Air rifle advice for clueless potential newbie

[Will Hewland]

My 13 year old son suddenly tells me he is enjoying shooting air rifles in school activity class! We have a field at home and as he seems keen to use an air rifle I wondered about getting a cheap one that we could both use for targets. (Hopefully a way to lure him into clays, which he still insists he has no interest in.. But he said that about an air rifle a year ago..)

I know next to nothing about the subject. Any advice welcome! Good retailer; online or Reading, Maidenhead, High Wycombe areas? Ah! Emmett and stone?

.177? Spring powered? He mentioned using one with a suppressor at school. Eh? And with and without scope. Iron sight? (Feel like one of the total clay newbies who come on here.. Not a clue..)

I'm sure ill end up talking to a retailer, but great to hear some seasoned users advice if anybody has a moment for me..

Cheers Will.

 

[Jeremy Baker]

177 springer with a scope will be adequate for target plinking. No need for a sound suppressor as targets won't run after the first shot.

 

[Andy S]

Will,

Have a read, then look at the different air rifles for sale:

http://airgunbuyer.com/page.asp?pg=18

 

[HDAV]

Find out what he is using at school .... Get one and a couple of targets backstop and have fun....

Suppressor could be a moderator or a barrel weight.

Weihrauch are good and hold value well I still have my HW95 from when I was14 ish. There are some cheap nasties out there but hatsan are gaining a reputation and make a junior model weihrauch can be quite heavy and hard to cock but also do a junior. Stay away from PCP (runs off compressed air cylinder) at this stage but a CO2 can be fun for the garden....

http://www.weihrauch-sport.de/seiten/englisch/standardluftgewehre/e_standardluftgewehre.html HW30 used is a good place to start IMO

http://www.gunmart.net/gun_review/weihrauch_hw30s_rifle

https://www.guntrader.co.uk/mobile/gunDetail.php?NewGunID=140427192716701&skipNo=0&perPage=15&Filter%5BNewType%5D%5B%5D=Air+Rifle&Filter%5BNewMechanism%5D%5B%5D=Break+Barrel+-+Spring&Filter%5BCalibre%5D%5B%5D=.177&Filter%5BMake%5D%5B%5D=Weihrauch&Filter%5BModel%5D%5B%5D=HW30+S&sortField=poa&sortOrder=asc

Learning with iron sights is the way to forget a scope until he needs one/gets bored shooting the heads off matches....

Co2 cheapie http://www.gunmart.net/gun_review/smks_co2_powered_rifles_-_the_qb78_deluxe_xs78_and_xs79

 

[PhilS]

I bought the SMK XS78 a couple of years ago with scope.  Use it for woodies and bunnies in the garden.  It isn't a sophisticated gun, runs off the little CO2 canisters (soda syphon type - cheap off fleabay) and is an absolute hoot.

Great for garden plinking too.  My nephews go through a tin of 500 pellets every time they come down.

IIRC cost me £120 all in with the scope.  Worth every penny.  And loads of folk tune them to get the full 12 ft/lb out of them (I think they are about 9/10 when new)

 

[Hamster]

First thing to bear in mind is that he is too young to shoot without adult supervision and it's a good idea to be a bit OTT with him initially regarding the need to treat air guns with respect as they can be pretty dangerous up close including the loading procedure of break barrel guns.

This is because most starter break barrel guns can be fired with the barrel in the open position, meaning you have a very effective metal Nunchaku that can break jaws, therefore holding the barrel securely whilst loading pellets is good practice. Cheap under lever loading spring air guns may also not have what is called (anti bear trap) system which prevents the lever from flying shut if the trigger is accidentally pulled while the port is open, this is also a pretty good bone breaker while the port itself has chewed the odd finger or two. Whatever you buy ask the retailer to show you the correct loading procedure as it isn't as obvious as you may think.

Less desirable as starter kit are precharged systems where you need a seperate air bottle to bleed air into the guns chamber which then allows you to fire off as many as 100+ shots simply by working a bolt, their recoilless firing cycle also ensures early accuracy even for beginners  but they are generally too costly and cumbersome for casual use.

For my money I recommend you walk into a gun shop and ask to be sold a BSA Lightning .22 complete with B movie silencer, this is a superb gun for your circumstances and will keep it's value very well should you trade it on later. Others I recommend would be either a Weihrauch HW99 or HW95 again in .22 as these are much easier to load for beginners and certainly accurate enough for the kind of ranges you ought to be shooting at.

The reason I said ask to be sold is that there are millions of cheap cack cheapo starter guns there that wouldn't even fall in the Bettinsolli/Hatsan category.

 

[Skeet UK]

What Hamster said AND...for the love of GOD...do NOT buy a new Webley.  It is not a Webley.

Do you have a budget in mind?

 

[Will Hewland]

What Hamster said AND...for the love of GOD...do NOT buy a new Webley.  It is not a Webley.

Do you have a budget in mind?

