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Education / Training A newbie blunders into airguns

A newbie blunders into airguns

by B.B. Pelletier

Today we have a guest blog by a new airgunner who goes by the handle NewBlue19. It’s important to see airgunning through a new shooter’s eyes, and I welcome all guest blogs like this. I found it eye opening, and I think you will, too.

If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email us.

Take it away, NewBlue19!

I’m impulsive by nature. Despite being in my thirties, I’ve never outgrown that trait. In early November 2011, I was reminiscing about how much fun I had shooting a cheap pellet rifle with my dad that he had purchased when I was about 12.

I immediately went online, searched “air rifle” and was rewarded with thousands of sites selling, reviewing and recommending assorted air guns. Some were vendors while others were forums for experienced shooters. YouTube offered hundreds of videos of 12-year-old kids nailing a can from 60 yards away. I was hooked, and an hour later had placed an order for a Remington NPSS in .22. It had digital camo stock, a 3-9x scope and a raised rubber cheek piece! I had no idea what kind of shooting I was going to be doing; but with this awesome-looking rifle, I was going to be the terror of my backyard.

While waiting for the rifle to arrive, I began to do some actual research online. I found useful informative sites like Pyramyd Air, AirgunWeb, and a few others. I began to learn the difference between breakbarrels, sidelevers, PCPs and multi-pumps. I read up on the artillery hold, hold sensitivity, learned what f.p.s. (feet per second) and f.p.e. (foot-pounds of muzzle energy) really mean. I watched videos on mounting scopes and sighting them in, and I finally realized that I had probably made my first blunder. The Remington that I had just ordered just might be a little/or a lot of overkill for my tiny suburban backyard.

At this point, I had read that Tom Gaylord as wells as AirgunWeb’s Rick Eutsler recommended the Air Venturi Bronco to new shooters. They mentioned the good sights, the light trigger and the easy cocking. But do I listen? Of course not! I understood where they were coming from, but I didn’t like the blond stock or the lower velocity. Instead, I ordered the Stoeger X5 air rifle in .177 from Pyramyd AIR as a starter gun to learn to shoot with it. I do not regret getting the X5, as it’s a nice, quiet, lightweight, accurate plinker. However, I had just made newbie blunder No. 2.

As a 12-year-old shooting with dad, I had no concept of good trigger management, trigger-pull weight or length of trigger travel. I was happy to just knock over the soda can and considered myself a success when I did. As an adult, I now want to hit the dead center of the can or get nice tight shot groups on paper.

With both the Remington and Stoeger rifles now delivered and scoped, off I went to zero them in at 10 yds. I quickly realized that blunder No. 2 (heavy trigger) applied equally to both rifles. Reviews for both rifles clearly stated that both rifles had long, heavy triggers. As a newbie, I had no idea what that meant. I’m a grown man! I can pull a 5-lb. trigger!

Sure, all of us can pull a 5-lb. trigger, but it takes extra concentration and good trigger management to group well with a trigger like that. Since getting both rifles, I’ve had a chance to shoot rifles with better triggers from RWS and Beeman. The difference is easily noticeable. Had I listened to what Tom and Rick had repeatedly said, I would have gotten the Bronco as a starter rifle. It would have been easier and quicker to master and probably a little more fun to shoot.

I asked to write this guest blog in order to share my experiences as a new airgunner. I figure that maybe other newbies could save a little time, money and effort by not repeating the same mistakes I make as I go along — and experienced guys could get a laugh and sagely nod their heads at my hiccups. I think that experienced people sometimes forget the learning curve involved in undertaking a new hobby and the inevitable mistakes that occur while gaining that same experience. So, what did my first two blunders teach me?

Blunder No. 1 taught me to match the air rifle to the type of shooting, environment and distances I’d be shooting. Suburban backyard plinking with neighbors stacked all around you doesn’t require a relatively heavy 4-ft. long rifle. Add in the fact that I don’t eat wild game or know how to clean or skin it, I won’t need a “hunting rifle” anytime soon. Finally, figure in the 20-25 yard depth of my backyard and a busybody retiree living next door, and the Bronco (or Stoeger) would have been plenty of rifle for me. The $260 I spent on the Remington and $30 in assorted .22 pellets would have gotten me more than halfway to a really nice upgrade from the Stoeger when I was ready to make the leap.

Blunder No. 2 taught me to take the time to read the useful, knowledgeable reviews that some of the experienced reviewers leave. Not the ones that simply state “dime-sized groups at 25 yds” or “killed a tree rat with my second shot out the box.” Both are more boastful than useful. I’m referring to the well thought out reviews that cover fit, finish, triggers and any possible issues the reviewer encountered. If several experienced guys state the same thing, they probably have a point. Why fight or have to overcome an issue or shortcoming when you can just avoid it altogether? The information and experience is out there. We new airgunners just have to sort through it and use it.

I hope my experience will benefit some of you in the future.

Afterword from B.B.
Thank you, NewBlue19. I appreciate a newcomer’s viewpoint because it’s been many years since I shared your perspective. I know what you mean when you say a 5-lb. trigger doesn’t sound like much until you actually try it. Until you see the crosshairs walk off-target because of a heavy trigger-pull or until you group seven shots all to the lower left of the target with a certain handgun (lower right, if you’re a lefty), it’s impossible to know how this stuff really works.

So, factor that in to your research. You may read something that’s the honest truth and also a good description, but until you gain a little experience with the same stuff, it just won’t mean as much to you.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

113 thoughts on “A newbie blunders into airguns”

  1. Welcome to the world of air gunning!

    I too can be a bit impulsive at times. What has saved me is a lack of funds to match my impulsiveness. What I usually do is see my impulsive desire, research it to death for months and then buy it.

  2. NewBlue19

    Welcome.
    I had to learn the hard way because I didn’t have anyone to give me any good information. Then there was the problem with limited availability of guns and ammo in the local stores. What I could get my hands on worked the way it worked, and there was not much I could do about it.

    Now we have the internet. All kinds of stuff available, and all kinds of information available.
    Trouble is, the first thing you find is a whole lot of conflicting information. You don’t know who or what to believe. Who can you trust to give you the straight story about ANYTHING.
    You see a lot of glorious reviews that are done the same way our illustrious elected officials hand it out… tell you what they want to, stretch the truth, outright lie, and not mention the things they don’t want you to know. Sounds like the news media too that way.

    That has been a sore spot with me. Like most other things, I usually have to figure things out for myself. That way I know things for a fact.

    twotalon

  3. Well, he didn’t make the blunders I did at least. I bought three junk airguns before I finally got some good ones! At least I have the excuse that I did it pre-internet which hampered my access to information. The first (and worst) was a no-name Chinese break barrel that I now realize (thanks to this site and others) had almost certainly been dry fired and fired with the barrel broken open while it was in the store. The second was a CO2 pistol that was all plastic and pot metal, had a trigger like a staple gun and shot groups the size of a personal pan pizza (in comparison the .22 Webley Hurricane I inherited from my Dad a few years back feels like a match pistol). The only good thing I can say about the third airgun I bought was that it came with the 1993 Beeman catalog enclosed in the box! That catalog finally let me know what I really wanted to get and, many years later thanks to online retailers and airgun forum classified ads I finally managed to get some of them!

