I used Neil Clague for my Sumatra. A very nicely done mod and great service!

I have a dozen and a half air rifles from budget priced guns to Weirauch made rifles, some springers and some gas piston guns, I've been shooting air rifles exclusively for about seven years, all have been great shooters, none have demolished good scopes, If you have a good quality rifle and a good quality scope you shouldn't have any issues.
I have a Hatsan mod. 95 springer, I have had to replace the scope on it because of it's harsh recoil, but that is not the fault of the rifle, it's the price one pays when investing in a cheap scope, purchase good gear and you will almost always get good results.
If you do your research and make reasoned choices good does not have to mean expensive, some of my best scopes were purchased for about $80.00 including rings and mounts.

Id like to see pics of the replacement and then the original. I'm curious about the failure mode and how bad the failure is if we have and pics of that.

Jalan said:

Hello All, this isn't anything but some thoughts from a green new comer to the sport/hobby and just wondering how deep I can dig my hole.
I recently got my first. AV Avenger Bullpup(2) 25 cal. Groundhogs, Raccoons after my chickens, paper, just plinking.
I did allot of research. AV had a summer promotion (15%) so this gun was <$400. Wow. I got a little cheap on the scope, CVLife 2-10 x 32 AO. For the money it's quite good. Compressor; open box smaller one Spiritech. $100 ($275 retail). Same overstock got a great rifle bag, $20 ($80 retail). Then, obviously, pellets.
At this point, my wife asked me, "Do you have everything you need?" ; "Are you sure you don't need anything else?" She wasn't asking to be hard about it, just rather keep our budget and understand.
So.... This is where things took a bit of a turn on me. Simple things, Silicon cloth for wipe down, muzzle cleaning patches, loctite, bubble level kit.
Ok, that outta do it. Looking great. Oops, forgot a few things. Resting it to mount the scope is making me crazy. Needed a small rifle rest. Cheap laser bore to get close(was junk, returned), basic resting sand bags, etc.
Oh, I can't be sure how this things is performing? Ask for advice, everyone said the same thing. "You need a Chrono". That sounds expensive. I found a budget Chinese one that was well reviewed and most guys here agreed.... $50.
Back to my wife; so I needed a few more things. Not overly expensive. She's completely fine but smiling with the "I knew it" look on her face.
Hmmm... Maybe I should upgrade that glass? Those digital pressure gauges look nice. A moderator would do this thing some justice. Wow, some of these higher end guns look amazing. I bet it'd be easier to fill from a bottle.
I knew, like everything, this could be a real rabbit hole. I didn't realize just how much I'd love it. I'm wondering if others out there had a similar experience and where that road led them.

All my best to everyone. Sorry for the long post but it felt good to put it out there....

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The airguns acceleration happened as a reward to myself for quitting drinking initially. It's worked but I have a new drug of choice. Pcp's


I can say with great authority DO NOT GET INTO BUILDING OLDSCHOOL HOTROD TRUCKS! Not even once

J.C. said:

It is regualted just not adjustable yet. My Airacuda is a standard model in 25cal and I am able to adjust the transfer port output and can get 30-40 shots on high power before I start to see a change.

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Be glad to share Gauntlet story, just ask, if interested. As thread deals with regulated versus unregulated, I'll explain my preference for regulated. Pellets prefer specific air pressure pushing them for best, most consistent, accuracy. Compare the air reservoir in an unregulated airgun to releasing a full balloon, maximum pressure to start then fading away. The pellet will prefer air pressures in mid-range, up front, too much, back end, too little. A regulator releases metered amounts of air pressure, start to finish, so even though shot count is the same, consistency is much improved. WM

cool impacts..amazing

Shout Whisper Moderator

I have several shooting ranges that require travel. Sooo, I have several chronos. As said above, Adding the light kit solved my cranky Pro Chrono. Sadly their light kit is expensive and needs 120vac.....Caldwell has an LED light kit that with very little effort fits the Pro Chron and works off batteries just fine. It is half the price of the Pro Chrono at MidwayUSA.

The rods supporting the Caldwell light bars needed a wrap of tape to tighten fit with the chrono body and a little tweak to hold the light bars.

Perle said:

I’m of Two minds on this.

View attachment 569301

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KatoKevin454 said:

Try some Benjamin .25 cal 27.8 grn, they are absolute laser accurate out of my Zelos .25, stacking pellet on pellet at 65 yards, JSB MKll's are next at 1/2" groups at 65 yards.

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Well finally got the benji's I ordered from pyramid air. My zelos was more accurate with the H&N 30.86 grain at 83 yards. But thanks anyway. Always worth a try

banjopicker said:

hey guys i am new to the air gun world,, i see a lot has changed since my daisy red ryder bb gun.

looking in to a break barrel stout enough to knock out groundhogs ,, thinking 25 cal,,
but which one? there are quite few choices. my maximum distance will be around 40 to 50 yards hopefully closer.

hatsan has a few in my price range.. i am looking at 300 to 350 for my budget. is this possible ? and cost of decent scope too.

