What would you do different?

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siscoe308

Member
Jan 13, 2019
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Colorado
 First Post, so forgive me if this is a common question.

Looking to take the plunger into the air gun world. I seem to be moving Backwards. Shot centerfires my whole life, got bit by the rimfire bug badly a couple years ago (5 Anschutz rifles later) now I’m ready to take another step down. I target shoot 4-5 times a month & whack pdogs regularly. 

What lessons you wish you would have known before you started sinking money into this world? 

I’m a buy once, cry once guy. Here is the kit I’m eyeballing...

1. FX Impact X .25 cal/ long barrel/ slug liner (when available) 

2. March optic (3-24 ffp/ 2-25 sfp, haven’t decided)

3. Compressor (type/ brand undecided) still researching. Leaning toward the Omega Super Charger...
 
siscoe308, 

Welcome, and same here..
While I've always shot air rifles, I went from rimfire to centerfire back to rimfire.
I got rid of countless powder burner rifles, and stuck with my two favorites. Custom match grade 10/22s.
Then I started re-investing in PCP air rifles, and IMO, they're just as much - if not even more fun!
[I mostly only shoot target - and now, I can keep shooting indoors until' we get through winter]
Also, I shoot just about every single day.

FX Impacts rock, so nice choice there.
I ended up spending my 'Impact money' on two less expensive guns and a compressor $ scba tank, 
so still no Impact for me, but, they're always at the top of my list also.

Scopes - IMO, FFP is the way to go! I've always used SFP with my center/rimfires, but, 
after using my newest FFP scope, I'm sold. Now I have 2 new Nikon Prostaff Rimfire II scopes I'll have to sell.. haha

Compressor - The Omega series look like a really nice option.
There are also a few new comps popping up as we enter the new year.

Sam -
 
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@DirtyDovi, 

Honestly I have intentionally avoiding the PCP world because I’m bad at selling guns when my goldfish attention span shifts from discipline to discipline. I am TedsHoldOver fan from way back. 

Work has landed me in Northern Colorado & I hope that gaining permission to shoot prairie dogs will be easier if I can say I’ll only be toting a “pellet” rifle...so that was enough to justify the startup cost! Lol 

To your point, I’ve had both ffp & sfp on rimfires and I find it to be less important on shots that are first shot with a range finder & dialed. I have had more fun ranging, dialing & watching a .22 slug in flight to hit an exact aiming point than I had just banging with the centerfires. (Don’t get me wrong, making critters fly with the .223 & 6.5x47 is still pretty cool) It really is a toss up for me. 




 
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The IMPACT is a great rifle, but having had a friend of mine’s here for initial set-up for several days, I would think about going to something with less “gadgetry” and potential maintenance. It shoots great, but I never could get as steady with it due to the unconventional stock similar to the Powder Burners I have had all of my life.

A Raw or DayState Red Wolf might seem to me the deluxe choice in the similar price range for a guy starting out.

There are several great scopes out there. I personally favor the Hawke sidewinder but the Aztec Emerald and others are also getting rave reviews. I really like the FFP scopes better and I own several of both.

I have an Omega Supercharger and have used it now for going on two years. It has been great.

Good luck, and welcome......
 
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@siscoe308 

Hahaha I completely understand, and I have that same problem..
I had to move a few times, so unfortunately, I just took major losses vs. hanging onto things..
In the end, I'm still pretty content with the two 22lrs and handful of PCPs.

Colorada - Ah man, you'll love it out there.. I got to visit for a wedding, and loved that state..
It is soooo much nicer there than here - in NY.
Best of luck with everything - including finding some properties to shoot at!

FFP & SFP - right on, that's a good point.
I would probably agree 100% if I ever had access to a range finder for different distances..
In my case - I either had to go by pre-measured targets or guess the distances and adjust later..
So SFP was always a bit of a pain. Especially with the air rifles..

OMG, I am a BIG fan of long distance shooting with .22lrs! You're not kidding!
At our range, we had a gong out at the 300 yard mark, 
and I would consistently ring it [more like plink it] with my 22s [Fed Red .22lr rounds]
Using the Nikon max 12x, I would obviously run out of elevation clicks - and even hold over marks, 
so I'd have to find fixed points in the trees above the target, and aim for those..
Then pull, and watch as the slug took off, arc'd, and **plink** hit the target. haha

The guys with the 223s would laugh every single time - It really was a funny sight to see..

17HMR was another really fun rifle/round to fire!
Last year, I got to shoot a ton of different AR's, a few 308s, including a friend's Mosin–Nagant..
Now that thing was a trip! It's in the same style ProMag Arch Angle stock that I have one of my .22s in, 
but that's where the similarities end. haha 30-06s were fun too, but, that damn recoil..

