Airgun Depot's Airsenal News

If you are like me, you hang out on the internet in places of interest to you. And if you like airguns, you will doubtlessly visit an airgun forum from time to time. And if you read long enough, you will almost always run across this question: Is this a good gun?

Potential buyers of air guns come in many shapes and have many different purposes in mind for their  air gun. The most common uses are plinking (just plain fun shooting), competition, hunting, and pest control. I've alluded to some of these categories before, but let's visit this question of "Is this a good gun?" from another point of view.

In our society, instant gratification is a big deal. We want it now, or sooner if possible. Economy is always on our minds, and getting the most for the least money spent is a big deal. Unfortunately, you have to be careful or you'll find yourself buying less gun than you want simply because of a price point. Then as your knowledge about airguns grows, you'll get a good case of regret that you didn't wait a little longer, saved your money, and bought a better quality gun! You'll find yourself wandering around the house muttering "If only I had.....".

When I buy an airgun, I have an intended purpose for it. Oh, sure, I'll use it for other stuff, but by and large, I have certain things in mind for this particular gun. As a hunter, I have different guns that give me different levels of power for the varied game I hunt. Some of my guns do double-duty and serve a dual purpose, but I don't pick up the wrong gun for a certain job. For instance, pest control is served by my QB-78's and HW-30. My hunting for small game allows me to get my Beeman R9 and Prairie Falcon out of the gun rack. And big game calls into use my bigbore caliber airguns. I use the right gun for the right purpose. I've never used my .50 caliber bigbore for starling control. Not the right tool for the job!

Another consideration is just how much extra gear am I going to need to buy to enjoy this gun. If I buy a PCP, I'll need a way to charge it. Did the gun come with open sights, or will I need a scope and rings? Do I have the patience to learn how to really shoot a spring-piston air gun correctly? (It does take a little effort to get the hang of some of them!) Do I have a case to transport it in, or am I always going to shoot in my yard? If I'm going to compete, have I considered a shooting jacket, bum bag, upgraded scope, pellet scale, lubing gear, a backup gun in case my first choice has an accident right before the match? And the list goes on and on.

Airgun Depot has gone to great lengths to categorize the types of gun they sell. They have already grouped the guns into categories for you.....hunting, pest control, competition shooting. It's a great place to begin your quest to answer the question "Is This a Good Gun?"  If you click on the "Featured Guns" category, you'll find many different types of air guns that are being featured which address several cagetories of shooters. Perhaps the gun you need is in there this month!

So, sit down and decide what you are going to use your gun for, and decide how much money you want to spend. Spend a little time doing some research, and visit Airgun Depot for the help you need in making your decision. It will save you time and money, and getting the gun you want for the job you wish to do will help you feel good about your purchasing decision. 

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In the summer of 2006, I was privileged to go to South Africa on a hunting safari that used air guns exclusively. My two companions, Eric Henderson and Jim Chapman, along with myself, were allowed by the South African government to do test hunts with air guns for plains game. Some of the game we were able to take were the kudu, impala, duiker, springbok, porcupine, impala, and several species of small game.

Jim Chapman was the first one to attempt an African Airgun Safari, and Eric and I accompanied him on the second trip he took. It was the hunt of a lifetime, one that I will remember forever. I hope to go back before too long, and Hounslow Safaris is the only outfitter in the country allowed to take hunters out armed only with airguns. If you want to add a feather to your air gun hunting cap, I heartily recommend a safari booked through Hounslow Safaris. And the airguns you can use? You will find several suitable airguns here at Airgun Depot.

Above, you see the duiker I shot, and the next pic is the finished hide and European mount that I received 10 months later. These look great on your wall, and you get to remember a great hunt every time you walk through the room!

This impala, a young two-year old, may not be a trophy to some, but it is great trophy for me, and I'll remember the hunt forever.

This springbok gave us a good chase, and made for a magnificent meal. Some of the best backstrap I've ever tasted.

Some of the more unusual game we shot were the two pictures below. A springhare and a porcupine were certainly not what I thought I might shoot while on safari......but they were fun to hunt, especially at night!

So take a moment, and figure out what you can hunt with an airgun....you might just be surprised! 