  4. Welcome, NewBlue19!

    Why fight? Ha ha ha…. I guess I just like bashing my head against a wall to see if I can make a dent. (in either). Well written reminders of what most of us went though, or are still going through… 🙂

    /Dave

  5. NewBlue19,

    curious as to how things had / are developing with your neighbor? Here in the Democratik Peoples’ Republik of New Jersey, I’m deathly afraid of any of my neighbors knowing I have airguns and certainly cannot fire them in my backyard (it’s considered a firearm and to discharge a firearm in town limits is a felony).

    Fred DPRoNJ

    • To Pro NJ I was mistaken and I thought you were pro NJ” I am glad your not” I use to live in that police state but I was able to get out.You are correct in if you shoot any type of air gun in your yard or any place and get caught it is is the same as firing a real firearm.When I moved to PA i was able to buy and have delivered to my home all of the air guns I used to drool over but I could not legaly buy.Edith set me straight about what PRONJ meant and I hope you too can escape to freedom.Before 1966 air guns were not considered fire arms and were just banned and if you were caught with one it was not a felonyI now live in FLORIDA which is also a free state and I can order from PYRAMID AIR WHEN i CAN AFFORD TO.i WISH YOU LUCK BUT i SEE NO HOPE FOR REFORM IN THE PEOPLES UNREBUBLIC even with GOV. CHRISTIE THE DEMS WILL NEVER ALLOW IT

  6. Man, isn’t that the nature of the beast 😉
    The number of times I’ve talked people out of purchasing that big honking telephoto lens…because it’s so big and it’s what they see at all the football/hockey games…and they want to shoot photos of their kids around the house, just amazes me.
    I guess with my background in sales I’m all too aware of the pitfalls of believing eveything a salesperson tells you that before I purchase just about anything I spend quite a bit of time doing research on it. Did this even before the internet days via magazines and available literature.
    Every once in while you run into someone like b.b. (a true gem).
    b.b. (and Edith) you seem to have the same philosophy that I do…though I receive a paycheque from the company that employs me…I really consider that I work for my customer. And if I do right by him, which at times means talking them into a less expensive product it benefits my employer in the long run. I’m sure Pyramyd has an awful lot of repeat customers because of b.b. and Edith.

    • Cowboystar dad,
      Boy, what you describe is exactly like what I would hear from stereo sales people decades ago.
      You go in to the store planning on buying a nice set of speakers that you did your research on. They were accurate, neutral, and thus very clean to listen to over extended periods, without listening fatigue. More important, to the salesman at least, you went prepared to spend some serious cash for a quality speaker. Did the salesman step up to dance with you? NOooooo! He, and the rest of the staff were trained to push certain models because of the markup, or because they simply didn’t know better. Instead of understanding and respecting your knowledge and appreciation for what really matters, they blindly tow the line and push the biggest and brightest speaker in the house. They don’t care that you’ll get a headache after listening to these super bright speakers after 20 minutes. The only point that they know how to make is that THEY ROCK! Before you know it, you walk out empty handed, to return, or go somewhere else, when you have the strength again. BIG, BRIGHT, POWERFUL, AND TIRING!
      Victor

  7. NewBlue 19,

    You are not alone. Here are my mistakes in the past 3 years of owning airguns (I’m 41):

    1. Bought a CO2 action pistol to take with me into a tree stand while bowhunting deer. I brought it to shoot squirrels that are always about. What I found out was that (a) it didn’t have enough power (b) it was too loud and (c) CO2 is temperature dependent and deer hunting takes place in lower temperatures.

    2. Upgraded to a Crosman 1377. It has JUST enough power, and be a pneumatic it wasn’t as temperature dependent. However, it takes a headshot within 15 yards to kill cleanly. I didn’t have a scope as it would be too unwieldy in the tree with me. Well, squirrels are twitchy. They don’t come in that close very often and when they do they skitter around to take a well placed careful shot.

    3. Found out that airguns in MN are “firearms” and it is illegal to bowhunt while in possession of a firearm. Oops. Anyways, still liked airguns so bought a cheapie springer (Crosman Phantom). It does a nice job on squirrels inside of 25 yards, even non head shots. Pretty accurate too….once you’ve mastered the heavy trigger. My father put in a custom trigger he got for me, it is better, but still not great. Thought this gun was good for rabbits…it is, as long as it is a head shot inside of 30 yards. Not bad if you can sneak up on one holding real still. Doesn’t happen often, so I now only use it for squirrels…and NOT while bowhunting!

    My guns are now reserved to the following uses: CO2 action pistol is used only for cheap handgun training. My Crosman 1377 is death on house sparrows that I take from my office window (unprotected nuisance bird). And the Phantom is a squirrel hunter.

    Knowing now, what I didn’t know then, I would have saved my money for a powerful pneumatic or gas springer. One of those will be next……

    • se mn airgunner,

      Your story makes me want to write a report about air pistols, because you aren’t the only one who overestimated the power they have.

      Maybe you have some thoughts on this topic? Things you would have liked to have known before making that first purchase. Anything except the hunting laws, because they are in a constant state of flux and I can’t keep up with all of them.

      B.B.

      • BB,

        Wow, thanks for the response. Unbelievable how you and Edith reply when you must have thousands of comments to review each day it seems.

        Part of the problem, I think, is that research is only good when the information you find is accurate. When I first stupidly bought a CO2 pistol for squirrels it was after watching a youtube clip of some braggart talking about a squirrel he killed. Of course the video was taken AFTER the shot. So I have no way of knowing how close the squirrel was, if it suffered or not (I expect now that it did), etc.. Other places of misinformation can be on Yahoo Answers, etc.

        At the time I bought the pistol off the rack from a retailer. Sellers there have NO IDEA about airguns. Buying from a site like Pyramydair makes so much more sense as the website is dedicated as much to education as it is to selling. Not trying to brown nose, it is just the truth. I’ve watched all of the Capello videos and Airgun Academy videos. I’ve been reading your blog everyday for the past month. In fact, you folks can’t keep enough material coming to keep me satisfied!!!! I almost became suicidal (just kidding) when American Airgunner was taken off the air. Besides, even if I was suicidal, my CO2 pistol didn’t have enough power…..rimshot! KIDDING PEOPLE!!! BAD JOKE!!!

        I once had a retailer tell me how great those lightweight pellets are, etc. Of course, he was talking about the sound speed “crack”. He failed to mention they are about as accurate as any of your favorite news media.

