• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

Good (but cheap) air rifles?

E

EcHo

Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Messages
404
Likes
24
Location
Southeastern, MA
Feedback: 2 / 0 / 0
So I posted a few months ago about starting an air rifling club at Umass Amherst. Progress has been slow (as it is with any state/federal institution) but I'm to the point where I need to start finding the guns I will have the club use. I'm looking for something that isn't plastic and won't fall apart after taking a slight beating (its college kids using it after all). I would like the gun to be capable of shot groupings of less than .25" at 10m, and a price tag of less than $200 preferably.

I have very little experience looking for target air rifles and I'm not really sure how to pick a good one. Does anyone have any suggestions for an ok quality 10m target air rifle for less than or around $200?
 
I'll give you one. It's a scoped Crossman G1 Extreme .177
I tried it but it is too loud to shoot in my neighborhood.

Only catch is that I'm in Ayer and you're have to do all the work to get it.
I believe it was in the $150 range when I bought it. It's as new
 
Last edited:
I have an RWS Diana, its a break barrel spring piston air rifle. Nice build quality, all wood furniture, pretty similar in size and weight to a 10/22 i think. the neat thing about the spring piston rifles is there is a little kick. closest thing to shooting a rimfire in my opinion. when i got it 10-12 years ago it was in the $200ish range i believe. not sure now.
 
Finding something that meets those criteria for around $200.00 could be difficult (at least NIB).

Add in decent sights or glass and of course you're going to be well above $200.00

Pellets are no different than ammo... different weights and manufacturers will yield different results.

Gamo makes 3 rifles in that price range, however I can't speak for their accuracy...

http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/show.pl?cmd_category=show&category_id=53

Dedicated target rifles are not cheap, but there's a few in the $300.000 price range....

http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/show.pl?cmd_category=show&category_id=31

I bought a Gamo Whisper a few months ago at KTP for $225.00.

It's not a target or match gun, but it's well built, accurate and actually is pretty quite.

I didn't care for the scope that came with it and I plan on upgrading that.

For what I paid... I'm extremely happy with it (the squirrels in my yard would disagree [wink]).
 
Last edited:
I have a benjamin s397 in .177 that I spent $150 on that I shoot all the time. It's very accurate, about .5in groups at 10 yards standing all day.
 
Thanks for the offer News Shooter, but I think I'm looking for fixed barrel rifles due to accuracy. I also don't have any way of getting to Ayer [thinking]
 
LoginName said:
I bought a Gamo Whisper a few months ago at KTP for $225.00.

It's not a target or match gun, but it's well built, accurate and actually is pretty quite.

I didn't care for the scope that came with it and I plan on upgrading that.

For what I paid... I'm extremely happy with it (the squirrels in my yard would disagree [wink]).
Click to expand...

I have the same gun. Replace the trigger and use some of the heavier pellets and you will have a very accurate gun.
 
The Daisy Avanti 853 would be the best bet, with a Lothar Walther barrel and aperture sights.
They come with adjustable butt stock spacers to fit all size people.

The price, however is higher than $200, at around $280.

*correction*
I didn't see Teej's post. It's the same gun only cheaper from the CMP.
 
Last edited:
EcHo said:
So I posted a few months ago about starting an air rifling club at Umass Amherst. Progress has been slow (as it is with any state/federal institution) but I'm to the point where I need to start finding the guns I will have the club use. I'm looking for something that isn't plastic and won't fall apart after taking a slight beating (its college kids using it after all). I would like the gun to be capable of shot groupings of less than .25" at 10m, and a price tag of less than $200 preferably.

I have very little experience looking for target air rifles and I'm not really sure how to pick a good one. Does anyone have any suggestions for an ok quality 10m target air rifle for less than or around $200?
Click to expand...
Crosman and Ruger (probably made under contract by Crosman) offer single-cock, adult air rifles in .177 or .22 caliber for less than $200. I believe the Crosman even comes with a scope, but you can purchase a scope separately if you want. Both deliver a .177 pellet at a MV of 1,000 FPS, so they are serious airguns. As with any gun, each air rifle will have to be tested with pellets of various manufacture to see which one delivers the most accuracy and consistency.
 
