon SS-2L short 4X Skylite models were brought back. The somewhat more functional 3X SS-2 models and the neat little rubber armored Blue Ribbon SS-1 and the tiny, 1.5-4X Blue Ribbon SS-3 scopes and the Blue Ribbon 68R 4-12x scope and several other fine scopes disappeared - to be sought by collectors and shooters alike at gun shows and on the internet."

beeman scope 2.JPG
 
dig-it said:
Recoil? Don`t tell me thats really a concern.
Click to expand...

The pellet moves down the barrel slower than a firearm hence the recoil can start before the pellet has left the barrel affecting accuracy. Recoil from spring piston guns causes the gun to shudder. I don't know how much a muzzle break can help with that. There are a few very expensive air guns that the whole action slides back about an inch on a rail to absorb the recoil of the piston lurching foreward.
 
Check out the shadow from gamo. It shoots at 1000fps. The one I got has probably taken down 15-20 squirrels just from my back yard. It looks cool with a scope also. :D

Its around 120 bucks if I remember.
 
I had a BSA Lightening once with the old spring action in it which I swapped out for a Gas Ram. Boy did that spring make the balance jump about on that rifle it gets even worse later with use on the same spring. It was pretty much a carbine sized rifle which did reduce some of the mechanical jumping the spring recoil caused but with a gas device powering the air pressure changes the feel of the rifle would never degrade and shooting technique could be applied for life after the upgrade. Strangely I had a silencer on that rifle and never felt it did anything other than make the balance feel complete.If i was going to pick up another air rifle anytime soon id be looking at Logan models.
 
These rifles and the benjamin sheridan are about the same size.
For the money i would go with the Bejamin in .22, it just has more
power(trigger is worse and its not that easily scoped as the RWS/Beeman.
The 700 fps advertised is probably a lot less in reality, cause they always
measure the speed with the lightest available pellet.
Everything said about scopes need to be real tough is right.
No, you do not need to wear hearing protection while shooting an airrifle, not
even with the RWS 350 magnum(maybe with a precharged career 707 in 9
mm you need one)
 
Lot more experience and better contributions than I could possibly offer, but..figured I'd kick in that ESPECIALLY if you go with an RWS, you want to go much higher than your anticipated velocity. Last year I picked up an RWS 46 which has a factory stated velocity of 780 FPS. Got the gun and found out it won't do more than 670. Everyone knows that the manufacturers fudge a little bit, but I kinda thought 110 FPS was a bit drastic.

That being said, it drops rabbits and squirrels like an anvil hit 'em, although my Bumble Bee is funner for squirrels.:D
 
That is what I ment. Actually I wonder about the advertised velocities. As the factory claims here in Germany, were most RWS/DIANA are build the speed advertised, is actually closer(but still not up) to real performance . Maybe its an marketing thing of the Importer.
 
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