The airgun world has changed

[Fate]

It's just sad to see alot of the good quality springers/rams go the way of the dodo, and I do believe it's largely due to the power crowd and the abundance of cheaper more available pcps on the market today vs 10-15 years ago.

A bit of disagreement here, as power is only one of the benefits of PCPs over springers. Also, neither of my PCPs are “cheap” especially considering the support system for them.

PCPs mostly have magazines… a huge benefit to hunters.

PCPs are FAR easier to shoot… in accuracy, hold, rest system like bipod or bag etc. They have no hold sensitivity. They have negligible recoil.

PCPs can be FAR quieter than any springer.

PCPs offer almost whatever power the owner is willing to pay for.

And, there are more. However, having been satisfied with my springer and Blue Streak for over fifty years, there is nothing like spending a relaxing evening shooting pellets one at a time with a low power springer with a friend. I’ll never equal the pellets used in my springer with my PCPs. That said… haven’t shot my springer since I got a PCP.

Why? See advantages above. I’d been chasing a half inch at fifty with my springers for a while, with marginal success and much frustration. With my PCPs, especially my Huntsman Revere .22, that’s expected and better … every shot. It fulfills my desire for consistently reliable accuracy at any distance… on top of the other things above. That’s why.

But again, for spending quality time at close range competitively or just plinking, alone or with friends, nothing beats the simple springer.

 

[Gerry52]

WELCOME BACK to the (now) confusing world of PCP'S! My advice is start accumulating simple, basic knowledge 1st such as type of shooting discipline you're most interested in, how you'll be airing it up, what your budget will be for the "peripheral" but essential other equipment, etc. Just THAT stuff will be confusing & time consuming most likely. Don't overwhelm yourself with too much technical stuff yet. You'll get to that sooner or later! For now, just figure out how to set up, fill with air, find correct pellets, find a scope that works for you, zeroing gun & just enjoy getting the feel, fit & hopefully accuracy of your new PCP. Best of luck on your journey!

 

[Ramjet]

A bit of disagreement here, as power is only one of the benefits of PCPs over springers. Also, neither of my PCPs are “cheap” especially considering the support system for them.

PCPs mostly have magazines… a huge benefit to hunters.

PCPs are FAR easier to shoot… in accuracy, hold, rest system like bipod or bag etc. They have no hold sensitivity. They have negligible recoil.

PCPs can be FAR quieter than any springer.

PCPs offer almost whatever power the owner is willing to pay for.

And, there are more. However, having been satisfied with my springer and Blue Streak for over fifty years, there is nothing like spending a relaxing evening shooting pellets one at a time with a low power springer with a friend. I’ll never equal the pellets used in my springer with my PCPs. That said… haven’t shot my springer since I got a PCP.

Why? See advantages above. I’d been chasing a half inch at fifty with my springers for a while, with marginal success and much frustration. With my PCPs, especially my Huntsman Revere .22, that’s expected and better … every shot. It fulfills my desire for consistently reliable accuracy at any distance… on top of the other things above. That’s why.

But again, for spending quality time at close range competitively or just plinking, alone or with friends, nothing beats the simple springer.

I've had both, the equipment needed really sucks the joy out of using it imo.
I rather take my .22lr or .17hmr if I really need the extra distance/repeating action.

But the options for lower cost pcp introductions just wasn't there 15 years ago.Now many of the big store brands like Crosman/Benjamin offer off the shelf repeating pcps that are gtg for the average shooter.
It really took pcps from the niche to the mainstream, and the result of that was pressure on manufacturers to follow suit and offer their own, or cheapen out their current line of springers to high volume low cost springers.

 

[TitanRebel]

I have recommended this series from Matt Dubber a number of times.

It encompasses a whole lot of information pertinent to PCPs and how they are different.

Welcome back to the sport!! It is a heck of a lot of fun with a great community backing it up, and as @beerthief said, AGN is one of the best resources out there.

Just got finished watching this series, and it's exactly what I was looking for! He does such a great job explaining everything... it's bit geeky without getting too confusing (and making me feel dumb).

 

[TitanRebel]

Getting started, you don’t need to know how exactly the internals of a pcp function, although it is good to know and it’s the gateway to diy tuning and resealing.

What you need to know first is:
1) what pellet your new pcp is intended to shoot. (This is generally not a safety issue, mostly to give good accuracy)
2) what is the maximum fill pressure for your gun
3) how to fill your gun to a safe pressure without exceeding the maximum. The answer depends a bit on where you have pressure gauges to read from
4) what is the minimum fill pressure when it’s time to refill. Regulated and unregulated pcps have different limits and every gun can be different
5) how to safely connect, fill, and disconnect your pcp from your fill source (bulk tank, hand pump, compressor)
6) proper operation of your airgun - how to load the pellet / magazine, how to cock it, the safety, and if there are any sequences that are damaging or unsafe (eg dry firing).

The user manual should cover some of these things but the others may require some research or instruction from whomever you bought them from. Once you get to know how things generally work, then it’s all quite sensible.

This is true. I'm all excited about advanced topics, when the fact of the matter is... I've never even filled a PCP, and I've never walked into a scuba shop to fill an SCBA tank! I tend to do that to myself, and it's good to be reminded I need to be patient with myself, not get in a mad rush to move into advanced topics, and enjoy the journey.

 

[badger5th]

Welcome to AGN. Hope you stick around and become a regular. I got full into airguns last May, sold 8 of my powder burners and bought 12 air guns..I own a couple of PCP's but am finding myself enjoying springers more. The challenge and sense of accomplishment of iimprovement with them is very rewarding. With that said I still intend to get a high end PCP around Christmas (prob a Daystate of some flavor). No question PCP's are easier to shoot and for 100 yards+ they (with slugs) are all but mandatory. I want some 100 yards stuff and I'm not kidding myself that even my R9 shooting traditional pellets really is a 100 yard setup. Regards

 

[SkeeterHawk]

Just got finished watching this series, and it's exactly what I was looking for! He does such a great job explaining everything... it's bit geeky without getting too confusing (and making me feel dumb).

Heck yea! I have watched that whole series at least three or four times, and always really enjoy it. I'm glad to hear that you got a lot out of it too. I was a little worried after some of the comments about that stuff being too advanced. I'm a total nerd in everything I do, so I sincerely appreciate the attention to detail. Note the date that he produced it. Some theories have changed slightly since then, but the fundamentals are there for sure.

am finding myself enjoying springers more. The challenge and sense of accomplishment of improvement with them is very rewarding.... No question PCP's are easier to shoot and for 100 yards+ they (with slugs) are all but mandatory.

I too have been into this hobby for just under two years and agree that springers are a great thing to keep around when you want to challenge yourself and keep it under 50 yards. This said, I have most of the "fun stuff" at over 40 yards on my range so my son and I can practice for competitions. It depends on what you are into, but the "springer class" is a waning category, unfortunately.

Another conundrum for those with a shorter range is that the springers are louder and not as backyard friendly as a PCP if you have close neighbors.

All this said, a Weihrauch HW97 is still WAY up on my wish list of guns that I want to own just to shoot.

Anyway, good luck, @TitanRebel on your venture into this new generation of pellet/slug pushers.

Cheers!

Jonathan

 

[2L8]

Welcome back to the new world of airguns...Enjoy

Patrick

 

[Hw9720]

Don't forget to stick a pin in it. that is the members map, helps others find local air gunners.

tim