Anyways..

.22 pcp is a blast. Especially for target. Cheap and effective.
.25 pcp is just as fun, a bit more expensive, but, like you said with the .223 / 6.5x47, the extra size/energy 
really does make the 'smaller' critters fly. Or explode.. =D

Sam -

 
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I honestly would go 22 cal Daystate redwolf hp, just because it has less adjustments for the user and lower my scope budget a little. Or a raw and keep the same scope, the omega is nice especially if your keeping it in your house and filling directly. But honestly what is you goal with the gun? Paper punching? Stalking and hunting? The use would help a lot with what package to get.
 
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Thanks all for the replies, guys. 

I currently have a magneto speed, but have had troubles with reading .22lr. A buddy has a Labradar, that I can borrow for setup...or just buy one of my own! 😍

I haven’t looked much at Daystates. I’ll check them out. I just see the Impacts dominating competitions stateside. 

The gun will primarily be a 100 yd & in prairie dog killer & 50 yd square range group shooter. Maybe the occasional rabbit & squirrel getter. 

@Bruce54 I’m up in Greeley. We should go put holes in things sometime! 
 
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I would take a minute and look at some guns if you get the chance. With what you are saying I would definitely look at the impact, crown, Daystate redwolf and raw. I personally feel a rifle is easier for me to shoot then a bullpup. I’ve only got one anschutz, but 5cz... my rimfire bug was cured with a fx streamline. The air rifle bug is much harder to cure... especially with a donnyfl on your gun. 
 
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I may have a different point of view than others on this. 

Looking back on the years since I started shooting airguns, I wouldn't change much. I didn't start out with the best rifle of the day. I worked my way up from the bottom and I'm glad I did!

There's a lesson to be learned with each step you take. It could be a lesson about pellets, scopes, triggers, yourself, style of rifle, accessories that work/don't work, quality, etc. Without taking those steps, you may miss out on a valuable lesson or skill that would have otherwise revealed itself with a different rifle. My advise to anyone starting out with airguns is not to start at the top with a top tier rifle. Find a middle of the road rifle that's moderately popular and pretty simple to work on. Use it, enjoy it, learn it. Then, upgrade and repeat. 

PCP's are great but, they can be expensive to get outfitted. Primarily due to generating and/or storing the high pressure air. This is an area where I would recommend starting out with the best, if you can afford to. Get a compressor with a great reputation, that can be rebuilt by the consumer, and that has great customer support. My recommendation, the Omega Turbo Charger. But, the Super charger is also a great choice. I did some videos on both of these a while back. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2fnJ6U0_aQ&t=499s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkOW6qCu1cY&t=164s

With your history as a shooter, you probably have a pretty good idea what you want out of a scope. If you're wanting to shoot at 100yds with your air rifle, remember that the pellet is going to drop significantly. So, you may run out your turrets trying to shoot at long distances and high magnification. A quick, easy fix for this is to get some adjustable scope rings such as Sportsmatch or FX. 

Depending on what rifle you purchase, you'll want a decent assortment of pellets. AEAC (youtube) does a lot of gun reviews and part of his system is to test different pellets with the rifles. You can get a good idea of which brands are consistently performing well through his vids. Two brands you should definitely try are JSB and Crosman premiers. 

Happy Shooting and welcome to your next addiction!

Tom
 
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Thanks all for the replies, guys. 

I currently have a magneto speed, but have had troubles with reading .22lr. A buddy has a Labradar, that I can borrow for setup...or just buy one of my own! 
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I haven’t looked much at Daystates. I’ll check them out. I just see the Impacts dominating competitions stateside. 

The gun will primarily be a 100 yd & in prairie dog killer & 50 yd square range group shooter. Maybe the occasional rabbit & squirrel getter. 

@Bruce54 I’m up in Greeley. We should go put holes in things sometime!
Click to expand...

I have the Magnetospeed also, works great with both .22 rimfire and air rifle, you just have to get it adjusted right. As for your rifle considerations, I have an FX Crown, Daystate Red Wolf, and RAW, all in .22, and they are all great rifles, but have different qualities. If I could have only one (heaven forbid), it would be my Steyr, but again, all great rifles. 
 
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If you can afford the March, I'm not too worried about the rest. 

There are some decisions, like haul a tank that you fill off a compressor to the field, or haul a compressor that can run on the car/atv battery. Tanks are nice because you can get a regulator if the gun isn't regulated. Field compressors are nice because they are easy to take into the field.

Agree with the Daystate, maybe top of the line bullpup with all the fancy electronics. But the others mentioned are pretty good too. Just get a gun worthy of the March.
 
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