Air guns

[crazychicken]

Any suggestions on the baddest/best CO2 rifle?

We have a good long range dart gun. A heck of a piece, but it shoots darts for medicating or tranquilizing at distance.

I'm looking for something that shoots hard stuff.

CC

[woodman]

Any suggestions ........

I'm looking for something that shoot hard stuff.

CC


You'll have to talk to Antonio on that one CC.

[SLV^GLD]

My only advice is to accept nothing less than 1000fps.

[solid]

I don't know either, CC, but you are definitely on to something. A good air gun would be an excellent tool to have. To be able to hunt without attracting attention, especially for an urban prepper. Tons of ducks around here, I keep thinking it would nice to pop one for the pot for supper...but we have those microphones mounted to triangulate gunshots for the authorities. An airgun would go unnoticed though..

[crazychicken]

That is right where I am going with this.

CC




I don't know either, CC, but you are definitely on to something. A good air gun would be an excellent tool to have. To be able to hunt without attracting attention, especially for an urban prepper. Tons of ducks around here, I keep thinking it would nice to pop one for the pot for supper...but we have those microphones mounted to triangulate gunshots for the authorities. An airgun would go unnoticed though..

[DMac]

Can't say I know much about the subject CC, but here are some links I found after initial searching:

http://www.airsplat.com/

http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/Home

http://www.airsoftgi.com/

http://www.airsoftmegastore.com

[osprey]

Check out RWS and Gamo just to mention a couple of the top manufacturers. They will be single stroke air rather than CO2. Both companies have models that will push a .177 caliber pellet @ 1000 fps. Several models exceed that velocity by quite a bit. They also have .22 cal air rifles, however you give up velocity for projectile size.

[Neuro]

Check out RWS and Gamo just to mention a couple of the top manufacturers. They will be single stroke air rather than CO2. Both companies have models that will push a .177 caliber pellet @ 1000 fps. Several models exceed that velocity by quite a bit. They also have .22 cal air rifles, however you give up velocity for projectile size.
You can get up to 1000 fps with .22 too, the benefit of a bigger pellet is that it keeps it's killing power longer than a smaller...

This one I have considered:

http://www.pyramydair.com/p/walther-falcon-air-rifle.shtml

It is made in Turkey, and I can get it for around $160-170 here, should be good for small game up to 50-60 meters/yards, and it doesn't require a license... Could be worth 4-5 ounces of silver... Good hunting around my BOL for hares...

[solid]

This one I have considered:

http://www.pyramydair.com/p/walther-falcon-air-rifle.shtml

It is made in Turkey, and I can get it for around $160-170 here, should be good for small game up to 50-60 meters/yards, and it doesn't require a license... Could be worth 4-5 ounces of silver... Good hunting around my BOL for hares...


That looks really great, Neuro. What powers it? Is it co2, or does it work on some compressed air system from cocking it. This from the description is interesting..

"The manufacturer says it takes 27 lbs. of cocking effort, but our tests indicate it's closer to 43 lbs"

[Neuro]

Solid, it is a cocking mechanism, since it seems to be quite a hard spring, it is probably not that great for practice shooting, I would imagine after not to many shots you would be quite tired in the arms... Still I like the fact that you power it yourself, because you are not dependent on the availability of gun powder...

[woodman]

Solid, it is a cocking mechanism, since it seems to be quite a hard spring, it is probably not that great for practice shooting, I would imagine after not to many shots you would be quite tired in the arms... Still I like the fact that you power it yourself, because you are not dependent on the availability of gun powder...


I read quite a few of the reviews and that seems like a worthy air gun. It would certainly fill the bill for small game hunting and varmint without giving up your position. The only complaint, and it was universal, was that the kick was severe enough to ruin the scope, due to mounting issues I gathered. Sure would be nice to be able to convert such a gun to a compressed air or nitro cartridge and change back at will. As you say it would get tiring pumping the thing up for practice shooting.

