Air Rifles and Pistols

[Koa]

I'm thinking of getting an air rifle or pistol, or maybe both, purely for target shooting. Does anyone have any recomendations, hints or tips on what to look for in either style of gun ?

The Pistol I was looking at was this Gamo .177

I didn't know if a .22 would be better, but I heard the .177's speed through the air was far better.

The Rifle I was looking at was something similar to the Webley raider.

Any info on this would be appreciated guys as I don't know too much about air guns. I fired a few when I was a teenager but I never owned one.

 

[christopher watson]

i prefer a .22, but used to have a magnum (not the ice cream ) when i lived in america. i have my collection of BB guns for sale, all good quality. if anybody is interested PM me.

 

[Koa]

Can you explain to me the difference between a BB gun and an Air gun like the one in the picture above ?

 

[christopher watson]

a BB gun fires plastic pellets. it will do the job of the air gun, but wont injure anybody.

 

[jamie86]

There are a few Air gun magazines about i used to buy them all the time before the law got too strict on shooting so don't bother anymore

 

[Koa]

Cheers Christopher

Surely with plastic pellets the accuracey would be lower along with the range ?

Do they use a different method to fire the pellet ?

Chrissy was saying BB guns in America fire small round copper coloured pellets that are metal, and you used to have to pump them to compress the air for firing and the more pumping the further the pellet would go

How are Airguns like the Gamo loaded etc.... You don't have to pump the damn things do you ?

 

[ian stilo 1.6]

i cant see the one you put on access denied like all the other links off here
mine runs off compressed air cartridge so nope not all need pumping
and yes ball bearing ones do work off small metal bearings aswell as plastic
the plastic ones are crap

 

[poggy]

Not sure if these are still for sale, but some need a licence. When I was a kid we used to use a air gun for target practice, just make sure you have something to absorb the pellet or it can bounce back at you.


Air Cartridge weapons (rifles and pistols)

Owners of airguns that use self contained air cartridges (Brocock / Uberti / Saxby and Palmer / Crown) have to apply for a FireArms Certificate (£50) before 30 April 2004. Failure to do so could result in a mandatory five-year prison sentence under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Any owner that doesn't want to apply for an FAC can hand their weapons in at any police station for destruction (there will be no compensation

 

[jamie86]

They are either CO2 powered little tiny cartridges (good targets ) or spring powered...


Most these days tend to be Magazine loaded CO2 powered...

It all depends entirely on what you want it for...

Plinking- is a term applied to most BB guns basically loads of little targets that you shoot for fun...

Obviously a BB gun is gonna be no good if you decide to go would say "hunting" but sure people will have something to say about the poor animals

 

[Steven]

I have a BB gun. It's a pistol which fires the small yellow pellet. You pump the handle and pull the trigger. It stings and would break the skin from close range I reckon. They wouldn't kill anything though and the range isn't great, neither is the accuracy. It's looks real though.

 

[christopher watson]

you used to be able to get air pistols that have gas cylinders, but i think these have been banned. the BB guns have round plastic pellets that you put in the clip, and to fire the gun you pull the top back until it click and then you can fire. when you say small copper balls in the american guns, these must be ball bearing guns, which are illegal in the uk. there is not much you can buy now, if you want an air pistol, everything seems to be banned

 

[christopher watson]

Steve, is your gun a good quality, as mine are top of the range (smith and wesson, beretta, etc). the pellets travel a good distance (they even fire the ball bearings).

 

[joecinq]

I think i had a 'precharged' rifle....I just snapped it, pput a pellet in and then shoot.

Killed a rabit with it Not very proud of that tbh, if I got another one, I'd use it soley for paper targets and nothing else.

 

[James Abarth]

We have a couple of air rifles at home. I've got a .22 Weirach (break action spring) and Michelle has a pump action .177 Japanese (can't think of the make) which I had to pump for her as it's quite hard. I ended up so knackered I couldn't hold my rifle straight (no wonder she used to win). These were modified with silencers and/scopes and up rated to the legal max of 12 ft lbs - 2 would be Rambos until we got so inflexible we couldn't ghet down low for ground targets. Oh yes, before any protests starts we ONLY shot at knock targets in the wood [B]never[/B] animals. We are total agin hunting. As I mentioned in another thread I shot a small bird once to put it out of it's misery humanely after one of my cats had ripped it open.

KoA if you intend to do outdoor target shooting then a .177 is more than adequate. .22 is better for hunting or shooting rats (whichever variety you care to think of lol). Indoor target shooting is totally different and lower powered target rifles are better. Pistols are comparatively inaccurate unless you spend a lot of dough on a proper target pistol.

 

[Luke]

ive had a couple of BB guns, their fun when you load them with paint BB's (can do mini paintballing in the woods of a weekend!). If you get a BB for target practice, dont get one that got hop-up (or something like that). It spins the BB to get extra distance off them, but kills the accuracy.

My mates got a ratcatcher air-rifle, and thats bloody good fun, shooting apples off a tree from long distance using the scope Using the CO2 makes it easy too, although i think i prefer the good old fashioned pump and press.

Edit: the ratcatcher weighin in at about £250

 

[christopher watson]

just to quickly say - Pietro Beretta .9 cal £30 (cost $185) these currently cost £105 to buy in the UK. Pietro Beretta .9 cal M93R with drop down hand grip on the front of the gun £35 (cost $200) these currently cost £116 in the UK. two smith and wesson replicas £10 each (or £17 the two, cost $100 the pair). Lorcin series 2000 M38-11 £8 (cost $50). sling shot £5. large tub of BB's offers.

EDIT - pics available on request. (cost prices are when i bought them new in America).

 

[poggy]

Did you have your own army or something.

 

[christopher watson]

something like that, but not as bad as my old friends in america (one guy i knew had a bazooka ).

 

[James Abarth]

I think I'll drive very quickly to Scotland!

 

[christopher watson]

the Beretta M93R is the same type of gun used in Robocop, and used by John Travolta in the film - Broken Arrow.

http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/reviews/m93r/m93rreview.htm