A Good Air Rifle?

[Nameless Range]

Every year, my yard is a bit more inundated with gophers. This year, I have probably killed 30, but for every one I kill 3 seems to replace it. It's been enjoyable.

Originally, I had planned to catch them with live traps, and sell them to people who wanted to plant a garden of their own targets, but alas, Southwest Montana Gopher Brokers could just never get off the ground.

I live in a subdivision that does not allow the discharge of firearms, so I have been plugging them with an old Chinese side-lever pellet gun my dad bought me in 1995 or so. It's fun, but it lacks umph. I'd say 50% take the lead and retreat to their holes.

I'm interested in purchasing a pellet gun with some power, still quiet, and likely a scope.

Any recommendations? Yes cost is a factor, but in looking around, a lot of air rifles seem somewhat affordable.

 

[Kaitum]

Given cost as a factor, you're probably looking at a spring action air rifle. Gamo seems to have the market on these anymore. I don't own any, just looked at and read about them but never bought. The PCP air rifles are pretty incredible, albeit in a whole other price bracket. Air rifles have come a long way since the Daisy I terrorized bull frogs with as a kid.

 

[RidgeRoamingRichard]

If you get a spring gun, locktight every screw. I couldn't get mine to zero until I took it apart and put some blue goo on all the screws (not just scope ring screws). I'll check mine out this evening and see what brand it is.

 

[Sytes]

Benjamin brands are pretty darn accurate... .177 and .22 point pellets.

Favorite and far more favored than the cheapos pushed on front shelves.

Gophers are yard ranged distance and skin needs a good punch. Skimp and your shooting will be as fun as a carnival rigged shooting gallery.

 

[Jc2020]

Benjamin brands are pretty darn accurate... .177 and .22 point pellets.

Favorite and far more favored than the cheapos pushed on front shelves.

Gophers are yard ranged distance and skin needs a good punch. Skimp and your shooting will be as fun as a carnival rigged shooting gallery.

I agree Benjamin is definitely they way to go. I have one and love it plenty of power and very accurate

 

[MTelkHuntress]

I've also been having trouble with gophers so thanks for starting this thread! My neighbors already hate me shooting my bow in the backyard....so I'm guessing that's definitely not an option. The neighborhood cats arent any help, as I actually watched one get beat up by a gopher, I didnt even think that was possible.

 

[2rocky]

There are some mentioned in this thread:
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/puzzling-pellet-guns.273268/

I've been pleased with the Gamo after 2 nights. claims 1200 fps but I hear it is more like 1000.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01APG0SXW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[MTLabrador]

My dad has an RWS break action .22 pellet rifle, can’t remember the model or the price, for the same purpose. It’s killed prairie dogs, skunks, and I believe even a raccoon in town. I like the SW MT Gopher Brokers idea...

 

[Sytes]

One key piece of useful knowledge... ensure it's @neffa3 proofed. No puff pellet shootin', Tex.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Diana/RWS (I have a model 34 in .22 cal) are some really good air rifles. Hawke makes fine scopes (designed for air rifles) that won't fall apart from the springer two-way recoil. Look online at Pyramyd Air, and read some reviews on the different air rifles. They sell about everything and have customers reviews for the rifles. After you make your choice, shop around for the best price. Ammo will be readily available but I have found Beeman FTS (Field Target Specials) to be the most accurate out of several of my guns.
If you choose a Gamo, be forewarned that their triggers are horrible (7 to 9 pound pull), but for about $30 you can go to charliedatuna.com and buy one of his triggers to install yourself in about 8 minutes. You won't believe it is the same gun after you install the trigger, and a good trigger will make your groups shrink. Get at least a .20 cal, but .22 seems to be very popular.

 

[Birddog916]

I have a gamo whisper fusion mach 1 air rifle .22 cal. It has been a pretty good rifle and has been the demise multiple raccoons and skunks. The scope it comes with is pretty much junk but the rifle has proven itself. I much prefer the iron sites.

 

[jryoung]

I bought a $150 or so Stoeger 7 or 8 years ago. In the last couple weeks we've seen a mouse invasion to the vacate mole tunnels in our yard since we had a trapper out. The mice get active in the afternoon so the kid and I have been firing from above each evening. The fiber optic sites were touch with mice and I had a Leupold VX2 3-9x40 laying around so I mounted it up and we've crushed 10 mice in the last couple of night. It's been pretty dam fun.

 

[LCH]

Check out the NP2 rifles from Benjamin. I like mine a lot. 22 caliber is the way to go for anything larger than a squirrel IMO.

 

[ZMT588]

I like my Crossman Incursion. Its killed plenty of rabbits, gophers, and squirrels.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

A little over a year ago we moved to a house where I could no longer shoot a .22 in the backyard. Ended up buying a Benjamin Regal nitrogen piston air rifle. I have had really good luck with it, it holds good groups, and the nitro-piston is way quieter than a spring.

 

[Fullquiver]

Umarex gauntlet
Fully moderated pcp air rifle exceptional accuracy and shot strings..

Once you shoot a pcp air rifle you won't go back to anything else..

 

[WalkingBird]

I use a Benjamin Marauder .25 for work and it's tuned to be really quiet for shooting pigeons out of hangers. It's still got enough oomph to knock a pigeon over at 75 yards with a crop shot, and wouldn't hesitate to use it on ground squirrels. It's going with me for prairie dogs later this year. The rifle itself isn't terrible expensive at around $500 (compared to my friends RAW that costs like $2k), but it's the extra stuff like an external fill up tank that adds up the price. I'm kinda curious as to how this Diana would work, using 12g CO2 cartridges https://www.airgundepot.com/diana-trailscout-air-rifle.html and at the current price, it shouldn't be a bank breaker if it doesn't work out. I would definitely pick this up in .22 as well, I'm not a huge fan of .177s for quick dispatch reliability

 

[bowhuntmontana]

View attachment 142520

Umarex gauntlet
Fully moderated pcp air rifle exceptional accuracy and shot strings..

Once you shoot a pcp air rifle you won't go back to anything else..

This is what I picked up a few months ago after never being satisfied with the accuracy of the springers I tried. Love this thing. Quiet and scary accurate. I've killed some collared doves and starlings with mine in the yard. I also shoot targets in the backyard a bunch. Neighbors haven't even noticed. I did a simple diy PVC moderator on it and it's even quieter. A little more money to get the air pump, but the gun is a shooter.

 

[mtmuley]

$500 to $2000k on an air rifle? No fricken way. A .22 with CB shorts works well. mtmuley

 

[RG_Adult_Onset_Hunter]

I agree with the PCP group. I own a 25 caliber FX Impact with a Hawke scope, the whole set up is more expensive than all my hunting rifles, and it's worth it. I live in major ground squirrel country, without that gun I would not have a garden. It's cheaper (and more legal if you are in a township) than a 22 with a suppressor.

Do not get a Gamo they tear themselves apart. Spring rifles don't shoot well from a rested position, and if you are doing pest control, you will want as much accuracy as you can get. I've shot a lot of air rifles, the FX is by far the best (they make more budget friendly rifles that I'd look into). Get a good scope with parallax adjustment that goes down well below 50 yards, it make a difference when you are trying to hit something the size of a pea at 62 yards on a windy day.

A good budget gun is a Benjamin 392 with an upgraded peep sight. Use paint thinner to clean the paint out of the barrel crown and they shoot pretty well if fed decent ammo. I've killed piles of starlings, eurasion collared doves, and ground squirrels with it.