This upsets me because it is not helpful

[jps2486]

And how many people answer a question with a question and further muddy the waters?

 

[rc4fun]

Ya, A conversation i had the other day. I can afford a Ford Maverick. But no someone tells me. "Save your money and buy a F150". As if he didn't even hear me. Happens all the time here and everywhere.

What you really need is the 250 Turbo Diesel

 

[Franklink]

Sometimes it's as simple as somebody not realizing their budget isn't realistic for what they're asking for.

"I'm wanting to get involved in the RMAC/EBR competitions and will be going to both later this year. What are your suggestions for a gun that will be competitive? Max budget of $500 for gun, scope, compressor, tanks, fill station, bipod, and 2 years worth of ammo to feed it."

 

[357cal]

yes if their budget is ?? $300 suggesting a small increase for a better gun would be justified . but Buy once Cry once 1k more is ludicrous . In another conversation earlier i mentioned i meet a lot of people that have no idea their are other air guns except those sold in the Big Box stores .

I agree. My first PCP was a 42 FPE 25 caliber Avenger $400, which allowed me to its mechanics and modify it to achieve 100 FPE. This not only provided a valuable learning experience but also enabled me to advance to the next level of power without needing to purchase another PCP at that time. It was some of the best money I ever spent.

 

[RickH]

I try and answer the question asked if I know something about it. Sometimes the answer is you can’t do what you want very well on $xxx budget. Other times there is a very good solution and I’ll say so. I may add that for another $100 you can do even better. Like most activities there’s a learning curve that requires time, effort and money.
Rick H.

 

[cavedweller]

Well after reading some of these replies I can see some people are still not getting it.
I can agree with the thoughts of introducing people to newer better air rifles that cost more.
That should be introduced as a question Not an answer.Answer their question,who are you to think they do not know about better higher priced air guns?
So then I can agree what you are saying,but I think that is a different subject .
Again ask it ,like if you can afford a little more or have you thought of.....Do not ever tell anyone what they should get =outside what they are asking.
Assumptions are your personal opinion,not facts,if needed then get more facts to help you help them

There is no such thing as a budget Airgun
let me qualify that statement... if i recommend an inexpensive break barrel... and someone can not cock it... well darn.
If i recommend an inexpensive pcp and the person has no access to compressed air and lacks the strength to use a floor pump... well darn.
If i recommend an inexpensive Co2 gun and the person lacks the funds to buy more Co2 cartridges.... well darn.
If I recommend any inexpensive airgun and it needs a scope, and the scope needs rings... well darn.
AND this matters too, some people whine over the price of pellets... and any potential maintenance / parts etc....

Not my Problem

Even the cheapest airgun has the potential to COST someone with limited funds more money and frustration than they can afford.

That said, Sheridan pumper and be done.... if your physically able to pump it. Same for a good break barrel like HW30 etc....

I think "new to Airguns" people often fail to realize form follows function so not only does price matter, intended usage matters and ones personal physical condition, and maybe even municipal laws... because buying something that isn’t the correct tool for who you are, for where you live, and for the intended target, means you have wasted money.

 

[Vetmx]

Part of the time it’s lack of reading comprehension. Part of the time it’s guys wanting to recommend what excited them and they just can’t hold back. Very easy for some of us to say nothing fits your budget/expectations. Others prefer to just upgrade the poor guy beyond his budget and talk about stuff he can’t afford.

 

[ctshooter]

I've seen these threads pop up every other day looking for a $500 or less airgun. I agree with the OP as I read through these threads and shake my head when people start recommending $1K+ items. I haven't bought much sub $1K in the past few years, so I am not familiar with the $500 entry level offerings outside of reading a review. That essesntially make me unqualified to participate in the thread. At that point I'll do one of two things: 1 - bow out silently and not post, or 2 - have a look through the classifieds here and used pages at the retail stores to see if there is anything I am familiar with worth recommending.

The flip side is I think it is important to make noobs to the hobby aware of the 'other' costs of PCP. Air source, hoses, and maintenance stuff will easily double the cost of a $500 airgun. Plus scope/rings an maybe some shooting aids.

PCP is not a cheap side of the airgun hobby and if someone can barely afford a $500 airgun then a springer may be a better option.

 

[JaceSpace1369]

I don’t even click on those threads anymore. They have become my least favorite by far. In my opinion they are fruitless. Just a thread full of 50 different suggestions that probably confuse more than it helps. People need to research themselves, narrow it down to a couple and then ask specific questions about those specific guns instead of the what gun should I buy question.

My thing is there enough of those thread already to make a full search page with pages worth of information in most of them..

 

[rangur1]

Well after reading some of these replies I can see some people are still not getting it.
I can agree with the thoughts of introducing people to newer better air rifles that cost more.
That should be introduced as a question Not an answer.Answer their question,who are you to think they do not know about better higher priced air guns?
So then I can agree what you are saying,but I think that is a different subject .
Again ask it ,like if you can afford a little more or have you thought of.....Do not ever tell anyone what they should get =outside what they are asking.
Assumptions are your personal opinion,not facts,if needed then get more facts to help you help them

I agree with this and the original post completely. To the others that feel there is no harm in recommending significantly higher cost items. It is necessary to consider HOW it is recommended. Wording is key! Written text doesn't have voice inflection. It's easy for someone to feel ridiculed or insulted from a post you consider innocently intended. Whenever I answer a budget question, I'll give my best recommendations AND state my relative lack of expertise with that particular item. If I encourage a bump up in price item, I try to keep it within a couple hundred and mention it's advantages I feel it may have over the posters choice. But I humbly submit it for their consideration only, if they are locked in on their choice, That's where I stay with advice.

 

[Ezana4CE]

By all means, try to honor the budget. BUT when unrealistic expectations exceed the budget bracket, then open the flood gates to reality. I seem to notice this more with compressor questions Some members seek Alkin performance with a Hill hand pump or Yong Heng budget. Airguns questions aren’t too different. Some guys are on a Notos or Gamo springer budget, but desiste Daystate Redwolf performance.

When they’re legit questions and I’m not tired of the redundancy of this particular type of question, I may suggest a thread or two on a Notos or Avenge X. I really lack experience in the budget gun department so I can really only go off what others on here say. I’ve read enough about them which is why I have zero issues suggesting that the OPs of these types of threads use the search function. I know the info is on the forums already. I’m of the opinion that common question stickies would be great for AGN.

I like what JC says below...

My thing is there enough of those thread already to make a full search page with pages worth of information in most of them..

The only thing I have to add to the above comment is that every 6 months to a year enough new guns come out to add a few to the running list of suggested budget airguns already posted in older threads.

 

[john8]

View attachment 560206

I've yelled at cloud or two in my lifetime.

 

[rich177]

YES.

 

[vintageairguncollector@gm]

I have shouted at the clouds . . . .but no response. This is a good thread topic. Someone mentioned people suggesting high dollar guns are bragging. To avoid bragging, I don't list my airguns on the bottom of my posts [It would be long list]. I use a database to track my collecting progress and goals. I have a large collection.

 

[humbled.ag]

I concur Bosco.

 

[jkingrph]

What good is it to tell someone that is on a budget to buy a disposable pcp that will be unusable in a few years? Had they spent a little more they could be enjoying a pcp for many many years down the road. This is a very expensive hobby, the industry doesnt care some people cant afford xyz. When I had no money I absolutely hated the idea of trying to save a few bucks to buy some garbage product that would let me down. You say it is a disservice, but many of us dont see it that way. I learned long ago from experience that often when you buy the cheap option you end up spending more money in the end.

Exactly, My recommendation in such a case is put those funds back, wait a while and save a bit more and buy quality.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Exactly, My recommendation in such a case is put those funds back, wait a while and save a bit more and buy quality.

If the OP is specific and says they just want to test the waters or have somewhat of an immediate need ( think pest problem), are anxious/ can’t wait, or simply is already squeezing extra funds to allocate to a cheap airgun, that’s their call. Ate you still suggesting that they continue to save money and wait?

 

[boscoebrea]

Thank all of you for your input and thoughts.I think it can help all of us.
I think months ago I did a post on how and what to ask in "asking" which is the best air gun.
There is enough information for pages of responses.
Since this is starting to bug me and as I grow older ,my best bet is to ignore these posts from now on.
I shout at the wind,been doing since I was a child,it doesn't do any good,still I hope it will

 

[AirNGasman]

BUT when unrealistic expectations exceed the budget bracket, then open the flood gates to reality.

Considering the frequency of posts soliciting recommendations for unicorns, I've stopped wasting time attempting to help those uninterested in helping themselves (by using the SEARCH function to open a library of posts and responses to inquiries like theirs). I save countless hours of my invaluable time by responding with, "Nothing exists that meets your requisites".

.

 

[EMrider]

Thank all of you for your input and thoughts.I think it can help all of us.
I think months ago I did a post on how and what to ask in "asking" which is the best air gun.
There is enough information for pages of responses.
Since this is starting to bug me and as I grow older ,my best bet is to ignore these posts from now on.
I shout at the wind,been doing since I was a child,it doesn't do any good,still I hope it will

I have a similar reaction to many of the questions posted here. Replies are often unrelated to the question, and just a cut and paste flogging of whatever the person owns or prefers. Some of that is just human nature, and no reason to get tweaked. If I think that I have something useful to offer in reply, I do. If the question itself is incoherent, I'll try and politely explain why. If all that fails, just ignore and move on.
R