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 07:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

The Benjamin Discovery

Crosman Corporation surprised the air gun world this year with the introduction of an American-made PCP air gun that is priced so competitively that any fence sitters who are even thinking of plunging into the PCP game are now without an excuse. Crosman has strategically priced the Benjamin Discovery at just under $400, a price that includes the hand pump needed to fill the Discovery with high-pressure air. It is this inclusion of the pump that really seals the deal for many shooters, because getting a tank and necessary adapters for your gun can cost as much if not more than the gun itself. That added cost just to get up and shooting has kept many shooters from entering the pre-charged pneumatic side of air gun shooting.

I was fortunate enough to be able to secure one of Crosman’s prototype Discoveries. My first impression upon picking it up was that is was much lighter than I would have thought at first, especially with a hardwood stock. I have another similar style gun, a QB-78 PCP conversion, and it is significantly heavier that the Discovery, which weighs just over 5 lbs. As a hunter, I appreciate air guns that are carry-friendly, ones that I can pick up and hunt with all day long without fatigue setting in. The light weight of the Discovery lends itself very well to this aspect of shooting, and its length of 39” makes for a handy little package.

The weather has been abysmal in my part of the country, and it took me a couple of weeks to get a nice enough day, coupled with an afternoon off, in which to shoot and enjoy this air gun. Since the Benjamin Discovery is a Crosman product, I elected to start out with 7.9 grain Crosman Premier pellet. From a recommended fill of 2000 psi, I shot a 20-shot string that began at 899 fps and peaked at 916 fps, with an ending velocity of 749 fps. Here is the shot string:

This comes out to about 842 fps as an average over the string of shots, factoring in the two error reading on shots 7 and 8. The average foot pound of energy was 12.4, and adequate number for smallgame hunting. In fact, I was able to get out with the Discovery for a brief squirrel hunt, and at 30 yards, had no problem taking these two squirrels you see here. One shot each and both of them were on the ground.

I was curious to see if I couldn’t get a better shot curve with a different fill pressure, so I upped the air reservoir to 2300 and shot another 20-shot string. The shot count started off at 870 this time, and peaked at 955, with a final low velocity of 838 fps. This brings the velocity spread down about 50 fps from the first string, and based on the previous shot string, there were approximately 10 more shots to be had from this higher fill pressure that would still match the ending pressure and velocity of the first shot string. So 30+ useful shots is a reality when 300 more psi is added to the gun. Since this is a prototype gun, I did not exceed 2300 psi for this test, though I’m sure the gun has a built-in safety factor in the strength of the reservoir.

After testing the Crosman Premier 7.9 pellets, I ran a string of RWS Superdomes that weigh 8.3 grains. Even with the .4 grain heavier weight, the thin skirt of the Superdomes, which I believe expand better than thicker-waisted pellets, allowed the velocity to increase 90 fps in comparison to the shot string that I gained from the Premiers. And the accuracy was on par with the Premiers as well. With that added velocity, the Superdomes upped the power to nearly 16 fpe. Both of these pellets are excellent choices for the avid hunter.  I would have kept on testing the velocity figures, but my chrony up and decided it didn’t like me anymore in the waning daylight and started giving me too many errors, so I stopped the shot string.

The accuracy of the Crosman Premiers and the RWS Superdomes were on par with each other. I did a quick and dirty accuracy test, shooting from a table, but without a firm rest, at approximately 20 yards. Sub-1" groups were the rule, and I took a quick pic of each one.

Now remember, this was quick and dirty shooting, not true accuracy testing. Before I went hunting, I picked out some left over walnuts hanging in the trees and sent them tumbling to earth. Confident in the gun's ability to hit the killzone on a squirrel, I had no problem bagging the two squirrels you see.

As you can see from the accompanying pictures, the Discovery is a sleek gun, with trim lines that are pleasing to the eye.

The production model will have a different front and rear sight than the one I received on this prototype.

It is also easy to see the Crosman 2260 CO2 gun in its ancestry, and the trigger design comes from that setup. Though the trigger is plastic, it is quite suitable for a field gun. When hunting, I don’t want a trigger that is too light as I might accidentally fire the gun while pushing through the brush, or knocking it against a tree. And the two squirrels I bagged with it would not have died any more efficiently with a better trigger, either.

