Air rifle advice.

[Matt Gibson 1]

Thinking of buying a bit of a better air rifle as I'm just starting.

I've seen a Crossman Ratcatcher around my price rance.

Are they worth buying for shooting rabbits and birds, at what distance if so

 

What price should I look at buying one for?

 

What other gun around £100 would be better?

 

thanks

[Sjt657 191]

Rat catcher is brilliant you can shoot birds rats and rabbits but only at close range they are a good starter gun. I still have mine shot a woodie with it couple of weeks ago

[Matt Gibson 1]

Rat catcher is brilliant you can shoot birds rats and rabbits but only at close range they are a good starter gun. I still have mine shot a woodie with it couple of weeks ago

 

Is it worth stepping straight to a decent gun instead of starting out at this?

Just gets annoying when you shoot a bird and the pellet goes nowhere you planned it too!

[Sjt657 191]

They are a good gun I suggest you buy one and go to a range rather that shooting live birds yet . Get your eye in before your start shooting live birds

[Matt Gibson 1]

I've done a fair ammount (About (got through 1000 pellets)of target shooting in the garden before I went to the field!

Got a few crows, thats it.

[Lewis Ste 245]

What gun have you got at the moment if your looking for a quality springer second hand it 150+ but a decent pcp is 300+

[secretagentmole 1,701]

For Ratcatcher money you can buy a Webley Stingray mark 2, but it is not labelled that, instead look for a Hatsan 55S if you like a .177 or a 60S if you like a .22!

 

These have the Webley spring (made in Sweden), Webley trigger (called a Quattro trigger on the Hatsan), recoil reducing system (called SAS - no not balaclava required, try Shock Absorbing System), they have a better safety catch than the Webley, walnut stock, German barrels, nice guns! Depending on where you buy them, you can pick them up for as little as £99, which leaves you some money for a scope too!

[Matt Gibson 1]

For Ratcatcher money you can buy a Webley Stingray mark 2, but it is not labelled that, instead look for a Hatsan 55S if you like a .177 or a 60S if you like a .22!

 

These have the Webley spring (made in Sweden), Webley trigger (called a Quattro trigger on the Hatsan), recoil reducing system (called SAS - no not balaclava required, try Shock Absorbing System), they have a better safety catch than the Webley, walnut stock, German barrels, nice guns! Depending on where you buy them, you can pick them up for as little as £99, which leaves you some money for a scope too!

 

Thanks for that. What would you advise... .22 or .177?

[secretagentmole 1,701]

.177 is easier to aim, but both of these guns will recoil, meaning you have to learn how to shoot a spring powered to get the best out of them. .22 has the advantage of extra pellet weight and makes the same power but due to mass of pellet requires less shove to get the pellet up to speed. Try both and see which you get on with! I went with .22 when I started as I used to borrow dad's BSA Super Meteor when I was a teenager!

 

I forgot about the SMK XS78 or XS79 rifles, these are the same price as the Crosman, CO2 powwered as well but easier to tune up to the maximum of 12 foot pound energy (best to stick at around 11 so you do not wind up with an illegal gun). If you go down the tuning route make sure you buy a Combro Chrono before tuning anything (except a guitar or a piano). This cheap (£41) piece of plastic will keep your backside out of jail! These guns are too easy to make hot.

 

You can buy the XS or QB ready tuned. You are in Warwickshire, not too far over to Welsh Willy's place, Woodfield Gun Care.

 

Have a link and a dribble...

 

http://www.woodfield-gcp.co.uk/

 

Click on the Tuning by Woodfield bit and read!

Edited May 16, 2012 by secretagentmole

[Matt Gibson 1]

How much does it cost to tune on of them up? And how hard?

[secretagentmole 1,701]

You can buy the XS78 pre tuned from Welsh Willy. Tuning a springer is a bit harder. My advice is speak to Woodfield, ask them. That way they will have tuned it and set the power, which means you should stay legal! Warning though, tuning the little XSs can get addictive. The XS79 can be converted to HPA buy buying a Gorilla bottle, which makes a cheap PCP with a high shot count! The XS78 can be changed to bulkfill from a CO2 fire extinguisher cutting down costs. Triggers can be improved, it all adds up! Trouble is they are addictive little feckers and you do want to see what can happen....

[andyfr1968 772]

I know what Mole's saying about dicking about with cheap rubbish trying to make it better (I've been guilty of that many times in the past!!) but there's little point spending a load of time and cash on something that's only ever going to be average at best. Much better to get something decent in the first place.

[robwelsh 354]

If your going to piss money away by tuning it and buying it, buy a nice conditioned medium to heavy weight Springer secondhand, 100-200quid depending..an they will shoot better than the cheap stuff an be more reliable..then you can send it off to various tuners, for around 70quid, spring,seals etc will be sorted out..and it will shoot better than it came out of the factory..some springers are very quiet

[robwelsh 354]

P.s I know of a s200 ,scope an bag 200quid?? I can see if its still available

[Matt Gibson 1]

P.s I know of a s200 ,scope an bag 200quid?? I can see if its still available

 

Yes, that would be great! (Also better if it could be cheaper! )