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Multiple guns or 1 more adjustable rig?

Rabbits are running rampant in our neighborhood and looks like with the wife's blessing I may jump away from powder burners to dive a bit back into airgun land...used to shoot 10m paper targets competitively but that was 15+ years so lots of new stuff since then!

Traditional neighborhood on 1/4 acre lots or so, but not in city limits and no county ordinance against air guns so backyard shooting is legal but still trying to keep noise down as much as possible. Most shooting would be done from a mostly concealed patio area and longest backyard shot is realistically 20 yds....maybe 30 if I setup on the 2nd floor out a window at night.

My struggle is I know that when I go down this rabbit hole I'm quickly going to want something with more guts than the .177 that is right for my backyard and task at hand. Should I try and get something that is .22 cal and with enough adjustability and pellet choice can bring that fpe down to sub 20 and up to over 30 or is 2 dedicated rigs a simpler answer? Not many coons, few squirrels and no coyotes that I've seen but rabbits doing their thing like...well rabbits have caused a bumper crop this year.

Will be a PCP and initial budget I'm putting at about $1k but I already have the scuba tank from the prior venture and it was recently recertified so good there.

No preference between used or new but generally more of a buy once, cry once mentality so not looking for entry price point solutions. The backyard gun would benefit from compactness and I've enjoyed bullpup style ones in the past and have been looking at used Taipan or FX Wildcat or a new or used Akela. Several on the classifieds right now are intriguing me. What else should I be looking at in this area? If I went the 2 gun route, I'd probably justify to myself spending more on this one as it'd get greater use and could be used inside for precision paper punching

If I went the 2 gun route, the larger one would probably be a .25 cal in a longer platform, considering the Maruder or similar and would have 0 qualms buying used here as well and would probably prefer used to get more bells and whistles for same budget...what else in the .25 cal size and good to 80 to 100 yds should I learn about? This would primarily be small game/pest control though would like to try some field target matches if I can find some in my area.

So what says ya'll? Is a single gun with tuning or barrel sets feasible here...if so any recommendations? Or do you think separate tools for separate tasks is better and what would be your go to?
 
Moondog,
The fact that you are even considering needing multiple guns leads me to believe that in the future, YOU WILL own multiple guns. Sounds like you are a "right tool for the right job" kind of guy and you've been "bitten by the bug", as have many of us hear on the forum. One day you will say "It all started when I wanted a .177 to kill rabbits and then .... NOW, I have ....(nicer, more expensive, more purpose specific guns)".
My advice would spend your money on something that is fairly common and/or "popular"(easy to sell WHEN you decide to upgrade). You will probably find that when you have a gun that YOU can shoot very ACCURATELY(as you will find it to be the most important factor to enjoyable shooting), it will serve most of your shooting purposes better and you will be slightly less prone to wanting/needing more guns.
Also, be prepared to start budgeting more money for the upgrades/accessories/scopes/etc... that you WILL want in the future.
Good luck with your decision and welcome to the addiction.

Pretty much spot on....I like fun lead throwers and with small children and ammo prices I don't get to the powder burner range as often as I would like so hoping this helps scratch the itch a bit. I'd rather have several really good ones then a dozen mediocre ones so hopefully this is the first in a growing collection that has a couple of sporter class 10m guns that just aren't as much fun anymore with PCP goodness.

And I hear you on optics...my normal budget for glass on powder guns is 75 to 100% of the cost of the gun... don't always start there out of the box but generally where it ends up.
 
Pretty much spot on....I like fun lead throwers and with small children and ammo prices I don't get to the powder burner range as often as I would like so hoping this helps scratch the itch a bit. I'd rather have several really good ones then a dozen mediocre ones so hopefully this is the first in a growing collection that has a couple of sporter class 10m guns that just aren't as much fun anymore with PCP goodness.

And I hear you on optics...my normal budget for glass on powder guns is 75 to 100% of the cost of the gun... don't always start there out of the box but generally where it ends up.
Hello , moondog. I just joined here after reading your post & the Great advice by everyone. I'm not a typist but here goes,,,,, I started my airgun journey years ago w/ an original Benjamin Nitro Trail break-barrel .22 caliber. Changed out the trigger to a GTR (GRT ?),and started pesting birds at the local dairy farm corn bin. If I did my part I might connect out to 35ish yrds. My Son got two Gamos in .177 & we had a ball ! Over time my travel jobs took me near Utah Airguns. AND THAT"S WHEN IT HAPPENED !! I stayed w/in a mile of their store & range , rented a Hatsan Flash , shot a few mags & promptly became a range member . I bought a Flashpup in .22 & several accessories. When I finally got back home for hip replacement , part of my recovery was airgunning in the Man Cave (basement). After many years of game hunting ,large and small w/ powder burners , I was stoked to realize what I now had . Yes now I could reach out to almost .22 rimfire distance at places w/out any noise or danger of overshoots & over penetration . In my first year while home on job rotations I took 44 woodchuck (groundhogs here) and all w/ standard JSB 18+ round nose pellets. That's what they set it up with and the countless sparrows , pigeons ,starlings
never complained ! I may get a .25 sometime , but for now all 7 of my PCP's are .22's .Crows have fallen at 60+ yrds. Longest (and largest) g-hog was taken a few weeks ago w/ an Avenger Bullpup at 69 yrds shooting 27gr slugs. I now have taken 80 some g-hogs w/ airguns .Lazer ranging binos are now field gear. Last week my farmer friend asked if I could shoot rats. Does a bear poop in the woods ?! Well I'm retired and my calendar was open ! So after re-tuning some guns down a bit , I've taken 33 in 4 days ,along w/ 3 more g-hogs & countless pest birds . Needless to say He and His wife are ecstatic . AND I had a blast ! Enough key pecking for now . Welcome to the air addiction !!
 
