air rifle noise/quality/accuracy

[moooose]

hi guys,

I am looking at getting an air rifle and thinking about the Stoeger X50 or Benjamin Trail NP XL, both rated for 1500 fps with a 0.177 caliber.

Does anybody have experience with these two air rifles? Is one considered better than the other? How does the noise level compare from one to the other? What about accuracy, quality, and craftsmanship.

thank you for any info.

[C & C]

I have the Benjamin Trail NP in .22 cal not .177, its a sweet gun and after the break in (around 200 shots) its really accurate. Went with the .22 for a bit slower (900ish fps) and it does not get the crack that the 1000fps and over make. Its really quite and I have shot multiple grouse with it without others around them flying away.

[elkhunter11]

Whichever you choose, do not expect 1500fps with standard weight lead pellets.

[Pixel Shooter]

Speed and accuracy don't always match. If your not interested in a pcp airgun I would highly recommend a weirauch airgun. Worth every penny and u will get what your looking for.

[ward]

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

Speed and accuracy don't always match. If your not interested in a pcp airgun I would highly recommend a weirauch airgun. Worth every penny and u will get what your looking for.

Good advice.

Step one is to decide what you want it for, then select the rifle. If you are concerned about noise, forget the 1500 fps.

[Fowlow]

I bought the gamo extreme hunter thinking it would be great for squirrels yes it's fast and powerful but accuracy is garbage it's just to fast I think it sits in the safe and I use a 490fps Walmart special

[Ennyindabenny]

I have the Stoeger x20. It's heavy, and the trigger is heavy, but I have no problems picking off squirrels, crows, and magpies with it. Make sure the rings and everything are tight before you fire it, it came pretty loose from the factory. I just use the crosman .177 pellets from canadian tire, they seem to work the best in it. As for noise it's usually pretty quiet but once in a while it will make a loud crack. I don't know how much different the x50 is but I'm definitely happy with the x20. Probably 2500 pellets through it and it got dropped a couple times but it's still accurate.

[vtecngsr]

I have the NP XL 1100 (.22cal) it has been very accurate trigger sucks its a heavy muddy pull, but that aside I can still stack pellet on pellet with it.

its quite quiet I shoot it a lot in the basement when I get bored or have the itch to going shooting. fit and finish is good nothing special.

if you are going to go for the .117 cal make sure to pick up some heavy pellets a good assortment from 7.3 up to 17 grain so you can find what works best in your rifle. I have a shoe box full of various ammo for all my air rifles, it weighs no less than 30 lbs. but I have found some great pellets for all my rifles

good luck

V

[moooose]

thanks for the replies...

boy, how time flies, it's 2016 already....

I am going with a RWS 34 (Diana) in 0.177. Should be a lifetime worth of no regrets shooting I hope.

thanks again.

[summitizer]

850 air magnum.Cost in co2 cartidges but awsome accuracy. Not high fps but super accurate. recommend 22 caliber.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by moooose

thanks for the replies...

boy, how time flies, it's 2016 already....

I am going with a RWS 34 (Diana) in 0.177. Should be a lifetime worth of no regrets shooting I hope.

thanks again.

The 34 is a good gun, I owned one many years ago. The 22 is better for small game, but the .177 is great for target and plinking.

[Badgerbadger]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

The 34 is a good gun, I owned one many years ago. The 22 is better for small game, but the .177 is great for target and plinking.

I picked up the Stoeger last year and have never really been satisfied with it. It's heavy and a little unbalanced for my liking, and the mechanical recoil is a concern. That said, accuracy and power do the job I want it to.

So, I got a Gamo Dynamax PCP, and it's what I really was looking for. I find it lighter and better balanced. Better accuracy than the Stoeger, due to lack of recoil (and it highlights my shooters flinch, which i need to work on) with the same power. It does the job I want it to. It's also a 10 shot repeater, so follow up shots are convenient and rapid. I've also got several extra magazines.

Loudness is about the same for both rifles, using the same pellets. I use the Premium 10.5g round noses, and they satisfactorily reach out and touch gophers at 50 m. I've tried the lighter rounds, down to 6.5g, and they seem to hit less hard and make more noise.

I got the hand pump with mine, so recharging is convenient, and gives me a little bit of exercise, rather than costing money. I carry the pump in a backpack, with extra ammo, shooting stick, etc. With a couple of sandwiches and some water, a guy can have a nice day out and about, in a variety of terrain.

In the future, I'd recommend a magazine fed PCP to anyone. Convenience and performance is outstanding. One thing I need to mention again is the obvious highlighting of flaws in shooting technique (notably flinch and associated compensations), and subsequent correction make this an inexpensive and awesome tool for practice as well!

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Badgerbadger

I picked up the Stoeger last year and have never really been satisfied with it. It's heavy and a little unbalanced for my liking, and the mechanical recoil is a concern. That said, accuracy and power do the job I want it to.

So, I got a Gamo Dynamax PCP, and it's what I really was looking for. I find it lighter and better balanced. Better accuracy than the Stoeger, due to lack of recoil (and it highlights my shooters flinch, which i need to work on) with the same power. It does the job I want it to. It's also a 10 shot repeater, so follow up shots are convenient and rapid. I've also got several extra magazines.

Loudness is about the same for both rifles, using the same pellets. I use the Premium 10.5g round noses, and they satisfactorily reach out and touch gophers at 50 m. I've tried the lighter rounds, down to 6.5g, and they seem to hit less hard and make more noise.

I got the hand pump with mine, so recharging is convenient, and gives me a little bit of exercise, rather than costing money. I carry the pump in a backpack, with extra ammo, shooting stick, etc. With a couple of sandwiches and some water, a guy can have a nice day out and about, in a variety of terrain.

In the future, I'd recommend a magazine fed PCP to anyone. Convenience and performance is outstanding. One thing I need to mention again is the obvious highlighting of flaws in shooting technique (notably flinch and associated compensations), and subsequent correction make this an inexpensive and awesome tool for practice as well!

Stoeger is low end in air rifles. If you want more accuracy, less noise, and a smoother shooting air rifle, you need to step up to higher end products.

[bobtodrick]

Just like rimfire, most loss of accuracy occurs when the projectile transitions out of supersonic travel.
With a HV .22 that happens at about 75m...why they will shoot .5moa 50m but 2moa at 100m (and why when shooting at 100m most rimfire shooters use subsonic rounds).
Because of the much lighter weight of the pellet it sloughs of speed much faster. It may exit the barrel at 1500fps, but likely hits the transition zone at 30-40 yards. It may be fairly accurate at 25m...but will be crap at 50m.
For the most part the only people who buy the supersonic pellet guns are the people who want bragging rights on muzzle velocity...not accuracy.

[rugatika]

How do the noise levels of these super fast pellet guns compare to subsonic rimfire rounds?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by rugatika

How do the noise levels of these super fast pellet guns compare to subsonic rimfire rounds?

When using the non lead super lightweight pellets, some .177 air rifles are actually just as loud. Using heavier lead pellets in a .22 caliber gun, results in far less noise. Shrouded barrels can also result in less noise.