thanks
doc martin

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I'm an old guy as well, but still pretty sharp, I got into air guns about seven years ago when ammo prices became unaffordable and unobtainable, then Covid hit and the shooting sports went into the toilet, I found that I really enjoyed air guns, and I could shoot in my back yard, for cheap.
I know I'm going to piss off some folks here but that can't be helped, there are some good folks here with allot of good advice, but there are also a bunch of so called experts that like to hear themselves talk and don't know crap about what they are talking about.
I'm here to tell you that there's nothing wrong with break barrel air rifles, you just need to do your research before buying, also you don't have to break the piggy bank to buy a good one, there are several great shooting air rifles on the market for under $150.00, I have a few that are better than any of the high price offerings.
If you are just starting out stay away from PCP, stick with the basics, caliber wise I have rifles in .177, .20, and .22 caliber, I really don't see any advantage with .25 and .30 caliber air guns for general shooting or small game hunting, there are advantages to each of the three base calibers but all three will get the job done within reasonable ranges (under 50 yds), providing you have enough power.
For an all around rifle either a springer or a gas pistol rifle will work fine, accuracy is marginal in most budget priced rifles, however there are a few that excell, you want to have approx. 12~ 15 FPE. for hunting small to medium sized game, shot placement is critical.
If you want suggestions for a budget friendly or mid priced air rifle that shoots way above it's price point PM me, I don't mind helping out.
Two things you can expect when purchasing budget friendly air rifles is horrible triggers, and junk scopes, the triggers can be smoothed out fairly easily, and junk scopes can be replaced with decent lower priced scopes.
One air rifle that I can suggest that is very accurate, easy to shoot, well balanced, great looking, reliable, and powerful enough for taking ground hogs, and has a great trigger out of the box along with a good scope is the Diana mod. two fifty in either .177 or .22 caliber, and it's selling for about $150.00.
Good luck my friend, the best advice I can give you is to do your research, watch u-tube reviews and read positive posts before making a choice, listen to your head, and don't put allot of stock in the words of the so called experts.

Finished the tin of 500 RWS 7gr with my new R7. The next 500 for the wear in process is 500 CPHP. And so far it’s looking good, better than the 7gr wadcutters.
This is the first 5 since switching, the two groups after that, except one bad pellet, were tighter groups. All the CPHP are fitting in snug. I had one that went in really easy, and it hit .75” lower than all the other pellets.

banjopicker said:

hey guys i am new to the air gun world,, i see a lot has changed since my daisy red ryder bb gun.

looking in to a break barrel stout enough to knock out groundhogs ,, thinking 25 cal,,
but which one? there are quite few choices. my maximum distance will be around 40 to 50 yards hopefully closer.

hatsan has a few in my price range.. i am looking at 300 to 350 for my budget. is this possible ? and cost of decent scope too.

thanks
doc martin

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It is long, it is heavy, it is a beast
Umarex Gauntlet SL25

But then you need a moderator (neighbors) and a compressor (old like me).

So figure $500-700

Good cheap moderator: Reximex Silent Force. Only place I've found it sharg.pl in Poland. Less than $50 shipped.

Compressors run anywhere from $125 on up. AliExpress is pretty place to shop for them, look for "ships from US"

Saber Tac 52mm bottle clamp, Monstrum picatinny swing away bubble level.

Ratzy said:

I'd have gone AirForce Talon or Condor

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Been there, owned one and sold it. The HW97k is one of my favorites. I highly recommend one in .20 caliber.

ChickenDumpling said:

I judge every day and several times of day ... also, work around many professional career judges. Just an observation, it will never stop happening. I have way too many examples to pull from, to keep air gun related: Had a post I shared about my backyard shooting area ... didn't take a long before judgement fell upon me and my setup. My judgment is you should run as fast as you can from this addictive hobby ... it might cost you more than you know, as some one who has walked in springer and pcp shoes. Good Luck.

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I originally had a Zelos in mind...but I know I would be modifying it and by the time im done with it id have as much invested as a top of the line gun!

dan_house said:

Those also do not raise the scope much

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I've never used them on a Springer, but they're my goto option for PCPs. Burris are my first choice for rings...

@banjopicker - I tried a $300 .25 springer. It sits in my attic now. I could not hit the broadside of a barn when I am standing inside of it with the damn thing. Horrible.

Another vote for the Notos / mini carbine. Will be enough power for humane kills and easy on your budget. The Notos will be easy to hand pump. It has a small air reservoir good for 20? shots. That's a lot of whistle pigs.

Youtube is your friend. Watch some videos


OR, there is this rifle. Looks very interesting. Comes with a decent scope. Adjustable power. Might be a great choice in .22

I like the $25 with wifi and voice.
No need to look, just listen.


I have 4 that are set up to mount on the various diameter moderators i own.

maxtrouble said:

I ordered 10 tins of .22 H&N Field Target Trophy Pellets from Midway and received one tin of .20 H&N Field Target Trophies. So I called AoA and ordered a HW97k.

Solved that pellet problem.

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I'd have gone AirForce Talon or Condor

TMH said:

The PRS stuff is great, no doubt about it. But greatness comes at a price!

I bought one of these off fleaBay for 35 bucks, and it serves my purposes well too.

View attachment 571827

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294959526064

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i only concern my self with quality; but thats me. there is very limited real estate at the back end of a ghost. that said.. does that fit a ghost? if not it's money down the drain.

I was being silly. In reality, having an O-assortment on hand has proven valuable on many occasions. Well worth the price even if I only find uses for 5% of the sizes, but it doesn’t do much to stave off the need to order specific sizes for most reseal jobs. Where they come in handy is for stop-gap repairs of a single failed O-ring. Also, learning how to take an oversize O-ring and abrade it down is a fairly easy skill to develop that has saved the day many times. In other words, any Buna-N or Viton assortment you buy is likely to be useful even though it alone will be insufficient for a complete reseal job, therefore don’t let analysis paralysis drag things out too much in hopes the perfect kit exists.