I’m considering buying an air rifle to fight off zombie hordes because I used to enjoy target shooting as a teenage (army cadet) and now as an adult have too much spare time/money.

I have no idea where or what to buy. Any advice welcome.

If you are in Scotland you need a licence to own an air weapon.

BSA Airsporter was always a decent gun, if you can find one; underlever cocking rather than breaking the barrel.

Try a few before buying.
So go to a shooting range/club, ask around to see what people like. It is all personal, just like bikes.
Have a rough idea of what you want to buy, spring gun, pneumatic, CO2.
You need proof of ID to buy in England and Wales. Nothing more.
New , decent, spring guns will be around £350-450 with scope and bag.
Pneumatic will be £500+ plus £130 for a compressed air bottle.
Generally, secondhand prices are 50-65% of new prices.

Get onto one of the forums and check out the second hand gear. I can strongly recommend the pneumatic rought for non kick, highly accurate shooting. I use one on Rabbits/rats and its leathal.

Stealth add here. I have a German Hammerli target rifle for £100. Fully restored, new spring, side lever.

Where you based Bear? (More precise than just UK 🙂 ).

Harrogate North yorks.

I have an Airarms S200.
Amazingly accurate even in my hands (designed as a target gun originally).
Pneumatic guns are great but you have to budget for a cylinder, valve, etc.

AirArms S410 or Weihrauch HW100 would be solid performers if going pcp.

A couple of the gun shops down here have ranges that you can test prospective purchases on. Well worth trying before buying

What are you wanting it for?

Actual ‘proper’ target shooting? Field targets or just shooting at ‘stuff’? Like bikes there are a plethora of different types for different aspects.

If you’re in Harrogate there are two places I’d recommend to buy one. Northallerton Shooting near Thirsk, or Swillington Shooting just down the M1. There’s also Redbeck, just outside Wakefield.

A decent BSA precharged pneumatic will cost you around the 500 quid mark. You’ll need a sight, budget about a hundred quid for an entry level one, and some means of charging it. A stirrup pump will cost about 90 quid or a dive bottle about 130. The bottle is worth the extra.

If you aren’t too serious then consider a Springer. Again, something like a BSA or a Weihrauch. There are plenty around, check Gunstar or guntrader for second hand sales, or visit Kirklees Guns in Huddersfield who has racks of used rifles of all types. Aaron Wheeler in Brighouse has a fair selection too.

Yeah if you are talking paper punching PCP seems to be where it’s at these days and they are not cheap for club level what with their fancy regulators for power consistency. Especially when they all seem to have expensive sights and special jackets, and bottles. Also, more sporty rifles may well be too powerful for indoor target ranges.

You will find that most clubs have bottles you can use and club guns, and there is generally someone looking to upgrade and sell on their entry level rifle.

If its garden plinking though I would just pick up a cheap springer or their newer gas ram incarnations.

Used to have an .22 Air Arms S200 with a 6-24×44. Muckle good as both a target rifle and for hunting when using Air Arms Field 5.51mm slugs. Also has a 9-shot slide in magazine for it. Only got rid as the hammer spring was on the way out and the power was fluctuating (just into +12ftlb to sub 10ftlb) levels).

I then got a BSA Hornet single shot with a 4-14×50. This was even better – more quieter with the Daystate moderator and as it was regulated, more consistent. Only got rid of that to but a T16 turbo engine and box for my Rover Coupe.

I still have a BSA Lightning with a 1x red dot for plinking, but don’t discount PCP’s over springers for that.

As said AA S200’s are fantastic wee guns (they’re actually built by CZ), they are small though so I’d say look at one first if it’s a consideration. Knowing where you are would be helpful as you can be pointed in the direction of a decent RFD if you want to try stuff out or just browse.

I have a couple of Diana 52 side levers, heavy but excellent for target work with a reduced diameter piston you can get kits for them and the AA TX200. I also have a 430 underlever which is significantly lighter (but less well behaved as it has a stock piston). New Diana kit is junk but anything with a T01, T05 or T06 trigger block will be brilliant. T06 is seemingly comparable to the Weihrauch Rekord units which are also well regarded.

