Which Air rifle is best for a beginner?

[Darrenw]

Hi,

I have owned a HW45 silver star for a while now and am considering buying an Air rifle.....could somebody recommend a good beginners rifle?
Thanks in advance
Darrenw

[lesj]

Hello. Could you expand on this a bit more.. eg your size, build, whether you need R/H L/H or ambi, preferred calibration,and what you will be intending to use the rifle for.

[Darrenw]

Thanks...5ft 9" medium/large build. Right handed. 177 for general target shooting to maybe joining a club.
Around the £300 mark (used)
Thanks again.

[willo1962]

Air Arms tx200. Weirhrauch 98/95/77, I would go for .177 mainly because pellets are cheaper . You could go for a pre-charged but that would be over £300 if you take charging equip in to account.
I have recently returned to shooting after a lengthy break and bought a hw99s, nice little rifle but took quite a while to learn how to shoot it well, it is very hold and pellet sensitive. But it is shooting like a dream at the moment. Good luck

[Darrenw]

Thanks for this..I think I will stick with weihrauch as I like the build quality.
I will see if I can try the ones that you have mentioned.
I like the look of the BSA Lightning XL? any thoughts?
Thanks again.

[blooregard]

With that budget and a heftier build I would certainly favour the TX200 over a Weihrauch.

Nothing wrong with a Weihrauch (apart from them being a little dull) but I feel that the Air Arms offerings are superior (Unless of course you want a Break Barrel).

[lesj]

It may pay to join a club first,before you purchase anything. Most of them have club-owned guns that you can use, and you will find that a lot of club members will be quite happy to let you have a go with theirs. There are always 2nd hand guns for sale within/via the club, and a PCP might be available within the budget. Dont forget that a decent scope will be required also.
As stated in other posts...... you cant go wrong with a Weirauch or TX200

[Darrenw]

It may pay to join a club first,before you purchase anything. Most of them have club-owned guns that you can use, and you will find that a lot of club members will be quite happy to let you have a go with theirs. There are always 2nd hand guns for sale within/via the club, and a PCP might be available within the budget. Dont forget that a decent scope will be required also.
As stated in other posts...... you cant go wrong with a Weirauch or TX200

Excellent advice...thanks very much. A club is the way forward! I did visit a couple when I first got my pistol but they were both Rifle only's...so now I am entering the rifle market..
I will attempt to try an Air Arms.
As soon as the moderators allow me to take a look at the Sale items I will get an idea of prices.

[blooregard]

Your only a couple of posts away!

Mcavoys have a good selection of well priced second hand rifles and they offer a decent warranty as well, a little more expensive than private but not too far away.

[kenhart1]

There are only two rifles to consider in your price range the Air Arms TX200 or the Weihrauch HW77 both are well made and very acurate I would favour the TX200 it has less recoil and is in my opinion a nicer rifle to shoot and to look at,if you can get either one with a V MACH tuning kit fitted it would be even better,both of these rifles you will find for sale on Gunstar at around £250 to £300 a V Mach tuning kit would cost you new about £70 but is well worth it and would greatly improve the rifles performance.Good Luck.
Regards Ken.

[Darrenw]

Your only a couple of posts away!

Mcavoys have a good selection of well priced second hand rifles and they offer a decent warranty as well, a little more expensive than private but not too far away.

Mcavoys? I am in the M23 postcode...

[Darrenw]

There are only two rifles to consider in your price range the Air Arms TX200 or the Weihrauch HW77 both are well made and very acurate I would favour the TX200 it has less recoil and is in my opinion a nicer rifle to shoot and to look at,if you can get either one with a V MACH tuning kit fitted it would be even better,both of these rifles you will find for sale on Gunstar at around £250 to £300 a V Mach tuning kit would cost you new about £70 but is well worth it and would greatly improve the rifles performance.Good Luck.
Regards Ken.

Thanks for this Ken..others are recommending the TX200 too, I will take a look.
Regards
Darren

[Rapidnick]

With that budget and a heftier build I would certainly favour the TX200 over a Weihrauch.

Nothing wrong with a Weihrauch (apart from them being a little dull) but I feel that the Air Arms offerings are superior (Unless of course you want a Break Barrel).

I don't really agree with this. As an owner of both I find the HW and AA underlever rifles very similar in handling. 'Out of the mythical box' the AA is slightly smoother but the HW responds very well to a small amount of tuning work.
My advice to the OP is pretty simple. Buy one that suits you that comes up first at the price that suits you. Try as many rifles as you can. If you do this I would be staggered if you ended up buying a BSA Lightning as they are not in the same class as either HW or AA spring rifles.
Going further, if you expect to spend more time 'in the field' then a break barrel such as the HW95/98/80 is my choice. If you expect to do more target shooting then go for the HW97K or the AA TX200 as most shooters find the underlever adds stability in the 'hold' over the break barrel design.

[blooregard]

Mcavoys? I am in the M23 postcode...

Mcavoys is in Standish, 20 minutes away in the car and with a lot more variety than the more local shops. Branthwaites is closer to you and is also a good shop but without the variety of Mcavoys.

Nick, of course your correct, the rifle that fits is the rifle to choose, for me this happens to be the TX200 (and its prettier as well!).

[secretagentmole]

If you like break barrels then you could pick up an HW95, the Carlsberg of break barrels...