I swear that I'm not a fag so bear with me but I do have a mounting varmint cong problem that I need to address with the appropriate firepower.  Shooting squirrels and other yard destroying varmints with a high powered rifle in my urban setting could ruffle a few feathers so I am looking to tone it down with a serious air rifle. I have been using my old Crossman multi pump gun but the accuracy and power just aren't there anymore. I have popped squirrels a couple of times and it only infuriates them and has discouraged none from ripping my lawn to shreads.

  I have been looking at some RWS air guns and have found one called the model 48 that pumps 22's out at 900 ft/sec. I'm hoping to regain some respect from these loathsome critters with this or another comperable weapon. Anyone here shoot air rifles and have any suggestions?

  Don't let the furry squirrel, possum or armadillo win this one!

 

I use CB caps in my bolt .22 rifle to control unwanted avian lifeforms around my domicile.

They are no louder than an airgun and accurate enough out to 25 yards or so.

The only problem is waiting for the suckers to light in front of a suitable backstop.

I have shot air rifles for over 20 years and still shoot them for practice and for controlling varmints when firearms are not practical.  RWS makes good stuff as does Beeman and several other European companies.  I bought a .20 caliber for my last rifle a couple of years ago after deciding that it was a good compromise between the .22 and .177 caliber rifles.  The weapon you are looking at will drop a squirrel, rabbit, etc. almost every time if you place the shot well.

Be forewarned though that all of these high powered air rifles are somewhat loud.  They are much louder than my suppressed .22 and they cost more and don't kill as effectively.  If I were to only get one I would look into a suppressed Ruger MK .22 bolt action rifle.

Good luck and happy hunting.

Heh, he said Air.

I use a RWS 45 in .177 with Champion Polaris Magnum pellets.   It drops squirrels just like a 22.  Total penetration and immediate death out to about 30 yards.  I tried a Crosman pump but even with 10 pumps it is still too weak.  I also have a Winchester  722X  that shoots 22 cal. but have not shot anything with it yet.
For the quietest action you want to stay away from anything that pumps uses CO2 or compressed air.  RWS makes a spring gun Model 54  that has dual springs that counteract each other and eliminate most of the vibration and noise. I think it comes in 177, 22 and 25 cal.  That would be the gun for you. Although 22 shorts are better, if busted, you may face charges for firearm discharge that you would escape with an airgun.  Good Luck  Joe

Love air guns. Spring air types are VERY quiet, and you don't have to worry about the firearm discharge issues that come with the use of a "real" firearm. Check out a couple of these links. http://www.straightshooters.com/index.html http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/79537
http://www.airguns.net/aafta/aafta.html

I have an FWB 300S and a BSA Supersport.

The BSA's are still a pretty good buy.

For pest control, I'd go with the .22 cal pellet gun.

A couple of points--
1. An airgun looks like a gun.  If you neighbors see you shooting it outside, they may call the police with a "man with a gun" call.  Make sure it is OK to discharge even an airgun in the area you live in.  If you have only one neighbor who can see you, introduce him/her to the gun as a target airgun, and let them see you shoot some targets in your yard (that way they won't think twice if they see you shooting when you are out after squirrels).

2.  Stick with an airgun that stays at 900 to 950fps. Above 1000fps, you can get a loud "Crack" from the gun.  Airguns (spring piston) are generally pretty quiet away from the gun (you hear a fairly loud noise from the spring motion when you are shooting).  Shoot heavy pellets in the gun (it will make it quieter).  

3.  Get a scope that is suitable for the whiplash (two way) recoil of an airgun.  Cheap scopes don't hold up, as the are only braced against regular firearms recoil.  

4.  Practice in the house if you can.  Get some plumbers putty, put it in a box, lean the box up against a solid board, and thumb tack your target to the putty.  About a 5" depth of putty **Should** stop any pellet, but to be safe, that is why you use a solid board behind it, just in case.

5.  You may get Dieseling on the first few shots, and after the rifle has sat for a while--the piston compresses the lubricating oils enough to cause them to ignite when you first fire the gun.  That can make for a fairly loud first shot.  Just be aware of this if you need to be extra quiet.

Go to the links provided above by ScrubJ, and check out what the experts have to say.

I have owned a couple of Beemans--they are very high quality, as were the RWS guns I looked at.  BSA makes a good value gun.  The Chinese guns are spotty in quality, but will do for casual shooting/pest control.  Airguns do well for firearms practice when real shooting is impossible.

AFARR

I had an RWS 34 in .22. Excellent high powered air rifle! The 34 is the bottom end of the RWS line. It is inexpensive, but still an excellent rifle. It just doesnt have all the fancy stockwork of the higher end rifles, but has the same basic mechanics. Accuracy is superb. Velocity with a .22 pellet is somwhere in the 900 FPS range! You should be able to pick this up online for under $200 bucks. (I think I payed around $170 for mine).
NEVER fire a spring piston air gun without a pellet in the chamber. You WILL damage it! Dont over oil it. This causes dieseling. Only use an airgun rated oil, and use it sparingly (one drop every few thousand shots). When you use a felt cleaning pellet, use at least two at a time in order to give enough backpressure for the piston.  Use an airgun rated scope.

