Any recommendations between these 2 only in .22 cal for target shooting and small game hunting such as squirrels and birds? Whats the pros and cons of each as standalone or versus each other? Any input appreciated as I'm getting ready to buy one of these. Thanks.
I just got the 350 in .22 about a week ago and it rocks. (sorry never fired the 460). the only drawbacks to the 350 in my opinion are:
1) it's very heavy in my opinion for an airgun which makes offhand shooting more difficult. (As well as hard to cock).
2) the little screwhead they use for a scope stop is unuseable. It's too thin and I took mine out right before it broke off. So you have to use a one piece scope mount and mount it backwards so that the scope stop pin hangs over the front. Also the rifle has a heavy kick so you have to buy a very durable scope. My Leapers Bug Buster's reticle fell apart after 10 or so shots. But this is not the norm for Leapers. In fact I put another Leapers on it and it's holding up so far (600 rounds or so).
3) it's hard to get used to. If you've owned lighter powered guns it will take a while to get used to this one. it takes tons of practice with the hold (you need to hold it very loosely and consistently).
For targets and birds I would not recommend this gun (too heavy for targets and a bit overkill for birds). I bought it to complement my .177 which is great for targets and birds (and squirrels). I bought the 350 in .22 for squirrels and up (racoons, Armadillos, etc.) If I could have only one gun I think it would be a Diana in .177 maybe the mod 34. Something lightweight, easy to cock, fast and accurate. 'Cause let's face it, shot placement is superior to caliber. The .22 shoots a heavier round and thus has a larger curve to the trajectory so you will have to learn to shoot with a holdover/under at many distances. I'm just starting to get used to this now, as my .177 shoots with a much more flat trajectory.
All this being said, The 350 rocks. It's powerfull, very accurate (once you get used to it) and it's very well made and nice to look at! It's a great compliment to a good .177 but not likey your "go to" gun. If I go out to shoot targets or birds I ALWAYS grab for the .177.
Thanks Jason! What about the 350 in .177 cal? Do you think the .177 will be inaccurate at such high velocities? Once it goes supersonic it'll tumble alot? Maybe the 350 in .177 will shoot a flat trajectory and be good for target and bird shooting. What do you think?
i'm sure it's an awesome rifle, and I doubt the advertised velocities are even close to the actual ones. they probably used the lightest pellet possible with a synthetic skirt to get those velocities. you could always use heavier pellets to slow it down if you found it was a problem.
but still my only concern is the weight. i beleive the .177 weighs the same as the .22 as it's the same rifle with just a different size barrel. scoped you're probably looking at somewhere around 8.5lbs. but if the weight isn't an issue for you (i find it difficult to keep 8.5lbs steady while aiming) i'm sure it's an awesome rifle. another possibility is the mod 34. about a pound lighter.
shoots as fast and with the same or simialr tragectory as your 34 in .177 .
350 magnum will do ~850fps 14.3 gr and the 34 will do 860fps in 7.9 ge .177
You may prefer the wieght and ease of cocking and less hold sensitive 34 though , magnum springers are not for every one ..you have to learn to shoot them accuratly .
I would advise strongly against buying the 350 for target shooting, birds & squirrels. This gun is too heavy and too powerful for those. I have owned much lighter less powerful (500 to 625fps in .177) CO2 and pump air rifles and one pistol in the past that had no problem taking birds, squirrels and cotton tail rabbits at 25 yards. If kids under 14 or under will be using the 350, then the choice not to get it is even more definitive.
The 350 is not a lot of fun to shoot or carry around like others mentioned. It takes a lot of effort to cock it and usually my left arm starts hurting after 40 pellets or so. It is also difficult to shoot accurately without leaning on something for support or using a bipod or tripod. 9.5lbs (scoped) is just plain heavy and not your norm. Not even my high powered centerfire rifles and shutguns weigh that much.
I would advise you to look for a lighter rifle 7lbs or less in a .177 caliber for what you want to use it for. I bought my 350 purely for the large groundhogs, racoons and possoms that frequent (and some live on) my property. These are animals that weigh >10lbs and up to 20lbs.
I use a cheap lightweight Crossman .177 rifle to dispatch anything smaller, and you know what? Now that I own this heavy 350 (bought it 3 days ago) that kicks like a mule (almost like my 30-30 lever action!), I appreciate my lighter .177 rifle a lot more! 550-650fps is all you need for squirrels and birds, even rabbits (with a head or neck shot or shoulder shot to disable them and then follow through with another if you have to). Rabbits don't need much to bring them down unless it's a hare which are larger. I have taken more than 1 dozen rabbits with my less powerful .177 (600-625fps muzzle velocity) some more than 20yds out, and squirrels 30yds out, all without a scope, because lighter airguns are much easier to hold steady. The 350 is the first airgun I put a scope on because I have to make sure I get these large 'small game' animals in the head or with a well placed shot.
