Can one of you guys recommend me an air rifle?

[TXSlayer]

Today I received a Benjamin "varmint power pack" on store pickup at cabelas. I opened it up to find that the scope was all five flavors of fubarred, no problem, leupold low caliber scope to the rescue. Once I had calibrated the scope, I tried some target plinking with different types of pellets to try to find which one it liked, no luck. It wouldn't hold a 2 inch group at 10 yards. About half an hour of trying different settings ond the Leupold, and tedious shooting, the breach seal gave out. Maybe I got a lemon, maybe this model of rifle is bad, either way I returned it for a refund.
I was wondering if I could get some recommendations from you experienced airgunners on rifles with the following specs.
-.22
-Gas Piston
-some sort of noise dampener
-cost<=$200

Thank you guys, and I hope my experience with the Benjamin was helpful, as there were little to no bits of info on the web that don't come from the companies trying to sell it.

[avator]

Welcome to the GTA Leif.
I'm going to shoot you my generic response to this question. It's a little bettersweet however. First of all... I'm not sure why you require a gas ram because you didn't say but if it's just because of things you read or heard...... well, anyhow.... My recommendation would be a fully tuned XS-25 in .22 from Mike Mellick at Fliying Dragon Air Rifles for right at your $200 budget. Mike is a member/vendor here at the GTA and if you do a search on him or visit the Flying Dragon gate you find his work and integrity impecable. That's the sweet.
Here's the bitter...
I just responded to a post from Mike that reports that he will be out of his shop for the next 2 weeks helping out his good friends at Pyramid Air with some backlog.
Good Luck

[lefteyeshot]

Benjamin Regal NP- pretty stock

Crosman nitro Venom- weaver scope rail

Crosman Genesis NP- weaver rail. PA and AGD not in stock

Hatsan 95 Vortex- different features

All $199 or less.

[Brazos]

I don't think you will find a good shooting rifle with your given specs.  I know it is $100 over your budget but go order an HW95 from AoA right now for $299, have a rifle that will last generations, and never look back.

[Jaximus]

To fit your specs I would say Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston 2.

Just over $200, comes with an ok optic, acceptable trigger, nitro piston, shrouded for noise reduction.

[Kailua]

Not sure of the specs of your Leupold scope.  But if a scope is not spring or gas piston rated it may not hold out. 
Also any new airgun may need a good barrel cleaning.  Most come with some kind of coating for corrosion  protection.  Some airguns need time to break in.  May need to shoot a few hundred pellets to lead the barrel and get better accuracy.  Out of the box in your price range any airgun may need a bit of tuning.  Both ends of the barrel may need attention crown and lead.  Compression tube may need deburring and new seals because of metal shaving left in the tube.  Even higher priced rifle are not lubed right.
If you are serious about shooting airguns there is a lot to learn IMO and good place to learn and ask more questions the right hear on the GTA.
Also spring and gas piston rifles have a learning curve to get through because of the double recoil.  Even if you got the best spring type airgun you may need a lot of practice to shoot well.
Bottom line is that any airgun for $200 may be luck of the draw and may need no, a little or a lot work to shoot well no matter which one you choose.  GL

[avator]

To fit your specs I would say Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston 2.

Just over $200, comes with an ok optic, acceptable trigger, nitro piston, shrouded for noise reduction.

If this is your choice you might want to check out this link.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/738128/benjamin-trail-nitro-piston-2-air-rifle-with-3-9x-32mm-scope-and-free-1911-bb-pistol-and-22-caliber-pellets-tin-of-175?cm_vc=ProductFinding

[nervoustrigger]

The HW95 that Brazos mentioned is a great recommendation if you can swing it.

At the $200 price point, however, you would be hard pressed to beat an XS-46U from Mike at Flying Dragon.  I picked up one from him with the gas ram conversion a couple of years ago.  It would do better than 1/2" groups at 25 yards with the artillery hold, and produced about 22fpe in .22cal so it's a hard hitter.  If you search this model on the Chinese forum, you'll see lots of positive experiences, a far better ratio than I have seen with Benjamin springers.

[Methuselah]

Leif, welcome to the GTA - sit down, take your shoes off and stick around a spell 

I saw from another post you have a Daisy 880, they can be VERY accurate and powerful enough for small game pesting.  Why a gas ram?

 

[packard8]

The Umarex Octane:

http://www.airgundepot.com/umarex-octane-air-rifle.html



It has a lot of bang for the buck. In .22 it is around 26-28 FPE and comes with a pretty decent airgun rated 3-9X40AO scope. The downside is that it is pretty long and heavy. Accuracy is good once you get accustomed to the heavy trigger pull. It hits hard and is the quietest magnum gas ram springer I've encountered. Also has a 3 year Mfg warranty.

Lots of choices out there, take your time and do the research...happy hunting!

