New to airguns & GTA .... purchased a RWS 34 Panther .22

[Woodstock]

Hi all,
I am new here and new to air guns.  I have an ongoing pest problem here (tree rats & chipmunks) so I borrowed a neighbors Gamo .177 Shadow.  I dispatched quite few pests with it, but the fit of the gun was not to my liking.  I returned the gun to my neighbor and purchased a RWS 34 Panther in .22 with iron sights after reading that the RWS 34 was a real step up from the Gamo Shadow, was more “manly” in size and that the .22 caliber would be a better pest caliber.

I really like the fit of the 34, but was surprised at the speed or lack thereof.  I am shooting RWS Dome Pellets.  The Gamo is rated at 1,000fps and the 34 at 800fps.  Shooting at 40 yards from my deck it seems to take forever for the RWS 34 pellet to hit the target while the Gamo is rather quick.  I realize that there is a 20% difference in rated velocity, however, perceptually it seems much greater.  This caused me to do some more research & I discovered several seemingly authoritative articles/tests stating that a more realistic fps figure for the RWS 34 with Dome pellets is less than 700 fps….does this hold true?

Noise level with the RWS 34 is less than the Gamo and I like that.  The cocking effort, however, is dramatically harder/stiffer with the RWS 34.  Not sure what this means but I can’t help but think that perhaps the Gamo mechanism is a more efficient design…yes/no??

Accuracy…the Gamo is very accurate shooting RWS pointed pellets.  It was scoped with a BSA red dot scope (not at all to my liking) whereas my RWS 34 has no optics.  Still, my old eyes together with the fiber optic sights on my RWS34 has me putting multiple shots into a 1.5” group at 40+ yards shooting offhand..no support.  I thought that was respectable and will bench it as soon as I decide on an eye enhancer for the gun.  I am currently looking at a Leapers  UTG 5th Gen 3-9x40 FS Riflescope Mil-Dot Reticle w/ Airgun and Mounting Accessories (SCP-U394FD) from Optics Planet.  It looks like a good choice for a noob…yes/no?

Lastly, like most gun nuts I am already looking at the next upgrade and that is really adding to the confusion.  A lot of the respected higher end rifles spec out with lower velocities….HW77 for example with a 755 fps max rating.  Is there a reason that the higher end rifles that are known for quality and accuracy are not in the speed race?

Sorry for the long diatribe…..initially was going to post a ‘Hi, how are ya’ post but got carried away, LOL.

David

[ezman604]

Hey David. Welcome to GTA forums. Glad you fund us and joined up. There is a family of airgunners here that welcome you and are willing to help with info and advice a plenty. The 34 is a nice gun. But do not get too caught up in the velocity hype. Sure the Gamo is RATED at 1000fps, but by whom? Gamo....and if you look closely, it is probably with PBA or alloy ammo. Most all other brands will join in the advertising hype of the fps race but some do not.
One thing to consider is energy down range, fpe. Let's use Crosman Premiere Hollow Point ammo as an example. In .177 they are 7.9gr. In .22 they are 14.3gr. So, at 1,000fps with CPHP you are generating 17.55fpe. With the .22 caliber 14.3gr ammo at 800fps that calculates to 20.33fpe. So even though the velocity is less, you have more energy down range with the .22 in this example. And there are VERY few guns that will perform at the advertised ratings.
You already see the 34 is VERY accurate. The quality of that piece is far superior to the Gamo, in my opinion. I'd say scope the 34 and enjoy it. Dial it in at 25-30 yards and keep on pesting. Best way to REALLY check the power performance is with a chronograph. Don't believe all the advertising hype.
Again, welcome. Please post often and post pictures of your airgun adventures.
Happy Shooting!!!!
Dave
 

[lizzie]

Welcome David.
I'm still a noob too, but this is a really nice bunch of folks, and very helpful as well. Hope you will join in on the discussions. I've learned tons in the short time I've been a member, and I love it.

