Air rifle hunting.. Anyone into it?

[youngbowyer]

I recently picked up a ruger airhawk air rifle at cabelas 2 weeks ago. I managed to sight it in quite well and I have already taken a rabbit and a squirrel with it. It's a lot of fun and it gives a quick clean kill on small game and it's also pretty silent. Thought it would be cool to share some pictures of game taken with air rifles if anyone else is into it.

[JW_Halverson]

Manny, NOMADIC_PIRATE, one of the most talented character bow makers here hunts almost entirely with large bore air guns in Hawaii.  He's posted some incredible pigs here as well as peacocks and riki-tiki-tavis.

Follow this link to one of his more recent posts:
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,28169.0.html

[n2everythg]

Air gun hunting is the best. Especially for those of us that live in suburbia with scattered woods. Very effective pest eliminator (with out pissing off neighbors) and a gateway hunting opportunities.
It is a blast. And so many options now.
The mid to upper end guns aren't cheap but  the pay off is you can shoot them in your back yard if you aree careful about what is behind your shot. But that is just basic gun safety.

Congrats and welcome to the world of air rifles.
N2

[jeffhalfrack]

  I   love  air guns!!!!!!!  crossman arms  is just up  the  road  from here,,,,and I  have  never  been with out  one,,,or  two,,  or  six    but  lately  I  got  a  gammo  .22cal \.22shot gun!!!   now  I have  about  anything you  would  need to  small game hunt,,,,,,,and I can't  leave that    gammo  home!!! and at  like 1000fps  it  flat out stops  critters in  there  tracks!!!   a  guilty  pleasure  of mine,  is  to  walk  down  the  railroad tracks in  the summer,,,and  shoot  flying  grass hoppers  like  quail,,,,,,,, with  the  .22shot gun,,,,,,,,oh  man  why  did I  just  post  that???   JeffW

[mullet]

I do in my backyard when the Tree Rats go after my pineapples and papayas.

[Jimbob]

Speaking of airguns, I was gonna buy my daughter a Daisy Red Ryder for Christmas.  She just turned 5 and thats about the age that I had one but the wife put her foot down on that idea.  I guess she watched "A Christmas Story" one too many times.

[Parnell]

Still got my Red Ryder with the original box and strong box!  That's one thing that survived childhood, amazingly enough.
That and a harmonica, best Christmas ever!

[jonathan creason]

My parents bought my oldest son a Red Ryder last year for his birthday, and unfortunately I have to say they are pieces of crap now.  The trigger mechinism has screwed up twice already.  My father-in-law took it to a guy he knows that works on airguns, and he said it was maybe a 5 minute fix, but still.  I drug my old Daisy all over hell and half of Georgia and it still shoots as good today as it did the day I got it.

A nice airgun is one of those things that's been on my wish list for a while. 

[Keenan]

Grew up hunting every chance I had with pellet riffles. While most kids were playing ball I was hunting the hill behind our house. I wore out a very nice RWS model 54.  Just got the new Benjamin Nitro Piston .22 cal.  Quiet and hard hitting. 

[PatM]

I make my own now. It's amazing what you can come up with from the plumbing section at Home Depot.

[Jimbob]

I make my own now. It's amazing what you can come up with from the plumbing section at Home Depot.

I would be interested to see how you do that.

[PatM]

In a nutshell  www.spudfiles.com
 Any of a number of methods can be used. A simple piston valve gives the most bang per buck and a high pressure pump is very simple to bulid.

[bowtarist]

I  love an airgun!!  I think the Red Rider is junk these days too.  The BUCK which is about $20, though is a pretty good deal and a little smaller than the RR for the kids.  I have seen two RRs taken back and Bucks bought in there place.  I have two and one is so acurate w/ open sights I shoot yellow jackets w/ it, and a fly or two.  No really, lots of yellow jackets.  I'd like one of the nicer high priced ones myself.  I think Missori has an airgun season for deer.  I read about it a couple of years ago in FFG.  Have fun, dpgratz

[JW_Halverson]

Hey airgun advocates?  Are there any lead-free ammo options other than the clasic copper plated steel bb's?  I'm looking to pop squirkles to feed my hawk and don't wanna go thru all the hassles of treating the bird for lead poisoning. 

[bowtarist]

Hey airgun advocates?  Are there any lead-free ammo options other than the clasic copper plated steel bb's?  I'm looking to pop squirkles to feed my hawk and don't wanna go thru all the hassles of treating the bird for lead poisoning.

They sure do.  There are a couple of brands now.  A little pricey, but so is any organic meat.    I've never used em, but have seen them @ the sporting goods store.