Anyone here into air guns?

Taipan01 · May 12, 2016

I have a number of airguns. I do have a few strictly for pests but most are replicas of my actuals. They do get a bit expensive but I don't get too excessive, on average about $300 or so. Theres about 15 or so kicking around. I was going to build an old time shooting gallery and will some day as I've already got some of the parts like motors and targets and such. I have the plans in my head, just had to back burner it for a later date.

tuna · May 12, 2016

I'm still in the bb gun phase lol. I've a Daisy co2 pistol for winter shooting in the gsrage. My daughter has a new red Ryder, and I think I need to add a rifle to my airgun arsenal. I've been looking at the crossman 10/22 copy.
My targets are empty cans, mice and the occasional chipmunk, so I'm trying to avoid another money draining hobby. Lol

LittleCalm · May 12, 2016

whatever you do, don't get near a high end air rifle. they are built better than most powder rifles. then your wallet will start to cry. but they send serious lead down range.

mac1911 · May 13, 2016

LittleCalm said:
whatever you do, don't get near a high end air rifle. they are built better than most powder rifles. then your wallet will start to cry. but they send serious lead down range.

This is hard to fight...... although my daisy 880 gets a lot of use and is tin can fun out to 50 yards.
I adjusted my home range to stretch it out to 65 yards. Filled my Disco. I had not filled my Disco to 2000 yet with the new power adjuster. Took a few shots to rezero for 65 yards....I was hoping the power adjuster would help out the pressure curve a bit... still takes 10-12 shots to settle down then I got 20 good shots inside 1" then 12 consecutive shots on the 1.5" spinner before pressure dropped to the low line. Then about 8 more before It hit yellow on the gauge.
Low and fading light I will take the results.

Point37 · May 13, 2016

just got my crosman 140 seals and piston in the mail from ebay...hoping to tear it down this weekend...but only if it's raining...can't waste a nice weekend day

Carl in Ct · May 13, 2016

I see Crossman Nitro air guns around for what seems like reasonable prices. My LGS had a Nitro Venom but he seemed a little high at $195 but it did have two barrels, a .22 and a .177. Are those things any good?

KMM696 · May 13, 2016

Dean Crawford said:
...it is actually a 25 cal model that I modified by drilling out the air passages, and can now get a 1000 FPS with a 30gr pellet and 30 quality shots with a full tank @3500 psi. I have several, Airforce Condor, BSA Lonestar, all modified.

Dean

Dean, is there anything you don't modify for more power??

[rofl]

I've acquired a neglected RWS 48 in .177 that hasn't been fired in roughly 5 years. Is there anything that I should do to it before trying it out? Externally it's in great shape, but I don't know enough about airgun internals.

Dean Crawford · May 13, 2016

KMM696 said:
Dean, is there anything you don't modify for more power??

I've acquired a neglected RWS 48 in .177 that hasn't been fired in roughly 5 years. Is there anything that I should do to it before trying it out? Externally it's in great shape, but I don't know enough about airgun internals.

To answer your first question, that would be a big fat NO. [rofl]

And to answer your second question, get some air tool oil and put some where the spring piston is to condition the seal. I can't stress air tool oil enough, if you use WD40, mystery oil, ect it will cause ignition and sound like a 30-06 going off.

Dean

Kevin_NH · May 13, 2016

With calibers (airgun or firearm) and women, life is easier as the count approaches 1

With pump-up and PCP guns, larger calibers are inherently louder (larger bore == more air released per shot), but in gas/spring guns sometimes a .22 can be quieter than a .177 because pellets are less likely to go supersonic. That said, depending on your backstop, the 'thwack' from hitting the target can be a lot louder than the shot itself.

If you don't want to alert the neighbors, get a rifle with integrated baffles, stick to heavier pellets (to keep them subsonic), and choose a low-noise target.

Carl in Ct said:
I see Crossman Nitro air guns around for what seems like reasonable prices. My LGS had a Nitro Venom but he seemed a little high at $195 but it did have two barrels, a .22 and a .177. Are those things any good?

Crosman/Benjamin is fine. Most of their guns are made in China, some are assembled in the USA from mostly foreign components.

The price seems a little high compared to Pyramyd, but I don't know what the extra barrel is worth. OTOH, if you don't already have a .177 and a supply of pellets, then just .22 should be fine; I have one rifle with a spare barrel in .177, once I mounted the 22 barrel and zeroed the scope, I've never switched back to .177 again.

mac1911 · May 13, 2016

Dean Crawford said:
To answer your first question, that would be a big fat NO.
And to answer your second question, get some air tool oil and put some where the spring piston is to condition the seal. I can't stress air tool oil enough, if you use WD40, mystery oil, ect it will cause ignition and sound like a 30-06 going off.

