My first air rifle since I was a kid.

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I just ordered my first adult air rifle. I had access as a kid to my neighbors pump Sheridan some 50+ years ago. It was a BB type, not pellet, which was good, because I grazed my thumb with a BB after cocking it once, hurt bad. (had thumb near muzzle when cocking).
I finally decided on the RWS 34 in .177 as my first. I really wanted a gas powered one due to my right shoulder being weak from an old injury that I never got medical attention for. I suspect it is a rotor cuff problem. All of them (CO2 and PCP) came with some baggage. Either powerlets, tanks to refill or pump up. Lots of gathering stuff or pumping up, etc..
All the waiting and research had a delaying effect that had a benefit though. My state of Michigan, in the interim, had changed the laws regarding purchasing through the mail. I found it is now legal to do so.
I plan to use mine for hunting grey and fox squirrels. I chose the .177 for the flatter trajectory, energy should be plenty I think. I looked at a lot of cheap CO2 alternatives online and Youtube, especially the QB78 Chinese job. It seems to have a following, but a spring air to me means more consistent power than powerlets. Still, I might one day get one of those for fun stuff.

Here's hoping I made a good choice, as I know nobody who's into air rifles around here.
Bud.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure"---- Dan Quayle, 1990.

Re: My first air rifle since I was a kid.

2
You made a good choice. RWS make a great product and you can't get a much better all around deal than the 34. Sort of the half ton Chevy of air rifles. Research "artillery hold". Buy good pellets, I really like Beeman Kodiaks/H&N Barracudas (I'm pretty sure they come off the same assembly line) and find they work well in most of my medium power springers but you'll need to figure out what works best in your particular rifle. You'll probably need 500 shots before everything settles down. NEVER put oil into the transfer port. Never try to clean the bore unless you are having some kind of accuracy issue that can't be traced to anything else and in that case very carefully use JB bore paste ONCE.
'Sorry stupid people but there are some definite disadvantages to being stupid."

-John Cleese

Re: My first air rifle since I was a kid.

4
Mason wrote:You made a good choice. RWS make a great product and you can't get a much better all around deal than the 34. Sort of the half ton Chevy of air rifles. Research "artillery hold". Buy good pellets, I really like Beeman Kodiaks/H&N Barracudas (I'm pretty sure they come off the same assembly line) and find they work well in most of my medium power springers but you'll need to figure out what works best in your particular rifle. You'll probably need 500 shots before everything settles down. NEVER put oil into the transfer port. Never try to clean the bore unless you are having some kind of accuracy issue that can't be traced to anything else and in that case very carefully use JB bore paste ONCE.
I did buy some silcone oil, thanks for the 'no oil in transfer port' tip. I got a lot to learn. I ordered through MidwayUSA and bought two types of H&N hunter extreme barracudas, 10.34 and 9.57 grain. I chose them mainly based on buyers reviews. I rely a lot on other users advice. It shortens the learning curve and saves $$$.
Bud.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure"---- Dan Quayle, 1990.

Re: My first air rifle since I was a kid.

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inomaha wrote:I use Gamo Rocket pellets to shoot rabbits when they overpopulate. I probably need to get after the one that trimmed off the hedge line between me and the neighbor this year. They like chewing and can do serious damage when there's snow covering everything.

http://www.gamousa.com/product.aspx?productID=80
Those look lethal. We have plenty of rabbits around the house, but can't shoot them in the city limits. I don't really have a 'taste' for them either. So... they are safe from me here. My neighbor seems to have a regular crop of dandylions every year, and the bunnies really love them. Then they come into my yard and leave their pellets.
Bud.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure"---- Dan Quayle, 1990.

Re: My first air rifle since I was a kid.

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I leave the rabbits alone because they eat the clover out of my yard. But it's a fine line. They'll overpopulate every 4 or 5 years and eat everything. Small trees, bushes, flowers, you name it. I trapped and released for a while, but there were too many. I ended up shooting 12 in a week, the neighbor dog caught about as many, and people were complaining throughout the neighborhood about the cats bringing them home. I like the pellet because they penetrate. I aim for the right spot but if I'm off a little the bb part separates and travels all the way through. I've never had a rabbit go more than a couple of feet.

It's the hazard of living near the recreational lakes in town. The deer will come and eat out of the neighbors bird feeder's during the winter too. I looked out the window one morning and a big buck was standing on my patio about 12 feet away on the other side of the sliding glass door. I don't know which one of us jumped more.
Last edited by inomaha on Thu Mar 24, 2016 4:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Brian

Re: My first air rifle since I was a kid.

7
We used to have similar problem here Brian. Urban sprawl, over forty years, has pushed the larger wildlife out of town quite a ways. Worst problem we have is a great Blue Heron that lands on my garage roof some summer mornings, to steal my neighbors Coy fish from his pond. That bird is BIG. As tall as me I think, and protected by law.
Bud.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure"---- Dan Quayle, 1990.

Re: My first air rifle since I was a kid.

8
inomaha wrote:I use Gamo Rocket pellets to shoot rabbits when they overpopulate. I probably need to get after the one that trimmed off the hedge line between me and the neighbor this year. They like chewing and can do serious damage when there's snow covering everything.

http://www.gamousa.com/product.aspx?productID=80
I hear what you are saying about those rabbits. After our dog decided to move next door the rabbits started coming into our yard during the summer and really behaved themselves by just trimming the grass and eating some of the weeds. We thought they were really cute. When the snow came, however, and started building up they started literally eating everything. My wife and I have a lot of very expensive plants in our garden so we didn't take this lightly. After a short while I decided to dispatch them with my 22LR Henry Golden Boy using CCI Quiets, and this combo was actually much more quiet than my break barrel Hunter 440. It is also a lot more deadly at longer distances, and excellent food for the coyotes. Yes, we live in the country.

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