Rifle Advice

[comanighttrain]

Hey guys,

I used to shoot a while ago (using a gamo magnum...3000 i think...can't quite remember). I was thinking of maybe getting a new rifle for hunting now I have time for it... Any advice? Preferably one with a shorter barrel that can be disassembled and reassambled fair quickly so I can get it into my daypack and assemble when i get to where ill be hunting.

[Fletching]

Hi Coma,

The only two 'take-downs' that I can think of are the Verminator and the Edgar Brothers XVI

http://www.shootingshop.com/products/FX-Verminator-Air-Rifle-177-2539.aspx

http://www.scottcountry.co.uk/products_detail.asp?productID=4036&froogle=true

Steve

[comanighttrain]

Cheers Fletch,

will check em out at home!

[leon-1]

Air Arms S410 TDR

[comanighttrain]

ahhh im guessing you have to use a pre-charge to get enough killing power?

[carl]

hi comanighttrain another website you might want to check out is www.gunpower.org.uk/ they specialise in takedown rifles and have several models to choose from, and because they use the picatinny rail system the amount of add ons is endless.
oh! and i've shot the stealth very nice little rifle indeed no recoil which is ideal for hunting and target shooting, hope this advice helps

[comanighttrain]

thanks carl/leon!

[carl]

sorry comanighttrain forgot to add that even though the prices are high for new gunpower kit, but if you visit your local gun shop you might be lucky in finding a second hand set up for about £250 (this was the price of a gun set up optics, bipod, red laser, silencer at my local gun shop about a year ago) also try www.guntrader.co.uk you might find a rifle on there.
Any questions feel free to ask.

[Aaron Rushton]

hi mate,
do remember if you buy a pre-charged air rifle you will need to spend and extra £100 on filling equipment. the air arms s410 tdr shoots very well and has a proven and reliable bolt action. but the dont hold many shot whcih is why if you wanted to spend a week out camping then its best to go for a spring rifle as you don't need to lug around any heavy fillling gear. it is much harder to achieve hunting accuracy with a spring rifle and your effective hunting range will be decreased in comparison to a PC rifle, but the advantages of a contained powerhouse outweigh that in a backpacking situation. although there are not any take down spring rilfes i can think of, there are certainly very compact springers on the market today such as the bsa lightening xl. the gunpower storm has a very high shot count of 230 which should provide you with enough shots for a week hunting.
ATB
Aaron

[kesom]

ive got the same problem as comonightrain,i like everything in the one pack and want an air rifle but don't know a lot about them :(
the lightening xl tactical comes in at a lenght of 950mm,this type of rifle would suit me best but i want a rifle that will fit in a pack rather than to be carried in a case,the gunpower stealth is 740mm(is this the size when broke down or fully assembled?) but thats pre charged and exxxpensive and not very paractical for long stays (up to a week) as Aaron mentioned...
does anyone know of a springload thats smaller than the xl tactical or that would fit in a pack around 70ltr in size,i have a 50 ltr for short stays but will be getting a 70-80 ltr for my longer trips that i have planned,any advice is most welcome :)
thanks in advance
ken

[happybonzo]

Get an FAC and then buy one of THESE (http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-survival-ar7.cfm) I had one of the originals but the stock leaked and eventually cracked badly. The new ones from Henry have addressed all the old problems and it is now a very compact and usable rifle.

You will sometimes see a very good take down called a Colchester Gamekeeper being offered for sale. Be careful as there were only 3 complete rifles ever made. The rest were cobbled together from spares. I was told about this by the man who designed and built it. He now works for Mallard Barns (http://www.mallardbarn.co.uk/shop.asp)and is developing a new range of PCPs for £200 raedy to go

[kesom]

thanks very much happy,this was the exact type of gun i had in mind but didnt think they existed,had a little google about em and they can take a scope and are accurate up to 50ft,cant find anywhere what pounds of pressure they use tho,thats definately jumped to the top of the list,gonna email their uk supplier and get a price for it here :)

thanks again happy, ken :)

UPDATE

just looked into obtaining a FAC,the AR-7 must be more than 12ft/lbs,i didnt realise their was so much into obtaining a FAC,i dont qualify anyway's so i guess i'm gonna have to get something that does'nt need a FAC :(

