Pcp air rifle

[Brittany boy]

Bit disappointed with the AA 510 carbine, it's very quiet but does not seem to have the same knock down power that the HW97K has. It's ok at short range but at 35 yards +' it starts to loose accuracy /power . It was ok on feral pigeons today inside the barns but would be a bit reluctant to use it on a rabbit. I've used the HW regularly on rabbits with success both head and chest shots , could the rifle have been detuned to increase the shot capacity for paper punching , I don't have a chrono to check any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Doric]

As has been said previously any AirArms, Daystate, FX, Hw will all get the job done, all are accurate.
Having had many PCPs over the years my preferance for a sub 12ft pound rifle is 177 and 22 in higher power. If you dont have a 22 rimfire then the the 25 cal. makes sense . If you are buying used ensure that it is holding air, cycling as it should and it has had a recent service which is baisical replacing seals.

 

[25 Sharps]

Fancy the bsa ultra se but reviews say shot count is about 40 in .177,would that be in total out of a full charge.

Same as my FAC super ten, in the real world it’s plenty

 

[25 Sharps]

Bough a second-hand .177 Weihrauch carbine when living in England for a (thankfully) brief time.

Accurate, yes. Expensive, yes. Good practise, yes. Worthwhile, ermm... not really.

If you have sufficient ground and good reason, get a .22LR rimfire.

They cost almost the same when everything is tallied up but with the rimfire you have a better tool at the end of the day.

Decent FAC air .22\.25 pretty much keeps up with .22 with no ammo limits or ammo storage required, won’t cope so well with wind but a very useful tool

 

[eggy74]

+1 for the hw100. i have the k version in .177
quiet, accurate, reliable, reasonable shot count, spares easily available, maybe a tad heavy. hills do a spartan pump for £80 so topping up is nice easy and cheap too

 

[User00040]

Decent FAC air .22\.25 pretty much keeps up with .22 with no ammo limits or ammo storage required, won’t cope so well with wind but a very useful tool

Very true but the added weight and bulk of the air reservoir makes them very unwieldy, and need to recharge both the reservoir and the fill tank were big downsides for me, making me get rid of my PCP air rifle.

Not to mention that cost wise I think the .22LR (rifle and ammo) comes out a little bit cheaper.

 

[sauer]

It’s not just about cost .....

I’ll use my FAC air in areas where .22lr is just a no no for various reasons.. safety etc ...

But a 12ft/lb doesn’t cut it ....

There is a place for FAC air of you have requirement for it ... they fill a niche just fine

Many who comment just get a .22lr ( love mine)
Obviously haven’t used one in certain situations etc.... or needed to


Paul

 

[25 Sharps]

Very true but the added weight and bulk of the air reservoir makes them very unwieldy, and need to recharge both the reservoir and the fill tank were big downsides for me, making me get rid of my PCP air rifle.

Not to mention that cost wise I think the .22LR (rifle and ammo) comes out a little bit cheaper.

That’s a fair one, but a 7 litre 300 bar tank does a LOT of fills even on my 32 ft-lb .22 or you have the option of a pump which once you’ve bought costs nothing bar elbow grease. My rfd is 5 mins away and fills bottles, 500 pellets is £12.50, 500 Eleys is £32.

In all honesty there’s pros and cons for both but I genuinely don’t think one is ‘better’ than the other when quarry is hare/rabbit or smaller.

Easy answer is to have both!

 

[25 Sharps]

It’s not just about cost .....

I’ll use my FAC air in areas where .22lr is just a no no for various reasons.. safety etc ...

But a 12ft/lb doesn’t cut it ....

There is a place for FAC air of you have requirement for it ... they fill a niche just fine

Many who comment just get a .22lr ( love mine)
Obviously haven’t used one in certain situations etc.... or needed to


Paul

Agreed I have areas that I will only use FAC air or shotguns on for safety reasons.

