Advice requested - which caliber?

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If you leave the pigs out of the equation, I highly recommend you take a look at the Gammo urban. You can find good deals on them sometimes. They are a budget gun that doesn't need tinkering and shoot good right out of the box. Have a smaller air tube and are more hand pump friendly. Hand pumping is more technique than muscle. Stiff arms, use your bodyweight and bend at the knees. I have back problems but it doesn't bother me to pump. $50 Amazon pump and a $125 Hawke mill-dot dot scope. You'll be in the game and having fun for around $500.
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I've looked at the Urban since it came out. In fact I was going to ask about it. The performance to price ratio is extremely attractive, for sure! If I limit my requirements a bit - i.e., leave the pigs to my powder burners - it should do everything I want quite nicely. 

As for the rest, I think at 400-ish pounds (dammit) I have the weight advantage over a hand pump. Trust me, its something I've put plenty of consideration into. One of my goals here is to help strengthen my back to help with the arthritis in my spine. For sure dealing with a pump will help take some of the excess weight off, which in itself will help with the back. I fully realize that I may be fooling myself here, and that's one reason why I'm limiting my budget. 
 
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If your going PCP be prepared to spend some money. A good compressor will cost more than most PCPs, at least a dependable one if your looking for years of service out of it. If you can find a local place (scuba shop/paintball shop) its cheaper to buy a carbon fiber bottle and get them to fill it. You can always research compressors later. Dont forget the classifieds on this site for a quality used rifle. .22 is generally better when in urban areas, back yards etc. .25 carries more energy down range and requires a stronger back stop.
 
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If you like Hatsan, I know a .22 is ideal for plinking and small birds,, a .25 for rabbits and such,, a .30 is a little more expensive for just plinking targets. 600 rounds for $50, ( in .22. 1500 rounds,, in .25. 1050 rounds) all for same $50 shipped,, not bad anyway,, and when u talk about the FPE for hunting . I'll take my 30's all day over smaller caliber for humane hunting, and accuracy.. my God, perfect caliber for putting pellets in the same hole.. my Hatsan, and Evanix are crazy accurate in .30.

If u are considering Rabbits, Turkey, Pigs, anything tough to kill like those,, coyote even ( was my hunting gun 2019/2020 season) look at atleast a good .25, if not a.30 cal. Don't let plinking targets and $$ for ammo get you down. Still send alot of rounds down range for cheap.

Price range of $700 -- $500 gun + 200 everything else included..

Avg .22 cal good for 25- 30 FPE 

Avg .25 cal area of 37-45 FPE 

Avg .30 cal 70-80 FPE 

Anyway,, long story short. 

I have a Hatsan Bt65 Carnivore .30 cal pcp Im selling,,, ONLY (have to sell one )to be able to afford a new gun, and the Wife nags me and complains, !!!

I have it bored .70, valve job and poppet, .219 hammer spring, everything polished,, ect.. alot of work and time spent on her.. shoots 44.75gr jsb at 952fps, that's 90 FPE.. Over 21 shots (plinking) 83 FPE avg, or 14 shots for hunting 87 avg. Bolt is much smoother cocking effort is like 2lbs, trigger polished and is at 10 oz.

BUT,,, you can now buy these for 499 refurb, 550 new,.. sucks cause I paid 750 from P.A. last March 2, 2019..

So sucks for me,, but I was asking $400 for the gun!!

I will bargain tho,, and of course I have a Firefield 4x16-42, bipod,, and Hatsan strap currently on it, if anyone was interested in a package deal..
 
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Ughh. I owned and just sold a .22 Gamo Urban..

Granted it's more refined than say, hatsan, umarex, ect,, it will leave you with buyers remorse, and wanting more,, (gamo shoots 805, 15gr. 19 FPE.) Not even enough to knock over plinking targets.. lol, and I tuned and adjusted everything on that gun, and on an Umarex Gauntlet, more you get power out of them,, less accurate they are, and that's not fun..!! Or you spend $450 more to get Hajimoto parts, and then u have a good gun,, but for that price buy an expensive gun from the get go, and just go shootandhave fun.. 

You'll want a better .22 or bigger caliber after 100 shots.. guaranteed. 

And I like gamo, not knockin them,, but for hunting anything like you want to,, noooo
 
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My Urban numbers for 2, ten shot strings. 14.3 Crosman Premiers 

string 1 / avg. 863, ES. 17.71, SD. 6

string 2 / avg. 859, ES. 22, SD. 7.41

Though it’s no longer my primary, I still own it. My furthest kill on a chipmunk 80 yards, dozens at 50 yards. Woodchuck kills from 50 to 77 yards. All with 18 gr JSBs. All distances range finder measured before the shot. Many, many rats, pigeons and starlings. It’s not an all day plinker, but definitely suitable for game up to the size of coons. Depending on the shooter and scenario. While not as refined as more pricey models it is a capable PCP in the right hands. Within 60 yards it gives up nothing to my Compatto or Bantam Sniper in practical hunting accuracy.
 
