If you are looking to maximize velocity, muzzle energy and downrange hitting power for your buck, then you just can’t beat the overall value you get with the Ruger Air Magnum Combo. Not only is this combo superb for hunting and pest elimination, it’s also very well made and is currently selling for less than $200. We call that nearly too good to be true! However, don’t take our word for it, please read along as we look at the Air Magnum in more detail so you can decide for yourself whether it’s the right choice for you.
Why We Recommend This Combo.
1) Extreme Hunting / Pest-Eliminating Power & Velocity
Simply put, the Ruger Air Magnum absolutely screams. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a more powerful spring rifle anywhere near its price range. Specifically, the .177 Air Magnum is rated to reach velocities of up to 1,200 feet per second (“FPS”) using lead pellets, and the .22 caliber Ruger Air Magnum can attain velocities of 1,000 FPS, also with lead. This is truly remarkable for any springer, and by our calculations makes for a rifle that produces nearly 26 foot-pounds of energy (“FPE”) in the .117 and a whopping 32 FPE in the .22 caliber!
Obviously, for those looking to maximize hitting power for taking down game and pests, we strongly encourage you to go for the greater FPE delivered by the .22 caliber Ruger.
2) Good Quality & Features for the Money
The Ruger Air Magnum is essentially a knock off of the RWS 350, and while it does not bring the same level of quality as the RWS, it only costs half as much and is surprisingly well-made. The Ruger has a very nice trigger (which you don’t often seen in value-oriented rifles); it comes with a very good synthetic stock that should last for many years; the front/rear adjustable fiber optic sights are great for open-sight shooters; and it comes with some very nice details, such as a recoil pad (definitely necessary!) and an automatic safety.
3) Decent Scope With the Combo
The 4×32 scope that comes with the Air Magnum Combo is definitely not something we’d recommend anyone buy separately, but you could do a lot worse compared to the scopes included with many other combo air rifles. It’s OK for shooting pests/targets at closer ranges, but for any serious hunting you will want to eventually upgrade to a better quality air rifle scope.
Anything Not to Like About the Ruger Air Magnum?
1) Difficult to Cock
Not surprisingly give the tremendous power this rifle generates, the Air Magnum requires approximately 42 pounds of cocking effort. That is a heck of a lot of force needed, making this rifle suitable only for relatively strong adult male shooters. Definitely not an air rifle for wimps!
2) Big & Heavy
At nearly 49 inches in length and weighing in at just under 10 pounds, this is a beast of an air rifle that feels more like a conventional firearm. This is yet another reason that younger, more slightly-built users are likely to struggle with the Air Magnum.
3) Loud & With a Kick!
If you had any visions of snapping off shots quietly as you hunt near urban areas, think again! The Ruger Air Magnum not only comes with rimfire power, but rimfire sound to match! And as you might guess, it has a very respectable springer kick as well. For shooters used to springers, neither should be very alarming, but if this is your first springer, you might find it a tad unsettling at first.
User Ratings
With it’s over-the-top power, solid build, good feature set, and very affordable price tag, the Ruger Air Magnum Combo has earned some of the highest user satisfaction scores we’ve seen to date.
Users praise the insane power of this rifle and remarkably solid construction for a sub-$200 air rifle combo. The relatively few complaints were aimed at the combo’s lackluster scope and the noise/kick this gun generates – pretty typical gripes for most high-powered springers.
Air Magnum in the .22 or .177 Caliber?
With this much power, we don’t see any reason why you should go for the .177 caliber. Yes, the .177 fires a much lighter pellet faster, but the .22 produces far greater FPE and downrange hitting power than the .177. This makes the .22 the only sensible choice if you want an air rifle for hunting small furred game and/or eliminating pests. The .177 is fantastic for plinking, target shooting (provided you avoid breaking the sound barrier) and taking down pest birds.
The only thing is that making this rifle in the .177 is like putting bicycle tires on a Lamborghini! The .22 generates so more power, and the sizzling high velocities of the .177 are not useful for anything, since any pellet traveling faster than 1,100 FPS is likely to go supersonic. And we all know that breaking the sound barrier causes a pressure wave that overtakes the pellet and totally throws it off its trajectory and makes you miss, badly. As such, if you feel like you must buy this rifle in the .177, remember to use a heavy air rifle pellet to keep the FPS at or below 1,000 FPS.
Concluding Thoughts & Recommendations
Yes, the Ruger Air Magnum is the poor-man’s version of the RWS 350, but who cares! This spring air rifle has got insane power, is well-built, and is selling for a fraction of the price of many other springers, most of which cannot produce anywhere near this kind of muzzle energy. And while it may not be quite as inherently accurate as an RWS or Air Arms rifle, with an upgraded air rifle scope and some experience with the artillery hold, the Air Magnum can be deadly accurate, with tons of downrange power to take down all sorts of game and clear out pests in a convincing fashion. As we note above, the biggest downside of all of this power is that the rifle is difficult to cock and can be heavy for smaller, younger or more slightly-built users.
Just remember to opt for the much harder-hitting .22 caliber Air Magnum if you are using this rifle for hunting/pest-elimination. Of course, the .177 would make a sizzling hot bird air rifle and is great for laser-like target shots at long ranges. If you go for the .177, steer clear of gimmicky lightweight alloy air rifle pellets made for supersonic speeds – for accurate shooting, try heavier pellets instead, something closer to a 10-grain pellet.
I just got one of these in .22 and am looking forward to getting started with it. If it goes well, I want to get a backup spring for it. It’s a lot cheaper to eventually replace spring than to replace air rifle. Vortek sells springs for the RWS springers. A couple are labeled for the RWS 350 and one for the 350 magnum. Was there a non-magnum for RWS 350? Any advice on getting the right match for the spring other than dissembling the Ruger Air Magnum?
Just bought one and it’s a cannon , no need to use light pellets with this gone , I use ruger17 grain from Wal-Mart and they hit hard cannot see them fly,also have duel caliber beeman can see the 22.at 760 fps wanted a little more punch can’t see these flying at all l put the 177.It’s great in that caliber theruger is a powerhouse
Had this in 22 over a year and with some TLC (better breach seal, cleaning and spring lubricant) it has paid off in a big way. After around 150 pellets and some stock tightening * of course* she has smoothed out to be one of my favorite go to springers. GREAT BUY. 1,500 pellets strong……
Hi, just a bit of advice. Having such a punch my screws tend to come loose after a while and have to tighten regularly. I suppose putting a drop of locktite on would just be stupid. Any other advice ?
I have one of these rifles and am interested in lightening the trigger pull but I can’t find any directions on doing that. Any help out there?