What are the downsides of semi-auto?
- Thread starter kwaping
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Well, that depends on how they achieve semi auto. My aea hp would blow pellets out the back of the magazine and clog up my trigger group. Its fun for the first day but I never have a real use for it with the hunting I do. Double taps are rarely a thing. Side lever is my favorite now, and not just any side lever. It's got to be ez. Here's my dreamline with an oversized handle I made. My impact is similar and with a 28 round magazine it's more fun than my semi auto with a 14 round mag.
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More possible points of failure. Lack of control of the operator often results in a "spray and pray" approach.
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I like that oversized handle. Can you cock it without losing your hand position on the pistol grip?
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That was the primary goal when I made it. I wanted as little change in rifle hold as possible . I can reach my index finger up and cycle it while keeping my hand on the grip. It's hollow, relatively light, and will be anodized eventually because titanium fun. That's my daily driver gun (I shoot at least once every day).
My semi auto is for lots of brush and ground squirrels and it hasn't seen use since I hit them from 80 yards away with that 25 dreamline.
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I own and shoot one semi-auto (Marauder) and one Semi/Auto (Western Sidewinder Compact). Both have detachable magazines that work just fine. Both are .22. If the operator uses them safely, they are fantastic.
What I like:
Ease of reloading Magazines
Easy change out of Magazines (not like the fixed mag on the Huben)
Rifle stays on target for quick follow up shot
What is a concern:
Both are ready to fire all the time. Must make sure they are on safe when storing
THEY EAT PELLETS! You can go through a couple of tins in no time flat.
I enjoy both. The Marauder is a bit heavy and I would call it the M1 Garland of air rifles LOL. The sidewinder is compact, light, and a joy to shoot. I rarely use the auto function but when I do, it brings back memories of the MP5 I used to carry on ops.
What I like:
Ease of reloading Magazines
Easy change out of Magazines (not like the fixed mag on the Huben)
Rifle stays on target for quick follow up shot
What is a concern:
Both are ready to fire all the time. Must make sure they are on safe when storing
THEY EAT PELLETS! You can go through a couple of tins in no time flat.
I enjoy both. The Marauder is a bit heavy and I would call it the M1 Garland of air rifles LOL. The sidewinder is compact, light, and a joy to shoot. I rarely use the auto function but when I do, it brings back memories of the MP5 I used to carry on ops.
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if you are going to sit down and shoot the whole magazine, the semi autos are great, on a target shoot or a massive ground squirrel attack ,, but for me they are not needed for a 'at the ready', just cock and shoot the lone starling or house sparrow that mistakenly drops by,,, or a truck gun for that oppurtunity for a single kill,,, I have a Huben that needs repaired but I am no hurry to send it off,,, fun gun but it doesn't fit my use, that 's all,, not bad mouthing semi auto, it is just me,,, they are for fun vs being a work tool,, as the Kozak popped another collared dove this morn for cat food, shot from bedroom window, one shot, one kill
my Huben has the broken latch/catch for the mag revoling,,
to me semi auto is purely for the enjoyment,,, they are fun
my Huben has the broken latch/catch for the mag revoling,,
to me semi auto is purely for the enjoyment,,, they are fun
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I agree with the general consensus that semi-auto is a not necessarily needed but are cool to have. I have had two in my hobby journey. An LCS19 and a Huben. The LCS was not all that accurate and was underwhelming. The Huben was much more accurate and was fun, and did provide me some needed fairly accurate followup shots on game a few times. I don’t have any semi-autos now and don’t miss them.
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It was (once) said that single-shot, hand feeding is the the best way (most accuracy) to load as you can feel every round as it's chambered. I think that is still mostly true, some magazine systems (like on the Weihrauch HW100) are extremely good, others leave much to be desired.
At the opposite end of things you have an automatic mechanism ramming the round home, properly aligned or not. Not so much a problem for centerfire rounds, could be terrible for mutilating soft lead pellets and accuracy would suffer.
Which to choose depends on your needs. For deer hunting at close range in heavy brush I preferred a semiautomatic, out in the fields, a bolt action.
I don't think I could justify (or would want) the extra cost and complexity of a semiautomatic PCP. For squirrel and rabbit hunting I find a modern side-lever system to be more than fast enough and it sill let's me feel/control the loading. I like that.
Having owned semiautomatic. 22 rimfires I can agree with comments above that you can burn through a lot a of ammunition in a short time and there's a strong tendency to get in the habit of using 2 or 3 quick shots where 1 good one is all that was really required. That being said, rapid fire plinking is a lot of (expensive) fun!
Good luck with your choice!
Cheers!
At the opposite end of things you have an automatic mechanism ramming the round home, properly aligned or not. Not so much a problem for centerfire rounds, could be terrible for mutilating soft lead pellets and accuracy would suffer.
Which to choose depends on your needs. For deer hunting at close range in heavy brush I preferred a semiautomatic, out in the fields, a bolt action.
I don't think I could justify (or would want) the extra cost and complexity of a semiautomatic PCP. For squirrel and rabbit hunting I find a modern side-lever system to be more than fast enough and it sill let's me feel/control the loading. I like that.
Having owned semiautomatic. 22 rimfires I can agree with comments above that you can burn through a lot a of ammunition in a short time and there's a strong tendency to get in the habit of using 2 or 3 quick shots where 1 good one is all that was really required. That being said, rapid fire plinking is a lot of (expensive) fun!
Good luck with your choice!
Cheers!
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Very low chance of winning a BR match so these are marginally less precise, triggers not quite as nice as some other pcp's, and you tend to go through ammo and air faster.
But you can also have more fun with a semi. I know I have at times.
For example I enjoy my Steyr's, one a LP5 pistol and so much so that I sold my Olympic single shot pistol especially since I can't shoot good enough offhand to see a difference in precision.
The ProX is also more fun if speed is the goal, like for shooting steel.
Both are more precise than I thought they would be before I tried them.
My next airgun purchase will likely be a GK1 or Mordax so that's how much I like them.
But you can also have more fun with a semi. I know I have at times.
For example I enjoy my Steyr's, one a LP5 pistol and so much so that I sold my Olympic single shot pistol especially since I can't shoot good enough offhand to see a difference in precision.
The ProX is also more fun if speed is the goal, like for shooting steel.
Both are more precise than I thought they would be before I tried them.
My next airgun purchase will likely be a GK1 or Mordax so that's how much I like them.
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I’ve had two and still have one. The Evanix air speed and a Leshiy 2. Still have the later and still use it as my primary hunting rig. Fast follow up shots on multiple game birds (partridge) is a must here in the late fall when they get skiddish and tend to fly off when you get within 50 yards.
I did really like the air speed but didn’t need two semi auto’s. only downside to the Evanix was the burp fire when the air pressure got too low ( 100 bar or less)but it sure was nice and light.
I did really like the air speed but didn’t need two semi auto’s. only downside to the Evanix was the burp fire when the air pressure got too low ( 100 bar or less)but it sure was nice and light.
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My experience with semiauto air guns was a Crosman 500, co2 and bb’s, 15 rounds in a tube magazine. I loved it and learned a lot about shooting. I got it refurbished a few years ago and bought another from my gunsmith. They aren’t perfect but they are fun and that’s the point.
Rick H.
Rick H.
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Downsides = more pellets and more air, just plowing through mags of pellets gets boring after a while.
Upsides = it's a lot of fun and there are excellent semi's out there. Huben K1 is one.
Upsides = it's a lot of fun and there are excellent semi's out there. Huben K1 is one.
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Never owned one but it seems not as good of a trigger and more air consumption to cycle action. More things to malfunction maybe 
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