Looking for one under $150 to use on squirrels mostly, nothing too fancy.

Brands models, or even just reccomendations on fps and caliber

Sorry to say but you are not going to get much of a pellet rifle for $150 bucks. But I could be wrong: Squirrels have a taught hide. I have been watch a lot of video's on pellet rifles. They sure make so hi-teak gun's today.
Sorry I could not help more. One thing I do know, you will have to try several brand and types of pellets before you will be able to hit the target consistently. There is a lot of good information on the web.

I picked up a crosman at dicks sporting for like a 125 or so....I cant remember the model...its in the truck....anyway...I shoots 177 cal. pellets at 1200 fps and I have used it for for coons and other size animals ...I had dialed it in for 60 yards...and has driven tacs since....i'll run out to the truck to tell you what model

They make better nowa days...I seen a few for under 150 that look nice. The one I have is a G1 Extreme

I just bought a $325 benjamin .22 and my buddy
Bought a remington tyrant .177 for 100.00 and
His is quite a bit more accurate then mine.

Ya...My brother picked a .25 cal ben. maurader..and that thing drives tacs as well..

Have you tried other pellets..i hear those benjamins can be finiky

when I bought it about 4 years ago...it was 1200 FPS.. I shoot those pellets with the bb embedded in the tip

Theres many to choose from , these days

This topic is a current focus in WCT Magazine. For under $150, look for sales at discount sporting goods stores. Next, through the FPS stuff out the door. The ideal velocity for a pellet to maintain accuracy is 950 fps and below. Once you break the speed of sound, you have forces acting in multiple directions on it. While this may not be an issue for a 10 or 20 yard shot, it sure will be an issue at longer ranges.

In terms of caliber, you'll be limited with the price range as well and may have to go .177. While I'm not a fan of this caliber it doesn't matter if you're shooting .177 or .50, if you don't hit the animal where it needs it it doesn't matter. A brain shot for a squirrel takes about 5 to 7 fpe (foot pounds of energy) to kill it. A heart/lung shot takes about 10 fpe and in my experience, tracking a shot squirrel waiting for it to die (.177 leaves a very small wound channel and if you're off just a bit it can take follow up shots which is just one of many reasons I don't like it) can lead to the squirrel getting away.

If possible, see if you can go up to $200 or $250 for a break barrel air rifle. Makers like Gamo and Crosman will have specials for some of their rifles and at times will include a good starter scope for that price as well. Ideally, I'd say you should be looking at a .22, break barrel, gas-piston, shooting 750 - 900 fps. This will give you between 25 and 40 fps based on ammo. Again, accuracy is the most important item as you need to hit the animal in the right place and there are a lot of other factors that will determine this besides the caliber and velocity of the gun.

gamo rocket with crossman destroyer EX....... costs about $130 and the pellets are cheap too

I'd like to upgrade to a .22 or .25 caliber in the near future...but for now all I can tell you is...im shooting at 1200 FPS and this gun has always been dead nuts on... and still is today...I actually use it like a sniper rifle and pick spots within spots ...its nothing to take out sparrows at 60 yards or so with a rest ...but I needed to find the pellets to deliver this and ..I forget the name but they have a bb embedded in the tip of the pellet... Definetly worth the few bucks...All in all ...as every one of us know...it's all about shot placement, as WCT said...

swampdonkey,

The pellets should be the gamo rockets. I've tried them with my .177 Big Cat but they didn't group as good as some Gamo hollow points.

Out of curiosity, have you established an average FPS with a chronograph? Not saying you're not shooting 1200, and I'm not saying that your gun isn't one of the exceptions, just curious. Most air gun fps claims are done with super light pellets so they will post 1100 fps using something that weighs 5.6 grains versus the standard 8.8 grains. I've got air guns listed at 1200 fps that shoot 745 fps with 15.9 grain pellets and ones rated for 900 fps that shoot 856 fps with 16 grain pellets.

