I have a conundrum on PCP value?

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WoodWelder

WoodWelder

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Feb 8, 2024
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If cheap PCP China built guns are just as accurate as others worth 4 times the price, what are the advantages?

I'm in the market for a new top of the line PCP such as an FX, Brocock, Daystate etc. From my research, they're all built with top grade billet aluminum, smooth side action and are light well balanced units.

What is the catch, warranty? Availability of parts?
 
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WoodWelder said:
If cheap PCP China built guns are just as accurate as others worth 4 times the price, what are the advantages?

I'm in the market for a new top of the line PCP such as an FX, Brocock, Daystate etc. From my research, they're all built with top grade billet aluminum, smooth side action and are light well balanced units.

What is the catch, warranty? Availability of parts?
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Um, it's ALL 6061-T6 aluminum, aircraft grade, aerospace grade, military grade, Chi-com and "top-tier" alike.
 
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Go shoot a Daystate or FX upper tier gun. There are others on the same level but these are two most prevalent makers in the upper tier.
Spend an hour shooting a top tier guns from both, then go spend an hour shooting a $500 gun. If you do not see any difference then by all means save yourself some money.
I have shot both price levels of guns and I do not own any $500 guns.
I am an FX shooter and that is all I own other than my big bore guns. I have never had a reason to change to another brand.
Their customer service, warranty and parts availability is unrivaled and I doubt surpassed by anyone. There is a lot of value in that for a lot of shooters.
 
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WoodWelder said:
If cheap PCP China built guns are just as accurate as others worth 4 times the price, what are the advantages?

I'm in the market for a new top of the line PCP such as an FX, Brocock, Daystate etc. From my research, they're all built with top grade billet aluminum, smooth side action and are light well balanced units.

What is the catch, warranty? Availability of parts?
Click to expand...
That they might be “built from the same materials”? I believe quality of build, smoothness of operation are but two examples that differentiate… Then you get to the internals, triggers, regulators, etc. My Chinese Artemis pp700sa killed a crap ton of rats for me and served me admirably. Moved on to my much more expensive Atomic XR. Does it kill rats better at four to five times the price? Of course not, but it does just fine and outperforms the pp700sa in “all” other aspects… And though I rarely sell my PCPs, the resale value of the Chicom PCPs is quite low.
 
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WoodWelder said:
6061 is just an alloy designation......But, if you say they're all built with the "top-tier" alike then durability becomes moot.

7075 is the best!
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Indeed 6061-T6 is an alloy as is 7075-T6 but 6061 is the cheapest billet aluminum for structural work and frankly, there is only alloy designations, "top grade" does not exist. We pick alloys based on strength, machining and price.

7075 is 25-30 % more expensive and is harder to machine, it may be slightly stronger but it's inability to weld and greater susceptibility to corrosion is always the deal killer for me.

That said, I do love my FX!
 
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I have 6 Brococks and all but one were used when I bought them. Two had issues I knew about before I bought them and both were fixed by me for very little money. They have all been very reliable and extremely well built and problem free. I would not buy a new one however. I think most high end airguns are overpriced. I have a couple Chinese made guns that I really regret buying now(you can guess the brand). Quality on them is ify at best. Some guys get lucky and have little issues with them. I bought a Snowpeak m60b which has been a very good rifle so far and shoots right up there with my Brococks so I think there are exceptions. I must say I am extremely impressed with my Huben GK1 and I think if I were limited to one airgun that would be the one with a detachable carbine stock. I also may sell off most of my collection and keep the Brococks, and buy a Huben K1 rifle and call it good.
 
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WoodWelder said:
If cheap PCP China built guns are just as accurate as others worth 4 times the price, what are the advantages?

I'm in the market for a new top of the line PCP such as an FX, Brocock, Daystate etc. From my research, they're all built with top grade billet aluminum, smooth side action and are light well balanced units.

What is the catch, warranty? Availability of parts?
Click to expand...
Do they offer a 5 year warranty like Daystate?
 
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the difference is night and day...take the avenger bullpup for example. great accuracy, great tuning, good power for the caliber, so what's the catch? plastic build, cheap parts, heavy, so on and so forth...do they work? absolutely. but if you want a top tear experience and a gun that's going to be reliable for years and years, cheap china guns are unlikely to deliver on that. sometimes it comes down to the shooting experience and not so much the actual shooting.
 
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I’ve found that higher end/more costly products cost more for a reason. I’ve spent many years as a photographer and always see that the higher end cameras like the Nikon F, F2,3,4,5 and 6 are better than the next level Nxx cameras that cost a good bit less. Sure they all work but with the top of the line I don’t have to think about it, they just work.. Rifles are the same. I have a Beeman 2078A that’s a very good target rifle, certainly better than me. Not long ago I got an Anschutz competition rifle. Used it’s triple the price of the Beeman and new, probably 10x the price. It’s better in every way. Better stock, barrel, function, trigger is light years better. The Anschutz came with a group sample of five rounds in a single .177 caliber hole. The Beeman didn’t. Meanwhile my two Gauntlets combined were not much more than the Beeman and one cost me another $110 in work to function properly. Both shoot very nicely now and I don’t plan to sell any of my guns but you get what you pay for.

Rick H.
 
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The Chinese have expensive and cheap airguns. The cheap ones cost less for a reason. Getting one with a great barrel that will shoot like a Daystate is a gamble. The expensive china pcps (I.e. Huben and Karma) are expensive because there is increased quality control, better barrels, tighter tolerances, more advanced tech, etc. Just because it’s Chinese doesn’t mean it’s crap. They will build it to the specifications of the client.
 
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cahil_2 said:
Its like driving a cheap chevy or a cadillac.
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I'd say it's more like driving a Cadillac or a Bentley 🤣

There are some really good Chinese budget guns out there.

But the proof is in the pudding. Higher end guns, really good ones worth their salt, older fxs, daystates, brococks, taipans, agt, aaa, they have a lot of refinement in all the nooks in cranies. In places you would not consider. The overall experience, even if the accuracy is the same. (I can almost guarantee the higher end guns will be more accurate, if only by a bit) the experience is completely different. The difference is night and day.... even if it is just a feeling, or better designed or implemented parts, better finish, balance. More thought, time, materials go into the guns, and you can tell as it comes thru in the entire experience of it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very fond of both. Both can be very good buys.
 
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