• The AGN App is ready! Search "Airgun Nation" in your App store. To compliment this new tech we've assigned the "Threads" Feed & "Dark" Mode. To revert back click HERE.

Need help deciding on the one gun only best choice around $500

Jump to latest Follow Reply
TucsonAZ

TucsonAZ

Member
Dec 12, 2018
67
0
AZ, United States
So, I'm wanting one heck of an all around gun to say the least. I would like something that's slightly more compact like a bullpup, I would prefer either .25 or .30 though I'm noticing the .30 while not uncommon runs about 5x the cost, worth it if the gains are there to justify the additional cost. I would like something to function as a fun gun but let's say Covid 19 becomes an issue in the US and people do what they do best and become illogical and freak out maximizing the issue and I decide to pack off into the wilds for a year. I would like something I could, in a survival situation hand pump up (even if it took some time) and shoot for something larger like say turkey at 100 yards. Something that will take down a jack rabbit with ease.



Also, and this is a question, why are there no CO2 guns in .25 or .30, would there be any value to this? Even for close range shooting in the yard? If possible, I would like more of a tank style gun like Airforce for example to make filling easier for me and potentially leave me room to have more than one tank with me or possibly more than one fuel source if that's viable.



Additionally, is casting my own pellets ever an option? If so I would be fine with this though it does seem like much work to save $0.10 on a .30 cal pellet.



Anyway, reality check time for me, would love any info you may have on this or if you have something that fits the bill. I can think of the Kral Puncher in .25 and the Airforce Talon in the same. Maybe something like a refurb Hatsan BT65SB or Hercules in the .30 cal?



Thoughts, comments, criticism are all welcome here. I have a Hatsan AT44 Long now which I like but in all reality I shoot my little QB78S that I modified more than any other gun I own. 
 
Keep saving
Click to expand...

Will do, plenty of projects, always saving for them, welders, rock climbing gear, 4x4ing, astronomy, photography, computers, the list never ends. My issue isn't a lack of money to spend on it, my issue is priority and $500 is what it would be worth to me.



https://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Puncher_Breaker_Silent_Synthetic_Sidelever_PCP_Air_Rifle/4241

A great option for your budget plus comes with a scope and rings and some pellets.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that isn't bad at all, I didn't even notice the free gear with it.
 
Upvote 0
FWIW, Co2 does not have the energy density to push .25 or .30 caliber effectively. At it's best, Co2 is at 1800 psi. For survival scenario, you can't refill Co2 canisters. Gas pressure is dependant on temperature, cold temps yield much lower velocity.



It is ok for plinking and back yard shooters. It is a foolish choice for semi-survival scenario.
 
Upvote 0
i'm thinking you are looking at either kral , hatsan , or marauder . not sure if marauder does bull pups. think aftermarket one exists. they can be hand pumped. kral and hatsan have big power , as does airforce talon p. airforce are single shot. not sure that matters to you. personally , i'm going for the kral np-03 carbine in 25. that may fill your bill. runs about $400.

and i'm sure hatsan has something there as well.
 
Upvote 0
i'm thinking you are looking at either kral , hatsan , or marauder . not sure if marauder does bull pups. think aftermarket one exists. they can be hand pumped. kral and hatsan have big power , as does airforce talon p. airforce are single shot. not sure that matters to you. personally , i'm going for the kral np-03 carbine in 25. that may fill your bill. runs about $400.

and i'm sure hatsan has something there as well.
Click to expand...


I asked because I weld and have tons of it floating around and I live in Arizona, I also always have it around whether off roading for emergencies and if there were some type of survival issue I would run out of pellets before CO2. Living where I do, I'm going to be more like 1,500-2,000 psi for a solid 3+ months of the year which is a fair amount of FPE I would guess even in a .30 cal I would be able to get 25-30 FPE but I could be totally missing something and completely wrong which isn't uncommon for me. I do agree with you, CO2 isn't ideal and for most of the US you would struggle to get CO2 to it's critical temp 95% of the year. My worry would be more about hitting 3,000 psi with it than falling below 800 psi but I live in a place where kids get 2nd degree burns from seat belt buckles and I've worried my car was over heating...before starting it so nothing is normal here.
 
Upvote 0
I live in sunny socal, and even on the best days with 100+ temps my co2 guns in .22 caliber struggle to get 18 fpe. There is no way you could find an out the box gun that would make anywhere near 25+ fpe. Even if you made one you would be using a lot of co2 per shot, its just not practical at all, when there are better alternatives such as hpa. 
 
Upvote 0
1.

