PCP to Spring Piston Air Rifle

[Teep]

About three years ago I won a 4500psi guppy tank with hose at an airgun shoot. After about a year I decided to purchase a PCP rifle and chose an AirForce TalonSS which I thought would get a lot of shots but in reality it only gets about 50 good shots per fill. I found the TalonSS to be quiet and accurate but have never really come to grips with the rear tank, no weight up front, and high scope mount. I have also found that keeping the air tank full means a lot of trips to town and is getting expensive at $10 per fill. I've had had several spring piston rifles in the past but currently only have an R7 which is capable of out shooting the TalonSS but is low powered. I am considering selling the TalonSS and air tank and purchasing either an HW50 or HW95. Am I crazy or should I be looking into a different PCP rifle. I'm 75 years old so I also wonder how much longer I will be able to cock an HW95. Any and all thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[dizzums]

a single shot gun is for the birds .. you want a gun thats fun and gets probably 100 shots per fill try a hatsan blitz .. its a bench gun more or less .. if you want somethong real light and easy to do everything without breaking the bank get a marauder pistol .. but a springer .. i'd never shoot one again except to play around with the kids or something ..

 

[toku58]

First of all what do you shoot?? How much power do you need?

 

[Teep]

First of all what do you shoot?? How much power do you need?

Mainly starlings, sparrows, and pigeons with an occasional squirrel at a maximum of 50 yards.

 

[Glenroiland]

a single shot gun is for the birds .. you want a gun thats fun and gets probably 100 shots per fill try a hatsan blitz .. its a bench gun more or less .. if you want somethong real light and easy to do everything without breaking the bank get a marauder pistol .. but a springer .. i'd never shoot one again except to play around with the kids or something ..

Disagree. There are TONS of springer options that are both powerful and tremendously accurate.

I am a firearms guy turned springer guy. Plenty of great options.

 

[Glenroiland]

First of all what do you shoot?? How much power do you need?

Mainly starlings, sparrows, and pigeons with an occasional squirrel at a maximum of 50 yards.

My two main hunters right now are my d48 which I find extremely easy to cock and delivers near 20 FPE, and my asp20 which is more difficult to cock but is deadly.



I can EASILY take out squirrels to 45 yards. I

 

[bandg]

a single shot gun is for the birds .. you want a gun thats fun and gets probably 100 shots per fill try a hatsan blitz .. its a bench gun more or less .. if you want somethong real light and easy to do everything without breaking the bank get a marauder pistol .. but a springer .. i'd never shoot one again except to play around with the kids or something ..

Disagree. There are TONS of springer options that are both powerful and tremendously accurate.

I am a firearms guy turned springer guy. Plenty of great options.

Agree. "single shot is for the birds" is one opinion, and not a very valid one IMO.

 

[bltefft]

Howdy, old man, glad to meet someone older than me - I'm only 70 years old.

I prefer my PCP's over my springers. Because the PCP's are "gentler and quieter" and multi-shot (all my springers are single-shot). My strongest springer is a Diana 460 Magnum and I can cock it easily - a few times. My "most fun" springer is my Air Arms TX200. After shooting the 460 a few times, I really appreciate my PCP's - a .177 Avenger, .22 Daystate Wolverine R or my .25 Daystate Wolverine HP, to name a few. All of those PCP's use mags and it's nice to get a fast follow-up shot.

But I sure like just grabbing one of my springers and having no 4500 psi compressor, SCBA tank, etc. to deal with - just cock and shoot.

Take care.

 

[Micro]

Well, you have to start thinking about your health - hurt your shoulder once and the pain will probably go away in a couple weeks; during that time just getting a glass out of an upper cabinet in the kitchen will be torture. Air Force guns have been around for a very long time - almost unchanged, but I agree with you about the high scope mounting and other aspects of the design that are not appropriate or enjoyable. The HW95/R9 is the sweet spot in whatever caliber you choose and they are reliable - I have one, too: but it's not competitive with with a PCP. Though it's boring, I would think about a compressor before doing anything else - since you already have a tank so much the better then think about a gun. After that treat yourself to a gun you will be satisfied with and have fun without the stress. Stay healthy and comfortable!

 

[GoldenStateAIRGUNer]

If your getting tired of the air compressors, moisture filters, and filing of a airgun and want the umbilical cord freedom of a spring piston airgun then a HW95 is a good choice. Depending on your strength cocking effort has to come into play. As Glenroiland stated the Sig ASP20 is a great choice. Problem! They don't make them anymore and who knows how long they will back them. 

 

[GoldenStateAIRGUNer]

Well, you have to start thinking about your health - hurt your shoulder once and the pain will probably go away in a couple weeks; during that time just getting a glass out of an upper cabinet in the kitchen will be torture. Air Force guns have been around for a very long time - almost unchanged, but I agree with you about the high scope mounting and other aspects of the design that are not appropriate or enjoyable. The HW95/R9 is the sweet spot in whatever caliber you choose and they are reliable - I have one, too: but it's not competitive with with a PCP. Though it's boring, I would think about a compressor before doing anything else - since you already have a tank so much the better then think about a gun. After that treat yourself to a gun you will be satisfied with and have fun without the stress. Stay healthy and comfortable

!

Well said !

 

[Glenroiland]

a single shot gun is for the birds .. you want a gun thats fun and gets probably 100 shots per fill try a hatsan blitz .. its a bench gun more or less .. if you want somethong real light and easy to do everything without breaking the bank get a marauder pistol .. but a springer .. i'd never shoot one again except to play around with the kids or something ..

Disagree. There are TONS of springer options that are both powerful and tremendously accurate.

