The Air Rifles & Pistols thread
- Thread starter jamief
- Start date
Benjamin Discovery is a decent straight shooting pcp iirc mine was about £215 or the ubiquitous aa s410 for nearly treble the cost but a 10 shot bolt action mag, much better gun nearly silent with a silencer, as called by the man who invented them so it is a correct term, but I'd go for the Benjamin as a starter and don't be scared of the pump method, it's really not that hard and can be done as slow as you want and my aa hasn't had any water damage off the pump in nearly a decade of use.
All that being said I really enjoy using my lads qb 78d co2 bolt action, very light and plenty accurate over iron sights, cost me about £70 a couple of years ago from a local gun dealer. All the aforementioned rifles are .22.
Associate
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One of the airgun forums.
www.airgunbbs.com (need 5 posts before access to the sales area)
www.airgunforum.co.uk
If the club near you is Juniper Green I know a few of the members and I'm sure if you went along they'd give you plenty of advice and probably let you try a variety of guns.
Soldato
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I'm not sure how much experience you have in the area of air weapons, but I would add the below to your advice:
Technically, you can plink in your own garden providing it is your house and the projectiles to not cross your boundaries - meaning it is essential to have a good backstop as richochets that pass beyond your boundary are a no no). However, I would still heed the 50ft rule though, because anyone getting wind of what you are doing can be 'alarmed' and feel 'endangered' by your actions and if they happen to be on an adjacent highway/footpath you might find yourself on the wrong end of an armed response team
The MET police once had a page on their website that stipulated even causing someone alarm is completing the offence. That seems contrary to the actual wording of the offence in the Highways Act, but I am more likely to take their advice as not! I suppose the word 'interrupted' as used in the offence description can be used to define many things. I guess someone stopping and feeling alarmed would class as being interrupted, and therefore technically complete the offence. The use of a sound moderator is recommended.
If shooting in your garden, I would also let your neighbours know what you are doing. If you live in a city or are overlooked by many people - I would perhaps avoid it altogether as people will just see "person with a gun" and thats what they will tell the Police when they call them. Again you may be on the wrong end of an armed response team, however harmless your plinking session may be
As for going out into some fields for some shooting, you can only legally do that if you have prior written permission of the landowner. If you do not you are comitting Armed Tresspass, which could see you spending 3 months in jail and/or fined to the tune of £2,500 (and also possibly on the wrong end of an armed response team).
If you should happen to carry your air gun loaded through a public place (this inlcudes anywhere that the public have right of access too - streets, parks, woodland etc) you are commiting an offence and could spend up to 6 months in jail and/or £5,000 fine.
You should never carry an air weapon through a public place without it being covered, unloaded and without having reasonable grounds for possessing it at that time. IE - taking it to the gun shop to sell or be serviced. But even then I would minimise the time you spend in the public eye/place.
Likewise, I would advise you never transport your air gun in a vehicle unless it is unloaded and inside a suitable rifle bag / gun case. If someone sees your gun and calls the Police......yeah you guessed it - you may find yourself on the wrong end of an armed response team
Cheers
Buff
Soldato
Nice write up with some good, common sense information
Better to call them air guns, not air-weapons though, it can send out the wrong signal to the anti-shooting brigade
One point though, if you have the land owners permission, you may transport your guns and shoot on land the public have access to. Several of my permissions have public access - the important thing is permission, permission, permission
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Soldato
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Nice write up with some good, common sense information
Better to call them air guns, not air-weapons though, it can send out the wrong signal to the anti-shooting brigade
One point though, if you have the land owners permission, you may transport your guns and shoot on land the public have access to. Several of my permissions have public access - the important thing is permission, permission, permission
Yes quite true, as long as you have prior written permission. However, the 50ft rule still applies, even if you do have permission to shoot on land with public access (or at least that is my understanding of it). Obviously common sense should prevail when shooting on land with public access, but after reading some of the posts in this topic, I am not so sure!!
I suppose the point between gun and weapon is valid, but to me it is an exercise in semantics. They both pretty much mean the same thing, but yes the anti-shooting folk can often be quite sensitive to such minutaie.
I would add to your comment with....
The important thing is prior written permission, prior written permission, prior written permission!!
Afterall, verbal agreements are not worth the paper they are printed on!
Soldato
.....
If shooting in your garden, I would also let your neighbours know what you are doing. If you live in a city or are overlooked by many people - I would perhaps avoid it altogether as people will just see "person with a gun" and thats what they will tell the Police when they call them. Again you may be on the wrong end of an armed response team, however harmless your plinking session may be
...
Nice write up.
I would say as long as it is okay to do so and you adhere to the law feel free to shoot in your own garden. You will always get some curtain twitcher looking to spoil your fun. Don't let them. Enjoy your hobby.
