Best Air Rifle?

[tada]

Thanks I was going to do a search myself. I have one of those and the handgun version Crossman model 1377 at twice the price! I was thinking readers might confuse it with a Daisy or some AR15 replica. But if you stop by Wal-Mart as many of us do it should be in stock behind the glass or on the shelf- for $33!

[birdmove]

For $33, it's good for a lot of fun shooting. That Cdosman 1377 is a nice airgun too. They can the pretty easily modified.

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[MarkP]

On my last go around with the .22 NPXL I tried yet another barrel and switched the scope to a Weaver rail mounted peep sight and a clamp on front sight. I am rather pleased now, keeping the shots on a 3" target at 25 yards. While that is by no means great in the grand scheme of things it is about what I can do. In other words it's down to me now rather than the rifle. No more wild fliers missing by 6" at 18 yards.

Unfortunately I don't know whether it was the new barrel or the new sights. I do find that both windage and elevation do creep over a few dozen shots so the bad recoil of the gun is still causing trouble but is a little at a time. I had to bend the barrel to the right so as not to use all the windage adjustment. I also filed a little off the barrel block where it hit the stop pin when closed. Filed a little too much as the elevation adjustment was creeping down as I was making adjustments. I traded having the elevation maxed out trying to raise the POI for having it almost maxed out trying to lower the POI. When I step back and look at this gun objectively, I kinda hate it.

I pushed pellets through the new barrel and while it seemed quite tight at the breech it was somewhat less loose everywhere else. I could still see light all around the pellet everywhere along the barrel. I understand that the pellets expand from all the pressure when actually fired so maybe that is OK although the breech is the tightest spot so if that is what sizes the pellet it may still be too loose. There is a sizeable pit in the opening of the breech. The annular groove where the breech seal goes is way deeper on the new barrel than previous barrels. Crossman sells thin spacers to correct for that. I had ordered 2. I should have ordered 10. I managed to get a plastic washer and turn down the OD so it would fit and do the job of several of the metal shims. Seems to work but I should never have had to do all this stuff.

I have heard that you should not see sausage or law being made. Same goes for this darn barrel. I am not going to lap this barrel or chamfer the breech opening as experience has shown that that will reduce pellet speed. If it works it works. If not well I tried, apparently more than Crosman did. Might consider a Maximus but now I don't trust Crosman. Why would those barrels be any better quality?

[MarkP]

https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/ind...ic=83606.0

"I will have to say that this is the only Crosman gun that I've bought where I didn't have to return 2 - 4 guns before I got a good one. The first 2260MB was perfect!"

So I'm not the only one.

[birdmove]

The 2260MB is a very nice CO2 air rifle. I have actually had good results with my Crosman products. But, I am swearing off break barrels after the experience with the Ruger/Umarex!

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[MarkP]

Getting good groups now. Best yet and that's counting all the scopes I have tried so far. 21.14 grain Beeman Kodiak pellets average about 700 fps which is close to 23 ft-lbs of energy. 14.3 grain Crosman Premier Hollow Points average around 845 fps which is around 22.5 ft-lbs KE. The last go around the Kodiaks had more of an edge but with this latest barrel as long as the CPHPs group OK I'll standardize on them at 1/4 the price.

22.5 ft-lbs is pretty good so I should be satisfied although I am baffled by others reporting nearly 30 ft-lbs.

I just added one of the thin metal shims under the breech seal. I can feel some resistance now in the final stages of closing at least compared to before adding the shim. I had tried draping a tissue over the breech while firing to check for leaks. Found none but if the leak was aimed downward I figure you would get a false negative. Haven't tested it on the chrony yet.

[MarkP]

I don't know what has possessed me. I threw caution to the winds and bought a .22 Benjamin Marauder with the synthetic stock and a refurb'd hand pump for $489 all told off of Amazon. I had to buy some screws for the pump as some assembly was required and being second hand the screws either never made it back into the box or fell out through one of the holes in the weathered box. I had been reading that the general consensus was the NPXL barrels were a crapshoot, which was certainly my experience, but that the marauder barrels were actually made using a different process and the quality was lots better. The gun did not come with a scope or rings and had no iron sights but fortunately I had a couple of fairly serviceable scopes lying around from my ordeal with the NPXL. Finally! I am now getting groups that will fit under a nickle at 15 yards, not great accuracy for some but game changing for me. The gun is also really quiet.

Hmmm. There was a target in the box labeled "5 shot group at 10 yards" with a group that would fit under a dime but the gun did not come with a scope or sights. They could have mounted a scope for the test then taken it off again but the vibe I get is that they wouldn't have gone to so much trouble.

[ElysianWort]

I have an old Daisy air rifle I got from Walmart. On the side it is written that it shoots 880 feet per second. It might have cost somewhere around $50. It has to be at least 15 years old or more and it is still damn accurate. No scope. Anywhere between 1 and 10 pumps. 8 to 10 pumps and the BB shoots right through old tin soup cans, (both sides).

I googled "the best air rifles"
https://www.shootingandsafety.com/best-a...e-reviews/
and there are some cool looking ones but I noticed that many of them don't even shoot as fast as that old cheapo Daisy I have.

[birdmove]

Is this the Daisy you have?

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Daisy_880_Multi_Pump/326

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[birdmove]

If it's the 880 model Daisy, it has a rifled barrel. It's supposed to shoot both pellets and bb's. Many of us don 't shoot steel bb's in an airgun with a rifled barrel, as we believe the bb's may damage the rifling. Plus, I find my 880 shoots bb's with way worse accuracy than it shoots lead pellets. Mine is scoped. It shoots pretty well ith a pellet like the Crosman Premier Super Match.
https://www.crosman.com/177-super-match-...lets-500ct
You can order these right now at Amazon for about $7.75 a tin.

Many 880 owners say their 880 is very accurate, even out to 20-25 yards. Mine is not that accurate, but still fun to target shoot with. It is not near my most accurate though. It is light, easy to pump compared to most other multi pump airguns, and is a good looking and handling air rifle. I have to use a scope any more, because, well, I am 65 as of today, and my eyes don't work with open sights very well any more.



Jon in Keaau/HPP