[lillysdad621]

i agree with dave. i had a wonderful 34 in .22 and mine shot at 660 with the crosman 14.3. But the quality of spring, with a tune and a little trigger job  helped me cull a lot of rabbits and squirrels out to 45 yards with it last hunting season. i have had the gamo fever and as you'll find out, most companies exagerate their velocity to get us to purchase their product. Believe it or not, a gamo cfx will shoot low 800s in .177, but man are they accurate guns. you would be able to haedshot a starling at 60+ yards no problem. I also had a 34 in .177 and that one shot 8.3 superdomes at 880 fps... but believe it or not, over penetration became a problem, and as i am ashamed to admit, i wounded a couple of critters. then i dicovered the energy transfer game, and then i switched to the .22. Most pest birds will fall with body shots (especially using wadcutters), and the damage a predator pellet will do to a raccoon is unbelievable at about 650 fps...
Learn your trajectory and the .22 will do the job over and over. I did replace my 34 in .22... but only for a bsa supersport in .22. mine sends the cp 14.3 at an average 696 fps, and its lighter and shorter, therefore a more manageable gun where i hunt/pest. and is accurate enough to keep all pellets in a 1 inch group at 50 yards. By the way, find your hunting range... it is the yardage in which you can guarantee a "quarter sized target kill" every time. And dont be embarrased, at the beginning mine was 16 yards... Now i can stretch that out to 37 yards. we all get better... remember, beware of the man with one gun.

[dk1677]

Welcome to the GTA! Post some of your future hunts in the hunting gate

[lillysdad621]

also, realize that the diabolo shape that pellets have is not very aerodynamic pass about 980 fps... most guns will shoot accurately at lower speeds due to the lesser recoil felt. plus all pellets that go supersonic and then back to subsonic will enter the dreaded 'transonic" stage in which the bullet/ or pellet will start to "wobble"... by the way, the hw77 that i had shot the superdomes at an average 840 fps... maybe the rating you got was shooting heavy pellets?

[ezman604]

Any pellet going over 1080fps will be unstable, breaking the sound barrier. So it's best to pick a pellet that will stay below that velocity and give the best accuracy too. Wadcutters are designed for paper punching at 10 meter or less. With their flat nose, they aren't very accurate past that range. And I'm surprised you've had any luck with them hunting and past 10 meters.

[Woodstock]

Thanks to you all for your warm welcome and your responses.

Regarding speed….I am aware of the points being made about stability and pellet shape having read about it from my info searches here..this forum has been a great source for me.
 
Dave…..I must have missed something…I got good accuracy from RWS Super Domes not flat points or wad cutters.  I chose the Super Domes because they have a rep for being accurate and I thought that they were a good pellet to start with.  The .177 Gamo I borrowed shot RWS pointed pellets very accurately and I thought about getting pointed .22’s but the Cabela’s that I went to did not have any so I opted for the Super Domes.  I am about to place an order for 1,000 of them to keep a decent ammo stock.

Pictures of my successes…will try to do that, but since I went on a rampage last week (the tree rats dug up and ate $100 worth of the bulbs my wife planted in our gardens) it has been pretty quiet around here.  I dropped 6 tree rats, a red squirrel and a handful of chipmunks last week and have not seen any more since. I am sure that I am being patterned but, it probably won’t take too long for others to take over this territory.   Then I can put the 34 to a good test.

No one commented on my pick for a scope…..anyone care to share their opinions?

Lastly, every now and then I seem to come across a good deal and I have my eye on a RWS 48 somewhere down the road.  Would this be a good/logical next step up for the shooting that I am doing?  Can’t just have one air rifle!!!

David

[lizzie]

No one commented on my pick for a scope…..anyone care to share their opinions?

I don't know enough to have an opinion yet, but the scope you mentioned has a good rep from what I've read. Here's a link to some air gun scope reviews- can't verify the reliability of it, but you might want to give it a look.
http://www.kermitairgunclub.com/scopes/

[Onebaddj]

Welcome aboard! Watch out u have been bittin by a very addictive bug. Lol

As said before the rws is better quality in every way to the gamo rifles. I have one gamo big cat and its good bang for the buck but still dosnt compare to my rws rifles. Gamo are good starter rifles. Imo of course.

When it comes to rating the speeds knock off 100-150 fps for accurate speeds with avg weight pellets for that caliber. You can always get super fast alloy pelleys but your gun will eat itself.

The 34 will be a good gun and has alot of potential and upgrades when ready. The scope you mentioned should be fine. I have 3 leapers scopes and they hold up very good on med and high recoil springers. Leapers warrenty service is top notch also. My 177 350 has murdered 3 scopes and all have been replaced. 1 i had to pay $10 for shipping and processing.

