She did pretty good, shot left and right handed, open sights and scopes, springers and a CO2. Having a kid around is fun. :)

Sir,
You are indeed an inspiration, keep up the good work of bringing forth another generation of responsible human beings.

nm

I really need to get a new pellet rifle. I have a rabbit problem and my very old cheap one I have does not put them down very well. How much noise does your springer make? I have close neighbors and do not want to alarm them. I shoot from my open back door of my garage. I am really curious about those springers.

Art

Hey Art, the one in the picture is quite quiet. BUT it is an old target rifle that Rich Hoch cut down for his grandkids, then passed it on to me when my kids were small. As a target rifle it is low powered and therefore fairly quiet. Had it bounce a pellet of a cat's ribs one time (mangy, scrawny stray that refused to vacate the premises - until the pellet bounced off) so there's not much hope for hunting with it, at least not anything larger than a sparrow. On the other hand, I violated the "don't shoot at anything you don't want to destroy" by thinking about how it had bounced off the ribs of that one cat - so I used it on a black cat on the back fence in the shadow at night. After all, it was just a "non-lethal deterrent" - wasn't it? That was the money shot, if I had any idea where I hit that cat. Pole axed him right there and I've NO idea what I hit. But I digress.

If you're looking for a "good, cheap, quiet" air rifle, take a look at a Gamo Whisper with a nitro-piston.

http://www.pyramydair.com/product-all-reviews/m/Gamo_Whisper_with_Nitro_Piston/1509

Here's another, cheaper option.

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Gamo_Silent_Stalker_IGT_Air_Rifle/2409

If I lived up there I'd be looking real hard at the Benjamin Discovery or Marauder. They are PCP, can be VERY accurate and the Marauder comes with a built in shroud that lowers the report to very low, you can get a "lead dust cover" (or make one your self) for the Discovery that makes it "back yard friendly".

A good place to hang out and learn about air rifles and such is the Gateway To Airguns. There's something for everyone over there. :)

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?action=forum

don't pay attention to their "1200 fps" and such hype. You don't WANT to hit that velocity with an air rifle and normal pellets - you'll not get accuracy out of it. And accuracy is where it's at in air rifles. You want a head shot on those bunnies to lay them out right there and that takes good accuracy. Some guys like a .177 for the flatter trajectory, I'd opt for the 22 for more punch. If you don't mind laying out more cash, take a look at the Hatsan 125 in 25 caliber. It's got a LOT of smack 'em power. To get REAL serious (still on the relative cheap) get a Marauder in 25 caliber. Accuracy AND smack 'em down power with a decent trajectory to boot. And quiet. But you'd need a pump or SCUBA or SCBA tank to run it and that all adds to the initial outlay.

Thanks Paul.

ART