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Researching ~$300 entry level PCPs.

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Chuck26287

Chuck26287

Member
Jul 29, 2018
256
19
Indiana, United States
My mom and dad, my sister and brother-in-law, and my wife and I have a small private family campground we're at nearly every weekend during the summer season. My father and I each just invested in an FX Impact X in .30 cal, and we have a compressor and a CF air tank for quicker air fills at the range. We have set up a pretty nice range/backstop to allow shooting out to 100 yards pretty easily. My dad and I moved over from powder burners, and have been shooting together for several years, but we'd like to see my brother-in-law join us. My dad gave him a lower end Umarex break barrel in .177, and he is really enjoying shooting, but he won't really be able to enjoy the same shooting experience we are having with the PCPs that are mag fed, and shooting to greater distances.

I'm researching the best entry level PCP that will make it reasonable for him to shoot with a couple of Impact Xs at typical distances of 50 to 80 yards, with an occasional 100 yards for the fun of it. I'm really anxiously awaiting the Gauntlet in .25 to hit the market, but the Hatsan Flash has been recommended as well. I like the idea of regulated, but I don't suppose it's an absolute requirement. We have all the needed equipment to let him get into PCP airguns with just an airgun, and I'm looking for what would be the best performing PCP to enter with. Don't know if there would be any .30 cal, which would be nice, to keep us all on the same pellets, but I would want to stay at .25 cal at a minimum I think.

Open to the suggestions of the forum's experience...


 
I'm aware that I sound like a broken record,but I can't help but recommend the Gauntlet. I picked mine up for 199.90 shipped at Field Supply in .177. (Refurbished)

A .22 would most likely serve him well and save some money to boot! Mine is very accurate and a blast to shoot. I added a larger bottle for higher shot count and added some bits from Jefferson State Air rifles. The trigger adjusts to be very nice and some judicious polishing to the bolt provides very smooth cocking. It's a Really fun rifle to tinker with and responds Very well to a little TLC. 

Mike.
 
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I don't know of any .25 cal PCP under $300. Lots of .22, but .25's are typically a bit more expensive. I see the Gauntlet recommended above, and from what I hear, after some work they are great guns. There are quite a few other choices though -

Gamo Urban, Crosman Fortitude, Crosman Maximus, Diana StormRider, and quite a few more these days, but which is best?

None will be even close to your FX PCP's. Hard cocking by comparison, less attention to finish, and the rest, after all, it is a $300 gun.

Honestly, make a list of your requirements such as Magazine Fed, regulated, bullpup or traditional, and such, then buy whatever gun gets the best reviews that is closest to what you want. You won't get it all, but you might get close.
 
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I have the Gamo Urban 22 and love it for what I use it for. It came with a hammer cold forged BSA barrel and for all intents is a BSA Buccaneer with a plastic stock. Made in UK with no Chinese parts. Picked it up for $279 from airgun depot. It shoots .45 groups at 35 yards all day with H&N Field T and Ts. Only issue was the barrel band. It was pulling the barrel down, so I cut it off and it is spot on. Like the weight and length factors. Added a magpul picatinny rail at the front for tripod or bipod use. PM me if you want further info.

Charlie Fowler

US ARMY Retired
 
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You are going to have to do some work to the Gauntlet if you buy one because IMO it is a terrible not too pleasant gun to shoot straight out of the box when comparing it to an FX. I own a 177 and 22 Gauntlet now.

I have to admit they are accurate heavy guns and once the work is done they could hold their own in the accuracy department against many much higher priced PCPs.

If you experience POI shift at 50 yards I suggest you install a Hajimoto barrel band to it. One of mine had POI shift while the other did not but I got barrel bands for both anyway.

Just food for thought, what if the brother in law likes the weekend summer "loaner" PCP so much he wants to take it home to shoot it regularly to replace the Gamo?

CA
 
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I own a gauntlet, and the only "work" I did to it was mount a scope, So much of what you read on the forums is pure snobbery on that rifle....but you already likely know that. Gauntlet is a great gun, and really gives you so much more per dollar then any other rifle out there. Lets think about it for a sec, It really is a QB, and try to find someone say a bad thing about the QB series of guns....and yet they come out of the wood work on this. I carry mine by the barrel and there is no, none zero, nadda, zippo POI shift at all.

Trigger is super easy to adjust, just like the QB, and it just shoots fantastic.

