There is no substitute for real-world testing. Survival Gear Tests is a series of blog posts about survival gear in real world conditions. Each post will be on a specific piece of gear which could make or break your bug out effort. We hope that you use my embarrassment, mistakes, struggles, and success to improve your own adventure experience. I am not a pro and nobody paid me to write these posts. That will be incredibly obvious as you read about my experience. This post is about the new and deadly crop of air rifles and a test of the Benjamin Genesis .22 Caliber Air Rifle.
Imagine a time where ammunition is scarce and when it is available, it is over priced and rationed to buyers. The debate over why ammo of almost every type is scarce rages but no one knows the truth. Now imagine that you own a safe full of awesome firearms but you are not trained to use them because you cannot afford or cannot get access to ammo for practice. That time is now, folks! Ammo of virtually every type has skyrocketed in price and disappeared from store shelves. Even the most friendly of shop owners refuses to sell any customer more than two or three boxes of any type of ammo.
Fact: September of 2014, the state of New Mexico issued a hunter’s bulletin. This bulletin states that small game hunters can now use .177 caliber, or larger, to hunt certain small game such as squirrels, doves, etc. This bulletin cites the scarcity of .22 ammo as the driver behind the change.
This is an excellent time to own an air rifle. Pellet and BB guns were once reserved for young people wanting to own their first firearm. While still dangerous, the range and lethality of such small guns was nominal. That is no longer the case. The newest designs of air rifles are strong enough to take down medium size game and varmints like coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, and even small wild hogs! With ranges approaching 70 yards, and energy levels approaching traditional rifles, there is no doubt that a high quality air rifle should be considered by all Survivalist Preppers. Consider the qualities of a great air rifle:
- High Power and Long Range
- Multiple Choices in Caliber
- High Tech and High Quality Accessories
The survivalist rifleman has many excellent choices for an air rifle. According to Crosman, each caliber has specific benefits:
- .177 – Excellent for target practice and small pest control.
- .22 – Excellent for target, small pest, and small game hunting like squirrel and dove.
- .25 – Ideal for all of the above but include varmint control like coyote and small hogs.
There are additional calibers but these are the three most popular.
The three primary types of propulsion systems are (from weakest to strongest):
- CO2 – Multiple shot capability. Requires the purchase of small gas cartridges. Example: Gamo SOCOM .177 Pistol
- Break Barrel – Affordable but powerful. Single shot only and no extra equipment needed. Example: Benjamin Genesis .22
- PCP (Compressed Air) – Requires large compressed air canisters or a pump to fill internal system. Extremely powerful and multi-shot capable. Example: Benjamin Marauder .25
The prices of good quality hunting air rifles range from $100 to well over $600 for the most powerful and high tech. It took me two weeks to research the endless data and come up with a good quality, powerful, but affordable option. Here is my checklist for my purchase:
- Budget of less than $300
- Highest speed possible.
- A caliber strong enough for small animal hunting and pest control.
- Affordable ammo availability.
The most popular caliber for small game and pest control is .22. Why? The .177 caliber is more affordable, and faster, but does not pack the punch of the larger .22. The .25 is deadly but out of my price range. Good quality air rifles now approach 1400 FPS (Feet Per Second) for .177 Caliber, 1000 FPS for .22, and 800 FPS for .25. Remember that the final measure is not FPS but total knock down power. You want the best balance of speed and bullet weight for optimum effectiveness.
After a long and frustrating search, I decided on the Benjamin Genesis .22 Break Barrel Air Rifle. Here were the specs on the Benjamin Genesis and why it was a good choice:
- $200 at WalMart
- .22 Caliber, 950 FPS with certain types of pellets.
- Break Barrel design meant high reliability with no expense or extra items needed.
- Excellent quality and scope included.
- Adjustable synthetic stock with soft grip inserts.
- Picatinny rail for accessory mounts.
- Benjamin/Crosman’s Nitro Piston Technology for smoother, quieter operation.
A note on “Gas Piston Tech”. This is something you should definitely search for. The old style spring pistons are far more noisy and harsh when compared to this new tech.
For comparison, the most powerful of the .22 break barrel designs offered 1000 FPS but were $100 or more in price. The extra 50 FPS did not justify the extra expense.
A nice addition is the BSA Varmint Hunter Kit. This kit includes a red laser and a 90 lumen flashlight tied to momentary switches. The kit mounts to 1 inch scope tubes and looks way cool! For low light conditions or night shooting, this is an affordable must have.
In summary, if you want a reliable, powerful, high quality, and fun way to perfect your shooting skills, an air rifle is the way to go. 500 rounds of .22 ammo costs around $10! Let me say that again…500 rounds for $10!! The Benjamin Genesis was an excellent decision. It kept me shooting, in my back yard, without the expense of the shooting range and the high expense of ammo. The rifle offers excellent quality for a great price and I love the multitude of accessories. Other great quality air rifles can be found at http://www.pyramydair.com/ and Crosman.
Want to make some extra money to buy preps? Ask Bennett how!
Images sourced from Crosman and BSA.
Discover more from Survivalist Prepper
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
