Which airgun? narrowed down to 2.

[Bam86]

Just wanted to get some input. 
I am looking to get my first PCP. I thought I had it narrowed down to a Marauder in 22. A buddy has one, and I really like it. I am a lefty, and it appears to be the only airgun that can be converted to that side. It is also near the upper limit of my budget.

The factory where I worked was shut down, and through the decommissioning, I was able to get 3 of the SCBA tanks. Cool. I figured I had it made. Well when I got them home and was finding a place for them, I discovered they are only good for 2275 psi. Bummer, My buddies Marauder shoots better at higher pressures. 

So, I got to looking and see the Maximus / Discovery only has a fill pressure of 2000. Perfect, with three tanks, I should be good for quite a while. Prices are cheap on the Discovery, so I can afford a better scope. But due to noise, looks like I will need to get a TKO moderator. Then I wonder what will it cost to get the fittings to go from the SCBA tank to the foster? 
My main questions are:
1. Should I try the Discovery and get the fittings? Will it shoot well enough to keep me happy?
2. Should I just trash the SCBA tanks, and get the Marauder like I had originally wanted? I will need to save more to get a way to fill it. More cost....
3. Should I get the Marauder and look into getting a Nitrogen tank for fills? May be better in the long run than scuba tanks for fill reasons. (There are not any dive shops within 50-80 miles.)

Would love to get some input from anyone that has both the Marauder and the Discovery. 

Thanks,

 

[Maineiac]

Marauder is a better gun. Magazine fed for multiple shots and is factory shrouded so it's super quiet out of the box.

The Marauder can also be filled by a hand pump if money is an issue.

 

[Crutcherro1]

Think about a Marauder .25. I have a Marauder .22 that I've changed to an after market hammer forged barrel . But the base .25 has a Green Mountain barrel that is a very good barrel...

 

[Bam86]

Thanks. Anyone own a Discovery that wants to weigh in? 

I am planning to keep 22. Don't really have a need for the 25. Pellets for 22 are cheaper, and looking for backyard plinking, occasional pests, and maybe some real informal field target with my buddy and a few others.

Magazine is a plus, but single shot really isn't a problem either. Right now I am using a little Crosman 2100, so either way will be a big improvement. 

Looking on here, it seems most people don't pump up their Marauders very long before getting an air tank. So I am not sure I want to even start with a hand pump, just an added expense that may get abandoned soon.

 

[Tominco]

The discovery would not let you down. It's a great way to get into PCP. That's the one I started with and I have very fond memories of it. I also used a pump with it. The lower pressures allow the use of a pump easier than the higher pressure guns. Also, The disco comes with open sights (SO much fun!). So, you can get to shooting without the added expense of a scope and mounts. It's a great budget PCP.
However, If noise is a concern, you can't get much better than a Marauder. I've had one of those as well and it shot so quiet I thought it was broken. But, the price tag goes up. You'll need a scope for one thing. Pumping isn't out of the question but, it's going to get old really fast. So, you'll be looking at a bottle fill setup of some kind. 
Fill adaptors range anywhere from $65ish to $120ish. You can build it yourself but, you won't really save much money. 
Tom

 

[Willie14228]

I too would go with the Marauder Keep your tanks they will save you a lot of pumping you can fill your gun to the 2275 and if it wants more finish the fill with a hand pump at least getting started out. You might think about doing it this way though>>>>
check these groups out this is a completely stock gun no mods no tuning straight out of the box .22 cal Armada (Marauder dressed up as an AR)
45 Yards 3000 PSI . 10 shots

10 more shots same range I didn't track my pressure after each string

10 more shots on same fill

and the last ten shots at the end of this shot string I was something like 1300 psi

You will notice these last two groups are not that far off from the first two.... These last two would be where you would be starting out at or at least somewhere close to that starting point and ending point as to the pressure in the gun.
While it will mean that you would need to refill after about 20 shots you could still use your tanks get your gun and enjoy yourself while you save up for a bigger better tank. I don't know what volume your tanks have but you should be able to get quite a few fills if it is an actual scuba tank, I going to assume from your comments they where most likely used by your fire team in the factory you worked at something like a 30 minute emergency tank or something.
Its an alternative to needing to buy a pump $200 dollars saved, and let you get a gun that will grow with you and in a few months let you buy a 4500 psi tank that will go a longgggggggg way on a single fill

 

[T3PRanch]

Keep in mind the Marauder (Armada) and Discovery are dual fuel meaning they can be tuned for CO2 which translates that it could be tuned for 2000 psi air fills very easily since this is nearly twice the pressure of CO2. 

Thurmond

 

[mobilemail]

If those tanks filled to 3300PSI like modern aluminum scuba tanks I would say the Disco is worth considering. But tanks with such low fill pressure will have you running to a fill station fairly often, even I suspect with a Disco.

I would recommend you ditch the idea of using these tanks, get a Marauder (you can pretty easily pick one up new nowadays for $399 all the time with a little looking), and pick your choice of how to fill it. If your buddy is already shooting one, you can ask him if he uses a local paintball or dive shop for fills. And of course, there is always a handpump, nitrogen or even a compressor for fill options.

The Discovery is a fine rifle for the price. But most folks end up spending a ton of money to make it work like the Marauder does out of the box. So unless the weight of the Marauder is a concern, I vote spend your money once on a rifle you can use mostly as-is. They can also be tuned to have a fill pressure of 2500psi instead of 3000, so that would help out if you're going to hand pump or use a cheaper scuba tank for fill. 

Opinions are like feet, everyone has a couple and they usually stink. But that's mine. 

 

[daystate395]

Look on Ebay for SCBA 4500 psi tanks. I found one for 120.00. It is a Drager, with 5 years of service left on it. I get it filled from the local fire department, for 6.00. 

 

[Birdo]

I think you should figure out filling first. If filling is a pain, avoid high air consumption guns like 25 cal marauder, you may be hand pumping. All 25 cals are bad for air consumption. You need a Gamo urban, I think it's the best first pcp, accurate quiet and easy on air 

 

[Yote]

There's a discovery in the classifieds.do yourself a favor and buy it .You won't regret it

 

[russinbaja]

I had a Marauder in 177 for just over a year and fell for the Cricket. I think starting with the Marauder is a good idea because once your addicted you're gonna want to up grade. You could look for a used gun and maybe find one that has been tuned a bit for a great price. Look at the Marauder Forum befor you commit to one though: http://www.marauderairrifle.com/forum/index.php?sid=14fb2dc8b52f70dadfa19196ef611ae3

 

[Battmarauder]

Have you left looked into the resell value of the 3 tanks? May offset some of the costs?

 

[Dan25]

If 3 low pressure tanks are not to your liking why not consider selling them and buying a single high pressure tank? I with several others here on getting the 25 cal. Its what I did.