Does anyone here use/train with an air rifle ... for survival purposes? Air rifles have the advantage of providing small game, which is more plentiful. Interested in which type of air rifle is a good compromise for accuracy, reliability and cost.

Thoughts?

Pete

I like the idea of an airgun for taking small game, but I opted for a .22LR bolt action instead. I'm not sure a .22 Short (which can be fired from a .22LR bolt action rifle) is significantly louder than an airgun. A side-by-side comparison would be nice, but I already made my choice -- CZ makes a very nice .22LR rifle. No affiliation other than as an owner. But that doesn't answer your question.

Check Pyramid Air.

as with Russ, not answering your question, but I think a .22lr long gun would be a better all around survival choice... I used to shoot a Daisy 717 air pistol in my garage (inside city limits)when I first started shooting USPSA...there are a lot of options from both sides of the big water...

I shoot a lot of .22lr for practice... a CMMG barrel and adapter unit dedicated upper (with Boonie Packer better mag adapter to use SW 15-22 magazines) for my AR, and an Advantage Arms upper for my G34... I reload 9mm and compete in PCC, so that is slowly edging into my use of .22lr

I have both air rifles and firearms. My opinion is that firearms would be vastly superior for hunting. Sure, you can take small game with an air rifle. But you can take it easier with a firearm. Hunting range for an air rifle is very short. You've got to be really close to your target. That alone makes things more difficult.

To get an air rifle powerful enough for humane hunting, you're going to want a heavy-duty springer or a PCP. But for "survival", are you going to have the air compressor and SCUBA tanks to support your PCP rifle? Probably not. So most likely you'd rely on a springer. Springer air rifles are more difficult to shoot well than firearms. They can be very hold sensitive. They have a harsh two-way recoil that can easily trash your expensive rifle scope. They're single shot. And they aren't all that quiet either. You shoot a hunting-class springer in your urban backyard, and your neighbors are gonna say, "Did someone just shoot a firearm?" Yeah, they're pretty loud.

I see air rifles as great tools for target shooting. Not so great for hunting. I'd put them in the same hunting class as a slingshot. Yeah, you can hunt with those too. And they're smaller and cheaper than air rifles. There's only so many squirrels and rabbits you'll be able to find for airgun hunting. Any game larger than that, and you're not really hunting humanely (despite the over-the-top Gamo advertisements where their .177 air rifle takes down a cape buffalo).

A .22LR rifle good enough for hunting is cheaper than a decent air rifle too.

I managed to harvest a few pigeons with a 7.5 J air rifle at up to 15 m. Bullet placement is crucial. Accuracy sometimes depends on the bullets.
Pressurized air containers make the rifle quieter and can be refilled with an air pump (which is some workout and not too much fun).
There are air rifles powerful enough for deer. They are not legal around here.
I´d probably go for a slingshot. The ammo is more plentyful.

For those interested in an air rifle, this particular model is highly recommendex.

https://www.amazon.com/RWS-Pellet-Model-Combo-Rifle/dp/B000UPFH4E?tag=airriflehun03-20

But i have only done research, and i dont own one. Please note that the price is slightly over $300. So there is no price advantage. You could buy a basic rifle from Savage Arms, under $400, and get excellent accuracy - all for the same general price range.

The reviewers who used this air rifle did get excellent accuracy, spreads of pellets within a 1 inch-circle, over a range distance of 25 meters. But yes, this is a very small range, in the grand scheme of things.

I think that the points made above about the 22LR are an excellent argument. When I said "small game" i was really thinking about squirrels and smaller ground birds. but a 22LR would allow shots at rabbits at longer distances.

I am curious about the sound levels. I live in a very quiet place, part urban and part farmland. The sound of gunshots would not be particularly welcome here. but really, the 22 caliber in an air rifle might not have much advantage ... as far as not disturbing the neighbors.

Pete

If you want your .22LR rifle to be quieter than an airgun, you can use this ammo:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/250629...ead-solid-point

What you are doing here, with this "primer-only" ammo, is taking the .22LR down to air rifle power levels. So it adds versatility to your .22LR rifle. And this ammo is quieter than an equivalent air rifle (at least it is when using the .22LR rifles I own and the air rifles I own).

It will not cycle a semi-auto rifle, obviously. So you're dealing with single shot. Same as an air rifle would be. If you have an extremely tight or excessively long .22LR barrel, due to the low power of these rounds, there is always the chance that the bullet will not make it out the muzzle and stay lodged in the barrel. Personally, I only shoot this ammo in my single-shot-break-open .22LR rifle. As part of the loading process you swing the action open (like a double barreled shotgun) and you can immediately see that the barrel is clear of any previous rounds that did not exit the muzzle. I have never had one of these rounds fail to exit the muzzle, but I always check for it none-the-less, just to be safe.

They might be quiet, but not useful in anything you'd actually use for hunting.

so for 22LR the solution is a shell loaded to low power, but more than just the primer. the bullet should make it out of the barrel of the rifle ... Hahaha! we need enough power to kill a rabbit cleanly at 75 yards. That's what is needed for small game hunting. Not sure if such an option exists.

Pete

Pete... a lot of states are looking a allowing suppressors for hunting... those in .22lr are the cheapest, then you have the $200 tax stamp and a long wait... a standard velocity .22lr should be able to accomplish your 75m shot with ease... the "bonus" target at the Chevy Truck Sportsman's Team Challenge was a 1" target at 75m...offhand