Anyone know anything about PCP Air Rifles

[AllThingsAI]

I just sold an fx crown .25 setup to get a Vudoo. That thing was sweet and quite. Barrel shroud slid out for suppressed. There are many nice rifles out there. Check out the new slug barrels for them.

None of my 22lr’s will shoot as accurate as that crown did with no wind at 100yds. I will be surprised if the Vudoo does. Haven’t shot it yet.
It’s truly amazing how accurate those air rifles are.
Also I recommend getting at least 100cf tank to refill, the smaller ones didn’t fill to max bar but a cpl times.

nothing cheap about pcps.

I just build a Kidd based 1022 that shoots little tiny hole, I’m sure the Voodoo will be amazing. How was the resale value on your setup? I would have defiantly been interested in it.

Go to Pyramidair.com and find their blog. Scroll down on the home page and you will see an icon for the blog. It is sort of hard to navigate but the right hand column of links is useful. You can also type in a search query. Tons of info on getting started. Also just do Google searches for pcp equipment. If you find blog info about what it takes to get into pcp that is good info. There is also info on what types of maintenance is required for pcp.

You can buy hand pumps that claim to be able to pump up to 4000 psi. If the rifle has a fairly small air tank (200 cc or less) you can pump it back to full charge in about 15 minutes. It takes a lot of strokes but a hand pump is only around $200 versus $550 to $700 or more for a tank. Then you have to find a place that can fill the tank to 4500 psi. You will also need to learn about regulated air rifles versus non-regulated air rifles. Non-regulated air rifles have unique "power" or pellet velocity curves that will affect point of impact. they have a "sweet spot" on the curve where you can get around 30 shots that are fairly consistent. The curve and number of shots depends a lot on the caliber you choose. The smaller the pellet the less air is needed and therefore more "good" shots per fill.

Airguns of Arizona and Utah Airguns have pre-owned rifles.

PCP can be very accurate, quiet, and basically recoil free. A ton of fun to shoot. Very inexpensive after the initial purchase of PCP equipment.

Feel free to PM me and we can talk a lot more about resources, rifle information, more PCP information.

Thanks for all the good info...I live in Phoenix so I can head over to AOA to chat. So I’m not opposed to putting out $3k for the right setup, I love the innovation going into these rifles. However what I’m now wondering is if the Airgun market acts more like the archery market where they market the latest and greatest every year and everyone wants the next best thing.

I have no doubt I’d love it, but when I go in, I go in big or not at all....it’s a blessing and a curse!

 

[holstil]

Fx has been putting out something latest greatest not unlike bow tech.
My gun was an 2017 and had the latest barrel with full rifling at the time. Don't remember what they call the barrel now. Like 3 months later they came out with the rail integral on the receiver. I opened the dovetail and machined a magazine port in a dip rail from a Cz rim fire to work on mine.
The resale is decent I think. My gun new was around $2000 I think they'll sell used around 1400-1700 depending on condition and options.
The tanks, fittings and gauges get expensive. I found a local paintball place to refill my big tank (5k) for $5 which I then filled my portable tank to take shooting with me.
For that money I was not even considering buying a compressor. Which can be another large expense. Once equipment is purchased its not bad. My concern was maintaining the rifle and getting serviced and the main reason I went with the fx. I could send it local here in NC for repairs. Not that it required any at time of ownership but,, there are a lot of parts with high pressure and my experience with orings is that at some point somthing is going to let go or leak. I don't have the time to work on air rifles.
I learned of many other fine rifles made on airgunnation forum.

In the end I had to decide what I wanted more and the vudoo was it.
I have a kidd super grade, tikka t1x, cz455 and others that will shoot an occasional 5/8" 5 shot group at 100yds but 1"-1 1/4" is the norm with decent ammo. I shot a cpl 5 shot groups 1/2" or less with my crown (no wind) and it just didn't have the fliers like my 22s.
But,,,, the wind. My friend has the rifle now and I think he is getting a slug barrel for it. He's shown me some really good groups that he's shot with it already. Air guns are just awesome. Maybe one day ill have another. Oh and mine was pretty quite shooting 25 cal 25gn at 940fps with the suppressor slid out. No problems shooting it in my neighborhood. You can tune and tweak all you want. They come pretty good from factory.
Have fun.

