best air gun type action for pest shooting?

[islander87]

Which air gun type action do you guys think is the best for pest shooting? Break Barrel Spring Piston, CO2 Gas, Single stroke pneumatic,pre-charged pneumatic etc. Generally speaking all have advantages and disadvantages break barrel spring piston usually shoot at a higher feet per second but are single shot so if you miss it gives time for a pesky squirrel, gopher, or starling to get away. Co2 Gas are semi auto but require you to purchase Co2 every time you use up your Co2 Gas. Which type of air gun action do you guys think is the best for pest shooting and why?

[spooky-1]

Islander,

My dos cents, after being a life long airgun lover, I've had them all break barrels, PCP, multi-pump, CO2, etc:

If you are heading into the woods, swamp, etc anywhere away from an area of resupply and you need to take all your stuff with you then a non-pneumatic rifle will be better. this is due to the fact that in time a PCP (pre charged pneumatic) will need "more air" and each subsequent shot gets weaker in FPS. ON the good side, a PCP is good for follow on shots and most can be shrouded to make them quieter. So for long periods hunting away from resupply a break barrel or multi pump is great. I'd go with a magnum break barrel.

If you are sitting on your back porch taking out pests, then a pneumatic would be best.

Keep in mind a PCP has a higher operating cost, due to the resupply of the air. A break barrel may be one shot but all you need is the gun and pellets, the maintenance is almost none.

Don't be too worried about the FPS and the velocities, most are under BEST conditions anyway. Caliber and shot placement are the important thing.

Lemma me know if you have any more questions, like I said before, I love this stuff.

[islander87]

Hey spooky what pneumatic do you recommend for shooting pests in my backyard or front porch? I currently have a Beeman break barrel action which comes with 2 barrels a 22 and a 177. The 177 shoots a 1000 fps,the 22 shoots 800 fps i love it however its a pain in the neck when I miss a shot at a squirrel or starling and when i break open the barrel to reload the squirrel and starling get away. And i have a huge squirrel problem in my neighborhood they eat my fruit trees!! Plus other people in my neighborhood are animal lovers and feed the squirrels!! Which makes the squirrels come to my neighborhood even more! But i live in the suburbs so i can't use a 22lr only airguns.

[spooky-1]

well, the first question to ask is what is your budget, I can take it from there. and remember the more you spend the better quality you get. If I had to give you an answer now on the low end I'd go with a Benjamin Discovery, it uses both a pump or CO2. IF you had more to play with I'd go with something from the Webley Scott line of rifles. If you had unlimited funds (who does?) go with the Daystate Airwolf, the ultimate air rifle (IMO). keep in mind when it comes to your budget that for a PCP you'll most likely need a hand pump or a gas system and of course pellets.

[islander87]

The most i would spend on an air gun is $200, but that is the most I am willing to spend I prefer one to be in the 150-175 dollar range.

[spooky-1]

I'll be honest I do not know of any PCP's in the 200 dollar range, much less the 175 range. PCP's are more expensive due to that woeking parts and more detailed mechanics of it. If that is your budget, you should stick with the multi-pump or single pump rifles. I'd also look at combo packages and used airguns, people usually tale very good care of airguns so that is an option. The King of airgun sales is Tom gaylords pyramyd air website. google it, I'm sure it is easy to find.
 
With your upper range of your budget I'd go for one of these:

Beeman RAM Air Rifle Combo, RS2
Beeman RS3
Diana RWS 34 Striker

They are all .22 cal and most are combo mation packages, great for pest control look at Pyramyd Air to find these they are all in the 175-200 price range, and do not think that a PCP is the end all-be all rifle, they are nice to have, mainly for the follow on shot, but they also cost more in purchase price and to maintain. About the only thing I do not like about spring piston is that they are a bit harder to zero a scope and they cannot be loaded and stay loaded for a long period of time due to spring tension setting in.

One more good thing about combo packages, is they come with a scope that is matched up to that specific rifle, I have dealt with Pyramyd Air for years, I was even a customer of Airgun Express, when they merged with Pyramyd.

[spooky-1]

BTW, I noticed you live in California, they have awesome airguns stores there. I know Ventura has lots of them, then agin I have no idea how far you are from Ventura!

[islander87]

Im probably about 45-60 minutes depending on traffic away from Ventura plus I have a cousin who lives in Ventura so I can most likely go to ventura and check out some of the shops down there. I said I only wanted to spend $200 but I can afford up to $300. I do not own .22LR so I want a good quality airgun. My budget does allow me to spend up to $300, I know you mentioned single and multi pump airguns but I would really prefer PCP types. Do you know any PCP types that cost up to $300 the most?

[spooky-1]

the only one that I know of is the Benjamin Discovery (starts at $259), it uses both a pump and CO2. I've never shot it myself but looks like a good quality gun. And with a name like Benjamin, I am positive it is well worth  the money. I'd go for the .22 cal, you may get less FPS but you get more knockdown power at the target.
There are a few more stores in Cali, like Pomona Airguns, Ventura Airguns, and if you want to travel a bit go to Airguns of Arizona, located in Gilbert, AZ. Very good folks down there.
Like I said before the PCP price range is quite higher than the others, they go from 500-2000 (!), you get what you pay for and keep in mind the additional costs, mainly the air delivery system. you can go with a handpump, a scuba tank, or a compressor system, all increasing in price. Pellets are not that much and I would stock up on thousands at a time. Once you get the basics you can shoot all day, relatively cheap.
Let me know if you have any more questions or what rifle you decide on