Dean

I wont debate what oil is ok....air tool il makes sense though. I have used nothing but pellgun oil from crosman for many years. PCPs don't need much at all. I have several air guns especially pumpers that I got dirt cheap because they where lubed with everything but correct stuff....

Kevin_NH · May 13, 2016

For external metal parts, use the same gun oil you'd use to wipe down a powder burner.

mac1911 said:
I have used nothing but pellgun oil from crosman for many years.

Crosman now sells two oils -- Silicone chamber oil (aka RMCOIL), and their original Pellgunoil, which works best on CO2 guns.

If you have a CO2 "powerlet" gun that will not hold air, you can restore the seal with minimal effort, and then a little pellgunoil on the top of each new catridge will keep it running fine.

Dean Crawford · May 13, 2016

If you have pellet gun oil that is even better, not to many people have it, but air tool can be had at any parts store.
Load it up with oil and break the barrel back and forth but don't let the sear catch, that way you are lubing all the moving parts in the chamber. After you have done that, Then go to town on those little grey bastards.

Dean

Point37 · May 15, 2016

Seals replaced in the crosman 140...I tested it out in the yard a bit but all the pellets were old and had that white powder on the lead...but it shot accurate from 5 yards out with 5 pumps...I'll have to play with it more some other time and pick up some new pellets

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Taipan01 · May 15, 2016

I use Crossmans Silicone Chamber Oil in the air chamber for springers. One drop in the opening will keep the seals good for a while. You may get some dieseling (that loud pop) on the first couple shots. I also put a drop on top of the co2 cartridges before I insert them. Only a bit makes it in but it keeps them lubed internally. I do have a .177 one piece rod, boresnake, jag and bronze brushes I use every few hundred rounds to keep a lead build up out and then coat the barrel inside with some Gamo oil. Unless it's a break barrel, I'll put a rag in the way of the rod so I don't go thru to fast and into the opening. If I can't do that, I'll forgo the rod work. Like a 22lr, it will screw up your poa, poi for the first ten or so then it settles back in. For any external parts like the hinge point on springers, pivot points on hammers and such I use the same moly-Teflon that I use on my centerfires and as mine are mostly metal, a quick wipe down and spray with some remoil. Occasionally I'll do the wood with some Fuller wood floor cleaner and polish. Sounds weird but it works great.

Seems many postings are about the seals and such. One thing not mentioned on the subject is never, ever fire it off without a pellet/bb in the barrel. That'll pop the seals quickly.

Someone mentioned the sonic crack. Yes, same as anything else it will make the sound. Something else about cruising that fast with a light pellet is it makes the pellet vibrate some. For better accuracy, I use heavy pellets to keep them below 1,000 FPS.

mac1911 · May 15, 2016

Point37 said:
Seals replaced in the crosman 140...I tested it out in the yard a bit but all the pellets were old and had that white powder on the lead...but it shot accurate from 5 yards out with 5 pumps...I'll have to play with it more some other time and pick up some new pellets

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice looking older pumper...slightly modified with the recoil pad....that's a sign someone liked to shoot that pumper.
I like the old crosman pumps. The 140/1400 are cool . You can get silly and modify them . The trigger can be worked a bit. By nature of its design though the more you pump the harder the pull... not sure how available they still are but you could get a modified valve and pump rod for some more power.
My old 140 is my indoor winter plinker 3 pumps and some light weight 10gn wad cutters. Pretty good at 30' . Think if I put target aperture style sights on it would be as good as my 853

Point37 · May 16, 2016

mac1911 said:
Nice looking older pumper...slightly modified with the recoil pad....that's a sign someone liked to shoot that pumper.
I like the old crosman pumps. The 140/1400 are cool . You can get silly and modify them . The trigger can be worked a bit. By nature of its design though the more you pump the harder the pull... not sure how available they still are but you could get a modified valve and pump rod for some more power.
My old 140 is my indoor winter plinker 3 pumps and some light weight 10gn wad cutters. Pretty good at 30' . Think if I put target aperture style sights on it would be as good as my 853

Thanks...it was my late uncle's and my grandfather just pulled it out and gave it to me...my uncle probably used it a lot but I don't see why you would need a recoil pad for an air rifle...would be nice to have the spoon on the breech cover...otherwise it seems like it's solid, pretty well built and simple...tore it totally down, put all the small parts in the ultrasonic cleaner, oiled everything, replaced the seals, polished the wood, put it back together and took it for a test run...next time I take it out I'm going to try to stretch it out to see how far away I can hit a target with it...would be cool to put an old style scope on it...I haven't really looked at what type of modifications you can do to them yet...is there a good crosman forum for info?

