Introducing myself - asking for advice on a new airgun while I'm at it.

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jdscott3

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Sep 21, 2024
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I'm 65 and retired, I just did a little research and the PCP guns have me excited. As a kid I pretty much wore out a Crosman 1400 (or was it a 1100?). I used that gun almost daily (when it was not freezing out) for pigeons, starlings, crows and even a large dumpster raccoon. My kids finally killed that old gun, the seals are blown, now it sits in a corner because I'm too attached to it to throw it away.

My son had a break open Benjaman that I never really liked. It was heavy, noisy, and the kick was strange to me, and I just never bonded to that gun. I live in a city and my back yard is hidden so I can safely shoot about 75" towards a 10' tall concrete retaining. Sound is the biggest issue and from what I have read today, many of the new PCPs are pretty quiet. I didn't even know these guns existed when I woke up this AM, now after reading an article about them, I'm excited and really want to get one. As far as a price point, I want a good gun but I don't want to spend large amounts of money on something that makes my groups just a little better. I like guns that are fairly simple, and I also prefer guns that look traditional, not like an AR15 or some weapon used by the space invaders. What I also need is advice on how much to spend, I'm thinking between $500 and $1000. As far as why I'm getting one, I will be killing starlings, maybe an old sick chicken and some rats. I also will enjoy punching holes in paper at about 25 yards. Please let me know your ideas, if all these PCPs look like a black space invader gun, so be it, what's most important to me it that it has a good safety, that it's well made, and that it has reasonably good accuracy. Owe on another point, I live close to the ocean with a dive store not 2 miles from me so I'm pretty sure I can find a used tank and a place to fill it.
 
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Top of your budget Karma EQ
Middle Reximex Throne 2, Umarex Zelos, AirForce Condor
Low Barra 250z, Niksan Ozark or Elf, AirForce TalonSS

Moderator for backyard shooting is a good idea. Airguns can be loud. Prices range from $40 to $250.

AirForce guns are single shot and even cheaper on the Airforceairguns.com Outlet Store. Simplest design, Easiest to maintain and upgrade. SS versions are quieter but a moderator recommended. Very accurate with Lothar-Walther barrels. 18 or 24 inch barrels generate a lot more power.

Karmis EQ is a lot of rifle for the money. Quite versatile in the range of pellets and Slugs. Lot of power.

Throne 2 and Zelos are just solid guns. Zelos has a bit more power. Both are accurate. Throne 2 has a simple but very effective safety, bottom of the trigger guard just pushes down. No fumbling to find a switch.

Barra 250Z and Niksan Ozark/Elf. Both are accurate and good power. Ozark-TW has adjustable butt and wood chassis. Elf is the Bullpup. Great starter rifles.

Lot of love around here for the Umarex Notos but is a little underpowered and with a short barrel can have some issues shooting longer ranges without modification.
 
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jdscott3 said:
I'm 65 and retired, I just did a little research and the PCP guns have me excited. As a kid I pretty much wore out a Crosman 1400 (or was it a 1100?). I used that gun almost daily (when it was not freezing out) for pigeons, starlings, crows and even a large dumpster raccoon. My kids finally killed that old gun, the seals are blown, now it sits in a corner because I'm too attached to it to throw it away.

My son had a break open Benjaman that I never really liked. It was heavy, noisy, and the kick was strange to me, and I just never bonded to that gun. I live in a city and my back yard is hidden so I can safely shoot about 75" towards a 10' tall concrete retaining. Sound is the biggest issue and from what I have read today, many of the new PCPs are pretty quiet. I didn't even know these guns existed when I woke up this AM, now after reading an article about them, I'm excited and really want to get one. As far as a price point, I want a good gun but I don't want to spend large amounts of money on something that makes my groups just a little better. I like guns that are fairly simple, and I also prefer guns that look traditional, not like an AR15 or some weapon used by the space invaders. What I also need is advice on how much to spend, I'm thinking between $500 and $1000. As far as why I'm getting one, I will be killing starlings, maybe an old sick chicken and some rats. I also will enjoy punching holes in paper at about 25 yards. Please let me know your ideas, if all these PCPs look like a black space invader gun, so be it, what's most important to me it that it has a good safety, that it's well made, and that it has reasonably good accuracy. Owe on another point, I live close to the ocean with a dive store not 2 miles from me so I'm pretty sure I can find a used tank and a place to fill it.
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Welcome! All of my guns are "space invader style". I do own a karma eq 30 cal its pretty damn accurate. For you I do like the suggestion of a 250z, that is more traditional looking, and a capable gun. For a tank you want a scba tank , not a scuba tank.

 
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jdscott3 said:
and I also prefer guns that look traditional,
Click to expand...
Struckat said:
A Marauder is not the latest thing, but still a wonderful rifle.
Click to expand...

