Brand New To Hunting, Bought My First Air Rifle Today.

[Aaron Swanson 0]

Came across some youtube videos a few days back about rabbit hunting. Was hooked within a matter of minutes and was urging to buy a gun and learn to shoot. I have shot air rifles before at targets and practicing groupings although never shot at anything else. I was going to wait until payday to buy a rifle although a win in the bookies meant I was able to pick up one on the cheap. I'm not sure if this will be useful for hunting or maybe just practicing on tins of beans!

 

I bought it for £40 from a close friend who hunts. He has plenty of other rifles but I think this was his first one. The gun a smk b3 and the scope is a smk 4x20, if anyone has any reviews for this model of gun or could tell me how useful it's going to be it would be appreciated. http://www.youtube.c...r/HuntersVermin < been watching his videos over the past few days and I'm addicted. Also the rifle has a leaver under the barrel which is how I load the gun, he said it was a springer or something? So it would be better to shoot free hand instead of with a bipod.

 

 

Any advice on learning how to hunt with air rifles and shoot them correctly would be appreciated, cheers!

 

 

edit: just found the noob topic. was very helpful http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/203932-buying-your-first-air-rifle/

Edited January 21, 2013 by Aaron Swanson

[neil82 1,076]

think with the knowledge you have of the gun you`ve just purchased and knowing the quality of smk products, you may be better off sticking to watching videos of people hunting, there is more to it than getting your hands on any type of gun and piling in, think of the legal aspects of what you want to do, obtain proper permission to shoot, and practice until you can hit a target the size of the kill zone every shot

[Aaron Swanson 0]

I have no knowledge about air guns what so ever although I have shot them before. I find the videos fascinating and will be watching as many as I can until I understand everything that's going on. A lot of my friends own farms and land so getting permission to shoot wouldn't be a problem at all although obtaining the skill to shoot and kill something painlessly will be difficult to master I imagine. Are you familiar with the model of air gun I have or the brand? If so is it sufficient to learn with?

 

cheers

[Tron 173]

You will quickly find that your 4X20 scope isnt going to be up for the job. Some of those Chinese rifles are powerful enough to dispatch rabbits and wood pigeons and other pests, get on Ebay and get yourself a better scope and mounts, Wellcome to the forum Bud,

Edited January 21, 2013 by Tron

[pianoman 3,587]

Hi Aaron.

Well any start is better than nothing . The scope's not worth a bobbin though! You'll soon outshoot the rifle you have and will go on to something better!

[zini 1,939]

Hi Aaron,

 

Welcome to the forum mate .

 

I'm going to be honest with you mate though and please don't take this the wrong way as its just me being truthful .

 

The scope you have is probably not going to stay zeroed for long once you do a long period of practicing with the B2. The mounts that hold these type of small scopes on the action are not very strong and the B2 recoils quite heavily.

 

The B2 itself is a very basic air rifle that is capable of humane killing power to 50 yards max (according to Chairgun Pro software), but gaining the accuracy from it to put your shots within an inch at them ranges with be your real test mate.

 

In practice and knowing the B2 as I do I would say stick to 20 meters at the very max and only after a lot of practice, with a good pellet and maybe with a better scope.

 

I used to own a SMK Custom Lion in 1997 (B2 stable mate) and i would say 20 metes is probably the max distance I could shoot this with a good pellet to stay within an inch. This said on a few occasions I did make clean kills a bit further away, but mostly heart and lung shots on squirrels and rabbits with the odd carrion crow rather than a woody's head.

 

Not to put a downer on you mate, the B2 is a ideal plinking and fun rifle to enjoy in your garden or on the farm with your friends, putting cans out to 50 or 60 yards and plinking can be real fun. Its also ok for shooting feral pigeons and rats at 10 meters in a barn with a safe back stop.

 

I would say enjoy your rifle Aaron and if you feel that you want to later upgrade to a better brand and model then look towards a second hand Weihrauch, Air Arms or older model UK manufactured Webley mate.

 

Its then that you will also improve your own shooting mate.

 

Kind regards

 

Si.

Edited January 21, 2013 by zini

[porkycrook 466]

Aaron first welcome to the forum. The advice you have been given alreadyby forum members is honest and truthful, between them i hate to think of how much experience and knowledge they have. Good luck for the future and don't forget that everytime you get your rifle out you are the face of our sport.

[iana 25]

Welcome here mate,

 

You mention watching hunter vermin vids on youtube. They are all cracking to watch as are Zini's films. But just remember hunters vermin does use all FAC rifles!!

 

Any way we all did start somewhere at the bottom and all the best on the massive learning curve.

 

One final thing to remember is that the rabbits and pigeons that you will be after have amazing instincts and will do everything possible to avoid being shot!! Rabbits will here the slightest noise 100 yards away and be gone before you know it. Pigeons see a bit of your flesh and the same gone before you know it.

 

Listen to all the advice given and good luck.

 

 

[j j m 6,539]

welcome mate that gun is ok to start off with we all had to start somewhere.but try for a bettere mag scope mate it will make your shooting a bit better good luck

[The one 8,476]

get out a do some paper plinking mate and enjoy your gun and get used to it

[webster 90]

welcome to the forum , not the best gun too start with, your on the write track by joining this forum just soak up all info you need

[Aaron Swanson 0]

Thanks for the feed back guys. I took it out today with my friend and we were shooting at plastic bottles and other junk. I only paid £40 for the rifle, scope and some pellets so I expected it to be a very basic set up anyway and I was hitting most of my shots today at about 20 yards pretty accurately I'm going to stick with the rifle for a couple of months to learn and once I get a bit better I can always upgrade and get some other gear as well.

 

Here's a pic

 

If anyone could point out a bipod that would fit this gun please let me know. Once again cheers for all your advice, will read over everyones post again later. Going to watch some more hunting videos at the moment.

[M47KS_M4N_CH71S 50]

 

 

Although u have already purchased a rifle this will help you out know end.

 

http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/203932-buying-your-first-air-rifle/

 

U really need to know about the laws and what quarry and so on u can shoot, the last thing u what is to be behind bars.

 

Any question get them stuck up on here where there is loads of advise from more than one person.

Ask before u do as it will save u money and problems

 

ATB chris

[Moel 18]

Bipods and sprinters don't mix well I'm afraid

 

Regards

 

Moel

[zini 1,939]

Thanks for the feed back guys. I took it out today with my friend and we were shooting at plastic bottles and other junk. I only paid £40 for the rifle, scope and some pellets so I expected it to be a very basic set up anyway and I was hitting most of my shots today at about 20 yards pretty accurately I'm going to stick with the rifle for a couple of months to learn and once I get a bit better I can always upgrade and get some other gear as well.

 

Here's a pic

 

If anyone could point out a bipod that would fit this gun please let me know. Once again cheers for all your advice, will read over everyones post again later. Going to watch some more hunting videos at the moment.

 

HI Aaron,

 

Unless SMK have changed the style of the B2 which used to be a break barrel and not a under lever that rifle isn't a B2 and is a DB4 or 5 which was the same as the older SMK Custom Lion that I used in Bosnia in 1997.

 

What is written on the action of the rifle mate?

 

Si.