TargetTalk

I'm still researching and debating on my first 10m air rifle. Ideally I'll get it in time to practice in my basement this Winter in preparation for the 2016 small bore shooting season. I will be focusing on off hand an kneeling as that's where most of my points are lost. I also need to replace my CZ American .22 rifle and get a match rifle, I think the CZ will get me to 1100 points but not much past it (I shot a 1078 in the last match).

Part of me wants to get a nice PCP to start with like a FWB 800 Basic or LG400 Blacktec at a minimum cost of about $1300 but if I do it will limit my spending on my .22 match rifle next spring, technically I have plenty in savings for both but hate to dig too deep for "toys". I've found the Daisy 887 rifle on the CMP site for just $305 delivered and am wondering if I will be disappointed in it. I know it won't be a Olympic quality gun but can't help but wonder if it would serve its purpose for a year or two until I replace it with something better. I already have a bulk CO2 tank left over from another hobby. How good/bad is the overall construction, trigger and mechanics? I've heard the Daisy rifles are accurate enough for most people so I don't expect to be disappointed in that aspect. The one think I don't like about the 887 is that the loading slide is on the right, being a lefty this will be a bit awkward but probably something I can work around, heck I shot several matches with a RH bolt gun and it didn't kill me.

Before Rover suggests a used SSP I'll say I'd prefer not to go this route as I can't see it being a lot of fun cocking a RH SSP in the kneeling position with a sling on my right arm.

I have many 887 & 888s for my junior club guns.

They have superb barrels and will easily outshoot the shooter.
The only drawback that folks seem to really have is the trigger ... it's not the best, but remember this is a "sporter" airgun that was manufactured to be less than $500 MSRP.
The trigger can be worked to get is to about to 2-1/2 lbs.

Yes the loading lever operates best from the RH side, but many of my lefty shooters started on these guns and if they (as young as 8) can load it, you can too.

Since you have a CO2 tank it makes the game much easier ... get a cylinder filling station (from Daisy) and an inexpensive postal scale (to fill by weight ... 475-480 grams is a full charge) and you are set. A full cylinder will EASILY get you to over 200 shots. My shooters can easily shoot 2 3x20 matches (with sighters in each position) on a full charge.
Note: put the cylinder in the freezer for about an hour before you fill it to get the full charge.

I concur with jhmartin
The trigger on the Daisy, even after modification is nowhere near a precision match trigger. And they really need the trigger mods, at least mine did. My stock trigger felt like pushing a 2x4 on a rough road. Even so I like the Daisy rifles for casual target shooting when I don't feel like pulling out the FWB.

The LoP of the Daisy is about 12 inches. So you will need to use spacers or a stock adapter to lengthen it to fit you.

The other thing that I did not notice immediately is the trigger position vs your hand position. On the Daisy, I have to reach for the trigger, on my FWB the trigger is a shorter more comfortable reach. This is because the stock screw goes up through the stock just behind the trigger guard and before the pistol grip.

The 887 "Gold medalist" comes with 2 or 3 buttplate spacers from daisy, if CMP doesn't sell them with the gun you can slip some wood blocks under the pate, nothing fancy needed. The screws are at least 3" long, but if you need more than 3 more inches of LOP (unlikely) they can be replaced with longer deck screws.

My American Legion has 4 887's and 2 888's, both models utilize the same action just in a different stock with the exception that the 888 has cheaper sights. The triggers can be tuned, and if you do your part the gun will do its. They're good trainers, and I really like the balance of them even over the Challenger I shoot.

I agree with Gary, they are not the greatest when it comes to triggers. However if you need a world class trigger to shoot good scores you need some help. Once you get used to the trigger, you'll be okay. They aren't that bad.

I have an M888 which is the lesser version of the M887 - lesser sight mostly, I think. While it seems fine, I did not always have confidence in it because of the trigger. I would sell it to the right person, and it comes with two cylinders and a fill adapter.

Last year or so I came across an affordable FWB 600 series CO2 and what an air rifle that is - except for the difficulty mounting a scope, it is all the 10 meter target air rifle I will ever need.

But I wanted to get a better Sporter class air rifle, so I bought the Champion's Choice Mod T200 Sporter Air Rifle for about $575. It shoots with the FWB, shot for shot, on a rest it will shoot 100s all day long. Its only drawback being the smaller size compared to the adult size FWB. But since I bought it to share with Junior and Intermediate students the smaller size is actually a good thing, and it comes with several butt plate extensions and also cheek piece height extenders.

If one is looking for a first air rifle, and the T200 Sporter size fits, I recommend the Champion's Choice Mod T200 Sporter Air Rifle. It is made by CZ Brno and has quality first rate all the way, including a fine light adjustable trigger. For a Junior or Intermediate student, the T200 is good enough to shoot not only Sporter class but also Precision Class, at least until the student starts hitting the higher numbers where they need more adjustability of the stock to fine tune their technique.

The Air Arms T200 sold through Civilian Marksmanship Program is $50 less expensive and does not have an adjustable cheek piece so it is slightly different from the Champions Choice T200. Follow the links to see what I mean.
http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.a ... &item=T200
http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle_sales ... ir-rifles/

For a first 10m air rifle the T200 is the way to go if you ask me, and I like the Champions Choice version best. It's priced at less than half the cost of a new PCP, and the Sporter air rifle qualifies to shoot in two different disciplines. Getting high pressure air into the cylinder is neither easy if pumped manually, nor cheap if one buys a scuba tank, but that's about the only drawback.

This morning I looked at a few web stores that sell the 887 and they all suggest that you buy the Daisy branded fill station for the 2.5 ounce tanks. Do these tanks have some sort of proprietary fill end, or can you use a standard paintball type fill station? If they are not proprietary I already have a 20lb CO2 tank and fill station I could use.

A standard paintball fill station will work just fine.
I'd recommend getting an inexpensive postal scale so that you can fill to weight.
Overall weight with a max fill will be 475-480 grams

Thanks for the quick reply and answer. I had assumed as much, but of course you never know. I already have a scale I use to fill my 3.5 ounce tanks that I use to fill my vintage bulk Crosman rifles and pistols.

I called up CMP a few days ago and had a pleasant conversation with Joe. Learned that although I could not order it through CMP myself since I am not a member of a shooting club, my neighbor who is retired Air Force can. Printed up the form he will filled it out and I will mailed it to CMP. I had to laugh when he asked me if I was a member of a shooting club, there was of course no way he could know I walk using two canes so outings are rare for me.

Looking forward to the 200 or better shots from a single fill. I will spend a little time on the net over the next few days researching the trigger adjustments.

Save a few bucks; forget the scale. Put the cylinder in the freezer for five minutes, then fill. It is not critical and refills are so easy that you don't have to mess with it. So what if you get 200 shots instead of 220. I really doubt you will be shooting anywhere near that in a single session (or 3).

Rover,

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