I have a BSA Supersport in .177. It is very accurate, but I find it only marginally effective on squirrels. Even with head shots, there seems to be a lot of unnecessary flopping before they finally expire. Sometimes they even manage to scamper up a tree. They are tough little buggers! The RWS 48 will do a great job a squirrel sized game. Definitely stick with the .22 cal. The .177 is fine for smaller pest birds. Just my observations.

Lots of good info given, here's my 2 cents:
here's some sites to check out -
www.airguns.net

bakerworld.com/airgunfun.html

babymd.net/aa.htm   he's a pediatrician who shoots airguns and he has a great set of pics on the silent pellet trap made with electrician's or duct  putty (mentioned above).
One of these traps with a solid 1inch back will stop Colibris too.

www.funsupply.com   James runs an outstanding business - great reputation and prices. On anything other than his "case" deals, he checks out all airguns before they go out. He sells Chinese but they are as good as other airguns from the U.S. , England and Europe.
You can get the XB-18 in .22 and it'll do the job for you.

www.pyramidair.com   these folks have some very good prices and service too. This is where I got my Colt/Umarex 1911 airgun waaaay below anyone else at the time!

Check out the airgun boards and ask the same questions you ask here, and they'll treat you right. Dig around on their links and you'll find info on targets (paper and silhouette), pellets, airguns, cleaning, overhauling/tuning (not that hard, and you can get some really good results from doing it, just make sure you use a spring compressor), etc.

Watch your neighborhood during the times you plan on shooting. Know everyone's habits, their dog's habits (will they bark at the sound of your airgun or at the pellet hitting a solid object if you miss the little furry critter?). Basically it's a RECON job to make sure you don't  "alarm" anyone whether it's legal or not to do what you need to do.  
Decide whether you should let your neighbors in on your airgun fascination based on;
whether they  "Like" guns or not, whether they  "Like" little furry critters or not  (especially if a wounded animal shows up in their yard)
whether you can afford to get caught shooting squirrels out of season (I don't know if you do or donot have a season), or
like mentioned above, you are not allowed to discharge an airgun in your community.
You might also consider the relationship you have with neighbors and the local LEO's. If someone's window gets shot or dinged with a rock will they come looking for you?

OR

you could just shoot the things and enjoy a little extra meat on the table!

p.s. what's the deal about being a "fag"? Airguns are anything but that!

I have an RWS model 52 in .177,shoot Beeman Crow-Magnum hollow points and Crosman Premier 10.5 gr.pellets through it

I shoot a Beeman R9 that is capable of one ragged hole (3 shot group) at 33 feet. I actually put a rear peep on it with windage and elevation adjustment (for $20) , and it works real nice. The rifle itslef will run you $270.

I dealt with Compasseco www.compasseco.com.  Good people.

I use it as my winter / bad weather practice gun. But since I've got a 25 yard range right in my yard, and hundreds of acres of (someone elses) woods around me, I've kinda migrated toward .22 rimfire for practice.

Get a Beeman HW97K .20 cal with Leupold 3-9 Vari-X scope. Point Of aim point of impact each and every time, the little suckers don"t move with head shots. I got my rifle from straight Shooters already mounted with the scope sightd in, 3shots same hole

I have a BSA supersport magnum w/a tasco red dot, it will drop any small varmit. Pellet rifles are a lot of fun and you can shoot them all you want in a suburban location. It's a great way to keep your basic marksman skills sharp.

www.cumminstools.com/tap/tools/4110.html
$20 chinese air rifle, 850 fps, grooved for scope. it's a better rifle than the $20 romanian pioneer rifle.

whatever became of that chinese fellow who wanted to make his own .22?

I'll second the .22CBs-very Quiet.They'll do the job.
Air rifle that I own & like
Benjmin .22CAL,This is a good shooter & Not too pricey.
But like already posted-this air rifle's report is noticeable when it's pumped up close to max.
              Jimmo

You'll put yer eye out

Thanks for some great info on air rifles. It's great to see all of you air rifle shooters come out of the closet.

I looked at and considered the same air rifles for the same purposes.However when I put a pencil to the cost of an AIR rifle I decided to purchase a Marlin .22 semi automatic from Gander Mt.On sale it was $149 for the camo model.Put an old Bushnell Sportview on top and I'm good to go.It's a perfect gun to keep behind the back seat for when nature needs an attitude adjustment.And the best part was all for less than $200.Good luck.

    The Tallon SS is a sound suppressed pre charged airgun that packs a punch with little sound. You can go further by removing the barrel shroud and inserting felt washers, just use the same configuration as a firearm can.  Compasseco and Airgun Express have them for around $525.  You will need a pump from RWS or a S.C.U.B.A. tank to fill them. The pump costs $200 and is a b**ch on your back. The tank will run you around $90 online.
    The .22CB is great too and cheep.  Aguila makes the .22 Colibri (pistol) and Super Colibri (rifle) which is a 20gr. projo propelled by the primer.  There is no powder and they are as quiet as a finger snap. I've had good success on game up to rabbits at 20yds.
    You can find these and all the other solutions posted in Shotgun News.