Benjamin The right pesting gun for the job

[JBDXLT]

OK, all you experienced air-gunners, I have a question:

I need to eliminate some Starlings around my rural area home. The safest direction where I find them is up in some trees about 65 to 80 yards away. They typically show up in the early spring and leave in the late fall. The gun needs to be ready at a moments notice, but then might sit for 6 months. I’ve looked at the Wildcat BT VP and I’m also considering the Akela by Airgun Revisions.

I like that bullpup format/style. I’d probably tune both for 18.1 JSBs, I realize the FX gun is more versatile and accurate but the added complexity gives me pause.

Considering that it will sit and then get shot maybe 5 times and then sit for days/weeks/months; which, practically speaking, is the best tool for the job?

I’d just use my 22lr but I have a neighbor that gets nervous. My Benjamin 342 is good for close-in, but doesn’t work well beyond 40 feet with my old eyes.

 

[WorriedMan]

JB,
Welcome, you've come to the right place. Don't think many will argue Akela is better than Wildcat, pricing, of course, reflects that. My Wildcat Mk3 Sniper .30 handled many nuisance crows without problem, shoulders perfectly, shoots straight, joy to own. Noticed four Wildcat MK3s recently in Member Classifieds, after 10 days and 10 posts, you'll qualify for access, I'd take advantage. WM

 

[Vetmx]

Definitely the Akela. It doesn’t have a regulator and can sit for long periods of time and you will have first shot consistency. Our shop gun is a Kral unregulated gun for the same reason. When someone grabs it, even if it sat for a month, it’s velocity is spot on.

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

P35 is my vote

 

[Florida_Man]

For that amount of use I wouldn’t spend the money on an FX. The P35 will do amazing. If you want to spend more I suggest a AGT Vulcan, Cricket, or a Taipan. But you really don’t need that much gun for the birds. Airgun Revisions would get you a really great shooting rifle, I’m saving for one of his custom builds.

 

[JimD]

My P35s rarely sit for extended time periods but I recently shot my P35-25 and it's first shot was where it was supposed to be. It had probably sat for at least a month, maybe multiple months. Tuned well (they like the hammer spring at the maximum velocity point for the regulator setting) the first shot is accurate regardless of time sitting. For small birds the P35-177 should be plenty. Mine came tuned to give about 100 shots per fill at 18-19 fpe. The regulator could be decreased to increase the shot count and still take small birds fine. I've been shooting squirrels with my 177 and it occasionally shoots through them with 10.65 grain pellets. 8 grain should work for birds but they would be going around 1000 fps which I think is too fast.

 

[Long_Gun_Dallas]

I dont have one, but have twp pp800s. Always hear good things about the P35s. Like constantly. And both my 800's are dead accurate.

 

[WorriedMan]

JB,
Can't argue with the good advice shared, it's like that around here! Word of caution, be mindful of the highly addictive nature of this hobby, my guess is once you start, you'll be fast down the rabbit hole like the rest of us. Whichever PCP you end up with might be used far more than originally planned, just bear that possibility in mind. Choose wisely, Grasshopper. WM

 

[EncoreUneFois]

A halfway decent PCP won’t lose much pressure over time. I’ll be honest, due to wonderful (wet and grey) British weather I’ve not shot in about a month. The L2 is still at 250 bar.

If it is not going to be a hobby (which it might well be - sort of addictive. Show me a man with depth that doesn’t get into kit intensive hobbies) then it really doesn’t matter that much which platform you choose:

BUT

If you intend on killing things then;
Make sure (practicing on paper) you can hit a dime EVERY TIME at the range you wish to shoot. I have no time whatsoever with people who launch lead with just a vague hope it hits the quarry.

Oh, and don’t go bargain basement. There is a good reason why Gamo is cheap.

PPS Optics are just as important.

 

[weevil]

I would get the Akela 177 slug certified version from AR. As vetmx mentioned, you want a non regulated gun since regulators will creep, changing the POI on the first few shots. Whatever you do, bear in mind that you will need to sight in periodically as seasons change because temperature affects air density, changing the amount of drag on the pellet.

