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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 4:07 am 
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Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 12:23 pm
Posts: 1
Hello,

I'm debating between the ruger air hawk 490 fps or a benjamin classic .22 495 fps for small game hunting

I would like to know which I should choose, I'm also on a budget and probably would not be able to upgrade the scope for a while. I'd like to hunt rats, pigeons, rabbits etc.

I've read some people dont like the ruger scope and that the benjamin trigger is bad. Other than that I've been having a hard time finding more info on the benjamin.

I'm also tempted to wait and see if any deals show up on the buy and sell part of this forum.

-Matt


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 7:11 am 
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Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2017 7:06 pm
Posts: 1167
Location: Meaford, Ont.
Rabbits, squirrels ect you need a hunting licence and they have to be in season. Chances are it will be cold out which will change the point of impact. Rabbit population around here was decimated so I retired my beagles four years ago to let rabbits populate. Now they are fat pets. :lol: Coyotes perhaps did them in from personal observations. So on to guns. I do not think either gun would be good for rabbits. So perhaps you need to rethink that part of it.

As for black birds and pigeons, rats either would do the job. Main thing is shooting the gun lots to get good with it. 177 has a wider range of pellets and less money to shoot than a .22. 22 would have more hitting power than a 177. Piston is better than a spring in winter weather. Spring guns are proven dependable over a lot more years as reliable.


Scopes the Ruger is ok for plinking pop cans but if you expect to hit a quarter inch dot at 20 yards every shot it is not likely going to happen. Perhaps spend that money on a better gun and learn open sights and save up more for a scope. Once you have a good scope they move from gun to gun which makes upgrading cheaper down the road. Nothing worse than not being able to see where pellet hits through your scope. But the scope is clear. Rings not much good and strip easy. Make sure you use the scope stop provided on the gun.

I have bought one terrific gun off trading post which was an Airhawk that had a lot of work done to the trigger and internals. I have three Airhawks and find them very good guns. But they are very large full size guns and if I went out to the bush all day I would take a different pellet gun because the weight of the Airhawk would kill my back. Since Airhawks went up $50 in price and no free shipping their are better guns for the money now. Airhawks have available parts if you want to change them and easy to change springs ect. . I do not know the Classic so maybe others will chime in on that one.

Sweetest cheap spring gun I bought new was a Hatsan 135S form a store call Deals (Division of KW Surplus) no scope and gun was $170 and it has shot terrific since new and two years later still bang on. But comes with open sights, lighter, shoots good, little smaller in size and a great smooth safety. And no shipping charge which lowered price of the gun because it was store bought. I would shoot it up against anyone's springer.

I may have an Airhawk going back up in trading post in the next few days as I got my new bench gun almost ready. I own three Airhawks and are my main shooters of my bench.

Good luck with your decision. CHEERS!


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:21 am 
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Location: GTA, ON
Can't be agreed more ~ this answer just gives every essential ideas to the question ~


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:32 am 
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Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 7:23 am
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Location: Somewheres near the Atlantic
Small game you want a 22. But having owned a Crosman Vantage and a Ruger Airhawk.

The Rugers are much nicer. Much nicer stocks, less effort to cock, Machined nicer.. Both have meh triggers.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:16 am 
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Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:53 pm
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Location: The Pas Manitoba
Not sure where the OP is from but you don't need a hunting licence for rabbits and grey squirrels here in Manitoba. Also no season. Red squirrels you need a trapping licence in Manitoba.
You'd certainly be better off with a .22 at 490fps as it gets 8 ft/lbs of energy vs just 4.5 for a .177. That being said I've killed plenty with .22 and .20 cal air pistols that get about 5.5 ft/lbs.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:46 am 
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Location: Meaford, Ont.
diananike wrote:
Not sure where the OP is from but you don't need a hunting licence for rabbits and grey squirrels here in Manitoba. Also no season. Red squirrels you need a trapping licence in Manitoba.
You'd certainly be better off with a .22 at 490fps as it gets 8 ft/lbs of energy vs just 4.5 for a .177. That being said I've killed plenty with .22 and .20 cal air pistols that get about 5.5 ft/lbs.


Thank you. I did not know that. I still would not agree with an under 500FPS pellet gun. I am sure Bugs Bunny would agree with me. :P CHEERS!


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:53 pm 
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Location: Thunder Bay,On.
Ruger Airhawk is a beauty for sure...but I think ANY non-pal gun is too light for rabbits...there just isn't that much fpe at distance....but if you must shoot with non pal I'd go with a .22....

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 4:09 pm 
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Location: Kingston, ON
MyCrosman wrote:
Ruger Airhawk is a beauty for sure...but I think ANY non-pal gun is too light for rabbits...there just isn't that much fpe at distance....but if you must shoot with non pal I'd go with a .22....

I have a non-PAL .25 cal QB78 that would make short work of a rabbit. Rabbits are off limits in my neck of the woods.
topic81534.html


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 4:22 pm 
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Location: Thunder Bay,On.
Dukemeister wrote:
MyCrosman wrote:
Ruger Airhawk is a beauty for sure...but I think ANY non-pal gun is too light for rabbits...there just isn't that much fpe at distance....but if you must shoot with non pal I'd go with a .22....

I have a non-PAL .25 cal QB78 that would make short work of a rabbit. Rabbits are off limits in my neck of the woods.
topic81534.html

I stand corrected...very nice gun....always thought about getting one....

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:56 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:13 am
Posts: 156
I'd take a Ruger air hawk over the Benjamin. Neither is ideal for small game, especially not the sub-500fps .177

I've got limited experience hunting or pesting, but this is the internet so here's my opinion...

If you watch videos of the Brits hunting rabbits with sub 12fpe airguns, you'll occasionally see them stretch shots out to 50 yards. In those cases, there's usually no exit, just an entrance wound.

A sub 12fpe airgun has about the same energy at 50 yards as a sub 500fps .22 airgun at the muzzle. Personally, if a non-expanding pellet doesn't have the guts to make a pass-through, it's pretty questionable as a hunting tool. Capable in a pinch? Sure, but not ideal...

Also, I've never shot a spring gun that I was confident could hit a rodent's tiny brain with any consistency. Obviously others are better shots than me.

Oh, and rabbits will scream at you if you make a bad shot.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:28 pm 
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Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2014 7:24 pm
Posts: 974
Location: Dowling ,ontario
I shoot rabits and partridges with sub pal velocity air pistols . At close range . Anything past 15 yards forget it. Simply not enough power . Stick with a .22 cal as mentioned before it’s more powerful in FPE than the .177 .

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