Higher end pellet gun/air rifle thread

[GalvestonWader]

Looking for suggestions on a strong accurate pellet gun/air rifle for killing coons, possums, squirrels, possibly coyotes ect in the city. I've already got the classic Benjamin and a Crossman pump. I need something more powerful but yet still more quiet than a .22 LR. I have a small NV scope that I'd like to put on it. I know these guns can get pretty fancy but I know nothing about them.

I've got a feeder in the back of my property on a creek. Coons are robbing me blind every night. I do trap them with duke traps but then I have to walk down there before work every morning to dispatch them. I want to get a bada** pellet gun setup so I can sit down there with the kids and hunt them at night. I also see coyotes from time to time and the other morning I ran 2 of them off near my chicken coop up by the house.

A .22 LR is not an option due to neighbors on one side. The .22 low velo rounds dont have enough range. Can y'all recommend a few air rifles for me to check out? I think I've even seen where people hunt deer with these things. What are they using? What can I expect for range? Is 50 yds doable? 75 yds? I don't mind spending some money on a cool new toy but would like to keep it under $1k. Would prefer something simple, nothing fancy and not too bulky. Just need it to shoot fast and accurate and be able to have a scope mounted.

[Walker]

Any pellet gun that's faster than the speed of sound will have a fairly loud report. A side lever spring gun will be more accurate than a break barrel too. Figure that on a break barrel gun the scope is on the action and every time you cock the gun you move the barrel. Rws makes some good accurate guns. I'm sure there are others. A pcp might be another option.

[Chase4556]

I have a Benjamin Marauder .25 cal. Thing is a tack driver out to 50yds, and was hitting a 3x3” steel plate at 87yds the other weekend. Has plenty of power for racoons and smaller. I’ve hit a fox and coyote with it, but you have to really put it on them(head or base of ear) to knock them down. I put a cheap bushnell engage 6-18x scope on it, the adjustable parallax goes down to 15yds which is nice for those possible close up shots. There are more expensive and nicer setups for sure, but on a budget I think the Marauder is hard to beat.

I have a couple pellets that through testing I found that it shoots really well. One is a round nose standard pellet, the other is a hollow point hunting type pellet. Also tested some Nielsen Specialty slugs and the 33.5gr shot really well. Believe I was still pushing 800-850fps with the 33.5gr when I turned the power up.

Filling them is also a hurdle. You either use a hand pump which is quite physically demanding and you will get fed up with it real quick in my opinion. The other option is to have a small compressed air bottle that you use to fill it. http://www.airtanksforsale.com/ Sells the tanks and supporting equipment. Check them out and get an idea of what you want, then maybe price shop around. I squired a large full size SCBA tank from work, and then bought his slow fill valve.

After that… how do you fill the tank? Some people use a dive shop or paintball field. Might be an option for you. If you can get the adapter(airtanksforsale has it) and sweet talk your local fire station, they also might be able/willing to fill the bottle for you. Third would be to spend $200-$300 on a compressor. If you go on Amazon or Google and search PCP compressor you will see them pop up. I haven’t used one, so I can’t speak on their reliability. You can use the compressor to directly fill the rifle as well, negating the need for the bottle but now you have to carry it with you and power it.

[Chase4556]

Pyramus air is showing a free handpump with the purchase of the Marauder. So at least you can get shooting and see how you feel about the handpump option. Go with either the 25 or the .22 with the Walther barrel is a good option too. I prefer the bigger heavier 25cal pellet.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/benjamin-marauder-pcp-air-rifle-synthetic-stock?m=3139#6069

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/jsb-match-diabolo-exact-king-25-cal-25-39-grains-domed-350ct?p=720

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/h-n-baracuda-hunter-25-cal-27-47-grains-hollowpoint-150ct?p=1454

Size tank I have. WAY WAY overkill. Couldn’t beat free, but will top off the marauder probably 70 times at 20 shots per charge.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/air-venturi-carbon-fiber-charging-station-4500-psi-98-cu-ft?a=5905

Size tank that would be a good option for lower volume IF you get a compressor. In between the two would be good with no compressor but using a dive shop to fill.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/refurbished-air-venturi-mini-wingman-100-cu-in-pcp-tank-dom-08-20?a=11697

One compressor option. Quite a few on Amazon… pick your poison and see how it works out. Some have a decent amount of good reviews. Pyramydair sells one I would trust a lot more but it’s $800 soooo… yeah.

https://www.amazon.com/GX-Compressor-Auto-shutoff-Water-Free-Paintball/dp/B09J4BHXT8/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?adgrpid=56742633260&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1ZGcBhCoARIsAGQ0kkoVq6Joh-ADHDBNiAer-_ZHLSbX55mXn1W-7amLoYJQJIK8lFo8JToaAlENEALw_wcB&hvadid=409961061555&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9027422&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9557154676476812691&hvtargid=kwd-303899281584&hydadcr=12187_11119172&keywords=pcp+air+compressor&qid=1669650502&sr=8-4

[tazhunter0]

Airforce Condor SS with a DonnyFl on the end would be good. I have taken coons and hogs with it.
A Maurader in .25 caliber would be a good choice also.
AEA brand can be picked up for a decent price in .22, .25, or .357. I hear good things about them, but have not shot one personally.

