I live in an urban area. I am shopping for a powerful 22 air rifle. I learned real fast they have come a long way since I was a kid. I dont own a 22, and want something quiet if I find a good infested area to trap within earshot of houses. I would use a rubber jaw trap in an area like that, and am just worried about noise.

So I see everything from a Bulldog 357, to an AirForce Texan Big Bore 45. I just want a 22 that has the most punch for the money. Single shot with accuracy is what I want. I am going to buy some of these others though. WOW! They are awesome. I could pop deer with no complaints in a developed area like this and fill all my tags every year. I dont think I can legally kill deer with an air rifle though. I didnt know until 5 minutes ago air rifles like that existed. If any of you own these larger caliber air rifles and have info to share, please do it.

So what should I buy? I want to keep it under $200 for the .22 I buy. I am going to ship it outside the city, so I can buy it from anywhere if any of you also know a good online seller. Preferably NOT Amazon, or Dicks. I want maximum FPS, with decent accuracy as far as is reasonable. I would rather not a scope if it costs more, They are usually cheap, and I use iron sights for air rifles and this will be good for my son to learn how to shoot properly and gun safety. My brother already wants to give me a 177 for free, but a 22 air rifle will open up some new territory for sure. I always seem to get buyers remorse and want to avoid that.

Lots of choices out there but me I would pay a bit extra and get a pre charged

I own one of those big bore air rifles mine is in 308 and made by benjerman sorry not how you spell it but on the phone and it keeps correcting me, I recently found an 80 Grain Bullet that works great and leaves the barrel at around 1500fps

I originally get it to shoot coyotes around my house without alerting the entire neighborhood and have been pleasantly surprised by both its power and it’s accuracy, but it is not silent having a distinct and noticeabl bang when it goes off but much less then a cartridge gun

I would not hesitate to use it for any game up to deer size within its range

If you have any questions feel free to ask

I'd suggest at LEAST 800 fps with lead pellets. Then buy good HEAVY POINTED hunting pellets. The pellet is more important than the gun IMO.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Benjamin-Maximus-BPM22B-PCP-22-Caliber-Air-Rifle/51989221


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Benjamin-Destroyer-22-Caliber-Pellets-250-ct-Pack/53968153


~ADC~

check your ordinances , just because it doesn't burn powder doesn't mean it isn't prohibited from being fired in an city or village , there are plenty of ways to dispatch without a gun very quietly should you find a air rifle would violate.

I too have been in your Shoes...Tried Different Air Rifles & found they are Louder than a 22 Rifle when using CB Caps which shoot a 22 Caliber Bullet around 600 feet per Second....They have no powder in them with a

small Crack noise..I have shot several Critters with them including Ground Hogs at 30 Yards with no problem....You might check them out not expensive & made by CCI....They are also called Silent 22...Good Luck.

Extremely happy with my maximus. 22

Here are the regulations as I understand them.

I can hunt small game with an air rifle as long as it is a 22, and can use either 177 or 22 to dispatch. For hunting however, it needs to be .22, no bigger, and a minimum of 600FPS.

An air rifle is not classified as a firearm in PA, so as I understand it I can legally discharge it places I can not discharge a firearm. Responsibly of course. To take big game however, I must use either a center fire firearm, or a bow/crossbow that meets the states minimum requirements. 45lbs on the bow, and somewhere around 100 I think on the crossbow with a broadhead at least 1" wide.

I would love to take deer with a 308 air rifle if it was capable, but I am pretty sure that would just get me in trouble.

For a 22 I want as close to 1000FPS as I can get with lead pellets, not measured with those alloy pellets. Must be rifled of course. I would like one I could pump up like when I was a kid, so that I could shoot lower power too, but I dont think anything with the power I want has that ability. I assume I am going to end up with a break barrel. The PCP guns are nice, I am just not going to invest in the tank and everything right now.

So far I am considering the Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston 22, or the Remington Express Hunter. I dont like either of them very much though. I would rather something decent that shoots strait with open sights than something with some fancy scope that will break if it bumps a tree too hard. If I want a scope I will put it on, but it seems they all have junk scopes.

This is very true. ALSO, there are co2 pistols out there that reach over 800fps

Talk here is of .22 then of .308. My question is what good round falls in between for an air gun? I too would like to have a good reliable air gun for taking coyotes without waking the dead or nearby pedestrians as much as possible yet I want a slug size that will pancake the coyote where it stands. Having one run off even 50 yards could put him on someone's doorstep or certainly in a yard. ?

Osky

If you want cheap the beeman kodiak at Walmart....has the .177 and .22 barrel...100-120 dollar range...

