Shopping for a good .177

[Eric Wettschreck]

Too many critters ( stray cats, coons, skunks, etc ) are running around my place and I need a new .177 pellet gun as I've pretty much worn out my old cheapo.

I'm thinking aboot going with the Stoger X-10 (I think that's what it is) but I'm no expert on pellet guns. I want to keep things under 200 dollars.

Any suggestions?

[Archerysniper]

I shoot the Gammos and they are are accurate

[Boar]

Got my daughter a gamo silent cat for Xmas think i gonna get one these ar pretty sweet. Cant go wrong with gamo, the silent cat was 150 but u can go up much higher if ya want, think the cat was 1250 fps

[Tom7227]

Wouldn't a 410 be a bit more efficient? Not sure I would want to take on a skunk with a pellet gun. You could get one of those old bolt action 410's for next to nothing and I doubt that much would walk away from one.

[harvey lee]

Bought my son a Gammo, cannot remember the model but it was one of the top 2.

Gun shoots very well. Great for critters in the yard.

[Whoaru99]

Why not just use something like .22 with CB rounds (or similar), since many (most?) places don't seem to differentiate air gun from firearm these days.

[bobbymalone]

I was shooting my dad's crossman storm xt a couple months ago and I could pick acorns off the tree at 30-40 yards with the scope. I'd still consider it a cheapo ($65) but it rips pellets at 1200fps and is super accurate.

You are gonna need to brain a stray cat.

For you guys asking about why not use a .50BMG, I'm guessing the poster lives in town... I can sneak off a pellet gun shot, not so much a .410 or even a 22. Maybe with subsonic ammo, but then... you're talking about a glorified pellet gun. 22CB and a pellet gun are the same thing, except pellet guns are cheaper to reload. I've never heard good things about short .22 rounds as far as accuracy goes either.

[Whoaru99]

Subsonic .22 ammo or even the tiny CB caps are hardly .177 pellet gun material, unless you're talking a really high powered pellet gun which is still short of that level of power yet is louder.

Then, still the matter remains as I mentioned earlier, regardless that you're shooting an air rifle many places these days treat/consider them same as firearms. So, from a "getting in trouble" standpoint, a high power pellet gun makes more noise, is less powerful, and you're in just as much trouble if busted.

[Dave S]

I picked up a new air rifle a couple months ago for $250. 1300fps and sounds like a 22 when shooting the PBA ammo. Standard pellets still shoot 1000 fps and will take down a skunk, ditch cougars, wabbits, tree rats.....you name it. I shoot the Gamo pellets that have the red plastic tip on them and they're flat shooting and deadly accurate to 35+ yards.

[Boar]

My bro lives in a larger city than me an has a gamo of considerable silence an takes down those giant jack rabbits that envade the suburb, has a blast.

[Eric Wettschreck]

For the record, I live on the outskirts of town and shoot critters on a regular basis with the .22. No one around me cares, actually they thank me.......and they appreciate the fact my dog will kill anything he gets his jaws on.

I'm just looking to switch things up a bit. Heck, a guy can't have too many guns. No need to drill a cat or skunk with the 22-250 or 7.62 and the .22 is starting to get too easy. A little variety never hurt anything.

[swamptiger]

I have an older pellet rifle that I use sometimes to kill chipmunks and squirrels. It is a Marksman 1790 break open design that was originally manufactured as a biathlon training rifle, and it only shoots at about 450 fps, but it's accurate and does the job if I limit my distance to 25 or 30 feet. Fun to plink with, and I'm sure the more powerful airguns would be effective on larger pests too, with a well-placed shot.

[Moose]

Woot dot com has some refurbished Gamo on sale just click on the sport tab and there are 3 models from 500 fps to 1300 fps. Merry Christmas!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Ended up getting a Ruger. I spent quite a while bothering a guy at a store comparing a few different brands (Gamo, Stoeger, Ruger). The thing that got me in the end was my ability to see through the different cross hairs in the scopes provided. I'll say this much, for 150 or less there are some real nice pellet guns out there.

Understand this is a back yard critter getter and not a 400 yard shot.

Got home early this afternoon and gave it a real try out. A couple of dead critters later I can honestly say I like the Ruger.