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

[Franklink]

As a hobby it is what you make of it. You don’t have to spend a ton of money and you can have reliable fun. In the PB world as soon as you step out of 22 lr ammo per shot sky rockets. About any centerfire rifle and ouch it’s expensive and most people can’t shoot those in their backyard or afford to shoot 100’s to 1000’s of rounds like we do in our air rifles.

THIS.

PCPs and all the peripherals are spendy. But shooting them a lot is much cheaper than shooting powder burners at the same volume. And your shoulder doesn't hurt. And you're not burning through barrels. And you're not deaf from the report.

@chaught was over at my place a few weeks ago, getting his rifle set up for a field target event. I'd estimate that he took 150-200 shots as we were working through various distances, gathering dope. I forget what prompted the comment but as we were getting done he noted how a guy sure can't shoot that much with a firearm for so cheap.

 

[Gerry52]

Getting into the PCP world & buying your 1st one is just like buying a 1st car. It's probably gonna be the LEAST of one's expense as you head down the road!

 

[longshot81]

As a hobby it is what you make of it. You don’t have to spend a ton of money and you can have reliable fun. In the PB world as soon as you step out of 22 lr ammo per shot sky rockets. About any centerfire rifle and ouch it’s expensive and most people can’t shoot those in their backyard or afford to shoot 100’s to 1000’s of rounds like we do in our air rifles.

All true points

 

[cavedweller]

THIS.

PCPs and all the peripherals are spendy. But shooting them a lot is much cheaper than shooting powder burners at the same volume. And your shoulder doesn't hurt. And you're not burning through barrels. And you're not deaf from the report.

@chaught was over at my place a few weeks ago, getting his rifle set up for a field target event. I'd estimate that he took 150-200 shots as we were working through various distances, gathering dope. I forget what prompted the comment but as we were getting done he noted how a guy sure can't shoot that much with a firearm for so cheap.

I tell my wife, our brand new rescue labradoodle pup is more expensive than my Alkin Compressor and Alphawolf combined when dog food, toys and vet bills show up. That said, they both provide me with joy…. Especially when I add a string to my field targets and teach Choco to reset them.
Money comes and money goes and life is short so to me wisdom is spending money wisely on things that bring you the most joy for the longest period of time.
Some folks prefer a cruise ship with an all you can eat buffet, but I prefer a quiet cross country drive to an HFT event in America in a place that I’ve never been.

 

[JamesD.]

Yup. 2 Alkin W31’s, from a dive shop & shoebox.
Over 50 springers tuned up.
10+ Marauders, then Discos, Maximus, Daystates, FXs, EDgun, AZ Rapids, a .257 Scandalous, many others, regs, SCBA’s, Optics alone expect 6K minimum for good spotter, tripod, kestrel, rifle scope, range finder, bipod/bags/2nd tripod. More most likely if I really want to pass 300 as 16x SWFA is no Zeiss or anything else top tier.
I still love my springers.
Maybe I’ll live long enough to start keeping them instead of rotating to buy lol. Family, children must come first.
I could go on a shopping spree but interest is not wise my friends.

Of all, I will tell you this.

Keep your purpose dedicated ones and don’t worry about the next best thing. It’s a rifled tube with metered air.

My 10m FWB300 & 602 lefties for my yard and small garden pests (chipmunks mainly and I wish I could deter them a better way for them)

My .257 Scandalous on in-line step down reg to run around 3200-3400psi. Screaming 72 RBT Griffins at 1040 about best.
My own personal challenge to shoot sub moa as far out as possible. I’ve only gone to 350 or so as to date. Too easy with this.
I still need a cold bore riser, better scope, like 24-36x (did 2” with 16x at 350) a top tier spotter like a Leica Televid or Zeiss. Then I will hopefully get to see how far I can reliably go.
Personal bests and Groundhogs, yotes. I leave Foxes & Squirrels alone. Rabbits I’ll whack. I don’t really care to kill anything anymore honestly.

The PCP’s like Leishy 2 or Brocock Atomic, too much fun. I would grab a Huben .25 pistol and a Western Sidewinder if I were buying new.

Right now I am looking for another compressor so yeah it gets expensive. Considering that I have learned more from airguns by seeing BC in measurements and action? The fact that I shoot way more than anyone who must go to a public range? Priceless but don’t tell your wife I said that! I’m not taking any blame for your uncontrollable airgun addiction lol. Oh it’s real. Very easy to get in debt over these toys.

 

[Hold_Over]

The pcp guns are the stuff in my collection that cause me to think about the cost. I only have 2. Neither are on the high end of that world. By comparison to the others on a scale of cost per hour of enjoyment they were expensive. I tend to shoot them the least, and the 1 in .25 has the most expensive ammo.

 

[steve123]

I think it depends on what you want.