Anyone know how to date/get the year of manufacture of one of these?

I know it's between 1956-1968...and either 3rd or 4th variant since it doesn't have a spoon breech cover and the breech cover is steel...3rd is 56-62...4th is 61-68...I guess the 4th variant has a die cast trigger housing and this looks die cast to me but I wanted to try to get an exact year on it...just curious

http://www.crosman.com/discover/crosman/crosman-product-dates

mac1911 · May 16, 2016

Point37 said:
Thanks...it was my late uncle's and my grandfather just pulled it out and gave it to me...my uncle probably used it a lot but I don't see why you would need a recoil pad for an air rifle...would be nice to have the spoon on the breech cover...otherwise it seems like it's solid, pretty well built and simple...tore it totally down, put all the small parts in the ultrasonic cleaner, oiled everything, replaced the seals, polished the wood, put it back together and took it for a test run...next time I take it out I'm going to try to stretch it out to see how far away I can hit a target with it...would be cool to put an old style scope on it...I haven't really looked at what type of modifications you can do to them yet...is there a good crosman forum for info?

Anyone know how to date/get the year of manufacture of one of these?

I know it's between 1956-1968...and either 3rd or 4th variant since it doesn't have a spoon breech cover and the breech cover is steel...3rd is 56-62...4th is 61-68...I guess the 4th variant has a die cast trigger housing and this looks die cast to me but I wanted to try to get an exact year on it...just curious

http://www.crosman.com/discover/crosman/crosman-product-dates

I dont know if you can get actual year of production but yours looks like the last variant before the 1400 came along. you have cast trigger housing (which I think is much better than the older variants. Plain cost cutting breach cover/bolt. looks like plastic front sight barrel band vs a screwed on front sight

http://www.network54.com/Forum/275684
My guess is your uncle was tall or long arms and needed a bit more length of pull. they are not easy to scope as the current scope mount for the 1400s is to big fir the barrel on the 140s
there are a few air rifle gurus out there that can machine 3/8 rails into the breach.

I can get decent tin can accuracy from my iron sighted 140/1400s out to 50 yards... I get just under 1" with my scoped 1400 at 30 yards.
There are things to do....I always start with the crown and make sure its ok. no dings or rust.
I have another addition to the 1400 line up coming in tomorrow.... all this talk and I came across a 1400 with the bolt style breach.

there is a scope mount called the intermount that may work and then there is another one made by sun optics that might fit.

Point37 · May 16, 2016

mac1911 said:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/275684
My guess is your uncle was tall or long arms and needed a bit more length of pull. they are not easy to scope as the current scope mount for the 1400s is to big fir the barrel on the 140s
there are a few air rifle gurus out there that can machine 3/8 rails into the breach.

I can get decent tin can accuracy from my iron sighted 140/1400s out to 50 yards... I get just under 1" with my scoped 1400 at 30 yards.
There are things to do....I always start with the crown and make sure its ok. no dings or rust.
I have another addition to the 1400 line up coming in tomorrow.... all this talk and I came across a 1400 with the bolt style breach.

there is a scope mount called the intermount that may work and then there is another one made by sun optics that might fit.

thanks for the info...yea good point, that would make sense about the pad...if i can find a mount that will clamp on i would do that but i don't really want to drill into it at all...my yard isn't huge so i probably have about 50 yards max to play with...i'll see how i do once i stretch it out a bit...the only reason i was thinking about a scope is due to an astigmatism in my aiming eye so i try to scope anything i own...but i wouldn't spend a ton on it anyway...i'll have to look into those mounts...just poked around that forum a little and it's a little tough to get around on, i'm guessing that i probably can't get that forum on tapatalk

looks like some people have scoped them...
http://www.network54.com/Forum/275684/thread/1456628994

Kevin_NH · May 16, 2016

PyramydAir 20% off + free shipping

If you're on the fence about going high-end PyramydAir has a 20% off sale with free shipping, including some of the rifles recommended earlier in this thread, ends tomorrow night (5/17).

