17 replies to this topic

[Fjold]

I need some expert opinionsWhat is the best (most powerful/accurate/quality made) 22 caliber airgun for hunting varmints?What would you recommend for <$500? $500 - $750? and >$750?What is the best bang for the buck?Thanks for any input.

[crazyhorse]

For $$ quoted best value is the Discovery PCP .22 from MAC 1....very accurate....and has good power and range out to 80 yards+...I got mine with pump/tune shipped for just under $500.00...Next choice would be the new Maurader PCP .22...very quiet...accuarte and will hold it's own against any EURO big $$ gun. Think Maurader less pump is $500....Both these air rifles are capable of shooting 1/2" groups at 50 yards....Here is a 5 shot group off my shooting bag....Discovery .22...50 yards....1 3/8" dia bull (NRA A36 target)This is Tim Mcmurray testing a customer's Maruader .22...(.the tunnel is a 30" pipe 51 yards long...great for air rifle accuracy tests..) Maurader has a full barrel shroud and is very quiet...my Discovery is loud....89 db at muzzle...

[socalmatt]

Fjold You should look at the new Crosman Marauder in .22. Its a PCP that is really getting some good reviews. They cost $500 but you will need to buy a pump or a tank to fill the gun. They are very easy to shoot accurately out of the box. Or you can get the Crosman discovery with a pump for around $400. Both guns are great varmint hunters.Almost every other gun in .22 will cost close to $1,000 or more unless you pick one up used. The Theoben Eliminator goes for $1,150 and is a very powerful gas ram gun, but some say it's a bit harder to shoot it well. Airarms makes a PCP called the 410erb that sells for $950, its one of the best out there. One other option is the Airforce Condor, also a PCP, very powerful and they sell for $600. I don't know much about the gun but most guys that own them really like them. Hope this helps a bit. Matt

[Mr Del]

Yesterday I received an FX Revolution, $1695.00. It is a .22 caliber, semi-automatic, up to 12 rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger. PCP of course. This rate of fire is sometimes necessary when hunting. If you don't have it... you will always want it. Why not get it first. A great looking gun also.Is it expensive.... yes...but it is just like a diamond. You buy an expensive diamond... when you get tired of it...it is STILL an expensive diamond. Accurate to under 1/2 inch at 50 yards. 930 fps. I have not shot this gun yet...I have to wait for the proper air fittings( just orderd from PAG) to fill this gun with. I have the filled scuba tank, just not the connection in between. Good luck. If you want to shoot mine.. PM me in a week and we can make arangements to do just that thing. Tanks, Murph.

[Fjold]

Thanks guys. I'll try not to sound too ignorant (I am ignorant, I'll just try not to sound like it) where can I read about all the different types of airguns, etc. (I don't know what PCP is)

[ShooterJohn]

A PCP air rifle is a Precharged Pneumatic. One place that tells a lot about different air rifles is http://www.straightshooters.com/ .They have a good assortment of airguns and explain what they are best at doing.

[crazyhorse]

Many choices on power plants...CO2,Pre charged pneumatic(PCP), Pump pneumatic, Spring Piston (break barrel).Easist to shoot accurately are the CO2.PCP and Pump pneumatics...only the Spring Piston (Break barrel) guns have a "recoil" due to double action of the spring...difficult to master those...My pistol is a "pump pneumatic"..Crosman 1377...I have taken squirrels out to 22 yards....177 caliber..540 FPS...Rifles...top to bottom:850 Magnum CO2 .177 (Tuned with 9OZ Bulk tank) 8 shot bolt action repeater...around 350 shots from full tank...rifle shoots 810FPS..Factory stock 850 CO2 .177 ($250)...uses 88 gr Air Source CO2 can...about 160 shots from the CO2 Air Source...760 FPS..Beeman R9 DG .22 cal break barrel....single shot..($549)...740 FPSDiscovery .22 PCP...single shot.($275 inc.Tune...rifle only)..need pump or tank to fill with air...2000 psi fill and mine is tuned to shoot 906 FPS...about 25 good shots on a fill...I have hunted with all these....the Beeman is very good out to 45 yards(rabbits/squirrels)...both 850's have taken many squirrels...the factory stock version is good out to 35-40 yards...the tuned 850 out to 50 yards+...I have shot many squirrels out to 66 yards with the Discovery...but it is very capable of dropping them out to 80+ yards...and being .22 cal..good in the wind...There are some very expensive air rifles out there....most of the EURO PCP versions start at $950...then you need to add a fill source...(pump or tank) and a scope..easy to drop $2000 into one...But for general hunting, you can do very good with the lower priced options...note also CO2 guns are temperature sensitive...the muzzle velocities vary as ambient temps go up/down...this is not the case with PCP's,Spring guns or Pump pneumatics...

[Marino]

For $459 you can get a 55 fpe Sumatra Carbine .22. Powerful, accurate, and loud. 6-shot magazine. For about $550 you can get the Sumatra with the 500cc fill which gives you extra shots. I get about 50 shots on a fill with my .25 Sumatra set to low power which is still around 850+ fps with Kodiaks. With a .22 you'll get more shots than the .25 at any power setting. Another banger is the Condor. You can add a shroud to quiet it and add plenty of features, along with modding for additional power (up near 100 fpe with the .25). Condors get get expensive with add-ons. These are probably the 2 most powerful guns you can find. Good quality and bang at a good price. Got mine from Pyramyd Air. They gave me 10% off (first time buyer) I don't know who else sells Sumatras.

