Why do you still shoot springers?
- Thread starter Nico5999
- Start date
This is one of the longest threads ever but it's good to see how springers still have the juice to get people excited about airguns. I can't wait to buy my hw haven't decided on the 50 or 55 yet I guess we will see after I move. God bless everyone. Springers still remain the easiest most powerful way to get into airguns which makes them a doorway into the sport which remains second to none. Long live the springer.
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Plus...I wanted to improve my overall off-hand shooting for all of my rifles (powder burners and PCPs). 
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Plus...I wanted to improve my overall off-hand shooting for all of my rifles (powder burners and PCPs).
This is so true. Wanna frustrate your firearm friends..have them shoot your springer and try to group like you do. Some of them can just naturally, but most don't pay as much attention to all of the details and can't shoot them well at all..
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I started out shooting springers for years but lost my way. I moved on to shooting PCP's for awhile but then I realized my mistake. It's like the difference between transmissions. Automatics are nice but nothing beats a 4-speed on the floor!
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Ok, we have cheap PCP’s now. They are accurate. That’s great, if you can accept their limitations.
What limitations? For starters, there are only a small handful of PCP rifles that will not lose POI from bouncing around in a pickup. The ones that can are very very expensive, but even on the high end most can’t. On the other hand the cheapest break barrel is about as durable as a firearm. Your Crosman Optimus might struggle to hold 1” at 20 yards but at least it will still do it if you lean it in the corner or grab it by the barrel. Something quality like an R9 will hold zero but it will also reach out well into PCP territory.
Then there is the change in POI with the change in pressure. You have a sweet spot, 8-10 shots or maybe 12 shots that even a mid range PCP is good for, vs a quality springer well broken in with single digit extreme spread in velocity. I’d rather have a gun a little hold sensitive.
In a regulated gun? Regulated rifles that come in at a break barrel price point have the worst durability of all. Grab the gun by the barrel and that’s it. POI might only change a half inch at 50 yards… or maybe a full inch at 20 yards. Again, I’d rather learn to shoot a gun that’s hold sensitive.
Repeaters? I’ve had two PCP repeaters and neither of them feed with 100% reliability. They make a single shot tray for a reason.
Power? Why do I need more power than a springer can make? A good pellet rifle, to me, is to bridge the gap between a BB gun and a rimfire. A good springer does it perfectly.
You are not going to pass a cheap $300-$500 PCP down to your grandkids. Maybe not even a $1,000 PCP. It’s not gonna last, nor will it be worth much. Weihrauch, Air Arms, Diana spring guns hold their value like a good firearm will.
Why would I trade a quality spring rifle, of beautiful wood and highly polished blues steel, that holds its value and lasts for generations, that’s accurate to any reasonable range I’d hunt with the air rifle, for a souped up CO2 repeater with some reinforced air tube and valve to operate on HPA?
If you really think ANY pcp from Benjamin, Gamo, Umarex, or etc is an upgrade to a quality German springer you have been fooled. Might be easier to use and shoot as long as you have tanks, but the advantages end there.
And regards to charging a PCP, if you go cheap and you shoot a lot you’re gonna have to rebuild or replace that pump regularly. Even if you must do a debur and reseal/respring on your springer, you could shoot it for years before it needs to be freshened up.
I bought and sold three PCP’s before I finally upgraded to an R9. Not to say I would not play with a cheap PCP again, I might like to get a cheap one that’s very quiet for a beater- maybe a Benjamin Fortitude. But by definition a beater has to take a beating… I am not so sure if it will work for that purpose lol.
What limitations? For starters, there are only a small handful of PCP rifles that will not lose POI from bouncing around in a pickup. The ones that can are very very expensive, but even on the high end most can’t. On the other hand the cheapest break barrel is about as durable as a firearm. Your Crosman Optimus might struggle to hold 1” at 20 yards but at least it will still do it if you lean it in the corner or grab it by the barrel. Something quality like an R9 will hold zero but it will also reach out well into PCP territory.