That looks like a sweet setup and range there...man I miss country living and my powder burner range!

I did buy the Taipan so by end of the week should have it in hand! Thanks everyone for the input and looking forward to this new toy I mean tool :)
I wish that was my yard! I live in a condo, no backyard shooting for me! I have a membership at a trap range and they let me shoot in the back area. Nice place, membership is reasonable and about five minutes from my condo.

 
Hello , moondog. I just joined here after reading your post & the Great advice by everyone. I'm not a typist but here goes,,,,, I started my airgun journey years ago w/ an original Benjamin Nitro Trail break-barrel .22 caliber. Changed out the trigger to a GTR (GRT ?),and started pesting birds at the local dairy farm corn bin. If I did my part I might connect out to 35ish yrds. My Son got two Gamos in .177 & we had a ball ! Over time my travel jobs took me near Utah Airguns. AND THAT"S WHEN IT HAPPENED !! I stayed w/in a mile of their store & range , rented a Hatsan Flash , shot a few mags & promptly became a range member . I bought a Flashpup in .22 & several accessories. When I finally got back home for hip replacement , part of my recovery was airgunning in the Man Cave (basement). After many years of game hunting ,large and small w/ powder burners , I was stoked to realize what I now had . Yes now I could reach out to almost .22 rimfire distance at places w/out any noise or danger of overshoots & over penetration . In my first year while home on job rotations I took 44 woodchuck (groundhogs here) and all w/ standard JSB 18+ round nose pellets. That's what they set it up with and the countless sparrows , pigeons ,starlings
never complained ! I may get a .25 sometime , but for now all 7 of my PCP's are .22's .Crows have fallen at 60+ yrds. Longest (and largest) g-hog was taken a few weeks ago w/ an Avenger Bullpup at 69 yrds shooting 27gr slugs. I now have taken 80 some g-hogs w/ airguns .Lazer ranging binos are now field gear. Last week my farmer friend asked if I could shoot rats. Does a bear poop in the woods ?! Well I'm retired and my calendar was open ! So after re-tuning some guns down a bit , I've taken 33 in 4 days ,along w/ 3 more g-hogs & countless pest birds . Needless to say He and His wife are ecstatic . AND I had a blast ! Enough key pecking for now . Welcome to the air addiction !!

Thanks for joining in and sharing your experiences! My airgun journey started with an old crossman pump, then went to a break barrel with a horrendous trigger that didn't last long(like a day or two before going back to the Crossman) but most of my time was with Daisy 499(technically not an airgun) then 853 and their various cousins for 10m air rifle in sporter class as well as some 10m air pistol using Baikal IZH-46M which is an entry level "free" pistol but this will be my first serious move into PCP guns. I've got 40' in my basement and if shooting in my backyard from "concealment" from neighbors can do about 75' or so. I'll have to be content with it but the first place I bought was 7 acres in the country and I had a 100 yard range on my property but could easily do 500 yds with a minute walk around to the north side of my windbreak property line as long as the crops were out of the field.....got very spoiled very quickly!

Going to have to make some friends with a couple of the area land owners close by and see about needs for pest removal!
 
I wish that was my yard! I live in a condo, no backyard shooting for me! I have a membership at a trap range and they let me shoot in the back area. Nice place, membership is reasonable and about five minutes from my condo.


I know exactly where that place is...used to live in that neck of the woods and Dad worked in Romulus!
 
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You didn't mention budget, so get multiple calibers. Set them up the way you like for the job they need to do and grab the one you need for when you need it - it's ready to go!

That'll be the route I'm heading down and how the powder burners are generally setup. This one will be a start then I'll have to see what comes next a 22 or a .25 Neither one would be viable for the backyard so will spend some time figuring out what my other opportunities are in the area and what would work best there. I live on the border between urban and rural so I can likely find some rural acreage owners with hobby livestock and wanting to thin down the winged and legged pests.
 
