BB gun recommendations

[Shprockets]

I’m looking for a BB gun, the one I had as a kid shit the bed. It’s a crossman 2100 classic, it doesn’t hold pressure any more. I was thinking of fixing but it might be cheaper to by new.

Not looking for anything crazy, any brands or models you recommend?

I have to get some pesky rabbits and squirrels.

 

[edin508]

Go to the Pyramid air website and find something on sale that looks fun.

 

[not new guy]

I grabbed a Diana 240 (single shot spring) to teach the kids on, and I love it for that purpose, but there’s a pretty wide range of options out there, depending on your intended use. Deep rabbit hole.

 

[Reeg]

Not sure how far north you are in NH, but you could make a trip to New England Airguns in Hudson MA or Northeast Airguns in Stoneham. I find that actually having hands on is better than online if I'm not sure what I want. Both have websites that you can scan before you make the drive.

 

[Kevin_NH]

I’m looking for a BB gun, the one I had as a kid shit the bed. It’s a crossman 2100 classic, it doesn’t hold pressure any more. I was thinking of fixing but it might be cheaper to buy new.

A rebuild kit with the most commonly failing seals will run you under $10.
While you work on that, pick up a new production 2100 for short money (e.g. at Walmart or Pyramyd).

Not looking for anything crazy, any brands or models you recommend? I have to get some pesky rabbits and squirrels.

The 2100, with a good pellet, is effective for small pests.
For a step up in power and accuracy, while sticking with .177 pellets and avoiding expensive CO2 powerlets, consider a nitro-piston rifle like Crosman's Vantage

 

[gerrycaruso]

I don't know about the place in Stoneham but the place in Hudson is not open during the day on week days and there's a recording that basically says they're too busy to answer the phone.

 

[Reeg]

I don't know about the place in Stoneham but the place in Hudson is not open during the day on week days and there's a recording that basically says they're too busy to answer the phone.

The owners, John and his wife, are RE agents Mon-Fri, so they are open late afternoons during the week. Have good weekend hours.

 

[Mountain]

Actual BB guns will take out small birds, but they don't have enough oomph to do anything but injure squirrels and rabbits. You'll need at least a 20 caliber pellet rifle. I'd look at .20 or .22 caliber options in pump or break barrel versions if you want to keep a tighter budget.

 

[Kevin_NH]

Actual BB guns will take out small birds, but they don't have enough oomph to do anything but injure squirrels and rabbits. You'll need at least a 20 caliber pellet rifle. I'd look at .20 or .22 caliber options in pump or break barrel versions if you want to keep a tighter budget.

I agree -- skip the BBs for anything more involved than plinking cans.

While I really like my .20 caliber (5mm) pellet rifles, the pellets are expensive, not stocked many places, and variety is limited -- for example, PyramydAir shows 150 options in .177 pellets, 110 in .22, and... 5 (really 3) choices in .20

If OP wants a new air rifle primarily for pest control, and is willing to discard any existing stock of .177 ammo he has sitting around, a .22 nitro-piston is worth considering.

 

[Shprockets]

I grabbed a Diana 240 (single shot spring) to teach the kids on, and I love it for that purpose, but there’s a pretty wide range of options out there, depending on your intended use. Deep rabbit hole.

Pun intended?

 

[Shprockets]

Not sure how far north you are in NH, but you could make a trip to New England Airguns in Hudson MA or Northeast Airguns in Stoneham. I find that actually having hands on is better than online if I'm not sure what I want. Both have websites that you can scan before you make the drive.

I’m next to Hudson so that works.

 

[paulleve]

I’m looking for a BB gun, the one I had as a kid shit the bed. It’s a crossman 2100 classic, it doesn’t hold pressure any more. I was thinking of fixing but it might be cheaper to by new.

Not looking for anything crazy, any brands or models you recommend?

I have to get some pesky rabbits and squirrels.

A rebuild kit with new exhaust valve, pump cup, check valve and o-rings will run about $25. Replacing all the components will probably take an hour to 1.5 hours, if you take your time disassembling, cleaning, and lubricating as you go. There should be a few videos on Youtube that show the process.

A few years ago I dug out my old Crosman 766, which is almost identical to your 2100, and found it wouldn't hold pressure. I bought a reseal kit and got it back up and running like new. There's something nice about shooting the actual rifle you got for Christmas back in 1980!


The inside is pretty simple. No special tools are required for disassembly/reassembly.


The brass part is the valve body. The white part on the left is the exhaust valve that lets air into the chamber when you fire the rifle. The white part on the right is a check valve that holds pressure in the valve body while you're pumping the rifle up.


Shooting the 766 on Christmas Day 2022, some 42 years after getting it as a Christmas present!

 

[Shprockets]

A rebuild kit with the most commonly failing seals will run you under $10.
While you work on that, pick up a new production 2100 for short money (e.g. at Walmart or Pyramyd).

The 2100, with a good pellet, is effective for small pests.
For a step up in power and accuracy, while sticking with .177 pellets and avoiding expensive CO2 powerlets, consider a nitro-piston rifle like Crosman's Vantage

Any place you recommend to buy the rebuild kit from?

 

[Shprockets]

A rebuild kit with new exhaust valve, pump cup, check valve and o-rings will run about $25. Replacing all the components will probably take an hour to 1.5 hours, if you take your time disassembling, cleaning, and lubricating as you go. There should be a few videos on Youtube that show the process.

A few years ago I dug out my old Crosman 766, which is almost identical to your 2100, and found it wouldn't hold pressure. I bought a reseal kit and got it back up and running like new. There's something nice about shooting the actual rifle you got for Christmas back in 1980!

