Airguns chat! Started as PCP airguns, now all welcome!

[Halfapint]

Well since the forum god put in a air/springer sub group we don't need a airgun chat to talk about our airguns!

I had been looking for a while for airguns, the great 2020-ongoing (as of 07Jun) firearm and ammo panic kinda pushed me to buy a big boy air rifle. I did a bunch of research and definitely wanted an all in one airgun because I didn't want external pumps or tanks for my first one. Plus I didn't want to spend a lot. I was basically looking for a small game rifle that could replace my .22lr firearms.

Enter the Seneca Aspen .25 PCP

It had been OOS for months and finally got the email saying it was in. So ordered it. It came in just under my budget of $300 plus tax of course. It was shipped via ground and arrived in less than a week. I had ordered an extra magazine for it because it didn't say it has 2 in box. So bonus 3 mags, each are 8shots with the .25! First thing I'll point out is this thing is BIG. There's lots of plastic on it, but it's not cheap, the plastic is all sturdy. The pump handle is is large it fits my large hands no problem, there's no side to side play in it and it has a 3 stage pump so that from first to last pump you feel very little difference.

It took about 80 pumps to fully charge it the first time, while a lot, it wasn't over strenuous. The first shots I put though it, from 30' was incredible! I was standing and supported by a ladder and I was stacking pellets on pellets (pic below).

The trigger is adjustable and while not the best, a bit heavy, it has a clean break. It does not come with a scope, but I had a decent $40 Amazon scope on my Benjamin break action.

I run it on max pressure and have the hammer tuned all the way up, with those setting I can get about 18-20 shots before having to pump again. If you over pressure it and take a shot, it has zero accuracy and will dump the over pressure on that shot. If you go under pressure the pellets badly fall out the barrel. So watch your pressure gauge. It takes 3-5 pumps per shot to keep the charge. The last thing I can think about is the direct pull charging handle. Other entry level PCPs do not have this feature for the post part.

Overall I am VERY impressed with this gun. It is a little beast. I have taken 5 eastern grey squirrels. With the 30gr pellets I'm shooting hits hard. I only take headshots and this hits so hard that it punches through and kills them dead, no death throes.

ETA: forgot pictures

.177 vs .25 pellets


Benji vs Aspen


Fancy shooting rest, but you can see the pressure gauge


The first 8 shots with the scope on, no I cant believe it either.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I want a .22 caliber air rifle, but I'm not quite at the point where I can drop the cash on a PCP set up just yet.

Nor am I at the point where I can drop the cash on the higher end stuff. So I'm having to look at stuff from Gamo and whoever makes the Ruger line of air rifles (I think it's Umarex, but I'm not sure).

So for now I'm having to make do with an older Beeman Silver Bear I picked up at a yard sale for 20 bucks. It's not the greatest pellet rifle, but it's still better than the old Daisy one I had as a kid.

[Halfapint]

I want a .22 caliber air rifle, but I'm not quite at the point where I can drop the cash on a PCP set up just yet.

Nor am I at the point where I can drop the cash on the higher end stuff. So I'm having to look at stuff from Gamo and whoever makes the Ruger line of air rifles (I think it's Umarex, but I'm not sure).

So for now I'm having to make do with an older Beeman Silver Bear I picked up at a yard sale for 20 bucks. It's not the greatest pellet rifle, but it's still better than the old Daisy one I had as a kid.

The Aspen comes in 3 flavors.177, .22, .25.  I may buy another in .177 for pinking I have something like 15k .177 pellets I bought in bulk years ago. While cheaper than .22lr the .25 pellets are a bit expensive for plinking but you can buy them on Amazon which is nice.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

.22 caliber pellets seem to be consistently available in my AO and I've already got a ton of .177 cal stuff for my current air rifle.

I know Walmart and Academy are usually good sources for .22 caliber pellets. And I'm always getting emails from Midway USA with sales on air rifle stuff.

[MacWa77ace]

I want a .22 caliber air rifle, but I'm not quite at the point where I can drop the cash on a PCP set up just yet.

Nor am I at the point where I can drop the cash on the higher end stuff. So I'm having to look at stuff from Gamo and whoever makes the Ruger line of air rifles (I think it's Umarex, but I'm not sure).

So for now I'm having to make do with an older Beeman Silver Bear I picked up at a yard sale for 20 bucks. It's not the greatest pellet rifle, but it's still better than the old Daisy one I had as a kid.

I love those garage sale finds. That Silver Bear is such a nice looking rifle. Interesting the forestock breaks with the barrel. Why isn't it floating your boat? The spring action? I have a Ruger that I don't really like because of the action and the way the spring effects the shot and my accuracy. But its a quality gun.