As for the argument of springer vs PCP, it’s like hardtail vs full sus to be honest, same arguments about skill and such. I’d start with a decent second hand springer and work from there, you won’t lose money on a Diana, Weihrauch or Air Arms. I’d advise against looking at Crosman unless you enjoy tinkering and funding a money pit.

I think that, initially at least, I would go for a quality springer. PCP is very nice to shoot, but the tank that goes along with it and the need to keep air in the damn thing is a right pain.

If you are not going to be doing much apart from punching paper in the garden once in a while (with a suitable backstop) then go for a Weihrauch 97k or 77 and a decent 3-9x4x or 50 scope.

They are really nice rifles and will last for ages.

If you just want to re-visit the shooting sessions that you enjoyed as a kid, I’d get a Weihrauch HW30. A quality built, lightweight break barrel rifle with the legendary Rekord trigger unit. No need for auxiliary air tanks and hoses – just a self contained spring piston power plant. I’d recommend .177 calibre over .22.

You can pick one up for about £200.

Have a look

Daft question, why do you need to budget for a sight? Do they not come with a sight built on?

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=mini+gun+gif&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dmini%2bgun%2bgif%26FORM%3dHDRSC3&view=detail&mid=D90C47A0A94B9214CC55D90C47A0A94B9214CC55&&FORM=VDRVRV” alt=”Mini Gun!!” />

I bought one a couple of years back (actually 7 now I come to think about it) to recapture my youth as I had a .177 BSA Meteor as a lad. I went for a Weirauch HW 95 and Nikko Stirling scope. I researched on line and then bought from a local shop. My son, then 14, got as much pleasure out of it as me. It now spends most of its time in the bedroom wardrobe but comes out now and again and I love it every time.

Most rifles are designed to be used with scopes. It’s only the very low end ones that come with open sights. Dealers often sell packages but you could spend twice or three times the price of an expensive rifle on a Gucci scope.

I’d get a Weihrauch HW30

Again, a nice gun but like the S200 it’s tiny, it’s actually a junior rifle. I’d recommend something like a Diana 430 (because I’m a fanboi) or an HW77 if you want something light but competent.

Oh, on gas rams, one of the most accurate guns I (briefly) had was an HW90K. Like a frickin’ laser but my god the recoil was ridiculous. I’d have kept it though but it wasn’t mine to keep.

Daft question, why do you need to budget for a sight? Do they not come with a sight built on?

Because a scope means better accuracy at longer ranges. Fine in a field or range setting but for the garden open sights are adequate (unless you have a long garden in which case crack on).

It’s only the very low end ones that come with open sights.

Whoa there! There’s generalising and then there’s just nonsense. The value of a gun has nothing to do with whether it has open sights or not. Plenty of field guns (like my 52 and it’s recoiless cousins) have fixed sights as do £3K target rifles. It’s only a relatively recent fashion thing to have no fixed sights.

I bought one a couple of years back (actually 7 now I come to think about it)

*sigh* that’s how it always ends.

I want to get a new air rifle so reading with interest – I had an AA s200 when they came out over here for a long time, light and accurate, I think I used to get about 50 shots before pumping up again. However it got more and more unreliable, with seals, hammer spring going, pressure varying regularly and was costing loads to get sorted each time. I chopped it in at the local shop for a Weirauch HW97K underlever they recommended which is good quality but pretty heavy. So looking for something simple, reliable and a bit lighter than this. HW77? Or something else from above…

My last scope cost £180 and although its ok and does exactly as I need, its nothing flash.

Not near Harrogate unfortunately. Thank you for all the helpful advice.

I’ve got a BSA Airsporter Stutzen .22 sat in the cupboard. The early tap load 1980s version. I’m told that to those in the know (which I’m not) it’s considered quite nice and a bit of a find. It is a very pretty looking thing. It needed a reblue when bought it from a work colleague – must get around to it. Though as moving to Scotland in a few months it sounds like I’ll need a licence if I want to keep it.