View attachment 892808
The inside is pretty simple. No special tools are required for disassembly/reassembly.

View attachment 892807
The brass part is the valve body. The white part on the left is the exhaust valve that lets air into the chamber when you fire the rifle. The white part on the right is a check valve that holds pressure in the valve body while you're pumping the rifle up.

View attachment 892806
Shooting the 766 on Christmas Day 2022, some 42 years after getting it as a Christmas present!

Where did you buy the rebuild kit from? Thanks

 

[paulleve]

There are some guys that carry them on eBay. I also buy lots of parts, o-rings, and reseal kits from JGAirguns. If you just want the parts to reseal, eBay is the cheaper solution, but if you need other parts to get your rifle back to new, I'd check out JG.

 

[Asaltweapon]

Actual BB guns will take out small birds, but they don't have enough oomph to do anything but injure squirrels and rabbits. You'll need at least a 20 caliber pellet rifle. I'd look at .20 or .22 caliber options in pump or break barrel versions if you want to keep a tighter budget.

I’ve killed many squirrels and chipmunks with a 177. Not at great distances mind you but dead is dead.

 

[peter_nh]

I bought a spring action (break barrel) .22 Gammo a while back. Its got plenty of power but the odd spring action recoil seems to add some randomness to shots, so is not that repeatable or accurate. It tends to give squirrels a fighting chance, but if you manage to get a hit its game over.

My older Daisy air pump action was more accurate and repeatable, but not as powerful, unfortunately it is now pushing up the Daises itself.

There are some interesting high PSI guns out there now, but they are more $$$$ and you really will need a special high PSI compressor.

 

[peterk123]

How about a 22lr rifle with a silencer? With subsonic ammo it is more quiet than an air gun and it will get the job done.

 

[knoxy]

Just picked up a .22 Gamo Whisper Swarm 10x. Holds 10 pellets in a little rotary cartridge. Found it for $129.

 

[peter_nh]

Just picked up a .22 Gamo Whisper Swarm 10x. Holds 10 pellets in a little rotary cartridge. Found it for $129.

That the one I have too, with the accuracy issues.
LMK if you find the same issues...

 

[knoxy]

I'll see how it shoots once I get it sighted in. I shot my buddy's in .177. I could plink beers cans, standing at 10-15yards.

 

[45collector]

You probably don't want to use this on living creatures (although if you got close enough to ambush squirrels or chipmunks I'm sure it would do the job). I bought a Umarex Legends M1A1 last year and it is so friggin fun to shoot it's ridiculous. I hadn't bought a bb/pellet gun in probably 26 years and I found this online after a sudden infatuation with the Thompson. Semi or full auto, it has not malfunctioned once in the roughly 500 bb's I've run through it to date. The thing sure depletes Co2 cartridges fast in giggle-mode!

 

[Kevin_NH]

You probably don't want to use this on living creatures (although if you got close enough to ambush squirrels or chipmunks I'm sure it would do the job). I bought a Umarex Legends M1A1 last year and it is so friggin fun to shoot it's ridiculous. I hadn't bought a bb/pellet gun in probably 26 years and I found this online after a sudden infatuation with the Thompson. Semi or full auto, it has not malfunctioned once in the roughly 500 bb's I've run through it to date. The thing sure depletes Co2 cartridges fast in giggle-mode!
View attachment 893240

Runs on two powerlets no less!
Seeing as the stick magazine holds the CO2, Umarex needs to offer a drum shaped regulated HPA conversion.

 

[Romokid]

That the one I have too, with the accuracy issues.
LMK if you find the same issues...

So it isn't me then lol. I bought the same one and at first everything seemed good as I was shooting squirrels that were trying to get into the metal trash barrel that has the chicken feed in it from about 80 feet away. Some I would get and some I would miss and kind of scratch my head. I just had to "re-sight" the scope again and low and behold it went from being on to shooting low and to the left. And as far as those rotary mags go, I bought an extra one and good thing as there is a thin o-ring that goes around the outside that is what holds the pellets in. Well my o-ring broke and the pellets just fall out of it. I have to give them a call to see if they sell replacement o-rings.

 

[Kevin_NH]

So it isn't me then lol. I bought the same one and at first everything seemed good as I was shooting squirrels that were trying to get into the metal trash barrel that has the chicken feed in it from about 80 feet away. Some I would get and some I would miss and kind of scratch my head. I just had to "re-sight" the scope again and low and behold it went from being on to shooting low and to the left. And as far as those rotary mags go, I bought an extra one and good thing as there is a thin o-ring that goes around the outside that is what holds the pellets in. Well my o-ring broke and the pellets just fall out of it. I have to give them a call to see if they sell replacement o-rings.

Gamo has a pretty good warranty, covers the magazine.

The older Gamo mags used an .020 O-ring, about 7/8" diameter. Maybe measure one that hasn't snapped yet?

 

[CR2001]

I’m looking for a BB gun, the one I had as a kid shit the bed. It’s a crossman 2100 classic, it doesn’t hold pressure any more. I was thinking of fixing but it might be cheaper to by new.

Not looking for anything crazy, any brands or models you recommend?

I have to get some pesky rabbits and squirrels.

Will drop rabbits and squirrels

PT-85 Blowback CO2 Pellet Pistol .177 Cal. - GAMO

The PT-85 Blowback CO2 powered air pistol is featuring the innovative Blowback feature. It produces 450 fps using PBA Platinum.

gamousa.com