Looking for .22 recommendations in the $1000 range

[Maineiac]

Last year I purchased a .22 Marauder as my first "real" air rifle. I've decided that I would like to upgrade to something more accurate with a longer shot count. It doesn't help that I have friends with fancy FX and Daystate rifles.

My budget is in the $1,000 range and I'd like to stick with .22 caliber. This will be used for a mix of bench shooting and hunting for squirrels, birds, and the occasional rabbit around 50 yards.

Here's what I'm looking at so far:

• FX Streamline
• AA S510
• BSA R-10 mk2

Is there a clearly "better" rifle of those 3? Or is there something else I should consider? I'm in the USA if that matters. 

 

[dr_beretta]

Look at the Daystate Regal XL at Airguns of Arizona for $999. I own the Air Arms S500 and BSA R10 MK2 all in 0.22 and for 99% of my shooting, the Daystate tops them both. Shorter, lighter, quiet, and superbly accurate, well made, and just downright beautiful. I bought it when it was $1050 as a special price. Now discounted even further, it's a no brainer in my book. I get 40+ shots between refills. I've taken birds and squirrels at 55 yards with it no issue. It has a standard male foster fitting making filling easy with no need for a special adapter. Comes with a shroud and moderator included. 

 

[Guest]

Daystate Regal XL should also be on that list IMHO. ~30FPE and count shot of around 50, very quiet out of the box, Daystate accuracy and arguably one of the best rotary magazines out there.

Edited to add: I see dr_beretta was typing along the same lines at the same time...

 

[aa_limited]

aas510 higly adjustable lockable knob. mine is a high of 42 foot pounds and a low of 10 foot pounds.
​and custmer service is better than daystates.

 

[Maineiac]

"dr_beretta"Look at the Daystate Regal XL at Airguns of Arizona for $999. I own the Air Arms S500 and BSA R10 MK2 all in 0.22 and for 99% of my shooting, the Daystate tops them both. Shorter, lighter, quiet, and superbly accurate, well made, and just downright beautiful. I bought it when it was $1050 as a special price. Now discounted even further, it's a no brainer in my book. I get 40+ shots between refills. I've taken birds and squirrels at 55 yards with it no issue. It has a standard male foster fitting making filling easy with no need for a special adapter. Comes with a shroud and moderator included.

Thanks for the tip! I will check that one out. I have a Hill mk4 pump that I'm using now so that should hook right up to the Daystate just like my Marauder does?

 

[Maineiac]

"aa_limited"aas510 higly adjustable lockable knob. mine is a high of 42 foot pounds and a low of 10 foot pounds.
​and custmer service is better than daystates.

Is the Daystate not adjustable? And how does customer service work for these European guns here in the USA? Does AoA handle that or must I ship it to England for repair? 

 

[Dairyboy]

I'd consider a regal xl as well. I don't own one but would love to someday.

 

[aa_limited]

daystate are hard to deal with. I have delt with them and they don't want to admit it if something goes rong with one of thier guns.
​and no the day state is a pain in the ass to adjust the power. trust me

 

[Maineiac]

"aa_limited"daystate are hard to deal with. I have delt with them and they don't want to admit it if something goes rong with one of thier guns.
​and no the day state is a pain in the ass to adjust the power. trust me

Thanks! I'll take a look at some YouTube reviews of this and the S510 to compare the adjustment.

 

[Birdo]

I'm pleased with my S510 carbine, don't get the high gloss two tone stock, it's ugly.

Fx are good too

 

[dr_beretta]

Maineiac, as far as whether to choose Daystate or Air Arms from a "repair" standpoint, remember that here in the USA, you'll most likely be dealing with any repair issues directly with whom you bought your rifle from. If my Air Arms guns go bad for some reason, I'm sending them in for repair to PyramydAir where they'll take care of the issue. If my Daystate goes bad, I'm sending it back to Airguns of Arizona. People that live in the UK or overseas may have an easier time dealing with the manufacturer directly, but that being said, I've had my two Air Arms guns for over two years now and the Daystate for 6 months and all of them have been trouble free. Even my BSA R10 has been flawless so far and I've had that for over a year. Both of these manufacturers make solid guns with great reputations.

If you really want adjustability, say to go from 10 ft lbs up to 30+, then the S500 or S510 are the way to go since they have an adjustable knob on the side allowing for velocity changes. But if you just want a gun to shoot accurately and don't care for any of that, any of the choices you listed including the Daystate are great options.

And yes, the Daystate uses the same Foster male fitting as the Marauder for refills with your pump. Air Arms, BSA, and FX all use proprietary fill probes that will have you buy an extra adapter to screw on to their adapter to use your pump.

 

[Smaug]

I haven't shot the FX or Air Arms you're looking at, but I've shot R10s.

To me, they are THE best-looking air rifle made. The lines and execution of the stock, the fact that the bottle doesn't totally dominate the front end of the gun. They're also very quiet and accurate. They're regulated, so they'll get more good shots per fill than the S510, however, they're not quickly power adjustable, so a bit less versatile.The triggers are wonderful, and so are the fit & finish.

There's a bit of a challenge with the filling, I forgot what it is.

FX's are just kind of blah-looking for a $1,000 airgun, don't you think? At this price point, we shouldn't have to choose form OR function; we can have both.

A buddy of mine in the local club has one, and he felt like the shrouded barrel was too long, so he unscrewed it and fitted a thread-on moderator instead. It's not quite as quiet now, but shorter. 

"
Thanks for the tip! I will check that one out. I have a Hill mk4 pump that I’m using now so that should hook right up to the Daystate just like my Marauder does?"

