Hi. I have been vacillating since before lockdown. I have plenty of opportunity to rid local farmers of small pests so emailed a well-known retailer with all my questions. It was suggested that I visited the shop but Burnley to Nottingham is a bit of a hike. Hopefully they can all be answered here. My first consideration was noise to avoid disturbing or giving concern to the neighbours so ruled out springer or gas ram (videos of these don't really give a clue as to what the neighbours would hear). To go with non fac pcp, I had to decide air bottle or compressor refill which was going to need a much bigger outlay. Air bottle seemed a tad cheaper overall. Views would be most appreciated.
To specific questions,
Does a longer barrel versus carbine or bullpup give greater muzzle velocity ie hitting power?
Same question for accuracy (up to 40 yards)?
Is .177 or .22 better accuracy over 40 yards?
Which is better for rats and squirrels?
What spec of scope would suit anticipated range? (metal not plastic)
Is it worth paying for parallax free/ second focal plane?
Personal preference/compromise would probably be carbine with pistol grip, capable of taking bipod and hard case that will accommodate scope. Not precious about wood furniture. Quite happy with polymer. Not too heavy - I was 76 last April. I want to keep everything below £1000 with as much change as possible. Not to put too fine a point on it, I would be happy with a single shot gas ram provided that it was super quiet (understand that moderators are not effective).
Loads of questions I know and I realise that that there may not be a rifle that meets my preferences but am looking forward to hearing from forum members
To specific questions,
Does a longer barrel versus carbine or bullpup give greater muzzle velocity ie hitting power?
Same question for accuracy (up to 40 yards)?
Is .177 or .22 better accuracy over 40 yards?
Which is better for rats and squirrels?
What spec of scope would suit anticipated range? (metal not plastic)
Is it worth paying for parallax free/ second focal plane?
Personal preference/compromise would probably be carbine with pistol grip, capable of taking bipod and hard case that will accommodate scope. Not precious about wood furniture. Quite happy with polymer. Not too heavy - I was 76 last April. I want to keep everything below £1000 with as much change as possible. Not to put too fine a point on it, I would be happy with a single shot gas ram provided that it was super quiet (understand that moderators are not effective).
Loads of questions I know and I realise that that there may not be a rifle that meets my preferences but am looking forward to hearing from forum members
As to filling a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifle, the cheapest way is to use a hand pump. This may be a physical challenge to you, but only you can answer that. Various size bottles can be had for filling from. Be aware that's going to involve paying a local shop to fill. For about the same price (give or take) you can get a small compressor. The thing to be aware of is to make sure it has a high-pressure moisture filter. The cheap ones don't and the little add-on filters still let some moisture into your gun!
Regarding:
1) Does a longer barrel versus carbine or bullpup give greater muzzle velocity ie hitting power?
1a) generally speaking, yes. But, the difference has more to do with the action's design (valves, springs, etc.) than with barrel length.
2) Same question for accuracy (up to 40 yards)?
2a) Accuracy is often times more a function of barrel design and ammo. Each gun is going to have ammo that it just won't "like" and other ammo that all go through the same hole. Best to watch some YouTube reviews like "Airgun Exploration & Advancement Channel" (https://www.youtube.com/user/svscialli)
3) Is .177 or .22 better accuracy over 40 yards?
3a) Again, that depends (sorry)
4) Which is better for rats and squirrels?
4a) Whatever you can consistently put hits inside of a 1" (25mm) circle at the expected distance.
5) What spec of scope would suit anticipated range? (metal not plastic)
5a) Not sure what you mean by "spec". I do pesting at local farms and ranches and rarely need to shoot anything further than 60-80 yards. The most magnification I use for this is 16x.
6) Is it worth paying for parallax free/ second focal plane?
6a) Parallax is a very deep subject. Let me just say this - I only buy First Focal Plane (FFP) because I depend on the things being correct at every magnification level. Second Focal Plane (SFP) scopes are only correct at 1 setting, which should be in the specs and on the box/manual.
Scope advice: Watch some videos by Joe "Cyclops" Rhea (https://www.airgun101.com/video-channels/cyclops-videos)
Bonus advice: spend double on the optics to get the most out of your gun! If your budget is 1,000 that means your gun should cost approximately 333 and the scope 666. Now take those numbers down until you either fit all the accessories into your budget OR you realize that you need to spend more money!
~ Mondo
Regarding:
1) Does a longer barrel versus carbine or bullpup give greater muzzle velocity ie hitting power?
1a) generally speaking, yes. But, the difference has more to do with the action's design (valves, springs, etc.) than with barrel length.
2) Same question for accuracy (up to 40 yards)?
2a) Accuracy is often times more a function of barrel design and ammo. Each gun is going to have ammo that it just won't "like" and other ammo that all go through the same hole. Best to watch some YouTube reviews like "Airgun Exploration & Advancement Channel" (https://www.youtube.com/user/svscialli)
3) Is .177 or .22 better accuracy over 40 yards?
3a) Again, that depends (sorry)
4) Which is better for rats and squirrels?
4a) Whatever you can consistently put hits inside of a 1" (25mm) circle at the expected distance.
5) What spec of scope would suit anticipated range? (metal not plastic)
5a) Not sure what you mean by "spec". I do pesting at local farms and ranches and rarely need to shoot anything further than 60-80 yards. The most magnification I use for this is 16x.
6) Is it worth paying for parallax free/ second focal plane?
6a) Parallax is a very deep subject. Let me just say this - I only buy First Focal Plane (FFP) because I depend on the things being correct at every magnification level. Second Focal Plane (SFP) scopes are only correct at 1 setting, which should be in the specs and on the box/manual.
Scope advice: Watch some videos by Joe "Cyclops" Rhea (https://www.airgun101.com/video-channels/cyclops-videos)
Bonus advice: spend double on the optics to get the most out of your gun! If your budget is 1,000 that means your gun should cost approximately 333 and the scope 666. Now take those numbers down until you either fit all the accessories into your budget OR you realize that you need to spend more money!
~ Mondo
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