Then there is the change in POI with the change in pressure. You have a sweet spot, 8-10 shots or maybe 12 shots that even a mid range PCP is good for, vs a quality springer well broken in with single digit extreme spread in velocity. I’d rather have a gun a little hold sensitive.
In a regulated gun? Regulated rifles that come in at a break barrel price point have the worst durability of all. Grab the gun by the barrel and that’s it. POI might only change a half inch at 50 yards… or maybe a full inch at 20 yards. Again, I’d rather learn to shoot a gun that’s hold sensitive.
Repeaters? I’ve had two PCP repeaters and neither of them feed with 100% reliability. They make a single shot tray for a reason.
Power? Why do I need more power than a springer can make? A good pellet rifle, to me, is to bridge the gap between a BB gun and a rimfire. A good springer does it perfectly.
You are not going to pass a cheap $300-$500 PCP down to your grandkids. Maybe not even a $1,000 PCP. It’s not gonna last, nor will it be worth much. Weihrauch, Air Arms, Diana spring guns hold their value like a good firearm will.
Why would I trade a quality spring rifle, of beautiful wood and highly polished blues steel, that holds its value and lasts for generations, that’s accurate to any reasonable range I’d hunt with the air rifle, for a souped up CO2 repeater with some reinforced air tube and valve to operate on HPA?
If you really think ANY pcp from Benjamin, Gamo, Umarex, or etc is an upgrade to a quality German springer you have been fooled. Might be easier to use and shoot as long as you have tanks, but the advantages end there.
And regards to charging a PCP, if you go cheap and you shoot a lot you’re gonna have to rebuild or replace that pump regularly. Even if you must do a debur and reseal/respring on your springer, you could shoot it for years before it needs to be freshened up.
I bought and sold three PCP’s before I finally upgraded to an R9. Not to say I would not play with a cheap PCP again, I might like to get a cheap one that’s very quiet for a beater- maybe a Benjamin Fortitude. But by definition a beater has to take a beating… I am not so sure if it will work for that purpose lol.
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I 100% agree with BrianH about a good springer. I am still shooting quite accurately with my 1983 Beeman R1. But that being said... I also have a very durable PCP. If you are going to get a PCP you really have to step up to the plate and buy QUALITY. Not some over advertised, over priced, delicate pos that you can't bang around a bit and still hunt with it. There are a few out there, and I mean a FEW! From my personal experience with the PCP's I have owned, the quality ones that are durable enough to get the job done are not the $400 range air rifles. This is where I have to tread carefully. The number of fanboys of some of the upper end PCP's on here will really get butt hurt if someone tells you the bad about their choice of airgun. I have been through a few, including FX, Hatsan, and AEA. The ones I have kept and are in my rifle cabinet right now are my Edgun Leshiy 2 in .30cal which is as durable as they come, and my Daystate Huntsman Regal .22cal which is extremely accurate. All the others are toys compared to these in my OPINION! So don't get mad FX owners!!! That being said, I shoot my Beeman more than both of the put together. There is just something about the high end springers that give you confidence knowing there will not be a problem! It is going to hit your intended target every time without a hitch, no filling, no running out of air, and you don't have to be gentle with it. Shoot what you like but do a bit of research before you jump into PCP's and get something that fits your shooting style.
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Well to be completely honest, I think the ultimate airgun would be a .22 Evol Classic Carbine and a 4k psi buddy tank, plus a Hill hand pump. But that package is going to push me into what, the $4,000-$5,000 price range? $5,000 minimum with optics equivalent to the potential of the rifle. Then if I want a compressor, and I will, we are closing in on $7k plus. Maybe $10k? People get divorced over things like that.
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I really am liking this thread. I'll stick with my Weihrauch's and Diana's til the end of days.
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Because amortizing the cost per rabbit/squirrel works out to less than a dollar in less than a century?
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It is a simple fact quality always comes out on top
Learned that in over 30 years of playing with guns
Have never regretted buying a quality firearm or air rifle However I have along list of WHY DID I BUY THAT#@$$##
Learned that in over 30 years of playing with guns
Have never regretted buying a quality firearm or air rifle However I have along list of WHY DID I BUY THAT#@$$##
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