Can't find a forum for this on here. Hoping someone here could help. Looking for recommendations on a good air rifle for dealing with squirrels. Must be made in USA. Thanks

The Crosman 760 pump has always been made in the USA. Some Crosman models are made in China but Crosman is bringing all of their production back to the US, though it will probably take some time.  

I've been shooting Crosman air rifles for 50 years. Mostly the inexpensive models. I've shot countless squirrels, rats, mice, and gophers with them.

You can get one of these for $80 or less.

Beeman. The best are made in Germany.

Benjamin Marauder has more dead tree rats than any of my other airguns.

That's what I've heard. Really want to start with something made in USA

Awesome looking rifle. Didn't know they got that high in price though! Trying to stay under $200 for now

Off topic, so I apologize....

sub $200 air guns are usually pretty crappy, wherever they were made. Most are what I would call toys....

there are very very GOOD airguns, and some that are flat out fantastic.  Unfortunately, the good ones are fairly expensive and quickly start approaching and exceeding $1000.  A lot of the cheaper good ones are made in Germany.  I've been a big RWS fan...  There simply ISNT a good, accurate, made in USA sub$200 air gun.  

There is an alternative:  Scrap the airgun idea, and buy a .22 and the right ammo.  You CAN find a small, single shot kids .22 in the $159-189 range.  Then, spend a $30 on a couple or three boxes of CCI Quiet .22 ammo, or CCI CB Longs.  There are two advantages:  1) you CAN find a decent .22 at or below $200 and 2) the actual sounds of a CB Long firing are often less than that of a good piston airgun cranking off...  Not kidding.

I've got a RWS 34 Airgun.  .177.  its heavy, decently accurate, but its loud and $300+ in todays market.  I've also got a Savage Cub G children rifle.  Half the weight of RWS, $140 cheaper, and quieter with the CB longs.  And its actually really quite accurate...

Not the answer you were looking for, but might be an answer to your quest.  

BTW, if you already have a Ruger 10/22 or other .22 Long Rifle, the cb longs will feed and fire in a semi. They will not have enough power to reliably eject and feed another round, but you can treat the rifle as a manually operated straight blowback repeater.  Just cycle the bolt briskly.  Works beautifully.  This will not work with CB Shorts....

This is how RWS Diana is spelled incorrectly.

There's an air rifle forum in the Armory section.

I would recommend doing research for a couple weeks before deciding. There are so many types in so many price ranges and all have their pros and cons.

For backyard squirrel duty, a crosman or Daisy pump can hold you over until you decide to commit to airguns. From there you'll probably look into springers because they're the next logical step up. You'll buy one, then decide its too loud and too sensitive to how it is held. You'll get frustrated that there's no easy way to quiet it down, and follow up shots will be too slow.


Eventually if you continue down the path you'll end up with an entry level PCP gun. And even that won't be good enough. You'll save up and lust for an FX or some other high end gun. I am currently at this point.



In other words, research now because once you're in, it's hard to turn back.

Ted's Holdover on YouTube is an old school channel and it's what got me interested in air rifles many years ago.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Airguns/54/

I recommend reading this before making a purchase. NH small game regulation

I have a beeman, several RWSs, but my current favorite spring gun is a Weihrauch HW77K Air Rifle in .22

That being said, the precharged pneumatic design is really the way to go anymore.  The ability to shoot without the need to hold the airgun in exactly the same way each time is a game changer.  If I sight my gun is from standing, and change from standing to kneeling to prone with a spring gun, and I find my point of impact changes due to how the gun is supported.

Not an issue with a precharged pneumatic.

Precharged, or the 22 quiet is really your best option.

If it must be made in the U.S, I would recommend finding an older Sheridan Blue Streak. One that was made before Benjamin purchased them. Purchase an integra mount from Mac-1, and a long discontinued, Bushnell Custom .22 scope. The Bushnell scope has a special mount that works with a rail that runs the entire length of the scope tube. It will allow you to get the proper eye relief with the Sheridan.

This is a great recommendation. Even the Benjamins (392 or 397, though I'm partial to the 392) are solid but they're not nearly as nice as the old school Sheridans.

Truly though, the future is in PCPs.

Thanks. So even if it is a pest causing damage to my home on my property (squirrels in my case - species not known), a hunting license is still required? Also, any idea how to interpret "Air rifles of not less than .22 caliber"? Does that mean I can or cannot use a .25 caliber air rifle?

Another vote for the Benjamin Marauder.  Yes, they are expensive, but accurate and silent.

I cringed when I laid out the cash for a "pellet rifle", scope, rings and pump, but I would do it all over again.  The fields around us are infested with gophers.  My record in a day is 29, and if the wind is right, anything inside of 70 yds is in jeopardy.

The best airguns are made in Europe . . . Europeans don't get to have all the cool gun toys like Americans do, so they make kick-butt airguns instead.

I read that as it must be at least .22 caliber, so .177 is out.  On the other hand, SSS is widely practiced when a nuisance is involved, in Minecraft of course.

Beeman is just a name. Weihruach makes the German ones Beeman puts their name on. Most beemans today are Chinese.

Any reason they wouldn't allow smaller calibers for hunting?

I’m thinking that that rule has been in place a long time, when good, effective ammo was not available in anything smaller than .22 LR.  NH F&G laws tend to lean towards being antiquated.

Weihrauch 97

If you’re not really “hunting” and you are on your property and killing rodents that are causing damage to your property, you can go about getting rid of them however you choose. It’s NOT something you would brag about on a public forum. Just get your weapon of choice and eliminate the pest.
In cases like the above, hunting laws are irrelevant  as you are NOT hunting. If you want to HUNT squirrel as a game animal, the laws apply. By the way, a .22 is smaller than a .25 so you CAN use a .25. You CANNOT HUNT with a smaller caliber (.177 for example)

This. I have a Benjamin Marauder. Killed numerous rabbits and squirrels with this. Make sure you get the regulated version. Each shot expels the same amount of air, so the shots are more consistent. Make sure you get the air venturi hand pump. Pumping it up isn't bad if you're only using it for hunting. A full air charge will give you about 70 shots. Only takes about 5 minutes of pumping for equivalent of months of hunting.

Get the Barracuda pellets. Most accurate out of my rifle.

My tastes lean toward the Brits, but Benjamin Marauder is really your only choice on this side of the pond.

No free lunch, you will have to pony up.

Air gun design, power, accuracy and quality have changed a lot over the last decade.

Beeman and Sheridan are not even options anymore.

German, Czech, British and Sweden are the top contenders.

Go to the Airgun forum and start reading. educate yourself.


And stay away from Gamo unless you just looking for something cheap that will last a few years.


Just my .02$ after a few years of going down the airgun rabbit hole.

I'll never hunt small game with anything else.

For the price of those air rifles, get a can for a .22 and use CCI Quiets or for a bit more range use CCI SV.

The air rifle's short range isn't a bug. It's a feature. Just what you want when shooting in town.