Pest control, PCP recommendations (no FX please)

[Johnsairmadness]

Huben K1 .22 semi auto. I've had mine now about a month and absolutely really enjoying it. Fully external adjustable power wheel and regulator. Mine is setup shooting the 25gr. JSB @ 905fps and is a laser, hard hitting, and bucks the wind. 19 shots before reloading. It's starting to take over my air gun fever.

[G-man]

I know Ozman said he's signing off for a while BUT really he needed to present a list of available brands  then ask for a rec.  I imagine the UK would be his best source.  It's probably easier just buying a .22 rimfire, though I don't know how the gun laws are, but it sounds like it's almost parody, airguns vs firearms. Rabbits are a huge issue there, he can't be the only one battling the menacing "wasklely wabbits."

[Back_Roads]

Heres a perfect option for your needs https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=160142.0

Now that is a deal to seriously consider. 

[Horatio]

Ian,

Now that I know how few orings the airforce guns have, that will likely be my next PCP.

[Ozman]

Guys, thanks to all again, really a wealth of useful information here and lots of leads.

This thread made me look into the Umarex Gauntlet, and it just so happens that my local airgun dealer has a shipment of these in 22 caliber trying to clear Customs as we speak. From what I have read (and seen on YouTube), the Chinese made gun is very good value for the money and a good "gateway to airguns", so I am very interested.

Will update again shortly .....

[avator]

Heres a perfect option for your needs https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=160142.0

I would highly consider this.... and Travis can get it to you, I'm sure.

[Ozman]

Hi guys, just popping back in for a quick question: it occurred to me that I could optionally choose to buy a .22LR rifle rather than the .22 airgun. Hear me out. They are roughly the same price here in Australia (I'm comparing a CZ 455 stainless to a Umarex Gauntlet).



Advantages of a CZ .22LR:

• No pumping, no air tank, no compressor
• Can be as silent as the unsuppressed airgun (here in Australia airguns are NOT suppressed by law) but only IF you use .22 Short ammo (slow moving at ~750fps)
• Stainless steel parts (an advantage in my humid climate)
• No O-rings
• More penetration, higher ballistic coefficient
• More accurate over distance
• Gun is lighter in weight (5-6lbs vs 8.5lbs for Gauntlet)
• Barrel can be interchanged with  .17 HMR barrel, giving you a much more powerful round

Advantages of Airgun:

• Cheaper ammunition (approx 6c per pellet here in Australia vs 15c per .22 bullet)

What am I missing, guys? Help me make this decision..... 

[Sky777]

Guys, thanks to all again, really a wealth of useful information here and lots of leads.

This thread made me look into the Umarex Gauntlet, and it just so happens that my local airgun dealer has a shipment of these in 22 caliber trying to clear Customs as we speak. From what I have read (and seen on YouTube), the Chinese made gun is very good value for the money and a good "gateway to airguns", so I am very interested.

Will update again shortly .....

I dont want to scare you or anything.. i got my umarex gauntlet .22 and it came with the 0 psi..  the cylinder is loose.. i hand tight it..  now the fill port is touching the botton part of the barrel shroud cover..   i have to remove the cover or cut it..  still waiting for my hand pump..

[Ozman]

I dont want to scare you or anything.. i got my umarex gauntlet .22 and it came with the 0 psi..  the cylinder is loose.. i hand tight it..  now the fill port is touching the botton part of the barrel shroud cover..   i have to remove the cover or cut it..  still waiting for my hand pump..

Oh-oh! Maybe I should also mention that the CZ brand is renowned as high quality, unlike the Umarex (Chinese). You can get high quality airguns, of course, but you pay many buck$.

[Sky777]

Gauntlet .22 .. u can see fill port is touching the cover..  I think I might have to remove every time I pump or cut the cover.

[BackStop]

I dont want to scare you or anything.. i got my umarex gauntlet .22 and it came with the 0 psi..  the cylinder is loose.. i hand tight it..  now the fill port is touching the botton part of the barrel shroud cover..   i have to remove the cover or cut it..  still waiting for my hand pump..

Oh-oh! Maybe I should also mention that the CZ brand is renowned as high quality, unlike the Umarex (Chinese). You can get high quality airguns, of course, but you pay many buck$.

At the same price, go with the CZ.   As long as ammo is not a problem, you will not regret it.

I shoot air guns where I live because I can make them SUPER quiet!   If I lived where I could shoot .22LR/WMR instead, that IS what I would be shooting.

YMMV and good luck!

[Ozman]

I've just watched a video where it was pointed out that you can take shots at birds in trees with an airgun, but not with a 22LR due to safety issues. So there is that.

[RedDirtDog]

If hatsans are available the Flash QE or even Vectis are cheap but great value, I just got a Flash QE with the new wood stock that looks alot better then the synthetic version.

[BackStop]

I've just watched a video where it was pointed out that you can take shots at birds in trees with an airgun, but not with a 22LR due to safety issues. So there is that.

And even airguns have "pass through", and that is even if you don't miss.

Know your target background.   Whether AG or PB, be sure your miss, pass through or ricochet will not endangers others.

I never shoot UP.  That opens up a whole other can of worms.

