New airgun

[Guest Runningdog69]

I know you guys talk alot about the different weapons you use..but to me its a bit new ground. Ive got an old springer type that ive shot with a few times at the odd pigeon..but lookin to treat myself soon to something abit newer and more effective.

Ive looked at the various guns, could you guys give me your patience and explain about how the pre-charged ones work?? How do you go about recharging etc?? Shots per charge etc??What options do you have?? Any advice would be great??

 

Cheers

 

R.D.

[maty j 6]

rechardeing pcps you either use a air bottle like the ones divers have or a stirup pump. both do the same job but useually the bottled air is cleaner and shouldnt contain water so therefor shudnt corode your air cylinder on your gun. the bottles you have to pay to get refilled and useually cost more to buy. as well as all this you have to get them tested evey few years.ive got the web addy of how pcps work somewere but ill have alook for ye. chargeing is reasonably simple on my gun (AA S400) remove threaded dust cap snap on hose and start pumping. it doesnt take long but is reasonably hard if you aint got some weight on you. you get around 50 ish shots on most guns but this depends on if its the shorter carbine or longer classic version of the rifle. how much are you looking to spend on a rifle?

hope its been some help

maty.

[ChrisJones 7,973]

What sort of budget have you got? Probably easier to start there as the options are vast and rifles can start at £30 and go up into the thousands.

[maty j 6]

try here

[Guest neo]

one thing that maty j didnt say is that the pump is serious hard work!!!

its ok at the start but then it gets toughter and tougher, buy the best you can afford i have a pre charger 2 shot which works great i have killed loads of stuff with it but trying to load it in the dark is a bit hard where as a 8 shot or 10 shot is a lot less messing about, if you wing something or miss you only have one more in the spout................ you lose that and its gone.

 

Go to a good shop and ask, if they are good they will let you try before you buy

 

i would buy air arms S410 if i could, i was gonna ask father chrismas but the misuss wants a new Discovery

 

just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons what calibre are you thinking of?

[Guest Runningdog69]

Thanks guys appreciate the info...

 

I have been looking in the air gun mags and there seems to be alot of deals with everything..scope, silencer etc etc

 

Would probably be looking around the £350 £400 mark..but would like as much gear as possible with it for that price too...

Looking for somethin that ll handle vermin..up to rabbit size at a reasonable distance...like to sound of the AA S200 what are your opinions on that??

Single or multi shot???

 

Cheers

 

Stuart

[maty j 6]

you looking for new or s/h kit.

try looking in the for sale section on airgunbbs.com for s/h rifles. im chargeing my s400 with the axor pump and dont find it that hard.

i found the s200 a nice litle gun to shoot. you could carry it around with you all day with out noticeing it and it looked verry well made.

[Guest Runningdog69]

think ill just get a new gun...going towards the wee s200 but ill wait till after xmas once im paid...woohooo! then ill put my order in....cheers for the advice maty..ill put a post up once im kitted up and have my first wee mooch...

 

all the best

 

stuart

[ChrisJones 7,973]

think ill just get a new gun...going towards the wee s200 but ill wait till after xmas once im paid...woohooo! then ill put my order in....cheers for the advice maty..ill put a post up once im kitted up and have my first wee mooch...

 

all the best

 

stuart

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you're going new you'll have to budget for charging kit too. Pumps start at around the £100 mark so if your budget is £400 you're looking at £300 for a rifle and scope. Doesn't leave you much room to breathe. Could be worth hanging on a month longer and saving yourself a little more dosh.

 

The S200 is a fine choice of rifle. Very light. Very portable. Very well balanced. Full powered hunting rifle that is no frills but very effective... just look at the bags Mr Darcy is getting.

• £250 for the single shot S200
  
• £100+ for charging equipment
  
• £40 for a silencer (minimum for the Air Arms)
  
• £25 for a scope (minimum for a fixed 4 x 32)
  
• £20 for a decent set of scope mounts
  
• £65 for the multishot mag conversion (optional)
  

Soon adds up. You'll get a top of the line springer set up like a Weihrauch HW97K or Air Arms TX200 with scope and mount. Bags, pellets and postage for around the £350 mark from Blackpool Air Rifles. They look after their customers. I've dealt with all of them and Blackpool have consistently given me value for money and the best part ex prices possible. If you don't want your pudding pulled then give them a bell with what you're after. Remember... they actually hunt! :D

[Guest Runningdog69]

Cheers chris, yeah i take on board what your sayin about budgetin. That website is good..certainly does sound like the guys there have a genuine interest in their customers which is always an advantage.

 

What do you shoot yourself? Pre charged???

[maty j 6]

i got my s/h pump for £65 and with what i saved you can put it on a better scope or get the target stocked. are you gona go for the target stocked s200?

[ChrisJones 7,973]

What do you shoot yourself? Pre charged???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm currently shooting a springer but it's purely because of my budget. I've got a Webley Stingray Deluxe which I picked up 2nd hand for £100. Mint. It's paid for itself a few times over in pesting operations!

 

I like shooting springers because they're better for improving your marksmanship. But I've had a crack at most of the rifles on the market. Some I love, some I detest.

 

If you were to put your identical twin on a pre charged, for six months, whilst you shot a springer he would out shoot you. Initially. When you swap over you'd out shoot him on his own gun because you've actually learnt the craft. Springers take skill to master.

