Where Is Our Hobby Headed?

[bamavet55]

At the rifle/pistol range where I shoot several times a month it appears I'm the sole airgunner. It never fails when I'm playing with my toys at this range, other shooters, all "powder burners", are fascinated with the accuracy and sophistication of my airguns, usually the FX Impact. I get tons of questions about these airguns and I'm always polite and patient with these inquiries. The occasional child at the range just loves hitting a 9" metal target at 100 yards with a "pellet gun".

Since I got into adult airgunning in ~ 2014, I've witnessed a rapid growth in the number of vendors, brands, capability and efficiency of airguns. Based on the increased number of vendors, the growth in size of these outlets and comments I read, I can only assume that the airgun market has expanded exponentially. That means to me, our hobby has grown. To me, this growth is a good thing. More airgunners, more manufacturers and more vendors increase competition for market share. To my way of thinking, this all augurs to the benefit of us, the consumer. However, that sentiment is not unanimous among airgunners, as I found out when I posted this piece: https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/are-we-asking-too-much/page/2/

One commenter thinks airgunning has gone "off the rails" and laments that things have changed, apparently. This "puts the consumer at an extreme disadvantage compared to how it used to be", he wrote.

Please tell me what you think.

 

[jps2486]

Those of us that are airgun aficianados have had the benefit of the "explosion" of new and improved products. Our wallets have suffered, however, but I'm not sorry for that. My first "adult" airgun, as Dr. Beeman called them, was a Beeman R-8 that I bought in 1983. I enjoyed it for many years followed by numerous others. I like being able to shoot a powerful long range airgun without the noise. I enjoy airgun competition, but unfortunately, there isn't much of that around. As far as the infidels are concerned, they look on with curiosity, but like most American males, there isn't anything that stokes their ego. Everything has to be big and noisy. That's why they all run around in huge gas guzzling pickup trucks with the "4X4 Off Road" decals on the back. They've never been off road, but they sure make these short-peckered guys feel big and important. That's ok. I'd rather keep our hobby down to a dull roar, otherwise, our evil, crooked politicians will start to pick on us. Let's stay under the radar.

 

[rangur1]

This has two digressing points of view. While yours is certainly full of merit. Some can see their beloved hobby being overrun with too many features, or technology. Can you fault them? I don’t know. I share your sentiments that the increased interest only helps our hobby. 

 

[rcarlisle]

I am generally pleased to see all of the innovation. I don't need the majority of it, but I am glad it is all there in case I feel like playing around with it. I don't generally give a rat's butt what others are doing with their toys, how much they spend on them or whether I agree or disagree on how fantastic that new toy is. You do you. I'll do me. If we can agree on that, there are no issues for me about where this hobby is going.

 

[elh0102]

I think we're in the golden age of airguns, and the technology continues advancing. My only personal regret is the focus on high power. I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but, after many years of long range cartridge rifle shooting, I enjoy that which I believe is the history of the sport. Air rifles in the 12-30 fpe range are easily suppressed so that back yard shooting is safe and, for the most part, unnoticed by neighbors. Although 100 yard shooting is certainly feasible in this power range, most of my shooting is 25-50 yards. HP air rifles can obviously be used safely, and they can be sufficiently powerful to take game in an ethical manner. But, therein lies the potential problem. As our sport races toward larger caliber, higher powered rifles, we will almost certainly fall under greater regulatory scrutiny. Some states have already rolled air rifles into the regulated "firearm" category. With that comes the loss of easy transfers and private shipping, as everything has to go through an FFL. Maybe the advancements are worth the added regulation, and maybe I'm just a cynical old fart, but I don't like it. 

 

[Jasonmc]

I got into this hobby almost 20 years ago and have seen it grow a lot... and just about ever aspect grow with it... PCP rifles have exploded over the years. There's something for everyone.. beginner to expert.. better rifles, ammo (pellets) and now developing slugs that are only getting better by the day. Person compressors (affordable I might add). my first pcp I bought years ago a home 4500psi compressor wasnt thought of for the price point of today.the prices was scary high...I used a hand pump. Later bought a scuba tank and drove over an hour one way to have if filled...weekly in the summer/fall when I shot the most. I'm happy to see it grow and improve.. more people in it enjoying it as well... now the laws changing for tha air rifles I'm not so happy about... but that's another different subject.. 