With the cheap Walmart pointed pellets it has taken a mature doe at 20 yds....was luck and "accidental" but happened.....crows, rabbits, squirrel all drt....

Im my opinion anything shooting 1000 + fps in .177 or .22 has accuracy issues....too much velocity for such a small projectile....

.

I was told by law enforcement a air rifle that pumps one time is a air rifle. A gun that you can pump more than one time is a firearm...

My understanding is firing pins make a firearm

To level with you and try to not be biased you may want to stay in the sweet spot of 700-900 fps. 800 being a good medium. The reason being is over stabilization. Not getting into ballistic coefficients and all that jazz to much ,due to the pellet being as small as it is if you push it too fast it will over stabalize it's self to much resulting in pellets going all over the place. This commonly happens at around the 1000fps mark.

Second all break barrels ,side levers ,gas pistons and under levers have what's known as a double recoil. Due to the nature of the spring or gas power systems they recoil both forward and backwards. For this reason using a bipod barely works and you almost always need to shoot using a form called an artillery hold. If you good at off hand shooting shouldn't be much of a problem but if your like me shooting longer distances (60+ isn't uncommon for me ) then a bipod or the ability to keep constant accuracy with a bipod or rest is important.

Third, with a break barrels you MUST use a air rifle scope. Again this is because of the double recoil. I've seen a cheep $100 Walmart break barrels destroy a $300 dollar scope ( think it was a Leupold ) . Their just not made to stand that kind of recoil. Same goes for stuff like AK's,SKS's,and FNFAL's. You can use a normal rifle scope on a PCP how ever with no problem .Leapers/utg is a good option for air rifle scopes buy the way.

With all that being said,I'm not saying break barrels are cursed or anything ,theirs thousands that prefer them and have fantastic results. However I just wanted to state the facts that their not as easy too use as say a PCP and can be more of a pain/learning curve.

Personally I wish I would have just saved the money and dropped $500 on a Benjamin Disco kit a while ago instead ( the disco is just the Maximus with a wooden stock BTW)
Just my 2 cents

This is very true. ALSO, there are co2 pistols out there that reach over 800fps

What brand would that be?? In .22 Cal?

That has to depend in the jurisdiction. I know in alot if places it has to due with the about of foot pound energy displaced on a target, like if it's over 12 foot pounds of energy is considered as dangers as a fire arm and must be treated as such

Benjamin and hatsan make them in the 700-900 fps range last time I checked.

law enforcement while they would seem like a good source for legal advice is very often not the case.

because the next squad by , that cop says , looks like a gun , kills like a gun it is a gun.

unless it clearly says that in a cite-able statute I would be very leery to trust it.

this is very common wording for cities and villages around where I live , I live just 3 blocks into town , town is a mere 12 blocks wide


§ 354-3
Regulation of firearms, explosives and other missiles.
A.
Discharge of firearms regulated. No person, except a police officer or other law enforcement officer in the performance of an official duty, shall fire or discharge any firearm, rifle, spring gun, air gun, or pneumatic pellet gun of any description in his possession or under his control within the City of __________, provided that this section shall not prevent the firing or discharging of BB guns upon private premises by persons over 16 or under the direct personal supervision of a parent or guardian. This section shall not apply to a person's discharge of a firearm if the person's conduct is justified or, had it been subject to a criminal penalty, would have been subject to a defense described in § 939.45, Wis. Stats.
[Amended 12-12-2011[1]]
[1]:
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
B.
Hunting regulated. Hunting, with any device other than a bow and arrow or crossbow, within the City is prohibited, but the Chief of Police may issue written permits to owners or occupants of private premises to hunt or shoot on such premises if he finds such privileges necessary for the protection of life or property, and subject to such safeguards as he may impose for the safety of the lives and property of other persons within the City. A person may hunt with a bow and arrow or crossbow within the City, provided that he or she only discharges the arrow or bolt from the bow or crossbow toward the ground. A person hunting with a bow and arrow or crossbow may not hunt within 100 yards from a building located on another person's land, unless the person who owns the land on which the building is located allows the person hunting to hunt closer than 100 yards.
[Amended 1-21-2014]
C.
Shooting into City limits. No person shall, in the territory adjacent to the City, discharge any firearm in such manner that the discharge shall enter or fall within the City.
D.
Shooting ranges. This section shall not prevent the maintenance and use of duly supervised rifle or pistol ranges or shooting galleries approved by the Common Council, upon the recommendation of the Chief of Police, where proper safety precautions are taken.
E.
Explosive devices. No person shall discharge or detonate any dynamite, nitroglycerin or other explosive within the City without first obtaining a permit to do so from the Common Council.
F.
Throwing or shooting of arrows, stones, or other missiles prohibited.
(1)
No person shall throw or shoot any object, arrow, stone, snowball or other missile or projectile, by hand or by any other means, at any person or at, in or into any building, street, sidewalk, alley, highway, park, playground or other public place within the City.
(2)
This subsection shall not apply:
(a)
To the shooting or discharging of toy arrows or arrows which have a tip made of rubber or similar material.
(b)
To a supervised archery range approved by the Common Council.
(c)
Within the interior of a single-family dwelling.
G.
Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
FIREARM
Any instrumentality from or with which a shot, bullet or pellet may be discharged or expelled, regardless of whether the propelling force is provided by air, spring or other similar mechanical device or gun powder.

I'm all for Needing the Law and Respect, but there are some wearing badges that make up their own rules. Multi pump A Firearm...what a crock of crap

A firearm uses explosive powder to shoot the projectile. Unless they changed the definition, that's always been the law and defenition of a firearm.

NJ passed a bill to designate air rifles as firearms, but I don't know of other places that have done that. Probably Commiefornia.

A air rifle that you pump repeatedly, like a crossman 2100 is NOT a firearm, unless you are in NJ. You need to get permission from your police dept to buy one there too and can only but it while the permit is valid.

The fact air guns are not firearms is why the law mentions them separately. Crazy NJ laws are why I won't even take a 12 gauge to clay shoot there with my brother in law.

The law doesn't like us.

Be aware that the crap they write on the box is not the actual velocity. A chronograph is the only way you will ever know for sure. My Benjamin Trail kills everything just fine, except - (thick skulls I guess), and it's true velocity is only 740 fps with lead, not the 1000 fps claimed with PBA ammo.

What are you trapping that you need a gun to dispatch? Dispatch via PM ONLY.

I think I am going to go with the crossman ironhide. They claim 800fps with lead on the crossman website. Around 900 with alloy.

I know there are better ones, but when I get a better one, I will get a really good one. The 22 ironhide should get the job done, and I have never had a problem with crossman. I haven't bought one in almost 20 years though.

A big factor are the open sights, too many have none and only a scope.

Depending on what you mean by quiet, you might have a tough time finding something powerful and cheap.

The most quiet Airguns are the PCP's (Pre-Charged Pneumatic). I have read that the smaller calibre's, .177 and .22 are quieter, even with the same gun. The Benjamin Marauder or the Hatsan AT44 QE are popular. They aren't $200 though. You have to factor in the cost of how you are going to refill the gun.

www.pyramydair.com and www.airgundepot.com are two popular sites and they rate the general loudness of the guns.

Pyraymdair has a 'bullet energy' calculator, which will help you determine if there's enough energy to do do what you want. Pellets are not as aerodynamic as bullets and energy falls off quite fast in comparison.

https://www.pyramydair.com/airgun-resources/widgets/convert.php?Units&u=14

I have read that a .22 round like a CCI quiet of a 24" barrel can be very quiet. Maybe someone on here can confirm.

I'd recommend a Benjamin Marauder with the hand pump. It's more money than you want to spend but it's a lot of rifle for the cost. Very quiet with the internal baffles. Plenty of power. What you are looking for is quiet and powerful. A lot of airguns are not quiet. A lot of airguns are not powerful. The Marauder delivers both.

their a little pricey, but I got a benjamin discovery in the 22 and it is awesome. Pump it up and you can get about 20 shots. It will kill anything from squirrels, to possums, and coons. It is a little loud, but not anything like a firearm. I went through 2 cheap 22 air rifles before I got it, and this is the only one I will ever need

The Marauder is nice, but $630 on an air rifle isnt what I am going to spend right now. About $200 should be good.

I would use a normal 22, but I live in Philadelphia county, people call the police here for firecrackers on July 4th. I just dont want the hassle. Where I mainly go no one will ever hear an air rifle (Ive owned quite a few in the past), its primarily the crack you get after the shot on supersonic rounds that is distinct and travels too far as far as the sound goes. I would use subsonic rounds, but then I have to deal with all the fuss of having a firearm in my truck daily, when I am only shooting at air rifle speeds anyway. Legally speaking, and as far as hassle goes, an air rifle fits the bill here perfectly.

