Can anyone offer any air rifle advice please?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

LOL... oh boy, looks like we both need some sleep eh?

I haven't bothered trying thus far but it's o'dark hundred and bed is calling.
Hope you manage to get some too!

Nah, sleep's for lesser people

And traditionally not for psychopathic world leaders.

Actually Churchill never slept well either

So, non-psychopath cigar smokers too eh?

Still can't figure out why I don't sleep - I rarely smoke cigars 

The whole thing makes no sense

Surely on some level your mind know's it's self destructive not to get any kip!

[Mike]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppOXpyhM2wA

 
Mike

[Hedge Kid]

How much is the refilling kit? I'm presuming that you can get the bottles from BOC but wouldn't have the first clue where to source the regulator and filling nozzle etc (list of what's needed would be appreciated!)

A decent gun shop should stock all you need including the charging gear. Here's a rough price guide for a full setup, based around the Air Arms S200 PCP rifle. The S200 is distributed by the Air Arms company who are based in the UK. It is a small, light rifle that is very highly regarded! It's a single shot bolt action that can be converted to a multishot by the purchase of the Air Arms ten shot magazine add on.

                         Air Arms S200                                                       £380.00
                         Air Arms Silencer                                                     £40.00
                         Air Arms 10-shot magazine add on                              £70.00

                         Variable Magnification Telescopic Sight (3-9x40 )
                         plus the required mounts to attach it to the gun           £50.00
                         Stirrup Pump                                                         £130.00
                         3 Litre Diving Cylinder                                             £140.00

All PCP rifles come with their own charging connector. This is a fitting that you attach to your pump or dive cylinder and is then attached to the gun allowing you to refill with air. These days a pump or cylinder will come with it's own guage and air hose so all you need is the charging connector that comes with the gun. A cylinder is the easier but more expensive option. BUT if you are reasonably fit, the pump is worth considering!

If you buy secondhand you can save up to about 35% on new prices.

That's fantastic thank you! The lazy part of me wants to ask how many charges you get out of a 3 litre bottle but the part of me that weighed myself this morning thinks that the stirrup pump is by far the best option!

Will that one take .22 pellets?

Thanks again for such comprehensive answers. You're a star 

Right, that's it - you can't have one - too many sheckles 

We can live off lentils instead

This has the added benefit of us consequently being able to heat the house on the methane generated

Ahem, what about the rule of not butting in on each others threads and bringing money and realism into the equation hmmmm 

If you want to be around a teenage boy that's living on lentils, be my guest!!!

There.will.be.a.gun. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppOXpyhM2wA

 
Mike

Love it 

You know that's the only thing that's going to be going through my head when I get my gun don't you!  Ya meany

[Hedge Kid]

Sounds like you know what you want.

What is the max allowable FPS in the UK?

I can only say from experience based upon my limit of 495 FPS (It is amazing at how in Canada, they sell just below the PAL requirements for most air guns). That a .177 pellet will bounce off of most feathers at that velocity.

Now the .22 caliber is a far larger pellet with enough weight to cause plenty of damage.

I think you should think about what caliber of pellet will meet your needs and select a gun accordingly.

I found this info. It is an interesting read.

http://www.air-rifle.net/selecting/selecting.html

Thanks for that link Chaco, I'll give it a read when it's not so late 

[nuphoria]

She says I'm not allowed in her thread any more.... goodbye everybody 

I'll miss you all...

[Magic Bus]

Well in the spirit of helping by providing information Hedgekid  there is a limit in the UK on the amount of power an airgun can produce. This is 12ftlbs which = about 570feet per second with the average .22 pellet and about 780 fps with the average .177 pellet. Above this limit you will need what's known as an FAC (Firearms Certificate ) An air rifle just under the legal limit is perfectly suitable for humane pest control out to 35 metres or so. The effective humane range is obviously determined by the user's ability.
Calibre choice is tricky, but .177 calibre is just as humane as .22 if used correctly and there are some advantages.

