Hikermor ... agree .... the sea coast is hard to beat.

Phaedrus ... i dont see myself using a suppressor on the air gun (i didn't even know that was possible for airguns). the people where i live are very noise-sensitive. so if i get a 22LR, i will have to do what is right and find a local range for practice. BTW, that airgun i mentioned (with the link) has construction very similar to a normal rifle. it has the look and feel of a normal rifle ... from the POV of a spectator. I could envision a situation where a person was practicing with that airgun, and another person witnssed it and made a phone call to the police that there was an intruder "with a high power rifle". that could get very messy. so ... it seems better to shoot at a firing range, regardless of choice of rifle.

For me, it boils down to range. the airgun has very good accuracy to about 20-30 yards. But at 40-60 yards, the chance of a miss ia much higher. how many "small game prey" can i expect to encounter inside 30 yards? OK, maybe some. but the odds are not on my side. the arguments in favor of the 22LR are quite strong, i think.

Pete

Gamo sells a range of air rifles with the suppressor built in. They sell for under two hundred bucks. And in some places it's legal to use an air gun within city limits while it's usually illegal to shoot a firearm.

That said I agree that for most people a firearm will be a better choice.

It's not just accuracy that you need to be concerned with for air rifles. You also have to look at terminal ballistics. Pellets are lighter weight than .22 bullets, and they go slower. So even if your air rifle were accurate at longer ranges, the pellets might not have enough oomph to get the job done once they get there. And the lighter pellets will be prone to wind problems. Air rifles are short range tools for more than one reason.

You're right, I think I'm just looking for an excuse to get a new pellet gun!

Wise words. I agree.

If you are harvesting game, you have a responsibility to make a clean, quick kill wherever possible.

A pellet gun (excepting, perhaps, the very high velocity variety) does not meet that standard.

One thing to consider is that a semi-auto bleeds off some gases, and ultimately some of the noise. I have used Remington CBee 22 longs in a Ruger 10/22 for pest control purposes, from a blind and at an exact distance (10 yards). Highly effective for smaller birds, but really not enough for a quick kill on squirrel or pigeon. The Ruger didn't even cycle; I had turned it into a single shot. The report was barely noticeable. The moral is, if you can set up a controlled situation, you can use lower power and lower report rounds that are still effective.

Doug.

yes. good reminder. i agree, humane kills are essential. and the ability to kill birds up to pigeon-size is also essential. I am exploring other options, an air rifle is not the solution that I need.

thanks, Pete

Let me suggest using CCI's Quiet 22 ammo. It uses a 40 grain bullet with about 700 fps muzzle velocity IIRC. The action of the rifle is louder than the bullet report, and it will penetrate a,piece of sheet metal. I have no qualms about using it on a rabbit, but would check its aim versus your regular 22 ammo. It does work in a ruger 10/22, but as a single shot, since it won't work the action. I would buy a box and try it out. I keep about six boxes on hand.

Good stuff. I have a few boxes and cycle them through my Henry lever. 25 yds no problem but at 50 yds you will need to resight because of the drop compared to standard velocity.

Roarmeister ... thanks. that is very useful info. I will check it out.

Pete