Newbie Budget Suggestions

Jump to latest Follow Reply
J

Jalan

Member
May 8, 2025
8
3
Hello All,
I'm currently deciding on a budget rifle primarily for pest/varmin control for my chicken coop. My short list is Air Venturi Avenger 25, Hatsan Flash 25, Beeman 25 (Any in Bullpup). I'm my younger days I did some plinking with a 22 but that's it for experience.
Considering these rifles are <$400, I'm hoping to add a <$100 budget optic. Most shooting will be 30-40 yds with an occasional 50-75. I'm thinking 3-9x, 3-12x or 4x16x, Adjustable Objective, ability to add reflex scope, Mildot.
I know this is a unicorn but there appears to be many options in my range. How well they hold or ruggedness I guess is an issue?
I was first looking at a UUQ 3-9x32 Tactical w/ front AO. It's $60.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks again!!!
 
Vector Veyron fanboy but didn't want to spend $200+ scoping a $300 Umarex Gauntlet. Was pleasantly surprised by a recommended Marcool though might be $20 more than your budget. Form, function and clear, bright side-to-side sight picture is amazing for the price-point.
IMG_20240115_172930 - Copy.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: L.Leon, Ranchibi and Jalan
Upvote 0
Jalan said:
Hello All,
I'm currently deciding on a budget rifle primarily for pest/varmin control for my chicken coop. My short list is Air Venturi Avenger 25, Hatsan Flash 25, Beeman 25 (Any in Bullpup). I'm my younger days I did some plinking with a 22 but that's it for experience.
Considering these rifles are <$400, I'm hoping to add a <$100 budget optic. Most shooting will be 30-40 yds with an occasional 50-75. I'm thinking 3-9x, 3-12x or 4x16x, Adjustable Objective, ability to add reflex scope, Mildot.
I know this is a unicorn but there appears to be many options in my range. How well they hold or ruggedness I guess is an issue?
I was first looking at a UUQ 3-9x32 Tactical w/ front AO. It's $60.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks again!!!
Click to expand...
I use a Barra 250z .25 cal ($440) and a Bushnell Banner dusk/dawn 3-9x50… the 250z amazing. It’s long but lightweight and that scope keeps it light. Super clear glass and accurate. Smoked a squirrel at 75y on Friday and one at 59y yesterday… I‘ve used a red light attached the gun and hunted plenty at night. I’m taking it off because I found my gun just shoots slugs so well that I need more magnification downrange because 100-150yards is 100% doable…. But if you’re just shooting 70-80yards or less the Bushnell is great. Really shines in low light conditions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jalan
Upvote 0
WorriedMan said:
Vector Veyron fanboy but didn't want to spend $200+ scoping a $300 Umarex Gauntlet. Was pleasantly surprised by a recommended Marcool though might be $20 more than your budget. Form, function and clear, bright side-to-side sight picture is amazing for the price-point. View attachment 561687
Click to expand...
Bro regardless of price that gun is a long range banger if you want it to be. My buddy launches 78gr boattails out of his and the accuracy is outstanding…. I just threw a $460(with 20 MOA mount) on a $440 barra 250z. What can I say? The damn thing is a laser shooting slugs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WorriedMan and Jalan
Upvote 0
PCP don't have recoil like spring piston air rifles do, so you could conceivably use anything that you could set for one pellet for pests, and then leave alone. Spend what you want, but you don't need to spend much to just get going. If you're getting older, I would suggest that you buy as good a quality as you can afford because a good view really helps when your eyes start going downhill.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cantona256 and Jalan
Upvote 0
Jalan said:
Hello All,
I'm currently deciding on a budget rifle primarily for pest/varmin control for my chicken coop. My short list is Air Venturi Avenger 25, Hatsan Flash 25, Beeman 25 (Any in Bullpup). I'm my younger days I did some plinking with a 22 but that's it for experience.
Considering these rifles are <$400, I'm hoping to add a <$100 budget optic. Most shooting will be 30-40 yds with an occasional 50-75. I'm thinking 3-9x, 3-12x or 4x16x, Adjustable Objective, ability to add reflex scope, Mildot.
I know this is a unicorn but there appears to be many options in my range. How well they hold or ruggedness I guess is an issue?
I was first looking at a UUQ 3-9x32 Tactical w/ front AO. It's $60.
Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks again!!!
Click to expand...
this reminds me of stereo speakers . people buy the biggest bad A$$ Amp they can and then skimp on the part that produces the sound you listen to , just sayin'
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cantona256
Upvote 0
beerthief said:
this reminds me of stereo speakers . people buy the biggest bad A$$ Amp they can and then skimp on the part that produces the sound you listen to , just sayin'
Click to expand...
That was low key me getting 3-9 magnification on my 250z. But mostly that was me thinking “I’m not gonna be shooting beyond 75y or 80y anyways.” I do all my coyote calling at night so we bring them in close.
This is my first pcp so I was just thinking I’d get an affordable gun that I can shoot a 38-40gr slug accurately to 75-80 yards…. What I found is a gun I’m obsessed with and any day I don’t get to patrol the property I live on or hit the sage to shoot varmints feels like a wasted day haha.