He last?  You had was about upgrades. 1 word vortek! The pg2 kit is awesome. Google vortek proguide 2 and the web site will come up. I hink its vortek products. Com

Well good luck and welcome to te addiction.

[longislandhunter]

Just wanted to say "Welcome" 

Jeff

[Woodstock]

Thanks again for the warm welcome!  Just ordered a supply of Super Domes that should hold me for a while.  Next is the scope...I guess Optics Planet is the place to go...$50 & free shipping.  Since my RWS 34 Panther has a scope rail I am assuming this is just a bolt on & sight in affair....yes/no? Or do I need to purchase some mounting hardware? There is also a stop/recoil screw in the rail, so that is good.  The Gammo with the BSA scope had a real cheap/bulky scope stop.  I can actually see with the iron/fiber optic sights, but only in real good daylight.  Low light times are a problem and I don't want to make bad hits on critters even though they are trashing our gardens!!

Anyone care to comment on the advantages/benefits of the RWS 48 over the 34?  I am thinking of one in the future......like "Honey have you seen this?" this coming December.

David

[lizzie]

Thanks again for the warm welcome!  Just ordered a supply of Super Domes that should hold me for a while.  Next is the scope...I guess Optics Planet is the place to go...$50 & free shipping.  

I would check out Pyramid as well. They usually seem to have good prices from what I've seen, and they are great to do business with imo. Optics Planet is probably just as good- I've just never dealt with them.

[Woodstock]

Lizzie...I checked them out first....they are $20 higher in price plus there is shipping.  I have done business with OP for my other shooting sports and have had no bad experiences.

[lizzie]

Then I think OP is definitely the way to go. Good deal.

[Mark 611]

Welcome to the forum Woodstock!

[ezman604]

You can get some really good scope deals from Sportsman's Guide dot com especially if you are a member. As for PA, you can use coupon code "pryamyd-nra" and get 10% off the order. Code never expires. And their 4 for 3 pellet deal is VERY good when combined with the 10% coupon. As far as the wadcutter comment, I was replying to lillysdad and using wadcutters for pesting at a distance. Good deal on the Super domes, should be a good choice.

[JimL911]

That screw IS NOT A STOP. It will shear off if you try to use it.

As for scopes if you are on a budget I would suggest the golden image. http://www.opticsplanet.net/leapers-golden-image-3-9x32-full-size-a-o-range-estimating-mil-dot-scope-scp-392aomdt.html

Good no frills scope. Mil-dots and adjustable objective. I used one on my Panther for 2000+ shots with no problem. Next up look at the Hawke Airmax. The Map 6 reticule in conjunction with the software is fantastic. Takes the guess work out of holdover/under.

Whichever scope you get make sure you have a solid mount. A good 1 piece or a weaver adapter with LOW rings. If your Panther is a T-06, the Leapers adapter is too short. Hawke makes one that is adjustable for droop.

And as stated don't chase speed. A miss is a miss no matter how fast it was going.

Good shooting and welcome.

[gene_sc]

A big welcome to the GTA Woody. I don't do scope recommendations but keep in mind that with springers you do need a good shock proof scope. As far as glass goes your eyes will tell you. Everyone's eyes are different so scope recomendations are based on what springer or pcp you are gonna put them on. Myself I need lots of BIG CLEAR Glass..

It is all part of having fun buying scopes and finding the ones that suite your fancy.

[Woodstock]

Jim...the more I learn, the less I know, LOL.  Re: the scopes....I was told to get the Leapers with the TS platform...made for AG's.  Also, the more light I can get into my eyes the better I can see so I thought the 40mm would be a good thing.  All of this seems to correspond to what gene_sc just related (thx gene).  I ordered my pellets from PA, but saw no 4 for 3 deal.  Too late now as I already pulled the trigger on that order.  Next time I guess.  Looks like I should read more here before ordering anything, LOL. 

Almost forgot....My RWS 34 Panther is a T05 model.  As far as I know the T05/T06 difference lies in the trigger.  Why would it make a difference for a scope?  Also, my 34 has a rail on it and I was told that the Leapers scope comes with rings already to mount on that rail.  Is this misinformation??

David