        What would I like to know about buying CO2 pistols today? In this case, when I now know they aren’t for hunting, fpe is no longer important to me. Neither is fps so much, as I shoot mostly from 10 yards so there really isn’t enough distance for bb’s/ammo/pellets to drop that much. So slower speeds are probably OK. I don’t care if my CO2 pistol can blow up a shook up pop can. I want the shooting experience to mirror that of a real firearm as much as possible. That said, I want to know which actual firearm, if any, it is modeled after. How much time does it take to load a magazine? I have a Daisy Powerline 008 that is a pain in the butt to load. I also have an Umarex SA177 that loads 20 bbs VERY quickly. I can put twice as many shots thru my Umarex in half the time when compared to my 008.

        Another distraction, I like drop out magazines as opposed to the circular type magazines you see in the 008 or Crosman revolver. More realistic, and that is the goal. Another nod to the Umarex.

        It would be neat to know, as far as blowback pistols go, a measurement of the force of the blowback. I would prefer one with as much recoil as possible to mirror an actual firearm as much as possible. If that means less shot per cartridge so be it. The SA177 is fun, but the recoil isn’t all that much. Better than nothing would be the way to describe it.

        Seems to me blowback pistols should dominate the market. I’d like to see them increase blowback power, and as a tradeoff it would be OK if fps was a bit lower and we got maybe 80 shots per cartridge as opposed to 100+.

        And finally, since I’m rambling stream of consciousness here, I’d like to read articles / view videos of how folks use their CO2 pistols to train. Or, if they are not training, fun games and unique ways to enjoy them.

        I bet this rant will get you to think twice about responding to me in the future. HA!!

        SE MN Airgunner

        • se mn airgunner,

          Yep, you’re off my Christmas card list right now! 😉

          I will have a CO2 revolver for you next week. It is extremely realistic and I hope accurate. I know it’s not a pistol, but I gotta take ’em when I get ’em.

          Thanks for taking the time to tell me what you did. I can’t fix the retail stores, of course, but by reading what you wrote I can tailor my future reports, which is what I was after.

          Thanks again,

          B.B.

        • If you like CO2 pistol that are close to the firearms they copy My I suggest the GSG 92, SIG Sauer P226 and Tanfoglio Witness 1911.
          They all have blowback, are all made of metal and all the switches and buttons work just like on the firearm, no safety molded in the slide here, they can even be disassembled like the real thing.

          J-F

    • se mn airgunner,

      I’m laughing right now reading your report on using a CO2 pistol for squirrels while deer hunting. I’m laughing because I tried the exact same thing, only I skipped the CO2 and went straight to pneumatic. Smart, I was, you see … at least in my own mind.

      Of course, the first time that I actually tried out my squirrel sniping plan was when I realized just exactly how much harder it is to hit anything at all with a pistol much less the head of a hyperactive tree rat. Man, what a blow _that_ was to my ego. Lesson learned: handguns are not rifles, and proficiency at one does not mean proficiency in the other.

      Wisdom, they say, comes from learning from your mistakes. So, I plan to make lots of them 🙂

      • Stupid squirrels. They never hold still long enough, do they? Why are they so nervous just because every other thing on the planet is trying to eat them!?!

        Loved your reply….Sounds like we were both trying to kill two birds with one stone. We know we should be in the woods as much as possible waiting for that big buck, but doggone those squirrels taste good too. Shooting a .22 rimfire would scare everything else away!!

        I want my cake and i want to eat it too….and squirrel pot pie for that matter.

        • It’s scary how much we think alike. I found myself at a gun show last month caressing a nice 22 pistol with threaded barrel wondering whether it would scare other game away if I equipped it with a suppressor. Then I remembered how poorly I shoot pistols and put it back down.

      • Bobby,

        I plan to join a target pistol rimfire club this spring and to practice, I’ve taken out my IZH 46 and am shooting, target style, at paper 28′ away in the basement. I already have to patch two holes in the wallboard before wifey sees them. At least they’re small and not quite behind the target 🙂

        Tell me about holding steady off-hand…..

        Fred DPRoNJ

        • A week an a half late (DSL at my new location only activated Thursday; I couldn’t justify using a $50 for 30-day/1GB data (which ever came first) air-card for web-based forums.

          As for holes in the wall… My father tends to keep underestimating the power of my guns (and over-estimating his <G> ). Back in the late 70s I’d picked up a set of /plastic/ .38 wadcutter/cases meant to be propelled by primer only… First thing my father did was cut a hole in the vinyl back of the dining room chair…

          This time, he took my AEG M-14, hung a paper bag off a coat hanger in the basement, and let loose with a full-auto burst… Two days later he was accusing me of missing the silent pellet trap with one of my guns and putting a hole in the basement window… I pointed out that the window was directly in line with the paper bag (about 12 feet back from it) and that it was his shooting of the M-14 air soft that took out the window; he just couldn’t accept that a battery powered “toy” (in his mind) could hit with that much force.

          As for the squiddles — ignoring that I wouldn’t know how to clean one, I had drizzled some sunflower seeds and almonds on the small back deck of this apartment… and had them about seven feet from where I was holding the camera. I’d have had a hard time shooting one with any of my rifles — figuring out the point of aim to compensate for the scope height!

          • Forgot to mention… The over-estimation is in my father wanting to use a $30 department store Crosman (I think my thumb has a larger diameter than the scope it came with) to take out moles in the back yard.

            Granted, he’d have a hard-time hiding the sound of an actual hunting grade pellet rifle in that neighborhood… And since the (MI) state Attorney General’s ruling regarding civilian ownership of silencers only decreed that having proof of paying the federal transfer fee for a silencer constitutes being “licensed” for the silencer (state law is that only “licensed” silencers are permitted — and since neither the fed nor state issued “licenses” for silencers to civilians…), it leaves permanently attached silencers (Gamo Whisper series) and shrouded barrels for pellet rifles in limbo (So my Marauder will probably never leave the apartment). Take into account that this is a state that has a checkbox on the handgun “permit to purchase” that reads “pellet”. I just had to fill out the form for 8 handguns (it also serves as the registration form) of which four were pellet pistols — which takes some time as the form is four-copy, no carbon…

  8. Welcome NewBlue,

    You could have almost signed my name to your story. First air rifle in 35 years, 1000fps. Next one, the same rifle. Next, a Gamo Big Cat 1200 fps. Then I remembered all shooting is done in my garage. duh! They are ok rifles but not for my needs. I then learned I would be better off with a good 10M rifle. I have yet to acquire one, but will. For now the Crosman 1377 and the 2240 get shot alot, both with stocks. The 1377 with its laser site is way too fun. Then BB talked of the Crosman 1077, I had to get it. Man is that a fun little rifle. The trigger is about 50 pounds ( not really), but it is pretty accurate, and fun.

