Going with Air

[Ledd Slinger]

Anyone else shoot pcp air rifles? I’m just starting to get into it. My first rifle and HP compressor will be here at the end of the week. It has an externallly adjustable regulator and valve hammer spring. Although I have no hands on experience with pcp rifles just yet, I have been doing a ton of research for quite a while now. I have a very fast break barrel air rifle, but that thing sucks for accuracy and is a drag to shoot by cocking the barrel every time.

I have a bunch of 22lr rifles that are very accurate but I hate being at the mercy of ammo manufacturers. Looks like many pcp rifles can be every bit as accurate as a 22lr out to about 100 yards so I figured I’d give this air thing a try. Have a bunch of different JSB and H&N pellets and slugs for testing. Any tips or pointers from other air rifle shooters?

 

[hoz53]

Anyone else shoot pcp air rifles? I’m just starting to get into it. My first rifle and HP compressor will be here at the end of the week. It has an externallly adjustable regulator and valve hammer spring. Although I have no hands on experience with pcp rifles just yet, I have been doing a ton of research for quite a while now. I have a very fast break barrel air rifle, but that thing sucks for accuracy and is a drag to shoot by cocking the barrel every time.

I have a bunch of 22lr rifles that are very accurate but I hate being at the mercy of ammo manufacturers. Looks like many pcp rifles can be every bit as accurate as a 22lr out to about 100 yards so I figured I’d give this air thing a try. Have a bunch of different JSB and H&N pellets and slugs for testing. Any tips or pointers from other air rifle shooters?

im thinking of getting into the same thing—. ive got an rws springer but i dont like the breakbarrel every shoot either. this should be interesting. what rifle are you getting?

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Starting out with the Air Venturi Avenger Bullpup in .22 cal. It has a ton of high end features at a bargain price. Every Avenger (regular rifle or bullpup) I’ve seen reviewed has no problem shooting well under 1/2” at 50 yards when tuned. Cant find any bad reviews on it either. Even the guys who shoot $3000k+ rifles rave about how great it is so I have high hopes for the Avenger.

I also have a bunch of accessories coming for it such as a DonnyFL adapter and suppressor and some other gadget upgrades. I have 2 extra Vortex PST Gen2 5-25 scopes sitting in the safe so thinking the Avanger will get one of those to wear for now.

 

[hoz53]

Starting out with the Air Venturi Avenger Bullpup in .22 cal. It has a ton of high end features at a bargain price. Every Avenger (regular rifle or bullpup) I’ve seen reviewed has no problem shooting well under 1/2” at 50 yards when tuned. Cant find any bad reviews on it either. Even the guys who shoot $3000k+ rifles rave about how great it is so I have high hopes for the Avenger.

I also have a bunch of accessories coming for it such as a DonnyFL adapter and suppressor and some other gadget upgrades. I have 2 extra Vortex PST Gen2 5-25 scopes sitting in the safe so thinking the Avanger will get one of those to wear for now.

thanks for the info

 

[Schutzen2]

It's a lot of fun and they're very accurate. I did the same thing about a year and a half ago because of the .22 ammo situation. I bought a RAW chassis model in .25 cal. I did not get a compressor yet because of all the issues I've seen with the cheap chinese models. Instead, I found two 60 min. SCBA tanks and will get by with those until I figure out what compressor I want. I think you will enjoy it. Great for pest control too !!

 

[dantiff2]

I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum as far as price goes with my Umarex Origin (22cal). My sons and I have shot thousands of rounds through ours and they are extremely fun AND accurate! We run the lowest hammer spring setting and get 80-90 shots per fill. We run H&N match 21 grain dome pellets mostly. 50 yard groups can be in the 1/4 inch range with a good optic and being mindful of any breeze. Try different head sizes. Ours like the 5.51 mm. We regularly shoot out to 125 yards from a bench in our yard and have shot 1" groups with the h&n 21 gn slugs (.217 dia). Keep in mind these are not regulated guns so that accuracy is OUTSTANDIND in my opinion.
Dan

 

[68Hoyt]

I was looking at the Benjamin marauder , what do y’all know about that ? Or a used anschuts

 

[JEFFPPC]

Keep us up todate LS. I have been having a ball with my TX200 springer. Since January I have close 6000 pellets shot. Yes there is a learning curve with springers but it is rewarding. 1/4 inch and under 5 shot groups at 25 yards. Maybe the PCP thing will bite me at some point. I have shot 1/2 at 50 yards for 3 shot groups the one time, a very light wind. Tails barely twitching. The added bonus with both types of airguns, no loading and very minimal cleaning. I have never cleaned mine, lol. If there was local competition I could see me going to either and getting out of powder burners to a large degree. You might try Air Arm pellets, they have been the best for me to shoot continually small.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Thanks for all the replies so far fellas. Seems to be quite the air rifle following amongst us powder burners

My break barrel spring gun is the Gamo Swarm Magnum 10x Gen2 in 17 cal. I can get the occasional 1/2” 3 shot group at 25 yards when all the stars are aligned perfectly but it will never repeat it. Norm is 1-1.5” at 25 yards on paper and what seems to be about about 18”-24” groups when I’m shooting at small varmints because I can’t hit crap with that gun! Lol!