No matter what you get find a pellet or slug it likes and get a quality moderator to help make it even quieter.

Join some of the airgun forums, read and ask questions. Most on those forums will try to give you good info. Just remember everyone has a opinion on which is the best.

[tazhunter0]

What area of Texas are you in? If you are near me I could let you shoot the ones I have.

[muzzlebrake]

FX PSP air guns are about the quietest subsonic I know of when equipped with a DonnyFL moderator. .25 cal shooting 25.34gr JSB or AirArms Diablo pellets will be about 900fps and shoot completely thru a big coon at 30 yds.
All gas piston and springers are going to make some mechanical noise and if they go supersonic they will crack like a 22lr on top of the mechanical noise.
PSP on the other hand are no more noisy than a Daisy Red Ryder as long as they are kept subsonic. My FX Impact is even quieter than a Daisy BB gun.
PSP air rifles are expensive compared to springers and you will need a way to fill the cylinder.
You can call Ken Hicks @ https://spaweapons.com/ and get more insight.
Beware!!!!!!!!!!!! Air rifles can be addictive.

[muzzlebrake]

I recently bought a Gamo Swarm Magnum .177. Advertised to shoot 1650fps. It don't get there but chrono's 1538 with gold alloy 5.4gr pellets and is really loud breaking sound barrier. When I shoot 10.5 gr Crosman heavies I can slow it down to just below 1050fps and it gets quiet enough to shoot in the yard and still get 1" penetration in a pine 2x4 at 20 yds. More than enough for tree rat control out to 30-40 yds. Accuracy is dime size at 25 yds shooting heavy pellets and twice that shooting the light alloy pellets. Not as good as the PCP but good enough for squirrels and other furry feral critters.
A good PCP will shoot pellet on pellet at 25 yds with a good scope that has parallax adjustment down to 10 yards. The nice thing about PCP is any rifle scope will work just fine as there is no recoil on these type guns.
Best accuracy with any pellet rifle will come from the heaviest pellet that the gun can shoot at 850-900 fps. Faster is not always better in pellet rifles.

[muzzlebrake]

Here is the pump I use on my PCP stuff. Takes about 8 minutes to fill a 700cc bottle from 140bar to 250bar. Been a good unit so far with hundreds of fills and all I do is change the filter every 20 or so fills. https://www.vevor.com/pcp-air-compre...p_010482656541

It works good off of my truck battery as long as I leave the motor running.

[muzzlebrake]

Get ready

[BigCountry101]

I would take the 1k and buy a can to put on a 22. They are dang near silent at that point.

[Chase4556]

I would take the 1k and buy a can to put on a 22. They are dang near silent at that point.

I’d also second this idea. I have a dead air mask and when I put it on my savage B22 and shoot CCI standard velocity ammo it’s very quiet. Shoot the CCI Quiet22 ammo(740fps) and all you hear is the firing pin drop.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Some good advice given here. I'll add, IF you cannot shoot a .22LR because solely of noise/neighbors, a PCP pellet rifle will solve your problem if you keep it around 900 fps. When they go super sonic they lose accuracy anyway. I have a few that I've killed everything from mice to 100# boar hogs with a clean pass thru. They make 2 sounds, you hear the hammer hit the release valve and then you hear whatever the pellet impacts. Do that over water or impact the water and it will be LOUDER than a .22LR. Without the moderator/barrel shroud on mine, they sound about like a 9mm pistol going off.
Now, If you're concerned about neighbors because of safety in shooting a 22LR, a 22 cal or larger PCP will not help you. They're just as dangerous as a 22 powderburner. They MUST be treated as a deadly weapon... That FX Impact Muzzlebrake told you about above, will shoot right through a pine 2X4, no problem. I shot a .25 cal. "Cricket" by Kalibergun and hit a 100# boar right under the ear with it... DRT with a pass thru. Pellet was under the skin on the offside about 1/3 way down his neck.



I have a .25 cricket with a night vision scope that I use specifically for coon hunting my feeders... Bow hunt until the end of the hunt. If I don't shoot anything, I just sit quietly for a few minutes and when there are several coons on the feed, I start whacking them between the eyes and in the ear hole... I can usually get 3 or 4 before they figure out what is going on... It's great fun!!
Like MB said above, these air guns can be VERY addicting!! Much worse than "black guns" ever were for me!!