First Post, Too Many Choices..

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S97

Member
Feb 28, 2019
180
8
Oregon, United States
Greetings from Bend Oregon

I'm in a pickle and need some help in narrowing down the first PCP.

Currently I own a very loud and marginally accurate break barrel Gamo Whisper in 22. It's Ok... But definitely not backyard friendly and has a rather loud ahem "whisper". As my neighborhood is over run with both tree rats, and old ladies (gestapo) who will definitely report me to the HOA if they hear the tree rats getting greased. 

I'm thinking that a PCP is the way to go, but there are so many choices. Definitely not going to go into the FX, Ed Gun purchase range for the first one. My wife would kill me if she caught me spending upwards of a grand on an air gun.... Quiet is the most important. I don't mind adding a DonnyFL Sumo.

But am interested in the following for a first PCP.

Seneca/Nova Freedom- built in pump... Seems like a good idea... is it too much of a gimmick? are they quiet?

Umarex Gauntlet? Gamo Urban? Marauder? Fortitude? Hatsan Other?

I'm probably going to be hand pumping to start... and recommendation on a pump?

What about Used?

Help a new guy out...






 
S97. 

Great to have you aboard. I have a .22 cal Gamo Urban and a cheap hand pump. I couldn’t be more pleased with the Urban in price, performance and quietness. It is possible to adjust the power and the trigger. Nickel sized groups for me at 30yds. 

I am already eyeing my next pcp rifle. It will be a .25 cal and be capable of more power and accuracy out to the 100yd range. If you can keep your tree rat shots to 50yds or less I’d say the Gamo would be great from my experience. 

Please let us know what you get and how it shoots. 

Best wishes

Tim
 
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Moderators run $200 give or take. A pump is about the same. Doesn’t leave you much for a gun. I have a HW 30 which is very accurate and the urban pro combo from AOA comes with a scope . If your not shooting out beyond 30 yards at your pests that might be something to consider.

I love the PCP guns but you get a bunch of money when you figure all the extra’s involved . 
 
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What are your plans for the gun? Will you be using it for pest control, punching paper, or possibly both? The reason I ask is because if you are going to be punching paper mostly you might want to think about something like a Marauder pistol with the included carbine stock. These can be very accurate and require less PSI which comes in very handy if you are using a hand pump. Also, you can add a TKO moderator (50 bucks) and it is very quiet. The only negative I found on them is they can be a little more pellet fussy than some of the other airguns. Mine liked the H&N pellets and was very accurate up to the 30-40 yards that I typically shot it at.

I am a fan of buying used or at least I am certainly not opposed to it. By purchasing used often times you can find the complete package and save a decent amount of money.

You tube is also a good resource for you. Take your time deciding, let that be part of the fun of getting into the hobby.

Welcome to the forum.

Terry
 
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s97.....I am in the same boat right now. there is a ton of information regarding rifles, tanks, pumps, bottles, driers, and compressors . I am still trying to digest it all. I will say this, I've seen a video stating that if you think you'll like airgunning skip the enty level because you'll end up buying a better setup anyway...

best of luck and welcome aboard.
 
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Don't go with anything but a PCP, and make it a Marauder .177 or .22. Hand pump is not near as bad as some would have you believe - I have muscular-skeletal issues with my lower back and hips (disk surgery on the lower back, replaced hip, arthritis in the other hip) and STILL find pumping to be no problem. Two things: watch YouTube vids on the proper technique for hand pumping a PCP, and don't fill your M-rod beyond 2700 psi unless you choose to shoot above 18 ft-lbs. To tune your M-rod for more shots (and QUIETER performance) read up on the very simple adjustments that can be made to an M-rod using the hammer spring tension, hammer throw (distance between the hammer's head and the valve pin), and air port flow rate. All are covered nicely in the Crosman booklet that comes with the gun. Those three adjustments require nothing more than the right size of Allen key for each. 

I have my .177 M-rod adjusted to about 13 ft-lbs at the muzzle and it is dead accurate out to 50 yards in reasonably calm conditions using either Crosman Premium Dome pellets (7.9 grain) or H&N Field Target Trophy (8.64 grain). Plenty of power to take out squirrels anywhere between the end of my shoe and 50 yards.  DEAD QUIET, especially when tuned below 18 ft-lbs! Gestapo will be wondering why the squirrel count has gone down in the neighborhood. 