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That'll be the route I'm heading down and how the powder burners are generally setup. This one will be a start then I'll have to see what comes next a 22 or a .25 Neither one would be viable for the backyard so will spend some time figuring out what my other opportunities are in the area and what would work best there. I live on the border between urban and rural so I can likely find some rural acreage owners with hobby livestock and wanting to thin down the winged and legged pests.
If you decide to go the FX route, you can go Dreamline/DreamTac which in .177 and .22 are easily clicked down to backyard friendly. I happen to have them in .177 up to .30 and they all shoot markedly well. The .30 is cranked up to 875 fps, so it can do the job at that caliber. But if you are in it for the long haul, I would go Impact. With either, you can buy one gun and get barrel kits in your desired caliber to decide if that is the gun for you. Like others mentioned and as you well know, they are like a tool, each has it's function. Happy spending :)
 
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I know exactly where that place is...used to live in that neck of the woods and Dad worked in Romulus!
Wayne County Sportsman's club is pretty damn cool. Has that feeling that it has been there for awhile and it will still be there for a long time to come. Place is always busy, even with the price of shells these days.
 
I've fallen victim to the idea of having one gun fill various roles multiple times, to the point that I've had various guns with multiple barrels. (Preview: as appealing as the concept sounds, it has been a failure for me, every time).

The first was a USFT, bought a .22 barrel in addition to the .177. Tim at MAC1 laughed on the phone when I ordered it and said something to the effect of extra barrels being another eventual sale of a gun for him, because guys don't like switching back and forth. Well, that .22 barrel has spent less than a few days on the gun, in close to 4 years of ownership.

Then a JSAR Raptor. Ordered it in .20 and had a friend machine me up 3 or 4 different .22 barrels. Thought it'd be cool to be able to do both, high power/mid power. I drove myself crazy swapping barrels around and rezeroing and tuning that gun. Finally sold it, not so much out of dislike but because of the amount of time tuning required. And the tuning was part gun design based, but mostly because I couldn't just leave it alone. That was my lesson in uber-tunability.....not for me.

Then the same machinist friend cut me a .177 Veteran barrel. I didn't have a .177 Veteran so that entailed swapping around with the .22 barrel on my Long. Going back and forth between testing the .177 and being ready for a long range XFT match (or an impromptu pdog popping session) with the .22 got old quick. So I bought another Vet to be a dedicated .177 platform.

It's likely goes back to a guys personality, but I have limited free time to shoot. I've concluded that I'd rather spend that time shooting, not tinkering. Having a dedicated use gun, with known (and most importantly, TRUSTABLE) trajectory and impact points, fps, etc, is where I get my enjoyment out of a gun.

We're all different, but my personal airgun happy place is the following: Grab it+shoot it+pellets go where they should = SMILES.

(Multiple guns with dedicated uses instead of 1 adjustable rig is my recommendation).
 
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I've fallen victim to the idea of having one gun fill various roles multiple times, to the point that I've had various guns with multiple barrels. (Preview: as appealing as the concept sounds, it has been a failure for me, every time).

The first was a USFT, bought a .22 barrel in addition to the .177. Tim at MAC1 laughed on the phone when I ordered it and said something to the effect of extra barrels being another eventual sale of a gun for him, because guys don't like switching back and forth. Well, that .22 barrel has spent less than a few days on the gun, in close to 4 years of ownership.

Then a JSAR Raptor. Ordered it in .20 and had a friend machine me up 3 or 4 different .22 barrels. Thought it'd be cool to be able to do both, high power/mid power. I drove myself crazy swapping barrels around and rezeroing and tuning that gun. Finally sold it, not so much out of dislike but because of the amount of time tuning required. And the tuning was part gun design based, but mostly because I couldn't just leave it alone. That was my lesson in uber-tunability.....not for me.

Then the same machinist friend cut me a .177 Veteran barrel. I didn't have a .177 Veteran so that entailed swapping around with the .22 barrel on my Long. Going back and forth between testing the .177 and being ready for a long range XFT match (or an impromptu pdog popping session) with the .22 got old quick. So I bought another Vet to be a dedicated .177 platform.

It's likely goes back to a guys personality, but I have limited free time to shoot. I've concluded that I'd rather spend that time shooting, not tinkering. Having a dedicated use gun, with known (and most importantly, TRUSTABLE) trajectory and impact points, fps, etc, is where I get my enjoyment out of a gun.

We're all different, but my personal airgun happy place is the following: Grab it+shoot it+pellets go where they should = SMILES.

(Multiple guns with dedicated uses instead of 1 adjustable rig is my recommendation).
I feel ya. I am a point and shoot kinda guy. For each gun, I find the best projectile, adjust the gun for that, set my zero at 50 yards, shoot at different ranges and record my hold overs on blue tape, stick it to the gun. Then, I shoot, reload, refill, repeat, repeat.
 
Call me crazy but why not have multiple adjustable guns?

I was just about to say that!!! LOL!!!

It’s great time to be an airguner, so many new awesome ammo available these days. The guns have to be adjustable enough to shoot the new ammo or it’s a bit of waste, for pellets it’s relatively easy.
 
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Well it showed up!

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Got a quick indoor range setup:
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Couple rounds and pretty close for now...this was at about 35 ft
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Next a bit more practice then to see how it does with a couple different pellet types then move outside to some longer distances
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