# Air Guns



## Rouxballs (Dec 2, 2008)

I want to buy an air gun to do some future small game hunting.
Does anyone use an airgun for hunting and if so what do you recommend?
I am looking at Beeman and gamo at the moment.


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## thundrst (Oct 7, 2007)

I have an RWS model 34 in .22 cal & am very happy with it. Got it from my wife 2 Christmasses ago & had some luck with squirrels & hares (no cottontails yet). You should also look at Falcon and Techforce springers. Check aut Airgundepot.com (or something like that). I will write more but I'm at work right now & gotta go. John H.


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## LyonArmonial (Nov 17, 2008)

crossman CO2 powered pellet rifle, shoots .177 . done pretty good so far on the tree rats


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## thundrst (Oct 7, 2007)

OK. Here's my longwinded 2 cents worth. REMEMBER ALL THAT FOLLOWS IS JUST MY OPINION. I am sure that many others will disagree & have other good points to ponder also. That said, here goes....

There are so many options that you should have a good idea of what you want to hunt. Almost any of the pump-ups or springers in .177 or .22 will work for small pests (sparrows, starlings, red squirrels) and rabbits at close range (5-15 yards). If you plan to hunt gray, black, or fox squirrels, or plan to shoot & kill game at more than 15 yards; some of the pump ups and .177 cals start to become insufficient. I would strongly suggest .22 cal over .177 for hunting in general and especially for the bigger squirrels & up. Most of the springer .177's will handle the bigger squirrels nicely but will be louder than .22 cal pellet travelling at lower velocity but delivering the same energy. 

As always shot placement is more important than energy. There are a lot of .177 springers that are accurate, fast, and affordable. If you can find a .177 that you can consistantly hit a squirrel in the head at the ranges you need & you don't mind the noise, you can get a nice gun for a decent price. If noise is a concern or you want more knock down power, the .22 cals are the way to go. The .177s can go from 600 to 1600 fps. Keep in mind that once the sound barrier is broken (approx. over 1200 fps) the gun will sound like a .22 rimfire. Cost, weight, and cocking effort also increase with speed. Something to keep in mind if shopping for a youngster.

I am partial to the springers mainly due to spending so much of my youth hunting with the pump-ups & the problem getting a second shot with them! Even then, the .22 pump-up outperformed the .177 pump-ups hands down.

If you're looking at a Beeman and some Gamo guns, some other .22 guns in that approximate price range that you may want to check out are: Remington (something), TechForce 89, & Walther Falcon Hunter.
There are tons of .177's in that price range: Crossman Quest 1000, several Gamo's, & others. Check out airgundepot.com & read the reviews of each gun you are considering. Good Luck with whatever you buy, John H.​


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## Rouxballs (Dec 2, 2008)

Thanks John,
Thats a big help.
I did check out airgundepot.com and found some good info.
I will most likely go to bass pro shops to look at some of there guns soon.
Thanks again and take care,
John M


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## thundrst (Oct 7, 2007)

that if you buy the gun from Bass Pro, you can use their indoor rifle range free for one hour. That's what I did & it really helped vs. having to sight in outdoors in the cold! The automatic target return saves some steps & time too.


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