My wallet will never recover from this. Future generations will mark the purchase of my 250z as the day my entire lineage was prevented from receive any kind of inheritance other than a bunch of airguns and generational debt. 😂😂😂😂
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: Jalan, PumaCarl and beerthief
Upvote 0
Cantona256 said:
That was low key me getting 3-9 magnification on my 250z. But mostly that was me thinking “I’m not gonna be shooting beyond 75y or 80y anyways.” I do all my coyote calling at night so we bring them in close.
This is my first pcp so I was just thinking I’d get an affordable gun that I can shoot a 38-40gr slug accurately to 75-80 yards…. What I found is a gun I’m obsessed with and any day I don’t get to patrol the property I live on or hit the sage to shoot varmints feels like a wasted day haha.

My wallet will never recover from this. Future generations will mark the purchase of my 250z as the day my entire lineage was prevented from receive any kind of inheritance other than a bunch of airguns and generational debt. 😂😂😂😂
Click to expand...
well good for you , never hurts to be low key , it is just low key scopes in particular have a habit of not staying on POA
 
Upvote 0
beerthief said:
well good for you , never hurts to be low key , it is just low key scopes in particular have a habit of not staying on POA
Click to expand...
Yeah you’re right about that, I’ve heard many horror stories with crappy scopes. For a cheap scope the Bushnell holds a POA amazingly well and I’m not gentle. My gun spends a lot of time laying on some towels and seatbelted down… it just doesn’t have enough magnification for the range I want to shoot now. The triton Starstrike was more of a mixed bag for me. At night it’s great. For someone who hunts rats or something from a tripod at closer range that thing is money. But it’s heavy and I personally don’t like the way it looks during the day. Finally the magnification sucks. Even at 18x mag everything looks tiny beyond 50 yards.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jalan
Upvote 0
Cantona256 said:
Bro regardless of price that gun is a long range banger if you want it to be. My buddy launches 78gr boattails out of his and the accuracy is outstanding…. I just threw a $460(with 20 MOA mount) on a $440 barra 250z. What can I say? The damn thing is a laser shooting slugs.
Click to expand...
Fifty yards, and under, is average for me and, agree, Gauntlet is accurate. Ten-pound weight, 47" length and "grinding" bolt-action makes this least used in my collection, and thus, unwilling to let a Vector Veyron sit around equally unused. WM
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jalan and Cantona256
Upvote 0
WorriedMan said:
Fifty yards, and under, is average for me and, agree, Gauntlet is accurate. Ten-pound weight, 47" length and "grinding" bolt-action makes this least used in my collection, and thus, unwilling to let a Vector Veyron sit around equally unused. WM
Click to expand...
Yeah it is definitely long and heavy! Not something I would want to shoot off hand a whole lot. My friend has the G2 so I’ve not experienced the bolt action. My Barra is bolt action but I find it to be pretty smooth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WorriedMan
Upvote 0
After bad experience with a Bug Buster I switched to a Hawke Vantage 2-7 on my Prod and have had zero issues with it. The 2-7 is the least expensive but the Hawke Vantage is also available in 3-9 and 4-12 for a little more money. They have mil dot reticles (and other options) and front turn parallax adjustability. I've never used the Hawke warranty but their reputation is the same as Athlon (which I used recently with great results) and Vortex. UUQ refused to honor the waranty on my Bug Buster.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MongooseV8 and Cantona256
Upvote 0
PumaCarl said:
Oh, they become multi-thousand dollar precision air rifles soon enough, and then you will need a good scope.
Click to expand...
I get that. However, we're talking 100 maybe 150-200yds max vs 500+ yds and much less recoil. You can find decent scopes new for $100 and OP could find $200 scope for that price secondhand.

I just dislike this antiquated notion of if gun costs this much, optic must cost this much and then trying to compare it to audio equipment. It's just bad info nowadays.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jalan and PumaCarl
Upvote 0
Niloc_Werdna said:
I get that. However, we're talking 100 maybe 150-200yds max vs 500+ yds and much less recoil. You can find decent scopes new for $100 and OP could find $200 scope for that price secondhand.

I just dislike this antiquated notion of if gun costs this much, optic must cost this much and then trying to compare it to audio equipment. It's just bad info nowadays.
Click to expand...
Oh, I agree, but I also don't buy into the old notion of putting a good scope on one gun and leaving it there either. I went to the Picatinny standard and move around scopes all the time. I have a laser system I use to not lose zero and use lesser scopes as placeholders for zero when I switch. You don't have to buy a lot of really good scopes, but it is really nice to have at least one.
 
Upvote 0
PumaCarl said:
Oh, I agree, but I also don't buy into the old notion of leaving a good scope on one gun and leaving it there either. I went to the Picatinny standard and move around scopes all the time. I have a laser system I use to not lose zero and use lesser scopes as placeholders for zero when I switch. You don't have to buy a lot of really good scopes, but it is really nice to have at least one.
Click to expand...
I can fully support this response
 
  • Like
Reactions: PumaCarl
Upvote 0
Cantona256 said:
That was low key me getting 3-9 magnification on my 250z. But mostly that was me thinking “I’m not gonna be shooting beyond 75y or 80y anyways.” I do all my coyote calling at night so we bring them in close.
This is my first pcp so I was just thinking I’d get an affordable gun that I can shoot a 38-40gr slug accurately to 75-80 yards…. What I found is a gun I’m obsessed with and any day I don’t get to patrol the property I live on or hit the sage to shoot varmints feels like a wasted day haha.

My wallet will never recover from this. Future generations will mark the purchase of my 250z as the day my entire lineage was prevented from receive any kind of inheritance other than a bunch of airguns and generational debt. 😂😂😂😂
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu