I've been shopping a pellet gun for a few weeks, I've got to eradicate the critters that eat my garden.
I live in a development, but our back yard is a common area and golf course. Our back yard slopes down from the house, so it's safe shooting. It's a long ways to the next house, too.
Regardless, it's gotta be quiet. The quieter the better. SCUDS and remotely operated .50 cal turrets are out. The neighbors would b1tch before I even lit them up.

I've been looking at the Gamo Whisper Fusion.
Thing is, pellet guns are a pain in the ass. .177 caliber are faster, .22 caliber hits harder. A .22 would be fine with the range I'm looking at and it'd be a better choice, I'm leaning that way.
The scope on that Gamo is considered crap.
From what I understand, it's best to piece a rifle together for your needs. Gun, scope, scope mounts, and accessories.

I was hoping some of you guys might head me in the right direction. I'd far rather take your word for it than a salesman at pyramid or airgun depot.
It really does look like it's in my best interest to piece a gun together than pull one out of a box, so I think that's the way I'd like to go.

Any input would help, even if it doesn't go directly to selecting parts and pieces. Except "put up a scarecrow" or "take pity on the garden eaters". I tried to talk sense to these ignorant bastages and even suggested a treaty. They patently ignored me. Diplomatic relations have been severed and war is imminent.
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Had a Barska scope on an old .22 for messing around, it was actually a really good scope for the price.

BARSKA 3-9x40 Huntmaster Easy Shot Riflescope, under 50 bucks on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...3Abarska+scope
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I had a single-action lever Daisy as a kid, and enjoyed it a lot.


Does that help? :-)
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You'll shoot your eye out. :-)
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I think the Varmint Hunter 177 would get you more "bang" for the buck. It is rated for small game, has 100 fps more and costs less on the website but that's if you want to go with PBA ammo.

Oh yeah, what Albert said, "You'll shoot your eye out"
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I'd be looking at this as an excuse to get a suppressor for my .22 :-).
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I had a cheap Daisy as a kid that fired both BB's and Pellets... Honestly, when you're shooting pellets, you can use anything so long as you properly calibrate your sights for the distance you will be shooting. The other good thing about pellets is that when you miss, chances are the critter still wont even have a clue you were there, since most are just air powered.

Edit:
Forgot to mention, mine was a .177... If you're worried about stopping power, I wouldn't. The critters will fear your house in no time.
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They say the spring action of a pellet gun, even if it's encased pneumatic, wrecks rifle scopes. First shot will ruin the crosshairs.
Something about the recoil being all different. Maybe it's okay to use an airgun scope on a real rifle, I don't know.
There's all kinds of really good scopes in the $50-$100 price range for airguns. I was thinking a 3x-9x 50mm. There's something about reticular somethingness that's impoortant and it should be an AO. AO is a big deal. I read up on it and totally forgot what it means. :-)

I checked to see if Barska makes airgun scopes, but no dice. Thanks anyways, my brother!!! :-)
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Oh thought you were going with the .22 (and if you can get away with it you should, don't wanna just wound the vicious little critters and have to walk up, look them in the tiny little warm brown eyes and BLAMMM *double tap* them.
:-)

(that's of course if you do anything other than scare it away by giving it just a flesh wound.
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I saw one at Gamo that has a crazy high fps, forget which one.
That PBA ammo is junk from what I've read. It does increase FPS, but they're wildly inaccurate. I guess Gamo Red Fires and H&N(?) Arms ammo is the good stuff, the first expensive and the second cheap.

I think I saw that Varmint Hunter on sale, too. I like it. Thanks, Angel!!! :-)
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Nah, they make air rifles in .177, .20, .22 and .25 calibers. .22 cal air pellets are a lot heavier and hit a lot harder but they're slower and don't shoot as far.
I don't think I have to worry about "far" at all. I gotta go step off my killing range. :-)

I'm mainly gonna kill Italian Pheasants. Crows are delicious, I don't wanna shoot them all up. :-)
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I wouldn't get too into the speed of the pellet. Keep in mind, the faster a pellet moves, the more likely it is to stray away from on target. Most guns used for target shooting only fire 500ish feet per second, this is because when you start approaching 1000-1200 feet per second your pellet starts to get close to the sound barrier. Think sonic boom, and what effect it would have on your pellet.

Also, I don't have any experience with it, but I would think a round that passes the sound barrier would include a slight bang when fired, which I am sure you don't want since you have neighbors.
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A the first problem is I'm old so there are bb guns / pellet guns, some that took both and then a .22 was a small rifle. The second problem is you'll put your eye out.
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Scott: Back In My Teenage Years I Had A Benjamin Air Rifle That Was Very Accurate, Dependable & Powerful.:-) Good Luck With The Critter Eradication!:-)
Here's A Link:
http://www.airgundepot.com/benjamin-air-rifles.html
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Sheridan Blue Streak. It is pneumatic and you pump it up for up to a 700 fps shot if you want to kill something. You can also pump it only a couple times and shoot much slower. Use this to kill lots of varmints, from black birds to squirrels and rabbits.

If you want to go faster and more powerful, I am not much help for you there.
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I didn't read the whole thread, but a subsonic .22LR is alot quieter than most pellet rifles.
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I am always the promoter of the cheap, I guess, but when I was having squirrel issues,
I walked into the Wal-mahrt store and bicked up a Beeman break barrel air rifle with the 177
and the 22 caliber barrels. The package was 89.99. It worked out really well, included a
scope, and it is accurate enough for me. Powerful, too, especially with the murderous .22
barrel on it. I do not see it in their online catalog, but they are often waiting right there in
the stores. You might want to clean the rifle before firing. I think mine had some lube/preserv.
in the barrel and when I fired the first lead pellet, it cooked off and cracked like a 22 LR shell.

http://www.amazon.com/Beeman-RS1-Air.../dp/B001BS5OFG

http://www.amazon.com/Beeman-Dual-Ca...ifle+2+barrels Seems expensive, I got mine for $90
The 22 cal pellet has REAL stopping power, but in this rifle, the .177 is still bad news.
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You guys talked me into a Benjamin, and a .22 for sure.
I'd like to have a pcp Marauder, but it's overkill to the nth degree. Plus it'd run around $800-$900 dressed out. That's just plain nuts.
I think it'll be the Benjamin Trail NP. It comes with a good scope, it's said to be very quiet, and shoots nice and straight. It should do anything I need.
Woe be to those corn-eating crow bunsmugglers.

Really, if you ever saw a crow hanging upside down on a cornstalk eating the corn that you've babied all summer long, you'd understand the nearly insane, burning desire I have to deal death to these savage sunsab1tches.
They ate every single ear of corn in my garden last year. Not this year. No sir, not this year...
:-)
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I see murder death kill in his eyes!
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Keep Us Posted Of The "Death & Destruction", Scott!:-):-):-)
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