Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Pellet Rifles & Pistols

Quackenbush makes some nice large bore air rifles!

I don't have much experience with pellet pistols. I do know that CO2 is O.K. for plinking, but for hunting or serious target work, it's not the preferred powerplant.

While speed is nice, it's really accuracy that gets the job done. When pellets are shot supersonic, and transition to subsonic, they move around quite a bit, and the accuracy goes away. Plus, the more powerful the guns are, the louder they are. Pellets don't have a lot of mass, so CNS (central nervous system) hits are preferred, dropping the animal very quickly. For that, you need accuracy, not a lot of power. In England, pellet guns are regulated to 12 lb/ft of energy, or they are classisfied differently and a permit is needed for posession. That translates to a .177 cal pellet going 600 fps. They hunt with them, and are very successful.

In looking at the blowback design pistols, it seems that they are made to simulate the feel of real guns with the action moving. I don't know how accurate they are. If you are looking for a repeating hunting pistol, this one is a .22 cal 6 shot repeater @ 1000 fps that has some good reviews.

I have an old FWB 124D and a newer Air Arms TX200 (rifles). I've done a LOT of hunting with the FWB (squirrels, rabbits and even a coon) but the TX200 is a tad more accurate. The FWB is set to throw a 7.9g Premier @ 850 fps, and the TX200 throws them about 50 fps faster. On a windless day, if I concentrate on what I'm doing, I can shoot <1 1/2" groups @ 50 Yds with the TX200. Both have Simmons 44Mag scopes, 6.5-20 power, AO Objective, and they hold up to the recoil very well.