You ordered products from an individual claiming to know what they are doing and found out they don't. Every hobby has these kinds of people. If you want quality buy from manufacturers that have built this hobby, not Tom, Dick, and Harry.
I've got several Daystate rifles and they all vary in natural wood color and oil finish. When ordering new you should specify to the merchant your desired shade and see if they can meet your needs. They may even be willing to send pictures of what they have in stock.
The first rule of casting is to know your alloy composition. Solder has varying alloy mixes and hardness. If SHTF that's not the time to be learning. If I was going to make do with an airgun there would be considerations made with each shot to recover lead. I have a bin of spent pellets...
I've looked at many of Thor's products, but for me, it comes down to price. $800+ will buy a lot of pellets. Then I add my time and wear on parts will it pay for itself in the long run?
I'm working on a Crosman 1322, but I'm waiting on parts from China. The quality of parts sold in the US has been a quick refund because they couldn't maintain quality control.
The best description of a Fox is a muffled pop. Size for size, you're only going to notice a difference in pitch from one brand to the next, and this may translate as quieter to some folks. In an empty room, they all echo.
Is it repeatable or a lucky pop shot? As a long range shooter, the probability of a hit in percentage vs. target size is the rule. Side note: The clock in the video times the flight over four seconds, which means the earth's rotation has moved the target.
Shooting from a vehicle is illegal in most places, as well as across railroad tracks. This is nothing more than taking pop shots, which goes against everything hunters are taught. I stopped watching at that point. I will be hesitant to purchase anything further from Utah Airguns.
Patents are expensive and required proof of original. Most companies settle for trade secrets. They do not allow any pictures or videos of their process to protection intellectual property.
I've lived around the same nest for over ten years and have never been stung. I've had many work inches from my hands and zero conflicts. Sudden movements, and they simply leave even in mid-August.
We have bald-faced hornets around the house. I've not found them to be aggressive but rather respectful. They do their thing and avoid conflicts, unlike red wasps.
Life is luck and nothing more. Investing and saving do not have a guarantee. And even then, you may not have the health to enjoy it. I've watched enough people age out and become bitter. The balance is like eating the last piece of pizza. Will you regret it afterward or walk away satisfied...