My bias would be cheap, as my son might use it for an hour and go right back to his computer! I have a newish 20 bore Miroku in the cabinet that my step-daughter used briefly a few years ago.. But as with the Miroku, no problem as the right gun will sell on at a good price, rather than a cheapie you can't give away.

To be honest, I ought to borrow one first to ensure its not a 5 minute wonder..

 

[Dunc]

Will  -  I've a good few air rifles and have at least 7 that Ben has won and have never been opened ie several Hatsans and several Gamos.  I have another 10 PCPs as well as a sizeable selection of BSA and Webleys that I collect eg Airsporters, Mercurys - at least 3 of each and  3  Webley Mk 3s  including a SuperTarget, 3 Webley Trackers etc etc!!!

You're welcome to see them anytime and I'm sure we could loan you one of the new ones 

I prefer 177 for collecting although historically it's been the minority (for hunting) calibre.  But for plinking, it really doesn't matter.

HFT is great fun for a kid.

 

[Will Hewland]

Will  -  I've a good few air rifles and have at least 7 that Ben has won and have never been opened ie several Hatsans and several Gamos.  I have another 10 PCPs as well as a sizeable selection of BSA and Webleys that I collect eg Airsporters, Mercurys - at least 3 of each and  3  Webley Mk 3s  including a SuperTarget, 3 Webley Trackers etc etc!!!

You're welcome to see them anytime and I'm sure we could loan you one of the new ones 

I prefer 177 for collecting although historically it's been the minority (for hunting) calibre.  But for plinking, it really doesn't matter.

HFT is great fun for a kid.

Dunc, wow! Would be great to meet up sometime and see / chat! Very kind. Nothing like being shown the stuff! I'm sure we could work something out. Will pm you.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Don't buy anything yet......wait for the silent auction......!! Just saying.....ssssssssssssshhh..!

 

[RobertBeard]

If this is a prelude to target shooting then it is a very high tech and expensive hobby for youngsters just to warn you!  Have a look at the NSRA website and shop!  If its just plinking in the back garden then fine.  However very different guns for different activities e.g. Target, Field Target, Plinking etc.  They have an air club based on the Malcolm Cooper range at Bisley at the NSRA headquarters which is the next building on camp on the left after the CPSA HQ.  They will deal with all the safety, teach him and will provide guns to use until you establish if its a five minute wonder or not.  You could drop him off, go and have a shoot yourself and then pick him up afterwards.  Air pistol might also attract as an alternative both can be ISSF/Olympic disciplines!

 

[Dunc]

If this is a prelude to target shooting then it is a very high tech and expensive hobby for youngsters just to warn you!  Have a look at the NSRA website and shop!  If its just plinking in the back garden then fine.  However very different guns for different activities e.g. Target, Field Target, Plinking etc.  They have an air club based on the Malcolm Cooper range at Bisley at the NSRA headquarters which is the next building on camp on the left after the CPSA HQ.  They will deal with all the safety, teach him and will provide guns to use until you establish if its a five minute wonder or not.  You could drop him off, go and have a shoot yourself and then pick him up afterwards.  Air pistol might also attract as an alternative both can be ISSF/Olympic disciplines!

Hi Robert

You're absolutely correct re the cost of high tech PCPs.  However, I've won the Middlesex league last season in Div 1 by using a FWB 700 that I bought for £750. I feed it H&N pellets at £9 per 500 and range time in the LRC (Cooper Range) is £6.90/hr.  Once you have a cylinder, the cost of air is negligible. My own club is only £3 per hour but as I take this shooting seriously, I'd prefer to pay a bit more for the great set up at Bisley.  Besides, as I work in Farmborough, it's only a few mins for me to nip accross at lunchtime for a shoot and a great distraction to 'work'.

Contrast that to the cost of shotgun shooting!  A fraction of the cost of around £150/Sunday for two registereds and probably the same mid week never mind all the other expenses.  I've been trying to get my lad into 10m air, but he's not really interested although does shoot F Class full bore and Civilian Service Rifle.  Or at least he did before being consumed by Sporting clay shooting!!!!

HFT (Hunter Field Target) is much more likely to appeal to kids and this can be shot by almost any rifle.  I  shot it with a basic 10 yr old Daystate PCP and fixed mag scope and did OK.

 

[Bryn12]

I would echo everything Hamster and Robert have said, should be plenty of clubs where he can get a feel for what he wants to do and whether its a 5 minute wonder. There really is some cheap useless crap out there.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Air rifle is now up on the silent auction page...!!

 

[ips]

My vote also goes to BSA lightening, original model better imo than the XL but probably hard to find a good one now. PCP's are great if your serious however they don't have the same appeal as a springer as they are so dead. Ridiculously accurate though, my air arms 400 classic (walnut stock) will group 1" max at 50yds no problem with accupells. (bench rested of course).

Or what about theoben gas ram ?

 

[Darkside]

...there will be tens of thousands of second hand air rifles for sale North of the border soon, you might pick up a bargin

 

[ips]

James

is this a change in air gun law you refer to ?

ian

 

[Darkside]

Yes, 500,000 air guns will need licences if/when it goes through...