Need Opinions on what is the best Airgun to Buy?

I've had a .22 WildCat for a couple of years now. It has been totally reliable, other then some regulator break in time when I first got it. Very accurate and perfect for eliminating unwanted critters around the house. I live on 1.5 acres with great neighbors, but the WildCat for me was a little too loud, so I fitted the full FX LCD pack and now very quiet. It adds to the length but the FX LCD weighs almost nothing. For the scope, I went with the Accushot 4x16x40 mm. (The one with the angled front lens shrowd). Good looking scope, Great glass all the way to 16 magnification, compact, comes with rings, and $139 on Amazon. 

IMHO, The WildCat is about the best bullpup out there. It's weight is quite low in the bullpup arena, very accurate, high quality, decent price and shoots at 30 fpe.

In my opinion and that's all it is a opinion, stay away from an impact as a first time PCP buyer.I believe it could actually be just too much of a learning curve to begin with.
The wildcat would be much more first time user friendly and it's one you don't necessarily out grow.I have read about far less issues with the wildcat than the impact.
I'm not bashing the impact as I actually think they are cool as it gets,I just think they are for more experienced users that have no issues trouble shooting issues if they arise.
Again just my opinion.

I wouldn't bother with the learning curve on a FX Impact, there's soo much information out there (forums, Youtube, etc.) that learning all about the Impact isn't a real issue IMHO. Besides, a rifle that offers you that much flexibility is something that you'll probably end up buying in the end, after spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on other air rifles. The main question is, what's your purpose? Will you be using it for target shooting, hunting, plinking or all of the above? 

So often I see people ask "what's the best rifle money can buy", and the answer to that can only be given if you know the purpose of use.  

Have to agree on the Impact. Fantastic gun, but, perhaps too much first time out. I still think the biggest thing to do is find a shop with some on the shelf, and drive to that shop if at all humanly possible. A couple hundred miles to touch and hold something you'll spend $1000 or $2000 on seems a small price to pay.

I drove to Utah Airguns a few weeks ago in Mapleton UT (a bit over 100 miles round trip for me) and they let me hold several FX guns including the Impact and shoot the owners personal .25 Royal. Really didn't like the feel of the Impact. Streamline actually felt lots better, then he handed me a Royal. Love at first touch. It was a noticeably different experience shouldering a Royal over the Streamline and I thought that the Streamline was MUCH BETTER than the Impact. The Wildcat was OK to shoulder, but I'm not used to bullpups, so it felt odd. I'm sure I could get used to it, but traditional rifles are more my style.

In buying a gun, back to the basics.
1. what are you using it for. Hunting can take a completely different gun than Extreme Bench Rest.
2. Budget - What can you spend, and don't forget the support system of pumps, air tanks, compressors and the rest. That part adds up fast. 
3. How advanced are you? Do you shoot Powder Burners and love a god trigger over all else? Then you better find a gun with a good trigger or you'll hate the experience.
4. Optics. What do you want in a scope? I have a 4-14 x 44 FFP. Fits me perfectly. You are probably very different.
5. Range you want to shoot. If it's under 30 yards, the Maximus is plenty to plink, and punch paper, though it has a crappy trigger. If you want to shoot 100 plus yards and drive tacks, then a Royal or something in that class may be what you need. Oh, and 10 meter competition shooting requires a completely different setup.

Example of specific use, Ted's Holdover, Ted has a Streamline tuned down to 9 foot pounds energy so when shooting on a cattle operation, the pellets would bounce off the tarps protecting silage instead of poking holes in them. That's not a normal use, but it sure makes sense in his case. 

If this is your first PCP, and you buy an Impact, you can easily drop $3000 to set it up. $1999 (OK, $2000 for round numbers) for the gun, $500 or more for the scope, $70 on FX scope rings (No Limit rings) and a 90 Cubic Inch tank is $350. That doesn't even buy any pellets at $15 per 500 or your first air fill on the tank. Oh and I forgot the Atlas bi-pod for $300 or $400.

A streamline with less expensive components could drop that by half, and a Marauder could drop the Impact investment by 3/4. 

Just so many choices out there, you gotta do a bit of research and get the best feature set that is a good compromise for your own goals

As everyone here probably knows, I am a fan of Prototyping, or buying less expensive and working into the dream gun you want. In my case, I have a Marauder and am learning, and saving for a new gun, and will probably buy a Royal or Crown if it's available when I'm ready to buy. Interchangeable barrels sound cool, but once I had one that worked, I'd never change it, so changing barrels isn't really needed. After a couple years with the Marauder, I feel much more comfortable with my decision to go after a Royal or Crown , as either will have the features I want for my style of shooting.

Opinions are like noses, and everyone has a different one. What everyone finally settles on, if they live long enough, isn't always the best in any one category. Rather it is one which fills more than one need, and that isn't necessarily any one given brand or model. Or caliber for that matter. If this weren't so, we'd all be driving the same vehicle.

