The Beeman R-9: Every One Needs One!
Beeman R-9
The Beeman R-9 is one of those airguns by which other airguns are constantly measured. It has attained this particular status due to the inherent quality of the German-engineered pedigree that has given the airgun world an incredibly useful airgun for plinking, sport shooting, and small game hunting.
The R-9 I tested was a .177 caliber, and the velocity attained from RWS Superdomes, one of the favorite pellets this particular gun likes, was well within the stated velocity ranges that retailers like to post for marketing purposes. My gun was shooting in the high 800’s consistently, and lighter pellets break the 900 fps mark quite easily and regularly.
However, speed isn’t everything. If it isn’t accurate, all the speed in the world won’t do a bit of good. I have a swinging paddle target similar to one sold here at AirgunDepot with a ram, turkey, boar, and chicken on it. The chicken is the smallest, barely the size of the end of your thumb, and at 20-25 yards, I can hit it 4 out of 5 times with a 3-9x scope mounted on the gun. The ram? Well, it isn’t even a contest….he gets smacked around 100 % of the time as long as I pay attention to what I’m doing. I have literally wore all the paint off of the swinging targets with this gun, and will have to put a new coat on them soon for those evening shoots when the sun is going down.
When I first opened the box to my R-9, I was struck by how nice the stock was. My R-9 happens to be one of the deluxe versions, with factory-cut checkering on the forearm and grip area. It is a really nice stock, complete with a rubber pad on the butt that dampens what felt recoil is generated by the snap of the spring-piston powerplant. As you can see from the pictures below, the finish and fit of the R-9 is very nice.
With an adjustable rear sight and a globe front sight that allows interchangeable front sight blades to be used, you can tailor the open-sight picture to your liking. I enjoy scopes quite a bit, so I mounted a variable 3-9 power scope on the provided dovetails, and haven’t moved it since. It keeps hitting what I point it at, and there isn’t a tin can in range that doesn’t fear for its life! There are even scope-stop holes milled into the top of the receiver to accommodate scope rings that use a stop-pin to prevent scope-creeping, a not-uncommon problem with springers of this power level.
In addition to plinking and target shooting, the R-9 is quickly attaining a favorite status with me as a hunting gun. Pest birds such as starlings and sparrows are put down with serious authority, and larger game such as squirrels and rabbits are easily taken. I even succeeded in disposing of a pesky raccoon that wouldn’t leave the bird feeder alone. All it took was one shot in the right place, and the problem was solved. This is a very useful airgun!
Some features I really like are the automatic safety that resets upon cocking the airgun, and the ability to uncock the airgun in the event you decide not to shoot at your selected target. When hunting, this is an extremely useful feature that helps me stay hidden without giving away my presence as I take the load off of the spring, giving it a longer life.
I have been looking at getting an R-9 ever since I started enjoying airguns, and now I see why so many airgunners around the globe tout this airgun as a must-have. With numerous after-market parts and upgrades available, this gun is a tuner’s dream, and I’ve seen many R-9’s that have been given custom stocks and upgrades, putting them into the collectors category for the airgun enthusiast.
So as the title of this article indicates, I honestly think everyone needs a Beeman R-9. It will quickly win a place in your heart as the go-to gun in a number of situations, from target shooting when you just have to prove to your neighbor that you're a better shot than they are, to controlling the myriad number of pests so many of us have to put up with. Available in .177, .20, and .22 (by special order), the gun that will last long enough to pass down to your kids one day is indeed, the Beeman R-9.
