A simple question

[Mr. Curious]

Hello everyone,
Well I am really into traditional archery and pistol hunting and such.  I have dabbled with pellets guns all my life, but nothing serious.
I love to small game hunt with my bows and 22 pistols.  I am wanting to get a good air rifle for small game hunting.  I know I would prefer the .22 caliber size, but I am at a loss at what type--springer,pump,or PCP?  I usually shoot quite a bit and was wondering if the PCP with a hand pump is logical or just get a good springer.  I like the rws 52 and 54 for the springers and with all honesty I do not know on the PCP guns.  I don't if can justify a $1000 air gun, but I did not think I could justify a Freedom arms revolver either but now I have two.  I have looked at straightshooters.com and read the reviews and wanting your guys/gals thoughts on the subject.  Is a PCP worth the extra cost of a pump or tank or what?
Thanks Jon

[Shootist Elite]

I do own a few different types of airguns both rifle and pistol. I have only used and purchased first pump ups followed by springers.I personally never used them for hunting purposes but for target and pest control. The PCPs do somewhat interest me but they seem like alot of expense and hassle. They maybe alright if your going to shoot a number of rounds off during a given time frame,  but if you want to shoot only a few rounds I personally feel they would be royal pain  in set up time versus return. A good pump-up such as a Sheridan is more than adequate for squirrel inside 25yds,  perhaps father. I have 2 Beeman springers both R9's one in .177 cal the other in .20 cal. Both are excellent quality and very accurate. The Sheridan's to are quite accurate to. I was just testing one a few weeks ago using a red dot sight on one and was getting dime size groups with it at 20yds using Crossman Premier pellets. The Sheridans are limited in that you can't redily mount a conventional scope on them and still be able to pump them up comfortably. They do work quite well though with a small red dot sight mounted more forward. The beeman's on the other hand are designed to accept a scope easily and this gives them an advantage overall. One last thing to remember is that a springer thends to be more quieter than a pump-up. So depending on what you what to use it for if noise is a concern that may be something to concider. I would tend to think those very high power PCP's would be quite loud when compared to other airguns as a whole. Just something to consider

[Questor]

Mr. Curious:

I have a springer and use it for hunting. It's heavy, weighing close to 9 pounds. Mine is .177 and have found it to be excellent with squirrels and rabbits using RWS superpoint pellets. Performance has been outstanding with it, although the conventional wisdom is that .20 and .22 caliber guns are better for hunting.

If you want a lighter and less expensive gun, try the Benjamin/Sheridan pump pneumatics. It's a lot of value for the money. If I were buying another air rifle, that's what I'd buy instead of the springer. The only disadvantage is that multiple pumps are necessary.

[swampthing]

I own a Talon SS in .22 cal. I'm also a scuba diver, thus I already had a tank, so all I needed was the $45. adapter and I was in buisness.
 The money I spent on the whole package was significant, but, I did not have to buy an ultra expensive scope in fear of breaking a cheaper one down over time. Last I checked a serious scope for a serious air rifle was about $350 and up. With a PCP there is practicaly no recoil, same goes for pump guns, thus a basic BSA 3-12X42 for $100. is what is still on mine and after about 4000 rounds it is still dead on at 50yds.
 Chalenging as it is with a .177's and open sights I like my whisper quiet smooth shooting .22 cal with 21g Kodiaks @650fps
  A marginal hit today behind a red squirell's last rib made him fall down in a stupor allowing for a still head shot...
With my .177 he would have taken the hit and ran away...same goes for grey's.
 

[Questor]

Just one clarification about scopes on springers: They really don't have to be expensive. $50 gets a perfectly adequate scope for hunting. The expensive ones are for the people who like field target or are just in love with their air guns. The scope on my springer is an RWS brand Chinese 4x. It is undoubtedly one of the cheapest and poorest made scopes available. It has worked for me flawlessly for several years and I've shot thousands of pellets through the gun.  I'll gladly spend (well, not glady, but I do) the money to buy really good scopes (like Leupold VXIII) for my rifles and handguns. It wasn't worth it for the air gun. If it breaks in the field I don't care. Bushnell and BSA make decent springer scopes at good prices.

If you get the Benjamin/Sheridan, you can mount any scope you like on it because it doesn't have the springer recoil.

One odd thing about the .177 pellets I fire at about 750fps is that they have given me more instant kills on squirrels than has the .22LR hollow point. Hard to believe, but true.

[Mr. Curious]

Thanks guys for the info and keep it coming.  I still am researching and looking at all the options. I would like something not really loud and I know the pumps are quieter, but there is more movement trying to get it ready for the next shot.  The springers are louder and still have movement on loading so I don't know yet. Thanks

[swampthing]

They all make enough noise to scare a squirrel in to a mad dash.
Un-"shrouded" barrels on high power PCP guns have a little bark to them, though the shrouded ones, like the air foce talon ss, are a lot quieter when the power is set moderately. Just to see, I turned the power down from 650fps to 600fps on mine and all that is heard is basically the firing spring then a slight "psss." I had to bring the scope up a few clicks to get dead on at 50yds, but it was still flat out to there once zeroed.
Cabellas has a sale on the RWS 54 in .22cal going on. From what I under stand the "action" is floated and dampened for extremely mild recoil, thus a 100 dollar variable, with an adjustable objective, scope should live for quite some time, I like my BSA "Air Rifle" scope. That set up would provide plenty of power for rabbits and squirrels out to 75yds, with practice of course.

[swampthing]

Ahh hold on I made a mistake.
The RWS 54 still requires a tough scope, they recommend a Bushnell 3200 Elite, for the recoil is only lessened to the shooter, not the scope. The scope is on the action.
Sorry about the mix up... still a good gun with plenty of power... also the RWS 350 in .22[if available] or using ultra heavy 10+g pellets in .177cal.

[rkmitchell]

If you are an accuracy nut, then PCP's are hard to beat....less of a learning curve when shooting them since there is hardly any recoil at all.

Springers are extremely convenient ..... just pick up the gun and pellets, and you're ready to go. They do take some getting use to in some cases. They recoil differently, and you should hold them as gently as possible and let them rebound. Just the way the gun works (at least for me).

If you are just going to stroll through the woods, the enjoyment of a good springer such as a BSA Supersport, an R-9, or a Webley Tomahawk or Longbow is hard to beat. Just you, your gun, and a handfull of pellets for a great afternoon in the making.

Randy