At $300 you really can't go wrong, buy from a good place and you can send it back for another if you get a lemon....and we all know there are lemons out there, just read some of the posts on the FX guns that cost 3X as much.



I just bought a hatsan 25, that I am really enjoying, it is not regulated, but it does not seem to really hurt it. I have said before I don't have much time with it, so I really have not put the chrono on it, or really much of anything else, but I can say it is on par with my other air rifles out to 100.


 
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I own a gauntlet, and the only "work" I did to it was mount a scope, So much of what you read on the forums is pure snobbery on that rifle....but you already likely know that. Gauntlet is a great gun, and really gives you so much more per dollar then any other rifle out there. Lets think about it for a sec, It really is a QB, and try to find someone say a bad thing about the QB series of guns....and yet they come out of the wood work on this. I carry mine by the barrel and there is no, none zero, nadda, zippo POI shift at all.

Trigger is super easy to adjust, just like the QB, and it just shoots fantastic.

At $300 you really can't go wrong, buy from a good place and you can send it back for another if you get a lemon....and we all know there are lemons out there, just read some of the posts on the FX guns that cost 3X as much.



I just bought a hatsan 25, that I am really enjoying, it is not regulated, but it does not seem to really hurt it. I have said before I don't have much time with it, so I really have not put the chrono on it, or really much of anything else, but I can say it is on par with my other air rifles out to 100.

Click to expand...

The FX guns in question are 6x-7x the cost of the Gauntlet.

My 177 Gauntlet had POI shift at 50 yards which a barrel band fixed. Now it gets 1/4-3/8" at 50.

My 22 Gauntlet so far does not have POI shift at 50 but bought a barrel band for it anyway since

it helped my 177. I am still working the bolt and have to open up the trigger on the 22 because I simply can't shoot it the way it feels with just the adjustments. Night and day difference between the 177 since it has already been done and finished complete polishing and ball bearing and spring mod and all effictively shrinking the group sizes.

I have 2 FX Wildcats and they are better guns and more pleasant to shoot all day long but I am not so sure they are worth 5x-6x more than the Gauntlet.

I must agree that the Hatsan (non semiautomatics) are good guns.


CA


 
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Sounds like a great excuse to save up and buy a FX WildCat MKII Compact!

I've learned that you start with a good gun you actually save money in the long run!
(If he buys it? He will either love the sport? Or you can pick up a sweet deal on a lightly used MKII? LOL!

I started out with the:

Crosman 2250, modifying it ran it up to over $500 (Long gone!)

Then the Discovery modifying it ran up over $800 (Long gone!)

Then the Prod Modifying it ran up over $1k (Still going but soon to be gone!)

Now I have the FX Impact. (I should have just went straight to the top!)


I know you're asking about $300 and under but you guys already have the Equipment.

Mark my words shooting next to the FX Impact. The $300 gun will get old really fast!
It's like going out on a motorcycle road trip with your brothers and you're riding a moped!

This is just MHO! Good luck!
 
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Sounds like a great excuse to save up and buy a FX WildCat MKII Compact!

I've learned that you start with a good gun you actually save money in the long run!
(If he buys it? He will either love the sport? Or you can pick up a sweet deal on a lightly used MKII? LOL!

I started out with the:

Crosman 2250, modifying it ran it up to over $500 (Long gone!)

Then the Discovery modifying it ran up over $800 (Long gone!)

Then the Prod Modifying it ran up over $1k (Still going but soon to be gone!)

Now I have the FX Impact. (I should have just went straight to the top!)


I know you're asking about $300 and under but you guys already have the Equipment.

Mark my words shooting next to the FX Impact. The $300 gun will get old really fast!
It's like going out on a motorcycle road trip with your brothers and you're riding a moped!

This is just MHO! Good luck!
Click to expand...

Sure does just read around this or any forum, FX has no issues at all do they.

Mark my words, people need to justify spending 6x-7x the cost (thanks for the correction) and will do anything and everything to tear down any product that comes close....and really it is that simple.

Look at it this way, is an FX a better gun.....is it 6-7x better. People need to justify what they have done, and for some people that is to attack others. Funny thing is with attacking some products in this circle it is ok, to attack others it is not ok. Learn the snobbery that exists in the air gun world.

This stupid garbage is why I walked away from these forums.....looks like I need to again, the voice of reason and real FACTS just do not fit in here.




