Air rifles, PCP

[juliangunney]

Does anyone have experience with a PCP air rifle?  I am in the process of purchasing one and it seems like a great and cheap way to target shoot or for hunting small game up tp and including coyotes.  I have ordered a 25 cal but they come in larger calibers too. Just seems like it could be a lot of cheap fun.

[Rob112o]

I have a lot of experience with air rifles. Have several Benjamin Marauder rifle and pistol to older Crosman rifles converted to pcp. My favorite and easiest being the Talon Airforce guns. It’s as simple as switching barrels going from .177 cal to .50 cal slug. I have a Talon SS and have .177 .20 and .22 barrels. I have 2 different tanks one for high power and another a micro SS tank meant for shooting 400+ times without a refill. 
 

https://www.airforceairguns.com/The-TalonSS-By-AirForce-Airguns-s/38.htm

[gun sane]

Rabbits began breaching the bulwarks here at Teetering on the Brink, so I began the search for a non-lethal, albeit painfully  discouraging weapon to use against them.  The Daisy Red Ryder Adult 650 BB gun fit the bill.  The special Elmer Fudd edition was requested but alas, inventories were Out of Stock.

It's not your daddy's BB gun--or maybe even yours from days gone by--but it's still decently accurate and zips along at 350 fps.  The old loading hole has moved to the side of the barrel, but has a slightly larger entry chute (BBs still spill everywhere).  And, of course, there's a dad-gum safety.  Eye protection was not included, therefore the Christmas Story warning still applies.

I've already zapped two bad bunnies who were making the garden a smorgasbord and sent them hopping with a sore butt.  The neighbors love the long-eared pests, so I've got to be vewy, vewy quiet.  

 

[hipower]

I've got an OLD Daisy here by the back door. Use it for crow control. This thing still has some zing to it. I broke one of the wife's big ceramic pots with it. I swear I wasn't shooting at the pot! Just using it as a target stand...until the stand fell over.

Then I may or may not have shot a few more times at the pot. 

It's still stronger than one of the Red Ryder Commemoratives I bought at Sam's a few years ago.

Edited June 19, 2023 by hipower

[jpx2rk]

I have a Crossman 302 (?) pump 22 cal pellet rifle from my youth.  I sent it off to have it rebuilt a couple years back since it was 50+ y/o and would not hold air anymore.  Has the wood stock and still puts the blackbirds down with one shot if I do my part.  Open sights, old eyes don't always work together for me, but I still have fun scaring the birds, etc.

[cannonball]

I have been into airguns for years. I currently have around 20 in various calibers. I have .177, .22, .25, .30 and .357 in several brands. The power output in .25 caliber varies greatly. Some PCP rifles will have less than 40 foot pounds of energy and others can have over 100 FPE. I would recommend looking at a higher powered .25 or even a .30 caliber if you are planning on using it on coyotes. Which particular rifle were you looking at? 

[juliangunney]

HI I ended up buying the Air Venturi Avenger in 25. I will probably never hunt anything larger than squirrels or rabbits. What drew me was I can still ring my steel targets out back but pellets are considerably cheaper than even 22 ammo, leave alone centerfire. I do reload but the time and expense for simple plinking led me the PCP route.  I am sure with my addictive personality it won't be my last!!!  The compressor cost more than the gun and I wouldn't have to buy a second one so........

[Whisper]

Sorry for introducing some topic drift, but if you're planning on using your air rifle for vermin control, you might instead look at a .22 rifle with the CCI Quiet-22 Segmented Hollow Points.  I was shooting chipmunks in our yard with an RWS Diana .177 and it does a fine job on them at 25 yards, but on squirrels it was not a reliable killer.  I decided to try the Quiet-22s in my old Browning T-Bolt, and they strike down squirrels like lightning bolts from heaven, plus -- and I didn't expect this -- they're quieter than the RWS pellet rifle.  

Cheers,

Whisper

Edited June 30, 2023 by Whisper

[juliangunney]

2 hours ago, Whisper said:

Sorry for introducing some topic drift, but if you're planning on using your air rifle for vermin control, you might instead look at a .22 rifle with the CCI Quiet-22 Segmented Hollow Points.  I was shooting chipmunks in our yard with an RWS Diana .177 and it does a fine job on them at 25 yards, but on squirrels it was not a reliable killer.  I decided to try the Quiet-22s in my old Browning T-Bolt, and they strike down squirrels like lightning bolts from heaven, plus -- and I didn't expect this -- they're quieter than the RWS pellet rifle.  

Cheers,

Whisper

I shoot NRL22 and have a suppressor. Quiet I have but all I wanted is a cheap, but gutsy rifle to plink at longer ranges on the cheap. PCP air rifles seem to be the answer to that. I have a break action 177 that I bought 20 years ago, it does kill squirrels but the spring action is loud and it's one shot per break, not really what I want today