If eva I see a hatsan flashpup in 25 cal with a Huma I'd get it. I was thinking to myself a few weeks back, If I was on an entry level budget all over again, I would want a Huma hatsan flaspup Bullpup in 25 cal. I want one just to have as a backup because they seem like great performance for a good price and... Donnyfl makes an adapter for them to make them a different sounding gun. 

This one Airgunning brother of mine had me wanting one and can be had well within your budget. 



https://youtu.be/VK3I1-RxdmU



2.

Nah, that's about the only one I'd want. Lol

Thats about the best setup or maybe a Kral but why if you can get a flashpup and drop a Huma.



I was going to say umarex gauntlet but it's not a Bullpup.



RJ
 
Upvote 0
Not to mention you can get one of these for it. 

1582777292_7112594365e5743cc3b1c56.56715197_20200226_202038.jpg
https://donnyfl.com/products/hatsan-qe-1-2-x-20-unf-adapter



Now we are talking! 

Hope this helps your addiction I mean question. 



RJ
 
Upvote 0
$500? Sounds like you have a budget and you know what you want and what you want it to do. I'm assuming/hoping this means you already have an air source? A good home base source of air starts roughly at around $750 and goes up to around $3K. So, assuming you already have Air figured out, you may want to stay with the .25, maybe look at used guns, that will save you a little bit there and/or bring you up a notch in quality without paying for new. Good luck pumping up such a gun though. Even if you could, your seals may fail and then what? 

Perhaps a .22 such as a Liberty Nova Freedom? It's self contained pump up PCP. However I don't know enough about this gun to recommend it or not, but it's a little closer fit to meet what you are looking for. A higher end option would be an FX Indi, but I think that will blow your budget by a bit & I have not heard much about them in a while 

In the end I think your goals are a bit lofty and may not be achievable, but you may be able to get close to what you want if you are a bit flexible. My 0.02. 
 
Upvote 0
$500? Sounds like you have a budget and you know what you want and what you want it to do. I'm assuming/hoping this means you already have an air source? A good home base source of air starts roughly at around $750 and goes up to around $3K. So, assuming you already have Air figured out, you may want to stay with the .25, maybe look at used guns, that will save you a little bit there and/or bring you up a notch in quality without paying for new. Good luck pumping up such a gun though. Even if you could, your seals may fail and then what? 

Perhaps a .22 such as a Liberty Nova Freedom? It's self contained pump up PCP. However I don't know enough about this gun to recommend it or not, but it's a little closer fit to meet what you are looking for. A higher end option would be an FX Indi, but I think that will blow your budget by a bit & I have not heard much about them in a while 

In the end I think your goals are a bit lofty and may not be achievable, but you may be able to get close to what you want if you are a bit flexible. My 0.02.
Click to expand...


Arrrrggg, that pump up gun is horrible, I can't imagine using that unless I totally needed to in which case I would likely just go with a nice Crossman from the custom shop and save $300 for something else. It's a great suggestion, I appreciate it but not at all when I'm seeking in my original post. I have a compressor so air isn't an issue but as I mentioned I would like to be able to pump it up with a pump no matter how much work it took in the event I was ever without power but needed it. Clearly in a survival situation pumping for 2 hours if needed to get 10 shots would be well within acceptable to feed yourself. Heck, pumping 2 hours a day for 5 days would be fine if you were needing food. 



In the given senecio, I just wouldn’t take a pcp. Subsonic.22 lr would be minimum in that case imo
Click to expand...


I have literally dozens of powder guns to choose from, those aren't what I'm looking for in my post. I guess you don't know I have them so it's a fair suggestion but I don't want a powder gun, I travel a lot and don't want to deal with the regulations and legal aspects or it would be a good choice. 



I appreciate all of your comments, I also know I'm asking for a lot from a gun, I just need something that fits into a niche I don't already have filled. I'm not broke or super restricted, I am just trying to find something to fill the place of a few of my current guns so I can downsize what I have a little. I really do value what you all think, as I said I'm going for maximum flexibility here more than anything else. Maybe the Gauntlet actually is the best option I was just hoping for something with a slightly more quality feel.
 
Upvote 0
As already alluded to, an airgun (specifically a PCP) is really a poor choice for survival situations, IMO. Currently, they simply require too many accoutrements and too much maintenance to maintain long-term functionality in survival scenarios. Springers are decent airguns for long-term, low-maintenance situations, but they probably won't be bagging many turkeys at 100 yds.