[Dbez1]

I recently started a thread that has been moved to the first page of the General Airgun Gate entitled “What caused you to get into airguns?” and you may find some answers to the rimfire/airgun question there. As has already been mentioned, safety, economy, and quietness are just a few reasons noted. Incidentally, I have a Gauntlet and there’s no way a .22 short is as quiet. In our area, .22 shorts are more expensive than the .22 lr.  The airgun/rimfire are two entirely different animals. IF you can shoot a .22 SAFELY and are sure you are not interested in the hobby end of the sport, go rimfire. In the long run, it’s cheaper (unless you shoot a lot) and easier. I shoot my airguns almost every day. I find it relaxing and fun.
     The other evening, we had a raccoon that was behaving strangely, even aggressively. I have airguns, rimfires, and a shotgun handy. I chose the airgun.

[Vee3]

I have four CZ 452s. If I had to choose between one of them and a PCP, CZ would win every time.

My 452 Ultra Lux, with it's 28" barrel and CCI subsonic, is about as quiet as my Marauder.

[Rico14]

Hi guys, just popping back in for a quick question: it occurred to me that I could optionally choose to buy a .22LR rifle rather than the .22 airgun. Hear me out. They are roughly the same price here in Australia (I'm comparing a CZ 455 stainless to a Umarex Gauntlet).



Advantages of a CZ .22LR:

• No pumping, no air tank, no compressor
• Can be as silent as the unsuppressed airgun (here in Australia airguns are NOT suppressed by law) but only IF you use .22 Short ammo (slow moving at ~750fps)
• Stainless steel parts (an advantage in my humid climate)
• No O-rings
• More penetration, higher ballistic coefficient
• More accurate over distance
• Gun is lighter in weight (5-6lbs vs 8.5lbs for Gauntlet)
• Barrel can be interchanged with  .17 HMR barrel, giving you a much more powerful round

Advantages of Airgun:

• Cheaper ammunition (approx 6c per pellet here in Australia vs 15c per .22 bullet)

What am I missing, guys? Help me make this decision..... 

You're thinking of shooting a .22 rimfire on 5 acres? I'm glad I'm not your neighbor. You're better off using an air gun

[Ozman]

You're thinking of shooting a .22 rimfire on 5 acres? I'm glad I'm not your neighbor. You're better off using an air gun

Er.. my block is in a valley and surrounded by 30 yard high trees. But I agree that otherwise the 22LR would be dangerous.

I have four CZ 452s. If I had to choose between one of them and a PCP, CZ would win every time. My 452 Ultra Lux, with it's 28" barrel and CCI subsonic, is about as quiet as my Marauder.

I've been pondering this for a while. It appears that "quiet" (~700fps) 22LR rounds burn all their gasses about 16-18" into the barrel, at the most (actually that's for standard 22LR, so the quiet rounds will stop burning gas even sooner). After that there is some acceleration, but at about 22" and onwards the extended muzzle just acts as a brake on the round, so the super quiet rounds coming out of a super long (24-28") barrel will have slowed down to around 600fps and maybe less, making it a poor choice for shooting to 75-100 yards (lots of droop at that distance). And I want to shoot to that distance.
You can see some basic 22LR ballistics here, and you can see what happens once the barrel gets beyond 22":
ballisticsbytheinch.com/22.html (I'm not allowed to post links yet, so just copy and paste that URL into your browser)

IF you can shoot a .22 SAFELY and are sure you are not interested in the hobby end of the sport, go rimfire.

It's not so much a safety issue as a noise issue. Australians are big complainers when they hear rifle shots. I'm frankly very worried about causing a complaint and the ramifications that would cause. This is the one big thing pushing me towards a PCP and not a 22LR.

Turns out if I want a really quiet 22LR, I will have to buy a CZ 455 Lux II (25" barrel), which is more expensive than the stainless CZ I referenced above. It's also not stainless. It's also not equipped with interchangeable barrels. So many of the attractions of the rimfire option disappear. And then I also have to use "quiet" (slow) ammunition, which is useless much beyond 50 yards. And yet it's dangerous for much further than pellets. So I'm not so keen anymore.   

I'm edging back to the PCP option, but worried to see the Gauntlet's poor quality control.

Here's a guy testing the sound of a PCP against a CZ 22LR: youtu.be/uZnhuFqfZxQ

 (I'm not allowed to post links yet, so just copy and paste that URL into your browser)

[Jacob_M]

 I've only read part of this thread. What I get from it is you have 5 acres and want to shoot.

.22LR or .22 Air rifle.

In Texas, they require you have a minimum of 10 acres to be able to discharge firearms on your property. I live on 3 acres and my brother-in-law lives on 5. Sometimes, depending on the direction I feel wary about shooting the air rifle, let alone a .22 LR.

Having only 5 acres, I would stick to getting an air rifle and have that piece of mind that you are not shooting a projectile that will continue for several hundred yards if nothing stopped it.


maybe I skipped over it, but what is your budget?

[Ozman]

Having only 5 acres, I would stick to getting an air rifle and have that piece of mind that you are not shooting a projectile that will continue for several hundred yards if nothing stopped it.

I'm surrounded by tall trees, so that is not as much an issue as sound. Good sound suppression in a 22LR without a silencer means using slow ammo that is not much use beyond 50 yards, yet cannot be fired upwards into trees due to its ballistic coefficient downrange (some would argue not to shoot pellets upwards either, but the BC is much, much lower so mishaps at several hundred yards are highly unlikely).

So yes, I agree with you, and I'm back on track to getting a PCP.

maybe I skipped over it, but what is your budget?

I'm in Australia where prices are insanely high, so it wouldn't mean much to you. But I'd like to get a (relatively) cheap Chinese (eg Umarex) or Turkish (eg Kral) PCP to start with.