Not long ago my lovely wife allowed me a $3K play budget, but also asked if it was possible to not hit or go over that budget, to please do so, lol. I had my sights set on an FX Boss in 30 cal and a hatsan lightning compressor. My thought pattern was the life blood of this hobby is air, so first and foremost, the compressor purchase comes FIRST, and the gun comes second. Well, counting tax, shipping, scope rings, scope, extra magazines, and all the stuff that comes with a gun, I couldn’t swing the FX Boss. I was short a couple hundred bucks, and that did not even include pellets. So, wanting to own my first 30 cal I settled for the Hercules Bully, which turned out to be a super star in power with decent accuracy.
Almost two years go by and I fell into a great deal on a two month new Wildcat in 30 cal. The previous owner decided he wanted more of a shot count and bought an Impact, so the wildcat went up for sale.
So, the lesson here is yes, I eventually ended up with an FX, and a good one at that. So many times I wonder why folks don’t invest big in the air supply department first, rather than the gun. It’s a good feeling to know that no matter which gun you decide to get, the air supply will always be there, with no worries of a fill shop closing down, or being open during a holiday weekend, or enforcing a rule where they only fill to 3K psi. The savings in time and fuel driving to a fill shop you already can figure that out.
The cool thing is, I came in @ $500 below the budget, in which my wife greatly appreciated.
Nothing wrong with a portable 12v compressor, but if you can swing it and are totally into this hobby, invest in a better air source first.