 

[Rustytigwire]

Look at number of shots per air reservior keep in mind:
Velocity, air valve efficiency, and fps consistincy over shot string. Keeping in mind desired useage.
Edgun and Marauder and others have tube reservior but is very effective regulated satisfying number of shots per fill.
The bottle reservior guns hold lots of air. Websites give round count velocity comparisons.
Plinking is shoot shoot laugh fun shoot. Stop and refill.
I have 3 with electric triggers. You become acccostumed to and learn to like them. Very nice, not for the ham fisted. Settings for adjustable velocity?
DAMNATION IM TIRED OF LEARNING TO INTERPRET WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A MACHINE BEEPS AT ME. Where did i leave those (>&%/=# instructions.
But once set up they are great

 

[AllThingsAI]

Look at number of shots per air reservior keep in mind:
Velocity, air valve efficiency, and fps consistincy over shot string. Keeping in mind desired useage.
Edgun and Marauder and others have tube reservior but is very effective regulated satisfying number of shots per fill.
The bottle reservior guns hold lots of air. Websites give round count velocity comparisons.
Plinking is shoot shoot laugh fun shoot. Stop and refill.
I have 3 with electric triggers. You become acccostumed to and learn to like them. Very nice, not for the ham fisted. Settings for adjustable velocity?
DAMNATION IM TIRED OF LEARNING TO INTERPRET WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A MACHINE BEEPS AT ME. Where did i leave those (>&%/=# instructions.
But once set up they are great

How about: what the heck did I do with those extra trigger batteries? . I shot an electronic trigger Daystate rifle and liked it, but I don’t think I want my rifle to be reliant on electronics and batteries and air to function. Too many variables. I also noticed that there are FAR more Daystate rifles than FX rifles on the second hand market....this is telling.

 

[AllThingsAI]

Fx has been putting out something latest greatest not unlike bow tech.
My gun was an 2017 and had the latest barrel with full rifling at the time. Don't remember what they call the barrel now. Like 3 months later they came out with the rail integral on the receiver. I opened the dovetail and machined a magazine port in a dip rail from a Cz rim fire to work on mine.
The resale is decent I think. My gun new was around $2000 I think they'll sell used around 1400-1700 depending on condition and options.
The tanks, fittings and gauges get expensive. I found a local paintball place to refill my big tank (5k) for $5 which I then filled my portable tank to take shooting with me.
For that money I was not even considering buying a compressor. Which can be another large expense. Once equipment is purchased its not bad. My concern was maintaining the rifle and getting serviced and the main reason I went with the fx. I could send it local here in NC for repairs. Not that it required any at time of ownership but,, there are a lot of parts with high pressure and my experience with orings is that at some point somthing is going to let go or leak. I don't have the time to work on air rifles.
I learned of many other fine rifles made on airgunnation forum.

In the end I had to decide what I wanted more and the vudoo was it.
I have a kidd super grade, tikka t1x, cz455 and others that will shoot an occasional 5/8" 5 shot group at 100yds but 1"-1 1/4" is the norm with decent ammo. I shot a cpl 5 shot groups 1/2" or less with my crown (no wind) and it just didn't have the fliers like my 22s.
But,,,, the wind. My friend has the rifle now and I think he is getting a slug barrel for it. He's shown me some really good groups that he's shot with it already. Air guns are just awesome. Maybe one day ill have another. Oh and mine was pretty quite shooting 25 cal 25gn at 940fps with the suppressor slid out. No problems shooting it in my neighborhood. You can tune and tweak all you want. They come pretty good from factory.
Have fun.

At this point I think several of us should buy something awesome...Voodoo, Chicon 10/22, FX Impact MK2, and we should just trade when we get bored with it! . I also have a Supergrade, T1x, and a 455

 

[holstil]

At this point I think several of us should buy something awesome...Voodoo, Chicon 10/22, FX Impact MK2, and we should just trade when we get bored with it! . I also have a Supergrade, T1x, and a 455

yeah, save us a ton of money. Lol

 

[243Lapua]

Daystate is another very good brand. Very good reviews. I really like the Huntsman XL regulated in 22.

 

[R/T Plus]

I’m interested in getting a precision Air a Rifle setup. Anyone have any guidance on where I can find quality information as well as high quality 2nd hand setups?

Air Rifle is all new to me. Any guidance is appreciated.

