I have been looking at getting one, but damn it would be one of the most expensive guns I own, and maintain acne ( leaks and such) seems to be an acceptable part of owning one I guess. How do you guys justify the price of these things ( competition guys, yes I understand) ? I am sure they are like bikes and kayaks, resale value sucks, no ? I guess I am on the edge here trying to decide to take the plunge or not, may be just a little push will convince me, one way or the other. Obviously posting here is going to push me into buying one most likely but I would like to hear the truth if they are a headache to keep maintained and really how long do you expect them to last, surly not something you can pass down from generation to generation ? Like reading about all the stuff you guys are doing, thanks.
Well your first issue is you are looking at the cost of the guns people on this forum push......there are some very fine items to choose from in the $400 and below range that will give you 99.9% (really) of the experience of putting holes in the __________ that the < $1000 guns will give you for much less in price.....and will tell you if you like this way of flinging lead or not.
I will say that hand pumps suck, as it will suck all the fun of this clean out of this hobby....so budget for a tank.
A used scuba tank should run ~$120 the hardware another ~$100 then the gun and pellets....with pcp if you have any kind of glass it will be ok.
Really 99% of the entry level guns punch way above their weight class.....where as many of those suggested here would be in more of the category of Holland and Holland....sure it is a gun, sure it will shoot.....but is it going to shoot THAT much better? Nope.
I am going to leave it at that.....the people here have a real need to justify their choices, I would say try a Gauntlet, Chief, Maximus and give it a go....they will all need a bit of trigger work but many have an adjustable trigger out of the box that you can work with....past that grab a pellet sample pack from straight shooters if they still sell it, find out what your rifle likes and I bet you will be happy.
I still shoot mostly powder, and think of the air guns as trigger time, be they pistols or rifles.....you can use them to train with...all the same rules are in place, breathing....everything....they will make you a better powder shooter.
Don't give up too quick....get good pellets, if one pellet is the size of an Ike silver at 25 the next pellet can put them inside a dime.....pellet guns are like rimfire, they like what they like.
Good luck and don't let anyone tell you that you have to shell out the kind of cash you are taking.....you don't need to spend over $500 to get a fantastic shooting rifle.
