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Moving On

CharlieNC

Gold $$ Contributor
I'll soon be 75 and the ailments suggest I should move on from prone shooting so this will probably be my last ftr season. A year ago I had a nice 22lr built and enjoy the new BR challenge , and don't miss reloading either. In addition to the increased component costs, the latest nitro shortage and eminent impact on powder are pushing me to take another look at precision air rifles. I "loaned" by RWS54 springer to my brother-in-law, it is accurate but a real pain to load, which is a good reason to look at a nice PCP mag feed rifle. Looks like numerous great options around $2000, not cheap but in line with good center and rim fires. So time to sell another center fire I haven't shot in years. Time to sell a garage full of custom fishing gear too.

So I'm wandering around with this discussion! You get old, your interests change and your abilities dictate them to a degree. Enjoy and adapt! Now more PCP research.....
 
Are you going the tank route or compressor. I had both but didn’t have a convenient place to fill my tank. Bought an amazon cheap compressor which worked but every time I used it I wondered if it would fail. I went back to RF .22lr.
 
CharlieNC said:
I'll soon be 75 and the ailments suggest I should move on from prone shooting so this will probably be my last ftr season. A year ago I had a nice 22lr built and enjoy the new BR challenge , and don't miss reloading either. In addition to the increased component costs, the latest nitro shortage and eminent impact on powder are pushing me to take another look at precision air rifles. I "loaned" by RWS54 springer to my brother-in-law, it is accurate but a real pain to load, which is a good reason to look at a nice PCP mag feed rifle. Looks like numerous great options around $2000, not cheap but in line with good center and rim fires. So time to sell another center fire I haven't shot in years. Time to sell a garage full of custom fishing gear too.

So I'm wandering around with this discussion! You get old, your interests change and your abilities dictate them to a degree. Enjoy and adapt! Now more PCP research.....
Click to expand...
At 77, I here yah.

 
gkgeiger said:
Are you going the tank route or compressor. I had both but didn’t have a convenient place to fill my tank. Bought an amazon cheap compressor which worked but every time I used it I wondered if it would fail. I went back to RF .22lr.
Click to expand...

I still have a lot of research to do before making a decision. And I will continue with the 22lr
 
I am in the same boat that you are rowing. I went hogging on Saturday and I am still in misery with back pain. The sand is emptying fast in my hourglass. I keep saying this year will be the last hog safari, but I keep going back for more. I am addicted. :rolleyes:

I am down to two centerfire cartridges, 223 and 243, the latter which I rarely shoot anymore. Last year I purchased a Tikka 22 LR anticipating becoming a bench bipod shooter as this old body continues to wear down.

I can still shoot an open sight revolver slow fire in the mid 80's on a B16 target at 25 yards. But with two hands due to my arthritic elbow.
 
At 77 young my F/Class is down to 600 yards with my Dashers .
Down the Rabbit Hole with 2 CZ 457 .22’s .
More Fun and not Spending Time that is better spent .
.22 is a gas again .

Well Happy Birthday to Me 78 06/05. Brought myself a all most new 52C. A Ken Copy one Pc Scope Mount.
 
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gkgeiger said:
Are you going the tank route or compressor. I had both but didn’t have a convenient place to fill my tank. Bought an amazon cheap compressor which worked but every time I used it I wondered if it would fail. I went back to RF .22lr.
Click to expand...
Unless you opt for a low power / high shot count gun, or strictly shoot in your backyard near your compressor, I recommend both.

It’s a salty answer but it’s the final answer.

I started shooting rimfire benchrest last year and some airgun benchrest over winter. I put similar time and resources into both and I’m much further along with rimfire benchrest. I’m shooting airgu along with some other seriously skilled lifelong shooters and my conclusion is that it’s harder. So if you go the airgun benchrest route expect a longer, steadier progression.
 
