Hi guys,

I'm Jim and live Augusta, Ga USA. I am new to airguns but not shooting. A long time ago I was once an Artillery officer and like to build and fire small wooden trebuchets so slinging steel downrange is in my blood. I almost bought a relatively cheap 1000 fps gun until I tried cocking one in a sporting goods store. I walked away from that after just one try thinking they all cant be so beastly.
I began researching in earnest which lead me to the Beeman HW30. Very tempting gun but more reading lead me to the R7. Many favorable comments and longevity stories concerning the R7 plus an adjustable trigger really impressed me. I finally settled on purchasing a Beeman R7 for backyard plinking.
Being new to this I have a few questions.

Is an R7 an acceptable choice for a suburban backyard with a tall brick fence and relaxed Southern neighbors who arent scared of guns? In other words I dont want to buy something that will ricochet like crazy or be loud. My kids and I shoot a Daisy Red Rider out back all the time with no problems but that is a bit of a stretch as a comparison to say the least. . I am certain this will be the only place the gun will be used.

Is there much of a report when shooting an R7?

I have tentatively picked Airguns of Arizona to purchase the gun. I haven't seen any negative feedback concerning them and Greg Glover answered my email promptly and with courtesy. Any opinion on this vender?

Is it worth tuning an R7 if it will be used for plinking? I am considering a tune more for the idea of preventive maintenance and prolonging gun life than increasing accuracy or power.

If I purchase a Maccari tune kit and the rifle from Arizona should I have both shipped directly to a tuner?

What is a "typical" ballpark cost for a tune knowing the parts/labor involved in an R7 Maccari tune kit? Many of the posts concerning tunes were 4 to 7 years old so this is an area that I could not clear up on my own.

Points of contact for reputable tuners are very welcome.

I appreciate your time and thoughts,

Jim

My R7 is completely stock so i dont know much about the tuning. Compared to a red ryder the R7 isnt really all that much louder. The pellet hitting the backstop is louder that the gun itself. So if you made a silent pellet trap no one should be able to tell you are shooting. I HIGHLY recommend this gun, the trigger is just...amazing

Tuned is better still.

If you want a tuned one, you might be able to order one directly from Paul Watts.

http://www.springgunning.com/

I don,t think it needs any tuning at all, the only thing I did was took a bore snake and cleaned the barrel before I started shooting and ran it down the barrel every 15 to 20 shots for a while and it is great, where as to the new R-9 I have, it has not quit deiseling yet after six or seven hundred shots and that may need a tune, but I like shooting the R-7 so much because 90% of my shooting is plinking, I haven,t shot the 9. If you have a deiseling problem and want a tune you may check out Ed K the tune Meister, he can work magic with these R series guns. Good luck and good shooting Joe

Their logo is at the top of the page. Then you'll be able to find your guns best pellet. You'll love your R7.

John

They are a nice gun off the shelf, and if you're just plinking, no need to tune it right now, not even for preventative measures. You could buy a Maccari kit now, and have it in reserve when you decide to tune it in a year or so. JMHO. Enjoy!!

Not because the gun needs it....Mine felt really good right out of the box.

If your planning to keep it a while, and r7 owners never sell the guns, why not??

Save the stock parts for an emergency set. The tune makes a big difference on this gun. It starts off great, but as said before, Tuned is even better.

I dont believe I own anything that is more fun to shoot.

For my first purchase, I picked up a Crosman Sierra Pro last Sep. I just wanted it to remove some squirrels from the backyard and attic. I am not going to go into too much detail (at least in this post) about the gun, but for Christmas I got a Beeman R7. Why?

Backyard shooting. The Sierra Pro had a few issue (currently at Crosman for repairs), was very loud, and probably did not make the neighbors too comfortable (with a scope, the Sierra Pro looks like a serious piece of business). I digress.

The R7 is perfect for the backyard. It is quiet, it is unbelievably accurate, and extremely easy too shot. It probably does not make the neighbors very comfortable, but I think rifles with scopes have that effect on folks.

The R7 has enough power to get the job done for me - I have taken several squirrels, plinking, and paper punching. I put a Leapers 6x32 Bug Buster 2 scope on the gun, which is perfect for my backyard. I typically shoot at 15-20 yards, but the squirrels in the pecan tree can easily put the shots at 25 or so yards.

I have tried 10-12 different pellet types, but the R7 seems to do OK with pretty much everything I shoot. If I had to pick some favorites, Gamo Hunters (8.4 gr), Beeman H&N Match wadcutter (8.09 gr), and Beeman Trophy Lightweight Round Nose (7.88 gr) work well.

Before I got the R7, I remember seeing posts about this or that grouping. I did not understand what everyone was talking about until I started seeing my own results. I am not saying that my shooting is very good, but I can put a pellet where I aim my R7, which is simply amazing and very rewarding.

In short, I think you will not regret an R7 for backyard shooting. I cannot speak for tuning, or other guns similar to the R7, but I can speak for fun, which the R7 delivers. Sorry for all the gushing, but I guess I recommend the R7 based on my experiences.

--
Jonathan
www.calvertgames.com

on your R7. I believe he currently charges $235 for that service. On his website he has a good article on tuning the R7. See www.springgunning.com Best $235 you will ever spend.

I purchased a new in the box R7 from PW and had him put an advanced tune on it before shipping it to me. Cannot give you any before and after tune insight since I never shot the gun before the tune. However, all the positive comments of a tuned gun that you will see on this forum convinced me to have mine tuned. Money well spent.

Good luck.

Very nice responses from everyone and some even friendlier back emails concerning my questions. I thank you all.

I am having quite a bit of trouble finding an in stock R7. Perhaps its because stores dont typically carry a lot of stock in Jan due to Christmas and or they dont want to inventory a lot of items.

I was surprised when an employee of Airguns of Arizona was uninterested when I asked him to call or email me to notify me when they received a new order of R7 rifles. Greg if you read this please take note. I think a new rifle sale with all the trimmings is worth a phone call/email.

Jim