Throw Back,Dont listen to the hype about 1200 fps.Those velocities are achieved by using lightweight pellets that wont retain energy at the target.Advertised velocities are at the muzzle not at the target. Not saying those airguns are crap but you get what you pay for.Airguns are ridding a new wave of excitement now and the manufactures are spending a lot on advertising on the new products.For staying in your budget look at the Benjaman 392 pump up .It is in 22 cal,more than adequate for squirrels.Use crossman premier hp pellets.Dont use light pellets!The premiers weigh 14.3 gr and will give you aprox. 14.5 fpe.The legal limit in Britain is 12 fpe,without a FAC licence and all sorts of vermin are taken at this power level.
Pyramyd Air is a great place to look also your sporting good stores(Walley World etc.)Benjaman 392 is adjustable in power ,by amount of pumps.Example,3/4 pumps for plinking and 8 pumps for max power.
Also look at on line airgun forms to get a little info on airguns.So many to chose from.
Darn! if I could take out sparrows at 180 ft distance with a $125 crossman!!!!

No hype for me, I have heard that before.

I am looking at the hatsun 95, it got very good reviews on Amazon fwiw. Is 22 or 25 better

what you want is quit for city work........ adjustable trigger and a Picatinny rail......

Hatsan is a Turkish producer that makes some really good air guns. The 95 is a spring-piston air rifle which is considered the hardest type of air rifle to shoot accurately. The reason is that it produces bi-directional kick after the gun is fired. This usually means you have to hold it slightly different than other guns (very loose) and hold it in the same position for each shot. You also have to pay attention to how long the air rifle remains cocked as this puts additional stress on the spring, weakening it, so it may have to be replaced at some point. Another thing to note about spring-piston guns is that due to the heavy kick, they require air gun specific scopes and in this case a special type of scope mount on the dovetail. If you put a non standard scope on one, you run the risk of ruining the reticle and thus the scope. The reason is that while most magnum style guns are shot less than 100 times a year, while an air rifle tends to be shot several thousand times a year.

The .22 is rated at 800 fps while the .25 is rate for 650 fps. You can always increase FPS on these guns by getting a stiffer spring installed. Of the two choices, I'd go with the .22 even through I am really liking .25. This way, if the fps is lower than advertised (which should be expected) and as the spring wears it will naturally go down as well, you'll be good to go down to about 650 fps (which will give you about 13.5 fpe with a 14.3 grain pellet). Compared to the .25 which will only be good to about 500 fps (this will yield about 14 fpe with a 25.4 grain pellet).

Also, air guns require a barrel break in period. This will remove the oils from the manufacturing process causing something known as dieseling. You'll know this is happening because you'll see a bit of smoke coming out of the barrel. Dieseling is sometimes produced on purpose as it increases the pellets fps, but it also increases the noise of the air rifle. Some air rifles require about 100 pellets through it for the break in period while others will take a couple of hundred or more. The good thing is that as long as you're moving pellets at under 950 fps, you don't have to clean the bore as that velocity is too slow to leave lead residue behind. If you run a patch down the barrel it will appear "dirty", but that is actually caused by the lubricant (nowadays mainly graphite) that the pellets are coated in to stop oxidation.

And to think when I was 8 I killed a rabbit with a crossman 760.

I think i will play it safe and get a red ryder.

when did BB guns get so complicated, everytime i read a gun article some crafty salesman convinces me that how I used to kill things is impossible and now i need to pony up some dough on magnum shells, new rifles, and all the tacticool gear on the market

you will shoot your eye out,,,,,,,,,,,........

Stoeger X10 Air Rifle is on sale al Cabelas for 79 bucks...........x20 is 129

I kind of want a 22 now, but maybe will go with the stoeger

The Stoeger comes in 22. cal also at 1000 fps.

No longer at cable's

Cabela’s still has the refurbished X20S on sale for $69.00, same warranty as new (2 years) X20S- click here

Ruger break barrel .177 and it comes with a scope. I believe it's a copy of a gamo? I know for a fact it'll kill a squirrel. effortlessly. I paid $129

Sportsmans warehouse has the stoeger 20s on sale for 119 or 129 with a scope. I'd get it in 22 I think it's 9 to 950 ft per second and very quiet with the suppressor built in. What Eric said is all true. When you break the sound barrier at the muzzle and coming down it is a big destabilizer of your pellet.
Pyramyd air has an on line airgun academy that you can see many guns tested for accuracy, trigger, and noise level. The suppressed Stoeger for the money is probably your best buy for squirrels. If your going to shoot sparrows and starlings in stores I'd probably do the 177 in some kind of compact light weight that will fit in a grocery cart.
Google air gun forums and you will find several that have member classifieds along with a lot of knowledge shared. Be careful though you can become an airgun addict and end up in airgun rehab. I've almost stopped buying them but I haven't been able to part with any.

