Fun toy and survival tool.

[Urban Survivalist]

This week I went to Wal-Mart and was looking at their high powered pellets guns. After a talking to a few people I bought a Crosman Phantom for $80. I put a Tasco scope on it and got it sighted in the next day. I went on an over night with a couple friends and took my new pellet gun. We made a pack that we were going to eat off the land or starve for the night. The pellet gun weights just under 7 lbs so it wasn

[jmsneorrcom]

what animal did you get with it. I have been thinking about getting a pellet gun for the same reasons that you have

[Urban Survivalist]

I poped three cotten tail rabbits, one for each of us. The longest shot was about 25 yards and it still droped it right away. I shot one bird and one hugh jack rabbit. The jack rabbit was really big but one shot and it went down when I got over to it it was just a notch above dead so I put one more in it to speed up the process. I was impressed with the gun. I just read if you use high velosity rounds then the Phantom will shot at 1200 fps. Check out this video on preformance pellets its one minute long and cool to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw9JH7rHGiA

[Klayton]

That is very interesting. My adult airgun takes CO2 canisters unfortunately. So I will have to look at the site for some research... :)

[jmsneorrcom]

there was just a show on discovery channel "alaska game wardens" I think it was called. and the person on it reportedly shot and killed a moose with a pellet gun. it didnt drop it right there but looked like over a short time it died.

[Triple-sod]

Airgunning is really big over here in the U.K, because of the strict gun laws. If you get a decent one they're not bad at all, certainly adequate for small game.

[rice paddy daddy]

I bought a Crosman at Wal Mart, it's a Storm model, .177 caliber break barrel. Advertised velocity is up to 1,000 fps depending on pellet weight.
I had bought it with the intention of shooting the rats in the horse stables and attatched feed room, but it was way overpowered for that. I put a scope on it (included with the rifle) and now find enjoyment sitting in a lawn chair in the back yard shooting pine cones.
Pellet rifles are great fun and would be a good survival tool.

[slingshot]

I may try the Crosman. Son bought a Daisy BB/pellet gun with his report card money and it was a POS. Daisy sent 2 replacements and they were all junk! The boy that bought it finally outgrew that age and never had a reliable bb/pellet gun like boys are supposed to have. I wish I knew some way to make it illegal for Daisy products to even be put on the shelves in stores.

I've been thinking about a sneakier way to get small game on this place, finally settled on traps. If Crosman is reliable I may get one anyway, to supplement the traps.

[Bearman202]

I looked at them today, and couldn't decide. I then bought a wrist rocket, and got a bizzare surprise. When I went up to checkout, the register pinged. Seems you have to be 16 to buy a slingshot in Missouri. WTF???? When I was 16, I made my own out of a "Y" stick and some inner tube rubber. I plan on getting an air rifle. Too cheap ammo, and too much potential for a LOT of fun....

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I looked at them today, and couldn't decide. I then bought a wrist rocket, and got a bizzare surprise. When I went up to checkout, the register pinged. Seems you have to be 16 to buy a slingshot in Missouri. WTF???? When I was 16, I made my own out of a "Y" stick and some inner tube rubber. I plan on getting an air rifle. Too cheap ammo, and too much potential for a LOT of fun....

Man at wallie world you gotta be 16 to buy that, bbs, paint, stabile gas treatment and on and on. Craziness

[Klayton]

The age thing is to cut down on juvenile pranks...

The Y stick and innertube is actually a slingshot, a wrist rocket has a wrist brace allowing to apply loads more pressure...

But I understand where you are coming from, its our society, we are losing freedoms left and right all because liberals are slowly ruining America.

[rice paddy daddy]

The Crosman rifles sold at Wal Mart are serious weapons, they are not toys. Now, for competition or fine target work, one can spend many hundreds of dollars on brands such as Gamo, but for the average enthusiast (like me) these Crosmans are ok, and usually less than or right around one hundred dollars.

[Triple-sod]

Fair point Klayton, when I was a kid one of my mates had a black widow and it was pretty powerful, in the wrong hands it could have done considerable damage to people, property and animals.

As for the society I think it goes a little bit deeper.

When my grandad was a kid in the 30's/40's at pretty much any age you could go into a gun shop and walk out with a shotgun (and this is England we are talking about). Yet today, I think even the most libertarian among us would feel a little uncomfortable about such a state of affairs.

There are so many unruly, badly raised kids about that you know for a fact it would lead to trouble, and by playing on this fear the liberals get there way. (Ironically of course it could well be argued that it has been the liberal’s policies which have created this situation in the first place)

[runtothehills]

I poped three cotten tail rabbits, one for each of us. The longest shot was about 25 yards and it still droped it right away. I shot one bird and one hugh jack rabbit. The jack rabbit was really big but one shot and it went down when I got over to it it was just a notch above dead so I put one more in it to speed up the process. I was impressed with the gun. I just read if you use high velosity rounds then the Phantom will shot at 1200 fps. Check out this video on preformance pellets its one minute long and cool to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw9JH7rHGiA

Yes!, They can do damage! They can kill you! Shattered the back of my wifes car window, from about 75 yards, by a drunkin neighbor! Which turned out to be my boss and my best friend! They were drinking on the porch and desided the guy that lived next to me had the prefect target! About a 3' globe on his pole light. I was sitting on the porch with my daughter and heard them hooting and holwering over there, and I keep hearing things hit my bushes.I was like WTF and took her inside. Woke up the next morning and saw the wifes back window on her car and put 2+2 together!What a idoit! He paid for the window, cuz he was busted and laid into him for being a idiot! He could have killed me or my daughter. And, yes! I don't live there anymore! been 13 years!

[All Talk]

I live in a semi-rural suburb (lots are 4 acres, wooded). My place drops into a ravine behind my house, the far side of which is still on my property and serves as a great backstop at about 100 yds.

I have put cowbells, cymbals, and other metal objects up in trees (dangling from branches or nailed to the trunk) at various heights, distances, and azimuths from my deck. The kids have a couple of Daisys, and I have a break-barrell pellet gun (1200 fps).

Great fun, swinging from target to target -- and NOTHING beats the sound of the bells, gongs, etc. as positive feedback for hits. The first few times you will laugh out loud, I promise you.

Farthest target is a #10 coffee can hanging upside down from the branch of a massive oak @ about 75 yds. Obviously the daisys don't have a prayer, but with my scope I can hit it about half the time, nice satisfying deep "booooong!!!"

Hit a squirrel eating my grass seed right below it, as I said about 75 yds, knocked him through the air but he got up and ran off. Lethality seems to drop off quite a bit with range, although i used to put pellets through-and through a coffee can I had at about 35 yds.

Advice -- coffee cans rust, brass bells do not (but become mangled, even from BBs).