 

[beerthief]

I think we're in the golden age of airguns, and the technology continues advancing. My only personal regret is the focus on high power. I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but, after many years of long range cartridge rifle shooting shooting, I enjoy that which I believe is the history of the sport. Air rifles in the 12-30 fpe range are easily suppressed so that back yard shooting is safe and, for the most part, unnoticed by neighbors. Although 100 yard shooting is certainly feasible in this power range, most of my shooting is 25-50 yards. HP air rifles can obviously be used safely, and they can be sufficiently powerful to take game in an ethical manner. But, therein lies the potential problem. As our sport races toward larger caliber, higher powered rifles, we will almost certainly fall under greater regulatory scrutiny. Some states have already rolled air rifles into the regulated "firearm" category. With that comes the loss of easy transfers and private shipping, as everything has to go through an FFL. Maybe the advancements are worth the added regulation, and maybe I'm just a cynical old fart, but I don't like it.

i can not say this better , Thanks for the quote 

 

[Ranchibi]

The more manufacturers involved the more the technology will advance which to me is a very good thing...regulation will hurt the hobby....

 

[qball]

The more manufacturers involved the more the technology will advance which to me is a very good thing...regulation will hurt the hobby....

100% agree on the competition and options are good but sadly the high power fully auto options in the wrong hands will eventually bring unwanted attention to our hobby and eventual onset of regulations. It is inevitable and down side of ANY thing that get popular, just look at electric scooters and bikes. I get the fun and curiosity of new tacticool this and that, I was there too. L




as much as I love my long range high power guns I can see the days of wild Wild West will eventually end thanks to very few idiots. I can only hope this doesn’t happen any time soon. In the mean time after getting bored with multiple high power guns that all print sub MOA groups at 100 yards and beyond, I am enjoying my sub12 rifles more and more, make that a LOT more. 


However, I don’t think regulations will hurt the hobby but will redirect more to lower power guns and hopefully promoted responsible ownership of high powered stuff. Granted we are talking about people so responsible ownership and reasonable regulations are like perfection, aspirations that can never be achieved. Again, unfortunate down side of anything gets popular….people ruins everything! LOL

 

[DesertSilver]

I think we're in the golden age of airguns, and the technology continues advancing. My only personal regret is the focus on high power. I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but, after many years of long range cartridge rifle shooting shooting, I enjoy that which I believe is the history of the sport. Air rifles in the 12-30 fpe range are easily suppressed so that back yard shooting is safe and, for the most part, unnoticed by neighbors. Although 100 yard shooting is certainly feasible in this power range, most of my shooting is 25-50 yards. HP air rifles can obviously be used safely, and they can be sufficiently powerful to take game in an ethical manner. But, therein lies the potential problem. As our sport races toward larger caliber, higher powered rifles, we will almost certainly fall under greater regulatory scrutiny. Some states have already rolled air rifles into the regulated "firearm" category. With that comes the loss of easy transfers and private shipping, as everything has to go through an FFL. Maybe the advancements are worth the added regulation, and maybe I'm just a cynical old fart, but I don't like it.

i can not say this better , Thanks for the quote

I agree . We need to keep the gooberment out of airguns. 

 

[dizzums]

i think its hit a plateau .. people flocked to airguns with the firearms ammo crunch but to achieve firearms level performance you got to spend a bunch .. the benefits start to fade .. i can build a kickin pb varmint rig with heavy barrel custom stock etc AND tons of ammo for WAY less than a highend euro rig pellet gun and it kills it in performance, and ive done just that 'several' times lately .. airguns are cool and everything but for around the house theres only so far its reasonable to go even if you spend on a nice one ..plus the manufacturing and supply situation has gone from bad to worse with no end in sight .. doesnt promote growth and innovation in anything ..

 

[ScottEnglish]

Back in the 1950's and early 1960's most young boys had BB guns and routinely carried them to Boy Scout meetings and out "hunting" for birds and rabbits. Times changed and boys were discouraged from carrying guns and the Boy Scouts were infiltrated by perverse leaders. The industry has lost several generations of youth as customers. FT matches are attended mainly by older men born in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, the Boy Scouts are in a severe decline and the only youth taught gun safety are the children of law enforcement agents, farmers, ranchers and military veterans. The industry should participate in gun safety classes, FT matches, benchrest matches and airgun shows for youth with reasonably priced guns available for use at these events.