Wouldn't you shoot the sparrow when the store is closed? So why would it need to fit in a cart

Not all stores close, nor do they all have hours that are easy to work with. At times shooting, just like using a mist net, must be done while customers are present.

I bought a .25 Benjamin Marauder on Amazon and it cost me an arm, but only half a leg. ( Hey, I got free shipping! Whadaya want? )

That is the easiest shooting gun I've ever owned. ( Yes, even easier than a Red Ryder ) Consequently I get groupings that are

usually reserved for people half my age. One thing that really surprised me is that the penetration of the Marauder is greater than

that of a .22 long rifle bullet. If I hadn't tested it myself, I wouldn't have believed it.

I just had a great idea for those stores that are open 24 hours. We could charge the customers for taking shots at the sparrows or

whatever. Once word got around, the stores would be flooded with would-be sharpshooters. More customers for the store, more money

in our pockets, and I very satisfied bunch of shoppers. Everybody wins.

How fast fps is the marauder going, did you use comparable wt in grain bullets and fps. If its moving at 2500 then you need a .22 mag or 17HMR to compare it too.

Good idea paul! And kurt, I dont think paul was necessarily looking for a side by side equivalent, it is just impressive for a pellet gun to out penetrate a firearm of anykind.

Yes, but the reason cities allow pellet gun is they can't reach that power normally, until now. I also see a problem in stores and warehouses of going through the roofs. Maybe it can be ratcheted back in pressure, but why spend the money to do that. The towns that do allow pellet guns in my area, specifically states that if the pellet leaves the property, it can cost you 250.00 each time.If it hits or causes a problem. At those fps it could go through a bird and or squirrel. Don't need it in the country.
Just my 2 cents
Kurt

If a pellet going through the roof was something to worry about, I also have a Gamo .22 or a Crosman .177 ( Although I don't know

where the Crosman is, right at this moment ) I have to admit, the the idea of going into the local Menards store and dropping

sparrows right out of the air, is very appealing. And I happen to have a smoothbore .22 that patterns .22 shotshells very well. The

last time I was in the store, 5 sparrows were pecking on a brick of suet. Their reading skills need work. The packaging said

specifically, "Woodpecker Suet."

I couldn't see my local Safeway allowing shooting in the store.

I decided t use some colibri 22 until more money is available

your school systems must closely compare to ours............

The Marauder series has a "factory" listing of 1100 fps for .177, 1000 for .22, and 900 for .25. My guess is that most people shooting lead pellets will be at least 50 to 100 fps slower than advertised. (The only way to know how fast you are actually shooting is to use a chronograph and shoot multiple strings over it then get an average.) Velocity will also be dependent on how much air is available in the reservoir, hammer spring strength, value opening, pellet used, how pellet is seated in barrel, dieseling, type of power plant, and the design of the regulator if so equipped. Due to the size of the .177, it actually has a greater chance of making a hole than a larger caliber.

For the .25, if we say the target is 20 yards away and shooting is being done with Predator Polymags at 26 grains and the gun is shooting 850 fps, it will be shooting 41.7 fpe at the muzzle. When the pellet gets to our target, it will only be traveling at 780 fps so our fpe will have dropped to 35. Based on what the target is and where we hit it, we can have pass through, but generally speaking the larger the pellet the more drag and energy transfer you'll have so the changes of a pass through can actually diminish.

If we replace the .25 with a .177 shooting 1000 fps with the Polymag (8.2 grain) we're now talking about a much smaller pellet that will be listed as 18.2 fpe at the barrel and 12.4 fpe at the target. This is more than enough energy to kill a bird with, but even through the pellet has a lower fpe listing, the size of the pellet means it has a greater chance of passing through due to the limited amount of drag and less energy transfer.

