PCP prepper maybe?

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plinker

plinker

Member
May 28, 2015
1,045
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Georgia, United States
Being new to the sport this may be an old thought for you, but has anyone considered the value of a pellet rifle for survival or prepping. I purchased a tank and microbore whip for ease of use and I understand from reading these posts that it's not uncommon for those immersed in the sport to buy expensive hpa compressors. But it might be prudent to have a hand pump around for back-up. Think no power or generator. These guns can be so freakin' quiet that I think they would lend themselves well to stealth and covert game acquisition. 22lr is already illusive, but a tin of pellets= a lot of squirrels. The smaller bull pup models seem like a good choice, but even a well made springer might be handy. I think the greatest advantage to the PCP is the silence. Do most of you keep a hand pump on standby? What do you think about the gun as a necessity for survival? What would your PCP bug- out bag include? Would you go with springer or PCP and which model do you think would serve best? I've thought about a B-disco for lower pressure and ease of use, open sights etc. Chime in and tell me what you think. 
 
I would keep a hand pump on hand but to many other things on my list to buy. If I were going to by a gun for survival I think a cool but expensive one would have to be the FX Indy bullpup with the arrow attachment. It's self sufficient with it's on-board pump you get to shoot arrows and pellets. If you ever ran out of pellets then you could just retrieve arrows and the arrows could be powerful enough to take down deer size game and it's quite.
Leo : )
 
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I myself am a avid prepper, The best rifles for prepping are Gas piston rifles and pneumatic pump, A pcp rifle can be great to with a good hand pump but you must know how to work on them, I myself grabbed the AirForce escape and a Hill MK4 pump for my bug out pack, it has 100 fpe out of the box and a small 213cc tank so ez fill with a hand pump, Ammo can be stock piled very ez to, you can carry 10,000 rounds and it wont wight anything. A gas piston has a self contained power plant along with pneumatic pumps but not as much power as the escape. The escape is fully capable of taking small to medium game, I believe a Deer to with a well placed shot. I put a R&L airguns shroud on my escape making it extremely quiet, for the stealth you will need in a survival situation. 
 
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Thank you. I have been telling people for years to stop with the powder burners for bug out bags and survival situations. As mentioned, a few thousand rounds of ammo is way less in weight and cost than any firearm ammo would be.

Break barrel nitro pistons are nice and useful on the cheap end of the spectrum.

Personally, I have a bobcat on order and looking at that new fx impact take down. What more could someone ask for in a pcp. Smooth twist, moderated, hp, regulated, bull pup. Only thing in looks I'm not a fan of is the tank.

Is that design of tank able to be stored full? Or is it assemble, fill, then shoot? That is a crucial detail I need to find out.

In the 'bag' would be-

Fx impact .25 plus moderator and scope
Diabolo .25 pellets 5-10 tins (300/tin)
Hp refill tank
Hand pump
nvg & or thermal
rangefinder
Leatherman charge tti with the full flat bit set and t-shank mod
binoculars

Most of this would actually be on my person in a time of panic. Most rangefinders can easily be put in a pocket. Same with a tin of pellets once you silence them with some foam and extra magazines. Thermal cams and scope's are really coming down in size too. There's one for the iPhone5 as a phone case... again, pocketable. Or an NVG monocular or scope. The pcp would be assembled and on a sling under my jacket.

The actual contents of my bag currently has first aid and other medical gear/meds. Sharps, freeze dried food, lots of salt, seasonings, batteries, purification, fire starting gear, etc.

Someone really needs to do something about the size of the hand pumps. Make them more compact or break down with folding handles. Hell, make them more efficient.

Bobcat .25 gets ~80 shots before needing to refill the tank. Hoping the impact is as efficient. Means less air to carry around in the pack or have strategically placed refill areas around areas you are going to be. Or know where to get them in a shtf situation. Like dive shops, firestations, gas companies, paintball shops, airgun shops... you get the point
 
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Been looking at pcp handguns too. I keep an old suunto x11 GPS watch, garmin Oregon 450 topo GPS and a solar charger in my pack.

Will be adding some new walkies and a scanner soon since I recently sold the ones I had.

Now the truck is a different story. If I don't have to ditch her, then the rest of the world will burn as I'm getting to safety in her.
 
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"plinker"Great responses. I had not thought of the arrow possibility. I need skygear for a neighbor. He IS prepared!
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In my circles, I have been told, "If SHTF, and I can only bring one thing, it will be YOU!" ;)

Most of the gear I have, I use frequently. We Camp, Hike Hunt, Off Road, Fish, Freedive, spearfish, - if it is an outdoor activity, chances are the kids and I are into it. Most of peoples issues are this. They BUY garbage gear, not INVEST in quality gear. As far as activities go. Just go out and do them Stop procrastinating. 