I am a firearms guy turned springer guy. Plenty of great options.

Agree. "single shot is for the birds" is one opinion, and not a very valid one IMO.

Agreed. Knowing I won't have the option for a quick follow up has made me make certain of my shot placement. I never pull the trigger if I'm not 99.999999 percent certain I'll hit my mark. To date it has worked very well for me..

 

[Glenroiland]

If your getting tired of the air compressors, moisture filters, and filing of a airgun and want the umbilical cord freedom of a spring piston airgun then a HW95 is a good choice. Depending on your strength cocking effort has to come into play. As Glenroiland stated the Sig ASP20 is a great choice. Problem! They don't make them anymore and who knows how long they will back them.

True. I personally wouldn't purchase the asp20 now due to its ended production. However, I'll never get rid of mine.

 

[Fischer]

First of all what do you shoot?? How much power do you need?

Mainly starlings, sparrows, and pigeons with an occasional squirrel at a maximum of 50 yards.

R7, HW30, HW35E, HW50S, and no more than HW98 is necessary.

I have pcps in pistol and rifle and nothing beats pulling back a barrel or spring for ACCURACY in EVERY shot.

PCPs lose air and yards in the Target Sight set open or in the scope.

The sidelever D54 or the break barrel HW98 will cure ALL your ideas of PERFECTION in shooting!

Take my word for it!

Kindly,

A chess player who uses Bobby Fischer as a monogram because Mikhail Tal was already taken by someone who knew Tal's best words in chess: "If you see a good move, look for a better one."

He was a Grandmaster!

 

[MacGyver]

Well, you have to start thinking about your health - hurt your shoulder once and the pain will probably go away in a couple weeks; during that time just getting a glass out of an upper cabinet in the kitchen will be torture.

Micro makes a very good point. Something I wouldn't have even considered a decade back. Get a little tendonitis in your shoulder or elbow and the popping can make you jump like you were nailed with that springer. I have a shoulder that is actually acting up some right now. For the most part I shoot PCPs, but there is an HW95 in the safe. I could go cock it if you want to an actual interpretation.

 

[Teep]

Well, you have to start thinking about your health - hurt your shoulder once and the pain will probably go away in a couple weeks; during that time just getting a glass out of an upper cabinet in the kitchen will be torture.

Micro makes a very good point. Something I wouldn't have even considered a decade back. Get a little tendonitis in your shoulder or elbow and the popping can make you jump like you were nailed with that springer. I have a shoulder that is actually acting up some right now. For the most part I shoot PCPs, but there is an HW95 in the safe. I could go cock it if you want to an actual interpretation.

This is one thing that has me a little worried about spring piston rifles as I age. I have had surgery on both shoulders and do still have some pain in my right shoulder. I am still in good shape but I am noticing that I am slowing down and find it difficult to do a days work anymore.

 

[Jlowe]

Well, you have to start thinking about your health - hurt your shoulder once and the pain will probably go away in a couple weeks; during that time just getting a glass out of an upper cabinet in the kitchen will be torture.

Micro makes a very good point. Something I wouldn't have even considered a decade back. Get a little tendonitis in your shoulder or elbow and the popping can make you jump like you were nailed with that springer. I have a shoulder that is actually acting up some right now. For the most part I shoot PCPs, but there is an HW95 in the safe. I could go cock it if you want to an actual interpretation.

This is one thing that has me a little worried about spring piston rifles as I age. I have had surgery on both shoulders and do still have some pain in my right shoulder. I am still in good shape but I am noticing that I am slowing down and find it difficult to do a days work anymore.

The HW50S cocking effort is a little less than the HW95 but not much. It's nowhere close to the HW30 you already have. You may want to invest in a bigger tank. There are also others guns on the market with way better efficiency than Air Force guns. 

 

[GoldenStateAIRGUNer]

If your getting tired of the air compressors, moisture filters, and filing of a airgun and want the umbilical cord freedom of a spring piston airgun then a HW95 is a good choice. Depending on your strength cocking effort has to come into play. As Glenroiland stated the Sig ASP20 is a great choice. Problem! They don't make them anymore and who knows how long they will back them.

True. I personally wouldn't purchase the asp20 now due to its ended production. However, I'll never get rid of mine.

I sold mine mainly to get my FWB 124D. As I've said before, the two big issues I had with it was it's weight and stock bulkyness.

 

[Lewis]

I have both and love them both. I am still in my 50's but already feeling sore after a day of shooting springers. For your shooting conditions, I would suggest an efficient PCP with a bottle and regulator shooting between 20 and 25 FPE in .22. 

On the expensive side would be an electronic Daystate. On the cheaper side something like an avenger or used FX Royale 400. These guns can give you hundreds of shots per fill and are easy enough to cock as long as you care to shoot. A bigger bottle than the Guppy will also make sure you get the most from a refill at the dive shop as well.

This is my exact plan. there are tons of pellets available and out to over 50 yards, many are lasers.

EDIT:

I mentioned the Avenger only as a data point of the cheap end for a regulated, sidelever bottle gun. This should not be taken as a recommendation. I have only handled 2 of them and they both had to be sent back due to major issues, not bothersome leaks or cosmetics.

 

[Odoyle]

A sub $200 2000psi max fill easily hand pumpable Benjamin Maximus is likely gonna consistently outshot ANY currently produced Springer 40 yards all day long except for the RWS 54 and 56.

Stretch that Maximus out to 100 yards too.

Even a cheap 3300psi ALUMINUM SCUBA TANK or small 4500psi pigmy bottle will keep this one filled for a while.