No not a 3-month-old baby shooting PCPs . . . I'm a Septuagenarian who has been shooting PCPs for three months. I am a certified rifle looney (firearms) but discovered PCPs and this forum and started down the rabbit hole back in December with the purchase of an FX Crown Continuum in .25 from Pyramyd Air. This is truly a legacy rifle, especially with the ability to change calibers and barrel lengths, while using the same block and stock. I have since purchased .22 and .17 calibers for it.
With days of buying the Crown my next gun was a Benjamin Akela .177 from Airguns of Aizona. There is something about the styling of that rifle that reminded me of the FX Wildcat, which I really liked, but for 1/3 less money. It has turned out to be a very value packed rifle that is very accurate. Only accurate PCPs are interesting to me, and so far, all five of the guns I own are very accurate.
Then a month later on Jan 4 I bought a P-Rod .22 from Utah Airguns. I immediately turned it into a carbine with accessories from Buck-Rail and ebay. It has been one of the most fun backyard friendly guns I own. Deadly on rogue starlings and grackles that raid my songbird feeders.
My next purchase was another legacy quality gun . . . A Daystate Air Wolf MCT .22 . . . this gun shoots laserbeam accurate in my backyard and is the quietest of all my rifles. The epitome of back yard friendly yet deadly to starlings and grackels. It and the Crown just have a feeling that exudes quality, workmanship and accuracy. The Crown is also very quiet. I bought the Wolf from a member here who had it listed in the classifieds. It has just enough electronics to do everything I need it to do, while being simple enough for me to understand.
Just recently I made another purchase last week from Utah Airguns. A Caiman X in .25 . . . This little bull pup is extremely fun to shoot and very accurate. I bought it specifically to take to the field for hunting, mainly, because of its size and weight, as well as the calibers and power. It is not particularly backyard friendly. This would be the perfect backyard gun in .177 I think. Just like the others, I like wooden stocks and the Caiman has a beautifully carved brown laminate stock which is a pleasure to hold and shoulder.
One of the things I would change, if I could, would be to slow my roll in buying airguns after the Crown. I like all of my rifles and they all serve a specific purpose and role in my shooting. However, the two legacy quality guns I bought, the .25 Crown Continuum and the .22 Daystate Air Wolf MCT are head and shoulders above the others when it comes to quality, performance, accuracy, fit and feel and personal pride of ownership. I was ignorant of these rifles when I bought them. But now I see the light. I am happy with my Akela, P-Rod and Caiman, but I could have used those funds on an FX Wildcat Mark III or maybe a Brocock Sniper XR Magnum which are much higher quality rifles and can do everything the Akela, P-Rod and Caiman do with one arm tied behind their backs. But if I did "need" another rifle it could be a .303 Daystate Wolverine R HP which would be potent medicine on longer range coyotes for my jaunts out to western Oklahoma. Again, that woul be another legacy rifle. I guess what I am trying to say is that if I had it all to do over again I would stick with the legacy type rifles, to include an Air Arms S510.
I might add that one of the wisest moves I made was to buy an air compressor (Tuxing) and fill bottle to air up my guns. I actually bought two bottles. This makes rapid refills and more shooting.
Scopes are another bug-a-boo. Fortunately, because of my firearm collection, I have plenty of good glass to choose from, though I have bout a few airgun specific scopes.
My poor wife of 49 years is beside herself over yet another hobby I have started. I get an ear full ever so often, but that is just women. I can afford to spend the considerable money it takes when one falls down the rabbit hole, but she has absolutely zero interest in guns and hunting, so there is that.
Bottom line for newbies starting out like me. Go slow in the buying department and buy the absolute best rifles you can afford. If it is just one rifle, take your time deciding which one rifle it will be. Daystate, FX, Air Arms, Brocock/BRK and maybe the new BSA R12 are the brands I would look at first. If you ended up buying one of each that is five rifles. Not bad, if you spread it out over time. Then there is the decision if you go tactical or stay traditional in stocks and styling. I spent a career in the Marines and Navy, so I got my itch scratched when it came to cool tactical weapons. I prefer beautiful wood, simple operating systems and somewhat traditional styling. To each his own.