Air Rifle Newbie

[Atgni]

I have read on here and it seems there are a few air rifle shooters.
As a kid myself and my best friend would do a lot of shooting targets in our gardens as they where big enough to do so and I was quite a good shot without a telescopic sight and just used the rifle sights it was an old BSA and he had a webley.
Fast forward to last year and on holiday one of the hotel activities was air rifle target shooting, lord knows what the rifle was and most likely completely bashed out of whack but anyway, I won
Now I want to buy a rifle and join a club to shoot as my garden is not big enough but I have no idea of where to start apart from it seems that 177 would be the best calibre. Looking locally at gun shops i can get one starting at £150 but have no idea how good that would be and then there is telescopic sights and again I am starting from scratch here.
Thank you in advance

 

[Highway Man]

1.77 is best for target shooting, it depends on what targets and distance etc which is the best type to get, springer or PCP. From the sounds of it a springer would be a good starting point for you just getting back into it. Scope wise the choice is as wide as air rifles but you dont need any thing too fancy for general target practice. What budget are you thinking of spending?

 

[Atgni]

1.77 is best for target shooting, it depends on what targets and distance etc which is the best type to get, springer or PCP. From the sounds of it a springer would be a good starting point for you just getting back into it. Scope wise the choice is as wide as air rifles but you dont need any thing too fancy for general target practice. What budget are you thinking of spending?

Thank you Highway Man
I forgot to say I think i would prefer a springer which was all there was when i was a kid. As for what targets and distance I dont know but I do understand that the power has to be under 12lb. I have no idea what power I was shooing with as a lad. When you say for target practice then what about rats or rabbits.
Yes I have had a quick look at scopes but I am even more out of my depth with those. No point in having a £300 scope on a £150 rifle is there, I have no idea.
As for budget I also have no idea but hopefully under £200 but I dont want to be laughed at when I join a club

 

[Atgni]

I remember the 177 vs 22 thing as a lad and some other local lads had 22's and looked down on 177 but what they did not realise is that they set the tin can flying higher but my 177 was going straight through it.

 

[Highway Man]

Thank you Highway Man
I forgot to say I think i would prefer a springer which was all there was when i was a kid. As for what targets and distance I dont know but I do understand that the power has to be under 12lb. I have no idea what power I was shooing with as a lad. When you say for target practice then what about rats or rabbits.
Yes I have had a quick look at scopes but I am even more out of my depth with those. No point in having a £300 scope on a £150 rifle is there, I have no idea.
As for budget I also have no idea but hopefully under £200 but I dont want to be laughed at when I join a club

You will find you won't be laughed at as everyone starts off somewhere, it might be adviseable with that budget to look towards secondhand, you will get more for your money than with new. If you join a gun club you will more than likely find a member selling a springer who has upgraded to a PCP, a well tuned springer can be as accurate with practice. I couldn't advise on shooting rabbits etc as I. don't do that, rats I don't mind but I love animals so would only ever shoot targets. The cheapest new rifle would be a remington Xpress XP which comes with a scope costing aprox £180. It is a decent gun with around 10ft lbs of power. Quite accurate so would be ideal for a new setup. Used you could probably get a BSA GRT Lightening for around the same money.

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[Highway Man]

I remember the 177 vs 22 thing as a lad and some other local lads had 22's and looked down on 177 but what they did not realise is that they set the tin can flying higher but my 177 was going straight through it.

.22 has a different flight path than 1.77 and its trajectory drops off quicker with the heavier pellet, its something you have to set your scope up for with the mill dots, a 1.77 has a flatter more straight curve if that makes sense.

 

[Atgni]

You will find you won't be laughed at as everyone starts off somewhere, it might be adviseable with that budget to look towards secondhand, you will get more for your money than with new. If you join a gun club you will more than likely find a member selling a springer who has upgraded to a PCP, a well tuned springer can be as accurate with practice. I couldn't advise on shooting rabbits etc as I. don't do that, rats I don't mind but I love animals so would only ever shoot targets. The cheapest new rifle would be a remington Xpress XP which comes with a scope costing aprox £180. It is a decent gun with around 10ft lbs of power. Quite accurate so would be ideal for a new setup. Used you could probably get a BSA GRT Lightening for around the same money.

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Amazing thank you
You brought up some more questions I know that without a licence that I am limited to below 12ft lbs but I didn't think that some were 10 others 11 or even lower and I thought that they were all sort of 11 to 12
When me and my friend were shooting I accidentally pulled the trigger at a time when my rifle was cocked and ready for a pellet and the barrel was under his and it shot up straight under his and bent his barrel. I know that's extreme but second hand worries me, have they fallen over or something.

 

[Highway Man]

Amazing thank you
You brought up some more questions I know that without a licence that I am limited to below 12ft lbs but I didn't think that some were 10 others 11 or even lower and I thought that they were all sort of 11 to 12

Both 1.77 and .22 have the same power output. Under 12ft lbs to be legal without a licence.

When me and my friend were shooting I accidentally pulled the trigger at a time when my rifle was cocked and ready for a pellet and the barrel was under his and it shot up straight under his and bent his barrel. I know that's extreme but second hand worries me, have they fallen over or something.

If you buy from a gun club member or a gun shop you wouldn't need to be worried over that.

 

[Highway Man]

Pros and cons to each caliber. .22 is better for pest control whereas 1.77 is better for paper targets. 1.77 has a flatter trajectory so more forgiving if you get your range wrong, .22 is harder to be as accurate over distance because the pellet falls quicker. 1.77 pellet is lighter so more prone to wind when travelling at distance. .22 pellets are heavier so not so much prone to wind with accuracy. Get used to whichever you shoot and you will get accurate with either. Its all down to practice and getting lead down the range.

 

[Atgni]

Why is 22 better for pest control given that its harder to be as accurate over distance. Is it because it more of a whack. But then that is another whole area of info, the actual pellet design itself

 

[Highway Man]

Why is 22 better for pest control given that its harder to be as accurate over distance

it has bigger and heavier pellets, remember you said about your 1.77 used to go through the can and your mates threw the can in the air.

 

[Highway Man]

When I say harder to be accurate over distance, its all to do with aiming above your target over various distances with .22. the scope has mill dots in the sight, you might need to aim 3 or 4 dots higher over the same distance compared to a 1.77 where it might only be one mill dot higher

 

[Highway Man]

bottom numbers are yards. The gun is zerod in at 30 yards. After 25 yards the trajectory drops off as can be seen.
This is for a .22 caliber

 

[Highway Man]

The graph above shows a scope zerod in at 30 yards, that is a good general zero for a scope. As can be seen if you put the cross hairs on the bulls eye at 30 yards with no wind then you will hit the target. if you used the same cross hair on the target at 35 yards then it would fall low so you need to hold over (aim the rifle higher) between 10 and 15 yards a shorter distance you have to do the same. The rifle will be accurate between 20 and 30 yards, This is all on targets the size of a 5p piece.

 

[fillyboy]

Pros and cons to each caliber. .22 is better for pest control whereas 1.77 is better for paper targets. 1.77 has a flatter trajectory so more forgiving if you get your range wrong, .22 is harder to be as accurate over distance because the pellet falls quicker. 1.77 pellet is lighter so more prone to wind when travelling at distance. .22 pellets are heavier so not so much prone to wind with accuracy. Get used to whichever you shoot and you will get accurate with either. Its all down to practice and getting lead down the range.

I thought you were more of an SA80 man.