Up until two years ago we shot F Class with a gentlemen who was 82. His back was getting to the point that he had to let it go. Too hard to get back up after he'd been laying there. He still came down to watch the match a couple of weeks ago and he still shoots. He's having a custom high end 22 built. Couple weeks before that we had a guy watching us shoot F Class at another range. He was pretty interested in it. He was 88.
 
I'm about to hit 3/4s of a century myself. Why not build your own, very accurate PCP for under $400? Like this one: (new build in back, stock gun in front).

IMG_20240519_164208.jpg


These new Crosman 3622s are one of what the air gun dudesters call "LEGO" guns. Most entry level Benjamin/Crosman (B/C) PCPs fall into that category. The Discovery, Maximus and Fortitude all fit the genre. Budget friendly with aftermarket parts up the ying yang. Unfortunately the Disco, Maximus and Fortitude are no longer being manufactured. About the only source for these discontinued PCPs is eBay. Enter the Crosman 3622. The Crosman 3622 is the new "LEGO" kid on the block. 22 caliber. $149 for the factory gun. I pulled my first one out of the box and kinda thought "WTF, this is a toy!!?" They are small, shall we say, in the stock factory version. About the size of a "94 Winchester, but less than 4 lbs. Nice little gun for the grandkids or maybe the wifey as is. Shoots 14.3 grain pellets @ ~700 fps for ~25 shots. Accuracy is good. I suck with iron sights, even with cataract surgery done on both eyes. At ten yards, easy 1/2 " groups by me. With good eyes, most people can probably do better. The iron sights provided are OK. Good enough for a newbie shooter.
I have replaced the plastic breech with a custom ambi steel breech. Installed a long nosed bolt probe and o-ring barrel bolt knob. This model already has a power adjuster installed. I drilled out the factory stop in the adjuster and tapped to 3/8 x 24. Made a longer Adjustment screw from a cap head 3/8 -24 screw. Modified the power valve by opening up both the inlet and outlet orifices and put in a light valve poppet spring. The moderator is from TKO 22 which also included a custom trigger as a freebie. The trigger out of the box was creepier than Hilary at ~ 6 lbs. With a two screw trigger mod, lighter trigger spring installed, polishing mating surfaces of trigger components and reducing the angle of the sear spring, The trigger now breaks clean @ ~3.0 Oz. Swapped out the hammer to a adjustable striker hammer. Went to a .036 wire hammer spring. The barrel is a 26" Maximus barrel. Leade polished and crown job. The modified gun now shoots 25.39 grain JSBs @ ~ 845 fps into one hole out to 25 yards or so. All this can be done for less than $450 (edited, includes the ~$32 for the 26" barrel) total including the stock gun. I forgot, the 3622 runs on a 2000 PSI fill. Easy to do with a hand pump. With the lower fill pressure, you don't need a expensive 4500# carbon fiber SCBA tanks. Regular dime a dozen 3000# SCUBA tanks will work just fine, filled at a dive shop or fire station. Also, air cooled HP PCP compressors are available for as low as $200. Let me add the 3622 is the most user friendly, easiest to modify LEGO gun I own. All of these mods are fairly easy to do. Be careful though, DIY airgun mods can be addicting. Note: this gun is a single shot bolt action. There are gravity feed multi-shot magnetic attachment magazines available. There may also be multi-shot breeches available that use Marauder style magazines. Hopefully, a new version designed specifically for the brand new 3622 will emerge on the aftermarket. There probably will be lots of upgrade parts available shortly to play with. Crosman has hit a home run with this little gun. It may not seem right to spend twice what the gun cost on upgrades but it's worth it when a gun you built can run with the guns that cost an arm and a leg. One hole is one hole no matter how much or how little you spend to get there.
 
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I’m not even in league with you gentlemen but I do have a couple high end PCP rifles. I enjoy it a lot and even though I’m not a target shooter the accuracy is impressive. I haven’t hardly shot a powder burner since I got the air rifles. If you’re going to shoot a lot the above answer is correct. A tank and compressor both is the way to go. Two biggest advantages for me is anmo is cheap and they’re quiet.
 
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