COVID-19: Time to shoot air guns!

I checked all the different rules in Fairview and didn’t find anything against shooting a pellet gun in a safe manner.
So I put a steel bullet trap at 30Y and improvised a “private” shooting range.

The rifle is a Air Arms TX200 in 0.177 with a cheap CenterPoint scope.

The rifle is arguably the best production springer that you can buy. The trigger is adjustable but I haven’t changed the factory setting as the break rivals some of the best CF triggers.
The 0.177 pellet is very sensitive to wind. At 30Y, with the pellet it likes, I can get shoot it in the 0.3s
With a slight wind, as you can see, the groups open up.
I’ve ordered a few other brands of pellet to see if I can get even better accuracy.

I’m seriously having as much fun as shooting my other guns.

Nice. I have a RWS in 177 and a Beeman in 22 but they are both so loud I might get the neighbors' attention if I shot them here in town.
Are you shooting through the wrought iron fence? Or opening the gate?

I’d like to get a good CO2 air rifle. I’ve already got a good air pistol in 22 caliber so I want a good 22 air rifle now. What rifle do I want? I’ll need a scope on it.

I love it! Did something similar. Bought my 1st Red Ryder BB Gun, and set up duck decoy's and empty beer cans out back. Having a blast with it and Busch Light is officially dead!

best groups i've had are with these wadcutters


[img]https://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/RWS_Meisterkugeln_Rifle_177_Cal_8_2_Grains_Wadcutter_500ct/217[/img]

I picked up a Gamo break barrel air gun at Academy this weekend. It was marked down to $63.00 and I wanted something to plunk with. I was shocked at how fast this gun shoots (1250 FPS). I understand it doesn’t shoot that fast, but it’s still smoking. It’s been a nice was to let if steam from working long hours and being locked down.

The gate is kinda stuck so I’m shooting through the iron fence. We’re planning to redo the fence so it goes around the property. At that point, the target will be inside the fence.
I don’t think my neighbors can hear the air rifle. The impact of the pellet against the steel bullet trap was pretty loud thought. Now I’m using a thick tree trunk instead and it’s much better.

So far, my gun seems to like heavier pellets and this is what I’m shooting
https://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/JSB_Diabolo_Exact_Heavy_177_Cal_10_34_Grains_Domed_500ct/388

I also shot the RWS Meisterkugeln 8.2 gr Wadcutter and my rifle doesn’t like it at all.

I’ve ordered the below pellets to test in the gun. It’s the same pellet but one has a 4.5mm diameter and the other a slightly larger 4.52mm diameter.
https://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/H_N_Baracuda_match_177_Cal_10_65_Grains_Round_Nose_400ct/1447
https://www.pyramydair.com/s/p/H_N_Baracuda_Match_177_Cal_10_65_Grains_Round_Nose_400ct/20

Now I’m thinking of getting a 0.22 PCP rifle and compressor…..

With powerful air rifles it's best to use heavier pellets to keep velocity below the speed of sound. It's not as loud and you typically get better accuracy.

Thanks for the info.

For, quiet, I shoot a 22, no powder, Colibri. Good for up to maybe 40 ft.

Colibri’s energy, depending on the version, is between 8 and 16ft/lbs. My air gun produces 16 ft/lbs of energy and is accurate at 50Y and longer. Also, it’s not legal to shoot 22lr in Collin County. I wish it was, but it’s not.
Here’s another target shot today. I’m testing some other pellets. I’m averaging 0.517” at 30Y with H&N Baracuda Match 10.65gr. This is with the 4.52 mm version. I’m getting some flyers with the 4.50 mm version.
Shooting a high-quality springer is really fun……

What a sweet rifle. That is really good shooting with a springer.



If that is an RWS 34, putting a sub-12 fpe Vortek kit in it. I have one in mine and it is very quiet. Also a very mild mannered gun and accurate. Will hold about 1.5" for ten shots at 44 yards if I do my part.



Give the benjamin discovery a try. It is a PCP rifle and can be bought with a hand pump for around $330. That is what I paid for mine. If it is a bit loud for you, you can always put a TKO "lead dust collector" on it.

Kevin, according to local cops, an air rifle, even a BB gun is illegal to shoot in city limits. I found that out the hard way.

The 22 colibri , no powder, has virtually no sound. They aren’t accurate beyond about 30 to 40 ft so they are only good for practicing trigger pull/squeeze and sight pic.

I shoot the Diana model 48 in 22 cal. Great trigger, very accurate, killed jackrabbits at surprising distances.

This is similar to mine from the crosman custom shop, in 22 cal. Also have other barrels I have switched out.

I’m taking this new airgun hobby to another level…

I just ordered a chronograph (Competition Electronics ProChrono DLX Chronograph). I already have a Magnetospeed, but it won’t work with my setup.

I also ordered a Vortek PG3 SHO-Tune Kit. This kit is supposed to give a smoother shot cycle. You can also reduce power from 16 to 12 ft/lbs which could increase accuracy.
I’m planning to measure the speed and SD for various pellets before and after tuning. I’ll also play with different power outputs of the tuning kit.