What type are you looking for though if not PCP? PyramidAir is a good place to do research if you're not sure what brands are available to then research what is the best in your price range.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I want a .22 caliber air rifle, but I'm not quite at the point where I can drop the cash on a PCP set up just yet.

Nor am I at the point where I can drop the cash on the higher end stuff. So I'm having to look at stuff from Gamo and whoever makes the Ruger line of air rifles (I think it's Umarex, but I'm not sure).

So for now I'm having to make do with an older Beeman Silver Bear I picked up at a yard sale for 20 bucks. It's not the greatest pellet rifle, but it's still better than the old Daisy one I had as a kid.

I love those garage sale finds. That Silver Bear is such a nice looking rifle. Interesting the forestock breaks with the barrel. Why isn't it floating your boat? The spring action? I have a Ruger that I don't really like because of the action and the way the spring effects the shot and my accuracy. But its a quality gun.

What type are you looking for though if not PCP? PyramidAir is a good place to do research if you're not sure what brands are available to then research what is the best in your price range.

The spring action seems like it'd be rough on optics and since there's a lack of iron sights on the Silver Bear, optics are pretty much the only option.

I'd prefer something with irons and the capacity to mount an optic. I know Umarex and Gamo make a "Nitro piston" air rifle and I've heard those aren't as rough on optics as the old springer actions are.

Also, since it's a .177 caliber pellet, I don't really trust it to make a clean kill on anything I may use it for. That and the sucker is LOUD. Almost like a .22lr rifle loud.

I'd prefer something that's a bit more quiet. I know Gamo makes the Whisper Fusion, which claims to be super quiet. So I may check one of those out if I can find one.

[majorhavoc]

The spring action seems like it'd be rough on optics and since there's a lack of iron sights on the Silver Bear, optics are pretty much the only option.

I'd prefer something with irons and the capacity to mount an optic. I know Umarex and Gamo make a "Nitro piston" air rifle and I've heard those aren't as rough on optics as the old springer actions are.

Also, since it's a .177 caliber pellet, I don't really trust it to make a clean kill on anything I may use it for. That and the sucker is LOUD. Almost like a .22lr rifle loud.

I'd prefer something that's a bit more quiet. I know Gamo makes the Whisper Fusion, which claims to be super quiet. So I may check one of those out if I can find one.

Yeah, a spring piston airgun (break barrel, side lever, etc.) has a brutal bi-directional recoil that's hell on optics that aren't airgun rated.  It's the initial inertial impulse in one direction when the massive spring is released, followed by the opposite direction of recoil when the piston slams into the front of the cylinder.  It not only eats ordinary optics for lunch, it requires a different way of holding the rifle to get good accuracy (Google: "artillery hold").

And yes, these airguns can be very loud, especially the more powerful .177 spring piston guns.  Physics doesn't care whether it's explosive propellant or compressed air: once that little pellet goes supersonic, you going to get that characteristic "crack" of a rifle report.  And don't get me started on what happens if you lube the breech with the wrong kind of oil.  The rapid compression of air in the cylinder generates heat which can ignite the oil if it's too flammable.  Hence the name for that phenomenon: "dieseling".  It can momentarily turn a 800fps gun into an 1100 fps one and again: you will get the extremely loud crack.  It essentially becomes a hybrid firearm at that point. 

ETA: but we digress.  Halfpint's original post is about all-in-one PCP airguns, a completely different beast.  And in the mid size calibers (.25) he's talking about, a very sensible, self contained option for taking small game in an emergency scenario where firearm ammunition might become scarce.  To say nothing of an economical way of developing/maintaining marksmanship proficiency. 

[Halfapint]

ETA: but we digress.

Digress all you want, wonder if we should have a "airguns chat"???

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I suppose this thread could possibly be the airguns Chat thread, if you'd like.

Sort of an all in one thread for airguns of all types.

[Halfapint]

I suppose this thread could possibly be the airguns Chat thread, if you'd like.

Sort of an all in one thread for airguns of all types.

Changed the title. Fell free to change to something better!

[NapalmMan67]

Bought a Crossman 760 years ago after my old 2100 gave up the ghost.  Have been using the 760 for pest control over the years, but sometimes required follow up shots to finish the job.

Recently acquired a Gamo Wildcat .22.  Fantastic for the money imo, it's accurate and powerful.  Tree rats and garden munchers stand no chance...  OSOK (head shot) on a whistle pig a few weeks ago.  Would recommend if needing a basic accurate varmint gun.