 
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I own a gauntlet, and the only "work" I did to it was mount a scope, So much of what you read on the forums is pure snobbery on that rifle....but you already likely know that. Gauntlet is a great gun, and really gives you so much more per dollar then any other rifle out there. Lets think about it for a sec, It really is a QB, and try to find someone say a bad thing about the QB series of guns....and yet they come out of the wood work on this. I carry mine by the barrel and there is no, none zero, nadda, zippo POI shift at all.

Trigger is super easy to adjust, just like the QB, and it just shoots fantastic.

At $300 you really can't go wrong, buy from a good place and you can send it back for another if you get a lemon....and we all know there are lemons out there, just read some of the posts on the FX guns that cost 3X as much.



I just bought a hatsan 25, that I am really enjoying, it is not regulated, but it does not seem to really hurt it. I have said before I don't have much time with it, so I really have not put the chrono on it, or really much of anything else, but I can say it is on par with my other air rifles out to 100.

Click to expand...

The FX guns in question are 6x-7x the cost of the Gauntlet.

My 177 Gauntlet had POI shift at 50 yards which a barrel band fixed. Now it gets 1/4-3/8" at 50.

My 22 Gauntlet so far does not have POI shift at 50 but bought a barrel band for it anyway since

it helped my 177. I am still working the bolt and have to open up the trigger on the 22 because I simply can't shoot it the way it feels with just the adjustments. Night and day difference between the 177 since it has already been done and finished complete polishing and ball bearing and spring mod and all effictively shrinking the group sizes.

I have 2 FX Wildcats and they are better guns and more pleasant to shoot all day long but I am not so sure they are worth 5x-6x more than the Gauntlet.

I must agree that the Hatsan (non semiautomatics) are good guns.


CA

Click to expand...

Not saying it is not a better gun.....just that it is not THAT better.....and thanks for the price adjustment there.

However mine has never been apart for anything, but a trigger this and that, cocks smooth, You must talk to Ted a bit if you have cocking issues, and the trigger is a QB trigger, there is nothing to it, very easy to adjust I did mine in 10 minutes and it is as fantastic as the custom trigger in my 700, just like glass and smooth as butter.

I carry mine out of the safe by the barrel, lean it against the wall never a poi shift....N E V E R. 

Perhaps mine is just a really good one....don't know, I only have the one in 22. Really a fantastic rifle, it is fugly, heavy, has a really stupid stock, the front sling in the wrong place for a bipod....it has many issues, but (for mine) putting holes in paper out to 100 it works just great. On par with the daystate I shot against at the club, we setup 223 cases and shot them off the stands the small bore guys use for silhouette guys use....great fun.

I look it at like the people that go to walmart, buy the most powerful gamo rifle they can find, buy the cheapest pellets they have at walmart, then badmouth how the gun sucks and can't hit anything. I would bet if you put the $1.99 daisy pellets in anything you are not going to hit anything. I have 3 gamo rifles from people like this, and like every pellet rifle you have to find what it likes. Such fun when those same people come over after buying a $700 this or that and shoot their old gun with JSB or whatever....what did you do to it.....how did you get it to shoot straight.

Simple did the same thing you did after you educated yourself and tried different pellets in your HW97 till you found out what worked best.

And the amazing comment I get most time....eh that gun is not worth good pellets.

Ahhhh the snobbery is amazing.
 
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Well, I do agree with buying the best I can up front. I've done so many things in my life where I got into it with the "starter" equipment. I always progress, selling cheap and buying the next level. If I'm fairly certain I'm going to enjoy an activity for several years, I now just bite the bullet (or pellet, as the case may be) and buy what I know I'll eventually buy anyway. "Buy once, cry once" seems to have paid off for me a couple time. This is why my first airgun (and only, so far) was an FX Impact X in .30. I was a competition Bullseye pistol shooter for several years, and I'm an accuracy snob. I knew I'd not be happy until I was shooting an Impact X (not that other guns couldn't give me the same accuracy... it's just that I'm a tinkerer, and I simply liked the Impact X).

However, this gun will probably become a late birthday or early Christmas present to my brother-in-law, and I'm stretching it to spend $300 on a gift for him. If I do, he's into PCP for nothing (he can use my compressor and CF tank for air fills) for now. If he decides he wants to move up, he can invest whatever he wants, but I think he'll be happy for some time, as he's never been a shooter, and hasn't developed any "quests" yet. Who knows, though, with an Impact X shooting on each side of him, he may just bite the pellet himself. We'll see.

