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  • Andyd

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    I am normally going to my local gun range at least twice a week but now that the range is closed and since I live within the city limits, I am restricted to airguns. I always found that a quality airgun is a great training tool and that was confirmed today once again. I used to shoot air rifle competition and a match was for 60 rounds. I will need some practice to hold that rifle still for 60 accurate shots!!!

    I am glad that I still have thousands of pellets.

    gj5jBuPh.jpg


    And to be honest, it wan't so much less fun than the last real range visit with the MR73 that I had sighted in at 25 yards and shot the last group offhand.

    IMG-2640.jpg
     

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    Sasquatch

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    I picked up a Daisy Powerline 415 this week for exactly the same purpose. We're not in the city, but we don't have 10+ acres so legal & safe shooting is a no-go for us. Given the scarcity of ammo and the expensive nature - I wouldn't want to burn up the ammo I have right now anyway if I *could* shoot on my property.

    I did the math based on current prices. 250 rounds of 9mm (how much I'd usually shoot when we do go) would be $60 based on the stuff Academy had in stock - which was Monarch 115 grain steel cased stuff. You could only buy 3 boxes, and it's $11.96 a box after taxes, IIRC.

    My son and I were able to wring 4 magazines out of the Powerline on a single C02 charge - 20 shots / mag for 80 rounds, that means to shoot roughly the same amount would take 3 C02 cartridges. A 350 round tube of Daisy BB's is something like $1.60. A 30-pack of 12 gram C02 cans cost me $11.90 - making that just under 40 cents per C02 charge, so for $2.80 I can put 240 rounds down range, while practicing sight alignment, trigger press (funny enough the Daisy has a nicer trigger than the gen 1 M&P) and getting the tangible feedback of a projectile hitting a target.

    My 9 year old kiddo is still not quite big enough to shoulder the air rifle I bought for his birthday last year and get a clean sight picture, but he has no problems holding the pistol - so we're going backasswards on his teachings - he'll learn to shoot he pistol before the rifle. He was able to hit a 20 ounce water bottle 3 times his first magazine thru the gun from about 20 feet, I call that a win.

    I grew up in the country myself and used to roam a 5 acre orchard with an assortment of BB guns (had a couple rifles to choose from, and a pump action pistol too) and would shoot various targets, plus exterminating gophers, moles, mice, rats, snakes and nuisance birds. I also once made the mistake of shooting a skunk that was rooting around under my bedroom window, I meant to sting it in the ass to get it to move along - instead I got it in the spine, paralyzed the damn thing, and it sprayed aaaall over the house & yard. The old man had to put it down with his .38. That was a stinky lesson learned.
     

    toddnjoyce

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    ...we don't have 10+ acres so legal & safe shooting is a no-go for us. ...
    I won’t address the safe comment, but 10 acres is not a requirement to shoot on your own property.

    If you’re in an unincorporated part of the county, it’s very likely you are legal to shoot. You’ll have to check county ordinances and any subdivision/neighborhood covenants for restrictions if the development is required to be platted.

    Pertinent Texas Local Government Code:

    Sec. 235.022. AUTHORITY TO REGULATE. To promote the public safety, the commissioners court of a county by order may prohibit or otherwise regulate the discharge of firearms and air guns on lots that are 10 acres or smaller and are located in the unincorporated area of the county in a subdivision.

     

    sidebite252

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    I live 10 miles from Pottsboro and this is our ordinance for the entire area. I’m under the impression my property is subject to this ordinance.

    Pottsboro residents who own 10 acres of land or more are now allowed to discharge a shotgun, air rifle, pistol, BB gun, or bow and arrow.
    "They do have to be more than 150 yards from the residency on the neighboring property, or an occupied building on a neighboring property," said Farley.
    People who own 50 acres or more are allowed to shoot a rifle or pistol of any caliber, as long as they're 300 feet from an occupied residence.
     

    toddnjoyce

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    I live 10 miles from Pottsboro and this is our ordinance for the entire area. I’m under the impression my property is subject to this ordinance.