I’m really enjoying this new path. It’s as enjoyable as tweaking and doing load development or ammo selection for your CF or 22lr, but for much cheaper and right in your backyard.

Sounds like you are all in! That is very exciting.

Starting with a TX200... I will be looking for you on youtube, lol

Just for you Bryan C

The Vortex kit finally arrived today. I installed it and shot two strings of 10 shots. The gun shoots much smoother and makes less noise. The weather was pretty bad and I couldn't test the accuracy, but I'm sure it has improved.

Below is the chrony export for the shots. I got an SD of 3fps for one string and 4 fps for the other string.

That is awesome!

Did you install it as is, or adjust the tophat at all? The new adjustable tophat in the PG3 kit is very interesting.

I didn't adjust it at all. The top hat was already setup on the higher power. It did slightly increase my muzzle velocity (by 15 to 20 fps). I don't think I'll play with different power output and will just leave it like this.
It will be interesting to see it settles down and see by how much the accuracy has improved.

I look forward to those targets

Not always, based on what I've read on the subject. It appears air guns are legal in many incorporated areas so long as the pellets stay on your property, as would be the case if using your own shooting range with a sufficient backstop. It's my understanding the more restrictive state laws include guns that use explosive gases to drive a projectile.

IMHO, it's one of those cases where you should call the local DA's office, rather than the local PD to learn the real truth.

Source

I've never done that much homework with it to be honest. Either your neighbors are cool or they are not, or they are too far away to worry about. Neighbors make or break you, if they like to shoot then you should have a backyard range.

If you want to shoot a high powered PCP then that's a different story.

Worst case- maybe you are limited to shooting coke cans with a red ryder in the garage or basement. Don't knock the red ryder, good trigger time and a lot of fun. Great way to unwind after work too.

I believe the red ryders can be had with adult lop as an option now as well.

A quick follow-up on this. I haven't shot much this rifle after installing the tuning kit.
I finally took it out today and shot it at 30Y. Almost no wind. All 5 shot groups.
Accuracy is OK, but I can't explain the shift in POI. I've marked the sequence of the groups from 1 to 11. Maybe the cheap Center Point isn't holding zero.....


[img]https://i.imgur.com/LKCXdU2.jpg?1[/img]

In addition to the tuning kit, the rifle has now a Vortek seal as well.
The chrono numbers are amazing!

SD 1 fps
ES 5 fps

I had to delete at least 5 shots because the chrono was giving the same velocity as the previous shot....I guess with an SD of 1 fps, that is to be expected and is not necessary a duplicate error.

Got a new air gun today. Compressor won't arrive before Monday, so no shooting for now.

Went to Texas Legends Gun Range and shot these 5 shot groups at 50Y.
The range was pretty empty for a Saturday afternoon.
I was the only one on their rifle range. At some point a guy came and shot a box of 20 rounds of 223 through his new SW M&P Sport and then left.
At the same time I don't blame people to not shoot $0.5/round of 9mm range ammo or 223.....

You wouldn't happen to have a vortex scope on that rifle would you?

The scope is a Hawke Vantage 4-12X40AO
It's a decent cheap scope.

Guy stopped by the shop Friday with a DPMS fully automatic BB gun.

Hey those are fun!

Welcome to the PCP world lol. It’s starts getting real expensive! This is my baby hm1000x .35 cal. I sent it off to get tuned and had a shroud built on it. You can shoot a hog on a road and the deer won’t even pick their heads up. Longest hog kill is 167 yards so far using JSB 81gr pellets

Is there any good stores that sell air guns around Weatherford or Fort Worth/Dallas?

This one came in yesterday.
It's an FX Dream Tac in .22

With the BSA I was not able to shoot consistently better than 0.75" at 50Y.
With this FX I'm hoping to shoot 0.5" or better.

Just shot these five 5 shot groups at 30 yards. The accuracy of the FX is pretty impressive.

God Bless America! You just dove in! Those are some nice guns!

I bet the R10 would shoot better with some 15.89’s or 18.13’s.

Shooting a bow and arrow inside city limits, regardless of how safe your backstop is illegal too. I also found that out the hard way.

It depends which city.
I used to live in Allen and it was illegal.
Now I'm in Fairview and have done extensive search online to find anything against shooting air rifles. I didn't find anything. Keep in mind that in Fairview, the vast majority of the lots are 1 acre or larger.
Now if someone can find any regulation that prohibits shooting air rifles in Fairview, please let me know.


Bryan: The BSA is in 0.177

Have you tried 8.44’s or 10.3’s?

Shot the FX indoor at 50Y. I'm very impressed.

Brian: I've tried every pellet from 8.44 to 16.1gr. I can get pretty good accuracy up to 40Y. After that it opens up. But that's fine. Now that I'm done with the FX (no point shooting with it in the backyard at 30Y....Need to go to a shooting range and shoot it outdoor at 100Y) I'll just keep working on the BSA and might even send it to get tuned.

👍👍

That Dream TAC is a bad mofo! I am just gonna leave this here...

https://nrl22.org/news/nrl22-announces-new-air-rifle-class-for-the-2019-2020-season/

Nice....I had no idea there is an NRL22 Air gun class now....