Beeman R7 .177 Review

After responding to a post on the “Yellow Forum” I realized that I had not written much about my Beeman R7. Here is my attempt at a review.

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 6×32 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.

I mounted my Leapers scope with 1″ B-Square (25020) see-thru high rings after reading a post on the Pyramyd Air Blog that this combination of scope and mount would work great with the R7. I assumed that I would be able to use the iron sights or the scope, but mounting the scope pretty much renders the sights useless. I will write about the solution in a future post.

There seems to be a lot of debate about using the R7 for “humane” hunting, with an equal number of opinions that the gun is not powerful enough to take down critters in a humane manner, and just as many opinions that the gun has the accuracy to get the job done. If I do my part right, I have found that my R7 takes down squirrels at about 20 yards with very little dancing. The Bug Buster allows me to zoom in to make the perfect kill zone shot (heart, neck, and head area). If there are any concerns, it is the lack of take down power allows little room for mistakes. I know I have “missed” a couple of targets, which is to say that I had hits, but not in the kill zone. With the R7 I have learned that I have to only take shots when I am sure I can reach the kill zone.

As far as plinking goes, I can blow out the end of a beer can at 20 yards. From about 30-35 yards, I can still hit the end of the cans, but it is hit or miss on landing a puncture. Paper punching is equally as gratifying. I immensely enjoy trying different positions (not those kind silly) and different pellets to see what sort of results I can produce.

For those of you just getting in the adult airgun hobby, the Beeman R7 may seem a bit pricy (mine was $325.99; add the scope for $59.99 and scope mount for another $15.99), but I think it is the perfect gun my purposes. In short, I would be hard pressed to not recommend an R7 for backyard shooting – it is accurate, easy to shoot, fun for plinking and paper punching, and it is a good squirrel deterrent (if you are competent enough for well placed shots).

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7 thoughts on “Beeman R7 .177 Review”

  1. I bought my father-in-law, Henry Tucker, a Beeman R7 many years ago. With that rifle he killed over 500 squirrels in his Metro Atlanta back yard in a 3-4 year period. I personally witnessed him kill at least a dozen…..and not one that he hit while I watched ever escaped. I was impressed, very impressed. He refused to use the scope I bought him for the rifle; he was in his seventies and used only iron sights and seldom missed.

    He died over a decade ago and the ole R7 has rested ever since in my gun safe. I think I’ll take it out in his honor and go after few bushy tails later this year. Thank you, Mr. Tucker, for showing me what a good pellet rifle in the hands of a proficient marksman is capable of.

  2. I have an R7 also but mine is the “unloved” caliber (.20). I could not agree more. If i do my job the gun will take down a squirrel from out to 25 yards without a back up shot. A head shot with a light weight .20 (10 gr. still) is still travelling at over 500 fps at 30 yards and with a head shot they stand no chance. I retain that the .20 caliber does not have the flatter trajectory that the .177 has but i never have to aim more than 1 inch above in the mid range (15 to 25 yards)for a perfect headshot. And it is smoother now that is broken in. Mine wears a 3-9×32 leapers, but i generally keep it at 7X so at 35 yards the nuggen is the size of a grapefruit. I could not recommend this rifle enough, so much that i am actually saving to purchase 1 in .177 also to dedicate it to the starlings in my yard, which have learned that they are safe pass 30 yards… silly little bastids, little do they know that the .177 will touch them farther down…

  3. Stumbled upon this site & was pleased to find other fans of the R7. Mine’s in .20 & I’ve had mine for several years, though have only recently begun to dispatch squirrels with it. My other two air rifles are an R9 in .177 and an RWS 52 in .22. The R7 is the perfect go-to gun for the shorter ranges of a backyard (as has alreadey been mentioned), and mine is also topped with a Beeman aperature sight. IMO, that’s the perfect short range solution since aquiring the target comes very quickly using a peep sight. H&N match wadcutters are great for offhand target shooting, and I shoot Beeman Ram Jets for pest control. The R7, being the US version of the Weirauch HW30 is the near perfect, all-around, short range air rifle!

  4. Ed – Thanks for taking the time to post about your experiences with your .20 R7. At some point fairly soon I plan to get a .20 R7/HW30 so I can give my oldest son my .177 R7. My goal is that each boy should have their own R7/HW30, and I want to try this little airgun that could in .20 caliber, which happens to be my favorite backyard caliber.

    I am still somewhat reluctant to use my R7 for squirrels and general pest control; I leave that to some of the more potent airguns in my collection.

  5. I’ve grown up shooting squirrels with my sheridan blue streak at 4 pumps (495fps on my chrony) scoped, head shots only. So I think people overthink the power needed to kill a squirrel. Now I admit I probably average 12 yard shots, but getting up close is what huntings all about anyway.That 1000fps pcp wont kill a squirrel if you hit it in the rump.I just bought an R-7 and the accuracy at 20 yds is outstanding, Yeah high velocity is nice, but accuracy never goes out of style.

  6. Dale – Thanks for the comments. No doubt that accuracy wins the day. I have a variety of adult airguns … everything from the R7 to two different R1s to a .22 Marauder (pcp power).

    I have taken down many pest with my R7, but from my experience there is no margin for error. I would rather do pest control with a little more power … just because I am not always all that accurate!

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