Air guns

[mtnbkr]

One thing I've noticed over the last few years is the increase in air gun availability, gunboard chatter, magazine ads, and even magazine articles.

I'm especially sensitive to this because I was into airguns for a while (got out because if I have to go to a gun range, I might as burn powder), but this was in the late 90s and you couldn't find anything in stores or any info outside a small number of specialty publications (mainly from the UK). Now all of a sudden, it's everywhere.  Even Castboolits has an airgun forum.

Any ideas why?  While there are a few good guns available at price points lower than when I was into such guns, the market hasn't changed *that* much.  What's driving the change?

If not for the strengthening of the gun culture, I would think it's a conspiracy to get us accustomed to "non-guns".  Since all but losing their access to guns, air guns are very popular in the UK.  Are we being steered in a similar direction?

Chris

[dogmush]

You had to go to a range?

I have an air gun I keep at work for pigeon and squirrel control. It's good for small animals and the like.

I would think the popularity is you gan set up an airgun range anywhere you have 30 or so open feet, and ammo is dirt cheap. Not to mention you can let kids use them. My HS rifle team used (expensive) air guns.

[Jamisjockey]

My gut says that a lot of people turned to air rifles after the ammo crisis to keep up practice and have fun.

[mtnbkr]

You had to go to a range?

I have an air gun I keep at work for pigeon and squirrel control. It's good for small animals and the like.

I would think the popularity is you gan set up an airgun range anywhere you have 30 or so open feet, and ammo is dirt cheap. Not to mention you can let kids use them. My HS rifle team used (expensive) air guns.

I live in Northern Virginia, which has a pretty high population density.  Also, at the time, I lived in an apartment.  Finally, in some towns or counties, my current one included, shooting even airguns in your backyard is illegal.  FWIW, the IWLA I'm a member of has a dedicated, indoor airgun range.  Unfortunately, I wasn't a member back when I had an airgun.

Anyway, the reasons you state have always been true.  Why now?

Chris

[mtnbkr]

My gut says that a lot of people turned to air rifles after the ammo crisis to keep up practice and have fun.

Maybe, but it's a lot of spin-up (forums, ads, articles, products, etc) in a previously stale market for a shortage that began a mere 6 years ago and has since tapered off.

Chris

[dogmush]

I was never really that into air rifles. A quick stop at an air rifle page shows some are easily capable of taking small to medium game.

What are the hunting regs for something like rabbit or coyote and an air rifle? Might be some folks using it there.

ETA: I think that your not being allowed to shoot them in your back yard is the anomaly, not the norm. We certainly can here. Other than that, I dunno about the sudden popularity.

[mtnbkr]

I was never really that into air rifles. A quick stop at an air rifle page shows some are easily capable of taking small to medium game.

Very much so.  Without getting into the larger PCP guns, even the decent springer guns will take squirrels, rabbits, etc.  My "full power" (there was also a weaker one for the Brits who didn't have an FAC) BSA Supersport 22 had enough energy for that.  

What are the hunting regs for something like rabbit or coyote and an air rifle? Might be some folks using it there.

Possibly, but I've never run into someone doing that myself.  Off all hunters I know, I'm the only one who has gone into the field with an airgun.  Again, I don't think it's enough to drive the market change we're seeing.  Especially in the US where one needs a high powered magnum to hunt deer.

ETA: I think that your not being allowed to shoot them in your back yard is the anomaly, not the norm. We certainly can here. Other than that, I dunno about the sudden popularity.

Actually, such rules are commonplace, but seldom enforced. 

Chris

[Boomhauer]

Other than the airguns I had as a kid, I never really messed with adult size airguns.

They are useful for pest control in areas where you can't fire an actual firearm (but can an airgun), you can set up a range in your house if you've got the room, and during this .22 shortage they are about the only thing that comes close to the cost other than reloading (which has it's own issues of component availability during the ammo shortages)

[Hawkmoon]

Finally, in some towns or counties, my current one included, shooting even airguns in your backyard is illegal. 

Same here. I've been trying for three years to get the town to change it, but this is a very anti-gun area so it seems the powers that be are happier to keep it on the books even though they know full well that the law is widely ignored.

[vaskidmark]

....

Actually, such rules are commonplace, but seldom enforced. 

Chris

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+15.2-915.4

then

https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=10051

and finally

https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=10051

In other words, Chris is skrood unless he shoots in his garage (with the door closed) or in his basement.

stay safe.

[Calumus]

In NJ you actually need a firearms purchaser I.D. card to buy one. If you want a CO2 pistol you have to get a pistol purchaser permit. They're treated exactly the same as firearms. Can't discharge within I believe 400 feet of a dwelling.

[mtnbkr]

In other words, Chris is skrood unless he shoots in his garage (with the door closed) or in his basement.

stay safe.

Back when I had my airgun, one could buy 500cnt boxes of 22lr all day long at Wal-Mart for $10/box and indexpensive semiauto 22lr rifles from Marlin and Savage for as little as $100 NIB (used ones were practically given away).  Even a 10/22 was merely $120ish at gun shows.  Since I had to go to a gun range anyway, I sold my BSA for about what I paid for it and never looked back.    Unless you have plenty of land around you, an air rifle really isn't an alternative to a proper 22lr.

