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Ok, dad wants an air gun for Christmas for taking out mostly rabbits in his small garden.
The problem is I know nothing about the different brands and their reliability.
Also, when I was a kid all we had were CO2 and pump....what are all these other kinds of air rifles out there? PCP, Nitro Piston, etc.

I need something he can easily charge/cock.
I know the CO2 cartridges can get costly if you go through them petty quickly and I don't want something he is going to have to pump up 20 times to get max effectiveness.

What brands are you familiar with or would recommend for a 65 yr old man that is only getting older?

Thanks!!


-MM218

Look at GAMO air guns; barrel cockers, no CO2, and they have reasonable prices and excellent accuracy. A friend just got a rifle with light, laser, and scope for that very function om rabbits and crows. Check academy, amazon, Wal-mart,etc. many can also order them. Very easy to load, cock, and fire.

be cautious using one of these if inside city limits. many cities have ordinances prohibiting discharge of air guns inside the city limits (yes, even in your backyard).

A-R wrote:be cautious using one of these if inside city limits. many cities have ordinances prohibiting discharge of air guns inside the city limits (yes, even in your backyard).

No city limits but in a subdivision. Would love to just use one of the 22LR he has but that would worry some of the neighbors I'm sure and thats why he wants an air rifle.

IF HE CAN COCK IT, a GAMO with the nitro piston and the Noise Dampener would be up to the task. If you go with .177 get the pellets on the heavy side like the Crosman Premier Heavies at 10.5 grain. They will provide better momentum on the recieving end and won't be supersonic from guns like this so they will be a bit quieter.

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Gamo_Sile ... Rifle/2410

Otherwise, there are several PCP guns (requiring some sort of high pressure tank refilled at scuba shops) or a couple of CO2 guns. Here is a possible CO2 gun in .22. Another is the Hammerli 850. Note that the CO2 guns rarely have the power offered by some of the spring piston or PCP guns, though.

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Gamo_Extreme_CO2/1760

If Dad has a lever or bolt-action .22 with a 22" or longer barrel, and a tubular magazine, try some CCI CB Caps in it before you buy an airgun.
It's quieter and puts more energy on the bunny. It's also easier to load, and it can sit around propped by the door indefinitely, always ready to go. You can chamber a .22 round much more quickly and quietly than you can cock and load a springer, especially if it's dark.

Springer airguns, and even PCPs,are louder than you might think.
When I shoot CB caps from my old Stevens bolt gun, all you hear from the gun is a click (firing pin), and then a THUNK when the bullet hits the target.

But if you just want to get Dad a Christmas present, then any of the name-brand springers/barrel-cockers will work fine. You can find one with a scope for about $125.
For that purpose, I'd probably want a .22 pellet gun, and pick a heavier pellet.
Gamo, Crosman, Benjamin, Beeman, etc.
Longer barrels are easier to cock.
Co2 guns generally don't produce as much velocity.

I've used a RWS, barrel break .177 air gun for years. Tree rats, grackles, crows etc. ....... have been relocated with ease.
http://www.umarexusa.com/product/RWS-Model-34,13,43.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Good luck.

Oh, and btw, 65 isn't THAT dang old.

Several good suggestions. Would check out Pyramid Air, linked in posts above. As long as cocking effort isn't too high a spring air will do the job BUT, many springers are very sensitive to hold. To achieve anywhere near the potential accuracy you must be very consistent. What the air gun people call the "artillery hold" is the only way to do it and get any type of accuracy. FWIW, I have an RWS 36, same as a RWS 34 with a fancier stock, and still use the standard iron sights. When shooting using a table to steady myself I often shoot at empty shot shell hulls at 20 yards and hit with pretty good regularity. Challenging but not really too hard. The gun will put pellets through both sides of a standard tin can and hits on these out to 50 yards are quite doable. (Also spring air guns are very hard on scopes!)

PCP guns are more expensive but far more accurate and they are not hold sensitive. Crosman makes a couple of reasonably priced PCP guns that come with an air pump so you won't need a scuba tank. They also are designed to only use air at 2000 psi instead of the more common 3000 so pumping up is a lot easier. Each filling should get you 30 or more good shots. (You can also use these with CO2 if you wish - not so with other PCP guns.)

At any rate there is a ton of information on Pyramid's site. Also check out the airgun blog, linked from Pyramid. The guy who runs it is very knowledgeable and responds to questions very quickly. BTW, the question does not have to deal with the topic covered in the blog so ask what you need to know.

shooting a 22lr in a subdivision?besides the fact thats pretty illegal its not like its very quiet.

alvins wrote:shooting a 22lr in a subdivision?besides the fact thats pretty illegal its not like its very quiet.

You've never shot .22 CB rounds, have you? They have little or no powder inside. As I understand it, the priming compound is the only propellant.

From a rifle, they are almost silent. Usually the loudest noise is the round hitting the target (thump!). Some air rifles have more range and are therefore more dangerous in a populated area.

As far as the legality, if he's not in any city limits there probably is no law regarding firearms. The OP can easily check, neither you nor I have any idea because we don't know where his dad lives.

Since I shoot airguns a lot I will say that I do agree that most are louder or at least as loud as a .22. My first gun, a Savage 24 - .22lr over 20 gauge, has a 24 inch barrel. Even shooting standard .22 shorts, from the shooters perspective, the hammer noise is louder than the shot report. However that may not be a factor since as noted we do not know the location or situation of the father. Air guns are a lot of fun and a bunch cheaper to shoot.

Do a web search on mini sniping. There are a few airguns for between $100 and $200 capable of that accuracy, but are too low powered for rabbits.

Pawpaw wrote:

alvins wrote:shooting a 22lr in a subdivision?besides the fact thats pretty illegal its not like its very quiet.

You've never shot .22 CB rounds, have you? They have little or no powder inside. As I understand it, the priming compound is the only propellant.

From a rifle, they are almost silent. Usually the loudest noise is the round hitting the target (thump!). Some air rifles have more range and are therefore more dangerous in a populated area.

As far as the legality, if he's not in any city limits there probably is no law regarding firearms. The OP can easily check, neither you nor I have any idea because we don't know where his dad lives.

...I'm with ya on the CB caps...regular or the longs, I can clap my hands louder than they are...a lotta squirrels wished I didn't know about 'em...and I DO live in the city...a lot of air rifles/pellet guns are louder and sharper...the CCI CB caps have no powder...fire off the priming compound...have used them in both .22 rifles and revolvers...they won't cycle an auto, but I had a Sears pump that'd feed 'em...

.22 caps are a good option as mentioned above.

As far as air rifles, a good value is the Ruger Redhawk. They come with or without a scope and with various stock setups depending on how much you want to pay. They are good air rifles for the money. For a little more money, the RWS mentioned above is an excellent choice.

I have a good friend who is big into air rifles and these were his suggestions when I was looking to get one for my son (we went with the Ruger). He recommended I stay away from the Gamo which he thought was over-priced for what it was.

speedsix wrote:...I'm with ya on the CB caps...regular or the longs

Who makes CB longs? I see the shorts lots of places including Walmart but not CB longs. I would be happy to pay a little more for longs because I think they would be easier to load with big hands and they probably keep the chamber a little cleaner.

Lambda Force wrote:

speedsix wrote:...I'm with ya on the CB caps...regular or the longs

Who makes CB longs? I see the shorts lots of places including Walmart but not CB longs. I would be happy to pay a little more for longs because I think they would be easier to load with big hands and they probably keep the chamber a little cleaner.

CCI CB Short

CCI CB Long

Remington CBee Long Rifle