Knowing what we all do about what makes a center fire rifle accurate, I suppose a person can’t expect much from a rifle where you’re breaking a skinny barrel apart, using it as a cheater pipe to leverage loading a super heavy spring, then slamming it back together and expecting it to shoot good. Especially when all the while the scope sits on the part of the rifle that doesn’t move.

But after watching countless videos of these regulated PCP rifles driving tacs at 50-100 yards, I figured it’s time to step it up a bit. I really like how tuneable the regulated pcp rifles are over a 22LR. Can tune them down for high shot count and better accuracy, or crank them up for longer range work and extra power on small game. With a good tune and the right pellet, a 1/2” 5 shot group at 100 yards is definitely doable. I just gotta be careful because I thought the center fire rifle world was expensive, but man oh man can a guy spend some money if you start collecting air guns, tanks, compressors, etc

 

[Randall D]

I'm deep into the PCP hole right now. @steve123 on this sight has tons of info and knowledge on this topic, and yes it can be pricy! One recommendation I can give you, is that when looking at a scope, make sure that it will focus at 10 yards. On our range we shoot from 10 yards to over 300 yards. To get to the extreme distances with pcp ,it takes really good equipment and exceptional wind reading skills.
Although, you don't have to spend a ton of $ to get an accurate pcp. Maurader can and has won Feild target matches at AOA competitions.
I have become a much better shooter for several reasons by shooting PCP. Wind reading, lots of inexpensive practice and becoming familiar with scopes, reticals and hold overs.

 

[Rsadams]

You know I recently thought about this... I went with getting back into bows after 40 years... I can shoot them in my yard etc and still hunt if I need to etc... Let me just say WOW the technology has changed a ton... The days of buying even a mid priced bow and just shooting it are long gone.... These things have to be tuned etc... You can spend $60 to $200+ on 6 arrows.... That's without tips... Arrows have to be cut to length tuned and then shot and checked.....

I could have literally bought a nice off the rack rifle WITH a low end Leupold scope for what this cost.... Then add in targets to stop the arrows because their so fast compared to 40 years ago where you just needed a hay bail or two.... Not anymore , these new ones will blast straight through and keep going.... I do have to admit these modern bows are extremely accurate... If your good enough as accurate as a gun....

So like anything else if you want a new bow or PCP nice air rifle you are going to spend a lot of money on it before it's over so get what you want and enjoy it... You can actually hunt with both now if you wanted and get a proper one.... My only thinking was I am going to go with a $500 bow and if I really like it can always step up to a $1000 Hoyt later... So far I have enjoyed it except for the money I spent on unexpected things.... Unfortunately like EVERYTHING else if I do upgrade later 90% of the stuff I bought for this bow won't transfer including arrows because I would go with a longer length of pull and the arrows are cut for my current length of pull and I would upgrade almost everything even more , sights etc.. It's never ending folks...

 

[Schutzen2]

Starting out with the Air Venturi Avenger Bullpup in .22 cal. It has a ton of high end features at a bargain price. Every Avenger (regular rifle or bullpup) I’ve seen reviewed has no problem shooting well under 1/2” at 50 yards when tuned. Cant find any bad reviews on it either. Even the guys who shoot $3000k+ rifles rave about how great it is so I have high hopes for the Avenger.

I also have a bunch of accessories coming for it such as a DonnyFL adapter and suppressor and some other gadget upgrades. I have 2 extra Vortex PST Gen2 5-25 scopes sitting in the safe so thinking the Avanger will get one of those to wear for now.

Which moderator did you order? I saw one video where the guy said you can't get the fill cap off if the moderator is over 1.25 " in diameter.

 

[squint-n-squeeze]

So like anything else if you want a new bow or PCP nice air rifle you are going to spend a lot of money on it before it's over so get what you want and enjoy it...

Agree with this 100%. PCP rifles are really cool, but to see the full advantages you have to spend some $$$ to get your system set up. This usually means one of the fancy fiber tanks, and a place to get it filled (like a SCUBA place or fire house). From what I've read and heard from club members, the consumer-level compressors will never be satisfying if you shoot a lot. Ditto for a traditional scuba tank (pressure is not high enough, it will taper off maximum immediately).

One nice target rifle I've shot is the HFT-500. I've compared a number of friends' Anschutz and other fancy German target rifles, and they're all REALLY nice. Triggers are amazing, balance, everything is super smooth and accurate. The HFT-500 costs a lot less though, and it kind of reminds me of taking a picture when the trigger breaks. You hear a tiny click and then see your silhouette animal fall over

If you want to control your cost, definitely go with a springer. I have a TX-200 and it's great. I put an aftermarket spring in it, which lowers the "clack" sound and the bounce significantly.