[Neuro]

Here is a compressed air rifle, from the same manufacturer as the one I posted above, which would get you up to 1150 fps, with a .22 pellet, it has a mag of 10 pellets, and you can shoot fifty shots with close to full effect, with the compressed air canister 230cc. It cost about $500 in Turkey. It is shorter and lighter than the cocking air rifle above...

http://www.armer.com.tr/HATSAN-AT4410-PREMIUM-LONG-BARREL-PCP-HAVALI-TUFEK-55-MM-pid-14632.html

If I can get a hand/leg driven air compressor that can get the pressure up to 200 Bars, this may be the ultimate air gun available, for SHTF... Probably the scope and the gun will last longer if you don't need to cock it The only drawback I have read about, is that they are louder than the spring loaded air guns...

[crazychicken]

Thanks for the info. Who/where would I order it from? Any ideas! Looks darned interesting.

CC



Here is a compressed air rifle, from the same manufacturer as the one I posted above, which would get you up to 1150 fps, with a .22 pellet, it has a mag of 10 pellets, and you can shoot fifty shots with close to full effect, with the compressed air canister 230cc. It cost about $500 in Turkey. It is shorter and lighter than the cocking air rifle above...

http://www.armer.com.tr/HATSAN-AT4410-PREMIUM-LONG-BARREL-PCP-HAVALI-TUFEK-55-MM-pid-14632.html

If I can get a hand/leg driven air compressor that can get the pressure up to 200 Bars, this may be the ultimate air gun available, for SHTF... Probably the scope and the gun will last longer if you don't need to cock it The only drawback I have read about, is that they are louder than the spring loaded air guns...

[osprey]

Thanks for the link Neuro. I may have to look into the .22 air rifle, hadn't researched them much after I got the .177 a few years ago. I like the looks of that Walther. Have you seen any reviews for it yet?

[SLV^GLD]

I'm having trouble understanding the advantage of a .22 air rifle over a .22 bolt gun with subsonic rounds.

[woodman]

I'm having trouble understanding the advantage of a .22 air rifle over a .22 bolt gun with subsonic rounds.


The 22L aren't that loud, but loud enough if one is concerned about such. 22short ammo won't work in some rifles and is much slower, albeit much quieter. The air rifles would be much quieter yet and also only require a pellet. One could, arguably, snipe without giving away position.

[Neuro]

I'm having trouble understanding the advantage of a .22 air rifle over a .22 bolt gun with subsonic rounds.
No licence required, is the most obvious reason I reckon...

[SLV^GLD]

I'm having trouble understanding the advantage of a .22 air rifle over a .22 bolt gun with subsonic rounds.
No licence required, is the most obvious reason I reckon...
Ah, yes, lost the focus of this thread.

[freespirit]

I'm having trouble understanding the advantage of a .22 air rifle over a .22 bolt gun with subsonic rounds.
No licence required, is the most obvious reason I reckon...


in canada, if the pellet travels more than 500fps, you need to register it and have your FAC to purchase one....

pretty sure this is the case...awoke may be able to confirm this...

[Neuro]

I'm having trouble understanding the advantage of a .22 air rifle over a .22 bolt gun with subsonic rounds.
No licence required, is the most obvious reason I reckon...


in canada, if the pellet travels more than 500fps, you need to register it and have your FAC to purchase one....

pretty sure this is the case...awoke may be able to confirm this...
I think you need a licence in Sweden if the energy of the pellet exceeds 10 J, this would translate to about 200 m/s or 650 fps for a 4.5 mm (.177) pellet. I don't think they sell many airguns above 10 Joules, in Sweden, according to my knowledge there is no such limitations in Turkey thankfully!

I bought a Hatsan air rifle in Sweden a month ago, and to my untrained eye it seemed to be a solidly engineered rifle...

[Half Sense]

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/airgundepot_2146_61070216

One option is this Benjamin 392 .22 cal multi-pump rifle. One of these + 10,000 pellets would last a long time and not cost very much. Max power is 685 FPS but that should be enough for hunting small game. I like that you can vary the power by the number of pumps - 2 or 3 pumps for target practice, 6 or 7 for hunting. These are pretty simple and reliable. Unlike break-barrel models, there is much less stress on the stock and frame. These would be great for kids to use and for adults to quietly practice marksmanship.

