Glass, don't sue me for damages to your keyboard! Your point about scratching the surface with air guns is well-taken. I grew up in a hunting culture and was immersed in firearms as a kid. (I got a 20 gauge shotgun for my 12th birthday!) I even joined the Navy and went to gun school to become a gunner's mate. I worked on many weapons platforms, all the way from small arms to large naval artillery. But I have actually learned more about ballistics since I got into airgunnery (if that's a noun) than I ever did through all that. A solid understanding of ballistics is essential to own and operate an air rifle, not to mention pneumatics, mechanics, and optics. I am thoroughly enjoying my airgun journey, a lot more than I ever did with firearms, truth be told.
You're not kidding about the financial aspect either! Holy magoalies! When I told my son how much I have spent on airguns and airgun-related paraphernalia down here in SoCal in my golden years, he about plotzed! (He thinks I'm spending his inheritance, and he ain't wrong!) Air guns are so much more complex than firearms. With firearms, most of the technology is in the ammo. With firearms, virtually all the technology is in the gun itself. Plus, I am finding air guns to be superior to firearms for small game hunting. I have certainly taken much higher rate of game with my Marauder .22 pistol, Daystate Pulsar .25, and FX Impact .30 than I ever did with rimfires and shotguns. The stealth is really a huge advantage. I am really looking forward to receiving my RAW HMx .357 (130 fpe regulated)!
I was being facetious with the "beta stage" comment. I was surprised, however, with the frequent leaking with my FX Impact bottles and the plethora of reports of others with the same issue. That's why, with my new RAW, I'm opting for carrying an Omega 12 cu-ft 4,500 psi CF tank instead of a spare bottle. I'm hoping to get more shots in the field as well as eliminating the logistics of swapping bottles.
P.S. I'll get you an economy-size box of Q-Tips for Christmas ;-)