Alan said - Opinions are like noses, and everyone has a different one. What everyone finally settles on, if they live long enough, isn’t always the best in any one category. Rather it is one which fills more than one need, and that isn’t necessarily any one given brand or model. Or caliber for that matter. If there weren’t so, we’d all be driving the same vehicle

Truth-teller he is. My opinion is worth what you paid for it,

What's your personal take on the cocking effort of the Regal? That's the one thing I keep reading that gives me pause. I wish I could get my hands on one to see for myself.

I can't answer for the Regal, but the Royal is so smooth, and no resistance. My Marauder requires compressing a 10 pound spring. Not fun. After 40 or 50 shots my wrists are darned tired. The Royal was just like butter, smooth and no resistance. One big plus in my book.

Do you Regal owners have trouble with the cocking effort? That, and the lack of a power wheel are the things giving me reluctance to make it my first PCP. 

the regal is a great gun not to much effort to reload its not fx royale but still just nice

So many guns to choose from, it's not easy that's for sure. My personal collection consists of:
AA S510 Carbine .22 w/ Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50mm Mil, Huma Regulator, Cross Drilled Pot, Lightened Hammer
FX Streamline .25 w/ Athlon Argos BTR 6-24x50mm Mil
Artemis PP700S-A .177 w/ Vortex Venom Red Dot

For me, PCP was easier because I'm SCUBA certified. This meant I could buy a reconditioned steel tank (3400psi) and get it filled for nearly nothing and there's a shop 15 minutes from my house. I can even rent extra tanks for $8 when I'm going somewhere for a day or more.

Initially I was looking at a quality spring gun, but I spoke to a very nice guy at AGD and he outlined a few good choices in PCP. Happened to be the S510 was one of them and it was on armslist on the cheap. So that made my decision for me. I drove quite a ways to get it, but was totally worth the trip. Did the mods myself and it's my favorite gun to date. Feels good in my hands, and shoots excellently out to about 75yds.

Next I wanted a .25 and after much hemming and hawing I settled on the Streamline. It too is a fantastic shooting gun. The guys at the field call it cheating.

I got the high end Hawke scope for it and instantly hated it. I couldn't return it fast enough. Then there was a thread on GTA about scopes and the Athlon Argos was in the top list. So I tried one of each (Mil and MOA). Mounted them to both rifles and went to an event. After a day with them I returned the MOA and got another Mil. FFP in a scope is really nice, you can get high power and just dial it back some w/o losing settings.

Both of these guns are high quality tack drivers. The S510 is easily in range at 75yds where the Streamline works well out to 100yds. The S510 is quite a bit smaller and for me, feels better.

The little PP700S-A pistol is a nice toy and is good for shortrange work. At 10yds and 25yds it's really quite accurate. It's out being tuned right now 'cause I just didn't feel like messing with it.

Having said that, an FX Impact is high on my list of 'next gun'. But there are many other in the $3k range that are worth looking at too. Yes, you'll spend $3k on the Impact and that's assuming you already have a fill method.

IMHO you would be making a huge mistake getting something like the Impact or Huben k1 or RAW as your first PCP. For one thing, you'll be dropping well over $3k on something you don't even know you'll like yet.

Ifn I were advising you, and I guess I am, I'd get the FX Streamline in .22 and then deal with your fill method as a start. The Athlon scope is really nice too, you can't go wrong with that. You'll still have $1500 in the rifle, and another $250+ in your fill method, but that's a lot more reasonable than buying at the top end of the scale.

The Streamline is good advice. In the beginning, I bought a Marauder and pump for a fill system. Pump was an exercise program. Hated it instantly. Use it from time to time when my tank is low or need to conserve air for the range or something like that, but tanks are really the best option. You spend time shooting, not pumping. The infrastructure behind a PCP is almost as important as the gun. You gotta figure out the fill system to make the gun work. Whatever gun, if there's a paintball or scuba shop close by, get a tank (IMHO)

All of the guns mentioned here would be good choices. S510, Streamlines, Regal's and Royal's are all nice. A bit on the expensive side, but really nice.

​My marauder shoots 3/4 inch groups at 50 yards. Going to the range on Saturday to experiment at 75 yards again. This time I hope to have better groups. Also, breaking out my chronograph for the first time tonight. Bought it months ago so I could tune, and life fell apart and had no time till now. If you want a gun to tune, I'm told Marauders are a good learning platform.

​If you have the money for a Streamline, and enough left over for a tank or pump, I'd pull the trigger (Pun intended) ASAP. Get shooting!

Looking at the choices you gave it appears you drawn to bullpups or shorter platforms. From to 2 you mentioned I'd go .25 Wildcat. If you are open to others the Cricket or Taipan Veteran in .25 are super accurate and easier to service. That .25 just makes you giggle when it makes contact. Good luck!