Hello AGN! I’ve lurked here for a while, but now that I have my 2nd PCP it’s officially become a hobby and I figured it was time to make an account.
A couple years ago I moved out to some acreage in San Diego County, CA and was looking for a way to eliminate small pests. Our property is perched near the top of a ridge, which is great for the views but terrible for shooting (since almost every direction is sloped downward into the neighboring properties.) So, I figured a firearm would be overkill for squirrels and rats when a “bb gun” would probably be enough. I had no idea PCPs even existed yet, but I’m glad I did some research first. Damn, what a rabbit hole!
Thanks to advice I read on AGN and elsewhere back then, I got a .25 Mrod with cheapo scope just to test the waters. The Mrod’s been a great gun over the last two years: reliable and accurate, and has taken many a squirrel (and even a pocket gopher in one of my proudest pesting moments.) I hadn’t shot a “bb gun” since I was a kid, so I was surprised by the relative power this airgun could put out. However, a few things eventually bugged me… the bolt action is stiff, which makes it harder to take quick follow-ups, and of course eventually I got bitten by the more-power bug. I debated spending $$ to make it better, but in the end it made more sense to just get a new gun. Plus… it was an excuse to get a new gun!
I wanted to see what a more powerful PCP could do… So, since I had such great luck with one of AGN’s most beloved guns, naturally for my next gun I went with one of AGN’s most hated guns: the W.A. Sidewinder.
Just teasing… mostly.
Actually, it was thanks to @Emu 's reviews that tipped my decision to the .25 Sidewinder over some of the more popular guns that I was considering (Daystate, BRK, FX). I’ve had it for about 4 mos now, and love it. It’s obviously far more powerful than the Mrod… and since it’s only my 2nd PCP, I was actually surprised (again) by the power a PCP was capable of. I haven’t seriously attempted slugs yet, but I did grab a FX pocket radar v2 because, you know… rabbit hole. For now I’m happy with keeping it on the lowest reg setting, using King Heavies at 70fpe which gets about 3 mags (~45 shots) per fill.
I know semi-autos have their shortcomings, but I’m glad it exists because it does everything I need plus a bunch of things I don’t need, which should keep me happy for a while. So far the only downside to semi-auto is that I need to drastically increase my ammo budget! I’ve been having fun lately practicing for speed and accuracy combined… which chews through a lot of lead. But did I mention it’s fun? (And before you roll your eyes… if you’ve ever tried to defend your garden against an entire strike-team of crazed veggie-raiding Squirrels, you’ll know why I’m practicing that way!)
One of my main interests now is learning how to make my own ammo, so you’ll probably see me asking dumb questions over in the Projectiles forum. Gotta be careful not to fall down too many rabbit holes at once, though!
Lastly, here’s some pics I took of the Sidewinder during a break in our rain the other day:
A couple years ago I moved out to some acreage in San Diego County, CA and was looking for a way to eliminate small pests. Our property is perched near the top of a ridge, which is great for the views but terrible for shooting (since almost every direction is sloped downward into the neighboring properties.) So, I figured a firearm would be overkill for squirrels and rats when a “bb gun” would probably be enough. I had no idea PCPs even existed yet, but I’m glad I did some research first. Damn, what a rabbit hole!
Thanks to advice I read on AGN and elsewhere back then, I got a .25 Mrod with cheapo scope just to test the waters. The Mrod’s been a great gun over the last two years: reliable and accurate, and has taken many a squirrel (and even a pocket gopher in one of my proudest pesting moments.) I hadn’t shot a “bb gun” since I was a kid, so I was surprised by the relative power this airgun could put out. However, a few things eventually bugged me… the bolt action is stiff, which makes it harder to take quick follow-ups, and of course eventually I got bitten by the more-power bug. I debated spending $$ to make it better, but in the end it made more sense to just get a new gun. Plus… it was an excuse to get a new gun!
I wanted to see what a more powerful PCP could do… So, since I had such great luck with one of AGN’s most beloved guns, naturally for my next gun I went with one of AGN’s most hated guns: the W.A. Sidewinder.
Just teasing… mostly.
Actually, it was thanks to @Emu 's reviews that tipped my decision to the .25 Sidewinder over some of the more popular guns that I was considering (Daystate, BRK, FX). I’ve had it for about 4 mos now, and love it. It’s obviously far more powerful than the Mrod… and since it’s only my 2nd PCP, I was actually surprised (again) by the power a PCP was capable of. I haven’t seriously attempted slugs yet, but I did grab a FX pocket radar v2 because, you know… rabbit hole. For now I’m happy with keeping it on the lowest reg setting, using King Heavies at 70fpe which gets about 3 mags (~45 shots) per fill.I know semi-autos have their shortcomings, but I’m glad it exists because it does everything I need plus a bunch of things I don’t need, which should keep me happy for a while. So far the only downside to semi-auto is that I need to drastically increase my ammo budget! I’ve been having fun lately practicing for speed and accuracy combined… which chews through a lot of lead. But did I mention it’s fun? (And before you roll your eyes… if you’ve ever tried to defend your garden against an entire strike-team of crazed veggie-raiding Squirrels, you’ll know why I’m practicing that way!)
One of my main interests now is learning how to make my own ammo, so you’ll probably see me asking dumb questions over in the Projectiles forum. Gotta be careful not to fall down too many rabbit holes at once, though!
Lastly, here’s some pics I took of the Sidewinder during a break in our rain the other day:
Feel free to PM me if you ever want to meet up. It's always more enjoyable than shooting alone. Nice new gun BTW. ENJOY!