      • Mostly because of the space I had to shoot them. If I had some land for a 50M range, I would shoot them more, the springers. The first 2 purchases were Walther Force 1000’s. I found them at a great price, but I cannot stand and shoot targets w/o wobbling. I do have a bench that I shoot them on, but I like to just pick up a gun off my workbench and turn and shoot a black dot on my target. A heavy scoped rifle able to shoot at 50 yards should not have been my first buy, imo. After I got them sighted in, and found which pellets they like (superdomes), they are not that much fun for me, at 50 feet that is.

        The name Walther really caught my eye at first, then of course the 1000fps. lol Again they are good rifles, but at 50 feet….

        This is why I really like the 1077, I can pick it up, turn, bang! I stopped shooting last night when I had the last 3 POI that all touched, at 10M. And that 1377 with stock and laser, this gives me the most joy. At 6’4″ I can shoot it w/o contorting my neck, I can almost keep my head upright.

        What would you like in an airgun now? Some of the old 10M rifles that you like to tease me with.

        • Gene,

          I just wish you could try a Bronco. Yes, it’s a single-shot, but it’s also easy to cock, has a wonderful trigger and it’s a gun you can shoot all day long.

          I also wish you could try a Diana model 27. It’s the gun that gave me the idea for the Bronco. It isn’t powerful, but it has everything you are looking for.

          B.B.

      • B.B.,

        I can’t answer for Gene, but I remember exactly the moment that I realized a powerful spring-piston air rifle wasn’t necessarily the best choice for squirrel hunting. It was when I took a shot at a squirrel’s head that was about 45 feet up in a tree and hit him about mid-way down his back. I still killed him, but it was eye opening just how far off I was in aim. What threw me off is that he was horizontal on a branch, so it wasn’t that I chose the wrong hold-over/hold-under for the shot. The pellet impacted about 4 inches to the right of my aim point.

        Later practice on acorns that were still in the tree exposed just how difficult it is to keep a dead hold when shooting off-hand and at high angles. I found that when shooting a target on the ground or close to the ground, everything will be fine, but as I rotated the big gun up higher and higher at targets in trees, all bets were off as to where the impact point would shift. I finally concluded that as you increase elevation, the artillery hold becomes more and more difficult to achieve if for no other reason than the butt of the rifle comes more and more to rest firmly on the shoulder. Everything just goes wonky.

        As a result of these experiments, I hunt less with my springers now than I used to do, and I tend to limit my shots to squirrels that are either on the ground or close to it. When I do take a spring-piston gun out into the field, it tends to be a lower powered one that won’t be as sensitive to hold. In fact, I am in the process of selling off a few in order to scrape up the boot for a nice little PCP such as the Marauder Pistol for hunting.

        • Bobby Nations,

          The MRod Pistol is where I am headed as well. But first I think I will try a PCP conversion for one of the 2240’s in my arsenal. Though I know I’m MRod bound, I’ve still got a little experimenting left with what I have!

          ka

    • Gene,

      Those Crosmans (1377 & 2240) have caused me to go full circle more than once! I’d have the 1077 too if the budget would’ve held out! My newest 2240 carbine is PERFECT for the home chores (large Ravens wreaking havoc in the garden and knocking over trash cans). Just ordered a Walther dot site for it yesterday, can’t wait!

      ka

  9. I think that one of the biggest mistakes made by newcomers to our hobby is outlined in the second paragraph. “Immediately” and “an hour later” pretty much describe the way that many new airgunners do their research and make these first important decisions.

    Although I did months of research before buying my first adult airgun, I dropped the ball when it came to acting on what I had supposedly learned, and impulsively bought a big box store scoped package deal. Just had to have it now. For what I have spent on tunes, trigger and replacement scopes, I could have bought a genuinely good airgun in the first place. Fortunately for me, I learned from the experience and bought the right rifle for me the next time. Sure, it was more expensive, but I haven’t had a moment’s regret.

    NewBlue 19 nailed it with his two blunders and recommendations how to avoid them.

    -Jim in KS

  10. NewBlue19,

    Thanks for taking the time to write and share your experiences. You’ve learned a lot in a short amount of time. You’re very humble. I’m arrogant.

    I can’t call them blunders. My ego won’t allow that. They’re learning experiences. 😉

    From my perspective, it doesn’t matter how much you read, research, ask questions and discriminate between those providing answers and reviews. Until you actually try the item you don’t really know if it’s for you or not.

    kevin

  11. Howdy Blue,
    Welcome ta the gang! I feel ya. Great writin’.
    Mr. B.B. & Ms. Edith, thanx for creatin’ a place that anybody, from a rookie to advanced shooter can feel welcome, share & learn. You’re the best.
    Beaz

  12. I suppose that I’ve been lucky that my interest in airguns has been recent. The online selection of guns, the articles and objective reviews, offer the beginner a plethora of possibilities and availabilty. Being naturally curious, I’ve taken the time to research each airgun I’ve purchased, which, because of the target shooting I enjoy, are all pistols. Yesterday I received from PA an RWS LP 8 Magnum break-barrel pistol, and happily spent the afternoon and evening destroying targets. I do agree that all the research and reading don’t guarantee a new purchase will be a valued keeper. My first BB pistol, although a fine piece of work that’s easy to shoot, is not, but don’t ask me why; it’s just something. Needless to say, I enjoyed this guest post, now, if someone would explain the often mentioned break-in of barrels…

  13. This is my story except I was in my 20’s (I’m now in my 30’s). Reading Airgun Illustrated, my first real buys (after my uncle hand me down Rellum, which I still have) a cheap Marksman “olympic” rifle and a crappy chinese rifle, were the Benjamin 397 and a nice Winchester imitation BB gun that Daisy made at the time.

    I tought the Benjamin had to be pumped 8 times for each shot, then I started doing 6, then 4 and realise it would still be accurate but it wasn’t what I wanted. That’s when I saw the NPSS, I like NewBlue19 tought it was the best thing since sliced bread (thank you Crosman marketing departement), they didn’t have it when I visited the store but they had the Remington Summit, MAN was that thing gorgeous! I bought it on the spot only to realise it kicked like a mule and wasn’t what I wanted either… I was about to give up on airguns I tought I had seen it all, magnum spingers, cheap chinese springers that can barrely spit a pellet out to the target and BB guns.

    That’s when I found this place.

    Thanks to BB and other nice people here I got an education in airguns (and many other things) and MasterCard and Visa have been good friends of mine ever since 😉 I now have enough airguns that I don’t know exactly how many I have, a chrony, stacks of pellets, over 20000 BB’s (it goes quickly when you buy those 6000 BB’s bottles), a few years worth of PellgunOil, tools bought specially for airguns, a bench rest, a safe, somehard cases and the greatest group of online friends someone could dream of.

    I’m a proud airgunaholic and I don’t intend to ever leave this place unless I’m forced to.

    Welcome here NewBlue19.

    J-F

      • I never thought of giving up, but I shudder to think what would have happened if I had not learned about the artillery hold. I was doing all right with my UTG airsoft sniper rifle, resting it on a pillow and shooting at 25 feet. Then, I thought I would really ring out the accuracy of the rifle at 10 yards in a forest playground I developed and a more solid rest. The holes were all over the place! My solution was to just keep practicing but fortunately, the artillery hold arrived on the scene. Otherwise…. I might have gone the route of guys on the dating circuit who finally decide: “Maybe I’m just an ugly dude…”

        Matt61

        • Matt61,
          Amen to That! Learning the artillery hold made all the difference in the world to me. Had I not, I wouldn’t have bought another springer, EVER. Now I love the challenge, and their ability to shoot well out to 100 yards. Yes, I do love magnum springer’s, but I’m also willing to invest MONTHS to master any single one of them. Having a shooting background, springers added a whole new dimension that I’ve really learned to appreciate.
          Victor

      • Throwing everything away didn’t cross my mind.
        Multi-pumps aren’t for me and neither are magnum springers (and I’ve sold both of them) but plinking cans with cheap springers and a RedRyder was entertaining and I tought that’s what airguning was to me. Then I found this place and decided to dig a little more. I knew I was onto something when I bought the IZH-60, it was so accurate and that’s when the Bronco was introduced, I was already hooked but the Bronco just reeled me in, I started looking at target and vintage guns and made the (expensive) jump to PCP and I just want more and more.
        Since your blog about keeping the guns you use I’ve been thinking more and more about selling some of them, and thinning the heard, guns like my Webley Alecto, it’s a great pistol, REALLY easy to pump and shoot but since getting the kind of deal you just can’t miss on a FAS 604 target pistol I haven’t shot the Alecto.

        I like trying different things, I like plinking, I like guns that are easy and fun to shoot, mastering a magum springer is a great challenge and when you finally do it’s very rewarding but I’m too lazy and don’t have time for that. With 2 young kids I shoot in the backyard whenever I have the chance so I need a gun that I can just pick-up and enjoy shooting.
        That’s why I like the Bronco so much, it just has everything I want. It’s FUN to shoot and it shoots where I want it to shoot.

        I also leave the newly bought Daisy 99 by the back door, when I’m using the BBQ I fire a few shots at cans I have on stick at the end of the yard, I do the same thing when I go open the door to let the dogs in.
        That’s what’s so fun about airguns, I can just fire a few shots when I have a few free minutes after supper before the kids bath time no need to pack things up and drive to a range.

        Have I answered your question? Did I understand it correctly? I enjoy them so much, I kinda got carried away 😉
        I talked about it a few times, I was a drag racer when I was younger and used to work on cars but as much as I still love cars and am looking at buying back a HotRod but working on them apart from basic maintenance is over for me, airguns all the way!

        J-F

        • J-F,

          So you like things that are easy to shoot? And you found the Bronco?

          Then I’d say to look hard for a nice used Diana 27 next. Just as nice as the Bronco and the stock is more slender.

          I did the same think with a can in a tree 35 yards away when I had my first FWB 124. I was too new to airgunning to know that a scope had to be made for an airgun, so I just shot what I had and loved it. Easy to shoot, too. But the Diana 27 is the all-time fun gun, I think.

          Shooting an FAS target pistol has to be like eating peanuts. You can’t stop! I would put the FWB 102 & 103 in the same category. And even the Gamo Compact, though it is harder to pump. Maybe the IZH 46M, though it is a little muzzle heavy.

          B.B.

      • I found true love in airguns in general, they all have their particular advantages. I would want ONLY pcp’s. There’s still place for a RedRyder in my safe.

        I can’t have only one favorite. There’s just so many of them… the Bronco, Diana Mod. 24 (now Diana 240), my lower velocity Benjamin Trail NP, IZH-60 are very nice springers that I don’t intend to let go, the Diana and Bronco are pretty similar in accuracy and ease of use, the Weihrauch HW30S/Beeman R7 are I thing in the same class and as much as I’d like to give it a try I trying to restrain myself.

        Even if they’re not target guns, the RedRyder and Marlin BB guns are so much fun to plink with, everyone should at least have one of them.

        I like action pistol too, I have the Tanfoglio Witness 1911, SIG Sauer P226 and GSG 92, since I’m in Canada guns (especially handguns) aren’t that easy to obtain so they bring me my pistol fix, I have a bunch of other action CO2 pistols but those are my favorites.

        I first got the Daisy Avanti 747, then I upgraded to the Webley Alecto and then got an opportunity to buy a FAS 604 target pistol that’s a single whole shooter, I’d like to be able to shoot it off hand to it’s full potential.

        Then there’s the classics, like the P1/HW45, I can’t sell those!

        My PCP is a detuned for the Canadian market Hatsan AT44, 10 shot repeater. It’s a tack driver. I would probably trade it for a Marauder if could but I can’t so it’s staying.

        So to answer your question, yes I have favorites, different guns for different reasons, some because they’re fun and easy to shoot, others because they’re so accurate, others because they’re classics.

        I may try and sell a few in the weeks (more like months) to come but we’re not there yet.

        J-F

        • J-F, I rather thought you might say, “different guns for different reasons”. That makes sense to me. I’m aching to get into PCP. Discovery may be the one but I will be doing some research for a while.

          • PCP’s are really great guns, I’m looking at the ALFA ProJ rifle and pistol right, it’s really itching, I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist the urge to scratch it.

            J-F

            • /Dave, thanks for the endorsement. The Discovery is definitely in the top 10 or top 5, I’m not sure yet.

              B.B. also recommended the Discovery to me base on its weight as well as its quality. Weight may be a significant issue for me and I’ll be assessing that in the months to come.

              Thanks,
              Ken

            • J-F, thanks for the advice. I definitely won’t cheap out. That would defeat my goals for sure. I have already ruled out Fred’s X15 Deluxe PCP (with its used Monster drink can as an air reservoir and PVC scope tube).

              Definitely at least a Discovery with appropriate support tools. And I’ll read the instructions and warnings rather carefully before I fill it the first time.

              As an enabler, you are first rate, J-F. I mean, you talk quality not quantity and that’s what I need.

              Ken

    • J-F,
      It took 15 years before I bought a new airgun, after the 397P that I bought for my son. I’ve pumped that thing to the point of getting blisters. Love the gun! Of course, now it pales in comparison to some of my later acquisitions, but it still has a special place in my heart. By the way, for my background, or garage, shooting, I found that 4 pumps was adequate for informal target practice. I have on occasion gone up to 6 pumps, but rarely as high as 8.
      Victor

    • That Marksman was a real enigma. It really comes off as being toyish, not in the tin-metal-old-school sense of a Diana 16 (with which it shares cocking geometry), but more like 1960’s vintage pot-metal-and-thick-plastic Mattel Agent Zero M radio Rifle.

      Accuracy is actually passable (considering the marketing context), and the plastic semi-toy peep sight sorta works…

      • Mine was definetly toy like, I was able to find the exact model, it was a Marksman 1798, I should search, I may still have it, along with my Daisy 2002 pump action CO2 rifle (wow what a piece of crap that one was), but I’m keeping my “Beeman”/Marksman 1745, it’s not that bad and it’s light weight for when the kids grow-up and before they can handle the Bronco (I just may have to buy one or two mor eif the kids like to shoot 😀 YAY)

        J-F

  14. How I wish I had time to read this just now. Dealing with last minute insurance, staff and patient missteps and taking care of the lab issues is all I can do. However, I am printing out everything to look at in the next few days. This stuff is too good to let it pass me by.

    NewBlue19, thanks for writing.

    B.B., thanks for hosting NewBlue19.

    Everyone else, thanks for posting.

  15. NewBlue19,

    Nice write up, You’re hooked!

    I made those same mistakes and more! I bought a 1000fps, 44″, black monster for my 25yd to 30yd max back yard! Had to go through the several purchases routine before I wound up with a modified 2240. The exact thing that I chose not to buy at the first! As it turns out, the same guy that modified my 2240 (Tim McMurry @ Mac1) could have worked my Crosman 760 over that wore out from 28 years of abuse! Ha! Sometimes years and money go by before the thick headed learn, but it’s been fun.

    ka

  16. NewBlue19,

    I don’t think you should feel bad about your buying or learning experiences. From the comments I’ve seen so far, you’re doing what others have done before you. So, you’re in good company 🙂

    When reading the product reviews on Pyramyd AIR, I see this scenario played out over and over. While reviewing a gun a newbie likes, he’ll regale us with the guns he bought before that didn’t work out. Testing, learning, trying…these are the things that teach us the most. It would be nice if others could learn from our mistakes, but it rarely happens. People are determined to find out if what they see, hear or read is true. They want to experience it personally.

    That’s why the sign that says “wet paint” doesn’t stop most people from checking the paint.

    That’s why guns that have 50 bad reviews but 4 good ones will still sell…because there’s always someone out there who thinks those 4 guys have learned the “secret of the Incas” and discovered how to take a $75 breakbarrel and turn it into a silk purse. What they usually learn is that the 4 guys didn’t know diddly and were willing to accept 5″ 3-shot groups because…hey, it’s JUST an airgun!

    You should be proud that you learned something from your experiences. How many others who went before you and will go after you to commit the same mistakes but never learn from them? I don’t think I can count that high 🙂

    Congratulations on graduating to a new level and discovering the truth about airguns. You’re now part of the inner circle. Enjoy!

    Edith

    • Edith,

      I remember wanting an R1 for over eight years and when I got one (for Christmas, thank you very much) I asked for and got a .177. It didn’t take long to learn what a mistake THAT was! Then we started The Airgun Letter and soon after we bought a .22 R1 that we still have. That’s the gun the book was based on.

      So something as seemingly trivial as choosing the wrong caliber in a gun you ultimately like can make all the difference in the world. The .177 wasn’t useful in that powerful gun. The .22 I wrote a book about.

      B.B.

  17. BB,

    I’ve been out of town and off line for a few weeks, so I haven’t caught up here. I may never, but this mornings blog is a good one. I’m noticing some back to basics articles recently, giving a more broad coverage of the sport, good deal.

    Edith, the simple math is kicking my rump! I got stumped on the “_ + 8 = 11”. Ha! 🙂

    ka

    • KA,

      Yes, I’m doing a lot of basic stuff, because I discovered we have a large crop of shooters who are new to airguns. Some of them are firearms shooters coming over while others are new to shooting altogether, so I am trying to cover the basics for everyone.

      I will start testing new airguns again next week, but after the SHOT Show there was a delay before many of the new models became available. And many are still not out!

      B.B.

      • Edith,

        Ha! Yes! Hence my approval of the likes of today’s blog topic. It’s the basics that keep our feet on the ground and often are overlooked. And speaking of overlooking the basics… Your not going to beleive my “What? They closed my shooting range?” story. I haven’t been able to get range time for months. Since before my inquiries of the mil dots in my scope, if you can recall that. I will bore ya’ll with that story in a while, got some work to do…

        ka

  18. Your lessons may be re-inforced when you go to sell those two air rifles, as you may take a beating. Good thing they were inexpensive to begin with. Of course, there are always new people who haven’t yet made blunder #1 or #2, and will be looking for a single pumping pellet gun that shoots 1000+fps.

    I almost feel lucky to have grown up when airguns could be purchased at Sears and M. Wards, and all were crosmans or daisy’s anyway.

  19. Thanks to all of you for the good wishes yesterday. I didn’t answer because I spent the whole afternoon with the surgeon and his staff making a “date” for March 8 in the afternoon. It should be OK; the tumor was caught accidentally and very early while still too small to be felt from the outside. I may even be lucky enough not to need radiation follow-up.

    Then last night I had the great pleasure of going to a play with my daughter who had given us the tickets for Christmas. Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona” produced so that all the bawdy parts were performed and most of the jokes updated. HIlarious and well done.

    So that explains my absences yesterday.

    Again, thanks to all of you.

    –pete

    • Glad to hear that all went well. From my Dad’s experience, I’ve found that as the years advance, the price of health is eternal vigilance with doctors.

      Thanks, by the way, for the explanation about milliradians. From my experience, it seemed very unlikely that scientists would tolerate uncertainty with a concept like that. But the military is another story with their .223 that is slightly different from 5.56 which apparently is really .224 or their 7.62 barrels that are actually .311 instead of .308 or .303 caliber with bores up to .314 or their 8mm Mauser whose variations make you want to give up in disgust.

      For the Shakespeare play, did you know that the plays were actually written by an aristocrat named Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford? 🙂 A dispassionate reading of the evidence does not permit any other conclusion although English professors will freak out. As for the bawdiness, one interpretation says that one of the secrets to Shakespeare’s appeal is his ability to shift from the most elaborate language to ordinary vernacular as the Ghost in Hamlet says:

      But virtue, as it never will be moved,
      Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven,
      So lust, though to a radiant angel linked,
      Will sate itself in a celestial bed
      And prey on garbage.

      If you have a favorite Shakespeare line, I would like to hear it.

      Matt61

    • Pete, it is great that this tumor was caught so early. I am putting March 8th on my calendar. I do hope you don’t need any radiation. I’m glad you were able to go to the play and to enjoy it. Here’s to your having many more enjoyable days and evenings.

      I am on for Monday morning. Although billed as a day surgery it is also billed as a six hour surgery. Well, I do want him to take his time. I have never been under for so long, not even close to six or more hours. Once the anesthesiologist gets started it is completely out of my hands. I am a bit anxious but I am still sure of my decision. I’ll get back to you on the flip side.