Air guns are not capable of producing hydrostatic shock like most firearms do. You have to think of air guns as shooting more like black powder so that even though the pellet is traveling out the barrel at 850 fps it is going to loose velocity quicker than a 40 grain .22 shooting at 1200 fps. This also means that when you have pellet impact, you won't get the energy transfer into the target nor mushrooming of the pellet. Instead, you may get deeper penetration as the energy may not be absorbed into the target as quickly allowing for more travel. We may shoot "hollow point" pellets our of air rifles, but rarely will they even deform unless they are hitting a very hard object which brings me to my actual point.

When shooting in a store, you need to expect to have pass through (cause we never miss, lol) which may damage roofs or pipes behind the target. When damage to the roof or other materials is possible, DON'T TAKE THE SHOT! Wait until you have a solid background so any miss or pass through will then hit in a safe location. Even if you are willing to invest the time and money into learning what air rifle, pellet, velocity, and distance combination is best for the target species, you need to practice safe shooting principals at all times.

Cabela’s still has the refurbished X20S on sale for $69.00, same warranty as new (2 years) X20S- click here

I just received that Stoeger model 22 cal.X20S yesterday. My question if anyone has one is it seems when the gun is in the fired closure position and the barrel is closed my gun has an uneven high point ridge closure at the point of the break barrel that meets the stock barrel jointure. It doesn't close flush on top.

Is this a normal design feature of the gun or a defect in the construction. It is a refurb gun as stated on the box and also stated in the ad for it. Never saw one before now but it seems

It just seems to me that the barrels should meet flush at that point. The top of the silver barrel liner is visible when the gun is closed and ready to shoot. I haven't fired any pellets yet to determine function ability or accuracy.

If it isn't constructed correctly I just need to return it.

I bought the refurb 22 cal X20S as well and my tracking info from UPS shows I should have it this evening. I'll come back and post what mine looks like.

I just got some 22 cal. pellets at Walmart. Two different brands and weights I believe, so I am going to get a few shots thru it and see what happens with firing and accuracy.

Bob,

That sounds like a common manufacturing issue that contributes to barrel droop (there is an article in the Mar/Apr 15 WCT on this subject). As long as the barrel is lining up with the transfer port the gun will be fine even if it doesn't look like it is. I've seen the same issue frequently with the RWS models.

Saw this on youtube, its on wound channels from different cal. pellets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJX3xg1nUAY

Despite the barrels match up appearance which initially concerned me, I was impressed with my rushed firing tests of X20S Stoeger rifle.

With limited time after getting some pellets today to shoot this rifle I was anxious to get a few shots fired before running to town to ship orders. Admittedly it was a redneck shoot in. ( which we are all probably guilty of a time or two in our lives )

I adjusted the scopes dope quickly to walk my shot string onto a 1 inch or so magic marker bulls eye traced on the bottom side of a standing cardboard box set up on the far end of our parking lot.

The first two shots fired were made leaning against the door jam of our facility for some attempt at a rifle rest support.

The hits were roughly 1.5" low of center bull and 3" left. The two shots were touching at the target hit position. I could see the light piercing thru the cardboard box since the sun was dropping in just the right area behind the target to give this effect. I walked up to see the hits better to make sure what I thought I saw thru the scope.

Estimated distance to target was about 40-45 ft. Not far by any measure but like I said this was a redneck moment of "lets see what this thing can do." After 3 more shots and scope doping I was in the bulls eye. A slight adjustment to the scope and the next 3 shots were just under a 1/2" group. 2 shots were touching with one slight flyer.

Sometimes these types of shooting sessions yield good results and possible potential of a gun.I am looking forward to getting it on the bench as time and weather permit.

I must say I was impressed with the Stoeger's X20S' accuracy with my initial testing. Looks like it was a well spent $70.00.

Thats the one I recommended earlier for the money. I don't need it but I am getting off here and buying one!!!