And looks like a traditional "real rifle." Real wood! :) My first (and so far only) real air rifle:

Marauder-portrait.jpg


So far, it's been quite good. I got the "Field & Target" edition, which is a "regulated" model and comes with an upgraded Lothar-Walther barrel. Paid $780 for it at Pyramid. Of course, the scope, fill tank, extra magazines, assortment of pellets to try, etc.... were an additional expense. More about it in the link in my signature.

20250605_110740.jpg
 
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Wood is nice but it takes care to keep it nice. Your plans appear to be to use the gun for more of a utility purpose. You also mentioned your range out to 70yds. The Marauder will handle the distance and it's tunable for that and under. But I don't think I would go for wood given the bumps and bruises it will encounter given your intended use. As for caliber.. I would go .22 if I were you. Better ammo choice and cost than .25. Flatter trajectory for the distance and plenty of FPE for pesting.
As for fill source.... SCUBA tanks have a max fill pressure of 3300 psi. That ain't gonna get you many fills on the Marauder. SCBA tanks are typically 4500psi max and dive shops will fill them. Bare in mind... all tanks must be inspected and certified to be filled at a dive/paintball shop. SCBA also have a 15 year expiration date. You might want to look into a compressor such as the GX-CS4.
Good luck.
 
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Avator said:
Wood is nice but it takes care to keep it nice.
Click to expand...

The wood is "nice" but it's not THAT nice on the Marauder. I like the wood on my Marauder, but I plan on doing exactly nothing to try to "keep it nice." I would say the downside of the wood on the Marauder is the weight. It's a hefty rifle! Really too heavy to regularly shoot "off-hand." To me, it's primarily a "bench gun." A target gun. But it could be used for occasional pesting, too. But would I want to carry it around in the field or woods? Nope!

Now THIS is nice wood that I don't want to bang up too much....

1756898370501.png


Browning BL-22-0038.JPG


Wood-Jerry-guns.jpg
 
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jdscott3 said:
I'm 65 and retired, I just did a little research and the PCP guns have me excited. As a kid I pretty much wore out a Crosman 1400 (or was it a 1100?). I used that gun almost daily (when it was not freezing out) for pigeons, starlings, crows and even a large dumpster raccoon. My kids finally killed that old gun, the seals are blown, now it sits in a corner because I'm too attached to it to throw it away.

My son had a break open Benjaman that I never really liked. It was heavy, noisy, and the kick was strange to me, and I just never bonded to that gun. I live in a city and my back yard is hidden so I can safely shoot about 75" towards a 10' tall concrete retaining. Sound is the biggest issue and from what I have read today, many of the new PCPs are pretty quiet. I didn't even know these guns existed when I woke up this AM, now after reading an article about them, I'm excited and really want to get one. As far as a price point, I want a good gun but I don't want to spend large amounts of money on something that makes my groups just a little better. I like guns that are fairly simple, and I also prefer guns that look traditional, not like an AR15 or some weapon used by the space invaders. What I also need is advice on how much to spend, I'm thinking between $500 and $1000. As far as why I'm getting one, I will be killing starlings, maybe an old sick chicken and some rats. I also will enjoy punching holes in paper at about 25 yards. Please let me know your ideas, if all these PCPs look like a black space invader gun, so be it, what's most important to me it that it has a good safety, that it's well made, and that it has reasonably good accuracy. Owe on another point, I live close to the ocean with a dive store not 2 miles from me so I'm pretty sure I can find a used tank and a place to fill it.
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A standard fx dreamline is close to your budget, doesn't look like a space gun and is quiet and accurate well beyond your requests. I tend to recommend only things I own a version of and can speak to, not that it's the end all be all choice.
 
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Racer88 said:
The wood is "nice" but it's not THAT nice on the Marauder. I like the wood on my Marauder, but I plan on doing exactly nothing to try to "keep it nice." I would say the downside of the wood on the Marauder is the weight. It's a hefty rifle! Really too heavy to regularly shoot "off-hand." To me, it's primarily a "bench gun." A target gun. But it could be used for occasional pesting, too. But would I want to carry it around in the field or woods? Nope!

Now THIS is nice wood that I don't want to bang up too much....

View attachment 590934

View attachment 590935

View attachment 590938
Click to expand...
I would not worry about banging up any wood, if your clumsy enough to bang up wood i would be more concerned about the gun itself .
 
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Calm down,relax and educate yourself more;it better to ask questions that help you make a decision after you THINK you know what you want.OK I have a FT Marauder,it is quiet,big ,trandional and very accurate,remember old does not mean anything,it is a great PCP ,then there is this one,one that many people first got and loved, the Gamo BSA Urban....I think you should get it,why it is smaller,lighter and great to use offhand. plus cheaper... yeah, that would be my choice(y)
 
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The only traditional style air rifle I have is an early Avenger. It had a plastic stock that was crummy and did not fit me. So I made it a wood stock that fits. I still rarely shoot it because it is so LONG. I have 5 SPA bullpups and 1 eastern Europe bullpup. And a Prod.

