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trapperman50 · New Member

I am brand new to air rifles & i have narrowed it down to these two types the spring or the gas piston & i am needing a little help i am needing the one i choose to shoot very accurately & i will be hunting small game with it also so which one would serve me the best i am looking at the Umarex Octane in 22 or the Ruger Air Magnum in 22 which one do you fellas think would do I will also be using my choice for my trapline to dispatch Coyotes & Bobcats & Skunks so which one of the two will do the best for this

toadmyster223 · Senior Member

Get an nitro-piston'd .22 and you should be satisfied. I've got a Benjamin Titan and I've always been tickled with it. It should be fine for dispatching larger animals at point-blank range. I had a .177 for a long time, and I'll never go back. Infinitely more satisfied with the .22.

twalter · Veteran Member

I think a rim fire pistol might be a better option for dealing with game in a trap. Longer barrel with subsonic ammo or shorts. That or the benjamin woodswalker might be enough gun for you.

Ive been looking at that Ruger in .22 you speak of. Ive been on the fence with it as I heard it has some kind of floating trigger group that rests in the stock. Im not sure what or how that works but until I can get my hands on it Im not going to bite yet.

Mentolio · Veteran Member

Whatever you decide to get, I suggest you make sure it either:A-comes equipped with a good, adjustable, 2 stage trigger, or B-is a model that you can buy an after market trigger for (Charlie Da Tuna for Crosman/Benjamin/Gamo, Woodfield for Hatsan). My experience has been that an inexpensive gun (like most Umarex, and those mentioned above) is perfectly capable of the level of accuracy needed to humanely hunt; but they typically come with stiff, crunchy, not-so-adjustable triggers that make achieving that accuracy frustrating, if not impossible. All three of my spring guns (one of which is a Crosman NP) said "adjustable two stage trigger" in their descriptions. No matter what "adjustments" I made to any of the three, none of them had anything better than a heavy trigger pull, with no discernible first stage, and a "surprise, I'm shooting now" second stage (tho I will say the Umarex Leverage had the best trigger out of the box, it was actually completely non-adjustable!).
If I may suggest: I might look at the Crosman/Benjamin line of Nitro Piston air guns. They can be had fairly inexpensively, some come bundled with at least a decent scope, and most should be easy to do a CDT trigger mod, making them a pleasure to shoot! Bearing in mind that pretty much ALL manufacturers inflate their "claimed velocity (Feet Per Second) numbers," I would expect just about any of the mentioned .22 calibers to be good for 700+ FPS, and over 15 foot pounds with common lead pellets. That said, I'd have to agree with twalter when he points out that an airgun may not be the best choice to deliver the "coup de grace" (spelling?) on an animal the size of a coyote, bob cat, or skunk that's thrashing about in a trap. A rim fire pistol would certainly be a better choice, in my opinion. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide!