I ask why?

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bfloyd1095

bfloyd1095

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Sep 11, 2018
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Conroe Texas, United States
I have been in the hobby a little over 9 years now, seen huge changes in just that short time frame...

There is one thing that I just don't get, well more, but that is for another day.

Why does the American market crave the over-the-top power?

Ok for competition shooters I kinda get it, 100 yard benchrest in 10-15 mph winds, I'll give you that one.. but for the average shooter I see No reason for the 80 plus ft/lb guns.
Hunters ok I get that too, but I will put it out there, I don't think the majority of Hunters are taking wild pigs or coyotes with an air rifle.. For the most part I see them as pesting for tree rats, invasive birds, etc..

I will also put it out there that Most target shooting, paper, steels, etc, are all probably under 40 yards in a backyard shooting scenario, hell even Most FT events are lower powered restricted

So you ask what the hell is my point?.. Have you looked at the trend of most newer guns?.. They tout stupid high power. the poor guns are so maxed out they wear out and fail prematurely..

This "power junkie" mentality has hurt a large portion of the low powered offerings, especially in small caliber..

Why in god's name would produce a .177 caliber airgun that is shooting over 1000 fps, the damn thing won't hit the broad side of a barn with any consistency because the damn pellet is tumbling, makes no damn sense...

Anyway, these are just the rambling thoughts of an old man and I would love to hear your thoughts,
 
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bfloyd1095 said:
I have been in the hobby a little over 9 years now, seen huge changes in just that short time frame...

There is one thing that I just don't get, well more, but that is for another day.

Why does the American market crave the over-the-top power?

Ok for competition shooters I kinda get it, 100 yard benchrest in 10-15 mph winds, I'll give you that one.. but for the average shooter I see No reason for the 80 plus ft/lb guns.
Hunters ok I get that too, but I will put it out there, I don't think the majority of Hunters are taking wild pigs or coyotes with an air rifle.. For the most part I see them as pesting for tree rats, invasive birds, etc..

I will also put it out there that Most target shooting, paper, steels, etc, are all probably under 40 yards in a backyard shooting scenario, hell even Most FT events are lower powered restricted

So you ask what the hell is my point?.. Have you looked at the trend of most newer guns?.. They tout stupid high power. the poor guns are so maxed out they wear out and fail prematurely..

This "power junkie" mentality has hurt a large portion of the low powered offerings, especially in small caliber..

Why in god's name would produce a .177 caliber airgun that is shooting over 1000 fps, the damn thing won't hit the broad side of a barn with any consistency because the damn pellet is tumbling, makes no damn sense...

Anyway, these are just the rambling thoughts of an old man and I would love to hear your thoughts,
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My thoughts are in alignment with yours. America compared to the rest of the world.....everything is bigger, maybe not better: Cars, trucks, homes, guns, movies, etc.etc.etc. I am very satisfied with .177 for all my air guns. Period.
 
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I largely agree with the OP on this. (Pun intended.)

My (little) brother bought a springer that's purported to hit 1400-fps and he can't shoot it for beans. Makes me laugh, but more is better in his big mind...

I think it comes down to the feel of it. People need to feel that they have more and others are more than happy to sell that to them. A few of us feel that we have to be able to manage what we have instead. It's a minority opinion.

"I'd rather ride a slow-bike fast than a fast-bike slow" is an axiom of veteran motorcyclists.

Cheers,

J~
 
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It's the American way! I totally get it. :cool:

And the fact that it upsets other cultures... even better. Seriously... we love that. When they say, "We don't get it," we reply, "EXACTLY!" ;)

Though, my new Marauder is slow! ~830 fps. I can see the pellet when shooting at 50 yards! Kinda cool, actually.

If I want to "reach out and touch something," I'll grab my Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor. I've hit targets at 1000 yards with it.
 
