Budget Air rifle

[Ernfranhoo]

Hi. I'm coming back to shooting after a 50-year break. I used to have a meteor and paratrooper. They are long gone. I've been looking at the Remington Sabre .22 and the Remington Pest Controller, which are within my budget. I intend to use it for 20m target and small vermin. Any advice for either one of these or any other make in the price range will be gratefully received
Cheers
Ernie

[EricP]

Hatsan are worth looking at, they are a Turkish brand, nice stocks, generally well regarded by those who have shot them, though looked down on by those who haven’t. The 900x Breaker is about £120, there are a few models in the Hatsan range sub £200.
The first air rifle I has was a SMK XS-20. It was a good gun, the only reason I passed it on was because I was concentrating on .177 and the XS-20 is only available in .22.

[harvey_s]

Personally I'd have plumped for the Remington Express.
These are very good for the price and by removing a few washers from the trigger stack their triggers can be made near 'Rekord' quality.
I'm not sure the other Remingtons are as nice...

[gtfreight]

If the Remington is in your budget it's a good choice. It will match or better your old meteor for accuracy and the trigger is better (it can also be improved quite easily by removing a washer or 2). It will be what is known to as "full power" which equates to 11+ ft/lb, give or take.
If and when you come to upgrade you won't lose more than £50 on the gun unless it's been battered.

[CapitalBee]

Choice between the two you mention, I'd go for the Sabre. I believe they are the Remington Express in a different stock. They can shoot well out of the box, have a resettable safety and a good trigger (do follow the tip to take out two washers from the screw in front of the trigger blade). The Pest Controller may be a bit cheaper, as they are a derivitive of the BAM 19, which has a slightly less impressive trigger, but they can shoot nicely as well. I'd avoid anything in that price bracket with sealed gas rams, as they can have a habit of losing power with continued use.

[Blackrider]

First of all Ernie, a very warm welcome to the BBS Forum with an interesting first post !

Secondly, the two air rifles you mention are both a good choice to begin your "second coming" to Air gunning and it will be up to your personal choice but try to find a local stockiest and handle them first if you are able !

All the best !

[Martin77]

Hi. I'm coming back to shooting after a 50-year break. I used to have a meteor and paratrooper. They are long gone. I've been looking at the Remington Sabre .22 and the Remington Pest Controller, which are within my budget. I intend to use it for 20m target and small vermin. Any advice for either one of these or any other make in the price range will be gratefully received
Cheers
Ernie

If you can get a decent second hand Walther LGV (Walther dropped out of the springer market for some inexplicable reason) it is easily one of the most accurate springers about. Steer clear of CO2 if you are planning on shooting outdoors.

[Renegade2.0]

Definitely consider the Hatsan range.
I have a 1000s striker in .25.
With minimal work(less than the 14 weihrauchs I've had) on the trigger and a relube and piston liner it's great.
I'm considering a 125qe as I've always wanted a webley patriot but it's fac, a real heavy beast, the 125 is near as damn it the same dimensions in 12ftlb,definitely a bench rest rifle.