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New to air gunning

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PBALL942

Member
Mar 21, 2018
7
0
Oklahoma
Hello all. New to air gunning and am considering PCP. Not going to give a resume here, just say that I have plenty of trigger time on powder burners. However cost and time being what is I became interested in air guns. Mind you I hadn't looked at air guns since I was a kid with my Daisy BB gun. So I have to admit that I was surprised and impressed with the current offerings.

I did buy an Umerx Octain Elite so I can plink in my backyard. I and its perfect for what I got it for. However just like when I was younger after getting my first .22 rimfire... I became hooked. Moved on to bigger and better. So now I am looking in to getting into PCP. 

I have looked a lot of different aspects and do know that I want a .25 bullpup with side lever cocking ( and not near my ear). I like the FX Wildcat, but have to admit the the Hatsan Bullboss appeals to me more due to price and reported power 900 vs 970 as posted on air gun depots product pages.

I guess what I should be asking is if either of these would be a good entry level PCP or are there other options. Also what else should I consider for an entry level gun. Do I get regulated or not? How easy is it be to pump up.... cause yeah gonna have to start with a hand pump. (at least I can save on gym membership).

Anyway thanks in advance and look forward to everyone opinions and suggestions.
 
I dont know much about the bullboss but i do know the wildcat is a great gun. I own two fx rifles and have a shooting buddy with two including a wildcat he has a huma reg and its shooting 34gr mk2 .25cal pellets 900fps and stacking them in one hole at 50 yrs.I own a bobcat gen 1 and a impact and love them. Both my guns shoot 25gr .25cal pellets over 900fps from factory. I believe most high end guns come regulated. I had my Impact tuned to shoot mk2 heavys 34gr shooting about 850fps very accurately.There are a lot of options as for air fills but I believe because of the high pressures these guns shoot at pumping will get old fast.If you live near a dive shop you could get a c/f tank rated to 4500psi and get it filled or....lots of options.
Good luck Sonny
 
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PBAll942

Great hobby/sport airgunning.

Pumping pcp by hand is hard work , very.
Think you need to take on board this higher speed more energy better accuracy longer kill range issue.
Most airgunning is 30 to say 130 yards.
At 50 yards and over the pellet/gun combination becomes more important especially the further you go.
Most medium long range is done with diablo shaped pellets for accuracy.
JSB for example in a .25 gun perform best within the 800 to 900 fos window. Higher speeds tend to destabilise the pellet , spiralling etc.
Unlike PB's if hunting, where a there abouts hit will drop quarry or kill due to greater energy, shop placement hence accuracy is paramount.
A average .25 energy is 45 fpe , a heavier pellet say 34 grain Jsb may give 50 fpe. 
If one is wanting more power use a bigger calibre, say .30. 
You don't say whether you hunt or target or combination.
There are so many guns now of decent quality on the market, suggest you find a gun club where members would be delighted to display their guns or a good dealer .The latter normally have a test range to try.
Bullpups give faster target aquisition good for hunting. Less good for just target shooting, 
Conversely long rifles the opposite. 
Worth taking into account shot count per fill, bottle guns with 500 cc give obviously more shots than tube guns with 270cc capacity. 
Weight ,regulated, reliability, wood or composite,noise, shot count and most importantly accuracy especially 70 yards and over. Most pcp capable of wow look at that group 25 to 40 yards. The chrono is most useful for discovering gun characteristiics. 
Suggest you get what you pay for. Good gun cheap or poor scope unhappiness. Match the two.
Assume you know FX make the Independant maybe other makes too. This has built in high performance pump.
There are gas ram guns available which perform fairly close to pcp's , no need for scuba tanks or pumps etc.
Buy a scuba tank , cheaper gun cheaper scope to start. Tank can be used for all future Pcp purchases.

Whatever we all end up with a cupboard full of scopes and guns and bits.
Great sport have fun, steep learning curve to be a nerd.

safe shooting

 
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If you catch a good deal on it during a sale, the Bullboss 25 is a great choice. I picked mine up for $400. How do you beat that? I like the balance and feel of it. I can easily add a regulator to it anytime I get the urge. Obviously we would all prefer the high-end rifles, but in the real world we often have to figure out where our budget meets our desires. The hand pump is a normal starting point for most PCP newbies. I think using a hand pump will help you appreciate the convenience of a carbon fiber tank even more, once you take that leap. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of moving through the line-up. I started with a break-barrel. I didn't get tired of cocking it so much as I learned enough about PCPs to realize how badly I needed one in my life. Got a Gamo Urban in 22. Realized how much I desperately needed a 25 caliber, so I got an FX Streamline 25. Realized how long and unwieldy the Streamline is in the woods hunting, and how desperately I needed a bullpup, so I got a Hatsan Bullboss 25. Then I realized how inadequately prepared I was for bigger game, and that the Hatsan Hercules 45 would easily solve all my problems. The whole process has been a blast for me, and I encourage you to figure out what seems right for you, for right now, and go with it. You'll be glad you did.
 