Point37 · May 17, 2016

mac1911 said:
there is a scope mount called the intermount that may work and then there is another one made by sun optics that might fit.

mac1911 · May 17, 2016

Point37 said:
i think these are the 2 scope mounts that you are talking about...1 dovetail and 1 picitinny...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KJ3CI6...TF8&colid=1DR8JDCNC34IS&coliid=I1XUOOYBQ9KAQY
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FEUUCY...lid=1DR8JDCNC34IS&coliid=I1O08XKRVTN5FE&psc=1

i think i have an extra set of rings hanging around so i will have to see what height those rings are and what type of rail they are for...i also started to look into inexpensive scopes...was looking into something thin to keep the older look but not sure that i would like the small field of view...

i do have this scope for my 10/22 which i like but would be about expensive as i would go...comes with dovetail rings or without...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KOSB34...TF8&colid=1DR8JDCNC34IS&coliid=I1ONMRK2OJZ342
http://www.amazon.com/Simmons-8-Poi...8&qid=1463492184&sr=1-25&keywords=rifle+scope

or this one...
http://www.amazon.com/Tasco-Rimfire...keywords_two_browse-bin:7045388011|7045387011
http://www.amazon.com/Tasco-Prongho...keywords_two_browse-bin:7045388011|7045387011

here are the other cheaper thin tube scopes i was looking at...
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y09TVW...TF8&colid=1DR8JDCNC34IS&coliid=I3PTOZ2HMUNP37
http://www.amazon.com/BARSKA-AC1000...fle+scope+rimfire&refinements=p_72:1248957011

Yes there are a few variants. The one I have pictured in previous post clamps to the barrel them you bolt a weaver rail to it. I'm sure they have a 3/8 option.
I have a simple 4x utg Bugbuster on mine. It's set up for 30 yards. That's the most used distance I shoot at and pest control around the garden. I shoot all my pellet guns out to 50 yards for fun. Even my 10m target rifle.
My new addition came today while I was checking out Jconner93 nes'r nice 1903 Springfield.

Carl in Ct · May 17, 2016

This may sound odd but it seems like an air gun would be a great survival/SHTF item. It only requires air, pellets which can be stored/carried by the thousands easily and maybe some oil for maintenance. No, it's not a tool for military ops but for small game hunting/survival it sounds like a great tool. Am I missing something or have I just overlooked this?

mac1911 · May 17, 2016

Carl in Ct said:
This may sound odd but it seems like an air gun would be a great survival/SHTF item. It only requires air, pellets which can be stored/carried by the thousands easily and maybe some oil for maintenance. No, it's not a tool for military ops but for small game hunting/survival it sounds like a great tool. Am I missing something or have I just overlooked this?

obsoletely a good shtf item.... will take out sources of protein.

Point37 · May 17, 2016

mac1911 said:
Yes there are a few variants. The one I have pictured in previous post clamps to the barrel them you bolt a weaver rail to it. I'm sure they have a 3/8 option.
I have a simple 4x utg Bugbuster on mine. It's set up for 30 yards. That's the most used distance I shoot at and pest control around the garden. I shoot all my pellet guns out to 50 yards for fun. Even my 10m target rifle.
My new addition came today while I was checking out Jconner93 nes'r nice 1903 Springfield.
View attachment 167565

nice score!...looks really clean...i wish mine had a breech bolt...i'm going to play with mine a bit and then figure out if i want to scope it and what i want to put on it...def not looking to spend a ton on it...but i'd like to make it a fun little backyard toy...no garden and 2 dogs so i don't really have to worry about pests...just cans, bottles, paper and cardboard

Kevin_NH · May 17, 2016

mac1911 said:
obsoletely a good shtf item.... will take out sources of protein.

unintentionally accurately phrasing, but obsoletely good shtf item is fitting.

For long-term planning, you'd need to choose the right airgun -- either a classic springer or multi-pump. Service life is the one big downside of Air-Piston (NitroPiston), the powerplant is good for a few thousand shots, then it starts to fail and isn't rebuildable with common materials and hand tools, and spares are $$. And PCP has the advantage of being capable of taking larger game, but ;pumping up the tank is effortful and you'll need to stock up on rebuild kits for the hand pump and all the other seals and o-rings.

