I see people almost weekly asking the "which gun should I buy" questions. I posted the following about 6 months ago & had a great response ("To the Newbies, Not So Newbies & Others") & had a great response. Thought I'd put it here again in the hope of helping people make that decision. The responses were very informative. Good luck people. Stay safe & shoot straight!
To the Newbies, Not So Newbies & All Others: (6 mos. ago)
We'd all like to believe that if we just had the same equipment & set-ups as the "heroes" of these forums (i.e. Centercut, Crosman999, HunterOne, etc.) that the day we receive said equipment we'll pull it out of the box & shoot with the same results as these guys. If only it worked that way! Gaining proficiency in ANY field of endeavor is a matter of many hours of practice, many failures, learning from failures, familiarity with the workings of equipment & surroundings and then, MORE PRACTICE! I, for one, am really glad I started out with "entry level" or worse equipment. I worked hard at getting the best out of that stuff (& myself) that I could get. When I finally did get top of the line gear what REALLY made it enjoyable & feel like "a whole new level" wasn't so much the gear but all the hours of hard learning that made me feel like I had "earned" that gear. I hope you shooters new & not so new will understand that what makes any equipment special is really the shooter behind it what knowledge & skill they bring to the table. Great gear makes it really special & easy but confidence in ourselves & lessons we've learned is what makes it WORK!!! I feel for people's disappointment when their new gear doesn't live up to expectations but you have to ask yourself, "When I had not so great gear could I live up to ITS expectations?" If the answer is NO, then don't expect stellar changes when that high priced rifle comes in the mail! Thought this needed to be said (but I've been wrong before! ) Stay safe & shoot straight (as you can).
Gerry
To the Newbies, Not So Newbies & All Others: (6 mos. ago)
We'd all like to believe that if we just had the same equipment & set-ups as the "heroes" of these forums (i.e. Centercut, Crosman999, HunterOne, etc.) that the day we receive said equipment we'll pull it out of the box & shoot with the same results as these guys. If only it worked that way! Gaining proficiency in ANY field of endeavor is a matter of many hours of practice, many failures, learning from failures, familiarity with the workings of equipment & surroundings and then, MORE PRACTICE! I, for one, am really glad I started out with "entry level" or worse equipment. I worked hard at getting the best out of that stuff (& myself) that I could get. When I finally did get top of the line gear what REALLY made it enjoyable & feel like "a whole new level" wasn't so much the gear but all the hours of hard learning that made me feel like I had "earned" that gear. I hope you shooters new & not so new will understand that what makes any equipment special is really the shooter behind it what knowledge & skill they bring to the table. Great gear makes it really special & easy but confidence in ourselves & lessons we've learned is what makes it WORK!!! I feel for people's disappointment when their new gear doesn't live up to expectations but you have to ask yourself, "When I had not so great gear could I live up to ITS expectations?" If the answer is NO, then don't expect stellar changes when that high priced rifle comes in the mail! Thought this needed to be said (but I've been wrong before! ) Stay safe & shoot straight (as you can).
Gerry