Air Rifle for Hunting....Need HELP!

[HAWG]

Ok, I need a powerful air rifle for when I'm out on my lease. It's very common to see rabbits, squirrels, possum, racoons, etc. when I'm in my blind waiting for hogs to show up.

Trouble is, I can't shoot them with my .270 as it's too big (want the meat) and too loud (scare off the hogs). I need an airgun that is:

1. Quiet
2. Powerful
3. Accurate

I'm typically 40-50 yards away from a feeder. Need an airgun that has enough power to dispatch these critters at the stated distance, and is quiet enough NOT to scare off the hogs or deer.

I'm thinking I'll need at least a .22 caliber, maybe .25. Any recommendations? I'm only familiar with the cheap WalMart BB guns and back yard plinkers.

[Lawdog]

HAWG,

Please don't take this as me being cute or funny but how deep is your wallet?  I mean you want,

1. Quiet
2. Powerful
3. Accurate

These three can cost.  A PCP while accurate and powerful is going to be loud.  Pumps are quieter but lack the power for 40 - 50 yard shots on the animals like possums and raccoons.  A high powered springer like the RWS .350 in .22 would be my choice.  It's got the power, accuracy although not the quietest isn't too bad noise wise.  Also if your wallet can stand the bite the Beeman Crow Magnum IV is an excellent choice but pricey.  Lawdog
 

[jeager106]

Ditto on the wallet thing. What you want ain't gonna be 'bargain basement'.
Go to www.auctionarms.com and look up 'airguns' for good used deals.
You want a .22 springer with at least 800 fps with the heavier .22 pellets, or a .177 with 900 to 1000 fps with heavier .177 pellets.
Your BEST alternative is a .22 rimfire with subsonic l.r. ammo.
In the woods it's real quiet, not as quiet as an air gun, but much more quiet than you'd think. Cheaper, more versitile, and more deadly.
My favorite squirrel combo is a Remmie 512 with 4X scope and subsonic h.p. ammo. :lol:

[duxman]

I've bee shootin a beeman RX-2 and loving it. Picked it up used and saved a few dollars. Shoots great and hits hard. The .22 is powerful with crow magnum pellets. I'll be lookin for a .25 Webley Patriot soon. There are a lot of good guns out there. Go with at least a .22 and I think you will be happy. I've shot a bunch of big Fox Squirrels and a couple racoons with no problem. Most one shot kills.

[Medbill]

www.airguninfo.com

It all depends on how much you want to spend my friend.  These things are addicting!

Good luck,

Billy

[mjfa]

on their fine recommendations, but should add that there is a bunch of PCP's that are on the 30-35 fpe range with exceptional accuracy and as quiet or quieter than the recommended springers.  Some of them are Air Arms S400E/S410E, BSA Super Ten MKII Bull Barrel, Logun MKII Professional, Logun Sweet 16, FX Super Swift, just to name a few.  The problem is that you must be prepared to spend from $900-$1800 for a full rig and go through the expense and process of obtaining a federal license for a silenced gun. :shock:

[PeterF.]

Whoa ... hold on there!  I could be wrong, but my understanding is that a silencer on an AIRgun (known around here as a "lead dust collector" ...  watch for ads that speak of "LDC"s) does NOT require the Federal license.  The Fed rules are very specifically to firearms, and not airguns.  There is some language about it having to be permanently attached, but I don't remember exactly how that works.  But, back to the question-at-hand ... yes, a "suppressed" PCP or CO2 airgun can be as quiet as a high-powered springer; and, while they still aren't cheap, it may have the features you're looking for.

[Lawdog]

PeterF.,

Calling a silencer by another name doesn't work with ATF.  You are still going to have to pay for the right to have one.  Doesn't matter whether it's on a powder burning weapon or air powered.  Lawdog
 

[PeterF.]

I guess that saying BATF SHOULDN'T concern themselves with airgun stuff doesn't necessarily make it so.  It seems that ANYthing that might potentially be used on a firearm to reduce its noise-level is considered  a "no-no" to them ... whether it's an airgun sound-reducer or whatever (so far not including Coke bottles and pillows).  I personally wouldn't want to be the test case versus the BATF, but there are several airguns readily available and sold in the US (by US dealers) that have BUILT-IN sound-suppressors ... Air Arms, for instance.  This would seem a legally-safer approach than using any removable "S-thing".