I appreciate all the insights. I'm really leaning toward the Hatsan Flash QE in .25 cal. Especially since learning Huma makes a regulator that can be added to it. The unregulated status was the big thing pushing me back to the Gauntlet.

Lots of good comments. Looking forward to reading more as I come to a decision. Thanks everyone.
 
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Not saying it is not a better gun.....just that it is not THAT better.....and thanks for the price adjustment there.

However mine has never been apart for anything, but a trigger this and that, cocks smooth, You must talk to Ted a bit if you have cocking issues, and the trigger is a QB trigger, there is nothing to it, very easy to adjust I did mine in 10 minutes and it is as fantastic as the custom trigger in my 700, just like glass and smooth as butter.

I carry mine out of the safe by the barrel, lean it against the wall never a poi shift....N E V E R. 

Perhaps mine is just a really good one....don't know, I only have the one in 22. Really a fantastic rifle, it is fugly, heavy, has a really stupid stock, the front sling in the wrong place for a bipod....it has many issues, but (for mine) putting holes in paper out to 100 it works just great. On par with the daystate I shot against at the club, we setup 223 cases and shot them off the stands the small bore guys use for silhouette guys use....great fun.

I look it at like the people that go to walmart, buy the most powerful gamo rifle they can find, buy the cheapest pellets they have at walmart, then badmouth how the gun sucks and can't hit anything. I would bet if you put the $1.99 daisy pellets in anything you are not going to hit anything. I have 3 gamo rifles from people like this, and like every pellet rifle you have to find what it likes. Such fun when those same people come over after buying a $700 this or that and shoot their old gun with JSB or whatever....what did you do to it.....how did you get it to shoot straight.

Simple did the same thing you did after you educated yourself and tried different pellets in your HW97 till you found out what worked best.

And the amazing comment I get most time....eh that gun is not worth good pellets.

Ahhhh the snobbery is amazing.
Click to expand...

I am. It IS THAT much better.You see this goes round and round. Guy buys new gun for 300 bucks, all of a sudden its as good as the gun that costs 1200 bucks. Because they both shoot pellets. This happens all the time on that other forum, and the guy who bought the bargain brand gets mad when someone steps in and refutes the claim. Why not just compare the Gauntlet to the Daystate Red Wolf? Or the FX Crown? After all , the Gauntlet is just as good because it does the same thing. Right? You see, you get offended when someone else has a Red Wolf because you claim your 300.00 gun is just as good or almost as good. These other guys who have Expensive guns get offended by people like you when you call it snobbery, because they bought in to the upper echelon, and they see you here stating that your 300.00 gun is as good as their 2400.00 gun. Even though your statement couldn't be farther from truth. Some people like nice things. They like the prestige of ownership, and they are willing to pay for it. And then here you come, oh thats too much money , only a fool would pay this or that for that gun. My gauntlet is just as good and they are nothing but snobs.

So let me set you straight. Your gauntlet is nowhere near the quality and craftsmanship or either of the two rifles Ive mentioned. It doesn't come close to a Wildcat, Regal, or Streamline either. It doesnt matter how many parts you rig it up with while tinkering. It's still going to be a Gauntlet. If you like your Gauntlet, thats fine. I have no problem with that. I'm sure nobody else minds either.

You buy a Honda Accord. I buy a Ferrari, But your Accord is just as good as my Ferrari because it has wheels and goes from point A to point B. So who is the real snob here? You see, you can make unfounded claims but sooner or later you have to answer for them. It doesn't usually work out. I know because Iv'e done this a few times. lol

No hard feelings.


 
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Since I have no skin in the game, and don't own a pcp (yet) I'll ask the obvious question ;)

If your brother-in-law is shooting a $300 gun while you both are shooting more expensive guns is he going to get discouraged and not want to shoot anymore? Seems to me you are trying to pull him into being part of a fun group of family members enjoying a great activity together. I have no idea his experience level, how competitive the shooting gets, or what his finances are toward later buying a gun he feels matches yours. But whatever you decide I would recommend maybe thinking about rotating guns at least until someone in the group out shoots the others with the less expensive gun.

Anyway, just a suggestion on group dynamics instead of on what to purchase.
 
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I don't know of any .25 cal PCP under $300. Lots of .22, but .25's are typically a bit more expensive. I see the Gauntlet recommended above, and from what I hear, after some work they are great guns. There are quite a few other choices though -

Gamo Urban, Crosman Fortitude, Crosman Maximus, Diana StormRider, and quite a few more these days, but which is best?