If you're planning on using your airgun post-TEOTWAWKI, now is the time to invest in a pellet mold and a good supply of soft lead.

mac1911 · May 17, 2016

Point37 said:
nice score!...looks really clean...i wish mine had a breech bolt...i'm going to play with mine a bit and then figure out if i want to scope it and what i want to put on it...def not looking to spend a ton on it...but i'd like to make it a fun little backyard toy...no garden and 2 dogs so i don't really have to worry about pests...just cans, bottles, paper and cardboard

Here is the scope mount I used on my 1400 it clamps onto the receiver not the barrel like the crosman mounts.
IIRC I didn't put one on the 140 because the breach/reciever is to big or to small I forget...http://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/Air_Venturi_Intermount_Fits_Benjamin_Sheridan_Multi_Pump_Rifles/2015
This is the scope I have had on for a while now...long enough to forget When I bought it .
It's held zero and is clear enough for back yard fun. Survived a few falls and some less than nice handling.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/UTG_G..._Dot_Reticle_1_4_MOA_1_Tube_Weaver_Rings/2980

The crosman forum is very out dates but there is great info there.
Poke around on the links. Great info
Also there are the yellow forum and gateway to air guns.

Point37 · May 18, 2016

mac1911 said:
There are some great pellet guns these days.

I just picked up a used daisy 853 from the CMP. To keep my skills from getting completely rusty.
I have a soft spot for old multipumps. I like the old crosman 140s and 1400s.

Heres my 1960s crosman 1400 slightly modified and garden control out to 35 yards with out much effort. Not the best trigger but more than good enough.

If I where to buy a new pellet gun today it would be a hard choice.

The ruger Yukon can be turned up like most others.

mac1911 said:
Here is the scope mount I used on my 1400 it clamps onto the receiver not the barrel like the crosman mounts.
IIRC I didn't put one on the 140 because the breach/reciever is to big or to small I forget...http://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/Air_Venturi_Intermount_Fits_Benjamin_Sheridan_Multi_Pump_Rifles/2015
This is the scope I have had on for a while now...long enough to forget When I bought it .
It's held zero and is clear enough for back yard fun. Survived a few falls and some less than nice handling.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/UTG_G..._Dot_Reticle_1_4_MOA_1_Tube_Weaver_Rings/2980

The crosman forum is very out dates but there is great info there.
Poke around on the links. Great info
Also there are the yellow forum and gateway to air guns.

thanks for all this info...that mount looks like it would work well...the 2nd product photo on that link looks like it mounts on the receiver but in your photo above and in the customer photos on the link it look like it's mounted in front of the receiver on the barrel...my receiver looks shorter than the one they show on that 2nd product photo...the other questions i would have are...what is the spacing and widths of the clamps cause i don't want to remove the rear sight and does it make loading it hard?...i would probably mount it like you have yours in the above photo but i am worried about the rear sight

guitarman · May 18, 2016

I was thinking of selling off my airguns. After reading this thread, I may have to reconsider. They're so fun! I found an Umarex MP5k copy about a year ago. It's a blast to shoot. I still have the Red Ryder my dad bought me when I was little.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

mac1911 · May 18, 2016

Point37 said:
thanks for all this info...that mount looks like it would work well...the 2nd product photo on that link looks like it mounts on the receiver but in your photo above and in the customer photos on the link it look like it's mounted in front of the receiver on the barrel...my receiver looks shorter than the one they show on that 2nd product photo...the other questions i would have are...what is the spacing and widths of the clamps cause i don't want to remove the rear sight and does it make loading it hard?...i would probably mount it like you have yours in the above photo but i am worried about the rear sight

Yes the 1400 has a complete tube from end to end and the barrel is inside the tube. The 140 has a short receiver and then the barrel which is smaller than the "receiver" or breach.
I removed the sights altogether from my scoped air guns.
I would measure the diameter of where you want to mount your base and make sure they will fit. As for loading, yes iy makes it a touch harder to load with the mount where I have it. Although you figure out how to load them pretty fast after a while. I can almost drop my pellet right in if I hild the gun just right.

Point37 · May 18, 2016

mac1911 said:
Yes the 1400 has a complete tube from end to end and the barrel is inside the tube. The 140 has a short receiver and then the barrel which is smaller than the "receiver" or breach.
I removed the sights altogether from my scoped air guns.
I would measure the diameter of where you want to mount your base and make sure they will fit. As for loading, yes iy makes it a touch harder to load with the mount where I have it. Although you figure out how to load them pretty fast after a while. I can almost drop my pellet right in if I hild the gun just right.

thanks...ahh i see so your receiver and barrel tube are the same diameter, i can't zoom in too well on my work computer cause it blocks photo hosting sites...i will have to measure my barrel with calipers and see if i can get the measurements of the mount from the website...there is no way i'm going to be able to mount it on the receiver anyway with how short it is so it will have to go on the barrel anyway...if it's the right size and i can fit it between the receiver and rear sight or straddle the rear sight i will go for it

Anyone here into air guns?

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