 

[Gerry52]

I'm with Ed (elh0102). It's almost the same philosophical argument that science has struggled with forever. Just because we CAN make these technological leaps, SHOULD WE? (should we have used nukes, should we clone humans, etc.) I think one of the things that excited me about airguns was the accuracy attained without using the power of an explosion to drive the pellet. With the advent of power plenum, slugs, modularity & incredibly high power, one may as well be shooting a PB. I truly understand the appeal of all these advances & advantages for a lot of people but, for me personally, it's kind of detracted from the SIMPLE beauty that drew me to airguns. It's like being into ARCHERY but suddenly there's an arrow on the market that can go 800 yards or more @ 1000fps or more because of digital guidance systems. Would a purist archer see the need?

 

[otis1016]

ScottEnglish I agree and disagree at the same time. I grew up in the south and still live there. Back in the day a kid could bring his deer rifle to school, leave it in the principles' office and take it out hunting after school. Today that kid would be labeled a terrorist in about 6 seconds. Young boys were routinely taught to shoot, gun safety and responsiblity and how to take care of things. They still are for the most part although there are a few exceptions. I learned to shoot a .22 at age 6 and bought all of my nephews a single shot .22 when they were the same age and taught them to shoot safely and behave safely around guns of any kind at all times. That's still common practice and all of them now own one or more firearms including some of the 'bad' ones. Haven't gotten them into this sport though but I'm just getting into it myself in the last two years. As a kid I had a Daisy BB gun to start and got a Crosman 500 a few years later. My brothers got Crosman 760's I think. I still have those and getting them rebuilt got me back into shooting them and discovering how much this world has grown. I've picked up another half dozen since, a couple of them classics from the 60's. In addition I've done quite a bit of long range shooting with centerfire and .22 caliber powder burners. I enjoy it all. What has truly surprised me was a visit to the CMP in Aniston for an air gun match. I was amazed at the number of participants, the sophistication and cost of their rifles, the distances traveled and the places they had come from. High school kids from New Jersey for example. It was a long trip but they had nice equipment and clearly knew how to use it. Current political foolishness notwithstanding I'm positive about the future of air gun shooting and the shooting sport in general.



Rick H.

 

[Raden1942]

I think that insinuating that the airgun laws are going to get stricter because of an exploding market or because airguns are beginning to get "too powerful" is a bit of Fudd lore. In my opinion the best way to preserve your God given liberty is to use it. Also you need to have a strong community of like minded people who will back you up. I watched as a young child many people self regulate thier firearms purchases. I can't tell you how many times I heard people who were supposed to be 2nd amendment loving Americans berate my father for owning a colt ar15. Another example would be Bill ruger who stopped making 25 Rd mags for his mini 14 in hopes that he could stop legislation to ban these dangerous assault style rifles. It didn't work then and it won't work now. The airgun industry growing and creating new technologies can only be good for us. We don't have to buy anything we don't want. If you look at what happened to our European friends regarding airgun laws you need only look as far as how they allowed thier governments to regulate firearms first. IMO if you love airguns you should support the 2nd first and then vote with your wallet. If the companies you give your money to want to keep making money they will get involved politically. This is how we win. Government only allows what you let them allow. The second we fracture as a community and start infighting about who should be allowed to own what we already lost. This is America we have always chosen dangerous liberty over peaceful slavery. To my knowledge we have been doing a pretty good job of preserving airgun rights in this country. In fact the amount of states allowing for big game hunting using big bores is a good example of gaining rights instead of losing them. Let's keep that pace up. Stay safe out there and don't self regulate. We have enough regulations as it is. - Raden

 

[Raden1942]

As an aside I once heard a man on the news respond to this question. "how many kids have to die before we repeal the second amendment or at least regulate it to remove semi auto sporting rifles?" to which he responded. "All of them including my own." while this is obviously hyperbolic and not even possible that all kids would die I admired the hard liner attitude towards our God given rights to own and possess dangerous weapons. I would hope that we would all have that attitude for all our amendments protected in the constitution. The second we trade safety for liberty we deserve neither. - Benjamin Franklin 

 

[crazyhorse]

I started out in 2007 and learned in FT and,Benchrest etc that these sports can get progressively expensive.. So I have left the 'competition" mode and went back to my hobby, period.

As far sas "technology" I just bought a new Airmaks product the Katran Long in .22 cal and is a fantastic creation re quality.,accuracy .

