I am considering the purchase of an air rifle for some varmint control. I've looked at a couple that I like so far, but am unable to decide between the two. The first is a Ruger AirHawk Elite, and the second is the Gamo Whisper. Both put out 1000 F.P.S. according to the boxes, and both come with scopes and mounts. Only real differences I can see (other than the obvious "noise reducer" on the gamo) are the stocks. The Ruger has a wooden thumb hole stock which I tend to like, whereas, the Gamo has a synthetic monte carlo stock. Anyone have any good or bad experiences with either one of these rifles? If so, I'd like to hear about them. Thanks.
I have some experience with the Gamo Whisper, although I don't own one. I have fired one a fair amount that belongs to a friend. The trigger was horrible in stock form. They can be tuned to be tolerable with a some effort, I am told. I found the Whisper with the fiberglass stock too light and poorly balanced for me to shoot offhand well with it. I think they weigh around 5 pounds. My HW 35 weighs around 8.5 lbs and at this weight holds pretty steady, at least for me. The silencer does work on the Whisper. The shooter does not hear much difference. But down range all you hear is the whooshing noise of the pellet and the impact. I know this first hand, because for a test, I stood downrange 30 yds and off to the side, when the gun was fired and that's what I heard. Accuracy was good. Decent groups were fired off the bench with it. No complaints there. We chronographed the gun using three types of .177 cal middle weight pellets. We ran from 885 fps to 935 fps. This is about normal. The 1000 fps claims made by all airgun brands, is using the lightest pellets made. Not the more common and realistic middle weights. The gun was pretty new and the velocity would likely pick up slightly as it wears in.
In closing I can't suggest any particular brand of gun to buy. All have their faults and attributes. I think many would be satisfactory. It comes down to personal taste and how much you want to spend. If you really get into airgunning you can always upgrade later.
Good first airgun to use for varmint control?
A cheap pumper (Benjamin or Crosman) in .20 or .22 ... plenty or power and you quite possibly will never have to go any farther up the $$$ ladder!
I love my AirForce Talon 0.22cal
It is ridiculously accurate because there's no vibrations or knock back at all! Even my 8 year old daughter loves to shoot it (at tin cans)!
If I were to kill critters, I'd buy an AirForce Condor and put a 24" 0.22cal barrel on it. Use EunJin pellet's with it, and you could easily kill animals as large as cats and dogs with a headshot. (It is possible to get a 0.25cal barrel)
note: the Talon is noisy! Someone called the police on me today and they thought I was shooting 0.22LR's So I hope you live in the countryside - unlike me, I have to drive to the countryside and try to find some unused land.
Does anyone know where I can get a replacement barrel for a Delta? It shoots well, when I hold it perfectly, not a good field gun. Better yet, anyone have a Delta? Working or not with a good bore?