+1. I Have a Weihrauch 35 that a friend left me that really, really pisses off the squirrels. A new piston and a heftier spring, and I can blip through 1/2 plywood with it. It also seems to shoot with a great degree of repeatability.

Wally World had what looked like some decent .177's for around $150, but I think you will still need scopes. The price/performance points might be difficult to align. It sounds like you may have to go with what you can afford, in the end.

Edit: I think it is Ruger I saw at WW.
 
Don't fall into the muzzle velocity trap. There are plenty of guns that offer large MV but are not accurate. You're not hunting with these guns. The Weihrauch rifles have great accuracy. Usually those and other brands that have Lothar Walther barrels or Anschutz barrels will be very accurate. It's just about impossible to get a quality air rifle at any of the local gun shops or sports stores. You need to order by computer. Sorry for all the bad news.
 
I was expecting to have to order by computer, so I don't care about the location of the manufacturer or nearby stores where I can buy them. And yes, scopes will be against the rules since I plan on keeping this as a 10m air rifling organization for the time being.

The main reason for my price range of under $200 is because of a lack of funding. This school will not give us any money for the first year, and since I've never tried to run any sort of a club before I don't know what kind of money I'll be able to raise from fund raising events/donations/member dues. For all I know, members will have no problem paying a $50 joining fee and then $20/semester from then on. If that is the case then I would be able to spend a bit more on the guns. Maybe no one wants to pay more than $10 one time...then this club just won't happen since there's nothing I can get for that amount of money.

I've been leaning toward some type of a Gamo or Remington break-barrel with no scope in the $180 price range and a MV of less than 1000fps. I'll be using 10.5gr pellets to get the velocities down closer to 800fps. From what I've been reading, break barrels are less accurate than fixed barrels but the difference will not be noticed by beginner/intermediate shooters at 10m. Are there any obvious problems with using break barrels and velocities of around 800fps in an indoor range?
 
RFWAVELENGTH said:
Crosman and Ruger (probably made under contract by Crosman) offer single-cock, adult air rifles in .177 or .22 caliber for less than $200.
Click to expand...

Do you happen to know model numbers of these or know where I can find them? Pyramidair.com and airgundepot.com Have been my primary resoures so far.
 
450 to 525 fps is the sweet spot for accuracy with normal target pellets.

If you will be using 10 meter issf targets, the ten ring is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. You would need the accuracy to be able to hold the ten ring, which the heavy pellets and high velocity might not achieve.
 
Might be worth a try to contact Daisy and Crosman and ask for a deal or just if they have nonprofit pricing. Tell them what you are up to, it is in their interest to help you succeed.
 
No Gamo or Remingtons, please. No high velocity or heavy pellets. You should look for 7.6 grain to 7.9 grain, .177 cal. pellets in a nice soft shooting gun. If you want to do some research and talk with very knowledgeable airgunners go to: http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/ and post your question there. It would be wise to spend your limited funds on guns that will be reasonably accurate and that will last.
 
I definitely think contaction some of the vendors/companies would be wise.
Another great source - real pro's regarding competition shooting and very good prices is champions choice
Here is a link to a Daisy slightly out of your range, but you never know they might work with you to get it closer to your price.
http://www.champchoice.com/detail.aspx?ID=322

Adjustable stocks and good sights are going to be very important for beginners and for shooters sharing the same gun.
 

Similar threads

M-16 Era Ends: Army's 101st Airborne Division Receives Next-Gen Assault Rifles
2 3 4
Replies
90
Views
2K
Picton
Picton
Cheap vs Expensive Red Dots
Replies
8
Views
477
johngalt2
J
Where to get out of date / trashed lvl 3 + 3a armor on the cheap?
Replies
13
Views
239
Broc
Broc
Worcester PD - Going after the guns but how about the perps…
Replies
14
Views
537
houdini
houdini
What is a Good Super Cheap Pistol For a Super Cheap Optic?
2
Replies
54
Views
2K
paul73
paul73
Back
Top Bottom