 

[elh0102]

I think that insinuating that the airgun laws are going to get stricter because of an exploding market or because airguns are beginning to get "too powerful" is a bit of Fudd lore. In my opinion the best way to preserve your God given liberty is to use it. Also you need to have a strong community of like minded people who will back you up. I watched as a young child many people self regulate thier firearms purchases. I can't tell you how many times I heard people who were supposed to be 2nd amendment loving Americans berate my father for owning a colt ar15. Another example would be Bill ruger who stopped making 25 Rd mags for his mini 14 in hopes that he could stop legislation to ban these dangerous assault style rifles. It didn't work then and it won't work now. The airgun industry growing and creating new technologies can only be good for us. We don't have to buy anything we don't want. If you look at what happened to our European friends regarding airgun laws you need only look as far as how they allowed thier governments to regulate firearms first. IMO if you love airguns you should support the 2nd first and then vote with your wallet. If the companies you give your money to want to keep making money they will get involved politically. This is how we win. Government only allows what you let them allow. The second we fracture as a community and start infighting about who should be allowed to own what we already lost. This is America we have always chosen dangerous liberty over peaceful slavery. To my knowledge we have been doing a pretty good job of preserving airgun rights in this country. In fact the amount of states allowing for big game hunting using big bores is a good example of gaining rights instead of losing them. Let's keep that pace up. Stay safe out there and don't self regulate. We have enough regulations as it is. - Raden

Raden, you articulate some high, democratic principles, and I agree with them all. But unfortunately, reality is proving us wrong. As the famous philosopher George Carlin said, “never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” As for the "Fudd lore" of more stringent regulation, not at all, it's already happened in several states. 

 

[Gerry52]

Again, I agree with you Ed (elh0102). Also, don't forget that our "God given rights" were not "GOD GIVEN", they were "politician given" at a time when the peak of technology allowed one shot a minute with useable accuracy of 150 yards. Don't think they ever saw 800-1000 rounds per minute @ 800 yards being in the hands of the common man (or hand grenades, bazookas, 50 cal. Sniper rifles, etc).

 

[43722 requested deletion]

"New" sports go through an arc where the early practitioners have a lot of fun experimenting and inventing the techniques as they go. Then manufacturers promote and market the sport to boost the industry and make more money. If it is telegenic and cool then soft drink and fashion companies adopt it as a hook (sponsorship by Red Bull and Mountain Dew, the X-games) and people go for television, fame and fortune. Then it either collapses -- think of model airplanes, sailboarding, early skateboarding, paintball -- and becomes a niche hobby with a handful of manufacturers but not much growth. Or it's successful and popular and the stars make millions from snowboarding or whatever. 

The manufacturers, websites, influencers, personalities all want airgunning to grow because they will make more money. The actual airgunners, for the most part, don't care. If an electronic big bore $3000 gun didn't exist they wouldn't buy it but if they get hammered by marketing messages and influencers then some will. But for the most part people would probably be content with a well made springer unless they are trend hopping consumers who get into a hobby briefly and move on to the next cool thing... carbon fiber paper airplanes or some such. 

Ten years from now we could be back to a handful of airgun makers and nerdy old men tinkering in their garage. I'd like that to be honest. I don't want the sport to get bigger or for dozens of fly by night get rich schemers to get involved. I don't care if the general public knows about adult airguns. In fact I rather they didn't. I'm anti-marketing (because I used to own an advertising agency!)

The other very large and overwhelming concern is that the manufacturers, oh like AIRFORCE, AEA and others, keep pushing the larger calibers and automatic or semi-auto actions. The more people who get involved and start using more powerful airguns for nefarious fun and crime are going to draw a lot of attention to air gunning in general. And the Alphabet org and government tends to tackle problems with a blunt, stupid 2x4 of regulation. 

I expect British style air gun laws within ten years or as soon as some wing nut uses "SILENT" airguns to do something frowned upon. 

As far as being more free being American I guess you just don't do anything that warrants government attention and are happy having managed elections to choose from the lessor of two nincompoops. We have innocent people in jail waiting years for trial, people being shamed, audited and run out of business, investigations and all kinds of unconstitutional things happening. Everything you do online is archived and data mined, there are gigantic NSA buildings full of hard drives storing everything you've ever done forever. Vast swathes of existing laws go unenforced and certain groups have distinctly better outcomes and privileges than others. The only difference in freedoms between the USA and the rest of the world are trivial and somewhat laxer gun regulations in some things (but not hearing protection devices). If you thought you had First and Second Amendment Rights you've been wrong. The constitution is meaningless in practice since the courts will interpret almost anything to reflect the elites' desires and their goals of social engineering and globalist control. 

Your safe airgun practices won't matter. The younger generation is being indoctrinated to hate hunting, guns and you. The programming most kids are exposed to is so effective that they can't decide what gender they are so making a kid anti-gun or anti-self-defense is easy in comparison.