As mentioned before, this gun comes with its own pump included in the suggested retail price. After firing 30+ shots plinking, I hooked it up to the pump, and after 60 pumps was back up to the recommended fill pressure of 2000 psi. It didn’t take but a few moments, and the pumping effort was very manageable. The pump is easy to assemble and requires nothing more than a screwdriver. Everything else is in place and ready to go. It also has the added advantage of being capable of filling your higher pressure PCP’s that require 3000 psi or more, since this pump goes all the way up to 3500 psi.

One of the neater aspects of this new gun is that it has a duel-fuel capacity, running on air or CO2. With the correct coupling, CO2 can be used as the fuel, giving lower velocities, but an enormous amount of shots off the bulk fill. This ability will allow for very economical shooting inside for target practice, and for hunting purposes or cold-weather shooting, you can switch to air. There aren't a lot of air guns out there today that have this ability, and Crosman has wisely made this a key feature of their new gun.

This is a gun that I am going to add to my personal collection and keep. It is worthy of being in your collection as well, and the cost is so economical that you almost can't pass it up. Based on my impression of this prototype that I've had for a few weeks now, the factory production gun, due to ship any day now, is sure to please.

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Here in my part of the country, hunting seasons are beginning to wind down, if they are not totally over with altogether. Deer season has come and gone, but rabbit and squirrel are near the end of their run as well. So do I put my air guns up for the season? Not hardly!

Just yesterday I was walking through my backyard after a successful squirrel hunt with a new airgun that I was testing out. I looked over to one of the bird boxes that I have set about the place and was thrilled to see a pair of bluebirds mulling over the possibility of making this box their new home for the upcoming season. I could tell that the female was all in a tizzy, as I'm sure most expectant mothers are! I could just hear her saying..."but dear, look how spacious it is? And I just love the entrance to the baby's room!"

One of the most active times as an avid air gun shooter is in the spring. The reason for this is that I take an active part in the promulgation and promotion of nesting sites for the native bird life in my yard. I get to watch the beautiful bluebirds, woodpeckers, and song sparrows work on their nests, raise their young, and go about the business of making my backyard a nice place to hang out. But I also am a jealous landlord, and have no mercy on intruders. This is where my air guns come into play. Just as the indigenous species are going about their business, there are interlopers who are bent on their destruction as they try and take over the nesting sites that I provide for my little friends. English sparrows and European starlings are the vagrants that I am referring to, and my air guns get plenty of practice keeping these vermin at bay.

If you have suitable sites for song sparrows and bluebirds, then you will have trouble with the English sparrow. He is of a size to directly compete with the desirable birds, and he is much more attack-minded, willing to kill and take over the nesting sites of our native song birds. I remove them with prejudice and spend a little time each morning in the spring and early summer making them feel very unwanted in my little corner of the world. And European starlings? I actively hunt them down and destroy them at every opportunity. They are a worthy adversary....smart, very alert, and a challenge to the airgunner seeking to remove them from his domain.

I use several kinds of air guns when dealing with these pests. The medium-to-light airguns such as the HW 30 and the QB-78 are excellent choices for dealing with these feathered targets. And when they learn to keep out of range, I'll break out the big guns and use the Beeman R-9, the Prairie Falcon, and the Webley Longbow. A very handy gun that allows me repeat shots on small groups of birds is the RWS 850, and excellent candidate for the pest removal progress.  

One villain of the bird world many don't consider is the crow. Check your local laws since they are considered game birds in some areas, but keep an eye on them. They are active nest raiders, stealing young chicks from nests shortly after hatching. Crows are smart, one of the smartest birds in the world. They plan attacks, are opportunistic, and will take small pets such as new kittens and small puppies if they catch one wandering out in the yard without protection. They call in help, and a group of crows is called a "murder" for a reason!

So as the active season for the more common small game animals winds down, look for these new opportunities to use your air guns. You are doing a service to the environment by removing well-established pests, and your giving an advantage to our own indigenous wildlife. Your hunting skills will be kept sharp through the off season, and it is great fun as well. Happy shooting! 

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)