[THE KNOT]

since your new to the game here's my advice for under 200 duckets start the same way we all did you either had one or wanted one . This is more than able to take critters get a tuned steroid model from mac1 and your golden .http://www.cabelas.c...1/0013557.shtml

[ShooterJohn]

It's hard to beat a Sheridan. Mine is over 45 years old and can still whack the snot out of whatever it hits.

[crazyhorse]

since your new to the game here's my advice for under 200 duckets start the same way we all did you either had one or wanted one . This is more than able to take critters get a tuned steroid model from mac1 and your golden .http://www.cabelas.c...1/0013557.shtml

That is a very good suggestion...then he can go from there....and the MAC 1 version will not be disappointing...

[CBR400RR]

I would love to shoot one of these just once, Quackenbush .458 LA Outlaw Air Rifle, the long action Outlaw is a 500fpe .458 caliber hunting rifle. The LA Outlaw shoots a 430gr bullet at 732fps, which is 509fpe. .458

[atavuss]

I am looking for a PCP also. just how much difference is there going to be in the loudness comparing a Marauder and a Discovery? I know the Marauder has a shrouded barrel, but not sure what that means and how it makes it quieter? right now I have a Gamo Big Cat........is there much difference between the power of the Big Cat compared to the above PCP's?

[crazyhorse]

First of all the Maurader is verrrry quiet...even quieter than the high buck AA PCP's....I watched TIM test one...you barely hear hammer fall....(My disco is very loud...90 db at muzzle....)The barrel shroud has baffles to reduce sound...it absorbs noise over length of barrel...Go back up in this thread and listen to video I posted of a Maruader test...the first sound is the rifle...the second sound is pellet hitting target and echoing...51yards down the pipe tunnel...Most of the quality airguns shoot in mid 900's for best accuracy...but....the barrels are most important to achieve that....both the Discovery and Marurader have very good barrels...the high buck air rifles often come with Lothar walther barrels...more of a "match barrel" quality..Next is the trigger...and that is one modification that will help tighten up groups in your Big Cat..Air rifles that shoot over 1000 FPS + lose accuracy....this has been proved in many tests...Edit: I just went out and shot my Disco .22...my sound dosimeter was 4 feet out in front of barrel...I'm guessing the Maruader is in the 60's db range..

[Marino]

atavuss,I also have a Gamo Big Cat. It's a fun gun but most PCP's pack quite a bit more power and have much less recoil which will make your shots more accurate.

[DKOwen]

I'll second the Marauder idea....in fact the gun in the video being tested in LDs tunnel is mine. I got the target back with the gun, ten shots that can be covered by a nickel (barely). Since I got it it's killed a bunch of farm pests, so far nothing really long range but I'm sure it's up to it.My stock Discovery is also an awesome performer. I loaned it to a visiting friend for a ground squirrel hunt. The first day he got a single shot hit at 85 yards, the other a solid hit at 115 yards after 3 misses to get the range down. Very consistent. Both have pressure gauges, a big plus IMO, like a gas gauge on your car....I can also highly recommend the Air Force Condor for about that same $500 you can get one with an aftermarket shroud to lower the sound level if you want. I run mine just over 900 fps with JSB 16 grainers (easily adjustable on this gun, same as the Marauder, doesn't even need tools). I've shot a far number of GS over 100 yards. My longest shot was this spring, 132 yards:http://talonairgun.c...p...&highlight=Lots of good guns out there. Where are you? I'm in the Bay Area, wanna come try 'em out?Doug Owen

[slon]

I`ve researched many rifles, forums, etc...The best value for money is 18'' barrel AirForce Talon PCP rifle.Here is why:1) Lightweight and much more comfortable in usage (shooting and walking with) comparing to most PCP rifles and especially comparing to my previous springers (Hatsan 70, Crosman Quest, Remigton Summit).2) Amazing accuracy provided with Lothar-Walther barrel. Mine easily have 1'' groups at 50yrds using JSB pellets. But I think I can have better results.3) Have no chronograph but at 40% power I have same penetration results like my springers (tested using yellow pages books).4) Lot of shots before need to recharge the tank. I`m using 40% power setting for best accuracy. Yesterday I was at range, spent a hour of time and more than 100 shots. Checked pressure using pump gauge. It was changed from 3000psi to 2500psi. I spent 1 minute to pump air tank to 3000psi.5) Well built. Found issue like cheap safety implementation. But it do it work well and I think this is minor issue.6) Different factory extra parts that can be easily mounted. You can purchase another caliber barrel and change one in minutes. Also there are a lot of aftermarket parts and tuning capabilities. For example see www.talontunes.comThe 18'' inch barrel doesn`t have a muzzlebreake, but Remington Summit muzzlebreake can be easily attached after little mechanical work.The best pellets for mine are Crosman Premier 10.5 and JSB Exact Heavy.I spent $784 for 18'' barrel PCP Talon, bipod and hand pump. Purchased using www.pyramidair.com. Very good website and customer service.Right now I`m very happy and think I should did this purchase much earlier to have a lot of fun.If somebody need advice or question - welcome.PS Highly recommend this rifle.

[Butcher45]

In order of expense:1. Mac1 Steroid Benjamin2. Mac1 Discovery3. Sumatra (any Sumatra), or an OLD Career 707 (back when they were high quality)4. FX Tarantula (or whatever they call them now)5. FX Royale (these look AWESOME!)I'd wait until the "bugs" get worked out on the Marauder before considering one. To many complaints about low quality, and VERY poor accuracy with SOME of the Marauders. They seem like a c r a p shoot (no pun intended) at this time. You don't hear many complaints about the Disco's (especially the ones from Mac1).