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Posted: 3/25/2024 2:56:06 PM EDT
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
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[#2]
Beeman. The best are made in Germany.
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[#3]
Benjamin Marauder has more dead tree rats than any of my other airguns.
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[#4]
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[#5]
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[#6]
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.... |
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[#7]
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[#8]
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. |
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[#9]
https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Airguns/54/
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[#10]
I recommend reading this before making a purchase. NH small game regulation
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Am Yisrael Chai!
Don Alejo Garza Tamez, a man among men |
[#11]
Originally Posted By dIIshoots: This is how RWS Diana is spelled incorrectly. View Quote 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. |
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It's true no matter who you are, the worst thing you can do for someone is give them something for nothing. - 3rdpig
Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy. - Heinlein |
[#12]
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.
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[Last Edit: LeadBreakfast]
[#13]
Originally Posted By jagdterrier: 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. View Quote 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. |
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[Last Edit: comma]
[#14]
Originally Posted By inGobwetrust: I recommend reading this before making a purchase. NH small game regulation View Quote 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? |
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[#15]
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. |
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[#16]
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.
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In a truly free country, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms would be the name of a convenience store, not a federal agency
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[#17]
Originally Posted By comma: 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? View Quote 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. |
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Am Yisrael Chai!
Don Alejo Garza Tamez, a man among men |
[#18]
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[#19]
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[#20]
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Am Yisrael Chai!
Don Alejo Garza Tamez, a man among men |
[Last Edit: AdLucem]
[#21]
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Ad Lucem: Towards Light
This information is a general statement of law and procedure and not a substitute for specific legal advice from a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction. |
[Last Edit: Hillcountry]
[#22]
Originally Posted By comma: 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? View Quote 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) |
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[#23]
Originally Posted By rrbgeb: Benjamin Marauder has more dead tree rats than any of my other airguns. View Quote 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. |
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[#25]
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.
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Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. Lo, they do call to me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.
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[#26]
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In a truly free country, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms would be the name of a convenience store, not a federal agency
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