Thanks Ryan

Ryan,
I have a Benjamin Marauder in 25 cal and I can say it is an absolute hoot. As with everything tho, there are trade-offs and some downsides. Here are my thoughts...
The caliber choice has a huge bearing on several factors and must be weighed out carefully. For instance, it’s near to impossible to locate pellets in .25 cal at any brick and mortar store. For me, it’s mail order only.
The absolute highest quality pellet will tend to be manufactured in calibers that are used in Olympic and other high level competitions. Read that as .177.
Larger calibers use more air. This means somewhat less walkaround portability.My Marauder needs air after about 3 magazines have gone through it. That’s 24 shots. The newer regulated version is much better on air.
It appears they are more fussy Than powder burners about which pellets they like and which they do not.
To avoid having to compress my own air, I rented a 6,400 psi bulk tank of nitrogen. It’s dry and clean, plus isn’t so prone to expand and contract like air does with temp changes.
Some are moderated, some are not. They are very loud when not moderated. My marauder sounds like my 17 HMR when I remove the shroud and baffles. It’s nearly as quiet as a subsonic 22 with a can when the baffles are installed.
It seems as though airgun quality is very “you get what you pay for” based. If you demand the highest level of accuracy, it will tend to cost more. My Marauder will hold 1-1/2” at 100 yards for 8 shots with JSB King Heavy MK2 pellets. with it, I’ve taken all manner of small(ish) game and varmints, including hog and coyote. It’s all about shot placement. If not perfect, do not shoot.
There really is a world more info about pros and cons, this vs that, etc and this really is opening Pandora’s box, but a very fun box indeed.

 

[AllThingsAI]

Ryan,
I have a Benjamin Marauder in 25 cal and I can say it is an absolute hoot. As with everything tho, there are trade-offs and some downsides. Here are my thoughts...
The caliber choice has a huge bearing on several factors and must be weighed out carefully. For instance, it’s near to impossible to locate pellets in .25 cal at any brick and mortar store. For me, it’s mail order only.
The absolute highest quality pellet will tend to be manufactured in calibers that are used in Olympic and other high level competitions. Read that as .177.
Larger calibers use more air. This means somewhat less walkaround portability.My Marauder needs air after about 3 magazines have gone through it. That’s 24 shots. The newer regulated version is much better on air.
It appears they are more fussy Than powder burners about which pellets they like and which they do not.
To avoid having to compress my own air, I rented a 6,400 psi bulk tank of nitrogen. It’s dry and clean, plus isn’t so prone to expand and contract like air does with temp changes.
Some are moderated, some are not. They are very loud when not moderated. My marauder sounds like my 17 HMR when I remove the shroud and baffles. It’s nearly as quiet as a subsonic 22 with a can when the baffles are installed.
It seems as though airgun quality is very “you get what you pay for” based. If you demand the highest level of accuracy, it will tend to cost more. My Marauder will hold 1-1/2” at 100 yards for 8 shots with JSB King Heavy MK2 pellets. with it, I’ve taken all manner of small(ish) game and varmints, including hog and coyote. It’s all about shot placement. If not perfect, do not shoot.
There really is a world more info about pros and cons, this vs that, etc and this really is opening Pandora’s box, but a very fun box indeed.

Damn you PV=nRT ....Nitrogen is interesting, I guess you would have to retune if you ever ran out and had to switch to compressed air.
This certainly is pandoras box, for sure. Sounds like when I bought my lathe and milling machine....the machines were 1/3 the total cost of getting up and running, but I still love it!!!

 

[AllThingsAI]

I’m learning that this is probably the worst time in history to get into air rifles....complete sellers market right now. I think I’ll wait until the madness stops. Thanks for all the great advise! Ryan

 

[linebaugh]

I have a daystate and a theoben with glass plus two shoehox compressors plus two CF tanks and a ton of pellets I would sell reasonable as a package... but I am not shipping and you appear to be from Arizona.
I dont know why it would be a sellers market but many of these air rifles are 1-2000 each so they are spendy.

 

[AllThingsAI]

I have a daystate and a theoben with glass plus two shoehox compressors plus two CF tanks and a ton of pellets I would sell reasonable as a package... but I am not shipping and you appear to be from Arizona.
I dont know why it would be a sellers market but many of these air rifles are 1-2000 each so they are spendy.

Sellers market because people have been buying them like crazy due to COVID (no discounts on anything)...I’ve been speaking with the big shops and they can’t keep up. And yes I’m in AZ. Thanks for the offer to not sell me your stuff. . Just kidding. You shouldn’t have much problem selling it locally. Ryan

 

[munsonbw]

I don't know that I can add much more to the discussion, but here are a couple points I didn't see:

I found airgunnation to be a good resource and they have/had a pretty active classifieds. I found them to be a little more focused on higher end guns, in general.

After calling around locally on getting a tank filled I gave up and went to the self sufficient route and bought a compressor. Google Yong Heng compressors. Generally speaking they are found to be reliable and parts are pretty easy to come by for ~$250. It is no where near as nice as the high end compressors in terms of features and ease of use (mainly the water cooling), but I have no issues filling directly into my gun. It takes about 1 minute or less and I am good to go.