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[Halfapint]

The Benjamin NP airgun in the original photo was a hell of a rifle. I got some heavier pointed pellets and it was still pushing them super sonic. When it would hit a fluffy tailed rat it usually killed it in a single hit.

That 25 cal absolutely destroys squirrels. I only kill the invasive Eastern grey. But I hit one the other day about 120' up one od my fir trees. Right in the noggin it had no idea what happened. It was just lights out and down it came.

I don't like killing anything else, and generally I eat the stuff I kill. But my cat has been scrapping with a much too tame raccoon. So it got put down. Gotta say I would normally use a 22lr for it, but I had a clean front facing shot, so I took it with the airgun and same thing. It just kinda slouched over and went to sleep. I didn't a follow up shit just to be sure and it was dead dead.

Not a fan of killing for no reason, but to protect the Doug squirrel and my cat, I will.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

In my county in Texas, squirrels are considered a game animal and one needs a hunting license to shoot them.

Not entirely sure of the regulations regarding shooting them inside city limits, but I get the feeling it's frowned upon by the city and the PD.

[Halfapint]

In my county in Texas, squirrels are considered a game animal and one needs a hunting license to shoot them.

Not entirely sure of the regulations regarding shooting them inside city limits, but I get the feeling it's frowned upon by the city and the PD.

Grey squirrel are invasive and there is no season on them. I do believe you are suppose to have hunting license but I always get that anyways.

I should say eastern grey are invasive we have western grey, but they live in old growth. The Doug squirrels are about twice the size of chipmunks. But with big busy tails. Very easy to tell apart. I have one that likes to torrment the cat that I call chonk. He's a big boned squirrel

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

At my old house, there was a family of squirrels that liked to tease my sister's dog. The dog had two confirmed kills and two unconfirmed kills before we moved.

The funny thing is the squirrels followed us when we moved to a new house. They now live in the attic of my next door neighbor's house and occasionally will pop out to watch me check the mail or walk the dog.

The dog doesn't chase them anymore, so I think they've come to an understanding. Squirrels don't tease the dog and the dog doesn't tru to eat the squirrels.

[NapalmMan67]

To clarify, I only take out the gray tree rats, since they are the destructive ones to homes, vehicles, gardens etc...  and they have proliferated immensely in my AO.  A few weekends ago, there were 10-12 running around on our deck.  Our yard is 150' x 175', so IMO we have an over abundance.

Also, since I've taken out 10 or so this spring so far, the Fox squirrels come to our yard much more.  I enjoy them and they don't destroy stuff that I can tell like the gray do.


As for being frowned upon in city limits, probably for the most part that's true.  The LEO in our neighborhood said he's appreciative when I eliminate them, as long as I'm not shooting direct towards any houses/cars/people etc. in the area.  He had some gray that chewed up his wife's vehicle wiring awhile ago, said it cost them $1600.00 to have it repaired.  No permit required where I am either.

And for further clarification, I don't shoot the cute and fuzzy bunnies, my wife would be out of sorts if I did.  And they don't get in the garden due to the fencing...  the whistle pig on the other hand, mowed down almost the entire garden in two nights.  So, my food preservation or leave it alone? -  yep, my food preservation won that question.


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[Optimist]

Was sighting in my airguns yesterday. Just a Crosman 1377 handgun and some Winchester branded springer I got cheap from Midway years ago. Some day I need a pest control airgun. The Crosman is actually surprisingly accurate, but I don't think it's powerful enough for anything but the very smallest of critters. The Winchester is supposed to have a velocity of 1100 FPS, but every time I've tried to sight it in I've come away feeling frustrated.

I'll probably make a thread about it eventually, but I don't have the spare mental capacity to actually think about it this week.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Whenever I see an air gun claim a certain fps, I tend to think they use match grade pellets when doing the fps testing.

I doubt any of these companies are using the cheap stuff you find at Walmart in their testing.

[Halfapint]

Whenever I see an air gun claim a certain fps, I tend to think they use match grade pellets when doing the fps testing.

I doubt any of these companies are using the cheap stuff you find at Walmart in their testing.

Generally speaking, it's not match, it's just the super light weight pellets, the ones with polymer tips. But yes. That's what I like with a lot of thr PCP airguns they usually say 900fps with X gr pellet. I think Gamo was the worst offender of this. They used custom like 4gr poly pellets and were claiming speeds of 1500fps. Then people caught wind and started blasting them.

[Optimist]

For the stuff I'd like to use airguns for (quiet, cheap practice and quiet pest control) high velocity is actually a negative selling point. I'd rather have everything be subsonic. I can see why high velocity would be good in certain applications though.