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I think it’s very advantageous if you go about it correctly. When I first got into PCP’s, we were constantly modding them for more power, efficiency and consistency. Now you can buy one with more than enough power and set it in a very friendly zone if you can resist trying to pretend you have a powder burner. With higher powered guns you have a very wide berth of tuning and projectile parameters. I just got done with a Zelos compact. I started having flashbacks because of all the things I had to do to it to get it to comfortably shoot what I wanted it to. It would do it at 140b. But by today’s standards 130b to shoot a 15.89 pellet is stupid. Now after mods it does it with less stress at 115b. I good high powered gun wouldn’t have required this.
 
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'cause it's 'murica and we do everything over the top.

Maybe chalk it up to a strong pre-exsisting gun and hunting culture? I think it's also human nature to always want to go harder, no matter what that may involve. Who doesn't want to shoot further/ hit harder?

Coincidentally I've kind of gone full circle and have been reimmersing myself back into shooting 177 after "progressing" into big bores for awhile

Besides the hunting potential, big bores give me the sensory satisfaction that shooting firearms and blackpowder used to bring minus the fuss and bother.

However they do require much more resources and space to enjoy, so as of lates I've rediscovered how much fun shooting small calibers are and how much more challenging it can be if you let it.
 
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For me being California based, Airguns play a huge role in hunting small to larger game/predators because of the lead ban. Airguns are exempt from the lead ban and there for I can hunt at a fraction of the price. If I were in a non-lead ban state I would hunt much more with my rimfire, .223, 22-250 varmint rifles. So Airgun power (FPE) does become a needed factor for me in my formulation at times. BUT and this is a very big But, I do worry about the quick movement Airguns power is showing up in USA and other areas. We are not the only ones noticing. Western Airgun shooting 18 .357 rounds in 3 seconds at 120 FPE is one very bad intentioned individual away from heavy legislation I am afraid. Just my opinion. Hope I am wrong.
 
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I’m guilty of all those things. Being a competition shooter, my Impact is set up to shoot pellets at 80 fpe. It’s kinda necessary to be accurate in windy conditions. I’ve messed with slugs and don’t like them. You have to tune the rifle for way more power and constantly experiment with different weight and diameter slugs to find the right combo. I had a rifle built by Martin Rutterford in .177 cal shooting slugs at 1010 fps just to see if that small caliber could be competitive with the larger calibers at 100 yards and it can but carefully. This is all for my participation in 100 yd EBR, which is only 3 or 4 times a year

Most of my other shooting is with.177 cal rifles at 50 yards or less, and most of my guns are that caliber. I love shooting them the most. I fully understand your comment about the American dream about everything being bigger and more powerful. I have no need or desire for that.
 
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Racer88 said:
View attachment 575846

It's the American way! I totally get it. :cool:

And the fact that it upsets other cultures... even better. Seriously... we love that. When they say, "We don't get it," we reply, "EXACTLY!" ;)

Though, my new Marauder is slow! ~830 fps. I can see the pellet when shooting at 50 yards! Kinda cool, actually.

If I want to "reach out and touch something," I'll grab my Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor. I've hit targets at 1000 yards with it.
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Came here to say this!☝️
Its America! Deal with it! 😂

Oh and that high powered .177 you speak of tumbling pellets.... try shooting some heavier .177 slugs out if. It'll stabilize right out... that gun wasn't designed for pellets in the first place...or atleast tune it down.
 
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Because we as human being are not usually satisfied with what we have, on top of that we (USA) don't have regulations like some or most of the other nations. As much as I haven't regretted trading for most of these high end air rifles, I would NEVER find myself buying a lower power or normal power high end PELLET rifle for more than $700 or $800. Slug rifles that give you a higher advantage, sure, but not vastly more given what I have learned over the years.
 
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I get what the OP is saying. I’m after precision and accuracy, would love to get MOA reliably from 10 to 200 yards but want a reasonable shot count and a quiet, non-stressed rifle. For now my tightrope is slugs in the low 30 grain region. I guess some just want to see what is ultimately possible.
Happy belated 4th of July!
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