AirGunDepot is running a $90 special on refurbished 392s:

http://www.airgundepot.com/392-rm.html

[big country]

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/airgundepot_2146_61070216

One option is this Benjamin 392 .22 cal multi-pump rifle. One of these + 10,000 pellets would last a long time and not cost very much. Max power is 685 FPS but that should be enough for hunting small game. I like that you can vary the power by the number of pumps - 2 or 3 pumps for target practice, 6 or 7 for hunting. These are pretty simple and reliable. Unlike break-barrel models, there is much less stress on the stock and frame. These would be great for kids to use and for adults to quietly practice marksmanship.

AirGunDepot is running a $90 special on refurbished 392s:

http://www.airgundepot.com/392-rm.html


I've owned a Benjamin-Sheridan pellet rifle just like this for the last 15 years. Mine takes .20 cal pellets.

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Sheridan_Blue_Streak_CB9/207

Mine is a B-S version, they have since split into two companies with the "S" (Sheridan) making the .20 cal version. I used to shoot birds out of our cherry tree during the summers as a kid. I have killed MANY MANY MANY small critters with this gun and it still shoots fine. I replaced the rear sight with a peep-sight.

I wouldn't think twice to shoot a canada goose or duck in the head/neck with this. I wouldn't take a body shot though as they are known to have tough feathers to get through (while on teh ground).

[Neuro]

This may be the ultimate SHTF air rifle:

http://www.hilalav.com.tr/default.asp?git=9&urun=1822

http://www.hilalav.com.tr/img/urun/AT44PA_angled_view.jpg
it has a mag of 10 cal .22 rounds, you can shoot 50 shots with a full tube, exit speed is 970 fps. It has a pump under the compressed air tube, to fill it up. Price $400...

Seems good I think, but the one below may be even better...

[Neuro]

Now this is a MONSTER air gun:
http://www.armer.com.tr/backoffice/pictures/HATSAN-AT4410-NEW-LONG-BARREL-PCP-HAVALI-TUFEK-55-MM-_14180_medium.jpg

1150 fps, 10 shot .22 Cal mag, 50 shot air tube. But it needs a separate hand air pump:
http://www.hilalav.com.tr/default.asp?git=9&urun=1339

Probably good for bigger varmint defense purposes too?

All in all it would set me back about $700, but I figure it could be worth 20 ounces of silver ;D...

I like the above that it has a built in pump, but fire power is fire power... Help me decide!

[Neuro]

Ok I did make a mistake with the above pump gun. I think the pumping is for moving the next bullet to the barrel, not for filling the air cylinder. Well then the choice is easy then...

FIREPOWER!

[Neuro]

So now I have pulled the trigger on this one:

http://www.armer.com.tr/backoffice/pictures/HATSAN-AT4410-PREMIUM-LONG-BARREL-PCP-HAVALI-TUFEK-55-MM-+-SCUBA-DOLUM-APARATI_14623_medium.jpg

Same specs as the long barrel above, but with a walnut wood stock, instead of a synthetic grip, I payed a little extra for that. Together with hand pump and 2500 hollow point .22 pellets, it all came to the equivalent of $780, or 22 ounces of silver (which I payed on average $13/ounce for)... 1150 fps! ;D

[SLV^GLD]

Neuro:
That came with the glass, I hope. If so, not bad at all. Also, if so, what are the specs on the glass?

[Neuro]

Neuro:
That came with the glass, I hope. If so, not bad at all. Also, if so, what are the specs on the glass?
Yes sight/scope was included 3-9x 44. The rifle incl scope was about $520. The pump about $190, and the rest was the pellets...

[solid]

Neuro:
That came with the glass, I hope. If so, not bad at all. Also, if so, what are the specs on the glass?
Yes sight/scope was included 3-9x 44. The rifle incl scope was about $520. The pump about $190, and the rest was the pellets...


