Rifle suggestion

[Nosferatu]

Starlings, eh? They good eatin'?

 

[ilikegunspdx]

They r worse than rats. Not just talking about the diseases they carry, or the millions in damage they do to crops, or the crap everywhere. The damage to native birds is appalling.

If you stay with it and shoot all you can their numbers will go down to almost nothing. In the past few years we had tons but I've got their numbers whittled down now to where there were only 2 this year. One of them got away (darn!). Have lost three native bird nests in the yard to them in the past few years and this is the first year they didn't get the eggs.

A nest in the yard from a couple years ago they worked hard to make but starlings got em.
This mama hummingbird made two successful nests this year (and I suspect a third but never found it). I was able to get a video of the first flight of the two babies from this nest and the whole clan is still in the neighborhood.
kiddos from her other nest

 

[JohnnyMac]

I have a clan of starlings in my area and I find dead songbird babies in my driveway on occasion and I'm sure it's the starlings. My neighbor gives them a bb injection once in a while, but my wife will have nothing to do with it. All my shots need to come when she's out and then I blame it on my neighbor....

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I have a clan of starlings in my area and I find dead songbird babies in my driveway on occasion and I'm sure it's the starlings. My neighbor gives them a bb injection once in a while, but my wife will have nothing to do with it. All my shots need to come when she's out and then I blame it on my neighbor....

Ahh yes, that's where these come in handy... For co2 or PCP, these make it virtually silent.

TKOAirguns | Airgun Suppressors

TKOAirguns.com and TKO22.com manufactures Airgun Suppressors, Moderators and parts for most PCP and Co2 air pistols and rifles. Located in the US Midwest, we have been servicing and shipping our TKO products to the airgun hobby community across the globe since 1995.

www.tko22.com

 

[birdmove]

I wonder if one of the German QB78 models might be a good choice? The OP needs warned about the shooting characteristics of break barrel air rifles. I have fired lots of centerfire and rimfire rifles and handguns all my life, and find break barrel spring piston and gas piston rifles exasperating to shoot. They destroy scopes due to the unique two way recoil, and may require a special hold for accuracy, called the artillery hold. One may take to them like a duck to water, or one may want to run over that thing with a Jeep. And, it's got nothing to do with your mastery of smokeless powder firearms.
PCP airguns are great, but how are you going to fill them? I like multi-pumpers, and CO2 guns. Even the Daisy 880 with a 4x32AO scope, with 8 pumps shooting a .177 wadcutter, will take out wild chickens with a sell placed head shot to may be 15 yards. 25 yards may be a bit of a stretch.
A Beeman QB78 maybe a good choice. I just got a QB78S, which has a synthetic thumbhole stock, in .177. I haven'tfigured it yet, because I now live near Hilo, Hawaii, and Hurricane Douglas is stopping by for a visit very soon.

I have three break barrels. My Crosman Phantom is loud as hell, destroys scopes, and for these reasons,welcome gets fired.

If you want a gun that is easy to shoot well, but want to keep it down to, say, $100, may be a Daisy 880 (the 4x15 scope is pretty horrible, get a better one), or maybe the Crosman 2100 Classic, or one of the Beeman QB78 CO2 shooters.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

You may want to consider my Pyramid Air MP-40 fully automatic BB submachine gun that I have for sale in that section of classified ads. No need for accuracy (although it is very accurate) you simply press the trigger and watch the feathers fly! The magazine holds 52 BB's and will spit them out at 450 ft.per second at a high rate.

 

[mackthefork]

The Hatsan 95 is another low cost air rifle. I have not owned one but did research on them. They are known as one of the best values out there. Made in Turkey I believe.

Amazon.com : Hatsan air Rifle : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Hatsan air Rifle : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

View attachment 697922

my research pointed me the same direction. as far as cheap pellet guns go i have a Benjamin varmint in .22 and while it's reasonably powerful (20+ fpe), the trigger is like nothing I've ever experienced. it's awful. many of the box store pellet guns are this way. you're better off avoiding them. that said the bottom line is just about anything (except maybe a fully automatic bb gun) will kill starlings within 30 yards.
you could also get yourself a gamo urban for $250 and a Chinese hand pump for $40 and have yourself a pellet-on-pellet, 25 shot PCP with a 1lb trigger that is a starling murdering machine out to a hundred yards with some holdover : )

 

[Spitpatch]

Caveat to a taking a Quick Scan. The majority here at least are talking about full-size air rifles at the peak and performance and price...of modern times.

With a collection of guns for hunting purposes and having killed stuff for 60 years, the one gun in my house that has probably killed more stuff than ALL my other guns put together is my Benjamin Model 342 .22 Caliber.

It is more portioned toward a juvenile in its compactness, but literally having "grown up" with it, I shoot it very comfortably from my tall frame with Orangutan arms. Accuracy is impeccable to 25 yards, and that is the range mine is sighted for.

I have reliably killed possum and 'coons brain shot with this gun. It is the ultimate "kitchen gun".

You don't need that big stuff for this.

 

[Frank RW]

I've been happy with my Gamo break-barrels. Up to 22-yards (all the distance I have at home) they're fine shooters. Many well under $200.

But ya gotta practice with a break-barrel. If you can learn to shoot it well, the benefits are like a "real" gun. All ya need is the firearm and the ammo. No co2, no tanks, no pumps, less tools to carry around, and no worries about damaging a $150 mostly weatherproof critter-killer.

And at 18+fpe at the muzzle, will do a fine job of it.

Recent video of a Silent Cat I did. Just target shooting, only paper harmed in the making of this movie.

Good luck in your search! Let us know what ya settle on.


f

 

[birdmove]

Nice shooting, Frank!

 

[Frank RW]

Nice shooting, Frank!

Thanks sir! When ya got no life and spend most your days at home, plenty of time to practice... and play!

 

[EaL]

I would like an air rifle to kill starlings with. I need to be accurate to 25 yards and don't want to spend a lot, any suggestions?

Look at Walmart I found one with 2 interchangeable barrels (22/17) pellet rifle also check out 5 sports. I would assume you could find one around $100

 

[Member 34319]

Only real experience I've got was with a RWS Dianna in 177. Think took out a ton of pigeons back in Reno. No pigeons in OR so I left it with a Buddy back in Reno. Thing was extraordinarily accurate and pretty damn quiet.