[Styerman]

Not meaning to pee on anyone's parade , but it takes a lot of practice to be able to take small game with any airgun . I'm talking thousands of rounds , depending on aptitude . Try and find a local club that does hunter class field target. This is fun in and of itself , plus it gives you a chance to handle the guns first hand . The UK practically invented field target , shouldn't be too hard .

Chris

[Magic Bus]

Not meaning to pee on anyone's parade , but it takes a lot of practice to be able to take small game with any airgun . I'm talking thousands of rounds , depending on aptitude . Try and find a local club that does hunter class field target. This is fun in and of itself , plus it gives you a chance to handle the guns first hand . The UK practically invented field target , shouldn't be too hard .

Chris

Good advice  No one is advocating going into pest control unprepared though.

[Craig]

There's a special airguns basics type article in the current (February) edition of Airgun World. It's written by Jim Tyler, my favourite airgun writer Might be worth a look.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

There's a special airguns basics type article in the current (February) edition of Airgun World. It's written by Jim Tyler, my favourite airgun writer Might be worth a look.

I'll have to see if I can get a copy

[Craig]

There's a special airguns basics type article in the current (February) edition of Airgun World. It's written by Jim Tyler, my favourite airgun writer Might be worth a look.

I'll have to see if I can get a copy

WH Smiths stock it

[Hedge Kid]

Well in the spirit of helping by providing information Hedgekid  there is a limit in the UK on the amount of power an airgun can produce. This is 12ftlbs which = about 570feet per second with the average .22 pellet and about 780 fps with the average .177 pellet. Above this limit you will need what's known as an FAC (Firearms Certificate ) An air rifle just under the legal limit is perfectly suitable for humane pest control out to 35 metres or so. The effective humane range is obviously determined by the user's ability.
Calibre choice is tricky, but .177 calibre is just as humane as .22 if used correctly and there are some advantages.

What would you say the advantages are of using.177 instead of.22 then?

She says I'm not allowed in her thread any more.... goodbye everybody 

I'll miss you all...

Don't be silly, as long as you don't talk about money and realism you are more than welcome 

Not meaning to pee on anyone's parade , but it takes a lot of practice to be able to take small game with any airgun . I'm talking thousands of rounds , depending on aptitude . Try and find a local club that does hunter class field target. This is fun in and of itself , plus it gives you a chance to handle the guns first hand . The UK practically invented field target , shouldn't be too hard .

Chris

Any advice gratefully received Chris, there's no parade to pee on 

You make a good point. Thankfully I've had considerable experience of shooting small game (albeit a while ago now) - I just didn't pay any attention to the actual mechanics of the gun! It's the shopping that's a problem, not the shooting!

To put your mind at rest, I do intend to shake the rust off with some target practice before I go near any live targets. Otherwise it would be a very inefficient hunt!

There's a special airguns basics type article in the current (February) edition of Airgun World. It's written by Jim Tyler, my favourite airgun writer Might be worth a look.

Thanks Craig, I'll pop in to WHSmiths on my way home and see if I can get a copy 

[nuphoria]

I seriously hope this "target practice" you speak of does have anything to do with me running naked through the local park at dusk again 

[Hedge Kid]

I seriously hope this "target practice" you speak of does have anything to do with me running naked through the local park at dusk again 

Aw gwaaaan. Be supportive. You know that a moving target is the best 

[texasflyfisher]

I seriously hope this "target practice" you speak of does have anything to do with me running naked through the local park at dusk again 

Again? 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I seriously hope this "target practice" you speak of does have anything to do with me running naked through the local park at dusk again 

Aw gwaaaan. Be supportive. You know that a moving target is the best 

We'll want piccies

As for the relative merits, Well .177 shoot's along a much flatter trajectory, so range estimation is less critical

.22 have generally better knock down power, but at the expense of a rainbow like (relatively) flight path

[Styerman]

As a general rule .177's group tighter . When the kill zone is small , group size matters . 5mm is another option , only pellets are tuffer to come by . Forget knockdown power , you are restricted to 12ft.lbs. ( a .22 rimfire IIRC is 73-90 ft.lbs. ) . It's all about accuracy , otherwise you would all be using the old skool .25 airguns .

Chris