Congrats on your purchase, Neuro. Can I ask you for a review when you get it and try it out? ;D This is a firearm I think would be the perfect prep item. (But a review is always comforting before pulling the trigger...) :)

[Neuro]

Neuro:
That came with the glass, I hope. If so, not bad at all. Also, if so, what are the specs on the glass?
Yes sight/scope was included 3-9x 44. The rifle incl scope was about $520. The pump about $190, and the rest was the pellets...


Congrats on your purchase, Neuro. Can I ask you for a review when you get it and try it out? ;D This is a firearm I think would be the perfect prep item. (But a review is always comforting before pulling the trigger...) :)


I will write a review on it as soon as I get it, and have tried it. But keep in mind that I am a total novice in the field. If I am impressed about something, doesn't mean it is impressive... ;D

[Awoke]

I'm having trouble understanding the advantage of a .22 air rifle over a .22 bolt gun with subsonic rounds.
No licence required, is the most obvious reason I reckon...


in canada, if the pellet travels more than 500fps, you need to register it and have your FAC to purchase one....

pretty sure this is the case...awoke may be able to confirm this...


This is true, however now they call it a PAL.

(FAC = Firearms Acquisition Certificate, the old name. PAL = Possession and Acquisition License)

[Neuro]

I got it! And I have testfired a couple of rounds. It is slightly louder, than a normal spring loaded air rifle, but it has very little recoil. To fill up the tube with the pump takes about 5 minutes and 50 strokes from 100 Bars of pressure, it took me some time to figure out that I needed to tighten the the connection between the hose and the filling valve with a monkey wrench, all the other things that needed mounting needed no tools. At the end of the pump stroke, you really need to put your weight on it, but not too hard work I have to say. I haven't yet tried any precision shooting, but I'll try to find a shooting range were I can practice, the scope seems very good though. It is also a good idea if you have children around to keep, the air tube, the gun, and the mags hidden in different locations, so no accident happens. As I understand it 1150 fps is not too far off what .22 rimfire cartridges deliver, though the bullet is about half the weight on this air rifle.

I am very pleased with the purchase. One of the major advantages, is that you can shoot several pellets, without time consuming recharging, which makes me think that I will be able to hunt, successfully, slightly bigger game, once I get profficient in shooting... Further because it doesn't have much of recoil, I think the scope will last very well, which I understood was a problem with a powerful spring loaded air rifles...

[big country]

I always find that my scope gets knocked off more by the "banging around" of the gun then from the recoil. If you take it hunting, the bumps in the road on the way there, slinging it over your shoulder, bumping it on a tree, etc seems to affect my scope more then the recoil from a small round (spring gun, 22lr, etc)

[Neuro]

I always find that my scope gets knocked off more by the "banging around" of the gun then from the recoil. If you take it hunting, the bumps in the road on the way there, slinging it over your shoulder, bumping it on a tree, etc seems to affect my scope more then the recoil from a small round (spring gun, 22lr, etc)
I can definitely see that happening... But in the reviews of the .22 Wather Falcon air rifle, they said that the hard recoil, destroyed (the poor quality?) scope...

[Awoke]

I always find that my scope gets knocked off more by the "banging around" of the gun then from the recoil. If you take it hunting, the bumps in the road on the way there, slinging it over your shoulder, bumping it on a tree, etc seems to affect my scope more then the recoil from a small round (spring gun, 22lr, etc)
I can definitely see that happening... But in the reviews of the .22 Wather Falcon air rifle, they said that the hard recoil, destroyed (the poor quality?) scope...


It's not that the scope was necessarily a low quality scope. Air rifles have a unique recoil that is different from powder-powered firearms. The recoil is what they call dual-recoil, because there is recoil from the spring in the cylinder assembly (If it is a break action type) and there is recoil from the release of the stored energy out the muzzle, pushing the projectile.

Serious gun owners laugh when you talk about "recoil" with an air rifle, but the dual recoil of an air rifle can destroy the finest scopes that are made for regular rifles. If you buy a scope for an air rifle, ensure it is rated as a duel-recoil scope, made specifically for air rifles.

[Neuro]

I guess the reason for the recoil in a spring loaded air gun can be so destructive to a scope is that each of the recoils, create force waves as they momentarily converge into a great force, probably of such short duration that it is hardly noticeable for a human, but very hard on a rigid scope...