 

[rcs9250]

I know this is an airgun forum but if your .22LR has a threaded muzzle you can buy a good suppressor including the tax stamp for a bit under $400. You won’t need a compressor and if it sits for extended periods way beyond months it will be ready in an instant. And you won’t need a HP air source.
That was my go to before the airgun rabbit hole.
It goes without saying, a pellet won’t go as far as a .22LR. I use subsonic which is less FPE and velocity than supersonic .22LR but still longer range than pellets.
If your rifle muzzle isn’t threaded a smith can do it probably for $200 or less. Or buy a Ruger RPR rimfire, damn accurate for around $400-$450. And muzzle is threaded. There are other .22 rimfires too but my RPR is very accurate within the range you spec’d.
My Tikka T1x with suppressor is deadly accurate.

 

[jarmstrong]

Starlings will come to a ground bait area, pick your spot where you want to shot them and use dry cat food
I get my most activity during a snow,,, Starling pesting for me is mostly winter time, but I still get a few in the spring, summer time they are at the feedlot

 

[JBDXLT]

Thanks for all the great replies!

I did look at the P-35/Bullsharks: They look like a fun alternative to the Benjamin, but after 54 years of using my 342 pumper without issue, I’m inclined to reward them with another purchase.

Converting one of my 22lr powder guns is out of the question as the safe shooting direction up in the trees has some houses about a mile away.

The most interesting suggestion comes from weevil pointing me to the AR .177 Certified Slug Akela. I ran the ballistics on the 18g/22 pellet vs the 13g/177 slug: Surprisingly, at the extreme range of 80 yards, the slug actually carries 2fpe more energy and drops about 3” less.

Watching friends using their 17HMRs on ground squirrels and the number of them crawling away does give me reservations. But, a starling is not as tough as a ground squirrel, so this slug gun does seem like the best answer.

I see now why so many are attracted to the idea of slugs. I also read so many stories of frustration.

 

[weevil]

Thanks for all the great replies!

I did look at the P-35/Bullsharks: They look like a fun alternative to the Benjamin, but after 54 years of using my 342 pumper without issue, I’m inclined to reward them with another purchase.

Converting one of my 22lr powder guns is out of the question as the safe shooting direction up in the trees has some houses about a mile away.

The most interesting suggestion comes from weevil pointing me to the AR .177 Certified Slug Akela. I ran the ballistics on the 18g/22 pellet vs the 13g/177 slug: Surprisingly, at the extreme range of 80 yards, the slug actually carries 2fpe more energy and drops about 3” less.

Watching friends using their 17HMRs on ground squirrels and the number of them crawling away does give me reservations. But, a starling is not as tough as a ground squirrel, so this slug gun does seem like the best answer.

I see now why so many are attracted to the idea of slugs. I also read so many stories of frustration.

177 slugs are very effective and I use them for nighttime pesting because they are near silent in flight and much less impact noise. Have taken 5 coons DRT with 10grain headshots. If Rich at AR has done the hard work of finding and tuning the slug that works with a decent shot string then I would guess that it would be perfect for your application (and other things). All you need to do is clean the barrel every 200 shots.

 

[JBDXLT]

So, I took weevils advice and ordered a Akela Max from Rich over at Airgun Revisions (But in .22 caliber- I have a lot of pellets).

I just wanted to relate my experience with the gun and AR Revisions. Upon receiving the gun, I noticed that the barrel was not exactly parallel with the air reservoir. It came with a barrel band, so I loosened it up and corrected the condition. I thought this was caused by rough shipping since the included pellets had badly bent shirts.

I then cleaned the barrel and mounted the scope. I went out and sighted it in at 30 yards but could not get it to group well. I brought it to the bench for disassembly and inspection and sure enough- rotating the barrel in the receiver showed it to be bent. AARG!

In this day and age it’s hard to find anything resembling good customer service. I was surprised then how quickly and professionally Rich responded: He immediately emailed me a return label and had the gun back to me in about 10 days even though he had to order in the new parts. He kept in touch and communicated so I knew what to expect. He personally checked and tuned the rifle to his (and Mine) satisfaction. Thank you Rich!

Being winter and in a snowy northern location, I’ve not been able to spend much time setting up and testing. But, my first time out, I was able to get 1 to 1 ½” groups at 70 yards.

The gun holds air and is ready for spring.

Those starlings are in for a big surprise.

Thanks for the good advise!