800 FPS on lead should be enough for me to drop coyote here at night too.

For those of you who have never lived in an anti gun city like this, it is not the same as other places where the laws are identical. Philadelphia is a class 1 city, and because of that we have special more restrictive laws then the rest of PA. In upstate NY I would go out with a 22 and not think twice. In GA and CO where I lived, its even more lenient. But here in Philadelphia, there are a surprising number of police who do not believe we should be allowed to privately own firearms. While I follow every law, and am a responsible adult, too much of it would just be luck. If I had people call on me and the police came to find I am doing something legal with a firearm, most times I would be ok. There are some though that will detain me until they can find anything at all to write a ticket for, especially if I am trapping. A loose round in my truck, forgetting to lock something, they will find technicalities I don't even know exist. For normal hunting its no concern because I'm in areas there are a bunch of hunters, but because I check traps daily, its a lot more to remember to be perfect with every day. I am usually the only guy there too.

I also cant even keep track of all the gun free zones here anymore. Its getting pretty ridiculous. I do not want to lose my right to bear arms because of some stupid technicality and a cop that doesn't like people with guns. I think if I were to check traps, then pick up my son from school without dropping a 22 at home, that's a crime. 22 Air Rifle, no crime.

Everyone keeps shooting each other in other neighborhoods, but not where I live, maybe once every 2 years. The lawmakers havent been able to find a law these criminals will obey, but that doesn't mean they are going to stop trying. Go figure.

Co2 stinks in cold weather, pcp is nice but cold can wreak havoc also they are prone to develop a leak when you least expect it. A good Springer will do most of what you need. I have a stable of Diana 34/48 and I squirrel hunt and use on the trap line alot. German made, fairly cheap. Like others have said pellet choice is a biggie. I like a softer lead pellet for squirrel for the mushroom but a harder pellet for the trap line, crosman premier s work well. If we were closer, I'd let you take one and give it a run, airgun warriors is a site that has a lot of info.

I ended up buying this one instead.

Ruger Air Magnum 22

It had the best reviews for the price, which says more to me than specs. I also read a few different places that if I buy premium ammo, 1000fps does not have accuracy issues. It is going to be loud, but no matter where I am trapping, an air gun is not going to be a problem.

Alloy rounds will probably crack pretty loud, but I dont expect lead to go supersonic from this gun. If I have to, I will buy a can of rounds that come out slower and use those on the line. I have a can of H&N dome rounds coming with it to start.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Hey Swole Trapper,an air gun is fine for dispatching a trapped animal(coon or the like) but thinking you are going to pop a coyote with it is out of the question.With the pellets(not rounds) you mentioned you are going to get 20 foot pounds of energy(FPE) from the muzzle.Out at a hunting distance your FPE is going to be reduced. Don't get me wrong, air guns are a great tool to hunt small game or dispatch a coon sized animal at close range. I use an old Crossman 101(circa 1946) to dispatch my coons. Coyote is out of the question for that particular air gun. Like using a slingshot in a gun fight. I know you hear about people taking deer, whether accidental or not,but it is highly unethical to do with a 22 airgun. Now, I also use airguns for hunting all game, but I use the right gun for the job.50 cal,45 cal 9mm,35 cal,.257 cal to name a few.
As with Trapping,Best Management Practices need to be done to be ethical and humane to the animal being pursued by the hunter.
As for being quiet a lead dust collector(suppressor) or shroud can be used on some airguns. Some of the airguns I use on ADC work are mouse fart quiet. These guns are also highly modified.
Dont go with the hype that faster is better.1000fps doesn't mean squat if you cant hit what you are aiming at.Use jsb 15 gr pellets from Pymarid Air (on line) Buy 3 get 1 free.Also look for promo codes to get a better deal
Practice,practice,practice to become proficient.Airguns are a great tool for the right job

Ive owned a lot of firearms, both real and air. If you can shoot a rifle 22 at supersonic speed accurately from a firearm, then it can be done with an air rifle. What I have read before spending my hard earned greenbacks is that you cannot cheap out on ammo no matter what. If you dont try every kind of ammo and take your time comparing while sighting it in, you cant complain. I will probably make my own if they shoot strait. I bought a bag of 30 grain someone made on eBay when I bought the rifle. I also bought some H&N. The advertised claim on the rounds they test with is 29FPE. The 30 grain rounds I have on the way are going to pack more than that. I knew a guy 20 years ago that loved deer hunting with a 22. No special rounds, just a 22 and those cheap hollow points. He was the luckiest guy I knew, but I now think he was just experienced and 20 years my senior. Smallest I ever used for deer hunting is a 22 mag.

I am new to trapping, super green, not hunting and firearms. I was a menace to the small game in my teenage years. Back then I only was shooting 650 FPS with 177. I also know from other trappers on here they are using low velocity rounds with silencers for coyote.They are in the low 700 range. Law here is a 22 over 600fps.

