Air rifle target shooting - what starter rifle?

[Zippee]

Hi all - In my teenage years I did a lot of target shooting, had a very decent .22 break barrell Air Arms and I was a very good shot.
It's something I want to take back up - ideally I'd prefer clay shooting but with the wife not liking firearms an air rifle is best I can get past her.

Things have obviously moved on a lot so what sort of gun is now best? Break, gas etc? .177 or .22? Wheres the best place to buy? Not fussed about it being new so more than happy to save a few hundred and go used.

After as much advice as possible really

[SpydieNut]

i think it depends what you're after and want to do with it. it may be an idea to look at a local shooting club and try some out - the springers are very different to shoot than the pre-charged ones.

i had an air arms prosport in .177 and it was a superb gun - well made and accurate - lovely to look at and lovely to shoot. the TX-200 is also a lovely rifle, but i didn't like the look of it quite as much

it is harder to be very accurate with it than with a pre-charged - i also have a Daystate Mk3 - more accurate but you don't get quite the same feel or satisfaction of shooting with it, or at least i didn't. you also need to get things like a charging bottle, refill that every now and again, so it's more expensive and takes up more space.

personally preferred the .177 with the flatter trajectory. i did hunt rabbits occasionally with it and no problems with 1-shot kills

[300bhp/ton]

Zippee said:

Hi all - In my teenage years I did a lot of target shooting, had a very decent .22 break barrell Air Arms and I was a very good shot.
It's something I want to take back up - ideally I'd prefer clay shooting but with the wife not liking firearms an air rifle is best I can get past her.

Things have obviously moved on a lot so what sort of gun is now best? Break, gas etc? .177 or .22? Wheres the best place to buy? Not fussed about it being new so more than happy to save a few hundred and go used.

After as much advice as possible really

What sort of budget?

Springers are fine, although take a bit of a technique to master and ultimately will never likely be the most accurate due to how they function.

Co2 power can be fun. But less choice of high end guns in this segment.

There there are PCPs. But you'll need a source of air or a way to recharge them. Prices start from moderate to a lot.


You can't buy online bar a few places that offer their own delivery service (try Pellpax). Although you can generally buy used guns from a private sale via mail order. So it will be your local RFD otherwise and maybe limited to the brands they stock.

[Scrump]

I have had an old BSA .25 carbine with a scope for many years. More recently I purchased a .177 Hatsan springer with optical sights (they are very cheap new).
I find I use the 177 much more as most of my shooting is cans/targets etc in the back garden so prefer the optical sights and the lighter weight pellets. The .25 is much better for vermin control.

(Would like to get another HW77 which was my rifle from my teenage years).

[Zippee]

Thanks for that. In my younger days I also used to hunt rabbits, pigeons and rats with the .22 - now it will be purely target so I assume a .177 will be more accurate and better suited to that sort of usage.
I've never used a gas powered gun, only ever break barrel and if I went target shooting I'd be running a couple of hundred pellets at a time so I guess best to continue this way unless I go more seriously into the competition side which would be a way off.

What about scopes - back in my teenage years I could hit a penny from a fair distance pretty consistently with no scope at all but I've now got the eyes of a 47 year old so would likely require some assistance

[M11rph]

You first need to decide on what type of "target shooting" you intend doing.

10 metre target shooting, (indoor, paper targets from the standing position) requires a totally different set up compared to say HFT (Hunter Field Target) shooting which is an outdoor discipline designed to simulate hunting type scenarios.

If you have some idea of what discipline you'd like to have a go at then find a local club. A good club will be able to loan you equipment for a couple of sessions and under a mentor let you have a go. You'll get a better idea if it's for you and what equipment suits your goals and budget.

There's also Bell Target shooting. If you have a local club this is a friendly and accessible form of target shooting with a more relaxed atmosphere. Equipment varies from true vintage BSA's, through the Match rifles of the 60/70s to modern pre-charged target rifles.
https://www.airgunmagazine.co.uk/features/beer-and...

[rallye101]

One of these with a stirrup pump ( diy charger) would be great fun...

[Zippee]

Thank you - target shooting for me is a mixture of both indoor paper/spinners and outdoor, more towards field type - both of which I did when younger. Paper in the garden versus in the fields for rabbits and pigeons. I'll find a local club and also dealer first of all (I'm in Cambs about 12 mile north of Bedford)

[300bhp/ton]

Zippee said:

Thanks for that. In my younger days I also used to hunt rabbits, pigeons and rats with the .22 - now it will be purely target so I assume a .177 will be more accurate and better suited to that sort of usage.
I've never used a gas powered gun, only ever break barrel and if I went target shooting I'd be running a couple of hundred pellets at a time so I guess best to continue this way unless I go more seriously into the competition side which would be a way off.

What about scopes - back in my teenage years I could hit a penny from a fair distance pretty consistently with no scope at all but I've now got the eyes of a 47 year old so would likely require some assistance

All the calibres are as accurate as each other. In theory .177 has a higher velocity and flatter trajectory, so there is less holdover at different ranges. But it isn't any more accurate overall.

.177 ammo is generally cheaper though.

Scope wise, loads of choice. Springers can be more violent due to the movement, so you want an airgun rated scope. You can get good deals on Amazon for a basic scope, or spend more than the cost of the rifle on one if you want.

Air Arms and Weihrauch are popular, but you'll have to pay to get them. Some are quite heavy too. Lots of other brands, I don't think any are particularly bad. But the airgun scene is a bit snobbish and many look down their noses at some brands.