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I guess I should expand on what I intend to do as Wolfie pointed out. Small game out to maybe 75 yards. But still want to enjoy trigger time in the backyard. I do have ambitions for the bigger calibers Such as the AF Texan or the Bulldog. But I do like the capability of a multi shot system, and any large game at this time... well I have powder burners for that.

I enjoy the intricacies of finding a good combination of pellet and power. Don't mind a bit of tuning on a gun if need be. Although not having to tune is even better :). And the challenge of airgun hunting... well I find it more sporting.

I have still as yet to find more people with interest in air gunning in my local area. But I am continuing to look, who knows I may start my own air gun club. I do have limited options for filling SCUBA tanks... not many dive shops in NW Oklahoma. So I plan to eventually buy compressor. But will start with a hand pump.

The FX Indy really intrigues me but I think I will have to really have to sweet talk my wife before she lets me spend that much on anything. But have a plan for that... lol I call it operation gamo swarm. Trying to get her into the sport as well, she mentioned that she would love to shoot but hated loading one pellet at a time.

Ok now I'm starting to ramble. 
 
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I pump my marauder with a hand pump. Its not hard you don't have to weight 250ibs to pump to 3,000 psi. I am not a body builder, I am very active and at 185ibs can pump up my gun from 1700ish to 3000 in about 5mins or so. I don't smoke tobacco and keep myself in good health. Diet and excersize. The pumping gets my heart rate up just above resting and breathing is far from labored.
 
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I never believed in that by the lower cheaper model because your knew to something the first PCP I ordered was a rapid air weapon hm1000x and when I waited for that to come in I bought a FX wildcat I'm so glad I went straight to the mid-price guns my Wildcat 25 caliber it's so pleasant to shoot there's nothing that I have bad to say about it and they're on sale at precision air guns for $1,170 you won't go wrong with a wild cat but they did say you might be missing out on something if you don't start with the low end my opinion one nightstand is way better than having two or three decent guns I can tell you this if you buy a wildcat you will not look to upgrade if you buy the bull boss you sure will be looking to upgrade very very soon definitely get a regulated airgun well plan to have one installed
 
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First thing is to get a good pump there is a lot of garbage cheep ones that won’t last and are difficult to pump. I agree with others in recommending the wildcat I own a Hatsan Gladius but it’s too heavy but it’s fine off a bench the FX guns are a nice choice you can always sell the wildcat without much difficulty if you ever decide to move to something else. You can also look at the new ones from Edgun they are nice and easy to work on the R5m comes in 3 lengths and if the price is to steep there is a new shorter model that is nice called the Lelya which is a few hundred less. Look at the classified sometimes there are some nice ones at a fair price just check the history of the seller to make sure they are legit. 
 
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Yes, get one with a regulator! I almost bought a Wildcat MKII the other day, but opted for the Streamline 25 instead. It's going to be long with a suppressor but I'm not the biggest fan of bullpups. I seriously considered the Wildcat though, being the same price in Synthetic as my Streamline in Laminate.

A hand pump is fine to start out with. I'm still pumping with a Hill Mk4. It's a chore for sure, but I have a 74 cu.ft. tank on the way as soon as Pyramyd Air gets them back in stock.

If you have any idea that you're going to like this, don't go too entry level like I did. I bought a Benjamin Maximus as my first PCP air rifle. It wasn't long before I bought the Streamline 22, and now the Benji just sits there. :-(
 
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"Bob_O"Yes, get one with a regulator! I almost bought a Wildcat MKII the other day, but opted for the Streamline 25 instead. It's going to be long with a suppressor but I'm not the biggest fan of bullpups. I seriously considered the Wildcat though, being the same price in Synthetic as my Streamline in Laminate.
A hand pump is fine to start out with. I'm still pumping with a Hill Mk4. It's a chore for sure, but I have a 74 cu.ft. tank on the way as soon as Pyramyd Air gets them back in stock.
If you have any idea that you're going to like this, don't go too entry level like I did. I bought a Benjamin Maximus as my first PCP air rifle. It wasn't long before I bought the Streamline 22, and now the Benji just sits there. :-(
Click to expand...
If you don’t actually have your streamline yet I heard it will be discontinued when the Dreamliner is released then it what is left will probably be on sale
 
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When I first heard of the Dreamline, I figured I'd wait and buy a 30 Caliber variant.

But then I heard that a caliber kit was over $300.00 not to mention all the other things I'd be tempted to do t it that would cost me an arm and a leg. I already have an AR-15 that I spent triple the buying price on doing upgrades and such. The last thing I want is to do that all over again with an air rifle.

Besides, in my line of "work" I need two rifles with me. I drive 120 miles one way to multiple farms for pest bird control on a weekly basis.....I can't have just one rifle with me and have it go down for some reason.

Besides, I want to shoot, not tinker with tuning, etc. I don't have the time to mess with the regulator and hammer spring adjustments, which is something I know I'd do if the option was there.

My Streamline 22 has been a work horse since day one and has never skipped a beat. A 25 will allow me to take larger birds and pest animals, and extend my range for wary pigeons and crows.

 
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