Condom Hat

- Sheridan Air Rifle -


Back when I was a little punk ass I had a Sheridan. Shot many a friend's asses, birds, snakes, frogs and other critters with it.

I'm thinking about squirrel and rabbit hunting with one.


Scope or no scope?

Pellets, what kind?

Is there a better air rifle option?

I wonder if I need to have a permit for that shit in fairy ass Illinois?

Definitely scope it... fixed 4 power or a 3x9 will suffice.... I have never shot a Benjamin Sheridan before so I couldn't tell you what flies better out of it... there is a science behind matching pellets to a specific brand gun, then even to individual guns... you just need to do a lot of plinking holmes....

From what I've read the Sheridan does about 800fps..that is plenty fast enough to hunt small game with inside of 40 yards... if you are looking to shoot out to 100 there are much more powerful pellet guns on the market.. Since Britain outlawed firearms the airgun technology has literally grown beyond the US manufaturers... there are airguns with large enough caliber and power to kill a water buffalo.

Keep that gun though.. the older ones are collector's items...

Permit?.. as in ownership or hunting permit? Hunting is an absolute yes.. although if you get ratted out by your neighbor for backyard hunting, the hunting permit (license) will only get you out of some of the trouble involved with shooting an airgun inside city limits.. definitely do some research and see what you would be getting yourself into.. here in Texas no one gives a crap... I was out shooting rats last year and heard my neighbor 3 houses down doing the same thing.. we stood up over the wood fence and showed off our rat killers to each other.

ive injured/killed ground hogs at 40 yards with a .17 gamo @1200 fps w/pba and basic lead ammo on a fixed 4X32. if you are shooting beyond 40 yards i would go with 3X9 but would really be wary of terminal energy for game beyond that distance. like splash said it is a matter of matching the right load to gun for best results.

Thanks for the help. I'm not sure I even know where this air rifle is anymore... Been over 20 years since I last saw it.

What would a good value and reliable weapon be for under 40 yards small game that will take a fixed 4 scope and shoot fairly accurate?

I shot VERY well in the USMC (granted .556 through the A1 is not the same as air rifle) so I am a pretty good shot and fairly familiar with ins and outs.

Time on targets is not a problem since I live in farm country.


I guess I'm looking for best bang for the buck.

That all depends, do you want a pumper, a one cock springer , or a precharged pneumatic?

Go to http://www.pyramydair.com/ and check out their shit.... I've always been a crosman gun owner the 2100 is a solid, accurate gun for the money. For the type of shooting I do I prefer a pump because I can very the velocity... I don't need 10 pumps to kill a rat at 10 yards... it makes for a quieter shot also....

I have killed over 30 crows with my 2100 out to 30 yards and dropped 99% of them STONE dead with flat tip target rounds..
There is much debate between the .177 and the .22 caliber pellet guys. The later argue that a .177 higher velocity guns will always neatly zip straight through animals not doing enough shock damage and that the only way to kill stuff is with a .22.

NOW, us .177 guys know this is total BS... the .177 is a flatter shooting round so you do way less correcting, and with the proper pellet, it has plenty of stopping power... although if you don't know what you are doing and use pointed pellets at 20 yards... yup it's gonna zip right through your target... I have zipped a few crows ... they still don't get far..

I also own a modified 1377 that shoots around 600fps and it has killed squirrels at 20 yards and rats at 30.. This gun is however very loud for it's size and velocity because of the super short barrel.

I shoot Crosman and Gamo pellets.. not sure what they are called, I dumped them in a jar... the gamo's were from a sampler pack and don't shoot very straight from my crosmans.

i use the gamo big cat 1200 .177 and at roughly 130.00 comes with a basic 4x32 scope (nice match for under 40 yards). you can decide the whole .22 vs .177 thing on your own but be forewarned that most sporting goods places carry larger selections in ammo for .177 than .22 (luckily there is this whole internet thing to solve that). the big cat is accurate and reliable .... i didnt read the reviews on it but it gets almost 5 stars from review centre. from personal experience it is on the loud side and will surprise you that it has some recoil (put that scope on tight). this is in my opinion a safe bet considering all the options out there. if there was one brand i would tell you to stay away from it would be remington products made by crosman. i have no beef with crosman other than they make remingtons poor designs.

Hey Nada, the reason those guns are so loud (almost as loud as a 22 rimfire) is because your pellet is breaking the sound barrier... that loud "crack" is a sonic boom... stop using BPA ammo and try larger grain pellets to lower your FPS just under 1100fps and your gun will get WAY quieter.

VIA Wikipedia -
The speed of sound is the distance travelled during a unit of time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound is 343.2 metres per second (1,126 ft/s). This is 1,236 kilometres per hour (768 mph), or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds.

yep splash that boom thing can be annoying so i usually stick with cheap lead as it is softer on the neighbors ears and easier on the wallet. i do laugh at some of the marketing out there for air guns with silencer type modifications when they warn you in small print that using the ballistic alloy will basically defeat the silencing.