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For the newcomers on thinking this will be cheaper than powder burners.

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longshot81

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Jan 21, 2023
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Batavia
PCP guns are really cool and fun, and yes pallets and slugs are cheaper than "real bullets" but if you thinking that getting into this will save you money, you're most likely wrong.

When I first got into PCP guns, I went with cheap guns like Hatsan and AEA's. And while you can find some real gems with the cheaper brands that will do everything you want to do, once you start reading forms and hearing the experiences of more expensive guns, you're going to want to try them.

And here's where it gets expensive because once you've had a quality PCP gun in your hands, you really don't want to use cheap ones anymore. When I first started I put myself on a budget, that budget didn't last long. And it's not just the PCP gun that you have to factor in, you need an air compressor, air tanks, and most importantly scopes.

You're not going to buy a $1,500 PCP gun and put a $20 Amazon scope on it, well I mean I guess you could but that would kind of defeat the purpose.

I'm not trying to discourage anybody from getting into this hobby because it's really fun and rewarding, I just wanted to put a little warning out there for newcomers that it's not as cheap as you think it's going to be.
 
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DeanB said:
Definitely not any cheaper, premuim pellets are even getting to wear they are on par with rimfire cost . But I enjoy it more then powder burners so worth it.
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So do I, it's just so much less stressful as well because you know when you're going out to wherever you shoot if you don't do it in your house, you don't have to worry about having a SWAT team on your ass if you get pulled over for speeding or something and they see the back of your truck full of rifles lol
 
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Well, let's compare, you're going out for squirrels, you grab your .22 or your .17HMR, toss a few mags in a little back pack and off you go. Airgun, fill tank, have spare tank, mags of pellets, spare pellets, maybe some tools and spare seals. Same scopes on both. PB's are way cheaper but PCPs are quieter. It's breezy to windy and the PB doesn't care that much, where as the pellet goes where it wants.
 
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I dunno, man...

I get a lot of enjoyment out of what I have. An old Blue Streak that I gave $75 for (although pellets are getting expensive.) A QB78 that's been both accurized and economized and a few vintage 760 Crosmans that give me a lot of satisfaction remembering time spent with the late brother.

Seeing all the difficulties that people here have with PCPs has led me to stay away from them. We don't all share the same goals when it come to this wonderful sport.

Cheers,

J~
 
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WNYBill said:
The compressor is the real rabbit hole! Even the expensive ones (>$1K) seem to break a lot. Good scopes always have value on the used market, and you can use them on PB. You do have to stay with recognized brands.
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I've actually been really lucky with compressors. When I first started I bought a cheap Hatsan compressor which I don't know if it was really their brand or they just stuck their sticker on it but it worked pretty good and I ended up giving that to my dad when he got into PCP guns. I bought another compressor that runs on Milwaukee batteries. I think I paid like $400 on Amazon if I remember right for it along with two extra batteries and the wall charger for it if I don't want to use batteries. I've now had that compressor for over a year and never had a problem with it. And what I like about that one is it charges up my Hubens to 3500, the one I gave my dad could only charge them up to 3000 psi.
 
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Treefrog said:
I dunno, man...

I get a lot of enjoyment out of what I have. An old Blue Streak that I gave $75 for (although pellets are getting expensive.) A QB78 that's been both accurized and economized and a few vintage 760 Crosmans that give me a lot of satisfaction remembering time spent with the late brother.

Seeing all the difficulties that people here have with PCPs has led me to stay away from them. We don't all share the same goals when it come to this wonderful sport.

Cheers,

J~
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That is very true my friend. I have sold all the guns I first started with except for one, a Hatsan Sortie that was manufactured in 2022. If you look up the history of the sortie, you will see a lot of pissed off people who had a lot of problems with this gun. I've owned this gun for a little less than 2 years and never once had a jam or a misfire or anything. And I paid like $300 for that gun on eBay brand new. It's a .25, that's the main gun my kids uses when we go Target practicing and stuff. I still love that little gun. I have much more expensive better guns in my collection now but that little gun still holds a special place in my heart and will always be in my collection.
 
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WNYBill said:
The compressor is the real rabbit hole! Even the expensive ones (>$1K) seem to break a lot. Good scopes always have value on the used market, and you can use them on PB. You do have to stay with recognized brands.
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I can disagree a bit, I've got a Tuxing 032, once I got the bad electronics replaced, fun exercise, it's been fine for 2 years. I use it about an hour a month on average.
 
