For Silhouette Practice?

[NickP]

I want to start shooting 22rimfire silhouette in the spring and would like to get an air rifle to practice with. Could someone make some suggestions
on what would work well for this purpose.

I plan on getting a CZ 452 silhouette with something in the 16 to 24 power
range as a starting scope.

Thanks

[Lawdog]

I want to start shooting 22rimfire silhouette in the spring and would like to get an air rifle to practice with. Could someone make some suggestions
on what would work well for this purpose.

I plan on getting a CZ 452 silhouette with something in the 16 to 24 power
range as a starting scope.

Thanks

NickP,

First let me Welcome you to Graybeard Outdoors.       The very best forum on the net for hunters/shooters going today.  Now to your question.  I would recommend a side lever or under lever springer due to their accuracy record.  Mount a good variable scope on it.  The RWS 48/52 and HW 77/97 are very accurate and used by many for just the kind of practice you want.  Go to a good web site like PyramydAir at http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/show.pl?cmd_rifles=show_menu and check the different side/under lever rifles available.  Lawdog
 

[NickP]

Thanks Lawdog,

How about caliber .177 or .22 ?

I hope this is going to be worth it. Looks like the set-up is going to cost as
much as the rimfire setup.  :eek:

[Questor]

I think you should get a pump pneumatic instead. Springer airguns don't shoot like firearms because of the heavy weight (9+ pounds), odd recoil, and most importantly the way you are required to hold them to make them accurate. I don't see it as a good tool for rimfire practice.  They also require special scopes to handle the odd recoil without breaking.  

For the purpose you state, I would get a benjamin/sheridan pump rifle and put a scope on it. You can use any scope on it. They are also inexpensive and are very well made, considering the cost.  These are 20 caliber guns, and you probably won't be able to get the pellets at Walmart, but the pellets are readily available through mail order. The pellets are more expensive than .177, but they are still reasonably priced.  With these guns there is practically no recoil at all and you can concentrate on your hold and shot execution.

[chunter]

NickP,

I posed this question in the Rifle Silhouette forum a couple of months back:

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=41721&highlight=

I would give it a good read. I also have been given a lot of info from the guys who shoot the Air Rifle silhouette game competitively.

I wouldn't recommend a pump or a high powered springer.  The pump is just too time consuming with the ultimate goal to become a better shot. On the other hand, the high power springers are best left for hunting purposes. The high power springers shred scopes, and have a recoil that is not beneficial to learning follow through. They are also way to powerful for shooting at 10 meters in your basement.  :wink: Just ask someone who knows :roll:

Lawdog gives you good advice that if you are going to get a springer to plan on getting a side lever, under level type rifle.  The break barrel's don't have the accuracy. In all reality, to get a gun that will shoot and help you succeed in smallbore silhouette you need to spend some money. The 100 dollar walmart special won't cut it.  If you want the best get a compressed air rifle. No recoil and the most accuracte.

Remember that there are three types of airguns:
10 meter rifles (low velocity, used for competition)
hunting rifles (rifles that shoot at or over the 1000 fps)
everything else ( walmart stuff)

As far as guns that I would recommend:
Guns to get for practice and Competition:
Anschutz 2002 SSP (single stroke pnuematic)
Anschutz 2002 CA (compressed air)
FWB 601 SSP
Steyr LG100
Walther 300XGT

Guns I would get for Practice Alone
EL Gamo 126 (harder to find, super accurate possibly compete with it. It will shoot with the $1000 guns, but can be bought around $200-$300)
FWB300
Diana 75
Air Arms TX200
HW97
Air Arms S410
FX 2000
Tau 200
Beeman R7,R9

Chris Winstead the father of Cathy Winstead has been coaching juniors for silhouette shooting.  This juniors cleaned house on Nationals this year. Rumor has it that they were training with Daisy air guns. These are the cheapest route you can go, and seem to be pretty dang good:

Daisy Legend 853 .177 Match Rifle
Daisy Avanti Elite 753 Competition Air Rifle
Daisy Avanti Valiant XS 40 Match Rifle

On top of the issue of buying the air rifle you are also compounded with the fact that you have to buy a decent airgun scope and good mounting system. Many of these airguns are not made for scopes and you have to buy specially made mounts for the rifle.