The Avenger is a reasonable choice but I would get the wood stock version. It would still be in budget. They have externally adjustable regulators with gauges and are a heck of a lot of airgun for the money. I prefer SPA airguns, however. Their better long guns are the Ranger (full length) and the Scout (carbine). They have thumb hole plastic stocks so not real traditional but more so than my bullpups. The regulator of the SPA guns can be adjusted but you have to do a significant amount of disassembly to do it. For most people it may be a better idea to leave the regulator alone, tune the hammer spring (that's very easy, easier than the Avenger) and the trigger (again easier than an Avenger) and shoot it. I prefer SPA guns for their simpler design with less plastic (other than typically the stock). The Scout and Ranger are sold by Stoeger but built by Snowpeak (SPA). SPA also makes some Diana models including both a long gun and a bullpup. SPA also makes the Zellos and Notos (sold by Umarex).
 
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Hello and welcome to the forum. For your intended uses I would highly suggest a 22Cal, but a decent 177Cal will also work great for starlings.

As you mentioned sound being a first priority you will want to find something with a functional shroud, and the ability to add a moderator if you want even more sound mitigation. Some pcps are super duper loud, louder than a 22lr in some cases. For example the Barra listed above or an FX DRS looks like they have a shroud but they really dont. Not much sound mitigation from such designs since the rifles are effectively a bare muzzle instead of redirecting air into a shroud.

The Taipan Veteran Gen 1 can be had used for about $900 used and they are wicked accurate and mouse far quiet. You can get them in nice wood stocks, but they are bullpups so you might not like the looks, but I bet you get over it quick after shooting one.

Put your time in here and you will get access to the classifieds and there are some wonderful sellers here offering some amazing pcps at great prices. I would keep an eye out for a nice FX Crown or Dreamline, Taipan Veteran Gen 1, AA 500/510, Daystate Huntsman, etc.

If you decide you want to try a compressor, the GX CS3 is the best for the money in my opinion.
 
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Your wants/requisites are basic enough that even many econo-PCPs can fulfill them; even something like this-

pintydevices.com

10 Pellet .22Cal PCP Pellet Gun Air Rifle High Power Airgun for Hunting

P-Force Rifle Pinty's 10-Pellet PCP Air Rifle is the perfect partner for precision shooting and small game hunting. Fire 5.5 mm .22 caliber pellets at speeds of up to 800 fps, ensuring you hit your target every time. The 225 cc air reservoir, filled to 3600 psi, provides up to 80 shots per fill...
pintydevices.com pintydevices.com

Having been an airgunner for seventy years myself, I've deeply explored somewhere between 600-1000 airguns of all kinds; enough to document my airgunning experiences in five books. I mention that to lend perspective(s) to my OPINIONS. :unsure:

I also am a traditionalist im many/most ways, including wooden stocks. And having had more than my share of wunder-PCPs, including bullpups and plastic furnitured, I'm very attracted to the little .22 PCP above. Pertinent points to your post-

1) I've owned, tested and modified about a half-dozen Crosman 1400s. They're great, and can be resealed to perform as new. See the attachment below.
2) Springers worthwhile for your purposes will not be as accurate in human hands. That difference will not only be immediately obvious to a good shooter, but for all intents and purposes insurmountable.
3) Any experienced shooter will be somewhere between impressed and blown away from their very first shots with a good PCP.
4) That impression doesn't fade much as one progresses up the PCP food-chain.
5) I've been at the top of the PCP food-chain for decades, yet am still very attracted to the little PCP above.
6) Last point, again for perspective on my OPINIONS. Take it for what(ever) it's worth-

RR card copy.jpg



View attachment Pneumophilia pdf.pdf

.
 
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I’d vote for a wood stocked Avenger or Marauder but if you could consider a bullpup then a used .22 Taipan Veteran would be my top suggestion in your price range. They are stupid accurate, built like tanks, easy to tune to different weight pellets and not pellet picky like some guns are. They work great for hunting and paper punching. They are very quiet and don’t require an additional moderator like the Marauder will.
 
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With a gun like the Umarex Zelos out there, I'm not sure why the recommendation for a maruader keeps coming up. The Zelos is superior in every way. The current maruaders a assembled in the states but almost all parts are made in china, so the made in America part is dead. The zelos is regulated and much more relevent, lighter, and cheaper easier to adjust to boot. My first PCP in 2011 was a marauder and it was a turd that never shot in the same place twice I tried all the tricks from the maruader forums nothing helped. I still have it to remind me not to buy another. Get a GX pump in your budget and a Zelos. AIR is the key to PCP enjoyment. If you have a source for air, the choice is still the Zelos.
 
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