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Although late down the PCP rabbits hole I now am fast falling down the springer hole . PCP's have sat for more than a year at least. my latest find is a Diana 23 , a power house @ 3or 4 FPE . I can hold the rifle out at arms length one hand on the pistol grip and the other on the barrel and at arms length fully cock the break barrel springer . What a gem , accurate also .
 
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Everyone has a different experience. I've been using PCP airguns for a good 10 years now. While I won't say it's been cheap, it has been affordable. I have maybe $2500 invested in two PCP rifles and a pistol. I've maybe put that much into the guns over the years modifying and maintaining. The price of pellets is a little bonkers these days, but I had slowly built up a reserve of ammo when it was cheaper to buy. I also fill exclusively with a cheap hand pump. I'd say right at this moment I have $7-8K invested over 10 years, including ammo.
 
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I was also surprised at the cost when I started out in this hobby. once you get all the bits you need, it's not bad. I've had the same setup for three years, and the only expense has been pellets and air tank refills.

The good news for air gunners is that there are many choices out there.
The hard part is deciding on your many choices. Do your research and don't get caught up in the hype and distractions of the latest and greatest.
 
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ToddGeddes63 said:
I was also surprised at the cost when I started out in this hobby. once you get all the bits you need, it's not bad. I've had the same setup for three years, and the only expense has been pellets and air tank refills.

The good news for air gunners is that there are many choices out there.
The hard part is deciding on your many choices. Do your research and don't get caught up in the hype and distractions of the latest and greatest.
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Could not agree more. Stay off YouTube and you can do this hobby for a lot less money than what I have spent
 
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The elephant in the room which hasn't been mentioned is the fundamental design of the PCP. It is a contraption that depends on O rings, springs, valves and seals to work properly, if at all. How long does that combination last before something fails? Compared to a cartridge firearm, not very long. It is a fun hobby and I like it a lot. I also have 6 of them, so something is generally working on a given day! I exaggerate, and I've actually had reasonably good luck with PCP rifles. But, it's a hobby unto itself. You grab a shotgun or rifle and head out to shoot targets or hunt game. The firearm is a tool, and it can be relied on to be available when it's time to shoot. The PCP isn't just a tool to support a goal. Having it in good shooting shape is part of the goal itself. It's kind of like a race car. You have a truck full of parts and you drive until something breaks, and it will.
 
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rcarlisle said:
Everyone has a different experience. I've been using PCP airguns for a good 10 years now. While I won't say it's been cheap, it has been affordable. I have maybe $2500 invested in two PCP rifles and a pistol. I've maybe put that much into the guns over the years modifying and maintaining. The price of pellets is a little bonkers these days, but I had slowly built up a reserve of ammo when it was cheaper to buy. I also fill exclusively with a cheap hand pump. I'd say right at this moment I have $7-8K invested over 10 years, including ammo.
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That's not that bad I wish I could say the same lol. I have a western rattler 357 that I paid $2500 for, I bought a case for it, and I put a $600 Vortex Viper PST Gen II 1-6x24 scope on it. I also have a Huben .25 K1 and a .25 GK1 pistol along with a few other guns that I have in my collection along with Scopes and accessories. I went full blast into this and spend a lot of money 🤣
 
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ToddGeddes63 said:
I was also surprised at the cost when I started out in this hobby. once you get all the bits you need, it's not bad. I've had the same setup for three years, and the only expense has been pellets and air tank refills.

The good news for air gunners is that there are many choices out there.
The hard part is deciding on your many choices. Do your research and don't get caught up in the hype and distractions of the latest and greatest.
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Yeah that's where I went wrong. A guy I know has some PCP guns and I shot them and I just fell in love instantly so I went full blast into it without doing any research. I started out with cheaper guns had some problems ended up selling those and buying more expensive ones later on. If I just did the research I could have saved myself a lot of money.
 
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Sqwirl57 said:
It gets even worse if you like high end springers. They're just cheap enough for you to just buy them on a whim but those "on a whim" purchases ad a quickly because there are a LOT of really cool, nice springers out there
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I've been wanting to try a springer but I've never had one. I spent so much money on PCP guns that I don't want to spend anymore on anything else lol
 
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