70 Year old needs Help!
- Thread starter Shutterbug54
- Start date
CO2 seems like it would have adequate power for this but I wonder a bit about them flapping some and traveling to a different yard - particularly if they are up in a tree when you shoot them. Big advantage is no need for a compressor or pump. Disadvantage is the CO2 leaks out of at least some guns (all the ones I've owned) and so if you go to take a shot you have to put in a new cartridge and "waste it" on a shot or two.
PCP has adjustable power but most would have plenty. They will hold a charge of air for months to years. Even smallest capacity ones give 30 shots or so. But eventually they need recharged. Cheapest way to do it is with a hand pump. I did it for months. My first PCP was a Benjamin Marauder Pistol and if I had not moved on to bigger guns I might still be hand pumping it. The pump looks like a bicycle pump but builds a lot more pressure. Not sure about hand pumping with a bad shoulder, however. A little compressor will add significantly to the cost. A Umarex Notos (made by Snowpeak) is kind of a more modern take on my Marauder Pistol (which is still offered). Small, light, reasonable but not high end power. Should be relatively easy to hand pump.
PCP has adjustable power but most would have plenty. They will hold a charge of air for months to years. Even smallest capacity ones give 30 shots or so. But eventually they need recharged. Cheapest way to do it is with a hand pump. I did it for months. My first PCP was a Benjamin Marauder Pistol and if I had not moved on to bigger guns I might still be hand pumping it. The pump looks like a bicycle pump but builds a lot more pressure. Not sure about hand pumping with a bad shoulder, however. A little compressor will add significantly to the cost. A Umarex Notos (made by Snowpeak) is kind of a more modern take on my Marauder Pistol (which is still offered). Small, light, reasonable but not high end power. Should be relatively easy to hand pump.
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Stick with the CO2 pistols or rifles. You don't want to be doing any pumping until your shoulder is completely healed. Once it's healed you can go back to the break barrel. If all you're doing is popping hsp at such a close distance that will have you set. PCPs are a expensive hole 
to get into.
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The QB is a great option if you get one with a good barrel. I've had bad luck with the 22s the last couple years. They're also slightly underpowered for the length. The 22 with a 21" barrel puts out the same power as a 10" barreled 2240.
Theyre quieter though because of the barrel length.
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I Agree with C02 guns for your needs - I have several, 2240’s all easily take sparrows out -
Here is my current favorite CO2 2260B Sheridan with Buck rail mod. Gun packs punch on chipmunks and Starlings at 20yards - C02 guns are Easy to use not to pricy - I bought this gun used for about $100 -
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I took a quick look around. The 1077 combo with 4x32 scope at PA is only $110. Co2, and semi auto, hard to beat for sparrow patrol.
Crosman 1077 Combo | CO2 Air Rifle & Scope | Pyramyd AIR
We've got a great price on the Crosman 1077 CO2 Air Rifle Combo. Get a great price and expert advice at Pyramyd for your next outdoor adventure!
www.pyramydair.com
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I actually just nabbed a 2260 off ebay for $125 shipped. Already has the Disco steel breech and bolt installed, a nice looking stock, and he converted to bulk fill. Said it's burping air per shot, and I'm going to convert back to carts anyways... then when I run out of this 40 ct box I have, it'll be going low power PCP. Putting a multishot breech with shroud and 12" Prod barrel on it.
I have a bad habit of buying a cheap gun and dumping tons of money into it!
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I never got over 720ish with 14.3s out of the QB platform on co2. 670s with the crosman 2260 was about the norm for me too. Always ended up going pcp.
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Hey Shutterbug54 -
Check your private mail. I have a Crosman 2240XL Co2 that's yours if you want it. It will do the job for you.
Check your private mail. I have a Crosman 2240XL Co2 that's yours if you want it. It will do the job for you.
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I was 70 when I bought my first PCP. Money was not an issue, so I started out with an FX Crown and bought a compressor. 13 rifles and another air compressor later, I think I have finally found the bottom of the rabbit hole.
What is your budget. Do you like black plastic rifles or walnut and steel? It is a fun sport, and suitable for any backyard sportsman. Sparrows and Starlings are plentiful targets of opportunity.
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I took a quick look around. The 1077 combo with 4x32 scope at PA is only $110. Co2, and semi auto, hard to beat for sparrow patrol.
Crosman 1077 Combo | CO2 Air Rifle & Scope | Pyramyd AIR
We've got a great price on the Crosman 1077 CO2 Air Rifle Combo. Get a great price and expert advice at Pyramyd for your next outdoor adventure!www.pyramydair.com
MJS Being new here how do I check my private mail?
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You click on your name and view the mail envelope.
You need to be a member for 10 days and have 10 posts to view your mail.
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In my opinion, a CO2 air rifle probably would be about the best thing for your situation. I recommend the Diana Chaser "kit," which gets you a very capable little carbine rifle, according to everything about it I've read. It's basically a Diana Chaser CO2 air pistol, but one that's had some performance enhancements and the mods and equipment to turn it into a pretty powerful and psychedelic-looking little carbine! I like it myself and have been considering getting one. It is powerful and many owners recommend it for the type of situation in which you find yourself, and you could hardly ask for a better rep than Diana.
