Guns and ammo

[Grumpy]

 For what ever reasons you subscribe to it seems that there's another run on guns and ammo,  about all the local gun shops in my area are cleaned out of all of the popular offerings,  and the big box sporting goods stores like Cabela's and Bass pro are feeling the crunch as well especially in the ammo sections.
 My local Walmart has either sold or stashed away all of the guns and Ammo,  even the fishing dept. is about bare, up to at least the end of the year hunting, fishing, and camping took up five full aisles of merchandise,  I stopped in last Thursday to pick up some fishing line and there was only on aisle open for sporting goods, the aisles on either side were stocked with toys on one side and paint products on the other,  I asked a clerk why most of the outdoor stuff was gone,  he said it all sold out and the store is not restocking any time soon, if ever.
 So, what ever ammo I have is being put on hold,  I dug out my old Sheridan Blue Streak .20 cal. pumper and brushed the dust off and lubed the pivot points,  I had put it away a few years ago when we had our Postal shoots here for a while,  I stuck it in the gun rack giving it a couple of pumps of air to keep the seals working and the creepy crawlies out of the air chamber.
 I found some 5mm pellets and took it and the chronograph out to the back yard,  eight pumps gave me 680 fps., four pumps turned in a respectable 450 fps.,  it also gave me a one inch group at 25 yards which is about minute of squirrel and bunny for that range.
 It's anyone's guess what's going to happen the morning after the election,  and though my little Sheridan has enough juice to keep us in pigeons, tree rats, and other small game, I'd like to have an air gun that will pot them at 100 yds., something with a scope and in .22 cal..
 Normally finding one wouldn't be a problem,  but most of the mid priced serious hunting air guns and their ammo in all the major brick and mortar and on line suppliers are out of stock,  so the search continues.
 Is any one else here keeping a decent quality air rifle in their home survival kits ?   

[wsdstan]

I live in a rural spot and an air rifle, while it would be great fun, isn't on my radar.  If I lived in, or ever move to, town then I would want one.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I have my Benjamin 22 cal pump pellet gun from 55 years ago.  It'll still pack enough whallop to run the dang squirrels out of my fig trees.  It stings them pretty good and they don't come back till I'm not looking.  Also about once or twice a year the buzzards decide to roost in my pine trees.  They can't do that, and the Benjamin will run them out just with the sound.  Nothing will ruin a nice morning faster than walking out into a buzzard roost.  That little pellet gun has made the rounds.  I put easily 100 cans of pellets through it.  #1, #2, and #3 sons all took their turn with it and still, with five pumps I'd have to climb up on the roof to get dead squirrels (so I usually use 3).  If these squirrels were grays I'd use five but they are red squirrels.  They are tougher than nails and you need a pressure cooker to get them chewable. 

Alan

[Grumpy]

I live in a rural spot and an air rifle, while it would be great fun, isn't on my radar.  If I lived in, or ever move to, town then I would want one.

 Sometimes I envy your living on a rural farm away from noisy neighbors cutting their grass at 7:30 am on Saturday mornings,  I miss not being able to shoot my .22RF's off my back deck,  and being able to just walk out my door and step into the woods, but then I get to thinking,  I kind of like not having to plow out a quarter mile of driveway when the snows come just to get to the country road that may or may not be cleared as soon as the snow stops.
 I like that the Super Market is only half a mile away,  that the fire station and EMT's are at the end of my street about six hundred feet away,  I like that I can cut my whole lawn front and back in about 35 minutes with an 80v. electric mower,  or that two of my grown up kids and their families live in my house and help do things for us that we now find difficult to manage.
 When we had the small farm I loved my garden and didn't mind tending to my acre plus of lawn, but that's when nothing was hard work and my back and legs never got tired and cramped up, another thing I miss is heating with wood,  I cut and split wood for the farm house and when we moved to the new log house we built, did it all myself by myself (no splitter),  the heat you get from a good wood stove is a lot more enveloping and comforting than what come out of a length of baseboard from a boiler,  but I really don't miss using the chain saw and axe,  carrying in the wood on cold wet days or cleaning the stove out a couple of times a week. 
 Anyhow, now I still live in the country with a lot of woods,  but a lot more residential and it's against the law to shoot firearms within close proximity to other homes,  but a pellet rifle is not considered a firearm in my state, so I can shoot (taking safety into consideration) in my back yard without disturbing the neighbors for cheap money and not eat into my ammo supply.
 I've always considered myself self reliant, but never gave much thought to the world (mostly this country) ever coming apart,  prepping and survival was all about blizzards, hurricanes, and extended power outages not about doomsday scenarios,  but the way these time are going things are looking a lot differently,  having a $150.00 .22cal. air rifle and a few 500 count tins of pellets on hand might just be a good investment calorie wise.          

[madmaxine]

When we are in the Smokies I don't really need an airgun (but I have several).  My relatively distant neighbor (we can hear each other shooting, but not talking) and we feed the wildlife and gardens and beaucoup foraging opportunities.  Both have good springs.  Like minded.  So here,  we can ride  out the crazy times if they come (like I think they will).  In FL, we have thought about selling and getting some acreage out in the forest.  But it has filled up with nuts and meth labs.  We're safer in town with 2 sheriffs on our block and an elementary school across the street (with proper preps...ahem).  Give us 10 hours and we're at the cabin via back roads. 