Some collectable firearms can cost 6-7 digits, but a modern precision rifle can be 6-7 grand, while there are plenty of less expensive firearms, especially in the used market.
Some higher quality pcp's can be upwards of $4000, collectables much higher, but the less expensive ones are in the hundreds.

Factory ammo, even reloading ammo, is more expensive for firearms, but most people don't shoot firearms as much so the cost might be more for airguns as time goes by especially when somebody decides a few dozen might not be enough.
I have some firearms that rarely get shot, some sit unused for years. My least used airguns are used at least 3 times a year.

For me every gun has a different purpose or niche it fits in so I use whatever meets my needs at the time. Though I tend to not worry about how much airgun ammo I use vs how much powder burner ammo I'm blowing through.

A friend hadn't shot my more powerful precision centerfire rifle yet so I dialed up 6.8 mils elevation, held off .7 mil for wind, and cold bored the 1143Y steel, then I dialed the .7 mil windage for my friend and aiming center plate he hit it on his first shot. Then another friend tried but the wind had changed by then so it took 3 shots for him to connect. 5 shots and I put the rifle away so only $4 in ammo used which is pretty cheap.

 

[rootdude]

I would grab a Huben .25 pistol and a Western Sidewinder if I were buying new.

Oh thank god I got this obsession started off right. These were my first two big purchases!

So awesome was the GK1, that I ordered a second - one to be a mini-carbine/SBR, the second to be a shorty, a911 gripping, laser guided tack driver.

I'm sitting here right now waiting on pins and needles for the Sidewinder to arrive.

I'm new retired, so I have time and dedication to my obsession to burn.

 

[CrashKT]

As someone getting into PCP, this is cheaper than 22 rifles. One of my guns is at 4k before scope and ammo.

 

[Treefrog]

Inspired by this thread, I did a quick cost analysis on the various airguns I use.

The 760s cost about a tenth of a cent a round for BBs. Swap-meet Crosman and Daisy pellets are a couple bucks a tin, so they're less than half a cent each.

The real high dollar gun is the .22 QB78 with $7.00 a tin Crosman pellets and co2 cartridges at 2.38 pennies a round. Although I do occasionally pick up a tin of .22 pellets (or co2 cartridges) at the swap meet, too. The gun itself was $120 shipped and the scope with mounts was $5 at (you guessed it) the swap meet. The rifle has about 4000 rounds through it, so perhaps I should figure that in as well. (And yes, I do squeak when I walk.)

Cheers,

J~

 

[woogie_man]

Really depends on what you buy....

Zermatt RimX action $1200
Bartlein barrel $1000
Gun Smith fees to do barrel work $300
Match trigger $350
Krg Whiskey 3 Chassis $1000
Krg chassis accessories $300
Hawkins scope rings $250
Element Theos $3000
Spare magazines $100 each

That was just one 22lr that I built....

OR

RAW HM1000X $1700
Mpa chassis $1200
Can use same scope and rings.

Or

AAA Paradigm typically close to $3000 but was able to get in a trade from an individual that wanted a rifle I had.

Compressor...2nd hand from a great guy here $600

Depends on how deep you go! Sure a Ruger 10/22 can be had for around $300 but who honestly keeps ANYTHING stock!!! We all upgrade and modify these rifles to fit our needs.

Rifle wise the airguns can be just as expensive. Though I can shoot far more slugs and pellets for the same cost of 22lr. A 50 pack if match ammo is around $13-20 depending on brand. A 200 count of slugs is $20 or a tin of 500 22 pellets! That's MUCH more shooting than with a 22lr. Over the long run you will get your money back and then some.

 

[BenjaminM]

Like a lot of hobbies, it escalates quickly.

Pumps, tanks, hoses, fittings…it all adds up fast.

My biggest reason for loving the hobby is the neighbors don’t call asking when I’m shooting in the back yard. It’s legal to shoot a .375 ruger from my house, but the noise grabs everyone’s attention when one of those goes off. Then the phone starts ringing, just to see if there’s a bear around.

I can shoot all day and nobody is bothered, or even knows what I’m doing. Getting trigger time and having fun.

Now if I’ve gotta deal with a bear the powder burners come out. Most other rodent threats get the airgun treatment.

 

[Arkansas_Airgunner]

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.

Amen! Preach on brother. As it stands with me, I probably could probably have got a new truck with no payments. Between guns, ammo, gear....its kinda expensive in the long run all said and done....but hey, I love this sh*t! Lol

 

[JimD]

A quick search on "Lucky Gunner" website shows the cheapest 22lr is over 6 cents a round and target type ammunition is often more like 30-40 cents around.

I just bought 1600 H&N Baracuda FT pellets for my P35-177 and paid about 3 cents a round delivered from Pyramyd air. Admittedly I took advantage of a 20% off sale but if I ordered more pellets for all my guns I could have gotten free shipping and that would make the cost about the same. I would argue these pellets are more comparable to target ammo for a LR. But I don't think there is a 5X range of pricing in 177 pellets like there apparently is for LR ammo. But still less than half the cost versus cheap 22lr ammo.