No, your pump will hook up to a fill probe, which then plugs into a fill port at the end of the cylinder, instead of having the female Foster fitting right on the cylinder, like the Marauder does. The thing to ask is whether the Daystate fill probe has a female Foster fitting on the back of it or if you need an adapter.

By the way, some months ago, I upgraded from a Marauder to my Compatto. It IS a little nicer, but nowhere near commensurate with the price. The Marauder was quieter, easier to pump and accuracy is only maybe 5% better from the Compatto. And the attached Foster fitting. I might not do the same thing, if I had it to do again. I'd probably keep the .177 Marauder, and buy the Compatto in .22 or a bullpup .22. Check my YouTube channel (user Jeremy D) for a review of the Compatto, compared to the Marauder.

Edit: Here's the vid:

Edit 2: One other thing: the FX and Air Arms have air tubes instead of bottles, so they'll likely ping with each shot, like Marauders do. The BSA won't, as it's a bottle gun and they don't ping.

 

[gorgata]

I have an fx wildcat and shot a daystate but man idk some times I think maybe give the new guys a chance like the krawl for 500$ and if the barrel don't work for ya you got 500$ to find one you like lol
​

 

[Maineiac]

"dr_beretta"Maineiac, as far as whether to choose Daystate or Air Arms from a "repair" standpoint, remember that here in the USA, you'll most likely be dealing with any repair issues directly with whom you bought your rifle from. If my Air Arms guns go bad for some reason, I'm sending them in for repair to PyramydAir where they'll take care of the issue. If my Daystate goes bad, I'm sending it back to Airguns of Arizona. People that live in the UK or overseas may have an easier time dealing with the manufacturer directly, but that being said, I've had my two Air Arms guns for over two years now and the Daystate for 6 months and all of them have been trouble free. Even my BSA R10 has been flawless so far and I've had that for over a year. Both of these manufacturers make solid guns with great reputations.

If you really want adjustability, say to go from 10 ft lbs up to 30+, then the S500 or S510 are the way to go since they have an adjustable knob on the side allowing for velocity changes. But if you just want a gun to shoot accurately and don't care for any of that, any of the choices you listed including the Daystate are great options.

And yes, the Daystate uses the same Foster male fitting as the Marauder for refills with your pump. Air Arms, BSA, and FX all use proprietary fill probes that will have you buy an extra adapter to screw on to their adapter to use your pump.

How hard is the Daystate to adjust? Honestly though, I probably won't do much adjustment. Most likely I would just leave it at the stock settings and dial in my scope from there so maybe I'm getting worried over nothing.

 

[dr_beretta]

I never adjusted the Daystate. Just found the pellet it liked the most and zeroes the scope. The trigger was perfect for me out of the box. 

 

[Birdo]

I like your video, I saw it before I got the Bantam in 177. Amazing ergonomics and balance and huge carbon fiber tank means one rifle and fill for a long session at the range.

mines doing great and is getting clearidge scope 

 

[Maineiac]

Is the moderator on the Daystate XL part of the barrel? or is it an included accessory that screws on? I've seen videos with and without one so I'm curious.

 

[EMrider]

"Maineiac"Last year I purchased a .22 Marauder as my first "real" air rifle. I've decided that I would like to upgrade to something more accurate with a longer shot count. It doesn't help that I have friends with fancy FX and Daystate rifles.

My budget is in the $1,000 range and I'd like to stick with .22 caliber. This will be used for a mix of bench shooting and hunting for squirrels, birds, and the occasional rabbit around 50 yards.

Here's what I'm looking at so far:

• FX Streamline
• AA S510
• BSA R-10 mk2

Is there a clearly "better" rifle of those 3? Or is there something else I should consider? I'm in the USA if that matters.

I get "new gun itis" and suffer from it myself occasionally. But if you really just want better accuracy and a better shot count, then I'd suggest two mods to your Mrod that will do the trick. 1) install a Marmot Militia hammer forged .22 cal barrel and 2) install a WAR TSS (twin spring system). Total upgrade cost will be about $300 and afterwards your Mrod will give you 45+ useable shots with remarkable accuracy.

Think of how fun it will be then to go out shooting with your friends and their euro guns?

R

 

[Smaug]

Deleted post.

 

[Maineiac]

"EMrider"

"Maineiac"Last year I purchased a .22 Marauder as my first "real" air rifle. I've decided that I would like to upgrade to something more accurate with a longer shot count. It doesn't help that I have friends with fancy FX and Daystate rifles.

My budget is in the $1,000 range and I'd like to stick with .22 caliber. This will be used for a mix of bench shooting and hunting for squirrels, birds, and the occasional rabbit around 50 yards.

Here's what I'm looking at so far:

• FX Streamline
• AA S510
• BSA R-10 mk2

Is there a clearly "better" rifle of those 3? Or is there something else I should consider? I'm in the USA if that matters.

I get "new gun itis" and suffer from it myself occasionally. But if you really just want better accuracy and a better shot count, then I'd suggest two mods to your Mrod that will do the trick. 1) install a Marmot Militia hammer forged .22 cal barrel and 2) install a WAR TSS (twin spring system). Total upgrade cost will be about $300 and afterwards your Mrod will give you 45+ useable shots with remarkable accuracy.

Think of how fun it will be then to go out shooting with your friends and their euro guns?

R

I thought about doing that but then I'm really close to a factory euro gun in cost and I would lack the warranty coverage should something happen. Probably nothing to worry about but I think about this stuff. LOL