Thread: I did not get the Ruger air rifle I had planned to.

I did not get the Ruger air rifle I had planned to.

I did not get the Ruger I had planned to. The one I got is called the Ruger Blackhawk. This gun is new for 2009. It still carries Ruger’s name. It’s made in China. It’s rated at 1000 fps. If you want to see one http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=524681

The one I was originally planning to get is http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=436725

Here are Ruger's three air rifles http://www.sportsmansguide.com/searc...uger+air+rifle

So far, I am very pleased with the Blackhawk.

It came with an “air rifle” scope (one that can handle recoil in both directions.) And as for recoil, it does kick - that surprised me. It’s also loud – not as loud as a 22 LR rimfire, but it did make some noise – especially when I shot Gamos Raptor pellets, the air rifle was noticeably louder when I shot those pellets. It may be my imagination, but it appears to be less loud now, after about 100 pellets.

I shot, and chronied, three kinds of pellets.
Crosman’s Pointed pellets,
Crosman’s Wad-cutter pellets and
Gamos Gold Raptor pellets.

I zeroed the scope using the pointed pellets and when I shot the other two kinds, they did not group well. But, that doesn’t stand to reason, because to me, even though the scope wasn’t zeroed with them they should still have had nice groups somewhere around the target.

Oh yeah, I thought zeroing the scope was going to be a challenge, since you can’t look through the bore, nor see under the scope, to get the scope on paper. What I did was set the target about 10 yds out and take a shot. Fortunately the pellet hit on the paper at about 7 o’clock, 4 inches out. After that, zeroing the scope was simple.

I took a picture of a tight 5 shot group (covered with a quarter) from 15 yds and another from 25 yds (a little bigger), but "lost the image" - I'll have make another.

But, here’s the chrony results of the three kinds of pellets

Crosman’s Wad-Cutter – I weighed them and they weighed between 7.9 and 8.0 g.

821.5 fps
825.2
839.1
840.7
841.3
841.9
842.0
844.2
850.6
858.0
858.4
859.1

Avg = 843.5 fps


Crosman’s Pointed pellet – I weighed them and they weighed between 7.4 and 7.5 g.

890.5 fps
890.6
891.0
895.9
898.7
900.0
901.3
901.8
902.9
903.9
905.1

Avg = 898.3 fps


Gamos Gold Raptor pellet – I weighed them and they weighed between 5.1 and 5.2 g.

1051
1063
1076
1079
1085
1089
1091
1102
1107
1118

Avg = 1086.1 fps


Observation: heavier pellets have lower velocities – no surprise there – so, when I hear that an air rifle is capable of shooting pellets at 1000 fps, I have to ask, what size pellet were they shooting?

Conclusion: even though this air rifle cost less that $100, with scope, (I got mine from Sportsman’s Guide) - it is a good shooting air rifle – its no wonder Ruger put their name on it.

With all that being said, I'm going to return it to Sportsman's Guide to get the Ruger Air Hawk (not Blackhawk version). Why, because I'm handicapped and the Blackhawk Air Hawk weighs in at a little over 8 lbs, the "plain" Air Hawk comes in at just over 6 lbs.

The Blackhawk Air hawk is about 1/4 inch longer in the barrel.
The "plain" Air Hawk has a wooden stock (makes it lighter - I guess)

I sure hope the other air rifle is as accurate as the Blackhawk Air Hawk.

Hack

Wonder if I could get one and thread the barrel for my .22 suppressor?

Probably, but I done changed my mind about getting regular Air Hawk 177.

Others have advised me that since this is my only air rifle to go with a .22 cal air rifle.

So, I'm going to trade up to a Gamo Whisper (it comes with a noise suppressor) .22 air rifle.

Hack

My .02 for what it is worth, I had the 177 and I didn't like the way it grouped and didn't like the range on it....It would kill tree rats but not good some I would have to make two shots...I don't like that on any Gun...

I don't know if I posted a pic of my squirrel gun or not. It is a $35 gun several years ago from WalMart. The green dot sight was $19.95 at Cabelas.
Velocity is low (550fps??) so I have to make pretty close head shots to kill the tree rats.

Originally Posted by tomiswho

I don't know if I posted a pic of my squirrel gun or not. It is a $35 gun several years ago from WalMart. The green dot sight was $19.95 at Cabelas.
Velocity is low (550fps??) so I have to make pretty close head shots to kill the tree rats.

What cal, 177?

Hack