Upgrading the Springer

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sub5wr

Member
Mar 12, 2021
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Florida, United States
Hey ya'll first time poster, long time lurker. Christmas time was around and needed some extra money and decided to sell my Hatsan 95 MOD vortex QE. I ended up getting pretty good with that rifle and miss it dearly... wish I never sold it! It was a combination of needing some extra money and knowing I really enjoyed pellet guns so wanted to upgrade.

Time is now and I need a pellet gun to dispatch pests around the house and general fun plinking, not to mention how much I miss it! I'm torn between getting another springer or a cheaper PCP with a hand pump as I'm no where near getting the bits for the quicker fill with compressors and such. 

I've got a boatload of .22 pellets here (I told you I'd be getting an upgrade!) so I'll be sticking that caliber. 

I would like to have the following:

- highest power possible with good accuracy - I like to see my targets (soda bottles, KYL target, etc) jump around as much as possible. Makes the hit that much more satisfying... though I don't want bad accuracy where I can't even hit what I'm shooting.

- Generally the shorter the gun the better. I like walking around in the brush and I like nice short compact rifles. My hatsan 95 was ~44" so thinking I'd appreciate a ~40" length

- Budget is around $500 give or take a bit if I find something I really like.

- Lightweight-ish would be good. I know I'm asking for a lot, but figured I'd throw it in there. I will take shorter gun vs lighter.

One gun I feel checks a lot of these is the BSA Lightening XL SE but I can't find them anywhere. I've also read some bits where people are having trouble with them. A few other guns I like are the HW95, HW95L (all in one package), HW97K, HW100/HW110 (I know way above budget but she looks beautiful)

I'd appreciate if anyone can help swing me either towards a PCP and a pump, or suggest a springer that would get me shooting again as that's really the most important part. I like the idea of having a springer I can simply take it and some pellets and have a good time. PCP worries me with that factor.

Thanks and look forward to this awesome communities suggestions.
 
You’re gonna get a lot of recommendations for the HW95 or Beeman r9. I have a weihrauch hw50 and a HW97k and the quality is top notch. The 97k is heavy. The HW line of springers will last a lifetime. https://hardairmagazine.com/reviews/airgun-test-reviews/beeman-r9-air-rifle-test-review-177-cal/. Same gun as HW95 great gun for the field or anything else you could ask you of an air rifle. I’ve heard great things about the Sig Sauer break barrel as well. It’s a gas ram gun and would function in cold weather.
 
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Thanks for the replies guys. The HW95 or HW95L was really what I was mainly looking at until I saw the BSA Lightning XL SE which looks awesome due to it being nice and short.

Apologies if this is the wrong forum, but are PCP's at the state where it's just as efficient as buying a PCP and a hand pump vs a springer or are springers still in a league of their own? The idea of more power while retaining accuracy looks appealing for longer range shots, which I like to do.
 
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Dude, take my word for it -- springers are still in a good league. I started out with them, then moved into PCPs. That one is a slippery slope, addictive too. After dropping serious moolah, and tuning the hell out of tons of them, I am now back to the real world -- springers!

Get yourself a good gas ram, even a cheapo Artemis 1250 GS or 1000 sr will do nowadays. Put a diana bullseye mount on it if you insist on a scope. A red dot is fine as well, or open sights of course. Shoot away, learn the gun, be real, and never look back.

IMG_3499.1615586100.jpg


🐦
 
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See that's the response I was looking for, I worry about getting into the PCP thing and not really being satisfied until a bunch of thousands are spent.

I'll be going with a springer, as that's really all I want. I just didn't want to sell myself short if a PCP would be not much more money and also worried about the simplicity of cocking the weapon, loading a pellet and shooting.

Are you guys familiar of anything similar in size to the BSA Lightning XL SE that has good power (as much as I can get..)? If not, I'll likely go towards the HW95 or Beeman R9.
 
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Stay away from PCP’s. The slope is steep , slippery long and the landing painful (meaning expensive). 
On the other hand if you need more power then a HW30 you might want to consider a PCP depending on how much you shoot. I shoot a lot so the PCP is almost a necessity for me. Everyone’s situation is different. You know air rifles have historically been used at close range for plinking and pest control at close distances. If you follow the AGN forums things have changed dramatically. Guys are shooting air rifles at distances formerly reserved for the 22 RF . This has happened because of the availability of the PCP guns and the compressors and tanks required to feed them. Truth be told the majority of us would be better off with an air rifle like the HW30 and a good accurate 22 LR. 
Don’t get me wrong I love playing with my PCP guns but from a pure cost effectiveness consideration they really ARE hard to justify. By the time you buy the gun if your dreams a tank and a compressor you could be close to 5 figures or at least well into the 4’s 
 
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Stay away from PCP’s. The slope is steep , slippery long and the landing painful (meaning expensive). 
On the other hand if you need more power then a HW30 you might want to consider a PCP depending on how much you shoot. I shoot a lot so the PCP is almost a necessity for me. Everyone’s situation is different. You know air rifles have historically been used at close range for plinking and pest control at close distances. If you follow the AGN forums things have changed dramatically. Guys are shooting air rifles at distances formerly reserved for the 22 RF . This has happened because of the availability of the PCP guns and the compressors and tanks required to feed them. Truth be told the majority of us would be better off with an air rifle like the HW30 and a good accurate 22 LR. 
Don’t get me wrong I love playing with my PCP guns but from a pure cost effectiveness consideration they really ARE hard to justify. By the time you buy the gun if your dreams a tank and a compressor you could be close to 5 figures or at least well into the 4’s
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That's what I was trying to avoid - a huge money pit chasing something possible but far fetched at this point. I could see a PCP with a hand pump working, but from an ease of use perspective it sounds like I'd be much happier with a springer. Plus I've got a nice CZ 22LR rifle for longer range fun.

since you mentioned pesting here’s a good thread about what I would consider the biggest pest to take with a spring air rifle. https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/what-springer-for-groundhog-at-very-close-range/
Click to expand...

Looks like I'm good on all accounts with an accurate rifle. I do however like the extra power for more ping pow and pop on my targets 😉
 
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I'd buy a 22 Benjamin Maximus (around $175 with AGNATION discount code from Crosman.com) and cheap Wal-Mart $50 - $60 hand pump if you want to accurate accurately hit your targets past the typical 40-50 yard max Springer range and likely push it to 100 yards.

I recently bought another TX200 and Maximus (1/4 the cost of the springer) and the TX200 Doesn't get shot.
 
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You might try a WTB ad here or on another forum for the Lightning. They are neat little guns. The more sought after versions are the older UK made series, the ones with an S in the serial # are assembled in Spain, but are still fine rifles. I had one for a while and found it easy to shoot well, very handy and light. The older Supersports have a good reputation as well. If you do place a WTB ad, check for feedback, insist on a phone call and a pic of the gun with the seller's email or mailing address so you don't get scammed.

On the other hand, the rifle I kept is my trusty R9. It's a great balance of power to weight IMO.
 
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