Ooh, yeah stutzen stocks always have an enthusiast following. Not really my thing but I know the Airsporter was well regarded in that respect. If you want a hand with your licence gimme a shout, it’s not overly onerous but you have to apply for everything (easily done with the correct wording) or it’s a variation fee to sort it later. Some poor bugger applied to shoot at a specific club and that’s what his licence only allowed him to do!

@timidwheeler it would help to know where you specifically are, there are a lot of good RFDs out there and a lot of gun rooms looking to empty your wallet.

I’m looking at getting an air rifle. Initially for target practice but then for rabbits as overrun with the little buggers. I’m near Chester, any advice on a good place to go?

Only got rid of that to but a T16 turbo engine and box for my Rover Coupe.

Requires expansion. 🙂

My last scope cost £180 and although its ok and does exactly as I need, its nothing flash.

The last scope I bought cost me 800 quid, but it was going on my .308win and did allow me to hit out to 1000m. On an air rifle for plinking, I can’t see a reason for getting anything more than a 3-9×40 from a decent brand (Nikko-Sterling is my benchmark for this). It’s almost worth going for a fixed power just to keep it simple.

Plenty of decent Hawke scopes too. My best scope is an 80s Nikko Sterling Platinum with iridium lens, absolute beast. Second best is a Hakke fixed of the same vintage. Japanese glass of that era is fairly cheap now and a good choice if you aren’t bothered about mildots. The problem with your £800 swarovski scopes is they probably aren’t built for air rifles, a springer can easily destroy a scope with the piston slam!

@bruk I can’t remember if Cheshire Gun Room is any good but can easily check. Further afield Blackpool Air Rifles have a very good rep, bit of a trip though.

Another stealth ad. I have an as new, barely used Weirauch HW57 underlever in .177 flavour gathering dust which could do with a new home. Fitted with a good scope and comes with original box, manuals etc. I make very good price! 🙂

I’ve still got a 22 Relum I got for Christmas 43 years ago and Webley Osprey from the late 70’s. Haven’t used them in years but I’ll never get rid of them.

@Pondo

[Unicorn] Used to have a 2 litre NASP Tomcat. K-reg in nightfire rwd, cream leather, MGF clocks, 3″ Scorpion exhaust. Lovely thing.

Was living in Farm cottage but the shooting (rabbits, rats) want as good as the previous place we lived do sold the Hornet for £280 including a 200bar diver’s bottle, then went to Edinburgh to pick up a 620ti engine and box for £220.

After that, we had to move again, then when settled I hired an engine hoist and spent a weekend on my own taking the NASP out and putting the turbo lump in. Oh, and flogged the ti box for £150. Engine turned out to need new big end bearings, so it came out again one weekend.

Once up and running out was awesome though. Much more fun and more distasteful when making progress than shooting stuff.

Had to sell up when I got made redundant. Gutted. Since then it’s been a procession of diesels.

Might get a Volvo C70 T5 for shits and giggles one day. [\unicorn]

Back on topic, airguns are great when used safely. Simmons 1.5-5×20 FTW

Also well worth considering is the Weihrauch HW57. A much underrated air rifle with a great pop-up loading mechanism. I’ve had two and they were both extremely accurate. Also lightweight and of course equipped with the Rekord trigger.

Those who say the HW77 is light are just wrong.

If budget is really an issue, have a look at the Remington Express.

Those who say the HW77 is light are just wrong.

A ton lighter than my 52’s! But yes, I forgot how heavy it was, my 430 is about halfway between a 77 and a 57.

I’d have a Hatsan 60 before a Remington though.

I’m considering buying an air rifle to fight off zombie hordes

Clearly this because I’ve been thinking the same. I’d like to see airgun sales trends for the past year, or so.

Forgot about the Zombie hordes. I have a couple of .22 lr rimfires for them. Not ideal but will keep you on your toes.lol.

Warrington Gun rooms. They have various packages to suit various budgets.