Lever Style air rifle

[Mags]

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lever/bar looks like it would be prone to getting bent or broken off.

...
The 'lever' is in effect just a handle that operates a longer bar that pivots near the front of the forestock that operates the pump.

[dddrees]

It looks like a Henry because they made it to look like the Winchester 1866 which came out just a few years before a Henry. A Henry made by Henry Repeating Arms that is.

From the few reviews I've read it works for those few people anyway. I'm personally not that excited about all of the plastic and cheap parts but for that amount pretty hard type expect better quality parts. I would be willing to spend a bit more for something better if they made it. It's certainly not the BB Lever gun I had when I was a teenager. Mine wasn't a Red Ryder but a slightly better version with a better stock. Wish I hadn't lost that one because they simply don't make some things like they used too.

[North Country Gal]

I understand about opting for quality, but with airguns it's a little different than with cartridge guns. They do make airguns, today, like they used to and, in fact, even better with some types of airguns, thanks to new technology. Just depends on where you want to come in to the airgun shooting game.

Take plastic, for instance. Plastic construction on air guns or BB guns is nothing new and, of course, it continues to this day. You can go into Wal-Mart and buy a plastic Crosman pump or Daisy that is essentially the same plastic gun that it was forty or fifty years, ago. The model numbers may have changed, but the guns haven't cheapened by going to plastic because they've always been plastic. Nothing wrong with plastic in terms of functionality on these types of guns. We're talking multi pump or single pump pneumatics, here, not sophisticated PCPs or serious piston guns. I own a few plastic construction air guns and some of them can be quite accurate. They're very affordable and all the air gun some folks need or want.

What's missing in the air gun world, now, are the classic wood and metal pump guns, simply because no one is making one, anymore. Thus, those old walnut stocked Benjamins and, especially, those Sheridans can now get pricey when you find one in good condition.

As for those high end piston guns and PCPs, they're better than ever, but, trust me, you won't find one in Wal-mart. Some of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, guns in our safe are air guns. The PCP air guns used in the Olympics at 10 meters are actually some of the most expensive guns in the world and, arguably, the most sophisticated.

Yup, the world of air guns covers a lot of territory.

[markiver54]

Thank you NCG.
What a great perspective on the whole air gun issue. My main use for one is vermin/pest control, which my Sheridan does handily. Would just like one in .177 for the same purpose, at an affordable price.
Perhaps I should pass on the Barra, despite its cheap price.

[RED]

Just picked one up from Walmart this morning, and it looks like it'll be a lot of fun for $59. In lieu of a repetitive range report, The Backyard Airgunner and Geo Schoonmaker provide a much more comprehensive unboxing/chrono/accuracy analysis on YouTube. My two cents?...Good beat, easy to dance to, I give it a 10.

[markiver54]

Just picked one up from Walmart this morning, and it looks like it'll be a lot of fun for $59. In lieu of a repetitive range report, The Backyard Airgunner and Geo Schoonmaker provide a much more comprehensive unboxing/chrono/accuracy analysis on YouTube. My two cents?...Good beat, easy to dance to, I give it a 10.

Now I'm on the fence again RED. Please add any more evaluation comments if you have them. Have you shot it yet?
Do you feel like it could be used for pest control?....etc.

[RED]

Mark: Observations are based on my indoor 20' basement range, shooting Crossman Copperhead steel BBs. I read the manual before lubing trigger, bolt and pivot points w/ EWL30 which significantly smoothed-out the action. Left the adjustable, fake-Marble-rear sight at its preset position, added 20 BBs into the side gate, and created a single ragged hole after one lever-pump between shots. Rifle weighs 4.4 pounds and shoulders quickly, and while the metal lever stroke is long it doesn't feel wobbly while pumping. Depending on the pest, a 750fps BB should be adequate, unless they're in attack mode, since this is still just a $59 single-shot rifle. Happy hunting/plinking!

[North Country Gal]

Mark, given the specs as to velocity, it could certainly be used for pest control. The Barra is a pump up with variable power, just like you're Sheridan, but it won't develop quite the power of the Sheridan in terms of foot pounds of energy. From what I've seen, so far, with heavy Crosman 177 pellets, you're at about 9 fpe for the Barra. In Europe, where they have restrictions on the power of air guns in terms of fpe, a lot of small game hunting and pesting is done at 9 fpe. As always with airgun hunting, it's hugely about shot placement, not power.

Your Sheridan can produce similar velocities, but with heavier pellets, so it can get you in that 12 fpe to 13 fpe range. Back in the day, I had no trouble taking squirrels and rabbits with a Sheridan when keeping distances appropriate for air guns, right in that 20 yard range. The power was there for longer shots, but using those very basic open sights and trying to get shot placement I wanted, meant keeping distances as close as possible.

So, the Barra won't do anything your Sheridan won't do as far as hunting or pesting, but it does give you the ability to use the much cheaper and easier to find 177 pellets, even BBs if you want to go that route. Can't see how you could go wrong at that price, just to have backyard plinker with BBs or cheap pellets.

[Mistered]

My only experience with an air rifle was an old Benjamin mod 342 .22 cal I had up until about a year ago when I sold it (broken) on Ebay for $100. Eventually the pump wore out, it started leaking and the lock pin on the bolt broke and it was just laying around so I sold it.

I too recall shooting small pests with it (up to rabbit size) when It was working well and pumping up to full pressure.

No real need or desire for an air rifle however a couple years ago I was shooting a neighbors high end break action pump and was pretty dang impressed with its performance.

[Ojaileveraction]

Air rifles a not covered in Cali's lead ban.
Year round legal for Eurasian Ringneked Dove and Rock Dove (pigeons).
And everybodies favorite Starlings.