..I've been researching information to buy a "Good" pellet gun....seems to be a lot of companys out there..crossman, etc..so far I see "Gamo" makes a pretty good one..the CFX model I believe..around $200.00. I need to get rid of the chip monks and small red squirrels..I want to buy the right one once..I had a daisy, and it only lasted a year before it lost pressure...any advice?? thanks in advance...

 

I've had excellent luck with Gamo air rifles in this price range. I have one of their .22 models that is surprisingly accurate. Came with a decent scope and it hits hard enough to kill vermin like rabbits and squirrels. I've had RWS rifles before but they were pretty pricey as I recall. I think I paid like 200 or 250 for the Gamo I have which came with a decent high power airgun scope. It's a .22 cal. Of course if you really want to have fun for the same price you can pick up a fully automatic bb machine pistol for the same price. Not an airsoft but a real bb throwing machine pistol that runs on CO2 cartridges and AA batteries.

 

You must live in town. Otherwise nothing beats a 22. Cheap-multiple shots-hollow points. Went on a chipper killing rampage last summer after they ticked me off. I saw the gamo ones here couple months ago my mom lives in town & is having trouble with squirrels so can't use 22. After doing some research on google learned that a .22 has more knock down power as opposed to the .177 which has more velocity. I have a crossman 760 now but is rather underpowered & not very accurate. Also found that a regular rifle scope will differ from an airgun scope due to the recoil being in opposite directions.

http://www.airgundepot.com/index.html is pretty informative. Has list for small varmits & larger. Can do a google search for hunting airguns that will keep you busy for a while and will learn alot about them on all the different sites.

 

..thanks for the reponse, and web site link..actually No I don't live in town..our cabin is between Deadwood and Sturgis south dakota...and about a mile in the forest...yes the .22 would be nice, but I'd like to stay with the air rifle ... just for a number of reasons...including a tree hugger way up the hill, that cannot understand why anyone would kill any kind of animal..lol
these are rodents in my book, and can really destroy a building once they get into it...

I saw first hand a rancher who had a large "Hay shed" completly taken over by racoons after they got into the attic insulattion, and inner walls..(he had these large round hay bails stacked up in the rear, and left the attic access door open for ventalation ).cost him near $9,000.00 to replace the insulation and pull the steel outside panels off..the coons removed the wall insulation and made a huge nest in the attic..How he discovered it was, he notice his machine work shop ( on the other end ) was harder and harder to heat each winter, because the coons were removing the wall insulation..finally he went up in his attic and was shocked to say the least...[he guess'es about 2 dozen coon's were living there.)...his ranch was near a creek where the 'coons made a nice fort in his attic..I might even use the gun for an occasional rattle snake..lol..thanks again

 

I see also in my research that they recomend the conical shaped end pellets. I guess better penetration & less wind drag.

 

You might want to take a look at the Cabella's web site. They have a good selection of air rifles at reasonable prices.

The 22 cal pellet does leave a larger wound channel but also looses velocity a lot quicker than the .177 pellet. I have experienced better accuracy with the .177s and believe that of the two calibers for small game outside the .177 is the better choice overall. Just my opinion and probably not shared by many others.

As mentioned, be sure to use an air rifle scope as a standard 22 scope usually will not last very long on an air rifle.

Quality pellets are a must to achieve good accuracy. Not all rifles from the same maker shoot the same pellets well, experiment with different brands and tip shapes to find what your rifle likes. Many times a rifle shoots an "inferior" brand plenty accurate for hunting but not well enough for real cut throat target work.

 

They're also making pellets out of special alloys now which they claim will give you higher velocities. I have no clue how well they work though.

I know the Gamo hunter package I had could kill rabbits in an in-town setting (which is why I was forced to use a it) at two city lot distances. I could "snipe" them from deep inside the house to contain the noise on the interior of the house through an open window while the only sound outside was the crack of Mr. Bunny Rabbit's skull. Kept the neighbors oblivious to the slaughter of dozens of rabbits that were menacing a vegetable garden.

What was mentioned about scopes is important. Never use a conventional rifle scope on an airgun. The recoil of an airgun will destroy even the most high dollar rifle scope as a result of their odd recoil forces. They require a specially constructed scope that is designed for the peculiar recoil that is produced by airguns.

The two things I look for in an air rifle are accuracy and knockdown power. In air rifles you need to put that little tiny pellet exactly where you want it every time. The reason I like .22s is that they deliver more of a chunk of lead downrange. I found with my .177 rifles that even with their higher velocities they didn't deliver the knockdowns that the larder.22 pellets did. When I stepped up to .22 I started dropping vermin with authority. No more multiple shot kills.

I know with my set up which had a 3x12 scope I had made a trip to the range and figured out the drop at various ranges. Then when I came back home I could use my laser range finder at the various locations where I was killing rabbits from my little "sniper hides" in the house and almost guarantee kills and even headshots out to every corner of the property. As a bonus it improved my marksmanship skills with regular rifles and put food on the table.

 

CQ makes a good point about the heavier weight of the 22 pellet. At the ranges he is shooting I would not be surprised to find this the case and believe his experience should be strongly considered. With game the size of rabbits, which I would consider to be about maximum for an air rifle, I would probably want the 22 pellet as well.

For small squirrels and chipmonks at close range I still would prefer the higher velocity and accuracy of the 177. Just my opinion and personal preference.

 

Thing with a hi velocity small caliber is that it can pass right through the target. The quary will eventualy die but I prefer to not inflict undue suffering, unless you hit a vital part. You don't get the shock of the larger caliber. Granted the .177 will have more range but most likely one will be shooting shorter distance. Not trying to start anything here just inputing my .02.

 

Benjamin Air rifles I got my first benjamin over 20 yrs ago. Not very high end, but for the money I think they are good. I bought my sons one. Didnt really know that they where owned by Crossman.