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Recommend my first PCP gun, $1500 budget.

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pharmfisher

Member
Mar 10, 2022
6
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Wisconsin, United States
Last month I dove into the air rifle hobby by purchasing an AA TX200. While I love this gun, I'm considering getting something a bit more powerful and less hold-sensitive. I will mainly be using the gun for backyard pest control. I would like to have a 50-75 yard range, if that's possible with a gun in this price range. Mainly shooting squirrels and pest birds, but would like to be able to take a raccoon at closer ranges if needed. Some of the other features that are important to me include: 

- Lower tank pressure: I plan to hand pump. I know this is a chore, but I don't plan on doing a ton of shooting. 

- Lower shot count per tank fill. It's ok if I have to sacrifice shot count so that I can still hand pump the gun.

- I'm not interested in a gun that has a history for leaking. I don't know how to work on these guns, so I would prefer to buy a gun that has a history for durability, and is easy to work on/replace seals. I know that no gun is perfect.

- Accuracy over power. If I can't get a gun powerful enough to take a raccoon, that's ok. I am more interested in tight groups and extending beyond my 40 yard tx200 hunting range. 



So far I have been looking at a weihrauch hw100, air arms S510 xs, and a daystate huntsman revere. Are all of these guns "hand pumpable"? Any other ones I should look at? What caliber? Im leaning towards .22 or .25 if offered.



Thank you all. 
 
All of the guns you have specified are excellent, and I guess that I would consider them to be hand pump friendly since they have lower volume air cylinders instead of air bottles.

I would add FX Dreamline Classic to your list. You will find through experience that much of the talk about FX guns leaking is overblown, and when true it applies to much more complicated guns (higher number of seals = higher probability of leaking) like the Impacts.

Since all of the guns you speak of will have the excellent accuracy you want, next I would look at manufacturer specifications regarding power. You will likely find some differences. For close range pesting a 16 gr pellet will be fine (and the hunting oriented JSB Hades in .22 cal weigh the same as the standard domed 15.89's, so you can have one tune or setting for both hunting and plinking/target shooting). For the longer range uses (75-100) you will likely want to shoot 18's for their ability to be more stable in the wind, so make sure that your chosen gun can get at least in the 860's (fps) out of the 18's too.

The Air Arms (and of course the Dreamline) give you external transfer port adjustability while the other 2 don't. This can be handy to fine tune the muzzle velocities of different weight pellets. The Dreamline gives you both the external transfer port and regulator adjustability, which is even better (preferred, at least to me). Plus it is easy to get to the hammer spring pre-load adjustment on the DL.

With any of the discussed guns, it should be easier for you to achieve your tight groups over your current springer, without a LOT of practice.

If you can fit it into your budget, I would also think about an inexpensive small compressor instead of a hand pump. Something like the following will set you back only about $400 (including the almost mandatory extended warranty). It won't fill fast but you will like it better than hand pumping. And the folks who I know who have these have had good luck with their quality and longevity.

https://www.amazon.com/GX-Portable-Compressor-Oil-Free-Paintball/dp/B07XYRS15R/

Good luck and have fun in your first foray into PCP airguns.
 
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Daystate Huntsman & a Hill pump, .22cal using JSB 18gr pellets...get an unregulated one, tank pressure is 200bar the regulated ones go to 250...200bar and smallish tank, very easy to pump...I have one of each, unregulated also used foster and not a fill probe...Huntsmans are universally loved...basically same preformance as the standard Wolverine just less shots...my Wolverine can't out shoot my Huntsmans! I prefer the older bolt action ones over the side lever...guess I'm the only one...solid as a rock! That's what (I) would do...good luck and enjoy!
 
