A friend of mine sent me a link to a site awhile back that showed a man taking down a full-grown hog using only a pellet gun. I thought: “This can’t be real.” But it was Girandoni Rifle.
How can something that isn’t much bigger than a grain of rice take down a massive feral hog?
I started doing a little bit of research on my various options when it comes to finding an air gun for sale and, it turns out, it is completely true if said pellet is traveling at 1250 feet per second (many .22 caliber rim fire rifles only reach around 1100-1200 fps). I decided to pick up one of these air rifles and give it a test.
But where do I begin?
I spent months researching and talking with manufacturers before finding the “right one.” But today, I think I have found it.
It’s called the Girandoni rifle
Now, there are multiple calibers and velocities that these things come in, but, I decided to go with the .22 caliber for the ease of access to ammo and the higher knockdown compared to the .177 (at the sacrifice of a little velocity, which I think is a fair trade-off).
I had MAJOR issues with one thing when I was doing my air rifle research, however: The pricing…
With prices ranging from $80- $800, I did everything I could to make sure I got the best price, without sacrificing quality. I spent countless hours negotiating with the manufacturer to get the price down….
Once I finished all of that, I picked up my prototype and headed out to my grandparent’s home for a little target practice.
After several hours of testing, here is what I have found about the Girandoni:
Pro’s of Girandoni Rifle:
- The synthetic stock is rubberized and has a good grip, which since this is a break-action style rifle is an incredible asset to not slip when you are loading it.
- That also means it’s lighter than wood and won’t split or rot.
- Cheap ammo (roughly $.003 per round!)
- Large variety of ammo. I found at least 10 different varieties of .22 caliber ammunition sitting on the shelf.
- Low maintenance. This gun does not actually “fire”, and as such there is little to no residue, and not much is required in the way of maintenance. The only thing you will need to do is add a couple of drops of oil every 100-200 shots fired and the occasional cleaning out of the barrel.
- No waiting period. This is about the best pro I can think of, you can pick this rifle up off the shelf and buy it without any type of registration or waiting period (Check your local laws to verify this). There are currently no laws requiring a background check on an air rifle, at least not here in Texas.
There are a few cons with this rifle as well, but they aren't big ones:
- Accuracy. The first 75-100 shots have very bad accuracy. This is a normal break-in period for just about any air rifle and can be frustrating. BUT just stick to it and fire through your “testing” period, and you will be amazed at how accurate this thing is even over 100 yards!
- Stiff cocking mechanism. It takes about 30 lbs of pull in order to break over the barrel and load the pellet. Make sure your hands are out of the way when you cock it. I was unfortunate enough to catch one of my knuckles several weeks ago (my own fault) and it’s still sore.
- Single Shot. Unless you go with the more expensive PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic), your normal break action gun will only hold one pellet at a time. This can be very taxing on your morale when you are trying to take down a few squirrels and are forced to reload after each shot. (again, a little practice goes a long way)
Bottom Line:
An air rifle like the Girandoni that I purchased is great for practice and small games. Once the gun has been sighted in you should be able to kill any small game no problem. Just bear in mind that most small game has a successful kill spot of around 1” so you will need to practice.
If you have the right ammo and a well-placed shot you could potentially take down larger game like a hog. But please do so at your own risk. Even if you do have other rifles for larger game and self-defense, the inexpensive and highly available ammo will make this an extremely useful gun to have on hand in a survival situation. And a perfect training rifle for children.
What’s your opinion?
Should you keep an air rifle in your survival gear?
P.S. I’ve worked out a deal with the manufacturer of the Girandoni but if you want one you need to click here now
I’ve got 17 of them set aside at 50% off of the MSRP at this link, But they are going to go fast… if you want one, get it NOW, you won’t get another chance.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on June 14, 2022, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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This rifle is a rip off. They send you a Chinese rifle that costs $110 brand new from the manufacturer!!! They claim it’s a Girandoni that costs $400, but it’s a Xisico X25XS. It’s not powerful enough to take down a hog, that’s total bull@*^%!!!! Then they won’t even let me speak to someone who can tell me why they are ripping people off. I’m beyond pissed at this company right now!