 

Springers are also more reliable and easier/cheaper to work on. You're not limited to shots per charge or anything and if you were to have the rifle serviced twice a year it would cost around £30 which is the same as filling a dive bottle every other month.

 

Pre charged are far more accurate and forgiving if you're not the most accurate of shots. We're talking penny piece groupings at 30yards which is a neccessity if you're humanely despatching quarry.

 

The following are my personal choices and reflect my opinions on shooting in the field. The following rifles I've actually used and I would recommend them to anyone. The only downside is the budget. Some of them are pretty pricey!

 

Springers

• Webley Xocet. On a recent bird shoot myself and a colleague had a dozen flying rats, with one. It's been zeroed once in the last 6 months and it's been knocked around quite badly. Action is rusted. Stock is marked. Shoots f****n A1!
  
• Webley Stingray. Cannot fault this rifle. I've had mine for 18 months and it's filled my freezer many times over. Highly reliable and still mint
  
• BSA Lightning. Just look how many people buy them and use them on the forums. Alot of people put gas rams in them but personally the standard rifle is great as it is. Same price as the standard Stingray but comes with a silencer.
  
• Air Arms TX200. Heavy but worth learning to master. Superbly accurate with minimum recoil.
  
• Weihrauch HW97K. Very similar to the TX as it's Weihrauch's flagship springer. Superbly accurate and ultra reliable. I prefer this rifle to the TX because I reckon it's well balanced and fits the shoulder better but if you ever have to decide between the two go to a shop and pick them both up. The differences are so slight that you'd decide on the spot which one.
   
  
• Weihrauch HW77 Venom Mamba. The best rifle I've ever owned bar none. Gutted I sold it. The bloke I sold it too still has it in his collection and won't sell it me back... The only consolation is that it went to a good home.
  

Pre- Charged

• Air Arms S200. Cheap. Accurate. Reliable bunny buster. You can retro fit a magazine to make it a 10 shot. Mr Darcy is the man to tell you about these as he's used them in the field.
  
• Air Arms S410. S200's bigger, deadlier, brother. Best selling precharged of 2004 and with good reason. Very few problems with them just make sure they're kept full! Now available as a Take Down Rifle (TDR) VERY tempting! :ph34r:
  
• Theoben Rapid 7 Mk1. Only available in 2nd hand. Decent ones getting rarer by the second. These rifles revolutionised the pre charged market. Accurate, reliable but I don't like the magazines on them. I found them far to fiddly.
  
• Ripley Predator. Ripley's pump action air rifle!! It's big, it's very ugly but it's probably the most fun I've had with an air rifle! Certainly livens up the rat shoot on the local pig farm!! These are rarer than rocking horse shit and will still command around the £600 mark.
  
• Weihrauch HW100. "The Daddy" in my opinion. Mr Darcy has one and I'm extremely jealous. The Mk1 had a silencer I wasn't keen on but the new Mk2 has altered it into a much quieter stalking tool... They've also reshaped the stock to make it alot lighter even if it's not as comfortable. The magazine system is a 14 shot steel rotary and it's the only rifle on the market that you cannot double load. How ever many times you cock this rifle you cannot put more than one pellet up the spout! Magic.
  

If anyone else wants to attach their favourite rifle combinations then get in! This forum has been far too quiet for far too long!

Edited December 11, 2004 by ChrisJones

[Guest Runningdog69]

Your some guy! A man who certainly loves his guns. Great to get folk you dont know taking the time to pass on their experiences..cheers again!

 

After closer consideration ive decided my budget may be abit pushed in getting everything i want for around my price mark. Been looking at reviews and prices and packages etc for the bsa lighting, seems to have a good track record and you can pick up a good package for a reasonable price..thinking towards that..going to have a look at the online shops to see what the best deal i can get...

Your thoughts on this chris?

[ChrisJones 7,973]

After closer consideration ive decided my budget may be abit pushed in getting everything i want for around my price mark. Been looking at reviews and prices and packages etc for the bsa lighting, seems to have a good track record and you can pick up a good package for a reasonable price..thinking towards that..going to have a look at the online shops to see what the best deal i can get...

Your thoughts on this chris?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Blackpool will do you a full kit for £244. For that you get a BSA Lightning in either .22 or .177, a 3-9x40 scope, a pair of scope mounts, a gunbag and some pellets. They even throw the postage in for you and you'll have it next working day. You could order it Monday and be shooting Tuesday evening. You'll still have cash left over for some decent beer this Christmas too!!

 

I've dealt with Blackpool a long time and they're no nonsense. You might get cheaper... if you do it'll be pennies and you won't get looked after as well. Plus when you decide you want to trade it for a pre-charged they'll give you the best deal back on it.

 

A few tips for keeping your gun in decent nick.

• Don't lend it out!! Seriously they come back looking like they've been buried in the garden.
  
• Don't leave it in the gunbag. The gun sweats and condenses on the barrel causing it to rust. (See above) Store it in a cupboard where plenty of air can get to it.
  
• Get a gun cloth and some gun oil (£5 ish) and wipe the gun down after every shoot (Every few days if it's idle). It takes seconds to wipe it over before it get's put away.
  

Piece of piss and the gun will last for years.

Edited December 11, 2004 by ChrisJones

[J Darcy 5,871]

As soon as they bring a TDR out in .177 im getting me one