[TXSlayer]

Welcome to the GTA Leif.
I'm going to shoot you my generic response to this ::)question. It's a little bettersweet however. First of all... I'm not sure why you require a gas ram because you didn't say but if it's just because of things you read or heard...... well, anyhow.... My recommendation would be a fully tuned XS-25 in .22 from Mike Mellick at Fliying Dragon Air Rifles for right at your $200 budget. Mike is a member/vendor here at the GTA and if you do a search on him or visit the Flying Dragon gate you find his work and integrity impecable. That's the sweet.
Here's the bitter...
I just responded to a post from Mike that reports that he will be out of his shop for the next 2 weeks helping out his good friends at Pyramid Air with some backlog.
Good Luck

Leif, welcome to the GTA - sit down, take your shoes off and stick around a spell 

I saw from another post you have a Daisy 880, they can be VERY accurate and powerful enough for small game pesting.  Why a gas ram?

 

I've heard that gas ram rifles with some sort of noise dampener can be dead quiet. I need this because I do pest control jobs on some of my landlord's other properties, some of which are in town where I can't exactly fire off a .22LR

Benjamin Regal NP- pretty stock

Crosman nitro Venom- weaver scope rail

Crosman Genesis NP- weaver rail. PA and AGD not in stock

Hatsan 95 Vortex- different features

All $199 or less.

The HW95 that Brazos mentioned is a great recommendation if you can swing it.

At the $200 price point, however, you would be hard pressed to beat an XS-46U from Mike at Flying Dragon.  I picked up one from him with the gas ram conversion a couple of years ago.  It would do better than 1/2" groups at 25 yards with the artillery hold, and produced about 22fpe in .22cal so it's a hard hitter.  If you search this model on the Chinese forum, you'll see lots of positive experiences, a far better ratio than I have seen with Benjamin springers.

Looking into these, thanks guys
[Edit]My local wally world has ruger yukons for $190, thinking either that or the flying Dragon

[packard8]

The Ruger Yukon is very similar to the Octane (from the same factory) but with a bit less FPE/power. It does have a nice wood stock if that is an issue for you. The bundled scope is a lower spec unit compared to the Octane, and has a one year warranty vs 3 years on the Octane.

[Methuselah]

I've heard that gas ram rifles with some sort of noise dampener can be dead quiet. I need this because I do pest control jobs on some of my landlord's other properties, some of which are in town where I can't exactly fire off a .22LR

From what I believe I've been reading from the group, differences between spring and gas ram seem minimally concerned with noise.  Others should certainly be willing to chime in (hint)...

[TXSlayer]

Thank you guys. I think that unless I see something out shopping that fits my bill, I'm going to save up till next month and buy the HW95 that Brazos was talking about.

[mobilehomer]

The Varmint Power Pack is a Trail with a different stock. One of the better guns Crosman/Benjamin makes. It just needs a little tweaking.
And LOTS of practice. Mine didn't start shooting anywhere near decent 'til about 2 hundred down the barrel.
As for another gun, try the NP2 .22 caliber. You can get it for around $200 at Academy. The only noise is the piston (not much) and the pellet striking. Mine averages 1" or so at 40 yards.

[56S]

I've heard that gas ram rifles with some sort of noise dampener can be dead quiet. I need this because I do pest control jobs on some of my landlord's other properties, some of which are in town where I can't exactly fire off a .22LR

From what I believe I've been reading from the group, differences between spring and gas ram seem minimally concerned with noise.  Others should certainly be willing to chime in (hint)...

Yep.  You're spot on.  The gas ram may be a teeny bit quieter when cocking... I don't think that's what you meant.  Yes, save your money and buy a good rifle.  Someday when I feel like admitting to the world how stupid I was, I'll tell the story of how I managed to buy a Walther LGU and only spend a grand to get it...well, that's not entirely true.  Both my boys have airguns now courtesy of good old Dad.

[lefteyeshot]

95 is a fine gun. Shot a friend's at a fun shoot. It's not gas ram and that AoA model you pay shpg.
NP2's are $260-330.
FD doesn't gas ram 46's any longer

[Brazos]

You will be glad if you hold out for the HW95.  They are normally a little over $400.  $299 is unheard of for that rifle.  It the best deal in air rifles right now.  I hate to see you spend $200 for borderline junk when for $300 you can get the best.  Very high quality, great barrel,  great blueing, and a match quality adjustable trigger.  They are honestly a good deal at ther normal $400+ price.  There is plenty of info on the HW95 (same rifle as the Beeman R9) so fire up your search engine.

[Be Ready]

If i was buying a brand new rifle today ..... The HW 95 from AoA is the one I would get. A little more than you want to spend but, if you take good care of it. It will hold the $300.00 value for many years to come. No brainer!

[lefteyeshot]

German guns are good guns. I got one. But buying a $200 or less gun doesn't make it a dumb purchase. Just means you shoot today until you can afford something better. If you can afford $300 and shipping and a scope a 95 or RWS 34 is a good buy.