Since the Williams peep sight is lost does not mean it is forgotten. The hope is that when snow melts it will appear and to be in okay condition. That being the case, it stands to reason that it needs a new home as the old home, the Diana34Classic, has a new peep sight setup (Williams+Merit iris) in the mail.
The Beeman mentioned above is, as I take it, a low cost biathlon looking rifle. Is it a good biathlon style rifle (no need to be competitive in my hands!)? Not made in Germany...and so the barrel is...? It is CO2 powered which I've never used, and the power does not, or does it?, have what it takes in the .22 version, to take down squirrels at 50 - 60 feet away. Weight? Something that needs leaning against a door frame or a proper shooting position for accuracy? I find my Diana34 best when I'm properly braced...it seems a bit heavy and likes to wave its barrel tip about in the wind just too much if I'm not set up properly.
Can the CO2 be available full time? Just flip a switch or what's there to have it ready? Does this type of stock have advantages over the more typical hunting stock that's on my Diana34Classic? Does this rifle need modifications by me (as did the springer Diana34) that can make it more accurate and powerful?
Well, if this is not a possibility, please offer comments on a lower cost .22 rifle that can do the job on squirrels while accepting (I'm up to reasonable home modifications of mounts) the old Williams+Merit setup.
Thanks, Dick
the Beeman rifle is a take off of the old Crosman 180 and if you just read the reviews it it well received and it should do your pest no favors
Archer Bros has one that looks like the 180 for 110.00
there are not power houses but they hit what you aim at
so as long as the gun has CO2 in it and it is sound condition, doesn't leak, it will be ready when you are
The FPS is 450 and I wonder if that is adequate for a rifle used for squirrel control. Would not know, but I think my Diana 34 Classic is almost, or more, than double that. So, does 450 do the job and at something as far as perhaps 100 feet?
@dickb I have one in.177. At 20 yds , it'll put a crossman pointed pellet through a 3/4" pine board. I don't feel a squirrel would be out of bounds at that distance and maybe a little further. I'm happy with mine for what I paid ,it's been fun putzing with it and shooting . I use use it on a pcp air tank theathered to a regged bottle to about 1200psi. Get 30some shots on just the tube.
A phone call with Mike at Flying Dragons was helpful. Use .22, for sure, for squirrels. Get a tuning from Flying Dragons that will increase the fps from 450 to the 600-700 range and for a .22 traveling 60 to 80 feet, that will control squirrels. Sounded good to me, but the problem is that there are currently no rifles to be purchased. Another issue, really not one with me, is that the shots per CO2 setup then decreases down to...what? maybe 50 or so?
So I'll await their availability...and the reappearance of the missing Williams peep sight with the Merit adjustable iris on it...hopefully still in good shape after possibly a month in snow/ice/mud/maybe a tractor running over it or ??
the Beeman rifle is a take off of the old Crosman 180 and if you just read the reviews it it well received and it should do your pest no favors
Archer Bros has one that looks like the 180 for 110.00
there are not power houses but they hit what you aim at
so as long as the gun has CO2 in it and it is sound condition, doesn't leak, it will be ready when you are
Just one small comment, the Crosman that the QB was a copy of is the 160, not the 180.
David Enoch
yes of course the 160 wrong number
