Taking Responsibility when Hooking Your Friends on Air Guns

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TMH

TMH

Member
Jul 26, 2020
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CA, United States
When I got 'seriously' back into air guns during periods of COVID stay-at-home lockdowns last year, I made the decision up front that I was going to get a high end model from the start. I seriously thought that I would be able to buy one do-it-all rifle, 'buy once, cry once' and be done with it. Oh, what a fallacy - these things can be so addicting to folks such as myself.

So I have ended up with a little collection of some really nice air rifles. And I have been sharing my new addiction with some of my friends who I shoot Cowboy Action with. I don't know how many of you have played that game, but it turned out for my wife and I that the Cowboy shooters at our club have become some really fine friends, boarding on family.

I have already hooked some of these folks on air guns, to the point where 4 of them have gone out and bought their own guns. This was made a lot easier on them because I could provide them with free HPA compressors (long story short - I purchased a bunch off eBay, they were in pretty sorry shape when I got them, I ended up getting a full refund for all of them from the seller who said "just keep them", I was able to repair some so I could give those to friends).

But the guns which are hooking my friends into air gunning are some pretty high end stuff. Not an issue for one couple, where the wife bought a Crown off me (she absolutely loved the yellowjacket stock, and it didn't hurt that she was also able to hit everything she aimed at with the gun), and then her husband felt left out, so he bought a new Crown for himself from Baker.

But others are rightly put off when I tell them that the gun they are shooting so well will set them back $2k (plus glass and an air supply). And that is if they can even find one in stock somewhere.

So I have gone on a personal crusade. I need to test out some more reasonably priced PCP air guns to see what I can recommend to new shooters. It is my responsibility, nay DUTY as a good friend, after all.

So I have purchased a few which I consider to be good candidates. The biggest problem is that I have a birthday this month, and I buy so much poope for myself that my wife never knows what to get for me. So I have had to 'justify' these recent purchases by telling her 'you can give them to me for my birthday.' So these are just sitting in the front hallway, unopened, and have been for several weeks.

I will get to open them and start putting them through their paces next week. It is my responsibility, as a good friend, after all. ;>)

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why's it gotta be PCP? a couple hundred bucks for a break-barrel just about meets any needs for, oh, 50yards and under.



Seems it would be easier to talk folks into the hobby if they didn't need so much to start.



kinda like ham radio, a $10 license and $25 radio, you can talk to the world. But easily spend 8k on one rig (ask me how I know). But I got hooked first on an old 70s tube radio. :)
 
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why's it gotta be PCP? a couple hundred bucks for a break-barrel just about meets any needs for, oh, 50yards and under.

Seems it would be easier to talk folks into the hobby if they didn't need so much to start.

kinda like ham radio, a $10 license and $25 radio, you can talk to the world. But easily spend 8k on one rig (ask me how I know). But I got hooked first on an old 70s tube radio. :)
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Absolutely nothing wrong with springers, it is just that I am not good enough to shoot them well. Especially the higher powered ones. But I still have my HW30S 'Urban Pro' - it is my last springer but I won't be getting rid of it.

I will be turning 62 and I'm still in reasonably good shape. However a lot of the folks I shoot with are older and/or have health issues. Many have difficulty cocking a break-barrel. And like me, they are amazed at how relatively easy it is to shoot PCPs well. At least once they can get a good image through the scope. 

I have shot scoped rifles ever since I started shooting, and I also shoot a lot with open sights (only open sights allowed in Cowboy Action Shooting). But I am really amazed at how many of the older shooters who have tried my air rifles have never previously used an optic on any rifle.
 
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I would consider starting them with Marauders probably in 177 so they can actually find some pellets to shoot and get maximum shots per charge, cheaper etc. Easy to service and good parts availablility. There are lots of Youtube videos on how to shoot or work on them etc. The problem with PCP's is the cost of the optics, mounts and air source. Obviously these guys are not going to be hand pumping if they can't even cock an HW30 which I think is an excellent starter airgun. It is great with open sights and shoots the cheapest pellets well. They are also going to have problems dragging around their heavy airsource to get filled or to shooting locations if they can't cock an HW30. 

I struggle to see the term "affordable PCP's" meaning much. It is like "affordable benchrest". I would avoid bullpups which I would think would be quite disorientating to start out with for old school open sight cowboy gun shooters. 
 
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