      Ken

  20. BB, thank you for your response. I occasionally read comments to do with the break-in of new airguns, bb or pellet. I’ve also read an earlier blog that mentioned running a brass brush through the barrel repeatedly in order to speed the process. Some folks have even offer a number of pellets/bbs shot with the gun before it’s broken in. Perhaps I’ve shot several of my pistols enough to be considered broken in, yet any increase in repeatable accuracy could very well be a result of my practice. And so, I’m wondering if a broken-in gun shows a noticeable increase in accuracy, and, bottom line, does break-in really matter? RC

    • RC,

      Okay, you were asking what I thought. Here is the deal.

      If you just shoot pellets through an airgun you will eventually smooth out the rough edges left in the barrel by the manufacturing process. Firearms have them too, except for hand-lapped barrels costing $400 and up.

      There will also be rust deposits left from the bluing salts in some barrels. Shooting pellets cleans that up, as well.

      But if you want to speed up the process you can use a brass or a bronze brush (in a steel barrel, only) loaded with JB-Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. Using a solid rod run the brush through the barrel in both directions at least 20 times. The JB compound is slightly abrasive and it’s what benchrest firearm shooters use to clean their barrels. It won’t harm a steel barrel, but it will clean it.

      But as I said, you can also do nothing but just shoot pellets and eventually the same thing happens. The problem with that is with the guns that shoot faster also tend to get lead deposits in their barrels and that has to be removed. Again with JB paste.

      B.B.

  21. NewBlue19 welcome and thanks for the blog. Your story does resonate. On the good side, the powerful guns may have a purpose. You’re really not supposed to shoot indoors with higher than 700 fps, but I must say that some of my most enjoyable shooting is indoors at my 20 foot range with my B30 that shoots 900 fps. If you do this, though, make sure your place is ventilated and keep the lead cleaned up. On the bad side, don’t think that you will ever stop being a newbie. As I have mentioned before, I seem to have to keep relearning the fundamentals of shooting. It’s sort of like the eternally repentant sinner who keeps reminding himself of what he should have known. So, there I was last night like a prophet in front of a snickering crowd, trying to ignore the mental noise and focus on technique and then BOOM, the Jaws of the Subconscious appeared and drilled the shot!

    B.B., I’m looking forward to a test of the MAV77, and I sure hope it includes a rematch with the TX200. That last test with the gnats in the eyes really demands another trial.

    Desertdweller, okay, I’ll have to see Quigley. But is Allan Rickman really his equal? He gets polished off with seeming ease along with his two friends. Another favorite Allan Rickman move of mine is Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. At the end, he is trying to marry Maid Marian, and when the bishop asks her: “Do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?” The reponse is.

    Marian: N–mmmph
    Rickman (hand over the mouth): Over course she does. 🙂

    Matt61

    • Go easy on cleaning your air guns. Since there is no corrosive residue, they do not need to be cleaned until there is enough lead buildup in the rifling to affect accuracy.

      When that eventually happens, do the bore paste thing. One of my springers was experiencing this, and after carefully following BB’s method, the accuracy returned. I was able to order a small jar of JSB Non-embedding bore paste from a local gun shop, probably enough to last me a lifetime.

      Les

  22. Newblue19,

    Welcome to this forum! That was a great blog, and it sounds like your experiences mirrored many of our own.

    I got into this hobby in 2004. I saw air guns in local stores and thought they would be fun to shoot. Back when I was a kid, I got a Daisy Model 95 for my birthday and wore it out.

    I didn’t know anything about air guns, but my the guns available were pretty limited in variety. I wound up with a cheap springer that I couldn’t hit anything with until I read about the artillery hold. Now that gun is worn out, too.

    SE MN,

    Interesting to read of your experiences. I lived in SE MN for 18 years, but didn’t shoot air guns until after I moved from there. Did some squirrel and gopher hunting with .22 rf. The hardwood forests in that area are beautiful, and I enjoyed being in them even without hunting.

    MN can be pretty draconian in their laws (but still better than NJ). It was like a breath of fresh air moving from there to SD.

    When I lived in SE MN (Winona), one summer I remember hearing heavy machine gun fire from the surrounding forest. I told my wife, “Someone’s shooting a .50 Cal. machine gun out there.” Whoever was doing it seemed to know what they were doing, firing only short bursts. She thought I was imagining it. The next week some yahoo was arrested for shooting a M-2.

    The greatest place I ever lived for shooting was New Mexico. Lots and lots of BLM land, you can do whatever you want as long as you do not harm anyone.

    Les

  23. For those interested…

    After more than a few months of not getting to the range with some things to work out that have been piling up on me, like the mildots question in my scope, two co2 carbine builds, a host of reloads for my .243, and time behind my father in law’s new springer (he needed better eyes to work out an issue), I FINALLY took some time out to head out to my impromptu range in a desolate area of the desert.

    I drove the 30 minutes in a state of anxiety, only to find a bunch of signs posted “no shooting”, very well layed out and around where many of us have shot for over 20 years. In disbelief I drove around and on the range with my work trailer behind me because I was going to deliver some items to a job after my session. After a half hour or so I decided to leave for some property another 45 mins away that my family owns and mark out my own range.

    I noticed however, after leaving the dirt roads and just before getting on the fwy, that there was some strange noises coming off the tires. Sounded like Sammy Davis Jr doing one of his tap dancing routines! Yep, that’s right, nails. Not just nails, but metal cap roofing nails. You know, the kind that have the fat heads and square metal washers? Yep, that’s right, someone threw buckets of those buggers out all over the place and guess who had 4 or 5 in each of 8 (that’s e-i-g-h-t) tires! Ha!

    Determined, I headed out anyway and was able to mark out 30, 50, 100, 200, and 300yds with some difficulty, as I didn’t have a 100′ tape. (I made a 300′ cord out of some line I found in the trailer). With careful thought for safety, and all of the good weather time I got it done and headed in for the tire store.

    That was a couple weeks ago and I have yet to get to shoot, but I have the memories of the tire guys pulling and plugging my tires!! I could’ve bought a good dot site for what I spent at that tire store!

    ka

      • Not so sure J-F, I took less than an hour, and only $60 to fix. Tires held air. The bummer is (well, ‘A’ bummer is…) the tires on the trailer are almost brand new! The bright side is I have MY OWN 300yd RANGE! And freshly rotated tires. 🙂

        ka

        • The kit I bought had 5 or 6 plugs with the tools needed to put them on and it was 10$ with extra packs of plugs for a few $$$ but you need to have a compressor handy.
          I also had a nail in a tire (only one nail in only one tire 😉 )a few weeks ago, when I found the head I tried pulling it out hoping it would seal itself (hey it happens) but the nail was HUGE and all the air went PSSSSSHHHHHHHH. Was great entertainment at night, in sub freezing weather. Gotta love Canadian winters eh.

