VarmintAir's Airgun Hunting Blog

Six Hunting Rifles In My Collection - That Are At the Top Of the Accuracy Pyramid.

FWB 300S sporter .177

Over the fifty plus years that I have been hunting, and shooting, both powder burners and airguns, there have been some rifles that have stood well above their peers in the accuracy department.  This FWB 300S is one of them.  I call it my 300S sporter.  It doesn't have the barrel sleeve, so that helps to keep the weight down, and the stock is some kind of hardwood that has been stained a dark brown.  I bought the rifle new, from Beeman, back in the early seventies, but there are no Beeman markings on the gun anywhere.  Interesting.

Accuracy wise, the gun is exceptional.  I use it to take ground squirrels, with head shots, out to 45 yards. This rifle will shoot either the 7.9 grain JSB Exact Express, or the 8.4 grain JSB Exact pellets really well, with a slight edge going to the 8.4 grain Exact .  The rifle generates just under 7 fpe at the muzzle.

With the race for more and more power in todays airguns, some folks miss out on just how effective, and efficient a gun like the FWB 300S can be, as a tool for controlling certain types of small vermin, such as ground squirrels.  

I've killed literally thousands, and thousands, of California Ground Squirrels with it over the years.  It's a keeper for sure.

FWB 300S Tyrolean .177

Another exceptional shooter is my FWB 300S Tyrolean.  It's basically the same gun as my 300S sporter, just sitting in a Tyrolean style walnut stock.  This rifle has the barrel weight/sleeve on it, and that adds some weight.  Especially out front.  Again, this rifle is death on ground squirrels out to 45 yards.  

The pellet of choice here is the 8.4 grain JSB Exact.  For some reason, the JSB Exact Express do not do well in this rifle.  It's a bit on the heavy side, but I really enjoy getting her out for a ground squirrel, or chipmunk hunt a couple of times a year.

FX/RWS/Rapier .22

The folks at FX Airguns in Sweden, make some exceptional air rifles. Somewhere along the way, they private labeled their Timber Wolf model as the Rapier, for RWS to market under their brand name.  The one that I own is one of the most accurate airguns in my collection.  In good conditions, it will literally put 18 grain JSB's through the same hole at 50 yards.  The sporter type turkish walnut stock, just adds to the classiness of this very accurate rifle.    

Instead of a magazine, this rifle has a two shot shuttle.  It works great, and I use it to hunt both ground squirrels in California, as well as tree squirrels and prairie dogs here in Arizona.

FX/RWS/Rapier .22 

FX 2000 .22, in factory walnut stock.

My FX 2000 was the first FX built gun that I purchased.  I acquired it used, and the fellow I got it from told me it was exceptionally accurate, and he wasn't wrong.  Like the RWS Rapier, this rifle will also stack 18 grain JSB's at 50 yards.

I used this rifle while filming the first half of my DVD, "Airgun Hunting the California Ground Squirrel."  The performance with both 15.9 grain JSB's, and 14.5 grain DYNAMIC tin pellets, has been exceptional.  This is the rifle that truly got me hooked on PCP's, pretty much for ever.

No recoil, superb accuracy, that easily surpasses many of my high dollar .22 rimfires, with power to cleanly take ground squirrels, and prairie dogs out to 100+ yards.  How can you not get hooked on that kind of performance.

FX 2000 .22, in custom Blackwidow laminate stock.

I have a Benjamin Marauder in .22, that I have been very, very, happy with, so when I heard that Crosman was going to bring the Marauder out in .25, I knew that I would have to add one to the collection, and I haven't been disappointed.  

My .22 Marauder is very accurate.  It hangs right with my AA 410 ERBSL, FX Whisper, and Logun MK II in that department.

My .25 Marauder however, is in that group I mentioned in the title of this story.  She is definitely at the top of the accuracy pyramid.

While pellet testing, I was blown away by the accuracy of this particular rifle.  The first year I hunted with her, I had her shooting the Beeman 31 grain Kodiaks.  I remember, that on my final sight-in target, she stacked five Kodiaks into a group at 65 yards, that I could easily cover with a dime.  I then went on to kill prairie dogs with her, out past 100 yards. Incredible accuracy and power, from a PCP that didn't cost a grand or two. This rifle is a keeper, and will remain in my collection for many years to come.   

Marauder .25, in custom laminate stock.

Last, but not least, in my collection of super accurate rifles, is the latest addition, my .22 caliber AA 510 TC.  I just added this rifle this past Spring.  

The design of this gun kind of intrigued me.  Instead of the usual big honkin bottle screwed into the end of the receiver, to increase shot count, the folks at AA went with twin cylinders mounted side by side. Much like with a side by side shotgun.

Having hunted quail with side by side 20's, and 12's, for many decades, I was curious about how this rifle would feel in my hands.   I love it.  It is a little bit muzzle heavy, and I like that in a long range varmint rifle.  I shoot from a Stoney Point telescoping bipod, and this rig sits very nicely on the bipod's yoke, and really helps when going for those long range shots in the wind.  

If you've followed any of my prairie dog hunt stories with this rifle, and watched any of the videos, then you've seen me take a bunch of dogs all of the way out to just shy of 100 yards with it.

The accuracy is definitely at the top of the accuracy pyramid in my collection.  Her pellet of choice is the 18 grain JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy.   

AA 510 TC .22

A lot of various guns have passed through my hands over the past five plus decades, but with very few exceptions, the ones that were exceptional, accuracy wise, are still in my collection. The vast majority of guns are accurate, but once in awhile, one comes along that is exceptionally so, and those are the ones that I really cherish, and they find a permanent home in my collection.

At the present time, these six rifles are the cream of the crop among the guns in my airsenal, and none of them are going anywhere, well............... except varmint and small game hunting.  

FWB 300S Tyrolean - .177 cal. - 6.2 FP Muzzle Energy - Heavy BBL Varmint Rifle

I've been varmint hunting with this rifle for close to 35 years. It has killed a truck load of several varieties of ground squirrels, and bunches of chipmunks. All between, about 25 and 45/50 yards, with power to spare. Six foot pounds has power to spare? For these critters, the answer is yes.

Some folks say that an airgun generating 6 to 7 foot pounds of muzzle energy, is only good for shooting yellow jackets, dragon flies, and day old butterflies at 10 yards. Not true. There is more than enough energy to take some small game and vermin to well past 40 yards.

Assuming the gun, with the proper pellet, is capable of half inch, five shot groups at 40/45 yards, the real question becomes, does the shooter have the necessary shooting skills to put the pellet where it has to go for a clean one shot kill.  

I thought just for fun, I would try and quantify what approximately 6 fpe at the muzzle looks like in a real world test, and how that applies to shooting vermin out to the 45/50 yard range.

This rifles favorite pellet is the 8.4 grain JSB Exact, and it drives them at an average of 575 fps, for a muzzle energy of approximately 6.2 foot pounds. 

I took one of airgunnings staple targets, the common Campbell's Soup can, made of steel, and fired three 8.4 grain JSB Exact's at it at three different ranges. I wanted to see how well the pellet penetrated a steel soup can at those distances. I have yet to meet any ground squirrels that have anywhere near the resistance to pellet penetration that a steel soup can has. 

The first shot was at 25 yards, the second at 35, and the last at 45 yards. From top to bottom the pellet holes are from 25, 35, and 45 yards.

The back of the can showing the exit holes. In all cases the pellets passed completely through the steel can. It's no wonder the pellets do the same to the far softer ground squirrels at the same distances. 

I think the test establishes that there is plenty of power for taking soft bodied ground squirrels and chipmunks to well past 45/50 yards. I also have a lot of first hand experience, since I've been using this gun successfully, on those types of critters at those ranges, for over thirty years. 

Airgun hunting is all about precision accuracy, and pellet penetration. Accuracy from the rifle being used has to be topflight, so how does this FWB 300S shoot at 25, 35, and 45 yards.

My sight-in distance is 35 yards. All groups are 5 shots. The orange dot is 1/2 inch.

45 yards, with the post of the duplex reticle at 6 o'clock. 

25 yards, with the crosshair held at 6 o'clock.

After sight-in, I headed out into the forest to do a bit of ground squirrel and chipmunk hunting. All shots were between 36 and 43 yards. Here are a few pics of the results. Hunting these guys is very challenging. They are difficult to get shots at, and when you do they usually only have a head, or head and shoulders showing. All were one shot kills.

A group of California Ground Squirrels taken with this rifle on a hunt a couple of years ago.

A qualified hunter, with the shooting skills to take advantage of an accurate rifle putting out 6 to 7 foot pounds of muzzle energy, is very capable of killing appropriately sized vermin and small game at 45 to 50 plus yard ranges.  One doesn't always need magnum power to take care of the task at hand.

 

FWB 300S Tyrolean - Set up To Hunt Golden Mantle Ground Squirrels

I bought this FWB 300S Tyrolean new, from the Beeman folks in the mid seventies. I've killed more California ground Squirrels with it than I can count. I haven't hunted her since moving to Arizona. I decided to set her up to go after the Golden Mantle ground squirrels that we have here. 

Beeman re-sprung, and re-sealed her about three years ago. Today I set her up with a Leupold 3-9x33mm EFR scope. Hope to get her out next week, do a final sight-in, and then get after the furballs.

She shoots the  8.4 grain JSB Exacts, at an average of 575 fps, that's 6.2 fpe at the muzzle. That's about equivalent to a Beeman R7, except in a recoilless action. Over the years, I've taken hundreds of California Ground Squirrels with her out to around 45 yards. 

She will have no trouble taking the smaller Golden Mantle ground squirrels at similar distances. The biggest challenge is going to be getting within range.

I set up my pellet trap and got her on target at 15 yards indoors. After getting her zeroed, I put up a Shoot-N-C prairie chuck target, and put 10 rounds in the eye. They all went into the same hole. This rifle loves the 8.4 grain, .177 cal. JSB's.

FWB 300S's are incredibly accurate spring powered rifles. 

FWB 300S Tyrolean, the Grand Old Lady Still Gets the Job Done

I just love it when a hunting day starts like this one did. 

 

I was through getting my gear out of my truck. I had just finished putting my binoculars and rangefinder around my neck, when I did a quick glance around the area with the naked eye. Something about an old hollow log laying on the hillside by a small creek caught my attention.

It's amazing, how after decades of hunting ground squirrels, you develop a sense of where they will be. There was something about the end of that hollow log that looked a little out of place. 

 

It looked to me like there was a squirrel's head peeking at me from just inside the end of the log. I checked it with the binos. Yep, br're furball is laying in the end of that log with just his head peeking out, watching me get geared up. 

 

I put the rangefinder on him and got 33 yards. Today I'm hunting with my 30 plus year old FWB 300S Tyrolean, 10 meter match air rifle. She's sighted in for 30 yards. My Stoney Point bipod is already set up, so I slip a pellet into the grand old lady's barrel, rest her on my bipod, hold just on the top of his head and send him a wake up call. 

 

The pellet connects with a solid "thwock", he rolls out of the end of the log, and his tail starts cranking like they do with a solid brain shot. 

 

This is good. I haven't even closed up the truck, and I've already got a photo-op volunteer. 

 

Well heck, I might as well look over the rest of the area. I come about 90 degrees to my left, and sitting on the end of an old fallen oak stump, on the side of the hill, is another ground squirrel basking in the early morning sun. 

 

I laser him real quick, and get 37 yards. The morning air is dead calm. I put a little daylight between the horizontal crosshair and the top of his head and squeeze off another shot. I'm shooting the 8.4 grain JSB Exact pellets. 

 

Again the grand old lady works her magic. There's a nice solid, "thwock" and down comes br're squirrel rolling end, over end, down the side of the hill. 

 

This was an amazing start to what turned out to be a great day in the field hunting ground squirrels.  I gathered them up and took a picture of the two of them posing with the Grand Old Lady. 

 

I wound up hunting the entire day with the old gal. It's really fun sometimes, to take old technology into the field, and watch her do her thing. It does take me a few shots though to get the feel for that 8 ounce trigger all over again. 

 

Anyhow, we had a blast, and before we headed for home I took a group photo with some of her other conquests of the day.

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