Air Rifles

Does anyone here shoot air rifles?
Thinking about buying one that is of quality manufacture (German) but not overly expensive and includes a scope as a package deal.
In stead of a break barrel I'm looking at an under lever cocking style rifle.
I have considered the PCP type, pump type and CO2 type rifles all which can be bought for less then a spring powered rifle and some more accurate.
From what I've read the technique needed to shooting an air rifle is what separates the good shooters from the average shooters and unlike a center fire or rim fire rifle money can't buy you accuracy and it is what skills you develop learning to shoot the air rifle is what makes the difference and should help increase your skills as a rifleman.
I'm looking at a Diana model 430L which is not a magnum spring rifle or nitro piston but a 12fpe rifle.
Air rifles power is gauged (for lack of better words) by foot pounds of energy they produce whether they are magnum or not. I'm no expert and these are my interpretations of what I have read so far.
So this is my next project for the summer.

I have bought the RWS Diana Model 48 in .22 caliber, I believe it's 900 fps and side spring lever. It's fun to shoot in my back yard, also use it to get rid of possums. It has enough energy to penetrate a soft 2x4. After a while, you will get tired of cocking it, 39 lbs of cocking effort as advertised, but some reports say its around 32 lbs

I have a GAMO .22 air gun that I use to shoot red squirrels with on occasion. It works just fine.

I'd likely forego the package with the scope. The scope that came with mine wasn't very good and for the use I have for the air gun- the good iron sights that the rifle came with are actually better. The very high scope position coupled with the pellet's looping trajectory made huge variances in point of impact at pretty modest changes in distance to the target.

If I were going to do it all over again, I'd go straight to a PCP type air rifle. The spring piston guns don't feel anything like shooting a regular rifle while a PCP does feel more like a regular .22.

Thanks for the replies.
I have looked at the PCP rifles but I can't see wearing myself out trying to pump one up and the expense of a scuba tank would add extra cost so they are a double edge blade for me.

Don't currently have one, but my oldest son has his grandpa's 5mm Sheridan. I think that's right. It's fun.

At the gun club, we have a great youth smallbore program, and they use some mighty fine target grade air rifles!

Guy

Check out "Ted's Holdover" on you tube if you haven't already. He goes from a Crossman 2100 to stuff that is way out there. His videos will teach you about figuring for hold over wind drift and and hunting/ target shooting. Additionally he uses a scope cam to show slow mo pellet flight. If you are offended by hunting starlings or a guy who eats the pigeons he shoots it may not be for you, but I find it instructive and entertaining. Honestly a lot of his stuff is pretty spendy but you aren't looking for a $30 daisy.
This morning I was watching a guy shoot coyotes with a 9mm air gun @50 yards. Not my thing but it was a beautiful rifle. CL

Not a promotion - Mike at Flying Dragon does amazing pre-sales tuning, will talk to you on the phone. Highly respected. He spent a fair amount of time advising me when I had not purchased from him. I have a modified QB-78 with a valve upgrade and extra capacity CO2 bottle. Use an airgun specific scope called a "Bugbuster". Even though I can get 500 shots off the bottle, it is still tedious, and sometimes I have leaks. The more powerful underlever in .22 cal looks good to me, too. I'm looking at the XISICO XS46U with a full tune treatment from him. Reviews are excellent.