Oddly enough, I can shoot my bow in my backyard, but not  an air rifle. 

Chris

[mtnbkr]

In NJ you actually need a firearms purchaser I.D. card to buy one. If you want a CO2 pistol you have to get a pistol purchaser permit. They're treated exactly the same as firearms. Can't discharge within I believe 400 feet of a dwelling.

I referenced FAC above.  In the UK, one must have an FAC (Firearms Certificate IIRC) in order to buy an air rifle above 12ft/lbs of power.

Chris

[T.O.M.]

I work in a rural area, where farmers and property owners used .22 and 12 gague for varmint control.  When ammo came difficult to get, and expensive to buy, a lot of the guys I know bought some of the high powered air rifles to use for smaller varmints, like rats, raccoon, crows, etc.  They had .22 available, but with resupply questionable, they didn't want to waste rounds on non-game animals.

[French G.]

I want something around .50 cal in a PCP airgun. For that money, real guns get bought though.

[lee n. field]

One thing I've noticed over the last few years is the increase in air gun availability, gunboard chatter, magazine ads, and even magazine articles.

I'm especially sensitive to this because I was into airguns for a while (got out because if I have to go to a gun range, I might as burn powder), but this was in the late 90s and you couldn't find anything in stores or any info outside a small number of specialty publications (mainly from the UK). Now all of a sudden, it's everywhere.  Even Castboolits has an airgun forum.

Any ideas why?  While there are a few good guns available at price points lower than when I was into such guns, the market hasn't changed *that* much.  What's driving the change?

If not for the strengthening of the gun culture, I would think it's a conspiracy to get us accustomed to "non-guns".  Since all but losing their access to guns, air guns are very popular in the UK.  Are we being steered in a similar direction?

Chris

Air rifles now are different from air rifles back in the late '90s when I was into it for a bit.  "Spring was king" then.  Now you see more powerful precharged pneumatic guns.

Makes me think there's a bit of a "gearhead" technophile thing going on.

[mtnbkr]

Air rifles now are different from air rifles back in the late '90s when I was into it for a bit.  "Spring was king" then.  Now you see more powerful precharged pneumatic guns.

Makes me think there's a bit of a "gearhead" technophile thing going on.

PCP guns existed back then and are only slightly less expensive today than they were then. 

Chris

[BlueStarLizzard]

there was one girl that was hard core Air Gun every year at camp. She always ended up on the .22 range because there wasn't enough interest to have the air gun range set up every day.

My coach made me do and air gun shoot once. I hated it. I always just thought they were stupid.

[BobR]

Pellets + nail gun cartridges =  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOZpy55U-jY

Does that make it a hybrid muzzle loader?

bob

[French G.]

Pellets + nail gun cartridges =  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOZpy55U-jY

Does that make it a hybrid muzzle loader?

bob

Did that in my misspent youth with a Marlin .22, the hottest power cartridge I could find, and whatever nail that had about a .22 cal head. At 50 feet it penetrated a solid concrete block and made a divot with the nailhead about 1/8" below the block surface. I did not repeat the experiment. 

I had Benjamin pump air guns when I was young and the only thing that stopped me from greatness was that Youtube didn't exist. I had some very fine shotgun shot and I mushed it all up in a matrix of soft wax from outdoor candles. A wad stuffed in the gun made a fine shotgun for hunting dragonflies and wasps. The chemical warfare experiment ruined my gun though, trying to project a slurry of bleach and whatever I mixed it with to make a noxious cloud of gas.

Moving on in years I never did hit the propane cylinder square in the valve which I was convinced would allow it to rocket off into another zip code. I didn't think the bullet impact would ignite it so that's what the lit rag tied to it was for. Hit off-center it does spin around quite nicely though whilst igniting all the undergrowth.

And that's what happens when you leave your kids at home alone. :)


Proving that you don't grow up, just old I got a Gamo spring gun as an adult. I don't care for them in the accuracy department. I did however go back to my youth. Light oil does best for dieseling. A bit of paper towel soaked in Pam behind the pellet is hard to beat. And yes, I know what I'm not supposed to do, but you gotta know. And getting an extra inch of phone book penetration proves it out as an effective but not completely safe ballistic hack.

[roo_ster]

Ted's Holdover reviewed a relatively reasonable PCP gun + pump:
http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-rifles/benjamin-discovery-22-high-pressure-pump
$480 retail

Just the gun:
http://www.crosman.com/airguns/air-rifles/benjamin-discovery-178
$300 retail

FTR, I paid in excess of $300 for my springer Beeman R1 in .177 20-25 years ago.  The Beeman R1 retails for in excess of $600 these days:
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Beeman_R1_Supermagnum_Air_Rifle_No_Sights/1897

His review included a muzzle break that helped damped sound.

I am tempted to get the .22 combo, muzzle break, and Williams aperture sight.  Wish they had a .25cal option in that platform.

http://tedsholdover.com/
http://tedsholdover.com/benjamin-discovery-22/