[Awoke]

I guess the reason for the recoil in a spring loaded air gun can be so destructive to a scope is that each of the recoils, create force waves as they momentarily converge into a great force, probably of such short duration that it is hardly noticeable for a human, but very hard on a rigid scope...


That could be, but I can't say for sure. I know that a powder-powered firearm kicks back only. The spring powered (high powered) air rifles kick back and forward.

I know that a regular rifle scope can be damaged on an air rifle from the dual recoil, but a dual recoil scope is OK to use on a .308 or other caliber.

[Neuro]

Fortunately I will not have a dual recoil, from this air rifle, since it is not springloaded. Pre charged pneumatic rifles (PCP) are a lot more expensive than the spring variety, but I do think it is worth the extra cost, especially if you don't want a licence, and the country you are in allow you to have one. I ended ip paying 4-5 times as much for a rifle that will give me a bit more fire power, less recoil, and the ability to shoot shots about a second after the previous shot...

[Awoke]

Yeah I read your post on the rifle you picked up. Good choice if you don't mind wearing a tank. Even better if it came with a hand pump, because if TSHTF in a big way you may not have access to a compressor, etc.

I was just trying to explain a little on the dual recoil action of the spring powered airguns for anyone else in the thread that might be interested. I hate to hear about anyone wrecking an expensive scope on a pellet rifle, just because they had never hear of the dual recoil factor.

But those PCP rifles are deadly. I have seen footage on Youtube where guys are shooting through blocks of wood, etc.

[Neuro]

Yeah I read your post on the rifle you picked up. Good choice if you don't mind wearing a tank. Even better if it came with a hand pump, because if TSHTF in a big way you may not have access to a compressor, etc.

I was just trying to explain a little on the dual recoil action of the spring powered airguns for anyone else in the thread that might be interested. I hate to hear about anyone wrecking an expensive scope on a pellet rifle, just because they had never hear of the dual recoil factor.

But those PCP rifles are deadly. I have seen footage on Youtube where guys are shooting through blocks of wood, etc.
I did buy a separate hand pump for it, it takes about 5 minutes or 50 strokes to fill up the tube, mounted under the barrel, and I have another 50 shots to go. I wouldn't like to be dependent on having a scuba tank to fill it up. With the pump and a good amount of pellets I am good!

[Awoke]

Sounds like a good setup, Neuro! Enjoy!

I know I enjoy my air rifles.

[big country]

Here is a link that talks about the air rifle scope vs rifle scope

http://www.lasc.us/RangingShotRifleAirGunScopes.htm

Thanks for the info on that. I always thought an "air gun" scope was a cheaply made scope that couldn't handle the recoil from a rifle. I had no idea until you mentioned it and a researched it.

[Awoke]

Yarg! Another site that is blocked from here.

Have to check it out at home! Thanks for posting.

[big country]

Rifle Scope vs. Airgun Scope. What's The Difference?
By Todd Spotti

Back in the early 80’s, I was at the local rod and gun club range in Ft. Walton Beach Florida doing a little silhouette practice when a fellow showed up with one of the then new RWS Model 45 spring-piston air rifles. The Model 45 was the first air rifle to claim 1000 fps. I noticed he had a very nice (read expensive) scope mounted on the gun.

I just went about my business, but after about 15 minutes I heard this fellow swearing and cursing about how his new expensive airgun wouldn’t shoot no matter how carefully he held on the target. “Maybe it’s the scope” I offered. “It can’t be the scope” he replied. “It’s top of the line model, and it’s practically new. Besides, I use it on my 30-06 and it works fine.” “It’s not an air gun scope?” “No, why should I buy another scope for my air gun when I can use this one?” At that point he picked the gun up in disgust and rapidly swung it around to put it in his gun case. As he did so, a sound like glass rattling around inside a tin can could be clearly heard. “Hear that?” I asked. “Yah, what is it” he asked with a puzzled look. “That’s your scope’s guts.” The poor fellow didn’t realize that powerful spring piston airguns could rip apart an ordinary rifle scope.

To understand what was going on, we need to examine some basics about recoil and spring-piston air guns. First of all, it’s hard to imagine that an airgun would have any recoil at all. As we all know, with normal firearms recoil is generated by the bullet and gases exiting the muzzle. As you increase the weight and speed of the bullet and the speed and volume of the gases, recoil will increase. The only thing mitigating the recoil generated is the weight of the firearm. Heavier guns recoil less than light guns all other things being equal. All recoil is generated to the rear.

On an airgun, a typical pellet will weigh only a minuscule 7.9 grains, and velocities are usually well below 900 fps on most rifles, and less than 500 fps on pistols. Spring-piston rifles and pistols are complicated, heavy mechanisms and consequently often weigh as much as a normal firearm, or more. For instance, my two RWS air rifles weigh 8, and 8.2 pounds each. Therefore you could reasonable expect the recoil generated in them should be absolutely negligible. With that in mind, how was it possible then for that fellow’s first quality rifle scope to be ripped apart?

Well there are a couple of things happening here. First we have to realize that unlike regular firearms, 99.9999% of spring-piston recoil is NOT generated by the pellet and the air being expelled out of the muzzle. It’s actually being generated by the piston and spring, both of which are very heavy components, especially the large steel spring. When the sear is released, the highly compressed heavy spring will jump forward with tremendous force pushing the piston ahead of it. As the spring and piston are moving forward, the gun is recoiling back against your shoulder with significant pressure. Now here’s the part that many people don’t understand. As the piston comes to the end of the compression chamber it will actually strike the wall with substantial force, and the gun will now bounce forward, recoiling away from you.

So the essential elements to be remembered here are that recoil from a spring-piston air gun is not light but actually fairly considerable, and that there are two recoil pulses in opposite directions i.e. one to the rear and one forward. For a scope to withstand the recoil pulse away from the shooter, it has to be constructed specifically for that task. Most scopes of that period were not.

Ok, other than being constructed specifically to withstand a forward and rearward recoil pulse, what else distinguishes an air gun scope from a normal rifle scope? Actually the most important characteristic of an air gun scope these days is its ability to focus down to 10 meters parallax free. Ten meters is the standard distance that most air gun competitions are held.

The key word here is parallax free. So what is parallax? As I explained in my series of articles on hand gun scopes earlier this last year, parallax is an optical condition in which the optical plane of the image and the optical plane of the crosshairs are not the same. The effect is that any little head movement on your part while looking through the scope will cause the apparent location of the target to move. In other words, when your head is in one location the target will appear to be in one place in relationship with the crosshairs, and if you move your head slightly, it will move to another location. On some poorly designed or constructed scopes the movement can easily be 18 inches.

Rifle scopes without an adjustable objective lens on the front are engineered to be parallax free at 100 yards. When used at distances shorter or farther away than 100 yards, parallax will be introduced onto the image to some degree depending on the distance to the object being viewed.

While some parallax induced target displacement is not a big deal when hunting most larger game, it is a very big deal when shooting groups, prairie dogs, or air gun silhouette targets, especially when standing. Even a single inch of parallax displacement caused by a slight shift in the position of your head or the position of the scope in relation to your head, can mean the difference between a hit or a miss on the tiny air silhouette targets - particularly the chickens.

Well what about rifle scopes with an adjustable objective lens? Won’t that take care of the problem? The typical such scope will only adjust down to 50 yards. This means that they can’t focus or correct parallax closer than that distance. Obviously being able to focus down to 50 yards doesn’t help us if we want to shoot at 10 meters.

To summarize then, an air gun scope has been traditionally defined as one with special construction features to handle the double recoil of a spring-piston airgun and which has also been designed for parallax free viewing at 10 meters.