LAWS on PCP/ pneumatic firearms for the most part throughout USA is lax/ non existent. Risking getting is trouble across state lines with a firearm and no paperwork is not in my scope of things. With the accuracy and power the modern ADULT pneumatic weapons, I'm surprised that more people are not into them. Another great application for them would be a survival 'gun' in air plains/ military. Ammo that does not expire and simple service on them?
 
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Even though I love my PCP, in a prepper or if STHF situation I don't think a PCP would be the way to go, to many extras. A springer or an even better option due to its lightweight would be a pump pneumatic like a Benjamin or Sheridan either would be a better option. You only need to take with you the gun & ammo and your in business. Small game is more plentiful, easier to hunt and prepare than large game. Rabbits, and birds are abundant and easy to take even within city limits plus you don't even need a knife to field dress them. 
 
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Valid point. My take on it is this. With the higher accuracy, that's less shots and thus less gear.

If the plan was to bug out to a specific location. I would have that location stocked with the accessories. With the right fittings, there would be pcp refills all over the place. Each of the firestations you go to would be full of tanks that are full. Each fire engine would have many tanks on them. Dive shops would have many tanks too. Paintball shops normally do not store the tanks full.

Something of note though. The ammo. .25 is not an in store item right now. Neither is. 20. If being able to grab ammo of the shelf is a store was the goal, .177 & .22 would be the only potential pellets you would find in a big box store.

I was in a bass pro shop recently. They had the Benjamin .25 trail nitro xl for $300ish. Salesman was scratching his head when I asked for the pellets for it. "Sorry, ajhhhh, we lost sales on this gun ever since we started selling it. People want to buy the gun and ammo at the same time. We only have it online and people do not want to wait for it. I can have it shipped overnight to your house if you want? Free of charge. ."

So it would appear that the issue is at the retailers end and not the manufacturer in the big box stores.

As for the pump gun, fx has one of the bullpups, similar looking to the bobcat, with a side lever pump action that you can also fill with a foster fitting and Tank. Not being a fanboy, that's just what comes to mind after all the recent research I have been doing.

Accuracy and shot count per fill.
 
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I agree with you that the ammo is important and availability has to be considered.
I did consider the long distance accuracy but the further the shot the higher the chance of missing. You can easily get within 40 yds or less of birds and rabbits and I can confidently dispatch them at that distance with my pump gun and open sights. The simpler the better, remember the old saying "KISS" (Keep it Simple Stupid"). I used to run around and shoot all kinds of critters with a pump gun and a leather pouch around my neck full of .22 pellets. 
(The leather pouch was to keep the pellets from making any noise as to the birds had already gotten wise to the sound of the familiar "pinging" sound the pellets make while in a tin can).
Even though pumping can be loud if its done carefully you can minimize the noise, and by minimizing the amount of air (or pumps) you also control the amount of noise the air rifle makes at the time of the shot, I dispatched many a bird with only 2 or 3 pumps for short chip shots.

Again don't get me wrong I am absolutely delighted with my PCP (.22 Daystate Huntsman XL) and the accuracy and long distance shots I have achieved with it but when SHTF and I have to bug out I would probably want to bug out as light as I can and with equipment that is very very low tech.

Choot 'em!
 
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"Dan.C"I myself am a avid prepper, The best rifles for prepping are Gas piston rifles and pneumatic pump, A pcp rifle can be great to with a good hand pump but you must know how to work on them, I myself grabbed the AirForce escape and a Hill MK4 pump for my bug out pack, it has 100 fpe out of the box and a small 213cc tank so ez fill with a hand pump, Ammo can be stock piled very ez to, you can carry 10,000 rounds and it wont wight anything. A gas piston has a self contained power plant along with pneumatic pumps but not as much power as the escape. The escape is fully capable of taking small to medium game, I believe a Deer to with a well placed shot. I put a R&L airguns shroud on my escape making it extremely quiet, for the stealth you will need in a survival situation.
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Hey Dan.

You seem happy with the R&L shroud. Did it really make it back yard friendly. I have same: Escape .25 cal with 24" barrel. Been shopping for a moderator. Any advice?
 
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To me, Prepper = self contained. That probably means a springer of some kind.

​If you want a PCP, something with a low fill pressure, and a hand pump. Maximus and a Hill pump might be a good combo. Make sure you have tools, a couple re-build kits, and appropriate lubricants. Should you be in a SHTF situation, the PCP might be more prone to breakdown, and you'll need to have the ability to rebuild.
 
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