[email protected]
I DO appreciate your promoting air rifles, but whomever told you a .22 800 FPS Air Rifle could fell a wild boar was setting up one of your customers for injury or death. I suggest you remove that claim!
I agree. Even hinting that any pellet gun is in anyway a ,..’proper’,.. gun to use on anything larger than a jackrabbit, is bogus, & there is ,.NO,..justification for the seller’s making such a claim that theses types of guns are suitable for anything other than the very smallest of game
I did order one of these guns, but that was before I checked this guy out with the BBB & found that he had an ‘F’ rating,.The gun has arrived at my Post Office, but I haven’t picked it up yet. My thinking being,that If I don’t pick in up, & just return it, I can save the return shipping cost.
But then, considering this guys record, of dis-honest business practices, I am concerned that he might just stiff me, on the refund, but if I keep the gun, I will have , at least ,something for my money.
Accordingly, I would appreciate, hearing from anyone who has actually seen one of these guns or who has ever tried to return something to this outfit
My email addy is,…[email protected]
Did you pick your gun up. What do you think of it?
I did pick the gun up, figuring that since it was here I would at least look at it & actually, I kind of liked it, it appeared to be of generally good quality.
It was NOT a [Girandoni] rifle, as advertised , but rather it was of another brand, the exact name of which I have forgotten but I think it began with an ‘X’
You can buy these guns, on line,for less than the price as these are being sold for, & get a proper box, & a factory guarantee, in the deal
I had a technical problem, regarding the safety, in that it would not go back into place, after I removed it to examine the trigger mechanism.
I could see the problem, as there was a part, down inside the trigger that was canted at an angle, & would not let the safety go back into place I am not sure why, that part was stuck at a sideways angle, or what it would take to fix it, but fixing the problem would certainly involve taking the trigger apart.
Since it did not come in a regular box, with guarantee papers & such, my thoughts are that these guns a factory seconds, & that the factory sold them cheap, out the back door.
The seller, DID, however, refund my money with no problems
Bottom line being, that, considering the price, & considering the fact that there is good reason to believe that these are factory rejects, I would suggest that, if you want an air rifle, that you can do better by getting one elsewhere, through Ebay or Amazon, or Midway..
All things considered, the seller is not being honest about what he is selling, & maybe he should reconsider his way of doing business.
Got a Ruger .22 at WalMart. Cost less, and is a great rifle. Sight is good. Well worth the money, except for having to load EVERY pellet again and again. Not the best method. Lots of power, but would not go boar hunts with it.
I bought one a while back, it’s a tough little rifle that appears solid and dependable providing there’s never any trouble w/ the piston. It might kill a hog w/ a perfect shot to the exact spot but I wouldn’t buy it expecting to hunt hogs. I love that there isn’t Co2 involved and also that you don’t have to pump it multiple times. It looks like it will last, time will tell but I recommend it. Yeah, it’s Chinese, I don’t like that and wasn’t aware it would be from there but like I said, “it appears solid and reliable”. Small game or varmints wouldn’t be a problem at all. Also it’s a 22 caliber pellet which is different than most, heavier, deadlier than the standard ,177.
I bought this rifle for my son’s 14th birthday. We received it yesterday and took it to the range today to try it out. We only shot off 20 rounds and the insides where the barrel breaks for loading broke. the ball bearing and the spring in the plastic holder came out and the plastic holding it in was broken. This is a piece of junk. I called AGA where I bought it at and cannot get anywhere on their phone. It is automated and gives you choices for sales, return and refunds, etc. Doesn’t matter which you pick, there is silence, then it says “goodbye”. Looks like I will have to go through my credit card to get my money back.
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Still waiting for my Girandoni. If it doesn’t work well will reconsider doing business with Survival Life.
Another benefit of using an air rifle is simply that it is quiet. There are times when that alone might save your life….
i order this rifle back in april with extra ammo and still haven’t received anything! this company is another rip-off!
I ordered and paid in full for two rifles in March 2021.here it is now July 2021 haven’t heard a word or received a PO number or tracking numbers . I am looking info to seek legal help