If I assume my nearly 3 year old Yong Heng failed tomorrow and used the tank fills it gave me so far in the 177, it would have cost me about 1 cent a shot.

The rifle cost less than $500. A Ruger 10-22 is for sale at Cabelas for $320. That price difference would make break even about 5000 shots. I could shift this around a lot assuming less expensive guns of either type and more expensive 22lr ammo. It could also easily be argued that a 22lr won't be shot as much as an airgun. But that would also mean less fun would be had.

I think you can make the numbers come out either way based upon different assumptions but I think you have to work at it to make the airgun more expansive to shoot. More reasonable cases would say they cost less to shoot.

 

[jetpopt]

It depends on a lot of variables, but to me THE biggest cost difference is gasoline and vehicle operating expense! Airguns are well suited to shooting right on your own property or even indoors.

Not having to drive back and forth just to practice shooting saves money and time. Time has a cost, too. At my age, I don’t worry about spending money on a hobby—this would include high-end airguns and kit if I wanted those—but I only have so many good, active years left in me.

 

[carlos_hathcock]

Airguns are great if you really like to shoot. With the break barrel I shot two Douglas Fir 4X8 backstops in half along with the squirrels, birds, & raccoons that needed it. Just loads of trigger time.

It’s true my Impact was 3X the cost of my most expensive firearm, but I get to shoot a whole lot more. I can go to the range and shoot 300 rounds and that’s slow fire bench rest anywhere from 30 to 200 yards, paper or steel. Now that I’m set up with rifle, scope, shoebox compressor, & bottle it just costs ammo, gas, range fees, & targets. Sure I’ve spent on ancillaries like grip, bipod, rail, adjustable buttstock, LDC, etc. but thought long and hard about each purchase, trickled them in, and have been shooting & smiling all the while.

The satisfaction from the exploration, learning, and precision results has been worth every penny and hour. I’ve met friendly, likeminded guys to swap stories with & learn from and that’s a big bonus too!

 

[WNYBill]

Fact: $500 buys me a 22 rf rifle and scope that will outshoot an air rifle of the same value. $1000+/- for a compressor will buy a lot of 22rf ammo, even the good stuff. I've spent 10X that trying to prove it wrong.

However: It is a great hobby, and a hobby is fooling around with your stuff trying to make it better, AR or PB. I resemble that!

AND, I think there are a lot of people who cannot own/buy a PB and ammo for whatever reason, they can't pass a NIC's check. So, they go to air rifles. That is going to change when the "nut case" politicians discover them. And it is getting harder and harder to find a place to shoot a PB because of urban sprawl. Using a little common sense, you can safely shoot your air rifle in your living room.

In a "middle of the night" emergency, it is a lot faster to get a PB into action. Have you ever heard a shotgun action slam shut in the dark?

 

[Wildcatter]

Have found the longer I shoot air rifles, the less interesting they are when bargain buying. I understand being thrifty starting out, but after I continue to spend more on better rifles, the joy of not just performance and accuracy goes up, but so does enjoyment of being consistent.

But Im a grab a tin of pellets and the gun, and shoot whenever where ever. So Pumpers and Springers are where my interest ends. Hunting and plinking are my main use, with a little paper and steel targets thrown in now and then. For me, I'll stick with the springers,, and there is a big differance in the top tier guns for success.

 

[CrashKT]

Fact: $500 buys me a 22 rf rifle and scope that will outshoot an air rifle of the same value. $1000+/- for a compressor will buy a lot of 22rf ammo, even the good stuff. I've spent 10X that trying to prove it wrong.

However: It is a great hobby, and a hobby is fooling around with your stuff trying to make it better, AR or PB. I resemble that!

AND, I think there are a lot of people who cannot own/buy a PB and ammo for whatever reason, they can't pass a NIC's check. So, they go to air rifles. That is going to change when the "nut case" politicians discover them. And it is getting harder and harder to find a place to shoot a PB because of urban sprawl. Using a little common sense, you can safely shoot your air rifle in your living room.

In a "middle of the night" emergency, it is a lot faster to get a PB into action. Have you ever heard a shotgun action slam shut in the dark?

You couldnt be more wrong.

 

[Troy Bakel]

Piatt - Thomas 0.177 Br

JRL - Verhagen 0.22LR Br

According to my spread sheet both rifles are within $125 of each other in yearly overhead costs.

The startup costs of the Thomas was $1756.88 more than the JRL - V due to compressor, bottles, fill station, and regulator costs.

I still have 2 bricks of batch tested ammo for the JRL - V. When that ammo is gone, it could cost me $2000 plus in travel, ammo, and testing costs if I go to Ohio to batch test a case of same lot number ammo for the gun.

So I would say year over year operational and maintenance costs, by the time I am past tense, will be about the same for both rifles.