Hello everyone,

I recently was informed that pellet/air guns had improved since I was a lad. A quick search showed the incredible power of the new guns. It seems I'm a bit behind the 8 ball.

Is anyone here up to date with the technologies? Here is what I am looking for (if anyone is in the loop):

A rifle that is extremely durable and needs little maintenance. .22 Cal with the same power (or greater) as a .22 LR (I am Canadian and have my PAL). It would be great if the gun was light and relatively silent. Cost isn't a factor.
The use would be for a survival rifle that is capable of taking out small-medium game at a max distance of 30-50 yards. I'm in good shape so cocking strength is not an issue.
I'd prefer not to need an external separate pump.

I'm basically thinking of an AR7 Survival Rifle -Pellet gun.

I know I'm WAY out of my knowledge base...yes Any ideas, suggestions or sources of information are welcome!

Yours truly,

NIM

Honestly, if you want the same power as a .22lr, you're really going to have to step up to a larger caliber in airguns. .22 cal pellets are significantly lighter in weight than typical .22lr rimfire bullets, which means they don't carry the same energy, even when traveling at the same or slightly greater velocities.

Now, high-end .25 caliber pellet guns send a ~30gr pellet around 850ft-sec. This is roughly comparable to a rimfire .22short. But, .25 caliber guns tend to be quite heavy and .25 caliber pellets are more difficult to find than .22 or especially .117 cal pellets.


With that said, if you understand the limitations of .22cal air-rifles, they can take small game with ease. Beeman and RWS make good fixed-barrel .22cal airguns. Unfortunately, I doubt you are going to find any .22 cal airgun worth a darn that is the size and weight of an AR-7, especially if it doesn't use gas.

My suggestion would be to see if you can try out a few different pellet guns to see if you can find something that works for you, within the limitations of airgun design. It's a bit more complicated than a rimfire, as the size and weight of the air-rifle has a much greater correlation to the level of power one can expect.

I would just cut to the chase and get an AR-7. I have used one satisfactorily for years.

You can find some powerful airguns, but you won't come close to finding one in .22 caliber that is anywhere near as powerful as a .22LR firearm. You would need to look at the big bruiser air rifles.

Something like this: http://www.airgunstyle.com/big-bore-dragon-claw-pcp-pellet-air-rifle-050-cal-p-23946.html

Pellets for it are NOT cheap though: http://www.airgunstyle.com/air-venturi-5...nly-p-2341.html

And you'd have to find a setup to charge it with.

Powerful air guns are not silent by any means. A subsonic .22LR round in a rifle is quieter than many high power airguns. However you can get some precharged pneumatics with silencers built in.

Like this one: http://www.airgunstyle.com/airforce-talon-ss-pcp-pellet-rifle-022-cal-p-793.html

But this Talon model is not in the power class you are wanting.

I would recommend you just get a .22LR firearm. Air rifles are fine for hunting squirrels and such, but if you want to go much bigger than a small rabbit without upgrading to exotic air guns, you're really in firearm territory.

I have found many of the High-powered air guns are Alot louder than a .22 long rifle hyper-v round,the airguns are usually heavier,Forget about a follow-up shot that just ain't gonna happen!On the otherhand,living in a place where firearms can get your freedom revoked,I would look for a Benjamin pump action in .177,As that caliber has more variable types of ammo & higher muzzle velocity as well.I mention Benjamin because I've had mine for 40+ yrs & it still shoots fly's off the wall at 20 paces,It's the AK of airguns IMHO,my 10/22 Ruger is lighter with a 10rd mag,it shoots fly's off the wall at 50 paces,heck!,it shoots thru a wall if I need it to!

I have taken a lot of small game with my Winchester 1000X pellet rifle. Its rated range is 300 yards, but with with my middle-aged eyesight and Copperhead .177 cal pointed hunting pellets, I limit my shots and easily take rabbits at 50-75 yards. The rifle makes a loud 'popping' sound when fired and if I were to ever purchase another one, I would get the silencer model.

As others have mentioned, good air rifles are surprisingly powerful, very low maintenance. Ammo is cheap and almost unregulated, and my brand comes 250 rounds to a metal can the size of a snuff can. The rifle is under $150.00

Incidentally, avoid the air rifles that have a big recoil pad. The 'recoil' of an air rifle is forward!

Since, as you alluded to, this type of air gun seem to fall under the same restrictions in Canada as regular long guns (e.g., the need for a PAL), I'm curious what advantages an air rifle would have over a simple 22?

Good question. Thank you for your suggestions everyone. I'm looking into all of them.

Here is what I was thinking. Given the following scenario:

1) World goes to heck and
2) My house burns down (or is burned down)and
3) Backup location is destroyed.

Then I'm out in the bush without resupply. I've got caches and an AR7, but my brainstorm was "Man I have to clean this thing after every shooting session. That means a cleaning rod, rags, oil and solvent to carry, and rags,oil and solvent expire or get used up. What with the end of the world and all I sure would like to keep my go-bag weight down and not have to carry so much.

So how can I get around that? Air rifle! No corrosive solvents to worry about, ammo is lighter so I can cache or carry more. Should be closer to silent than my AR7 (which is good if you don't want to advertise that you just found game). If I run out of shots I can make darts in the wild. Heck, this is the year 2011 we should all have jetpacks by now I'm sure there are wonderful airguns around...at least as good as a .22 LR.

So here I am searching for a new toy. heeeheee

-NIM

just a comment... I have a pistolsmith friend that shoots airguns..they are not that foolproof as they rely on a system of seals and "O" rings that must be maintained...I think a .22lr would be a more reliable option...they don't need to be cleaned after each use...

AR-7 man here. This model is probably as close to maintenance free as they come. Most of the exterior surfaces are aluminum, and the rest are plastic. Providing you are using decent ammo, there is no necessity to scrub the bore, certainly not on a routine basis.

The action is accessible by unscrewing one screw holding a side plate. Working on it is fairly simple and straightforward, and not likely to be required.

With any firearm, one should have basic tools for maintenance and repair and basic lubricants. Most of these will also be necessary for the proper maintenance of other items in your inventory as well.

I often use my AR-7 as a single shot; in survival mode,I am sure that would be especially common in order not to squander ammo. Loading individual rounds means one could utilize 22 shorts or CB caps (sparingly, in order not to damage the chamber) and they would be pretty quiet.