If you started now?

If you started from scratch now as far as airguns (but you know what you know), what would you do differently? I ask because of curiosity, and to tap into some of your experience. Thanks,
I would've bought a dive compressor and scba and a chinesium mini lathe along with a premium level gun and skipped money-pitting crosmans and hand pumping. A dozen polished turds (so to speak) is a big pile of crap with the same price tag in the end as buying 1 great gun with good glass.

I wouldn't chase high power slugs and wouldn't have wasted so much money on cheap glass.

Don't worry, I still love the pre-china crosmans.
 
If you started from scratch now as far as airguns (but you know what you know), what would you do differently? I ask because of curiosity, and to tap into some of your experience. Thanks,
I would have gone directly to AirMaks Katran(s) for all my shooting needs. A Standard bottle.22(400mm) tuned low for rats & short range pest birds. A Long bottle .22(520mm)
for all around shooting & longer range pest birds . And last , a Long bottle HP .25 for groundhogs. AND a GX compressor ( liquid cooled) ! I have the .22 Long
bottle that I purchased a few years ago & a HP version ( UA moving sale , came last week) and a .25 Long BHP I got a few weeks ago( again, the UA sale). The
GX compressor is my main unit , w/ a ROVAIR backup( that puked & had to be rebuilt:() and I have two Hill handpumps , a MK4 ( original air source) & a MK5. The ROVAIR & a hand pump stay in the vehicle for field use , the GX4 is in the Man Cave, along w/ the old MK 4 pump. I try to pump a tube gun up everyday for some cardio( yeah ,I'm nuts!). I do have Stoegers Rangers & a Bullshark (tubes) that have done a good job for the $$. The Katrans are not complicated to adjust the hammer as are the Stoegers, this is ALL I want to mess with, other than a few tweaks on the trigger screws (6-8oz Katrans & 1~lb Stoegers). Oh , I did pick up a 90ci CF tank some time back for ?? just to have , used it twice , once for a friend & once for me. Honestly tanks aren't my thing. All scopes are 4x16 & 6x24 ,some FFP , but all $300-$450. I won't spend more for any glass except range-finding Binos.
 
Wouldn’t change a thing… Started with a Gamo Urban .22 and a handpump… The kills at distance I made with that gun compared to my previous experience with springers? Left me seriously impressed with the potential of PCPs. An unregulated Brocock Compatto was my second and it simply was stellar. I regret parting with it still… My particular journey was incremental as my wallet allowed, but looking back the only thing I would do differently? Purchase a high quality HPAC on my first, not second go around…🙈
 
I wouldn’t change a thing. Every gun I have owned has been a source of experience and learning.
I am in the process trinmming the herd to 3 that will cover all my uses.
Looking back I wish I had bought the scuba compressor earlier but until you know the hook is firmly in your lip it is a lot of money. Well worth it of you are deep enough into the rabbit hole.