First, a confession: I've owned a number of Crosman/Benjamin spring rifles (Nitro Piston) and am a big fan. Solid, unassuming, price-friendly, and can be very accurate even to 50 yards from personal experience. Some had the sound suppression, some didn't. Sound suppression on the Summit I had made a big difference, as affirmed by my suburban neighbors. Sound suppression on the Valiant seems to be a generation more advanced than my 2015 Summit - I'd give that a try in my housing division without any worries. I also like the looks of the Valiant stock's styling. Nice vertical pistol grip with a decent swell in the lower half, and the "bridge" from the back of the breech block to the butt area looks a little higher and more rounded than on, say, the Benji Titan. My Titan's stock hurt the base knuckle on my shooting thumb due to a lower bridge with sharper edges to it. The Valiant stock appears to have corrected that issue for someone with hands like my own.
Second, another confession: I stopped reading the thread above when it became another "buy once, cry once" thread telling you to forget the sub-$200 price bracket as a waste of money. Bunk! The Valiant is likely to be a great step forward for you... ~20 ft lbs at the muzzle for shots out to 30 yards is plenty for the lizards - as shown repeatedly by the guys filming in Puerto Rico and now South Florida. Shot placement is the key and you can get that with the Valiant and a better scope than what comes bundled. Better to find a deal on a $150 spring rifle (NP or steel spring) and then spend $90-$100 on a workmanlike scope... you'll stay in your price bracket and be out taking down iguanas from day 1.
Finally, my recommendation: buy what gets you shooting now and shove all of the second-guessing to the background for 6-8 months. Shoot Shoot Shoot and then Shoot some more. You will eventually come to understand where your passion in airgunning actually lays, maybe in going more upscale in your equipment or maybe finding that the Valiant (or whatever) is all the gun you'll ever need. I do strongly suggest a .22 over a .177 for your purposes; the "loopiness" of the .22 flight pattern is not a big deal on flat terrain at under 50 yards. You'll have more energy at the target and still be able to dial in the zero without lots of mucking about with holdover or shimming. For what they're worth, those are my thoughts.
Second, another confession: I stopped reading the thread above when it became another "buy once, cry once" thread telling you to forget the sub-$200 price bracket as a waste of money. Bunk! The Valiant is likely to be a great step forward for you... ~20 ft lbs at the muzzle for shots out to 30 yards is plenty for the lizards - as shown repeatedly by the guys filming in Puerto Rico and now South Florida. Shot placement is the key and you can get that with the Valiant and a better scope than what comes bundled. Better to find a deal on a $150 spring rifle (NP or steel spring) and then spend $90-$100 on a workmanlike scope... you'll stay in your price bracket and be out taking down iguanas from day 1.
Finally, my recommendation: buy what gets you shooting now and shove all of the second-guessing to the background for 6-8 months. Shoot Shoot Shoot and then Shoot some more. You will eventually come to understand where your passion in airgunning actually lays, maybe in going more upscale in your equipment or maybe finding that the Valiant (or whatever) is all the gun you'll ever need. I do strongly suggest a .22 over a .177 for your purposes; the "loopiness" of the .22 flight pattern is not a big deal on flat terrain at under 50 yards. You'll have more energy at the target and still be able to dial in the zero without lots of mucking about with holdover or shimming. For what they're worth, those are my thoughts.
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