AusVarmint

i can get onto a small cabage & letuce farm that is infested with hares . only thing is the farmer only wants us to use air rifles . ( i've told him time & time again that 22 z's or other subsonics are quieter but it's air or nothing ) anyway i said i'll by a air rifle just to use it there . so here i am . i've done a bit of reading & it seems that accuracy is more important than speed & power . but of course a combo of speed , accuracy & pellet placement is critical . i know hares are a tough number to put down cleanly & i would prefur a 22 lr myself & even then i concider them a head shot only option . now i'm aware that the recommended air rifles will be out my price range . i'm hoping to get myself a outfit that includes rifle , scope & 200 lumen torch / spotlight for $1000 au . i have been looking on airgun depot in the usa & the benjimin 22 cal 950fps wisper nitro piston seems like a very good buy . & right on the limit of the sound barrier . & the 22 cal i'm hoping will help displace the gray matter with the extra oomph needed to put em down . i'm open to all surgestions thanks .

Not so sure about "budget" but something like the fx series with adjustable power, or there was a sheridan blue streak in .20 on used guns which are pretty accurate and you just pump up to max or under depending on the power required.

How long are the shots likely to be?

IF your really worried a good 25cal would be the ticket.

Ryan

well as for range well it's open paddocks with rows of vege , well ranges will be the limit of the air rifle so that would be 25 - 30 yards . i was just looking at some reveiws on utube , they are called a benjimin trail np .22 1100 . that's 1100 fps with the light alloy pellets , but 885 fps with the lead gamo pro magnum pellets . it's a 25 flb rifle they also make the same rifle in 25 cal also . they seem to be the best value for money & power for the money also , they come with a center line 3-9 x 42 scope i think that's what i'll get .

I have knocked over a hare or two with my gamo CFX .177.
It is not the air rifle i would choose as a dedicated hare gun but i does the job.
They one that i remember was a 25-30m chest shot. The hare made it 10-20m before it was dead.
I have had similar shots with 17HMR & 22LR that they have had the legs to run similar distance.

I would be choosing either .22 or .25 air rifles with some grunt for the job.

I'd shop around for a Weihrauch HW80K in .22 calibre. Power is right up there and quality will be MUCH better than anything made in the US or Spain.

Good to know what the Gamo CFX in .177 is capable of, I took a pesky bird at 50m with a headshot yesterday, maybe a fluke but thats where I was aiming & it dropped like a stone. Entry wound only, no exit but I wouldnt expect one at 50m, pellets go straight through at 20m using Beeman Ram Jet & Beeman Silver Bear hollow points. Pretty sure I used the Ram Jet yesterday.

Will take it out next time Im in rabbit/hare country & see how it goes but as usual product placement is paramount, no-one wants to track a gut shot animal for hours while it slowly dies.

Do some net searches. There are a few dealers doing good deals on the Diana 34 in .22. It is a great value rifle.

Whitey wrote:Do some net searches. There are a few dealers doing good deals on the Diana 34 in .22. It is a great value rifle.

ok sweet as diana 34 i'll look it up now thanks .

Hey guys,

I agree with Whitey. For a "complete" set up for your budget I'd be thinking of the Diana 34 in .22 with a decent scope and a led-lenser kit. This should easily be put together by most gun shops for you for those dollars.

Then you will have the bug to and will upgrade to a HW-97 K in .20 and will be able to transfer your nice scope and mounted torch straight on to it =D

Ben.

Bugger the LED Lenser - they are overpriced + there are better lights for less money.

Got an example there Fen?
I' ve put a fair few of em through their paces... keen to know what has stacked up for yourself =)

On an airgun I'd be looking at an Eagletac T20C2 MkII with the R2 emitter. Or T100C2 MkII with the cool white XP-E R2 emitter. (I've had one of those for a while and it's superb on a .22LR and very good on the HMR to out past 100m)

The new Solarforce L2T would also be good - very cheaply priced and so versatile in that you can change the LED "bulb" module to whatever you want in seconds. From a regular 200 lumen R2 emitter to a 1000 lumen XM-L and red, green or blue LED units too. I have a few of them and all set up in different ways. You can pick those up for about $40 including a LED module of your choice. And if you want mega-throw you just screw the big Solarforce Pro-1 head on. And you can get spare parts for them if a switch dies, lens gets busted etc.

I know folks like the adjustable focus of the Led Lenser P7 but IMO a well set up fixed focus light is just as good. I also don't like the AAA battery setup, and lack of electronic regulation on some of them.

All fair calls.
Ive been mucking round with Surefire, EDIs, Wolfeyes, and of course the LedLensers. The EagleTac's intrigued me but the fear no support stopped me short of ordering... but looks like that was unfounded.
Ive found fixed focus single point seems to be the only way to go for decent throw on CF rifles with current generations, most fixed beams with a wide splash are ample for RF rifles & shotties, but on sluggies the adjustable focus comes into its own for the ranges and environments your usually poking around in ie veggie patches, scrub lines, sheds/warehouses. Often most or all of the previous in one outing.

Im no tech-head boffin, just really enjoy the independance of rifle mounted light.......and a gear rat to boot!

Ben.

Getting O/T, but:

My Eagletac T100C2 is probably my favourite torch for the .22 - it has a low 55 lumen setting that still lets you shoot to about 50m or so, and gives a whopping 12hrs or more of runtime. I've found the low power setting to be handy when rabbits are shy of a more intense light. I used it on the HMR many times as well, it's good past 100m but runs out of puff at about 150m, unless you are happy to shoot at less defined targets or just eyes.

Those Solarforce L2's are perhaps the Remington 700 of the torch world - they come in many different colours and flavours from the L2M that runs on a single Cr123 battery, the L2i that can run on three AAA's and also two Cr123's or one 18650, to the regular L2 that can take an extension tube so it can run two 18650's, and the new L2T. Switches are easily rebuildable and cheap to replace as a unit, as as I mentioned you can put any P60 sized LED unit in them that you can source - and there are many! You can even drop a $2 aspheric lens in, in place of the flat lens and turn them into a tightly focused compact thrower, in concert with the XRE emitter and smooth reflector. If that's not enoug, you can drop the Pro-1 monster thrower head on, or the Pro-2 monster flooder.

Now, to return to airgun use in particular, the red LED lights make eyes shine much more than a white light. Throw is limited as the red emitters can't be driven as hard, but OK for airgun ranges. I've run mine on the HMR with an aspheric lens for about 100m of clear illumination. A red light would be great for rats - no hiding those beady little eyes.

I have a Fenix TK-11 R2 amongst several others. It is designed with shooting in mind and has a focused beam. LED torches Australia has a kit with torch, mount, tactical switch and rechargeable 18650 batteries. I have all of the above and I have found it to be a very suitable shooting outfit. It is my favourite torch for ratting as many of you would know. Also you can get a red lense for it which is handy. Just my thoughts.