What I have learned about break barrel air rifles

[jaxworks]

My first break barrel was a Crosman Nitro Venom .22 cal. It was a tack driver right out of the box and still is today. My second rifle was a BSA GRT Lightning .22 cal with only a 10 inch barrel. Also a tack driver. (This is an accident but read on)
My last purchase was a BSA GRT Supersport with a 18.5 inch barrel. Identical to the Lightning except for barrel length. I assumed (and wrongly so) that the longer barrel in the same gun would do better yet. The gun had so much slack in the hinge assembly that a 4 inch group was the best you could hope for. I peened the hole in the barrel piece to take up the slack and cut the barrel down to 12 inches and finally got a decent shooting rifle. (The shorter the barrel on a break barrel rifle the less any slack will affect the trajectory)
I find it sad and inexcusable that a $150 Crosman has a better designed hinge with a larger pin you can tighten that a $400 BSA.
Live and learn. Good shooting!

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[Member 34319]

I never could get any <200$ air gun to shoot well. I finally broke down and bought a RWS Diana. Thing shoots flying rats all day long.

 

[Capn Jack]

The hinged barrel on a springer has always been a turn off for me. It's hard for me to fathom, how you can maintain any kind of accuracy, when in most cases the sighting and the bore are on two separate planes. It must be possible though, as they are big sellers. But, how long does that hinge point stay true, when every time you load, you're using it as a fulcrum?

 

[jaxworks]

The hinged barrel on a springer has always been a turn off for me. It's hard for me to fathom, how you can maintain any kind of accuracy, when in most cases the sighting and the bore are on two separate planes. It must be possible though, as they are big sellers. But, how long does that hinge point stay true, when every time you load, you're using it as a fulcrum?

Good point...on the Crosman the pin is very big and can be adjusted for tension. On the BSA it's just a matter of time. Live and learn. Too bad the under levers so expensive.

 

[U201491]

My first break barrel was a Crosman Nitro Venom .22 cal. It was a tack driver right out of the box and still is today. My second rifle was a BSA GRT Lightning .22 cal with only a 10 inch barrel. Also a tack driver. (This is an accident but read on)
My last purchase was a BSA GRT Supersport with a 18.5 inch barrel. Identical to the Lightning except for barrel length. I assumed (and wrongly so) that the longer barrel in the same gun would do better yet. The gun had so much slack in the hinge assembly that a 4 inch group was the best you could hope for. I peened the hole in the barrel piece to take up the slack and cut the barrel down to 12 inches and finally got a decent shooting rifle. (The shorter the barrel on a break barrel rifle the less any slack will affect the trajectory)
I find it sad and inexcusable that a $150 Crosman has a better designed hinge with a larger pin you can tighten that a $400 BSA.
Live and learn. Good shooting!

Good info. !

 

[jaxworks]

Good info. !

If anyone is interested in getting a break barrel I would go to a store (Cabellas, Oliie Damon etc) and look at the hinge assembly and only buy one that is well made (ZERO slack side to side or up and down) and can be tightened. So far, RWS and Crosman are the only ones I have seen.

 

[Capn Jack]

Something to consider when choosing an air rifle is, a break barrel has one power setting and is fairly rapid to reload, but with a pneumatic, pump up, or otherwise, you can vary the power, for
indoor shooting, or other wise.

Which ever you choose, they're a far cry from the old Red Ryder.

 

[jaxworks]

Something to consider when choosing an air rifle is, a break barrel has one power setting and is fairly rapid to reload, but with a pneumatic, pump up, or otherwise, you can vary the power, for
indoor shooting, or other wise.

Which ever you choose, they're a far cry from the old Red Ryder.

My Dad and I both bought RWS break barrels back in the 80's. A model 45 and a model 36...BOTH are still excellent shooters and both can do nickel sized groups at 90 feet. Both have a hardened polished pin in the hinge assembly with a high strength machine screw inside to tighten the assembly to remove all slack. If you are looking to buy a break barrel, make sure it has an adjustable hinge assembly that can be adjusted for wear.