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will you be moving onto hunting? whats your budget? .177 or .22? theres afew different things to look at when buying a gun.

 

for target shooting a .177 would be best. cheaper pellets but thats about it because with the springer you have said i dont think many will shoot accuratly past 30yards anyway if i was to buy another spring it would be in .22

 

bsa meteor is a great starter gun im refurbing one at the moment and cheap as chips so wont break the bank

 

budget wise id buy second hand as you get alot more for your money. unles money isnt a worry then even then buy new but you will lose alot on the return of rifle when you go to sell it

 

just a few ideas to consider, lewis

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Right, save up for a bit and some super top spring powered rifles will come your way, look for HW95s, Air Arms TX200s and Prosports.

 

Buy new and you will be limited to the bottom end, however there are some little gems in there that may be a bit rough, but still usable and will benefit from additional tuning. The ubiquitous SMK XS78 (cheap, eats Co2 cartridges but is very tunable and accurate), XS19 (accurate but agricultural, the trigger is so woolly it does go baa), XS20, and Stoeger head up the Chinese. Also look at the Hatsan range, the 55S and 60S rifles are also known as the Webley Stingray mark 2, they now have an AA TX200 clone in the range as well.

 

I recently had a 60S TG GR given to me as a present (gas rammed version of the 60S), the build quality is very good and it is accurate enough to hunt with!

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I like the Hatsan 55 and 60 rifles, these are the same as the Webley Stingray mark 2 (virtually, they have a much better safety switch than the Webley though, the Webley has a stock with a longer forend, same auto safety, powerlok spring, recoil absorbing spring though), the Stingray mark 2 is around twice the price, so make your mind up time. .177 is better for target shooting and is good for hunting too!

 

http://www.solware.c...air-rifle.shtml

 

.177 is cheaper for pellets, it is narrow in calibre and lighter in weight, The benefit is the trajectory (flight path) of the pellet is flatter! This makes aiming easier, the pellets also fly faster. Just one thing, buy reasonable pellets, anything with SMK on the tin will be no use, probably the worst pellets in the world. Guns can be pellet fussy, so you might have to try a few different brands. Domed pellets are best for hunting!

Edited by secretagentmole
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As above, second hand Weihrauch Hw77, Hw97, Hw95, Hw80, All great guns and will last for years, 177, Is probably better for target shooting, possibly .22 for hunting, but it is a life long argument which is better for hunting.

Best advice is to Listen to what most people on here recommend, then try them out at a gun shop or club, and decide which one suits YOU best. :thumbs:

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Ah another thing to remember, the .177 requires more energy to get the pellet up to power, in a spring powered rifle this can cause harsh recoil. Guns such as the TX200 overcome this with mass (ie they are heavier), the Hatsan has a bent piece of metal (the shock absorbing system), the HW95 is not very snappy and not very heavy either, weird one that (the wife had one in .177 that recoiled about as much as my TX200)...

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The Hatsan 60 can be used to hunt small game, I have used mine to. Just make sure you use reasonable pellets. Lots of people buy cheap guns and then use SMK pellets, you would get better groupings spitting the pellets at the target!

 

http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/245265-mixed-bag-3-species-2-guns-2-calibres/

 

Top photo shows the Hatsan and it's prey!

Edited by secretagentmole
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It is a Webley Stingray mark 2, which is a £180 rifle, same barrel, spring, mechanism, the stock on the Webley has more extensive checkering and the safety catch on the Webley is bleeding awful, a tiny little recessed flick switch at th left rear of the stock. The 55 or 60 is a large pushbutton on the back of the action.

 

Difference is you save about £90, unless you ask for the English/Turkish/English hybrid! Allow me to elucidate.

 

The Hatsan 60S was developed with help from Edgar Brothers, before Highland Outdoors or whoever owned Webley at the time decided it would make a good replacement for the Stingray. When the Stingray mark 2 was launched the 55 and 60 was relaunched with the technological advances that the Stingray had (fully adjustable 2 stage trigger and now the shock absorbing system). The new model 60s is imported and a few are sent to a secret location (said to be Stutleys), where the spring is taken out and a gas ram is put in. This makes the rifle exceptionally quiet and a delight to shoot! If you haggle hard enough you can get them for around the £180-200 mark. It is such a high volume conversion that "Gas Ram" is written on the box and manual in felt tip pen! I kiddeth you not!

 

I think they represent expceptional value for money, they have the same Trulok spring as the Webley, German barrels, good mechanicals and are reliable. I had one for 2 years, before I sold it when I went PCP (stupid mistake), it was still making over 11 foot pound energy! Stick a Hawke HD scope on it and you have a decent little hunting outfit!

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spingers will shoot past 30 yards... with practice, sat with a chap with a HW doing 20p groups at 50meters in a serious wind n rain.... used to do it my self with an HW80 donkies years ago.

 

a pcp is much more cosey for want of words though, and 'easier' to use, the second you get into hunting you'll be after a magazine for multishots. i will say the estra cost of a pcp is worth it.

 

AAs200's area basic model but very accurate., falcons are nifty 40 yarders, daystates are accurate if you dont get the brunt of the manufcturers, HW1OO, how can yu miss? lol. rapids, 300 shots, then theres the likes of the electronic daystates, or the S-type THEOBEN... the list goes on.

 

todays barrels pritty much mean theres a huge choise compaired to years ago when a HW was classed as a distance gun.. but having said that a 'good' air rifle was pap after 30 yards back then.

 

caliber wise, nip to a range or go to a shoot some where and try out the calibers, usualy peeps take to one or the other.

 

basically the 12fp's is worked out so the same amount of energy is hitting, else theyre would be two legal powers one for each caliber. in wind and at distance a .22 has a slight edge, not worth worrying about though, for hunting, in the head its dead no matter which, and .177 has proven its self in my hands for 30 years...and .22 has proven itself in others hands, so what ever ticks yu boo matey, they all work.

 

the other conciderasion is is it cumfy to you, not your mate or the airgun mag writer... its you that'll be shooting with it.

Edited by ghillies
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