Creme Rises to the Top - it's an ol country saying that probably relates to making butter, candles and suet.
In the airguns world this saying applies like this:
The gun(s) that give you the most joy, leave the gun safe or gun rack the most often. As such these airguns get used the most.
They may not always be the most accurate, but they do load easily and their ergonomics allow them shoulder well with a consistent cheek weld. They don't fight you. And of course you don't want to keep fiddling with something....to make it work for you.
I own plenty of high end air gun stuff - meh - but it's not about the money; it's about form and function coming together to create a positive experience which helps me to continualy improve my field target game day by day and week by week. Doesn't matter the reason... just matters that we observe it when it happens and think about why.
For me, three of my .177 FT rifles keep coming out of the safe = A FRANKENRAW TM1000 tuned by @Motorhead and a Daystate Tsar tuned by @AirSmithCA, Right behind these two is a Daystate Revere tuned by @Kerndtc . No, no, no - you don't have to tune a gun to enjoy it; but a properly tuned gun makes the best use of air and can help you extract the most from it. I like these three particular platforms so much, that i have done my best to buy a backup for each of them; in case one was lost by the airlines or stolen or one were to need a major service; which all things pneumatic require from time to time - like o rings and hydro testing and so on.
You may also notice that the stock on the RAW TM1000 is the same as the Stock on the Daystate Tsar - because this stocks ergonomics works for me!
I've also thought a lot about the glass sitting on top of these particular rigs... the cherry on top of the dessert.
How was my choice of a scope affecting my joy factor, or, my perception of the airgun itself?
In the last two years I've learned that a scope needs to provide a user with a forgiving eye box and can be mounted at a reasonable height. Too big a scope and suddenly a great gun is thrown totally off balance; too dark a tube and suddenly you can't find the damn target or the KZ in dark lanes; yes yes yes, it has to be able to range correctly - and the reticle has to make almost intuitive sense.
I've learned that the most expensive glass, like the most airgun doesn't guarantee you any more bang for my buck. Especially for a pair of old eyes. Hawkes Sidewinders 30 mm scopes hold their own; even against my March or Sightrons. Below each of my three favorite FT rigs sports a different optic, Hawke, Sightron and Athlon. It also matters which ranging wheel you have on your scopes. To date, Joe Garland makes the best ranging wheel followed by Eric Sanders of Scope Werks.
Which ONE airgun is your Creme? And which scope is the Cherry on top?
In the airguns world this saying applies like this:
The gun(s) that give you the most joy, leave the gun safe or gun rack the most often. As such these airguns get used the most.
They may not always be the most accurate, but they do load easily and their ergonomics allow them shoulder well with a consistent cheek weld. They don't fight you. And of course you don't want to keep fiddling with something....to make it work for you.
I own plenty of high end air gun stuff - meh - but it's not about the money; it's about form and function coming together to create a positive experience which helps me to continualy improve my field target game day by day and week by week. Doesn't matter the reason... just matters that we observe it when it happens and think about why.
For me, three of my .177 FT rifles keep coming out of the safe = A FRANKENRAW TM1000 tuned by @Motorhead and a Daystate Tsar tuned by @AirSmithCA, Right behind these two is a Daystate Revere tuned by @Kerndtc . No, no, no - you don't have to tune a gun to enjoy it; but a properly tuned gun makes the best use of air and can help you extract the most from it. I like these three particular platforms so much, that i have done my best to buy a backup for each of them; in case one was lost by the airlines or stolen or one were to need a major service; which all things pneumatic require from time to time - like o rings and hydro testing and so on.
You may also notice that the stock on the RAW TM1000 is the same as the Stock on the Daystate Tsar - because this stocks ergonomics works for me!
I've also thought a lot about the glass sitting on top of these particular rigs... the cherry on top of the dessert.
How was my choice of a scope affecting my joy factor, or, my perception of the airgun itself?
In the last two years I've learned that a scope needs to provide a user with a forgiving eye box and can be mounted at a reasonable height. Too big a scope and suddenly a great gun is thrown totally off balance; too dark a tube and suddenly you can't find the damn target or the KZ in dark lanes; yes yes yes, it has to be able to range correctly - and the reticle has to make almost intuitive sense.
I've learned that the most expensive glass, like the most airgun doesn't guarantee you any more bang for my buck. Especially for a pair of old eyes. Hawkes Sidewinders 30 mm scopes hold their own; even against my March or Sightrons. Below each of my three favorite FT rigs sports a different optic, Hawke, Sightron and Athlon. It also matters which ranging wheel you have on your scopes. To date, Joe Garland makes the best ranging wheel followed by Eric Sanders of Scope Werks.
Which ONE airgun is your Creme? And which scope is the Cherry on top?
luck