So these 30 grain I have on the way are 66fpe@1000fps, 43fpe@800fps, and 24fpe@600fps. Thats more than enough to drop yotes, but unrealistic unless I hold it in my hands and can see it. The H&N dome rounds which arent ideal for hunting are 14.66 grains each, and 32.5fpe@1000fps, 20.8fpe@800fps, 11.7fpe@600fps. A guy in the reviews on this particular rifle claims he shot holes through a steel folding chair at distance shooting targets. I wont hunt with this until I see what it can do, but these new airguns arent what I grew up with. And everyone says they are innaccurate unless you use the best ammo, so I wont be putting any crossman into it. I will also maintain it inside and out.

Where I live the coyote are small, and the longest shots I will even be able to attempt are going to be 80 yards. I can shoot strait a lot further than that though.

Hopefully someone here with the same air rifle chimes in. I wont have mine for a week.

Here are the manufacturer specs. Other resellers claimed higher fps with other ammo, but I will go with Ruger. I also like they list alloy and lead separate. There does have to be a limit to how many fpe it can create though. Unlike a self propelled cartridge, when you put a bullet in an air rifle, the power is not slower burn or hotter for the heavier or lighter round, its the same as for all rounds. So I really will have to take my time to find out what it likes as far as fpe and fps vs accuracy.

If you can shoot a rifle 22 at supersonic speed accurately from a firearm, then it can be done with an air rifle.
Where I live the coyote are small, and the longest shots I will even be able to attempt are going to be 80 yards.

Let us know the outcome to the above--I think you are in for a big disappointment...........

Probably. I didn't buy it to hunt coyote. If it's as advertised, I can. But I rarely get what they claim. If for $180 I find accurate ammo, it will be more that worth it just to get more coons.

At 80 yards, the pellet will have lost about half of it's energy and will be dropping off significantly. You may want to download a program like Hawke Chairgun Pro to get an idea of what to expect.

Thats what I expected before I read up on buying a new one.

So I got looking more. Found this ballistics calculator on H&N's website. H&N Ballistic Calculator You can select caliber, projectile, fps, and see what the performance is. Seems around 50-60 yards, every pellet has a large drop. If you shoot a heavier long range round, you keep a lot of energy assuming you can get those heavier rounds up to speed in the first place. The heavier rounds are claiming 15FPE around 80 yards. The lighter rounds 14.66 grain, it claims 15fpe at 50 yards around 600fps.

So I probably wouldn't shoot a coyote unless it was within 30 yards. Raccoon I would shoot at twice that without a problem.

No matter what pellet, they all seem to like 60 yards or less before they drop significantly.

I used to have a Henry bolt action 22lr that was extremely accurate. I had a Remington 22LR semi automatic, and have owned many 177 air guns, never a 22 airgun though. Those are just the small caliber rifles Ive had. I am guessing somewhere in between the 22 semi, and the cheapest 177 rifle is what I should expect, with a drop off in performance no matter what I use after 60 yards. It contradicts a lot of claims on air gun forums Ive been looking at, and reviews I have read, but I believe the manufacturer ballistic data over anything else I have read.

With that coon call thread though, I am now creating mp3 files to put on my phone and play through my bluetooth speaker. This will be a fun investment no matter what. It will also be good for my so0n to learn gun saftey, and he isnt strong enough to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) it yet, so that's good.

Thanks for all the info everyone. Im not trying to go out and maim anything.

21 inch barrel is quiet , a 26 is crazy quiet with CCI quiet an air tool makes more noise disconnecting from the hose really then a 21 , 22 or 26 inch barrel I don't have a 24 ,the 26 is quieter than closing the car door the firing pin dropping is half the noise. the 16 and 18 still make a bit of a pop but not that hurts your ears at all the thing with them and it wouldn't be an issue for dispatch , is that sighted in at 25 yards they are great , but if you try an shoot 50 yards expect a 3 inch drop from where you were at 25 yards , also some consistency issues it is sort of 2 groups one about 5/8 lower than the other so not an issue at 25 yards but at 50 that 5/8 lower group turns into about 2 1/2 inches lower so not only do you have a 3 inch drop , you can easily have 2 shoot 3 inches low then 1 5 1/2 low then back to 3 then 5.5 and back and forth seems some might be a bit slower than others.

the only game I can say I have shot with them were rabbits and squirrel , with good shot placement they work very well.

but it most definitely is a gun and has all the restricted places a gun has even if it isn't going to be heard.