We live on a few acres and this is for general shooting at stuff and occasional squirrel.

He's got a .177 10 pump gun but looking for something with more punch. He's enjoying stretching it out distance more lately.

budget: $100-150 max
wants a scope with it

othet than that - any ideas?
.177 vs .22?
break open single cock?

If you/he can save a couple more dollars, an RWS spring-piston will last a lifetime. They are dead accurate and well built rifles.

I own this Beeman. it comes with both .177 and .22.  the .22 does the oomph to down squirrels.

The only issue I've had with it is the scope, it has a illuminated reticle rheostat on top which promptly fell off a few months after I bought it.

Link?  What is RWS

I have an RWS 34.

Was looking around and the Ruger Air Hawk looks pretty decent, on a budget. Amazon link

Id go with a 22. Savage Mk 2 or any old bolt 22.

He has 2 but wants a pellet gun he can take around with his buddies

He really wanted this GAMO Black Knight at Academy ($99).

This is the 6 shot group I shot off a rest with Gamo Destroyer Premier 7.4 grain @ about 18-20 yards.

Is this typical?  

Attached File

Get the RWS .34.

Unfortunately, with that kind of rifle, supplied scope, and ammo coupled with a beginner shooter's ability, yes it is.

Now for the good news.  These bargain guns can shoot much better than that, but there are some things to do first.

One: The pellet head must fit the bore.  This is the most critical for accuracy.  Now you didn't say if you got a .177 or .22.  However, both calibers have variable bore sizes, with the .22 more-so since the Germans and English established two different standards for .22.

To check if the pellet has a good fit, you need to push the pellet down the bore but stop before it gets to the choke, and then push it back out to the breach. Most airguns are choked at the muzzle which generally helps with ill fitting pellets, but only to a point. Check that the head has light engraving of rifling and that the skirt is well rifled.  Pellets whose heads  do not engrave at all, or are heavily engraved will not shoot well.  Better quality pellets have more uniform head sizes than the things like the Gamo pellets.

H&N pellets are made with more variety of head sizes than other manufacturers so this may be what you may wind up ordering.  Their "Field Target Trophy" pellets are among the best, with JSB Exacts often being a bit better though not offered in as many head sizes. Other good brands are Crosman Premiers, FX, and Beeman.

Two: The bargain scopes that are supplied with these guns are pretty much junk.  Even though the spring gun recoil won't technically break them, they won't hold zero well even on a mild PCP.  Every once in a while, such a scope will be surprisingly consistent, but it is more an oddity than anything else.  I suggest replacing the scope with a much better airgun scope.  The Hawke Airmax line are among the better, and more affordable though some examples may exhibit problems as with any products from China.  The scope rings also must have a pin or screw that fits into the recoil recess (usually a blind hole) in the dovetail.  Without this retaining device, the rings will eventually slip.

Don't discount using irons either.  Young eyes can do quite well with irons.  A Williams aperture sight on the rear will work better than many scopes under $200. Another benefit of irons is that it somewhat discourages taking shots that one shouldn't.  But, this is no guarantee, for my brother and I at that age would pop shots off at pest critters 100 yards and more with our Sheridan Blue Streak.

Three: Shooter's technique and consistency is a big one with these guns, too. Spring airguns are notoriously difficult to shoot well from a bench.  However, once mastered those skills will improve general rifle benchrest shooting.  It is actually easier to shoot a spring airgun well if one uses the artillery hold.  The trick is to hold the rifle's forend at the ideal point and let the butt end float as best as possible.  What that point is varies with the rifle and shooter.  This point is even more critical with benchrest.  (I know too well about this for I am the second place shooter at last year's 2019 Extreme Benchrest Spring Gun Class---far behind the first place winner. I'm still learning.)

For an example on how much hold can play my RWS 34 (my first "good" spring gun and airgun in general) will print shots in two different points 3" apart at 10 yards depending if I hold it tight to my shoulder (consistently) or use the artillery hold. The artillery hold produces only slightly better groups at this distance but either group will be shooting 9s at the 10 meter airgun target.  Note, the ten ring on this target is the size of a regular printed period.  Most of the change is in the vertical but there is a horizontal component as well.  This is a lot of what I see in your ~15 meter target you posted.

Thanks for this reply

Hw30 man. That’s all a kid needs. And JM Maccari Kit.  Return that Chinese junk if you still can.

https://www.krale.shop/en/weihrauch-hw30-s/

Yes, buy from there and you will have it in 3 days. Yes 3 days and cheaper than anywhere local.  Thank me later. Get yourself a hw35 if you like your sons hw30 too much. All in .177 my advice.

Shop around for pricing if you no believe me. And what the guy above you said about shooting w break barrels, double recoil, back then forward before pellet ever leaves barrel. Do some reading or buy a pcp instead.

Go to Wing Supply. At top of screen, select "other" and choose air guns. Within this page choose remanufactured and select what gun you might want.

I picked up a Spanish Hatsan MOD95 .177 springer with walnut stock that is a good $200 rifle for $89. Shoots and hits hard even at 40yds, but its sweet spot is between 20-30yds.

Arrived within 1 week and was in perfect condition with not one scratch on the wood. Well packed within factory box with a test target, repair sheet and showing chronographed at over 950fps using lead pellets(factory is around 1000fps, so I consider this well within good performance.
Shoots straight when I use Crosman Pirahana or Destroyer pellets. It seems to like the heavier weight for pellets.

I mounted a Center Point 6-20x50A/O scope with Modkin Tactical Scope Rings #LE-028 as I needed tall rings. The Hatsan Mod95 uses a screwed on stop plate, so a stop pin isn't needed for my air rifle

Also, just this past Christmas I picked up a remanufactured Crosman Shockwave .177 Nitro Piston(1200fps) for my stepson from Wing Supply for only $69. They sell new for around $125-$145. It actually came with the scope(a plastic Center Point 4x32). Actually a damn good straight shooter.

On lots of the remanufactured guns, you won't get some of the accessories(scope/rings/sling) that you'd generally get from the factory, but that's good anyway because most of the scopes/rings used are junk and you'd be changing them out usually within 100 rounds or sooner.

Remanufactured guns also only come with a 30 or 60 day warranty, but I find them to be many times quite better than what the factory sometimes puts out, that requires a thorough teardown many times to correct before even being shot to prevent problems that show up early. Factory usually doesn't watch for torn seals, metal in the air tube that tears the pump seal, over abundance of grease, loose screws, dirty barrels.

Try the Crosman premier hollow points available at Walmart.

Pellet guns are picky about ammo, but the domed pellets tend to work well. It'll probably tighten that group right up.

Springer's are a bit tricky to shoot. If he geta the hang of it, save up for a benjamin discovery or Maximus kit with a pump, or the Marauder.

You can never go wrong with an RWS.

Pellet guns have come a long way though so I'm sure whatever you get him in that price will be fine.