[M11rph]

Zippee said:

Thank you - target shooting for me is a mixture of both indoor paper/spinners and outdoor, more towards field type - both of which I did when younger. Paper in the garden versus in the fields for rabbits and pigeons. I'll find a local club and also dealer first of all (I'm in Cambs about 12 mile north of Bedford)

The Airgun Centre, Raleigh (off the A127 towards Southend) is a decent shop with a good range of equipment and not too far away from you.
https://www.theairguncentre.com/product/weihrauch-...

Covering both those options is a little conflicting simply because a full power (12 ft/lb) air rifle which you'd want for the outdoor disciplines needs a bit more thought if you did actually want to use it indoors at home, and wouldn't be allowed at most indoor clubs. Nothing a bit of preparation can't overcome though.

Broadly speaking I'd look at a fixed barrel spring rifle. Can be extremely accurate, weighty but HFT for example usually has a partially supported firing position. Weihrauch HW97 or Air Arms TX200 are the default choices. .177 every time.

Scopes don't need to be too fancy for HFT, a fixed 10x mag with some form of graduated reticule is the starting point. There's usually a healthy trade within clubs and on forums for scopes as owners try and find the one that's "right for them".

One of the many! My old school fun rig...

[Zippee]

Thanks again all, I need to find a decent shop near me and get a feel for the different guns.
Like the look of the one linked above

[andyA700]

For field raget and indoor 10m it has to be .177. If it was 10m indoors then I would recommend a Feinkerbau 300s, you can pick them up used for around £300 plus. Trust me, you won't ever be better than this rifle, they were used to win Olympic gold medals.

https://rangeandcountry.co.uk/feinwerkbau-300s-177...

https://www.cityairweapons.com/air-guns/fwb-feinwe...

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2012/02/fwb-300s-v...

[Ziplobb]

If you want to shoot targets at home then a good springer - buy on budget and weight/handling. Market leader is Weihrauch & as a starter gun the HW99 is as good as it gets without breaking the bank but offering good engineering, a decent trigger and above average accuracy. Get it in 177 for targets. If you want to do more formal shooting at club level or above and / or want to lean the skills of marksmanship then join a club before you do anything and spend any £. As others have said AirArms springers are superb but they are very heavy and not for everyone. Dont get caught up in the trap of big optics with big mag its bks and will make it harder to shoot accurately on high magnifications. If you need a scope for sub 25 yards one of the little Hawke 2/7x32 on an HW99 is superb.

PCP is very accurate but if you are shooting at home under 30 yards you will get bored as they can all pretty much put a pellet in the same hole from a rest time after time. Best entry level PCP right now is the Gamo Coyote. Mid range Weihrauch HW110. Top end FX or Daystate.

I sell airguns for a living & have been shooting them for 42 years (along with lots of other stuff) so if you want to have a chat I am based on the Isle of Wight.

[Zippee]

Thank you for that, very kind of you.
Going to have a look at these 2 on Saturday, would appreciate your thoughts on all aspects;

https://donaldson-guns.co.uk/air-rifles/all-air-ri...

https://donaldson-guns.co.uk/air-rifles/all-air-ri...

[300bhp/ton]

You must localish to Milton Keynes then.

[Caddyshack]

I have an air arms s410 in .22, it’s a good starter pcp and can be bought second hand.

I have an FX impact m3 in .177 with 38 shot mag….these are game changers. I use night vision I/r on it with ballistic computer on board and laser range finder - it tells me how much holdover to use.

I have the same on a Brocock pcp too…both in .177.

[Ziplobb]

Zippee said:

Thank you for that, very kind of you.
Going to have a look at these 2 on Saturday, would appreciate your thoughts on all aspects;

https://donaldson-guns.co.uk/air-rifles/all-air-ri...

https://donaldson-guns.co.uk/air-rifles/all-air-ri...

Donaldsons know what they are doing
The springer looks superb but they are heavy
S200:is a great gun but be wary of refinished stocks - harder to resell and why would you do that ? the standard finish on a beech S200 is very good they are made by CZ

[iidentifyaswoke]

Zippee said:

Hi all - In my teenage years I did a lot of target shooting, had a very decent .22 break barrell Air Arms and I was a very good shot.
It's something I want to take back up - ideally I'd prefer clay shooting but with the wife not liking firearms an air rifle is best I can get past her.

Things have obviously moved on a lot so what sort of gun is now best? Break, gas etc? .177 or .22? Wheres the best place to buy? Not fussed about it being new so more than happy to save a few hundred and go used.

After as much advice as possible really

If you say you want advice, mine is this:

Work on your wife to change her opinion of firearms. They are inanimate objects. They are only dangerous when misused through criminality or negligence. Neither of which should apply to you.

My wife didn’t like the idea at first either. Now she’s quite ok with our primary school age kids going to the gun club and having several gun safes in the wardrobe.

A .22 is a lot more versatile than an air rifle and is also usually cheaper. The licensing side isn’t hard, although it can take a while.

[chemistry]

iidentifyaswoke said:

If you say you want advice, mine is this:

Work on your wife to change her opinion of firearms. They are inanimate objects. They are only dangerous when misused through criminality or negligence. Neither of which should apply to you.

My wife didn’t like the idea at first either. Now she’s quite ok with our primary school age kids going to the gun club and having several gun safes in the wardrobe.

A .22 is a lot more versatile than an air rifle and is also usually cheaper. The licensing side isn’t hard, although it can take a while.

I agree; if you want to do clays then why not have a joint ‘have a go’ session with your wife at a reputable shooting ground?

She’ll get to see how safety is prioritised and hopefully have fun (and might even decide to take it up herself…).

[madcowman]

Sporting Targets in Risley probably not too far from you - they also sell air rifles as well as being a large clay ground.