My advice would be to read through these forums and peruse Youtube to find a few PCP makes/models that will suit your needs that is twice your current budget. Once you find those, try to find a used one for about 50-60% of the original retail price (this forum is a great place to do that in the classifieds section). Make sure to leave yourself an extra $100 or so for a hand pump and some quality pellets.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to dive right into this sport. It's really a lot of fun.
 
Upvote 0
Many factors to consider when picking an Airgun that can be used in Survival situation. My only advice would be to really think about caliber selection, smaller calibers are easier to carry and larger calibers are easier to cast. Bottle type guns may be a bare to pump if need be down the road. For the money you are looking at the lower end bullpups that may have durability issues. Pick something simple to work on in the field rather than a more sophisticated design. Airguns can be survival tools in fact. 
 
Upvote 0
I really should have been more specific and clear and informative about my background. I'm still shocked and confused when I realize for the thousandth plus time that people on the internet can't read my mind. 

I have every powder gun possible, needed, wanted, cared about, far more than I needed now that I'm older and I've all but stopped shooting. To the point that I'm thinking about selling them all off and just keeping my pre-64 Winchester. Maybe a Keltec (I'm amazed I'm admitting to this on the internet) Sub 2000 which would be a great all arounder. I have a poweder gun within 5 feet of me pretty much at any and all moments in my life. Remember I live in a State with the most relaxed gun laws in the Country, heck, my EDC knife is a full auto stiletto. 

So I have the .22 Hatsan AT44 Long which is a great gun, I can head shot a sparrow at 30-40 yards with it. It just doesn't have enough punch for some of my other desert pesting concerns. I have a compressor, good optics (remember I'm a gun guy), bipod, everything I need for it. I live rural but have neighbors so if I want to shoot in my yard I could get away with something fairly loud but would rather not draw attention. 

My desire for an all round PCP is simply to find something easy to transport, accurate, dependable, very low noise, and the ability in a pinch to function in a survival situation. I live rural and have a homesteader mentality so there's nothing in my life that doesn't function for more than one thing.

That may give you slightly more context for my wants, I have a full scope idea of what's out there but I do lack understanding of PCPs. I grew up in Milwaukee so pretty sure I was shooting the Sheridan pump before I was walking but PCPs are new to me so I'm hoping to figure out what I'm maybe missing. Heck, I would even go with a XISICO Sentry if I thought they were dependable enough.
 
Upvote 0
A $500 PCP is not the same as a $500 firearm. The .223 you pick up for that price will still be shooting tiny group’s reliability when your great grandkids inherit it. Lower cost PCP’s cut corners on build quality. Like the Flashpup. There is a very important piece in that gun that is made of plastic. When it breaks, you are done. Taipans, Edguns, the build quality is there and you pay for it. If you spend time on forums, it becomes obvious what guns have issues and which guns don’t. Sadly there are no sub $500 guns that I have any confidence in buying. I own some but I know going in that I will be working on them and either building or buying upgraded parts. Sell off some powder burners and get a good PCP. 
 
Upvote 0
Choosing a pcp just because is affordable is the precedent for having the need of spend more money in a good one.

Save more money ($1000 more) and buy one that will last forever.
Click to expand...

I'm not planning on lasting forever, I'll be more than happy to get a decade out of it. I understand it's the internet but I've clarified the budget thing a couple times, I don't have to save, I have the money, hell, I have eyepieces for my telescope that cost well over $500, I just have other priorities to spend it on than a PCP.



A $500 PCP is not the same as a $500 firearm. The .223 you pick up for that price will still be shooting tiny group’s reliability when your great grandkids inherit it. Lower cost PCP’s cut corners on build quality. Like the Flashpup. There is a very important piece in that gun that is made of plastic. When it breaks, you are done. Taipans, Edguns, the build quality is there and you pay for it. If you spend time on forums, it becomes obvious what guns have issues and which guns don’t. Sadly there are no sub $500 guns that I have any confidence in buying. I own some but I know going in that I will be working on them and either building or buying upgraded parts. Sell off some powder burners and get a good PCP.
Click to expand...

Now this makes perfect sense to me. Mind you, I'm going to shoot maybe 1,000-5,000 pellets in the entire time I own it. I have a Colt Cadet .22 I retired after 25,000 rounds and only because it had sentimental value. Is it not possible to just pull the part, toss it on a CNC or lathe and machine a new one? Keep in mind here, I'm not a cheap guy, I have a Caspian 1911 with a Damascus slide, a Volquartsen, and plenty of other costly guns.

What I maybe should have said is a $200 PCP would have served me well, a $300 would have been more than enough and a $500 is way way overkill for me so "what would you buy if you had $500 to blow on a bullpup style pcp".

Anyway, thanks for the great food for thought.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu