New Airgun

[Mortblanc]

I was shopping for airgun pellets now that the stores are mostly restocked and somehow I pushed a button and ordered a new air rifle.

This is the modern version of one of the rifles I craved during my youth and never had the money to buy. I did have a Crossman pump up rifle, Christmas when I was 14. It was a great rifle and I shot about a million pellets through it to the point that Crossman rebuilt it twice.

20 years latter my X-wife sold it in a yard sale, such behavior and worse being why she was made an X.

This new rifle is in .22 caliber and at full pump it gives around 1000fps, which puts it over your 12 pound limit. I really prefer the .22 over the .177 even though the paper ballistics say they can be made "equal".

I shoot a lot of .177 off the back porch, but I am not trying to kill anything with it, just set the little steel targets to flipping and spinning. This pump up .22 will be put to the same use I am sure.

I was sad to see that they have gone from the old style hardwood stock to injected plastic, but everything is now "injected plastic" including our military rifles/pistols. Showing my age I suppose, I remember walnut and blue steel.

I might just order a hardwood stock blank and spend some time this winter building a "real stock" for this one.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/benja...=4869#9745

[Mortblanc]

As an afterthought, I just realized that my 1964 model Crossman pump rifle cost $20 US.

[Straight Shooter]

Complete waste of money Mort ! For a few dollars more you could have got yourself a 50 cal SLR with a grenade launcher slung underneath ......when the Golden Horde came a calling to steal your pole beans you could hurl abuse like ....welcome let me introduce you to my friend ! Or you feeling punk ! Lol .

[Talon]

The action from a cursory glance looks the same as the old .177 Benjamin I had as a boy . I also had a Sheridan Bluestreak in .20 but much preferred the Benjamin even though they were very similar . The Benjamin I had was probably over the limit as it had amazing penetration . That was back in the early 80’s when power was king and no one gived a fig for the 12ftlb limit . All we were interested in was cramming the biggest ox spring in our rifles in the very ill informed idea that that would increase the power . I wrecked a lot of piston seals and bulged a cylinder when I was young . Yea I’m not a fan of the moulded stock.It’s crying out for some nice walnut . And speaking of Large calibre weapons of destruction I’ll be buying a Daisy RedRyder for Xmas . In these uncertain times I think I need to upgrade the armoury incase we get invaded by short range tin cans .

[Mortblanc]

Don't know if you have heard about it over there but the US is in the grip of an ammo shortage, ! AGAIN !

It seems strange but the US government has pre-purchased the entire nations ammo production for the next two years. There is none left for sale to civilians, or so they say.

Remington, probably our largest producer for the military, filed for bankruptcy two years ago and has just reopened after reorganizing. Their next two years production is already sold to the government.

I am fortunate that I saved three or four bullets for whatever emergency arises.

I also have a stash of pellets so I am in good shape, though others are suffering. My most used firearm at this point is my HW30, shooting at the gallery down by the fence line, off the back porch.

At any rate .50 cal and 40mm grenades are in short supply and very expensive even when available. That .50 caliber stuff was pushing $10 US per shot before it disappeared from the shelves. 40mm takes a special destructive device permit to acquire anyway and you can't shoot it then because you have to "account for it" when they knock on your door.

I bought the Benjamin as a sentimental gesture, since it is something I wanted once and could not have. The action is supposed to be exactly like the old models and only the stock has been changed.

[Pete Grey]

MB, I know you cast and load some of the calibers you shoot, I hope you have sufficient powder and the primers necessary, and of course plenty of lead.

Save the 7.62 and .50 cal for when the zombie horde comes down the lane.

[Mortblanc]

Back in 2008, before Barack Obama engineered the first of our "ammo shortages" by using taxpayer money to buy up huge blocks of production (would you believe our National Weather Service purchased more than 5 million rounds of 9mm), I prepared for the inevitable.

Since I shoot so many different calibers I opted to stockpile mostly reloading components that were the most versatile. Powders useful over several calibers, bullets usable in many cartridge cases, and plenty of primers. I also filled in any gaps in the bullets casting gear and bought some reloading dies that work over several caliber choices. Did you realize that you can reload .303 British and 7.62 Russian using the same dies....many other crossovers too.

Yea, I'm good for a while.

Over here we call it "buying cheap and stacking deep", which some consider silly, but it changes our perspective seriously.

While you folks do not consider an event SHTF until you see the Golden Horde coming down your lane as an overwhelming force, here we consider that a "target rich environment".

That is why we fight gun control so fervently over here, and why the liberals want is so badly. They control the "mob", but controlling the "mob" is no real advantage as long as the average person considers them simply targets to engage.

Something that has concerned me about the present shortage is that in the past it has been first all .22 ammo, then pistol calibers that disappeared, then rifle calibers, during the present "shortage" it has affected all types of ammo, including shotgun shells.

I am talking about shelves as bare as the petrol tanks of London last month, and they have remained bare ever since Biden was elected.

The 2 year buy up of ammo occurred after he took office. There was no constant shortage while the previous admin was in office. Periodic buy ups after serious rioting in the urban areas, but restocking after a week or so.

Production is going at full throttle according to the manufacturers, but as soon as they leave the assembly line they disappear, never to be seen by the consumer.

When you consider the fact that the US can produce 2.5 BILLION rounds of .22 rimfire ammo annually, and produce enough 5.56 and 7.62 NATO to fight a 20 year war and have consumer needs met at the same time a sudden shortage is nonsensical, even with a single large producer out of the count.

[Mortblanc]

Hey, while I was typing that last bit the big brown truck left me a toy. I must go open the package and inspect.

[Midnitemo]

We are feeling it here too.....my club will only sell me 100 rnds of .22lr per visit due to the shortages we are currently experiencing.....i'm currently well stocked as i make all my calibers bar rimfire , and topped of too my limit before covid got a hold , just shooting the ones they will sell me at the moment

[Midnitemo]

We are feeling it here too.....my club will only sell me 100 rnds of .22lr per visit due to the shortages we are currently experiencing.....i'm currently well stocked as i make all my calibers bar rimfire , and topped of too my limit before covid got a hold , just shooting the ones they will sell me at the moment