Advice for newbie…here and PCP for hunting nuisance animals

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bucksnbass1

bucksnbass1

Member
Jun 24, 2022
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OSAGE CITY, KS
Hello, new here to air gun nation and to PCPs. Avid hunter but mostly bow hunting. I do have a couple AR’s for hog hunting. Have night vision and thermals for that too! just Getting into PCP for mostly hunting purposes but some for target fun. Have a predator problem on farm with nest robbers and coyotes that I want to manage. So looking for something versatile but mostly taking small to medium size game. Looking for power, accurate and quiet in a semi-auto platform:). Doing my research but so much to learn. Leaning toward a .30 cal LCS SK 19. Any advice thought would be appreciate… glad to be here and hope to learn a lot.
 
I think a .30 is a solid choice for that role. I don't have a particular rifle to recommend but be sure it's got the grunt for the wide flexibility of the .30. You will likely want something that is fairly easily tuned to allow for changing from very heavy whopper projectiles to lighter ones depending on how you wind up using it. A bottle air tank is also a good idea as you'll definitely go through some air.

The .30 setups can pass .22LR FPE on target.
 
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If you're new to pcp you might want to look at some guns that are less complicated & more of a dependable, accurate, out of the box great shooter. Just remember that the more bells & whistles a gun has, the more parts that can go wrong. If your priority is consistently hitting your target, knowing you can DEPEND on your gun & not (possibly) spending a lot of time on maintenance or tuning there are other options that aren't in the semi-auto category.
 
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I believe a .30cal is a great choice. You can forget having .30cal and quiet unless you add an external moderator, as the more air it takes to push the heavier/larger calibers, the more noise you are going to generate.

I am 100% against a semi-automatic airgun. I've had them, and they were an unreliable mess! You are going to .30cal so you have the power to take on medium game, yet you lose 15-20% of your air power in a semi-auto just to operate the mechanism.

An FX Maverick Sniper in .30cal will give you adjustable power, dual externally adjustable regulators, and 116fpe capability in a much more reliable package than the LCS, for $1800. I appreciate you dedicating the proper budget to your first airgun, but I think the LCS will disappoint you in the reliability department. You may even be well served from an Umarex Gauntlet 2 .30cal that's putting out 100fpe. It's not nearly as accurate as the sub MOA FX Maverick, but I believe it will get the job done on the yotes and trash pandas with ease.

Take a look at this video I shot with my FX Maverick VP .30cal using the ATN X-Sight 4K Pro Scope, taking a groundhog out at 95 yards. The accuracy an airgun gives you oftentimes negates the need for semi-auto rate follow up shots.

 
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Check out an FX Boss (.30 cal). Half the price (almost) of an Impact, none of the tinkering, adjusting, tuning, etc. Arguably the best pellet barrels ever made (won't shoot slugs, pellets only). Barrel cleaning maybe twice a year. Less than half the amount of o-rings than others. Try to find a negative post about the way they function or their dependability & accuracy. It might be a fruitless search!
 
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Not to be devils advocate but I have the cheapest repeater .30 arguably made with no issues over 500 rounds.

13517A00-F3E8-4ACC-85F7-5EF85E2AE5A5.jpeg
 
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Camoflash said:
Not to be devils advocate but I have the cheapest repeater .30 arguably made with no issues over 500 rounds.

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When I was complaining about horrible reliability, I was complaining about the AEA HPBP .25cal. I'm sure you are happy with your purchase, so I'm not trashing your decision, but there are a few reasons I would not recommend one:
  1. Why own a .30cal airgun, that puts out less power than most .25cal lever action PCPs? 52fpe is half of what you get with the Umarex Gaultlet 2 .30cal.
  2. The AEA's are ammo fussy. And it's already maxed out with the lightest JSB Exacts, which takes the JSB heavies and any slugs off of the table.
  3. The guns aren't regulated so shot to shot accuracy suffers, and accuracy is further harmed from the semi-auto mechanism recoil.
 
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estarkey7 said:
When I was complaining about horrible reliability, I was complaining about the AEA HPBP .25cal. I'm sure you are happy with your purchase, so I'm not trashing your decision, but there are a few reasons I would not recommend one:
  1. Why own a .30cal airgun, that puts out less power than most .25cal lever action PCPs? 52fpe is half of what you get with the Umarex Gaultlet 2 .30cal.
  2. The AEA's are ammo fussy. And it's already maxed out with the lightest JSB Exacts, which takes the JSB heavies and any slugs off of the table.
  3. The guns aren't regulated so shot to shot accuracy suffers, and accuracy is further harmed from the semi-auto mechanism recoil.
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I don’t disagree with this at all. Other than the slugs. I shoot them in 50grains all day.

But to answer your questions 1 & 2 - this was 499 shipped. Main deciding factor when I’m just target and pest controlling under 75 yards. I’ve had multiple coyotes and foxes controlled with this. Entry level lower power for sure . Also 10” barrel
 
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I think your decision for a semi auto may be for your need for fast follow up shots? This can be done quickly from one of the side lever guns recommended by some here. The semi auto offerings definitely need more maintenance, and have more to go wrong, but being an owner of 2 leshiy 2 semi autos. 1 in .22 and one soon to be .30 with an fx 500mm barrel, i can happily say that it has been a reliable hunting platform for me. The leshiy doesn’t have the shot count of the sk19, but if you’re hunting, you shouldn’t need more than 8 shots before reloading magazine.
 
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madeintheuk said:
I think your decision for a semi auto may be for your need for fast follow up shots? This can be done quickly from one of the side lever guns recommended by some here. The semi auto offerings definitely need more maintenance, and have more to go wrong, but being an owner of 2 leshiy 2 semi autos. 1 in .22 and one soon to be .30 with an fx 500mm barrel, i can happily say that it has been a reliable hunting platform for me. The leshiy doesn’t have the shot count of the sk19, but if you’re hunting, you shouldn’t need more than 8 shots before reloading magazine.
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Well, the Leshiy is clearly in a class by itself! It's on my bucket list for certain!
 
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I have a Leshiy 2. All the others are sidel lever action. The Leshiy is accurate and reliable but I pest a lot. Never have needed the semi auto function. Having your rifle and scope combo dialed, with a pellet the rifle likes is way more important. Half of the issue has not been discussed. The most accurate rifle made is just a fun toy unless you have a good scope. I've had the Element Nexus. $1500 about. Now I have 2 Bushnell Match Pros. $500 each only from the factory. Not sold by any discributors. Handed my RAW 1000x .22 to a fellow airgunner yesterday and had him choose targets from 25 to 100 yards. Told him to look at the green frog tape on which I had written the settings for the scope at the different ranges. He'd adjust and wham hit whatever he was aiming at. That scope has metal, not plastic, gears and is 100%S repeatable and reliable. If I may...get quality no limit mounts and set your zero with the leveling fucntion of the adjustable mounts. Then you will always have as many clicks as you need when you range out farther. "ted" described about that in one of his earlier videos. It's rifle AND scope. Not sure how the ATN will do that.
 
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