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If your going PCP be prepared to spend some money. A good compressor will cost more than most PCPs, at least a dependable one if your looking for years of service out of it. If you can find a local place (scuba shop/paintball shop) its cheaper to buy a carbon fiber bottle and get them to fill it. You can always research compressors later. Dont forget the classifieds on this site for a quality used rifle. .22 is generally better when in urban areas, back yards etc. .25 carries more energy down range and requires a stronger back stop.
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Many (myself included) have used the Yong Heng compressor for over a year at a cost of around $300, plus maybe $200 more for a decent filter. These have been known to fail but so have Daystate, Air Venturi, Hatsan, Omega, and other compressors costing many times that amount. Research a lot before jumping into PCP's. I do agree with the part about local filling-my local fire station filled my large CF bottle to 4500 psi with no issues and many dive shops or fire extinguisher companies might do 3000 for a shooter if such is available to you.
 
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I once had a airforce talon p .😞 gonna get another one again. It was reliable easy to hand pump 210cc I believe, and you can swap out the ring loc ports for more shots and lower the power. It’s in .25 but can be converted to .22. It was 55ftlbs+ on full power. With a Donny fl can it was quiet aswell. 
you can get the whole kickin kabootale for under seven hundred factory carbine mode with some sort of optic I think it was a red dot, and an airforce can on the front. So add pump it’s 740 + 130 (barrel) + 50 rinloc + 200 pump= 1120 . Skip the barrel and buy pellets save some dough lol

as for an air source I have several options as of late but the hatsan spark is nice for gun only. Shop arround I got mine for 320$ couple years ago.
If you are wanting a hand pump buy a good one I have the hill mk4 I’m 170 lbs and have no problem pumping my tiapan to 230/240 bar with it. I do however recommend guns with smaller tanks others may not. Pumping my Edgun r5 or brocock bantam is a long drawn out process I pump for about 3-4 min (till pump Starts to build heat) rest for about 10 min then go again. It’s a work out for sure
 
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Any input on this? https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Air_Venturi_Avenger_Regulated_PCP_Air_Rifle/5136#10277

Looks interesting, just wish I could see a review on it. Especially impressed by the fact that it's regulated at that price point. Of course there is the 300 bar fill to consider, something that would make hand pumping...a bit of an adventure, maybe? 😉 However, there is nothing that says you must pump to full pressure, especially on a regulated gun.

On a side note, the expected due date doesn't hurt as that happens to be my birthday lol.
 
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That rifle could be the most anticipated ever. It is new and not been released yet so no one outside of Pyramyd or Air Venturi has one yet. ( to my knowledge they have not put it in any ones hands to review) I would like to try this and fit open sites on it.

If you are not in a hurry it could be worth the wait. It is being touted as the best bang for the buck ever.

If it turns out to be an accurate shooter it could the best value to date. (Note shout count in.22 is 10 in .25 is 8)
 
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I bet the Hatsan is a fine rifle. If they’re anything like the AT-44’s they shoot pretty hot and can’t be hammer spring tuned down very far. And also, if it is like the 44’s that I have in 22, it might use a lot of air. Even tuned down, I’m still shooting in the high 800’s with average weight pellets and get only a little over 20 shots before FPS start to drop. I could only imagine 25 would be even less shots. If it was me, I’d get the 22, some jsb’s and h&n baracuda’s and get to work figuring out what the gun likes. Hopefully, if you go with 22, you can find a heavier pellet it like to shoot accurately. I’m a huge believer in shot placement over sheer power. 
 
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I’m a huge believer in shot placement over sheer power.
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I agree 100%, shot placement is key. This is something I've stressed to everyone who asked my advice on what caliber to use when I worked behind the gun store counter. My answer now is the same as then, the one you can shoot accurately enough to put the bullet where it needs to go. Recoil isn't as much of an issue with airguns, true, but the point remains. 

Truth be told I am something of an accuracy snob. I'm with the great Townsend Whelen, "only accurate rifles are interesting." The smaller the group the happier I am.
 
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I've have .22 & .25. I prefer the .25. soon the FX knock out slug/ pellets will be available along with the hybrid slugs so hunting will not be a problem and the .25 JSB's are great for pesting and squirrels and rabbits, ect. Many of the competitors at the bench rest and rocky mtn contest at Utah use .25. I like .25 cause I have a raccoon problem and it works well on them. I really want to try the FX hybrid "slugs" on a heart lung shot. I taken raccoons with a .22 PCP before the heavy pellets made their appearance with high powered guns but you better be on the money or through the eye to the brain. They have a head like a bowling ball- hard. 
 
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I'm leaning towards the Kral Puncher Breaker Synthetic in .25 right now. Been thinking that if I get a .22 it'll be in a good springer. I used to have an RWS-Diana Mod 48 in .177 that I loved and would like to get a .22 version. Definitely have to invest in a better scope for it, when I got it there were only a couple that could stand up to the bidirectional recoil - they were either hard as heck to get (had to import them from Europe) or just too damned expensive! Plus, I know so much more now than I did then.
 
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