Well that was then and this is now. In today’s world, the distinction between air gun scopes and rifle scopes has become not only blurred, but very jagged as well, depending on the manufacturer. As it turns out, many of the main stream scope manufacturers have substantially re-engineered their construction designs allowing at least some or even all of their rifle scopes to be used on a “springer” air gun. Here’s a partial break out:

Manufacturer All Rifle Scopes Offers Air Scopes
Safe for Air Guns

Leupold Yes Yes
Burris Yes Yes
Bushnell Yes Yes
Weaver No Yes
Simmons No Yes
BSA No Yes
Tasco No Yes
OK, we can see that all of the big three scope manufactures design and build all of their rifle scopes in such a way that they can be used on a spring-piston air gun without the slightest fear of damage. At this point you might ask, well then why do they offer special scopes for air guns?

The answer in two out of three cases is our old friend parallax. Neither the adjustable objective, or non-adjustable objective Leupold or Burris rifle scopes will adjust down to ten meters. However, their specialized air gun scopes can. So even though all of their rifle scopes are mechanically capable of being used on spring-piston air guns, their optical systems aren't.

Additionally, there are also plenty of casual air gun scope users out there that prefer fixed power scopes with non-adjustable objective lenses. Hence, the manufacturers build special air gun scopes for that market.

Now Bushnell is a different story. With the exception of two of their “economy” products, every one of their adjustable objective rifle scopes are mechanically capable of being used on a spring-piston air gun as well as being optically capable of providing parallax free viewing at ten meters. It is the only major scope manufacturer that I know that does this. This is absolutely amazing as it give the airgun customer a huge variety of scopes they can choose from as well having the flexibility of being able to mount their scope on either an airgun, or on to their favorite center fire rifle, or even a silhouette handgun. I consider this to be a major advantage. Hats off to Bushnell!

Another issue that often comes up when discussing air and rifle scopes, is whether a specialized air gun scope (from any manufacturer) can be used on a regular firearm, either rim fire or center fire. If the air gun scope is equipped with an adjustable objective lens, in almost every case it definitely will allow the shooter to adjust focus and parallax from 10 meters out to infinity. Additionally, the robust construction features of these scopes allow them to be used on most firearms as well. Consequently I’ve successfully used my air gun scopes on both rim fire rifles and pistols with perfect satisfaction. Additionally, I wouldn’t have any problem using an airgun scope made by any of the big three on a center fire rifle either. In fact I’ve done exactly that many times, using my Leupold 3 X 9 EFR scope (Extended Focal Range) on everything from a 22 Hornet up to a 30-06. However, I would be reluctant to use an airgun scope from a third tier manufacturer on a heavy recoiling firearm, although they would be probably fine for a rimfire gun.

So getting back to the original question of “what is the difference between a rifle scope and an air gun scope?” The answer is “It really all depends on who the manufacturer is.” In the case of Bushnell there is essentially no difference between the two types. In the case of Burris and Leupold, there’s no difference in construction, but there is in optics. In the case of other manufacturers like Weaver, and Simmons, there is a definite difference in both construction and optics. For BSA, it’s a mixed bag. Some of their rifle scopes are mechanically compatible with air gun shooting and some aren't. However, none of their rifle scopes are optically compatible with air gun shooting. With Tasco, two of their rifle scopes are both mechanically and optically compatible with air gun shooting. They are the 8 X 40 X 56 Tactical scope and the Mag 40 6 X24. Interestingly, this particular Mag 40 scope is sold in the U.S. as a rifle scope and is sold in Europe as an airgun scope. The other scopes in the Mag 40 line do not meet either of the requirements for air gun shooting. Other Taco rifle scopes do meet the mechanical requirements but not the optical while even still others will correct parallax at 10 meters but not meet the mechanical requirements. You figure it out.

So you see it's a very confusing situation. It’s enough to make your head hurt trying to figure out all these differences between the various manufacturers and even within a given manufacturer's line up.

Last point. If you’re shooting a pneumatic air gun, the necessity for unique construction features for spring air guns becomes unimportant because there is no double recoil pulse. The main and only thing you need to be concerned about then is parallax displacement at ten meters. Fortunately there's plenty of high magnification rifle scopes around, especially from Bushnell, that will correct parallax at 10 meters.

Moral of the story? Check those specifications in the company's catalog or web site carefully before you buy a scope for your airgun. If the specifications don't answer all your questions, call the company's tech customer service line.




Here you go awoke!