Keep in mind that most of these setups are going to be almost double what you have into that CZ.  It may not be time for you to invest into the airguns yet.

I think that the cheapest way for you to get good at shooting silhouette is either to dry fire your rimfire silhouette rifle. Or shoot at the 50ft targets in your home or backyard. These can keep you busy during the winter months.  Here is a link to them:
http://cc.usu.edu/~chunter/animals.pdf
I also run an online league, for shooting silhouettes at the 50ft mark. If you are interested email me, for that matter if you get an airgun there is also online airgun silhouette leagues

NickP, where are you located? I imagine we can find somebody in your area that can show you some more of the ropes of airgun and smallbore silhouette shooting.

Sorry for such a long post, but this is not a easy fix/answer to your question. One shooter told me that "airguns are mechanical nightmares" when you compare them to a rimfire.  Oh well,  good luck and keep us informed on your decision. Also think about posting more questions in the Rifle silhouette forum, there are a lot of master class shooters posting in there.

C Hunter

[NickP]

Thanks For all the help!!!
I live in Saint Clair Shores, Michihgan
and I belong to and shoot at the Detroit Sportsmen's Congress

website.....http://www.d-s-c.org/

[chunter]

Here is the website that shows the NRA sanctioned matches. It currently doesn't not have many on there yet, but should be updated in the next month or so.

http://www.tsra.com/NRASlet01.htm

[Lawdog]

Thanks Lawdog,

How about caliber .177 or .22 ?

I hope this is going to be worth it. Looks like the set-up is going to cost as
much as the rimfire setup.  :eek:

I would go with the .177 as long as all you are going to use it for is practice.  Also, once you master shooting a springer rifle accurately it WILL improve your rimfire shooting.  Everyone I know that shoots both air and rimfire competition agrees.  The reason you really don’t want a pump like the Sheridan is mounting a scope on it is going to be very different than what you will be used to on your rimfire.  Pumps also give inconsistent power levels.  Velocities can vary by as much as 75 fps. unless you very careful with the pumping(I have one and have checked it thru my chronograph).  They are a fun rifle to plink with but not for serious practice.  As for the scope, most likely the scope you use for rimfire silhouette will suffice for air rifle use.  My granddaughter shoots rimfire silhouette and uses a Burris R/A(rimfire/air rifle approved) scope on her rifle which is the same scope she uses for air rifle silhouette, which is the same scope I use on my hunting air rifles.  Lawdog
 

[Questor]

If you're looking at the CZ for your rimfire gun, the springer airgun outfit will likely cost more than your rimfire gun. In that case you may be using rimfire silhouette to practice for airgun silhouette instead of the other way around.  If the airgun is intended to be an economical option, then you're better off with a scoped benjamin/sheridan.  Lots of handgun silhouette shooters use pump pistols effectively, and the crosman 1377 is a very popular model that costs under $50. It all depends on how much you want to spend.  I say keep the springers for hunting and put your money into a better rimfire scope. Unless, of course, money is no object.  Springers are a different kind of gun, with a geometry and balance that is unlike any firearm I own.  And  they do require different skills to shoot well.  Do you want to shoot an airgun that supports your rimfire shooting or a rimfire that supports your airgun shooting?  That's the choice you are faced with.  

If money were no object, I would have a precharged pneumatic air rifle with adjustable velocity levels for this application. Of course, the gun will cost about four times the price of your rimfire.

The benjamins may be plinkers, but they're very accurate plinkers. And cheap too. Somebody mentioned the Daisy Avanti. I would take a look at that.

In summary, I completely disagree with the notion that a springer is an adequate tool for your use, and urge you to look at other options.

[Lawdog]

NickP,

Read this http://www.straightshooters.com/docs/bfieldta.html for more information on air rifle silhouette shooting.  Lawdog