They now have CO2 rifles that can do over 725fps in .177 that are cheaper than most RWS springers. This is what I would recommend or get a lighter RWS rifle in .177. I 'm thinking of maybe getting one of the new CO2 'magnum' rifles with >700fps for the squirrels, because after I saw what my 350 did to a groundhog's head that I got yesterday, I feel sorry shooting a squirrel with the 350 .22cal. If you are including crows in your list, then you might need a .22 but a springer is a lot of work and the recoil in a magnum springer is considerable, more than any other type of airgun. Chose wisely. We can only advise you. The decision is yours to make. Then again you can always own a .177 and a .22 for the occasion like most of us do.
Was that a complete review? I don't think the BB Peletier guy even shot the 460.
Here are the 350 #'s as tested by Tom Gaylord in '06, which the 460 has to beat These were from a barely broken-in 350 .22. They are the high #'s. The link was posted by Jason above. The comments in parentheses are mine.
Eley Wasp 14.4 grains - 848 fps (Wasp pellet??)
RWS Superpoint 14.5 grains - 893 fps (nice!)
Beeman Kodiak 21.1 grains - 685 fps
RWS Hobby 12.2 grains - 943 fps (!!)
Benjamin/Sheridan domes 14.3gr - 852 fps
These were all 22-24.3 ft-lbs of Energy
Now the 3 out of these 5 pellets that also Straight Shooters tested, have an average velocity of 25 to 94fps more. This could be because Tom Gaylord usually shoots 200-300 pellets before he starts recording the test results. Maybe Straight Shooters just shot like 5 pellets out of each tin on a never-shot before 350 which was not broken-in at all. They don't really elaborate on that in "interpreting the score" nor do they tell you if they post the average velocities or the highest ones.
Harry, I think speed is great, but certainly should not be the only thing that I will be looking for in the purchase of a rifle. The 350 may very well beat the 460 to the finish line in the velocity test. Personally, I could care less. As long as the rifle has adequate power is fine with me. I am looking at a slew of other things. I really prefer accuracy over speed, how well the gun handles, etc. For instance, one poster mentioned that RWS in Germany has two standards for their rifles. One spring is for the Germans who prefer, smoothness and accuracy. and a stretched spring for the speed loving Americans. Given the choice, I would prefer the German standard each time. I am sure you want the speed, just a matter of personal choice. I also would be willing to sacrifice speed if it meant that I would not have to go through so much heavy recoil that blews scopes out all the time.
If you look at the post I sent about BB'S review, it Say's part (1)One. I have read many of his reviews and he does a good job. Also, I think straight shooters review gave a good indication about where the 350 and the 460 are located in speed and power department. I look at the reviews to get a good general performance of what a particular rifle will do. When I own the gun, and I really want to get down and dirty, I will just go ahead and buy a meter.
Harry, I could not but chuckle when I read this post. I am sure you have read the latest by BB Pelliteer when he has come out of the closet and confessed TO BE TOM GAYLORD!
The 460 Magnum utilizes an under-lever cocking mechanism that provides superior leverage when cocking the airgun, resulting in less cocking effort than other spring airguns. The 460 offers magnum velocites of 1350 fps in .177 and 1150 fps in .22. With easy to use top-side loading port, micro adjustable sights, fixed rifles barrel, scope capability, and a classic American Sporter stock with rubber butt pad, the 460 magnum delivers the performance, power and grace expected from an RWS rifle. http://www.compasseco.com/index.php?action=item&id=1291&prevaction=category&previd=1&prevstart=0
This cant be true..can it??
The velocity #'s? no, they are not true. And the cocking effort listed on that web site as 36lbs is false. 39lbs I believe is what everyone else is advertising. The 350 is 36lbs..
Tom Gaylord (long time airgun expert & associated to Pyramid Air) tested a 460 .177 and after a few hundred shots measured it at 43lbs I believe. The side lever is supposed to give you good leverage so it doesn't feel like you are using 40+lbs to cock it.
See this Straightshooters link. They recently tested the 460 .22 (not .177). Still pretty powerful.
These were from a barely broken-in 350 .22. They are the high #'s. The link was posted by Jason above. The comments in parentheses are mine.