If you are considering stepping up in quality- talk to Lewis about what he has- you cannot go wrong dealing with Lewis.
Here is some information I borrowed about caliber/pellet selection for hunting
(snip)
HUNTING AIR RIFLES:
In addition to reasonable accuracy, (two inches at 50 yards) hunting or field air rifles must transfer three to five times as much energy to the pellet as target airguns. The energy of a hunting rifle pellet should be at least as high at the target distance (pest birds, for example), as target airguns are at the muzzle (4 ft. lbs.).
PELLET CALIBER & WEIGHT:
A. Caliber. By far the largest number of airguns are sold in .177 caliber, and this is the pellet size of choice for nearly all target shooting, plinking and some small pest hunting. .177 caliber offers the highest velocity for a given amount of airgun energy, and results in the flattest trajectory. However, the speed of sound--1080 fps at sea level at 32°F--sets a practical upper limit on the energy with which a pellet can be propelled. Breaking the sound barrier results in a loud crack--just like a firearm--and generally sends the pellet tumbling wildly. It would take 16.8 ft. lbs. to propel Beeman's Laser pellets to 1080 fps, and 21 ft. lbs. for Beeman/H&N Match pellets in .177 caliber.
.20 caliber (5mm) is a perfect example of obtaining large ballistic gains in performance with small, optimal changes compared to .177 caliber. The 5mm trajectory remains nearly as flat, but its heavier weight lets it carry about 40% more energy for the same velocity. This is the best general purpose caliber.
The .22 caliber has a large gain in pellet weight and size is only useable in the highest-powered hunting rifles. The range of the .22 caliber is less than the .20 caliber, and the downrange energy less than the larger .25 caliber pellet. .22 might be the choice if you owned a single hunting rifle.
.25 caliber is unbeatable in carrying the most knock-down force to the target because of its maximal pellet weight and resulting incredible shock value. It is the perfect round for the tough tree squirrel and the right caliber in high-powered air rifles for any of the larger furbearers such as woodchuck, opossum and even raccoon.
B. Pellet Type. The single most important factor in choosing a pellet is to obtain one that is accurate in your airgun! Only personal experimentation will let you discover the most effective pellet for your airgun/target combination. Each airgun varies slightly in the way it handles different pellet types. Since the accuracy of pellets themselves will vary slightly from batch -to-batch, it is wiser to buy a year's supply of pellets at one time than to buy in smaller quantities.
Using the same powerplant, a light pellet will accelerate rapidly and leave the gun barrel at high speed. Its time in the barrel is the shortest, thus reducing the effects of an unsteady hold. The light pellet's time-to-target is also shortest so gravity can pull on it for only a split second. An accurate, very flat trajectory is the result. Yet in some high-powered rifles, light pellets are ejected so rapidly they do not dwell long enough to get the full energy transfer of the decompressing charge of air. While the same rifle can propel an 9.2-grain .20 Laser pellet to 850 fps and a 13.32-grain Kodiak pellet to 700 fps, these figures show the Laser only acquired 14 ft. lbs. of energy while the Kodiak obtained 15.5 ft. lbs.
The speed of a heavier pellet is lower in the same airgun versus a lighter pellet. And, because of its slower speed, a heavy pellet takes a longer time to get to the target; this gives gravity a longer time to pull it down. Note that the drop of any pellet has nothing to do with its mass or weight--all pellets are pulled down by gravity at the same rate. The only thing that counts is how much time gravity has to do the pulling. It is only because heavy pellets take longer to get to the target that their trajectory is more bowed. A lightweight pellet traveling as slowly as a heavy weight would have an equally bowed trajectory.
(endsnip)
this is not my work but i found it somewhere and thought it was good enough to cut and paste to keep it- cannot remember where it came from.
Now some options as to what you can look at if you are considering upgrading
Bear in mind that a lot of the reviews I will be linking to will be for English airguns and a good 50 % of those reviewed will be 12 FPE ( FPE= Foot Pounds Energy a good measure of actual airgun performance)
In England you can buy a 12 FPE rifle without having a firearms certificate- so there are heaps of them about- people use them in their back yards and hall ways perfectly legally.
Airguns in Au are full power versions and more power is a good thing.
The original Diana D34
I understand they are using the 34 model number on some of the new AG's they are bringing out under the RWS branding
I have NFI if these new models are as good or dependable as the original D34's are
have a look here for info and opinions on the original D34.
http://www.pyramydair.com/p/rws-34-air-rifle.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
A D34 overhaulled by Lewis with a Maccarri kit is something you are quite likely to leave to your grand kids.
One of the current Beeman flagships and worth a serious look at
the R9
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=554" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
there are plenty of reviews etc on the R9- google is your friend in finding them
There are plenty of members here who have R9's and they love to sing their praises.
Here is a quality underlever Weihrauch HW 97K
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews1750.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If you like the underlever style of Airgun
This is an older model high end gas ram that puts out gobs of power 20+ FPE
Weihrauch HW90-- I own one of these and it's a ripper of a hunting rifle and it's a gas ram also so you dont loose any power as the spring gets old- theres no spring to get old and it shoots the same, day in day out all day long. Mine puts out a bit more than 20 FPE- but I chose 20 FPE as that is an easy figure for the HW-90's to do with a quality pellet.
Running the figures on my airgun ballistics program at 20 FPE with an JSB Exact pellet (A grade pellets) in .22 Caliber
Gives you a 40 yard zero, 3/4 inch high at 25 yards, 2 inches low at 53 yards with 12 FPE energy left -- your current rifle would be lucky to do 12 FPE at the muzzle
http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model ... el_id=1731" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In simple terms this is the modern Version of the HW-90
If Lewis still has this one
It would be a massive step up for you in quality and hunting options
Yes it carries a price tag - but the performance increase would be worth the $$
http://ausvarmint.kjd84.com/forum/viewt ... =18&t=6472" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This rifle will do 20 FPE as well in .20 cal
It will match the trajectory above almost exactly but will have 10 FPE remaining at 53 yards rather than 12 like the 22 caliber will- nothing to worry about- the rabbit will still be dead and it's head will still be mushy
And then there is PCP's but thats the subject of another essay
Easiest to say the PCP is the best and most powerfull upgrade path- but it also is the most expensive and has extra equipment requirement issues
A high quality springer is a great option and the simplest in terms of extras and other issues that PCP's have.
hope this helps rather than confuses
P