          J-F

          • The guys at the tire store are calling me Steam Roller!

            On another note… My Mac1 2240 kicks butt. I don’t have sights on it yet, but the metal real estate sign two houses down is taking a beating!! This thing is hitting pretty hard with Premiers! Makes me feel like, well, a kid again!

            ka

  24. NewBlue19,
    I’m joining the party a little late today, but welcome to the blog! Excellent blog!
    I was fortunate to discover this blog BEFORE I bought a springer. I knew, more or less, what to expect when I bought my Gamo CF-X, and still appreciate that find. There are a lot of great resources here, so stay tuned.
    Victor

  25. this is an old blog buti was looking to see if you did a review on the stoeger x5 b.b.? I bought 1 and and I had misfortune with it, returned it and got a scond 1. it has a flaw I cured before I ever shot it. now its an easy twang free easy cocking cheep gun. I get tired of shooting magnum power and want a very easy go to gun. that is exactly what my x5 does. I put a cheep centerpoint on it and its a tackdriver at 25-30 yards. but that’s about its limit . I have a daisy 853c but too low power for what I wanted and I have my hw-55 dad bought me new in 1969 but I don’t shoot it much , just enough to keep the seal soft. dad died and that gun has way too much sentimental value to shoot much anymore . hey I feel for you over loosing your friend I read about today . its good you 2 got to go to the shot show togather as this happened and you will have his memories with you even more

  26. Wow this blog is great. I stumbled into airguns this fall teaching my son to shoot. It started with shopping for an airgun. I was just in the process of dry firing the second breakbarrel model I was looking at( after asking the clerk if it was okay and him assuring me it was) when another employee came running over and stopped us. Good thing one guy knew that much or I would’ve dry fired every model they had a few times and then gone home and dry fired a brand new rifle a couple hundred times. So I got home and after examining how the gun functiond, squirted a good healthy dose of remoil into the piston cylinder and every other part but the trigger. My ignorance to airguns continues to amzaze me. I’m still making alot of the cliché rookie moves. Like after doing some research and thinking about it for a couple weeks before drivivng to Cabelas determine to buy a rifle of my own then spending half a day shouldering different models, reading boxes, and finding no helpful advice from “the worlds formost outfitter” and leaving empty handed because I was afraid to buy a gun for all the wrong reasons and deal with regret. So I did more homework and bought the biggest .177 supermagnum breakbarrel in the price range I could afford . I wanted .22 but my son was shooting a .177 so I went that way so we could shoot the same ammo. The most recent and one I’d like to apologize for was underestimating the airgun community in general. I had began to think that it was just for rejects that never had the talent or intelegence to hang with real marksman. In my defense I’m dealing with some major health issues and the pegainterferon and pain meds had me out of my head and I didn’t realize it. I posted some coments assuming I was dealing with idiots and didn’t relize I was the idiot. Mr. BB Pelletier I just figured out how to read past articles on this blog and boy I burnt the midnight oil. Your blog reports read like an article written by Wayne VanZwoll, combining integrity, knowledge and modesty. I’m finding answers to questions I was looking for and then some. I do have a couple specific questions. Has anybody shot both the .177 Umarex Octane and the .22? I’ve mentioned earlier that both the .177 jsb heavys and monsters group fantastic. However I was feeling good and shooting well all day and I noticed the shot cycle is smoother and much more forgiving with the lighter jsb heavys. Also does anybody know the precise dementions of the Hawke scope level that mounts to dovetail receiver? I’m placing an order and I’d like to mount one but my clearance is very tight. Also I’d like to email you an attempt at write up of my blunders and airgun saga up to this point. I’m computer illetrate and air gun illiterate and it’s going to take some time. But it’s twenty below, I’ve got a twenty yard indoor range, a rifle, a computer and chemo therapy has my con tracting business down to almost nil so I’ve got time to kill.

    • Ben,

      let me be the first to welcome you to our Blog. As you can see, it’s a great forum and there is much to learn. There are some phenominal minds reading this blog who will go well out of their way to help others when a problem crops up. Here’s a few more things for you – first, make your posts on the most recent blog. That way, you’ll have exposure to thousands of like minded individuals as many do not monitor the older blogs like this. Off topic posts are encouraged!

      Second, on the Pyramydair website, there is a screen containing articles. Here’s the URL and I encourage you to go though. As you are an experienced firearms person, I’m sure many of the articles will reinforce what you already know.

      /articles

      Finally, BB or Tom Gaylord (his real name) is probably at the range and once he reviews his e-mails, I’m sure he will personally give you a warm welcome. Especially since you mentioned the magic phrase, “I’d like to submit a blog”!

      Fred DPRoNJ (thats’ the Democratik Peoples Republik of NJ – sarcasm applies!)

  27. Well written and informative. I too bought a Remington NPSS out of nostalgic memories (and a need for ethical pest control, rabbits combined with a nazi like HOA wanting pristine lawns with no urine spots…ever.) The trigger though adequate for shots under 30ft. was heavy. I stumbled onto a site praising the work of “Charlie the Tuna” who makes a really nice two stage aftermarket trigger for the NPSS rifles. I bought one and the air rifle now feels like my Kimber. Crisp like glass breaking. Around 30 bucks.

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    Get the most out of your equipment when you work with the expert technicians at Pyramyd AIR. With over 25 years of combined experience, we offer a range of comprehensive in-house services tailored to kickstart your next adventure.

    If you're picking up a new air gun, our team can test and tune the equipment before it leaves the warehouse. We can even set up an optic or other equipment so you can get out shooting without the hassle. For bowhunters, our certified master bow technicians provide services such as assembly, optics zeroing, and full equipment setup, which can maximize the potential of your purchase.

    By leveraging our expertise and precision, we ensure that your equipment is finely tuned to meet your specific needs and get you ready for your outdoor pursuits. So look out for our services when shopping for something new, and let our experts help you get the most from your outdoor adventures.

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  • Warranty Info

    Shop and purchase with confidence knowing that all of our air guns (except airsoft) are protected by a minimum 1-year manufacturer's warranty from the date of purchase unless otherwise noted on the product page.

    A warranty is provided by each manufacturer to ensure that your product is free of defect in both materials and workmanship.

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  • Exchanges / Refunds

    Didn't get what you wanted or have a problem? We understand that sometimes things aren't right and our team is serious about resolving these issues quickly. We can often help you fix small to medium issues over the phone or email.

    If you need to return an item please read our return policy.

    Learn About Returns

Get FREE shipping on qualifying orders! Any order $150+ with a shipping address in the contiguous US will receive the option for free ground shipping on items sold & shipped by Pyramyd AIR during checkout. Certain restrictions apply.

Free shipping may not be combined with a coupon unless stated otherwise.

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