I did enter a Walmart the other day.  One airgun on the shelf.

[Grumpy]

When we are in the Smokies I don't really need an airgun (but I have several).  My relatively distant neighbor (we can hear each other shooting, but not talking) and we feed the wildlife and gardens and beaucoup foraging opportunities.  Both have good springs.  Like minded.  So here,  we can ride  out the crazy times if they come (like I think they will).  In FL, we have thought about selling and getting some acreage out in the forest.  But it has filled up with nuts and meth labs.  We're safer in town with 2 sheriffs on our block and an elementary school across the street (with proper preps...ahem).  Give us 10 hours and we're at the cabin via back roads. 

I did enter a Walmart the other day.  One airgun on the shelf.

 I'm of the same mind Tony,  I've said often on the forum and in discussions with others In my opinion unless you live in a high rise in the middle of a city you're better off thinking about bugging in instead of packing your stuff and heading to the woods or some rural place and be disappointed because more than a few similar minded peoplebeat you to it.
 Most suburban neighborhoods have very skilled people,  medical, fire, police, retired military, carpenters and other various craftsmen that can all contribute to the safety and well being of the neighborhood,  you and your family are likely to be better off staying put in your home and networking with your neighbors than you would be alone among strangers.
 As far as air rifles go,  I'm not suggesting that they replace your center and rim fire arms,  but a decent air rifle that can drive a pellet at 800 fps or more with good accuracy could be valuable inexpensive and quiet way to take small game while saving your more expensive and powerful ammo for when it counts,  plus you can buy a tin of 250 pellets for less than half the cost of a 100 round box of .22RF ammo for fun and practice. 

[madmaxine]

I remembered my little Crossman pistol with that funky stock I need to rebuild.  That would be a good back up.

[wsdstan]

I forgot that I do have an old CO2 pellet pistol.  I have owned it for probably 35 years or so and used it to shoot small pests when we lived down in the big city where I worked.

Moe you defined all the chores that wear on a guy as he gets old.  The driveway is easier since I bought the snow blade for the skid loader but it is still work.  The lawn mowing and fence maintenance, weed spraying, and other nuisances are getting to be a pia.  The rewards still offset the work but the convergence point is not too far off, maybe a coupe of years. 

I had a friend who had a Feinwerkbau single cock air rifle that was really fun and accurate as any .22 I have shot.  He lived in Helena Mt. and had a lot of trouble with Magpies.  The air gun was useful out the back patio. 

[Grumpy]

I forgot that I do have an old CO2 pellet pistol.  I have owned it for probably 35 years or so and used it to shoot small pests when we lived down in the big city where I worked.

Moe you defined all the chores that wear on a guy as he gets old.  The driveway is easier since I bought the snow blade for the skid loader but it is still work.  The lawn mowing and fence maintenance, weed spraying, and other nuisances are getting to be a pia.  The rewards still offset the work but the convergence point is not too far off, maybe a coupe of years. 

I had a friend who had a Feinwerkbau single cock air rifle that was really fun and accurate as any .22 I have shot.  He lived in Helena Mt. and had a lot of trouble with Magpies.  The air gun was useful out the back patio.

  Funny thing is that things that you don't have an interest in don't matter until you gain an interest, then a whole new world of information opens up to you,  and then you realize just how little you know about something,  since I've become interested in air guns and began to do a little research I've learn about the history and workings of air guns in general and gained a new appreciation for some of the air guns like the Feinworkbau and RWS that were actually hand made in Germany by serious craftsmen and still are,  even my old Sheridan which I never gave much thought to as being special was made in New York of the finest materials, hand fitted by highly trained individuals who take a great deal of pride in their work,  those old Sheridan and Benjamin 5mm rifles are no longer being made,  but with a few modifications and a change of calibers to .177 and .22 cal., and new model numbers #392 & #397, they are still being made in NY. by the same people.
 Another thing worthy of note is that those guns were sold with a lifetime warranty,  and still are which speaks to their quality,  I'm hoping that if my interest holds I'll be able to pick up one of the RWS Diana model 34 springer air rifles. 

[wsdstan]

I have heard of RWS but never shot one, maybe never seen one. 

On the subject of air guns I was watching the Olympics a few years ago and the air gun competition was on.  The American was leading.  Last shot comes up and all he needs is to hit the target (as I recall) and he shoots the target in the next lane and looses the Gold.  It was a WTF moment for him.

[Grumpy]

I have heard of RWS but never shot one, maybe never seen one. 

On the subject of air guns I was watching the Olympics a few years ago and the air gun competition was on.  The American was leading.  Last shot comes up and all he needs is to hit the target (as I recall) and he shoots the target in the next lane and looses the Gold.  It was a WTF moment for him.

 LOL,  I've done that a couple of times and had it done to my targets as well,  I happens a lot in competition especially when shooting on a line,  your focus is so fixed on the center of the 10 ring you loose tract of your own target,  it's embarrassing enough in a match,  but going for Gold or Silver in the Olympics,  it must be devastating.   

[wsdstan]

In this case it dropped him from Gold medal winner to 8th place.  He did something else in another international competition after thtat.  Be tough to deal with after all that work.