[Aaron Rushton]

thanks very much happy,this was the exact type of gun i had in mind but didnt think they existed,had a little google about em and they can take a scope and are accurate up to 50ft,cant find anywhere what pounds of pressure they use tho,thats definately jumped to the top of the list,gonna email their uk supplier and get a price for it here :)

thanks again happy, ken :)

UPDATE

just looked into obtaining a FAC,the AR-7 must be more than 12ft/lbs,i didnt realise their was so much into obtaining a FAC,i dont qualify anyway's so i guess i'm gonna have to get something that does'nt need a FAC :(

lol , the fac system in the uk is a nightmare. a non fac air rifle will easily kill quarry to 50ft! think 40yrds is the max if your an ok shot. there are plenty of airguns with buddy bottles, some which can hold over 200 shots. though expensive, your never going to shoot that many pigeons or rabbits in a week. if you subtract about 10 shots a day checking your rifle is accurate (so 70 shots in a week) then you've still got plenty of air left forquarry. personally, i can't see the issue in attaching a short, lightweight spring airgun to the side of your backpack.

[kesom]

agreed aaron,i have shooting permission on some ancient woodland in wales a friend of mine owns,has its own natural spring there too,i lived in london workin on the sites until i moved to brum last year and i never needed a car so i don't even have a driving license and sometimes i have to travel by train to wales and this is the main reason i want the rifle to fit in my pack,i'd have no problem when i get a lift but when i go by train i'd rather not have a rifle exposed for no other reason than it would bring unwanted attention to myself and i'd be paranoid of being followed and mugged for it and i will be traveling to the woodland mostly by train :)

i found this rifle last night BSA Scorpion T-10 (http://airgunbuyer.com/details.asp?cat=Air%20Rifles&SubCat=BSA%20Air%20Rifles&Product=2552)

its 880mm(34.6 inch) in length,would this fit inside a 70 or 80 ltr pack,i just dont own one to measure and i cant find any that i'm sure the main part of the pack is this tall enough :confused2:
i think the cheapest way to sort this would be to just get a pack big enough to fit a rifle in rather than forkin out for a break down
anyone know a pack big enough ?
i'm not being lazy here,i've been lookin on sites just cant be sure but will ring around a few if no one knows on here
thanks in advance,ken :)

[happybonzo]

Most of the Trekking Packs would hold a carbine type rifle; get ready for some nasty shocks on price though :(

[Aaron Rushton]

agreed aaron,i have shooting permission on some ancient woodland in wales a friend of mine owns,has its own natural spring there too,i lived in london workin on the sites until i moved to brum last year and i never needed a car so i don't even have a driving license and sometimes i have to travel by train to wales and this is the main reason i want the rifle to fit in my pack,i'd have no problem when i get a lift but when i go by train i'd rather not have a rifle exposed for no other reason than it would bring unwanted attention to myself and i'd be paranoid of being followed and mugged for it and i will be traveling to the woodland mostly by train :)

i found this rifle last night BSA Scorpion T-10 (http://airgunbuyer.com/details.asp?cat=Air%20Rifles&SubCat=BSA%20Air%20Rifles&Product=2552)

its 880mm(34.6 inch) in length,would this fit inside a 70 or 80 ltr pack,i just dont own one to measure and i cant find any that i'm sure the main part of the pack is this tall enough :confused2:
i think the cheapest way to sort this would be to just get a pack big enough to fit a rifle in rather than forkin out for a break down
anyone know a pack big enough ?
i'm not being lazy here,i've been lookin on sites just cant be sure but will ring around a few if no one knows on here
thanks in advance,ken :)
the shortest airgun i can think of is a bsa ultra. these are about 32 inch without the silencer (these are essentiel if you wish to hunt, fortuneatly they can easily be removed and put back on), but you only get 40 shots per fill off these. this is ok for about a weeks hunting, but if you knock the scope out of zero (easily done) then you would use at least 10 shots to get it back on zero. even then, i like to put 5 shots on paper through my gun before i go out hunting jsut to be sure, even if its remained in a bag since the last hunt.
there is a quaint little gun called a crosman ratcather. these have been hugely popular for short range pest control. there 30" and weight 3lbs. they are powered by co2 capsules. a few of these will provide enough shooting for a week. the problem with co2 as a power source is it varies with the temp. for example 10C one day youll be shooting spot on, then 13C the nest and your zero will be off a little bit. also the shot to shot consistency is not as....well consistent as PCP rifles which means there limited to about 25 yards if your a good shot. although i think this is half the fun of them as you have to be a good stlaker, or settup an ambush if you want to get squirrels or pigeons in woodland area. others say that co2 is not powerful enough, but you really need very little power to kill a pigeon or squirrel, provided the shot it too the cranium. the reason a lot of people liek the crosman is that it is easy to modify. i imagine you can take the butt off, halving it's size, makign it all the more easy to fit in a pack.

