PELLET RIFLES

[diver dan]

I am going to buy a pellet rifle for shooting chipmunks out to about 25 yards or so , maybe longer ? What pellet rifle do you guys have that will reach that far out and deliver a killer shot.What is the easiest to maintain , and should I get a spring air rifle or another kind ? This is going to be my first pellet rifle since I was a kid , I am 67yrs old and I know there has been a lot of improvements to pellet guns but thats all I know.I am worried about o-rings going bad fast or springs wearing out,any help would be greatly appreciated.I remember BEJAMIN was the best brand , but dont know if they are in business any more ? With everything going on in the world, these pellet guns might be the only guns NOT outlawed.The farm I hunt , the owner wants to get rid of a lot of these chipmunks because they are getting next to house foundation and the coyotes are digging holes right next to house to get them.I am hunting yotes right now, but after yote season I am focusing on chipmunk targets.I cant use 22lr next to house.

 

[Gabriel]

I have a Ruger. I believe it's an Impact made by Umarex. It's the cheaper spring model and it's decent for what it is. If I were to buy another, I would buy a ram air model and pay for a more quality rifle.

I actually bought it for chipmunks and it works well on them if I can hit one. I need to put an optic on it as the rear sight moves around if you bump it and you can't tighten it down (I should actually look at it and see if I can modify it to stay in place). Beyond that, the .22 pellet definitely does a bit of damage. The rifle is loud, though. It's not as quiet as you may think.

 

[Spear Dane]

Benjamin is still around and making excellent stuff. Technology and materials engineering have seen air guns advance into very serious business. There are models out there that can be (i've seen the video) use to take African game.
I will refer you to https://www.pyramydair.com/ which is devoted to selling and educating all things air gun. I have bought from them and had a great experience. I personally am about to pull the trigger on a Gamo Maxxim. I just can't make up my mind on 177 vs 22. It comes with a 3x scope. This is what is now called a break gun. Back in the day we called them pump guns but where back then it took 10 strokes or more to charge the gun they get it done now with one BUT that stroke takes about 30ish lbs of effort. I would suggest finding a few that seem of interest and then looking at you tube videos of same to see what they are like before you purchase.

 

[d.kaufman]

I've got a Crossman fury 2 that has no problem killing chipmunks out to 25 yards. Its a break barrel, single shot .177cal. (Can push 1100fps with the right pellets) Think I paid about $120 for it 5-6 years ago. Dont know if they're still being produced or not. Cheap Simmons scope and have taken countless chipmunks and quite a few raccoons too

 

[KokomoDave]

I bought a Gamo from Midway USA in .22 caliber since I have the same model in .177. Familiar with controls. Both have the Whisper Quiet technology which is basically an air rifle silencer. They do damper sound. It came with a junk assed 4X scope which I promptly smashed since it was garbage. I installed air rifle scopes from Beeman since the recoil impulse is different.

 

[bwframe]

Airguns... not your Grandma's Red Ryder BB gun anymore!

Through a recent administrative infraction, I was communicating with an Admin (Bigtanker). I was explaining the reason I had pretty much stopped contributing content to INGO, and was only around to read an occasional post from a digest email that really caught my eye, or posting an ad in the...

www.indianagunowners.com

 

[Joniki]

I have a Winchester 22 cal break barrel that does 1000 FPS. I have shot ground squirrels out to 100 feet with good accuracy. I did change the scope out, the original was junk.

 

[Chalky]

FWIW, Something I read that lines up with my experience is .177 for feather and .22 for fur.

 

[Squander]

I hear that chipmunks sorta hibernate for the winter. Does anyone see them around in January?

 

[jerrob]

Had the same problem. The little bastards were chewing on riding mower wires and nesting in glove box of my truck.
My simple solution is in these pics.
A $100 Gamo .177 1000fps pellet gun and a can of the Hunter pellets (green can) at 25yds it'll split em like dry firewood.
Humanely kills red squirrels and rabbits that I catch trespassing too. Unlike the chipmunks, the rabbits and squirrels get a dinner invite.