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I used to hand pump and one thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t matter how big the tank is. If you go out and shoot 30 shots you have 30 shot of pumping to do wether you have a small or big bottle. If your gun is more efficient then those 30 shots will require less pumping. Just because a tank can hold 300 bar does not mean you have to put 300 bar in it. If it is a regulated gun it is not shooting at those tank pressures anyways. So I would suggest not considering the pumping aspect when you buy. If you buy a gun with a large 300 bar bottle that is regulated to say 110 bar pump it up to 175 (or whatever you choose) shoot or down to 110 and pump it back up when your done. You won’t be pumping anymore than you would with a small tube and it won’t be any harder. 
 
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I'm fortunate to own a Weihrauch HW100, Daystate Revere, and an FX Royale 400. All of these would meet your requirements. As a first PCP rifle, I would recommend the Royale 400, due to its simple and robust design, low maintenance requirements, and accuracy. Having the largest air capacity, it would take more pumping from empty, but you will only do that once, then it's a matter of topping off. If there is a dive shop or other source of air accessible to you, you will drop the pumping soon anyway. Royale rifles are hard to find, probably only as a special order, unless you can find a used one. The HW100 and Revere are both very good rifles, I would not recommend one over the other. The Revere is a classic, sporter style rifle, and lighter. The HW100 is more easily tunable. 
 
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Yes, and I would add that if you want the possibility to shoot some slugs, and want the flexibility switch liners, the FX Crown MKII is a very good choice. I'm surprised TMH didn't mention that one-he's a big fan.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't want to hand pump one, though! And anyway, I'm less of a Crown fan now. Just sold one to a friend last week so I'm down to 5 of them. ;)

In the end the Crown is one of my very favorites. But given the choice (budget), when starting out, of a Crown + hand pump or a DL Classic and a small compressor, I would choose the latter.
 
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Yes, and I would add that if you want the possibility to shoot some slugs, and want the flexibility switch liners, the FX Crown MKII is a very good choice. I'm surprised TMH didn't mention that one-he's a big fan.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't want to hand pump one, though! And anyway, I'm less of a Crown fan now. Just sold one to a friend last week so I'm down to 5 of them. ;)

In the end the Crown is one of my very favorites. But given the choice (budget), when starting out, of a Crown + hand pump or a DL Classic and a small compressor, I would choose the latter.
Click to expand...

Would I be able to just not top it off with a hand pump, Say pump to 175 barr, and just have less of a shot count? 
 
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Daystate Huntsman & a Hill pump, .22cal using JSB 18gr pellets...get an unregulated one, tank pressure is 200bar the regulated ones go to 250...200bar and smallish tank, very easy to pump...I have one of each, unregulated also used foster and not a fill probe...Huntsmans are universally loved...basically same preformance as the standard Wolverine just less shots...my Wolverine can't out shoot my Huntsmans! I prefer the older bolt action ones over the side lever...guess I'm the only one...solid as a rock! That's what (I) would do...good luck and enjoy!
Click to expand...

Another vote for the unregulated Huntsman in .22. 162cc reservoir is easy to hand pump. Mine goes to 220 BAR and 30 shots. Weighs about eight pounds with a scope.
 
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So many Rifles out there you can get in that price range,....don't overlook the classified here, there's some great deals consistently.



One thing I would like to say,....DO NOT BUY A HILL PUMP !!!!!!!



I've been handpumping for almost 15 years and had 8 HILLs in that time,....today a 50 Bucks China pump is just as good as a 300 bucks HILL if not better
 
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Would I be able to just not top it off with a hand pump, Say pump to 175 barr, and just have less of a shot count?
Click to expand...

Yes, of course. But lots more pumping to top off a 480cc bottle as compared to a 2xx cc cylinder.

And... you may find that shooting a PCP rifle you will be shooting more than anticipated. And I'm thinking up front that instead of putting money into a hand pump, just use that money towards buying a less expensive powered pump up front.

Like said above, what you buy now for filling will likely be upgraded soon once the shooting hook sets in you, and the longer you can delay that upgrade the better off you will be.

But, like also said above, some folks shooting is well supported by a hand pump.
 
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