I am writing this as someone who has had airguns in the past who regularly shot at my parents place (as their garden is 40+ meters long) and who had the police called on them. No armed response just a quick word, a look at my backstop and a thank you very much.
Soldato
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Yes, as a previous air gun enthusiast, I know the anti shooting folk are always trying to spoil the fun. The media do not help either. If air guns are on the news, it is bad news. So the responsible and careful shooters out there get looked on with suspicion, even though they are legitimate.
You never read about shooting days that raise money for charity, even though they are going on all the time. You never hear about the world Field Target Championships in the sports news, where UK competetors dominate, and have done for years. None of the good parts get coverage or column inches, unfortunately
How many people here know who Andy Calpin is? Or Ian Taylor? How many people know that the British FT GP competition exists?To those who are thinking of taking up air guns, or are newly entering the hobby I will say this:
Given the high profile of guns in the media - try not to give those who would take away your hobby the ammunition with which to do so! Whiter than white, it is the only way.
Cheers
Buff
Soldato
Just picked up another rifle:
I swapped my last 97k for an S400 but regretted it almost straight away. I feel complete again!
I swapped my last 97k for an S400 but regretted it almost straight away. I feel complete again!
Soldato
Just picked up another rifle:
I swapped my last 97k for an S400 but regretted it almost straight away. I feel complete again!
Nice - what scope is going on it? .177 or .22?
Soldato
So yesterday I decided to treat myself to a Beretta PX4 Storm CO2 replica. Had a bit of fun with it last night. Very much like the blowback feature. I use to have air rifles back in England when I was a kid. After moving to the States, I went with real firepower, as appose to air. However ammo has become a little expensive these days. So decided to get something that I can play around with, without having to visit a range.
This is my first ever CO2 gun and i have some noob questions. If I leave a CO2 cartridge installed, will it slowly seep out by itself? I get around 60shots out of one cart. If i was to say, shoot 20, come back a month later, will i still get the 40 out of the same cart? Or is a little seepage unavoidable?
Anyway this is what it is. Glad to see it made in Japan. Feels pretty real and looks real. I like that the rack is metal as is the trigger. Obviously not the real kick you get, but for a plink its fun.
This is my first ever CO2 gun and i have some noob questions. If I leave a CO2 cartridge installed, will it slowly seep out by itself? I get around 60shots out of one cart. If i was to say, shoot 20, come back a month later, will i still get the 40 out of the same cart? Or is a little seepage unavoidable?
Anyway this is what it is. Glad to see it made in Japan. Feels pretty real and looks real. I like that the rack is metal as is the trigger. Obviously not the real kick you get, but for a plink its fun.
Soldato
Soldato
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Bone of contention for many CO2 users! Many say they have no problems leaving CO2 in, many say they have problems with gas leaks. Some maintain that CO2 rots the seals resulting in leakage, others that they have left their CO2 in indefinitely with no problems. I think it depends on the gun, and the type of seals it uses though.
Personally I always ran my powerlets down and removed them. I would never advise unscrewing a part full powerlet as the expelled CO2 causes condensation and this could cause corrosion to the internals of your gun (plus it is bloomin freezing on your hands!!).
It is a good idea to use a bit of lube every few powerlets to help keep the seals in good condition, but it also helps to stop the powerlet sticking when you come to remove it. Also, depending on the powerlet loading mechanism, you may only need to screw the retainer in finger tight. Over tightening can cause problems.
Overall though, if it is a new gun under warranty, I would follow the manufacturers instructions. I know Crosman tend to advise that you do not leave their guns charged without use for more than a few days.
Hope you have fun, it looks like a nice bit of kit!
Soldato
Bone of contention for many CO2 users! Many say they have no problems leaving CO2 in, many say they have problems with gas leaks. Some maintain that CO2 rots the seals resulting in leakage, others that they have left their CO2 in indefinitely with no problems. I think it depends on the gun, and the type of seals it uses though.
Personally I always ran my powerlets down and removed them. I would never advise unscrewing a part full powerlet as the expelled CO2 causes condensation and this could cause corrosion to the internals of your gun (plus it is bloomin freezing on your hands!!).
It is a good idea to use a bit of lube every few powerlets to help keep the seals in good condition, but it also helps to stop the powerlet sticking when you come to remove it. Also, depending on the powerlet loading mechanism, you may only need to screw the retainer in finger tight. Over tightening can cause problems.
Overall though, if it is a new gun under warranty, I would follow the manufacturers instructions. I know Crosman tend to advise that you do not leave their guns charged without use for more than a few days.
Hope you have fun, it looks like a nice bit of kit!
Thanks fella's. I don't mind offloading the entire gas per one sitting..
and yes its the double ended mag.OK oil wise, so where exactly should i be lubing the powerlets then? just on the tip where it gets punctured? Sorry as I said... NOOB HERE ! I have regular old gun oil i can use. Is there anything special about airgun oil ? or do you guys reckon regular gun oil will suffice?
Soldato
.177. It's just a mountmaster 3-12x50 AO until I can get a better scope.
Soldato
Thanks fella's. I don't mind offloading the entire gas per one sitting..
OK oil wise, so where exactly should i be lubing the powerlets then? just on the tip where it gets punctured? Sorry as I said... NOOB HERE ! I have regular old gun oil i can use. Is there anything special about airgun oil ? or do you guys reckon regular gun oil will suffice?
Hard work emptying the co2 cart - I'm sure you'll cope
Yeah - just a tiny drop on the end of the cart. I use Pellgun oil or Napier Powergun Airgun Oil - it's just to give the internals a bit of lube. You want a silicone based lube. If your gun oil is silicone based, go for it, but seeing as how cheap Pellgun oil is, I'd go with that.
Associate
Hi, hoping someone can advise me.
I found 3 air pistols at my Mum's that I used to use about 15 years ago. I no longer want them but don't know how to get rid of them, I was unaware the law had changed in 2004 about these and don't even know if these are legal any more? I am more than happy to hand them to the police if required.
From memory one is a Colt MkIV semi auto pistol, you fill it with gas from a can through the bottom of the grip. Second is I think a Walther 99 (maybe CP99) this you manually pull back the slide each time you want to shoot it, no gas required so presume it uses a spring of some sort? These both shoot the little plastic pellets.
Lastly is a bigger pistol, no idea of make/model but it's mainly metal with a plastic grip, this has a huge metal bar that you pull down from under the barrel back towards the grip to get it ready, then a little single pellet holding bit rotates out from behind the barrel where you put a little metal mushroom type pellet in. This fires really far and is probably the one i'm most concerned about legally.
All are black only, no orange or coloured bits on them so look completely real.
Help! Are these legal and what do I do with them!
Thanks
I found 3 air pistols at my Mum's that I used to use about 15 years ago. I no longer want them but don't know how to get rid of them, I was unaware the law had changed in 2004 about these and don't even know if these are legal any more? I am more than happy to hand them to the police if required.
From memory one is a Colt MkIV semi auto pistol, you fill it with gas from a can through the bottom of the grip. Second is I think a Walther 99 (maybe CP99) this you manually pull back the slide each time you want to shoot it, no gas required so presume it uses a spring of some sort? These both shoot the little plastic pellets.
Lastly is a bigger pistol, no idea of make/model but it's mainly metal with a plastic grip, this has a huge metal bar that you pull down from under the barrel back towards the grip to get it ready, then a little single pellet holding bit rotates out from behind the barrel where you put a little metal mushroom type pellet in. This fires really far and is probably the one i'm most concerned about legally.
All are black only, no orange or coloured bits on them so look completely real.
Help! Are these legal and what do I do with them!
Thanks
Soldato
Pics would help.
From the description, it sounds like the first two are RIFs or Realistic Imitation Firearms and as such have rules about who you can sell them to. The third one sounds like a normal airpistol, which interestingly isn't considered a RIF as in law it IS a firearm! You can sell this to anyone over 18 years of age (with a few exceptions) The law is bloody stupid at times.
The first two can only be sold to someone who has a valid defence against the VCRA (Violent Crimes Reduction Act) - these people are usually either AirSoft players who are registered with the UKARA (United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association) or Historical re-enactment groups or film makers/theatre production companies. A royal pita. You might be able to sell them on an airsoft site (If indeed they are RIFs, they sound like it from your description).
The last one sounds like an air pistol, and as such can be sold/given to anyone over the age of 18 as long as they are legally entitled to own a firearm (so convicted criminals may be exempt fro owning air guns).
Stick some pics up, if you can
It is still possible to send these via Royal Mail Special Delivery but you MUST state surface mail only, otherwise they may get seized and destroyed when picked up on the internal flight xrays.Hope that help - sorry for the long post
edit - stupid, isn't it? The two guns with the lowest power are the hardest to sell - the one with the higher power has less restrictions. Like I said, the law is ridiculous.
Associate
The 1st two sound like child BB guns. Legal and my son has a few of them.
The last one sounds like a spring air pistol - not a toy and can do some serious damage in the wrong hands - probably legal depending on the velocity of the pellets.
Where abouts are you in the country, wouldn't mind getting a spring air pistol for myself and happy to take it off your hands for a few tokens.
The kids BB guns, just smash them up (after removing CO2 cannister) and bin them if you don't want them. The air pistol, hand it to the police or a gun shop.
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