Airgun recommendation?

[dlminehart]

I'm interested in picking up an air rifle for casual target shooting and pest control (my yard is being overrun by squirrels, crows, and jays, the latter of which have driven away most other birds except for equally aggressive hummingbirds). I'd also like to teach my teenage daughter how to shoot.

One constraint is that I live in a city, with a back yard that's only about 25x60, of which about 6 feet of perimeter is bushes. Small space, with neighbors on other sides of redwood fences behind and to each side. I don't know if air rifles are legal here, but will check on that shortly. In any case, I'd not want to disturb people with a loud rifle.

Another constraint is that I don't want to spend more than $200 on rifle, scope, target, etc. Maybe later, if we use it a lot, we'll invest in better. I'm thinking about one that has a hinged barrel requiring only one cocking action. "Spring-powered" or whatever.

Any recommendations?

[ironhat]

I'm betting that they're not legal within the city/ borough limits. That aside, I just saw a couple in your price range at www.sportsmansguide.com . As for a specific Rx, I can't help ya with that.

[docrowan]

I understand that in most places it is illegal to kill songbirds, regardless of method and I'm not sure a single pump pellet gun will kill a squirrel unless you hit it just right.

[Tom Slick]

Benjamin and Gamo make nice air rifles that are in your budget. cabela's sells them.

Walmart would probably sell something that fits your exact needs.

[jonmulzer]

I understand that in most places it is illegal to kill songbirds, regardless of method and I'm not sure a single pump pellet gun will kill a squirrel unless you hit it just right.

I killed a goose at 35 yards with a POS Crosman when I was a little kid. My father told me that there was no way my pellet gun would ever kill one, so I had to test that. Sure enough, hitting them in their side just caused them to flap their wings or fly off. The feathers just bounced it right off. Then, I hit one right in the back of the head. My punishment, I had to help clean it. "If you kill it, you eat it. Don't let it go to waste." That line made sure I did not kill anything else I would not find palatable.......

Your best bet on the squirrels, inside city limits, is a live trap. Trap them and take them to a part of town you don't like and turn them loose. It is what I do to animals that scatter my garbage. It is like guerrilla warfare.

[shoottx]

Go to either Cabela's http://www.cabelas.com/

or Bass Pro http://www.cabelas.com/

in the product search box type "177" and look at the options.

[Whaler]

I just got a new Orvis catalog and ran across this. A bit more than you want to spend though at $795.00.

[LCHIEN]

I did quite a bit of research last year on the exact same problem... I went to all the pellet/airgun and varmit hunting websites I could find.

There are a number of issues.
1. Knockdown power, you need a high power pellet gun ~1000FPS to kill a squirrel, even then you must score a critical hit, e.g.
2. must be accurate enough to ensure hitting head shot or Upper chest shot - you should avoid inhumane shots that injure the animal and they run away only to die a lingering death.
3. High power pellet gun = 1000 FPS
4. A 1000 FPS gun will go thru a 5/8" cedar picket fence board (I tried it)
which means you need to aim down so the shot hits the ground and not your fences (if you miss).
5. A .22 rimfire would make a a better varmit eliminating machine but would not be acceptable for neighborhood use.
6. Would you neighbors be OK with your carrying a scoped rifle in your front yard (that looks from the distance just like a .22 or hunting rifle) or are you going to be restricted to the backyard?

I found a Crosman Quest 1000X shoots 1000 FPS with the lightest .177 pellets, about 800-900 FPS with the normal pellets. Its a breakbarrel or spring-piston (you cock a powerful spring which drives an air chamber), single shot rifle. A pump or CO2 pellet rifle will only muster about 500-600 FPS. So the Crosman break barrel has about four times the knockdown power (its proportional to the square of the speed). I can put a quarter sized group at about 10 yards. It has a 4X scope rated for pellet gun recoils.
At Walmart I think it runs $100, $115 at Cabela's. The Crosman Sierra 1000x is the same but with a synthetic stock and the non-X versions are no scope.

The right pellets also make a difference. Some are inaccurate. I use the Crosman Premium Flat head pellets, they're accurate and won't penetrate fences as well as the pointed and expand when hitting the target to inflict a, uh, varmit-stopping wound.

The gun makes a fairly sharp report when it fires, not as loud as a shotgun or large firearm but approaching a .22 which makes a small pop.
The sound would probaby be assumed to be some tool like a pneumatic nailer or something and not necessarily a gun. If anyone asked I would pass it off for a nailer.
You'll also need to sight in the gun and scope for the range, you want a target trap or build your own from layered phone books or something.

Air guns are not usually illegal but you should check... 1000 FPS pellets have 1/6th the energy of a .22 long rifle bullet. Very infrequently fatal or even serious injury to humans but you got to live with your neighbors and sure don't want to be responsible for breaking their window or hitting their kid and having to explain yourself.
You need to check the local hunting and fishing laws. In TX theres a specific season for hunting squirrels and you need a hunting license. There's also a regulation that the squirrels may not be shot with pellets, a firearm is required (I think this is to reduce non-immediately fatal injuries with underpowered guns where the animal is irretrievable and dies a long death).

[Tamarack]

I really like my pump-up Sheridan 5mm. Three pumps to discourage a tresspassing dog, eight pumps gives one-shot kills on snowshoe rabbits for dinner.
Paul

[Alex Franke]

I'm interested in picking up an air rifle for casual target shooting and pest control (my yard is being overrun by squirrels, crows, and jays, the latter of which have driven away most other birds except for equally aggressive hummingbirds). I'd also like to teach my teenage daughter how to shoot.

I don't have much to offer here because the last air gun I had was back in high school, but I have to say I really did a double-take on this one. I read it (rather quickly I guess) as "...target shooting and pest control (my yard is being overrun by squirrels, COWS, and..."

Edit: I guess I do have something to add -- I think air rifles are a great way to introduce teens to shooting.

[Stan]

If you are in the city with neighbors in close proximity -- I would highly recommend any method other than one shooting projectiles -- whether it is legal or not. That is said with no knowledge of how your yard is laid out other than your description, but unless everyone wears sunglasses at 'all' times when outside -- I'd opt out.

As far as $200 or less -- heck if your just starting out a youngster, wait for the Cummins (or whatever they are calling themselves nowdays) and pick up one of their $24.99 specials. I bought one last year and had so much fun with it I got another the second time they were through town. Now I gotta figure out what to do with the $90 pellet gun I bought at Walmart that I never shoot now. It is accurate enough with the open sights to deal with the chipmunks around camp that get into the campers and chew up wiring (not a good thing), plenty of power even with the rated 420-560 fps advertised. I'd feel comfortable taking it after squirrels out to about 15 yards.

Here is the link for pellet-rifle mentioned above. Note: It is a break-barrel -- and is a bit of a pita to load the pellet into the chamber with older/fatter fingers, but it can be done.

Now if you do want to get something better, here is one I would recommend in the just under $200 range. A nephew has one of these Gamo Shadow Sports and it is one heck of an air-gun.