Air Rifle

[Ketchup]

On 11/22/2017 at 12:49 PM, fishinwrench said:

I ordered the Gamo Swarm and it's on its way.  

Dick's had some  Crosman 14.3gr. hp pellets in .22 so I grabbed some of them while I was there.   I'm probably gonna need to order some others to test after I get it broke-in good.   I assume that I want to go heavier, no?     I'm hoping to be able to dispatch small critters out to  35-40 yards. 

Any pellet recommendations?

Good choice.  Keep in mind a few things when your new "toy" comes in.  First clean the gun, especially inside the barrel.  They oil these things up so bad. All of mine had oil all over the receiver/barrel areas.  I bought an air gun cleaning kit "mine are all .177" from BP. Yours being a .22 you can use a standard 22 cleaning kit.  Second your gun will not "settle in" until you've shot between 200 to 1000 rounds.  Every maker says the same.  I chose to go with the cheapest pellets money could buy, Daisys.  They did what they were purchased for. I then switched over to Crosman due to decent reviews. If i was getting into more of a comp. situation i would up the anty on better pellets, but knocking down fur balls at 30 yards, these do just fine.  

Yes a heavier pellet does 2 things well.  Helps with kenetic energy to penetrate and also to quieten down the gun. Obviously heavier = slower but thats a good thing.

Mounting your scope - Your gun will have a pin sticking out of the rings. Match that up to the hole in the mount. As stated before these guns are not like a center or rim fire gun. That pin and hole are there for a reason, to keep the scope from "walking".

Hollar as you get going as i know you will have questions.  Im here for ya.

P.S  here are 2 of the more popular pellets the serious guys use. 

 

 

[Ketchup]

Heres the pellets i stated above.  

The daisys actually grouped pretty darn good for a junk pellet.  

 

[Ketchup]

Wrench, the word is "domed" pellets are the only way to go.  The olympic shooters use only domed for  a reason. 

[fishinwrench]

Awesome, thanks.    I have read that it takes quite a few rounds to get the barrel tinned and shooting consistent.  So hitting it with some solvent right away helps speed that process up ?

I hope it doesn't take 1000 rounds to settle in.  That's rediculous.  A hundred or so after a good solvent scrub will hopefully be enough.  

[jdmidwest]

I have too many to wait that long.  I usually get my settled in on one afternoon session.  I have a Gamo Maxium and several Stoegers.  Most like the Crosman heavy pellets.  I do have a S20 Stoeger that likes the Beeman wadcutter in 177.  I can kill a bunny at 30 yards with it.

[Old plug]

I cannot find the ones with  BB inbedded in them anymore. They hit as hard as anything I ever seen in my 177 RWS. As far as being accirate that thing has been shooting wHere it is pointed since the first time I used it. The BB invedded ones are like a domed pellet

[fishinwrench]

36 minutes ago, Old plug said:

I cannot find the ones with  BB inbedded in them anymore. They hit as hard as anything I ever seen in my 177 RWS. As far as being accirate that thing has been shooting wHere it is pointed since the first time I used it. The BB invedded ones are like a domed pellet

I've seen them.  I may be on the wrong track but a 2 piece pellet doesn't appeal to me.  Some experience may teach me otherwise, but for starters I think I want solid lead with most of the weight up front.

It's gonna be hard to throw everything I know about center-fire and archery ballistics out the window. 

[lee G.]

12 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Awesome, thanks.    I have read that it takes quite a few rounds to get the barrel tinned and shooting consistent.  So hitting it with some solvent right away helps speed that process up ?

I hope it doesn't take 1000 rounds to settle in.  That's rediculous.  A hundred or so after a good solvent scrub will hopefully be enough.  

I always assumed that it was barrel breaking in. but you got me thinking. May be, its the spring and piston smoothing out so the movement of them is consintant in their travel?

[Ketchup]

The spring/piston has such a slight area for movement that my thoughts are those are the least areas of concern.  The typical issues with these guns are scope walking "check tightness often" and junk pellets. 

wrench, these are the inboards of the marine industry. You've got the basics so learn the slight adjustments and you will soon be ready for a fun get together. 

[fishinwrench]

5 hours ago, Ketchup said:

wrench, these are the inboards of the marine industry

Oh God, don't call them THAT or I'm outa here!  

I haven't shot an air rifle (seriously) since I was 8-9 years old.  Had a Daisy 880 and bullfrogs were the game of choice.  My dad wouldn't let me use the 4x scope that came with it because he wanted me to master iron sights first.  

That old pump gun shot BB's better than it did pellets.   I couldn't hit crap with pellets but with BB's there wasn't a safe bullfrog or starling anywhere near me back then.  I got it taken away for a month for shooting a bluejay in our front yard, and if it hadn't been for Mom I would have had to clean and eat it.