    Pottsboro residents who own 10 acres of land or more are now allowed to discharge a shotgun, air rifle, pistol, BB gun, or bow and arrow.
    "They do have to be more than 150 yards from the residency on the neighboring property, or an occupied building on a neighboring property," said Farley.
    People who own 50 acres or more are allowed to shoot a rifle or pistol of any caliber, as long as they're 300 feet from an occupied residence.

    The city of Pottsboro was caught running afoul of the local government code; they never had the legal authority to do that.

    If all of your property is outside a city limits or ETJ (i.e., an unincorporated area of the county), then it does not apply to you. You would need to check your county ordinances and any covenants that may apply to you.
     

    Sasquatch

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    I won’t address the safe comment, but 10 acres is not a requirement to shoot on your own property.

    If you’re in an unincorporated part of the county, it’s very likely you are legal to shoot. You’ll have to check county ordinances and any subdivision/neighborhood covenants for restrictions if the development is required to be platted.

    Pertinent Texas Local Government Code:

    Sec. 235.022. AUTHORITY TO REGULATE. To promote the public safety, the commissioners court of a county by order may prohibit or otherwise regulate the discharge of firearms and air guns on lots that are 10 acres or smaller and are located in the unincorporated area of the county in a subdivision.


    I looked - Montgomery County is a 10 acre county, or I should say, 10 acres or more if you're in a "platted, recorded subdivision" - which according to our home title, we are. We cannot even bow-hunt on our property legally unless you have 10+ acres. That's not to say that a deer or feral hog won't shout "Aloha Snackbar!" before charging, and thus putting someone in fear for their life with the unfortunate consequence of a succulent dinner to follow :what:
     

    F350-6

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    I've never messed with air guns. How powerful are they? How cheap are the pellets? How accurate are they? What would happen if one accidentally hit a squirrel with one?
     

    Sasquatch

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    I've never messed with air guns. How powerful are they?

    Powerful enough you don't want to get shot with one. Ricochets at close range sting too.

    How cheap are the pellets?

    I bought a 30-pack of 12 gram CO2 cartridges for $12. The gun I bought can shoot about 80 rounds on a charge before its totally kaput, probably 65-70 of those retain a good amount of velocity. The pamphlet, IIRC, claims 415 FPS with steel BB's. A 350 round back of BB's is under $2. When I did the math, I can shoot 240 rounds from the BB gun for less than $3, vs $60 based on the cheapest 9mm I could find at Academy.


    How accurate are they?

    Pretty accurate - the Powerline I bought is not exactly a tack driver, but at 7-8 yards most rounds were hitting within 6 inches, and I can pretty consistently hit a 20 ounce water bottle at that range - there is some deviation both vertical and lateral, the barrels are smooth not rifled, and I'm sure velocity is different with each shot.

    What would happen if one accidentally hit a squirrel with one?

    Mr. Bushytail will be in your stew pot or skillet if you like tree rat. Backwoods Gourmet on YouTube has a good video on cleaning and cooking them - I haven't ever eaten tree rat, but his video made me wonder how they taste.
     

    Sasquatch

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    iW9JRnT.jpg


    1LGVcFL.jpg


    1pwkpwJ.jpg


    This illustrates visually why I picked the Powerline 415 - it was the best airgun I could find to stand in for my M&P.

    The air gun does not actually have a reciprocating slide - be cool if it did, but it's a $40 mostly plastic gun, vs a high dollar gun. Some air guns and air-soft guns have virtually identical spec's to the real deal guns they're modeled on, and feature reciprocating slides, charging handles, box magazines, etc. The guns themselves are way more expensive in those cases, costing almost as much (if not as much) as their "real steel" counterparts.
     

    Oldbluered

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    I've been poppin my goats with an old bb gun when I catch them testing my electric cross fence.

    When I moved on my 5 acres 6ish years ago, I called the Game Warden and was told I can shoot or hunt on my property. As long as no bullet passes the property line. I really only have 1 spot ok to shoot but don't and just go to the range. I'll use a 22 for and critters getting in my chicken house.
     

    sidebite252

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    I’ve got 2 gammo .177 rifles and as far as accuracy they’ll surprise you. I’ve head shot turtles at 30 yards many times. I can’t wait to get this damn cataract removed so I can see through the scopes again.
     