Even sub 12 cuts it, I successfully controlled rabbits on 2 dairy farms for over 10 years with a BSA lightning, then s410, then super10. Bags often in double figures and no complaints from the farmers that the rabbit numbers were getting too high. But .22 or .25 FAC air is a much better tool.

 

[sauer]

I like FAC air for rats

Yes 12ft/lb can do it but they are hardy bar stewards and I prefer the FAC for them ...
I’m new to FAC air but not air rifles in general.
Wish I’d got one years ago ....

Paul

 

[joe6r]

Lent my pcp to the farmer last week now can’t get it back lol

Ah well needs must with the old springer
Time to thin out the rats

 

[Sonicdmb73]

Bit disappointed with the AA 510 carbine, it's very quiet but does not seem to have the same knock down power that the HW97K has. It's ok at short range but at 35 yards +' it starts to loose accuracy /power . It was ok on feral pigeons today inside the barns but would be a bit reluctant to use it on a rabbit. I've used the HW regularly on rabbits with success both head and chest shots , could the rifle have been detuned to increase the shot capacity for paper punching , I don't have a chrono to check any suggestions would be appreciated.

Which pellets are you using? The Air Arms ones I use in my S400 go up in size slightly. iirc they are 4.5mm 4.51mm or 4.52mm something along those lines. The right size really does make a difference to accuracy. I can hit a 5p piece at 45yds consistently boringly so. It will tackle ferals at that range too as I can confidently head shoot if required.

 

[25 Sharps]

Which pellets are you using? The Air Arms ones I use in my S400 go up in size slightly. iirc they are 4.5mm 4.51mm or 4.52mm something along those lines. The right size really does make a difference to accuracy. I can hit a 5p piece at 45yds consistently boringly so. It will tackle ferals at that range too as I can confidently head shoot if required.

yes theydo different sizes in .177 & .22 and it can make a real difference.

 

[Brittany boy]

I think I may have solved the issue, I've tried a load of different pellets some were very poor and wouldn't group and were hitting the board side ways which I thought may have meant a lack of power causing them to tumble others gave reasonable groups but just not the satisfiying thump of the old HW97K. I've now settled on JSB Exact Jumbo which are 15.9'grain, they group to 10 shots in less than an inch at 25m. And give a more positive thump on target. I think because it is so quiet it gives the impression of a lack of power but happier now.

 

[sauer]

My hatsan at-44 I thought was pitiless but after Chrony discovered it was steady 11.8 ft/lbs

The quietness very deceiving


Paul

 

[hw101]

Over the years I've had a Daystate Airwolf, which I sold and now have a HW100 KT in .20 and a HW100T in .177. I shoot grey squirrels in my back garden - current count over 200 and not a single miss or runner. Regarding model, definitely recommend the HW100 over any other model - tack drivers out to 55 yards, best magazine system and unbreakable. Downside is even secondhand they are probably going to be above your £500 budget. I've also used the Airarms and BSA rifles which are very good as well and you won't go wrong with either. Agree a BSA ultra or S410 carbine would be a good choice. Regarding caliber - the .20 is excellent for free hand hunting in a woodland, but pellet selection is limited and rifles can be very pellet fussy. I went through a few brands before I found what my rifle likes which is 13.7 grain JSB exacts.. Off a bipod the .177 is more accurate past 35 yards at which distance both rifles produce 1 hole groups. My experience of rats (and squirrels) is that head shots are the most reliable way of producing an instant dispatch so if shooting off a bipod then I'd go .177. Hope that is helpful.

 

[Squirrelbasher]

Target or hunting , most target shots settle for .177 and hunters .22
In my day ( the dark ages ) they used to say .177 for feather and .22 for fur but I was never that sure of that
shot a hell of a lot of rabbits with a BSA Cadet Major in .177 ( springer) when I was kid of course I hadn't been told it was not enough gun at that time, it all went to pot once I was told.

Same here, I shot loads of vermin with a .177 Webley, only to find out that it was only running at about 8.5 ft lbs. So long as I put the pellet in the right place it did the job.