This guy has an excellent youtube channel that covers reviews, ballistics, etc: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCthxJ7N1usTDbd4n_aSSO7g

 

[dgeesaman]

I’m interested in getting a precision Air a Rifle setup. Anyone have any guidance on where I can find quality information as well as high quality 2nd hand setups?

Air Rifle is all new to me. Any guidance is appreciated.

Thanks Ryan

What for?

Do you have a caliber chosen yet? Budget?

As for vendors, I’ve had excellent experiences with Pomona and Precision Airguns of Michigan. I know some air gunners who avoid AoA but I have particular dirt to shovel on them.

I did write an article with some help years ago: there is still a copy floating around. https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/library/Introduction to Adult Airgunning.htm So I will impolitely request you to start there. Since writing it, legal risk of airgun suppressors have become clearer and home pcp air compressors have become far more cost effective.

David

 

[AllThingsAI]

What for?

Do you have a caliber chosen yet? Budget?

As for vendors, I’ve had excellent experiences with Pomona and Precision Airguns of Michigan. I know some air gunners who avoid AoA but I have particular dirt to shovel on them.

I did write an article with some help years ago: there is still a copy floating around. https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/library/Introduction to Adult Airgunning.htm So I will impolitely request you to start there. Since writing it, legal risk of airgun suppressors have become clearer and home pcp air compressors have become far more cost effective.

David

At this point I am really liking the FX Impact X MKII in .25 caliber with a slug liner. What I really could use assistance on is how I can avoid spending a fortune on an external 4500 psi air tank. These things are very expensive for what they are. Are there any DOT certified options out there that are good enough so I can spend that money on the rifle? I’m also thinking the Yong Heng compressor looks like a decent route to take as well....just need to match this up with a storage bottle.

 

[Rustytigwire]

Air is expensive. I handle and build pressure vessels. Those air tanks and cng tanks scare me..... wonder why we dont hear and see failures in the news.
I bought a shoebox 8 yrs ago. Feed with nitrogen.

 

[dgeesaman]

Thanks for all the good info...I live in Phoenix so I can head over to AOA to chat. So I’m not opposed to putting out $3k for the right setup, I love the innovation going into these rifles. However what I’m now wondering is if the Airgun market acts more like the archery market where they market the latest and greatest every year and everyone wants the next best thing.

It’s not nearly as bad as archery but yes there are new models arriving regularly.

There are some outstanding lines out there: FX, Air arms 400/410/500/510, Daystate Huntsman/ Regal, RAW/Theoben Rapid, etc. They hold some value. If it’s been tuned and recently resealed that helps. There is some depreciation especially when parts get older but with Allen Zasadny out there, there is always a solution.

David

 

[dgeesaman]

Air is expensive. I handle and build pressure vessels. Those air tanks and cng tanks scare me..... wonder why we dont hear and see failures in the news.
I bought a shoebox 8 yrs ago. Feed with nitrogen.

Firefighters run into burning buildings with these tanks every day. I treat mine like fine china and on some level it makes no sense for such a tank to expire after three hydros considering the abuse the fire crews put their tanks through.

That said I’m never going to buy an HP tank and fittings on price. There are cheaper options out there than Joe Brancato and I will never try one. No reason to wonder about that kind of thing.

 

[Brett Ritter]

I bought a Marauder at least three years ago from Pyramid Air. I bought a package deal. The QD to attach the line to the gun was not included and had to be on a second order. I charge the gun with a 80cuft. Scuba tank. I had to get the tank hydro'd to fill but that was just a few bucks. The dive shop stated that they fill paintball tanks all the time. It just takes a flick on/off to charge. It will shoot 30-50 shots and I usually recharge when it gets down to 1800psi.
This is by far the dream setup I've always wanted. Only draw back....10 round mag....lol! The green laser was mounted on top and is a cheap night vision capability. The scope can be used as if it was in daylight only you see your target in a green light. Clear as day! You will not be disappointed.

 

[Rustytigwire]

Firefighters run into burning buildings with these tanks every day. I treat mine like fine china and on some level it makes no sense for such a tank to expire after three hydros considering the abuse the fire crews put their tanks through.

That said I’m never going to buy an HP tank and fittings on price. There are cheaper options out there than Joe Brancato and I will never try one. No reason to wonder about that kind of thing.

Lets call it a healthy disrespect. I just know if n when one goes it will not be like uh oh we better stand back. Its gonna be blinking bleeding ringing ears WT HECK was that!?!? Kinda sudden. I fill my own.
Guy at the scuba shop brought them back hot, twice. I know he slammed them. Dont trust anything you dont see with your own eyes.

Lot of water under the bridge since this video. 50 yards 22 cal jsb mac 1 hunter #54, one inch squares. Please enjoy.