I assume you won't be wandering around with whatever gun you get so complaints that the M-rod is too long, too unwieldy, or too heavy don't apply. From any rested position or support for steady shots you will have no problems with accuracy. Get a decent air gun scope (I look for ones between $65 and $100) that allows you to adjust the parallax and go to town. Pesting as a regular pastime can lead you into higher end equipment (bottle guns from Europe, home compressors, carbon fiber tanks... the list is endless) but starting out by culling squirrels and defending your property from damaging pests need not be a buck-breaker. The Gauntlet in .22 is very capable, as is the Gamo Urban. Hatsan has the Flash and Flashpup out and other manufacturers are piling on the "price-point PCP" wagon. What sold me on the Marauder is its long reputation for quality and capability in the PCP market, the strong customer support generally reported for Crosman and the primary air gun sellers, the quietness of the gun (long a bench-mark across ALL PCPs on the market), and the amazing degree to which it can be tuned using simple hand tools.
 
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The marauder in 177 is quieter than a mouse fart. At 900 fps with 10.5 grain pellets, tree rats stand no chance!!! Also if you miss a 177 pellet doesn't make as much noise or damage as larger calipers. You may want to tune down a bit.The MRod is tunable, you can also order an upgraded version from crosman custom shop. The PRod is a nice little stealthy killer, but expect to be with in 40yards with that carbine. Crosman is set to release the gen2 fortitude. I guess it will be capable of 20plus fpe, says Phil at shot show. The PRod isn't that laoud, the pellet striking its target is where all the noise is. The Benjamins can be set up for a lefty.I have had a few gamo guns, not on any gamo PCPs, but of what I've had, I did not like. I've seen more broken Gamo break barrels than anything else.Just blare some Conway Twitty those old bags will get all Getty to that song "I see the want to in your eyes" and forget about them tree rats long enough to send them to Davey Jones
 
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I'm with ole "269" on the hand pump thing, I also think the $50.00 hand pumps are 100% as good as the top dollar ones. I've had air for years but keep a hand pump just to show folks how easy they really are - to get started, should you ever have a 100 shot per day big-bore habit you will get in shape- to use and to lend out to new folks.

GET with another airgunner ( or 12 ) . 7 pages using the search feature here with the word "Oregon" , clubs & individuals and most all would be happy to let you shoot what they have. Heck it's only a 7-1/2 hr drive to my yard where you could shoot whatever is in the house that day. Really tho well worth some effort to meet up with someone who's be into airguns a while.

A marauder is an excellent pick, the maximus ( had the hunter model) will out shoot any "average" shooter, the trigger is awful ( marauder will go to single oz's). UNLESS you try one first I always suggest new folks stay away from " top end " purchases. You might just change all your ideas after shooting a few different rigs. Now if you can fire one first ( average $2,00 rig) and love it yes buy top shelf first, but, then you've little to lend to friend eh? You MUST have at least 2 airguns. It's the law of airguns.

Buy used from any well know airgunner, after asking EVERY question you might like. Outstanding values these days on used rigs! Want silent, buy pretty much any used Allen Z. tuned airgun.



Getting to a shoot and buying used face to face might well be you most pleasurable introductions to airguns.








 
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Yep, the Marauder in .177 is about as quiet as it gets for a factory gun. No need to spend extra $ to make it quieter. In factory form you can usually get 50 plus shots and it has plenty of oomph to take tree rats. I have owned two, one was stock and one was regged. Got 95 shots out of the regged one.

I shot several ground hogs and a coon with head shots and dropped them all in their tracks. Plus a bunch of squirrels and pest birds.

Only downside to the Marauder is its size and weight but if you're just shooting around your yard then it shouldn't be an issue.

My .02
 
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I don't have near the experience one should have to recommend a particular PCP but I can tell you the experience I have with a Marauder I bought a month ago as I also have a Gamo Whisper Fusion Mach 1. .22 cal. Pellets leave the barrel at about 860fps (14.3 gr) whisper quiet. Mine shoots the Crosman domed very well. Absolutely no recoil. about 30 super accurate shots per fill. I fill mine to 2700psi and thirty shots takes it to a little under 2000. When I decided to get a PCP I wanted a quiet one. I went to Pyramid air and selected level 2 in my search criteria. When you do that you will eliminate quite a few which will help. Choose wisely based on your needs but if you decide on a Crosman or Benjamin product and decide to buy directly from Crosman do it on a Fri. to get free shipping and be sure to use the code AGNATION to get 25% discount. Welcome to AGN and good luck.
 
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I just got my first PCP about 6 weeks ago also. I choose a Marauder pistol in a carbine configuration for my first PCP. I added a depinger and a Tim Hill LDC to quiet it down even more than it already was. I mounted a 3-12x32 BigBuster scope on it. I also hand pump and it’s no problem given the small air tube. It’s adequately powered and accurate enough for squirrels out to 35 yards or so. And just plan fun to plink with also which is what I’ve been doing with it so far. I pretty happy with it over all and 
 
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