Anyone have a link to them at cabelas I can't
Seem to find them

click here - says SOLD OUT, however offer may be good until 11:59 PM EST. They may still honor it until then; maybe not. Give it a try.

Thanks Ron, but won't let me take it to the check
Out.

There were 23 available according to Cabela's inventory when I ordered. Obviously others jumped on this rifle for the value and the list price @ $300.00 suggested retail likely helped as well.

I did some research on you tube and other sites and this model was evaluated with good reviews by some fellas who do air gun reviews.

I want to thank Ron Frye for posting the link to the gun or I would have missed out on this deal. I don't get impressed with many things at my age since I have been down the road for a good while but I wasn't expecting the group potential. Maybe my gun wasn't made on a Monday or Friday.

Like Bob said, at my age it takes something unique to impress me. In my case it was the .25 Marauder. ( Of course, at that price I

was expecting it to be robotically controlled )

My X20S didn't end up showing last night, apparently a weather delay according to ups tracking. But, got it today and see the same barrel step up at the closure so it seems to be normal. Only have had a second to fire a few rounds through, but so far so good, and looking forward to giving it a more thorough round of shooting and evaluation.

well it was good advice, apparently to good because you guys bought them all up. Someone owes vinke a commision check for suggesting that stoeger

Good family,,,,,

Was able to get the X20S in .177 today for 69.00.

Kurt Temple

I've already spent my money on a crosman bulldog .357 just got it will post some things after getting it up and biting. The 69 dollar deal is a good one and like Bob said it is reviewed very well for sound and accuracy.

Paul,

Let me know what you think about the Bulldog versus some of the other big bore air guns. I know the Bulldog has been used to take multiple medium - large bodied animals (springbok, white-tailed deer, pigs/warthogs, red hartebeest) out to 60+ yards so it's got the power, but how do you think it compare to the Sam Yang ($670-$700), Hatsan BT Carnivore ($750), Evanix models ($700 - $1,800), Qackenbush Exile (.308 $700), or the new .45's Airforce Texan ($1,060) and Airguns of Arizona in terms of performance and price value.

45 cal airguns? That seems a little ridiculous

Some countries don't allow firearms. With a .45 airgun you can still holdup banks, but your shoot-outs with the cops is going to be a

lot quieter.

cans and a trusts go together like pees in a pod,,,,,,(forest gump)sort of..........

throwback you can use a big bore airgun for a lot of things in urban environments which we work in most of the time. Big bore airguns were used by Lewis and Clark a 22 shot repeater , Napoleons crack troops it's only after firearms became multi shot that they went by the wayside for years. With more and more of us being restricted to urban environments they are making a comeback.
Eric I'm not sure about the value comparisons of all of those guns. I have an RWS 9mm career ultra and was almost ready to get an Evanix when Airforce came out with the 45 and Benjamin came out with the .357. I probably went for the American made Benjamin over the A. made Airforce for the 5 shot magazine.
There is going to be a big fun shoot in Glencoe Kentucky near Carrollton the first week end in May. I think all of those big bores will be represented. You should come shoot a bunch of them and write an article or maybe I will. Being a published author may give me some credibility.

Paul, being a published author isn't all it's cracked up to be. You have no privacy, hot chicks are constantly calling you for dates,

and people are always throwing money at you to do interviews or be on television. ( I understand some famous authors even have

hallucinations about how important they are )

Airguns are available from .177 - .50 caliber. The 9mm (357) and higher calibers are usually meant for hunting the larger game such as hogs, white-tailed deer, black bear, and mountain lion to name some of the North American animals. In Africa, these calibers have been used to take small game animals like duiker, spring buck, warthog, red hartebeest and kudu.

Although these calibers aren't for everyone, there are those that enjoy using them because it makes the hunt more challenging (similar to bow hunting vs gun hunting).

I have yet to kill anything with my .58. I had a guy in Mississippi make it for me last year. It's a monster of a gun!

Cant wait to use my 50 cal DAQ.Accurate out to 70 yards.1" groups or better all daY.

I haven't shot my Bull Dog yet waiting on scope and air tank, I think beavers will be my first customer. This is an addiction that id they weren't such good tools I don't think I could afford the toys.