 

[gkgeiger]

I’m also about to get into PCP. I have a custom rifle ordered and a tank on the way. Hoping to get a compressor soon, very little availability for the good ones.

 

[Rsadams]

Agree with this 100%. PCP rifles are really cool, but to see the full advantages you have to spend some $$$ to get your system set up. This usually means one of the fancy fiber tanks, and a place to get it filled (like a SCUBA place or fire house). From what I've read and heard from club members, the consumer-level compressors will never be satisfying if you shoot a lot. Ditto for a traditional scuba tank (pressure is not high enough, it will taper off maximum immediately).

One nice target rifle I've shot is the HFT-500. I've compared a number of friends' Anschutz and other fancy German target rifles, and they're all REALLY nice. Triggers are amazing, balance, everything is super smooth and accurate. The HFT-500 costs a lot less though, and it kind of reminds me of taking a picture when the trigger breaks. You hear a tiny click and then see your silhouette animal fall over

If you want to control your cost, definitely go with a springer. I have a TX-200 and it's great. I put an aftermarket spring in it, which lowers the "clack" sound and the bounce significantly.

Exactly... Like you said you can always get a spinger etc to see if it's something you might enjoy.... If you do you can always sell it and go for the big nasty latter... Probably in the time you take to make that decision things will go even further , what cost a ton now will be cheaper then as technology increases... As long as people are spending big money on something I promise you some company will try and out do another for profit...

NOBODY and I mean nobody else gets into more crap than I do and in the end just stops doing it because once I learn all I can I move on to another thing.... Unfortunately by then I have spent so much money not to mention time I can never sell it because I will never get even close to my money back or it's just way to cool... Thank the Lord I got out of race cars...

I just ordered a drone... I used to be into racing remote control cars and airplanes but stopped after losing my stuff in a fire... I am already scared at what this is going to cost before it's over..lol joking unfortunately not joking... I will be moving in 6+months and I will need another room in a temporary place just for all my crap I don't want stored in some storage unit or out of my sight and control.....

When my wife retires in 6months and we move back down south and away from Austin TX bullcrap I I think I will just spend the majority of my money on my new house and land just so I don't end up with more cool stuff.... It's a job keeping up with it all sometimes... I am hoping to spend the rest of my days hunting on my own place in piece and quite.... I thought that here 15 years ago when I thought 35 miles was far enough from Austin but now it's knocking on my door and I refuse to answer....

 

[CharlieNC]

Air rifles are cool! And accurate! 1 1/2 yrs ago I bought a RWS 54 which is a springer, but side cocking lever, plus a recoil absorbing mechanism. I wanted simplicity and the pcp route was more than I wanted to fool with. There are many great options to descend into the rabbit hole.

 

[squint-n-squeeze]

Keep us up todate LS. I have been having a ball with my TX200 springer. Since January I have close 6000 pellets shot. Yes there is a learning curve with springers but it is rewarding. 1/4 inch and under 5 shot groups at 25 yards. Maybe the PCP thing will bite me at some point. I have shot 1/2 at 50 yards for 3 shot groups the one time, a very light wind. Tails barely twitching. The added bonus with both types of airguns, no loading and very minimal cleaning. I have never cleaned mine, lol. If there was local competition I could see me going to either and getting out of powder burners to a large degree. You might try Air Arm pellets, they have been the best for me to shoot continually small.

Agree on the Air Arms pellets, they are great. Also the Diabolo Exact pellets are made in the same factory, on the same dies (or so I hear). Recently we got out the chrono at a club practice, and I found that my ES with the 7.3gr pellets I was using was in the 30fps range, but switching to the heavies (10.3gr) brought my ES down to single digits. Wow!

 

[PigButtons]

I have 5 PCP rifles, 4 of them shoot 1/4 moa at reasonable distances. They are great for pesting and to get trigger practice where I know it is never the gun's fault. I shoot mostly JSB pellets and occasionally Neilson speciality ammo slugs https://nielsenspecialtyammo.com/

 

[JSH]

Rsadams, lol we might be related some how. And yes thank goodness I got away from race cars and car projects. Just sold my last project to an ambitious young fellow, those funds bought me a really nice little Marlin lever gun in 32-20 just because I had wanted one for a long time, a lot easier to store too!

Air guns, y’all are not helping my itch. I have an RWS 45 that has had a ton of pellets put through it the past 30 years. It was responsible for the demise of over 400 pigeons a couple of years ago.

Am wondering what caliber most folks are going too.
I have as satisfied with what I saw in 22 caliber but the 25’s have now peaked my interest.
Not cheap by any means but I don’t want to have to keep upgrading, so I am set with going with FX unless someone can give me a good reason not too.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Which moderator did you order? I saw one video where the guy said you can't get the fill cap off if the moderator is over 1.25 " in diameter.

My moderator is the DonnyFL Shogun. The revised DonnyFL 1/2-20 adapter for the Avenger has an extension on it so getting the fill cap off is not an issue anymore.