Canadian Airgun Forum

Greetings all. Just signed up here. Haven't owned an air rifle since I was 12yrs old. Time to get back at it. My first chore is to remove as many grey squirrels as possible from my back yard. Any and all opinions on what I need for a rifle would be appreciated. Shots would be inside 100ft and they are big buggers.

Welcome- are you in possession of a P.A.L.?

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Best Wishes
Daryl

Hi Linderhof
just to let you know, nobody here cares whether you have a PAL or not EXCEPT so we can recommend a range of airguns for you.....The PAL and NON PAL worlds are very different (shame in my opinion) and a lot of the really nice air rifles only come in PAL versions.

The PAL level rifles will also dispatch your greys at a much further distance than the sub 500fps rifles. They come with some drawbacks though...noise is one of them. How are your neighbors, if you have any? A high power springer can also be challenging to shoot accurately. Of course a PCP takes care of that, but get the wallet out for that route...

I'm not knocking sub 500fps rifles in any way. I have many of them that are scary accurate at 25 yards and at that distance a .22 head shot will kill that grey just as dead as a .338 WinMag.

What is your budget as you will probably want a scope as well?

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When the 425-hp "street Hemi" version hit the street in 1965, it was akin to taking an M230 chain gun to an arcade shooting gallery
Peter

Yes I have a very well used PAL.....lol. I have been a serious hunter/shooter/reloader for many years. What I want to do is wage war on the tree rats that made my fabulous Brittany blow his knee out by leaping off the deck chasing them. I need to convince myself to spend on an AG but truth be told I have a vault full of quality firearms. I'm thinking quality and accuracy sounds appealing. Just trying to figure how much punch I need? 177 sub 495 or go big like a 1000fps .22?

Ah OK then

First, it is very common for manufacturers to overstate the real world velocity of their products with lead pellets one would normally use. The fine print will usually state " with alloy pellets " which are far lighter.

It IS possible to get that 800fps from a .22 but don't always believe what you read. That being said, 700+ from a .22 at 25 yards with a 16gr pellet gives you 13ft lbs of energy. Immediate end of grey.

Check out Scopes and Ammo ( Eric) as he sells some of the " Canadian Tire" rifles in PAL versions. Fairly inexpensive at sub 300 bucks or around there.
In that price range and power level I'd go for the gas ram rifles, commonly called Nitro Piston. They produce a smoother shot cycle and are easier to shoot well than a powerful springer, in my opinion.

D&L airgun out in BC is also great to deal with and has a great selection of higher end rifles like Weirauch. If you want German quality and don't mind paying for it they are spectacular. Not much change from a grand though and some are higher.

Diana is another great rifle you can't go wrong with.

Don't get all roped in by the highest velocity gun game. Shot cycle smoothness is more important, at least to some of us.

Although only a target shooter now, I've also been a life long hunter ( I'm 58) and still keep my licenses up to date. I've lost count ages ago of the rifles, pistols, and shotguns I've gone through. I've got the wrecked shoulder and wrist to back up my claim unfortunately. I look back and shake my head at always having to have the biggest and baddest, hand loading 300 gr .44 mag at 1350fps out of a 629...to put holes in a piece of paper 25 yards away.

Now I've gone the opposite way and can have just as much fun shooting kids BB guns from my couch on my 9 yard "indoor range" lol.

When the nice weather hits you may see a murdered out, very loud Dodge Challenger SRT8 going through town....that would be me

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When the 425-hp "street Hemi" version hit the street in 1965, it was akin to taking an M230 chain gun to an arcade shooting gallery
Peter

Pm sent