 

[Whip_McCord]

I love shooting chipmunks with airguns. I prefer spring guns for this purpose. They have power and you do not need to mess with refilling any tanks. If chipmunks are around 25 to 30 yards, I use my Beeman P1 pistol w/ red dot. If they are further out, I use my Beeman P-11 rifle with 6-18X BSA scope. Both are .177". I have a 22 air rifle, but prefer the .177s for chipmuncks. My best shot was at 75 yards, near my wood pile. A little hold over and nailed it on the 1st shot. I have airgun targets every 10 yards off the side of my deck, out to 90 yards, so I knew how much hold over to use.

My P-11 pushes Crosman Premiers 7.9gr around 875 fps. If you get an air rifle rated over 1000 fps, I suggest using heavier pellets. They rate the speed with the lightest pellets, but light pellets can cause the spring to break early. A light pellet will exit the barrel before the spring pushes the plunger to the end of the cylinder. Then, the plunger hits the cylinder's end without any pellet to slow down it down. The force of this, repeatedly, can cause spring failure earlier than normal. I recommend Crosman Premier 10.5gr for the faster rated guns.

 

[DadSmith]

This will get the job done.

9mm/.357 Caliber Air Rifles

I Have the Best 9mm/.357 Big Bore Caliber Air Rifle for Any Purpose that You can Think of!

topairgun.com

 

[singlesix]

I have a Gamo Shadow 1000 with at least 2K pellets shot, no issues with the Spring or O Rings, spare Breech O rings are available. Few things to Consider:
Cocking Effort on Break Barrel can be an issue for some. Steep learning curve to shoot Springers consistently, look up "Artillery Hold". Springers are hard on Scopes, so if you go this route get an Air Gun Rated Scope.
Do the research, Pyramid Air is a start or Crosman, both have good articles and vids.

I switched to PCP (compressed air) guns and can't image going back to Springers. Most Air Gunners are more than happy to help a newbie, so if know of a club or know a person I'm sure you can try out a few different types.

Have the following and PCP are my preference:
Gamo Shadow 1000 Springer
RWS 34 Springer
CZ T-200 10 Meter PCP
Crosman Marauder PCP

 

[Gd999]

I have a Daystate Regal .22 PCP air rifle with a scope. I ended up getting the special compressor to top off the air. The hand pump is a pain. It has a magazine that holds 10 shots. And a full air tank on the gun will go through several mags without a drop. I also have a DonnyFL silencer on it. It can kill raccoons with one shot to the head. This gun was also very expensive.

My first air gun was a Weihrauch. I still have it. It will kill chipmunks and is plenty quiet enough as is. It’s a great value. Comes with a scope and silencer.

Weihrauch HW95L Field Pro .177: Airguns of Arizona

 

[Gd999]

I have a Gamo Shadow 1000 with at least 2K pellets shot, no issues with the Spring or O Rings, spare Breech O rings are available. Few things to Consider:
Cocking Effort on Break Barrel can be an issue for some. Steep learning curve to shoot Springers consistently, look up "Artillery Hold". Springers are hard on Scopes, so if you go this route get an Air Gun Rated Scope.
Do the research, Pyramid Air is a start or Crosman, both have good articles and vids.

I switched to PCP (compressed air) guns and can't image going back to Springers. Most Air Gunners are more than happy to help a newbie, so if know of a club or know a person I'm sure you can try out a few different types.

Have the following and PCP are my preference:
Gamo Shadow 1000 Springer
RWS 34 Springer
CZ T-200 10 Meter PCP
Crosman Marauder PCP

Did you get a compressor to air up your guns? I bought the manual pump at first. I just got a compressor for around $500 and it’s so much easier. I have a Daystate Regal.

 

[singlesix]

SCUBA Tank. I fill at local dive shops, I have SCUBA Cert. , so no hassles

 

[Gd999]

SCUBA Tank. I fill at local dive shops, I have SCUBA Cert. , so no hassles

Nice. I would have went that way I just didn’t wanna have to travel to fill. If you ever need a fill up, I have a compressor.

 

[singlesix]

Nice. I would have went that way I just didn’t wanna have to travel to fill. If you ever need a fill up, I have a compressor.

Proof that my statement about air gunners is true.

 

[Gd999]

Proof that my statement about air gunners is true.

Thanks. And believe it or not, I had to wait months for my Daystate to come in. Airguns of Arizona said they are the busiest they have ever been. Guess people won’t protection no matter what.

 

[Michigan Slim]

I hear that chipmunks sorta hibernate for the winter. Does anyone see them around in January?

Mine hide for a couple months.