    Bozz10mm

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    This is what I practice with when I get the urge to shoot but can't get to the range. It's fairly powerful @ 480 fps. 18 shot BB repeater. Blow back slide is metal. Has some good heft to it. Trigger is terrible tho. Umarex 9XP. Had an Umarex SA 177 before that. I liked it better, but the seals went bad and they don't make them anymore. But the 9XP does take the same magazines. I get about 4 mags (18 shots each) per 12 gram Co2 cartridge before it starts losing power.

    IMG_2330.JPG
     
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    F350-6

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    I've been poppin my goats with an old bb gun when I catch them testing my electric cross fence.

    Yes, that's an old trick with most livestock, but if you've been doing it a long time, you've been doing it wrong. The key is to shake the BB gun first, then pop them. Always do it the same way. It won't take long and all you have to do is shake the thing and all sorts of animals suddenly scatter. They recognize the sound. Once trained, you can just put some BB's in a small pipe and carry it around with you as long as the shake makes the same sound, that's all you need.

    The only downside to this method is it's not specific. Shake it and you'll see dogs, cows, horses, goats, you name it, jump and move a few feet just to make sure it's not them.
     

    Oldbluered

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    Yes, that's an old trick with most livestock, but if you've been doing it a long time, you've been doing it wrong. The key is to shake the BB gun first, then pop them. Always do it the same way. It won't take long and all you have to do is shake the thing and all sorts of animals suddenly scatter. They recognize the sound. Once trained, you can just put some BB's in a small pipe and carry it around with you as long as the shake makes the same sound, that's all you need.

    The only downside to this method is it's not specific. Shake it and you'll see dogs, cows, horses, goats, you name it, jump and move a few feet just to make sure it's not them.
    That is some great advice, thank you! They will hear the bb's roll and start to scatter but I've been taking advantage of the moving targets. :rolleyes:
     

    JLMcC

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    Dec 9, 2015
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    I've never messed with air guns. How powerful are they? How cheap are the pellets? How accurate are they? What would happen if one accidentally hit a squirrel with one?
    One of the more powerful airguns is a big bore made in Fort Worth. The Air Force Texan. There are lots of other airguns being used for big game hunting. For a first hand look, I recommend you go see Rudy at Alamo Airguns of San Antonio at 2424 Freedom Dr, San Antonio,TX 78217(off of Broadway).
    Great guy, good inventory and a fairly new business. He has an indoor range and likes to answer any question you might have. I have bought a couple accessories from Rudy and he treats me like I was buying one of the super high quality rifles.
     

    F350-6

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    One of the more powerful airguns is a big bore made in Fort Worth. The Air Force Texan. There are lots of other airguns being used for big game hunting. .....

    Wow. Big game? I guess it will handle a squirrel then. I'll look into the FW company that makes that and see what else they have to offer. FW is a lot closer to me than SA.
     

    Texas42

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    I picked an RWS 34 for squirrels In .22. I don’t have a speed tester, but it advertises 800+ FPS. It will go through an squirrel (at least with the H&N penetrating pellets). Decent accuracy to 25 yards so far. I’ve been meaning to get on of the H&N sample packs to see which one was the most accurate.

    Oddly, its the Most front heavy rifle I own. Louder than i was expecting too.
     

    JLMcC

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    Wow. Big game? I guess it will handle a squirrel then. I'll look into the FW company that makes that and see what else they have to offer. FW is a lot closer to me than SA.
    I didn't catch your location but, just like browsing for firearms, looking for airguns is easy online. Even easier if you consider you can order any of them and have them mailed/delivered to your front door without filling out any forms beyond the payment. The two largest airgun sites that I know of are Pyramyd Air (http://www.pyramydair.com) and AirGun Depot (https://www.airgundepot.com). Happy browsing! Don't miss checking out some of the Airgun hunting videos with the Umarex Hammer (.50 cal) 3-shot repeater.

    Interested in an "Airgun Deep Dive"? Check out the industry organization, Airgun Sporting Association (https://airgunsporting.org/). You may have noticed, I got kinda interested in airguns and firearms.

    Enjoy and "Semper Fi" (from an old amphib sailor)

    Jack
     
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