Personally, my favorite, most accurate CO2 airgun (other than my semi-auto Umarex 850M2 Magnum -- perfect for small game and birds, but it's a pretty hefty rifle) isn't available anymore, that being the Sheridan 2260MB. Crosman picked it up from Sheridan and remade it, but their version (not available now either, IIRC) wasn't half as nice as the Sheridan, so that leaves me recommending another rifle with many overwhelmingly positive recommendations: the Beeman QB78D. I have the same rifle, but the S version with the synthetic stock instead of the very nice wood stock, and I have been wishing I'd bought the D (deluxe) model ever since. ;-) Lastly, even the Crosman 1077 (I have the 1077W version with the wood stock, my third airgun purchase back in '21), should be more than powerful enough for birds, and it's a very nice, accurate and inexpensive 12-shot semi-automatic that's also lots of fun, on top of being capable of handling close-in small game and pests. The new Crosman 1077TAC version supposedly performs even a bit better than the original, judging by the advertised fps, if that can be trusted, and many reviewers seem to think it's the best version yet of the venerable 1077 (also available in two different synthetic-stocked versions). Naturally, there are lots of others as well, but that might do to at least get you started in the right direction. Start shopping around online and reading the reviews left by buyers/users. See what the folks here can do for you. Maybe even look to the 'experts' at an online shop such as Pyramyd Air (pyramydair.com), where you can contact them by email, describe your needs, and find they'll be happy to provide you with options and suggestions, probably doing a much better job of it than I could. They've been great for me over the years, and if you make a purchase there, after-sale service is absolutely top-notch as well, about the best anywhere, in my experience.
I'm closin' in on 70 myself now and after four back surgeries and a degenerative nerve disease diagnosis, have been disabled for quite awhile, but I also have developed some pretty nasty arthritis problems (I have all three types) in my hands, wrists, elbow and shoulders particularly, so I certainly understand your situation. If you don't want to go with the super expensive PCP side of the airgun hobby, requiring compressors and considerable other dry-air paraphernalia (I don't think you could use the affordable PCP rifles with a hand pump at all, especially given the number of pumps they need (nearing and more than one hundred, I believe)), there's an off chance you still might be able to consider a cheaper, almost child-like, variable pump pellet rifle. As I mentioned, I'm disabled, but still can use even the worst of mine, with some pain and difficulty, but many are dead easy to pump up and don't really bother me at all: my first choices would be along the lines of: the Daisy 880 kit (I like its all-black version with a front blade and adjustable rear notch sight, instead of the brown and black 880 as sold alone, which uses a fiber optic front sight I don't really like. Even though it might seem somewhat toy-like, with a mostly plastic and rolled metal construction, it does have a rifled barrel, it shoots very accurately on my 30ft indoor range and hits quite hard... harder even than the CO2 air rifles! The next step up the rung would be the improved version of that same air rifle, the Winchester 1977XS (some places sell it using the name Winchester 77XS, but it's the same thing). It's a better rifle than its smaller Daisy cousin in every way, at least to me, and I have and continue to use it for pests and STILL get some of my most accurate target shooting groups with it after four years of use. I bought it back in '20 and loved it then (my 2nd purchase after the Daisy 880), and now, 28 airguns later (some of which are very good quality pumpers costing many hundreds of dollars), it's still one I reach for when I don't want to mess around with anything -- no CO2 cartridges, multi-shot magazines, and definitely no trying to 'break' my VERY tough air piston break barrels, or anything else. Just pick it up, grab some pellets (neither it nor the Daisy have been pellet picky for me with anything I've put through them), give it four or five VERY easy pumps (of course, it's well broken-in now too, making the pumping super easy), and shoot hole-in-hole groups at thirty feet as long as I can stay in the right mindset.
Another easy-to-use pumper you might consider (at right around only fifty bucks) is the Umarex NXG APX. Very light and handles well, it's accurate (even with a fiber optic front sight) and also is a very easy pumper. compared to most of the others I have in both .177 and .22 caliber. Lastly, for more power that also might not be too tough to pump up (especially for birds), is the .22 caliber Crosman 362. I LOVE it, so much I bought the anniversary edition with the Walnut stock and many improvements too, but again, I bought mine back when it was first released, so it too is very nicely broken-in and extremely easy to pump. Even better, if you want or need all the power it can give you, it only needs EIGHT pumps instead of the usual ten (as with the Daisy, Winchester and Umarex).Still... It's very possible that pumpers of any kind might be out of your reach altogether too, especially if you haven't fully recovered from your surgery(ies) yet, so unless you want to spend a fortune on PCP equipment, or maybe try to acquire a used version of one or more of the pumpers mentioned -- to get one already well broken-in -- I think CO2 just might be the way to go for you. There are many more great candidates that would meet your needs than I mentioned as well. If you'd like more recommendations of CO2 or other airguns, or have any questions at all, feel free to write me. I'll be glad to try to help. Whatever you end up going with, let me wish you good luck with your situation! Those birds don't stand a chance.
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I think this is the conundrum I face with a destroyed shoulder myself.
I cannot operate a break barrel due to the ergonomics of the operation. Same is true of pumping a pumper or pumping a hand pump for a pcp.
I only shoot pcp's now due to those limitations and because I despise the artillery hold.
I honestly recommend the Notos for weight, simplicity and low cost. A simple box compressor isn't a lot of money and a direct gun fill isn't going to overheat it.
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