[kesom]

Most of the Trekking Packs would hold a carbine type rifle; get ready for some nasty shocks on price though :(
i need a decent pack for longer camps anyway happy so its a cost ive already prepared myself for i think lol
thanks for gettin back to me :)


the shortest airgun i can think of is a bsa ultra. these are about 32 inch without the silencer (these are essential if you wish to hunt, fortunately they can easily be removed and put back on), but you only get 40 shots per fill off these. this is ok for about a weeks hunting, but if you knock the scope out of zero (easily done) then you would use at least 10 shots to get it back on zero. even then, i like to put 5 shots on paper through my gun before i go out hunting jsut to be sure, even if its remained in a bag since the last hunt.


there is a quaint little gun called a crosman ratcather. there 30" and weight 3lbs. they are powered by co2 capsules. a few of these will provide enough shooting for a week. the problem with co2 as a power source is it varies with the temp. for example 10C one day youll be shooting spot on, then 13C the nest and your zero will be off a little bit. also the shot to shot consistency is not as....well consistent as PCP rifles which means there limited to about 25 yards if your a good shot. although i think this is half the fun of them as you have to be a good stlaker, or setup an ambush if you want to get squirrels or pigeons in woodland area. others say that co2 is not powerful enough, but you really need very little power to kill a pigeon or squirrel, provided the shot it too the cranium. the reason a lot of people liek the crosman is that it is easy to modify. i imagine you can take the butt off, halving it's size, making it all the more easy to fit in a pack.

hi Aaron,i had a look at the bsa ultra,i liked it but had been put off pre charged because of having to bring a bottle and a pump but to be honest i don't know if would be so much hassle.
had a look on the bsa site and they say you get 50 shots per charge so that's good but i think i'd like another 50 for some practice while I'm there,i just wouldn't like to be limited to 50 shots,100 seems a lot better to me

I'm gonna be getting a 70 or 80 ltr sack for my long stays and so the rifle will fit in it,other than that it will be just what i carry in my 50ltr so i will have space for an extra bottle of air if i do go down the pre charged route but that said their is only 5 1/2 inches in difference between the smallest pre charged bsa rifle and the smallest spring bsa rifle and the price compared to spring rifles ........

so i'm starting to think to go with the spring BSA XL Tactical (http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/sgun_XL_tactical.php) or BSA Lightening XL (http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/sgun_lightning_xl.php) or BSA Lightening (http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/sgun_lightning.php) and getting a sack that it will fit in all of those rifles are 950mm

i think the price difference between the 2 guns will pay for a good sack and i don't have to worry about bottles then either :)

any advice welcome,thanks again,ken :)

[happybonzo]

kesom - check your PMs

btw - just a thought: Where are you planning your extended trip? Not France I hope as air weapons, except for low power units, seem to be illegal there.

[kesom]

kesom - check your PMs

btw - just a thought: Where are you planning your extended trip? Not France I hope as air weapons, except for low power units, seem to be illegal there.

just seen this i thought i got updates through my control panel,i'll be traveling to wales,back home in ireland is much the same as france then,you need a icence for an air rifle in ireland

peace k :)

[kesom]

i found myself a solution to my rifle problem,instead of blowin a load of money on a break down i just got myself a highlander pro force 99 ltr rucksack that will hold a rifle with a maximum length of around 1 meter,the bag cost me under £60,not bad considering the price of break downs and the money saved will go into the rifle,hope this helps someone along the way :)

peace ken :)

[rich290185]

Hi Kesom,
you could get a roll up gun slip, carry your gun in that on the train as long as its unloaded and pellets are not with it.
then at camp roll it up and stick it in your pack
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jack-Pyke-English-Woodland-Packable-Roll-Up-Gun-Slip-/110609232182?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingS ports_ET&hash=item19c0d2f136

[kesom]

cheer's rich :) i've added it to my to get list,will be handy either way i decide to go :)

thanks again :)