Help Me Decide

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ac66bronco

Member
Jan 5, 2022
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MI, United States
I was given an IOU for Christmas to be used towards an air rifle. 

I currently have a Winchester 1028 and can say absolutely nothing nice about it. 

Especially in regards to the 5 ton trigger pull. Yes this is an exaggeration but it is so horrible it makes the gun inaccurate to a hilarious degree

Will be almost exclusively used for shooting bushy tailed rodents of of bird feeders under 50 yards. 

I just want something quality accurate reliable with a nice smooth clean trigger pull and scope or mount for one

My experience with the 1028 has seriously put me off anything with a break barrel/springer unless there is one out there with a nice trigger pull

Thus I am leaning towards a pump/removable CO2 gun. Very little interest in PCP due to cost of air compressor. 

I am open to caliber but leaning towards .22 due to now seeing some of these things going sonic with a .177. However that's not a problem if it comes with a threaded barrel I have registered cans.(really haven't noticed any with a threaded barrel yet though.

Was really digging the 392s but heard that it has some accuracy issues and needed some work out of the box. 

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

By the way I am left handed. I see many come ambidextrous but throwing that in incase that limits my choices further. 
 
Guess it depends on what you are looking to spend. I feel your pain on being a lefty. I have been seeing more and more ambitious ones but still very limiting.

Try finding a pistol in lefty..ugh. Very few and far in between.

The people on this site are sooo helpful. Try browsing the classified on this site..Just a thought. $$$ is going to help you decide.

I have a left handed Benjamin Marauder .Gen 2 F&T in .22 and compressor that I’m selling but I can’t advertise it on this site yet.

Hopefully I didn’t just violate some rule…I don’t have enough posts yet…I have 9…but you need to have 10...LOL.

Hopefully I have another post or two this weekend and can get it advertised.

Good luck and if I can help or answer anything…left me know.





 
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Not a tremendous difference in a pump gun or a PCP. It's just that the pump guns the pump is incorporated into the gun. A PCP gun has a pump that is separate from the gun and a larger reservoir.

I have gone through a number of stages in my airgunning history over the last 50+ years. 

From a pneumatic pump gun, they are great, last for decades, but the shot rate is slow. Mostly 50 yard guns you can stretch it to 75 with the more expensive guns.

Then to the springers, They are hard to cock and most have that nasty recoil. Accuracy although OK is not stellar for the most part as they are hard to shoot well because of the recoil. Mostly 50 yard guns they are because if you have accuracy you have a low power problem if you have loads of power you have accuracy problems because of the increased recoil. 

Co2 guns were next and although lots of fun they are spendy to shoot, on the carts, these days and very temperature sensitive so no winter shooting. Most are under powered unless you beef them out and waste allot of gas.

Last but best of all to the Dark side we go with the PCP guns. Extreme accuracy from many of them. Quite a few are 100 yard capable and some if not most can be pumped with a hand pump for a number of higher powered shots per fill.

Knowing what I know now I would go with a PCP and an inexpensive hand pump as my starter gun. Then pick up a $300 Yong Heng compressor when funds allowed.
 
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If you want to start with a PCP, fly directly to a Daystate Regal XL. Do not doubt it.

If you want a pump rifle, you should see at this:

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/benjamin-multi-pump-air-rifle-black-kit?m=4942
Click to expand...

The 392 was one I was looking at. But read some reviews on here and while no one paned it it was said that out of the box the trigger needed work and it had accuracy issues. I own several ar15s but I'd consider myself a total amateur at best with gunsmith work. 

Don't discount underlevers or sidelines. (And I know you dont want a break barrel but there are some great ones out there)
Click to expand...

Underlever is self explanatory. Sidelines? I assume it's one with a bar you pull back that charges it? I'm not dead set against a break barrel. But I am dead set against excessive trigger pull. 
 
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Been in airguns forvwell over 40 yrs. Was a competitor in FT competition for 30 yrs. Have tried most everything from pcp to pump to springers. I like to keep things simple so I prefer springers, but not cheap import stuff. To much work and expense to keep a pcp shooting, nice power, easy to shoot, but getting airtanks filled or pumping every few shots and dragging all that stuff along on your shooting trip was not my cup of tea. I found springers to be accurate, self contained, easy to shoot if you get a quality made gun!! My own rifles are a TX200 and yes I am a lefty but it has shot sub one inch groups at 75 yds and sub 3/4 at 50 yds all day with no wind. I also have an R1 in .22 cal that is for pest control. 825 fps with CP 14.3 pellets and 3/4" groups at 50 yds easy with no wind. You needcto learn to shoot a springer, but not that hard, have taught numerous folks to shoot springers well. No matter what rifle you choose, you will need a good scope as well!! Cheap scopes are just throw aways when they fail. I have used Burris and Leupolds for over 30 yrs on the hardest springers made and not one issue!! You get what you pay for... Your Winchester rifle is not made by Winchester, just a cheap import that uses their name !! If you dont mind pumping or carrying lots oof extra stuff to make your gun shoot then pcp are the way to go, but if simplicity, accuracy, easey to operate and dont need a truck load of stuff to carry along, then consider a quality spring powered rifle. Your call, your money, just my two cents worth !!!
 
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Summarizing the trade offs noted above

Get the Benjamin pump for an easy solution. I still enjoy shooting my Sheridan (Benjamin ancestor in .20) that I've owned for 40 years, trigger takes quite a tug but with thousands of rounds + muscle memory it still serves me well. Loud, reliable out to 30' if your eyes & technique are good.

Or a good springer with a great trigger and proper scope. If you need higher fpe you quickly reach the point where accuracy gets dodgy. I have an HW50s .177 with a Hawke 3x9 that shoots very well out to 40', below your desired velocity though with any decent pellet at 12 fpe.

The PCP market offers good options in your price range with a pump. Careful that you don't get hooked and end up going way over budget. Happened to me, love my fx Impact and a few other pcps I have recently acquired. For accuracy, fpe, usability, tunability, and a quiet shot they cannot be beat. Reliability is not a problem if you stick to the proven methods you can read about here / dozens of Youtube vids on any mainstream rifle.

Good luck!
 
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There are so many choices. All depends on your budget and where you want to go with it. I'm a Lefty and really like my Wiehrach HW97. The stock fits me well, but is going to be on the upper end of your budget. I got the 0.20 with an Athlon scope from AOA. I got it for squirrel hunting. Works really good. I did do the Vortek spring kit, but even before it shot really well. As another alternative the HW98 is a nice rifle. I have a few friends that use them in .22 for squirrels with no complaints. I really like how easy the Wiehrach's are to load.

But if you are looking on a lower end, I am sure there are quite a few good candidates. I just mainly wanted so say how easy the stock is to use for a lefty.


 
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