TO THE "NEWBIES" (not-so-newbies, and others too)

[fishing43]

Thank you for the great write up, just entered the pcp world 3 months ago and I admit that I need to learn and learn! I appreciate all the great info that is shared.

 

[kball]

I started out like most, tagging along behind Daddy with my trusty Red Ryder. No telling how many squirrels, rabbits, dove, quail, duck etc. ended up in grease & gravy on our table. As I grew older the deer and turkey population took the hit until one day, I realized that taking the game was fun but what I liked more than anything was “pulling the darn trigger”. Starting with NRA hunter silhouette and some bench rest rifle competitions one day I made the fool mistake of going to a skeet range with some friends. Wish I had a buck for every shotgun shell that I have shot since that day.

Now the reason I said all of that was to say this. In 2017 I was able (thank you Jesus) to retire at the age of 62. Imagine this, you’re a teenager who never has to worry with school or work and you have already caught the best girl you ever chased. I call it living the dream. When asked what I was going to do when I retired, I always replied that I was going to stay at home and play in my back yard. True to my word, the day after retirement in my back yard I looked around and said to myself “holy s%*t” look at all the squirrels. So, I dug the faithful old Benjamin .177 pump up out of the gun safe and immediately began scaring the squirrels. Wife said they were barking at me, I told her they were laughing their tails off because they knew 62-year-old eyes and iron sights are not going to hurt anything.

After studying the internet for a while (YouTube is a wonderful thing isn’t it), I decided to take the most common advice that caught my attention, skip the beginner stuff and go straight for the IMPACT. So I did. And now, (although I never thought I would win the war) if I do see a squirrel in the back yard he is heading in the opposite direction.

After buying the rifle, scope, mounts, bi-pod, ammo, air tank, fittings, hoses, range finder, chronograph, shooting bench, targets, gun rest etc. etc. etc. etc. I can go out in my back yard and tune, re-tune, punch holes in paper, swear and maybe even cuss just a little cause things don’t always work the same for me as YouTube and the forums say they do. However, (and this is the point I wanted to make all along) as a newbie to the sport of air gunning and this forum I really do appreciate that there are folks like you guys that are willing to share your knowledge and experiences so old farts like me can get the most fun out of our toys. And besides that, I can always sit at the computer and read everybody’s posts when its raining and I can’t go out and play.

PS If the wife should ask y'all tell her all that stuff I listed only cost 250 dollars.

 

[Ezana4CE]

.... (and this is the point I wanted to make all along) as a newbie to the sport of air gunning and this forum I really do appreciate that there are folks like you guys that are willing to share your knowledge and experiences so old farts like me can get the most fun out of our toys. And besides that, I can always sit at the computer and read everybody’s posts when its raining and I can’t go out and play.

PS If the wife should ask y'all tell her all that stuff I listed only cost 250 dollars.

 

[Vetmx]

Great post, Gerry. You got my thinking going, and I’d like to contribute to your tread by asking all who replied, if there ever was a six week course at a designated camp where they taught you to be a better airgunner in all the levels and disciplines, from field target to speed silhouette, what pcp(I’m gonna add that the camp will introduce break barrels in these six weeks, also) platforms would they provide? The camp says don’t bring anything but yourself, they provide everything. 

If they guaranteed you that by the end of 6 weeks you’ll be a 1/2” MOA shooter or better at a 100, what gear would they provide in order to guarantee a high success rate?

To avoid brand favoring/bashing, how about we just call out the cost ranges of the gear.

It doesn’t matter what gear they would provide. In order for someone to get the most out of any type of airgun, one must first understand how the gun works. That’s why shortcut guys fail.

 

[L.Leon]

I believe that having reasonable expectations is key. I did not know what to expect out of my first PCP, a Gamo Urban other than it got good reviews. I was surprised I could consistently hit small targets out to 40-50 yards. Coming from springers I wasn't used to consistent accuracy at those ranges. I upgraded to a pricier PCP and expected to group better. Which did not happen until I sent many pellets down range and got to know the gun. And of course my shooting can always stand improvement. I love the Zen of shooting and appreciate the guns and never want it to be work. Sending thousands of pellets at targets in varying conditions, wind, rain, snow, dark. Has taught me a lot and stays in the fun zone for me.

 

[JungleShooter]

After studying the internet for a while, I decided to go straight for the IMPACT [and] buying scope, mounts, bi-pod, ammo, air tank, fittings, hoses, range finder, chronograph, shooting bench, targets, gun rest etc. etc. etc. etc.

PS: If the wife should ask y'all tell her all that stuff I listed only cost 250 dollars.

kball,

we've got you covered.

After all, you (and we) are not talking about 250 dollars of today's currency, but the equivalent of 250 of these dollars:

It's 90% gold. The real thing! (Like your Impact! )



Our evasive response to your wife should cover you well into your second decade of airgun equipment buying.....  



So, what's it gonna be? 

Matthias 

 

[WyoAirguns]

I totally agree with the benefits of starting with a low end gun and working your way up. 6 years ago I got my first pcp at the age of 12, a benjamin discovery(best birthday gift ever). It was quite the upgrade from the sheridan blue streak that I had been shooting since I was 6 and the black birds/starlings that previously had no worries sitting anywhere over 30 yards were now quite scared to come within 50. I remember using my hand pump every day to pump that thing up, it was totally worth it. About a year or two later I bought a bt65 and it was a great gun, maybe a little big for a 14 year old though so about after a year I sold it. After turning 18 last summer I decided to use the cash I had saved up working to buy a higher end airgun and a compressor. Ended up buying a 25 cal Taipan Long. I’ll never forgot after I got it sighted in I set up a spinner at 100 yards, took me a couple seconds to find out how much the pellets were dropping but after that I was hitting it consistently. I passed the gun to my dad and told him how much to hold over and first shot he drilled it too. We were both so blown away by the accuracy and power of the gun and couldn’t believe how far the technology had come. Getting a compressor was honestly just about as exciting as getting the gun. Being able to shoot without having to hand pump it up was incredible to me. After that day I was totally hooked and ever since then i’ve been researching and learning all I can about airguns. I’ve actually decided that after I graduate this year I’d like to pursue a career around the industry in some way. Big thanks to everyone on this forum for all the amazing information they put out and all the extremely helpful people. 

 

[MikeVV]

The original post -

True. Pretty much like most all things in life. Just because you have the "BEST", or most expensive parts / things, doesn't mean that you'll be the best...at whatever endeavor that you are undertaking.



Mike