None will be even close to your FX PCP's. Hard cocking by comparison, less attention to finish, and the rest, after all, it is a $300 gun.

Honestly, make a list of your requirements such as Magazine Fed, regulated, bullpup or traditional, and such, then buy whatever gun gets the best reviews that is closest to what you want. You won't get it all, but you might get close.
Click to expand...

At least two choices (or soon to be choices) I've found for .25 cal... the Umarex Gauntlet which is just coming to market, and the Hatsan Flash QE which appears to be available now in some places.

Our Impact X's both shot ~ 0.75" 14 shot (1 full mag) groups at 50 yards right out of the box, with zero custom tuning or pellet selection yet. So no, whatever I buy as a starter gun will not be as accurate as one of the Impact Xs, but I don't think anyone expects that, nor is that the goal of the purchase. However, I believe the guns I'm considering will allow all three of us to sit on the same firing line and reasonable enjoy time shooting together. That's the goal. And yes, we'll trade back and forth I'm sure. You are right, of course, in that he will possibly not enjoy the results of his efforts as much on a gun that doesn't hit the mark as often, but he is not an established shooter, and has some basic learning curve to travel up. I think one of these intro PCPs will allow him to learn a lot without him dropping $2K to match what's on the line shooting with him. Then, if he then still wants to progress further into PCPs, he can.

Another added advantage to a reasonable starter PCP is having a gun on hand to allow friends who come over and we want to introduce them to the sport. Everyone says the Impact is a $2K gun, and it is, until you put a $300 Atlas Bipod and a $1600 piece of glass on it. That's a LOT of equipment to hand to a newb you are introducing to airguns. One drop could be extremely expensive, whether glass or gun. We've set up a very nice range, and we have an opportunity to in some cases be ambassadors to the sport of airgunning. Call me selfish if you like, but I'm a little hesitant to put my high-end rig in the hands of someone who doesn't know basic handling/shooting yet.

I'm really leaning towards the Hatsan Flash QE. The biggest drawback for me was it being unregulated, although I didn't truly consider that a deal-breaker. Once I found I could add a Huma regulator to it, I'm thinking I might go for it if it's really available right now vs. waiting for the .25 Gauntlet to eventually become available. Plus, I found this new airgun store called Indiana Airguns that sells the Flash for $279. And... imagine my AMAZEMENT when I discovered they were less than 5 miles from my house in Anderson, IN. If I believed in "signs", I'd have to call that one.
 
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Our Impact X's both shot ~ 0.75" 14 shot (1 full mag) groups at 50 yards right out of the box, with zero custom tuning or pellet selection yet. So no, whatever I buy as a starter gun will not be as accurate as one of the Impact Xs, but I don't think anyone expects that, nor is that the goal of the purchase. However, I believe the guns I'm considering will allow all three of us to sit on the same firing line and reasonable enjoy time shooting together. That's the goal. And yes, we'll trade back and forth I'm sure. You are right, of course, in that he will possibly not enjoy the results of his efforts as much on a gun that doesn't hit the mark as often, but he is not an established shooter, and has some basic learning curve to travel up. I think one of these intro PCPs will allow him to learn a lot without him dropping $2K to match what's on the line shooting with him. Then, if he then still wants to progress further into PCPs, he can.

Another added advantage to a reasonable starter PCP is having a gun on hand to allow friends who come over and we want to introduce them to the sport. Everyone says the Impact is a $2K gun, and it is, until you put a $300 Atlas Bipod and a $1600 piece of glass on it. That's a LOT of equipment to hand to a newb you are introducing to airguns. One drop could be extremely expensive, whether glass or gun. We've set up a very nice range, and we have an opportunity to in some cases be ambassadors to the sport of airgunning. Call me selfish if you like, but I'm a little hesitant to put my high-end rig in the hands of someone who doesn't know basic handling/shooting yet.
Click to expand...


Great response. Sounds like you have planned this out well. Whatever your decision I know it will be fun times.
 
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Chuck26287 - 

Good logic, and I've considered doing something similar picking up a Maximus for friends to shoot. No one expects an Impact for $300, but it'll get them into shooting, and isn't that what we are after. If they really want to shoot more, they can always buy their own.

I started with a Marauder, moved to an Impact and upgraded to the X Barrel. The Marauder is good, but the Impact is light years ahead. Just promise that every now and then, you'll let him use the Impact to throw a magazine downrange so he can see what he's missing.


 
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