.25 Caliber Hunting Rifle

Does the $1200 budget include accessories or for just the rifle. If it is for everything then my recommendation would be the marauder because it would leave room for a good tank and scope. But if it is for just the rifle then the fx wildcat in my opinion or the air arms s510 if you are like me and are into a more classic looking rifle. 

The Air Arms is closer to your budget, any of the guns you listed would be a great choice but for the money you're talking about, I'd go with an S510.

Check out the Daystate Regal XL. Not the shot count you want, but it's a beautiful rifle, comes in .25, and right now AoA has them going for $1295. Oh, and it is the "classic" rifle you prefer. That's just one option. 

"CptMoonlight"No doubt, the regal is an amazing, beautiful airgun, but a 10-12 shot count is quite a bit less than I'd like. I'll be hunting a 660 acre pecan grove with thousands of squirrels, not to mention crows the owner wants taken care of.

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I have a Regal XL in 25 cal. I get a good 20 shots per fill. You won't get more in a package this light and comfortable in 25 cal.. It is a hunting rifle that comes to the shooting position almost by itself, its fit and balance is perfect.
Red.

Check out the FX T12 400. AoA $1095. .25 cal with a 400cc bottle.

I don't mean to be cheeky but shooting accurately/consistently at distance requires some skills, especially away from a bench rested position. Has someone else shot your rifle to verify that your rifle and scope setup is fine? Have you shot other air rifles accurately at distance?

Shooting rabbits consistently caused them to extended the range from which they felt comfortable in an open field, until they got about 110 yards away, at which point they seemed to stop noticing me. It may be that for your game you should look for a rifle capable of accuracy further than you are presently suggesting.

"Cookie"I don't mean to be cheeky but shooting accurately/consistently at distance requires some skills, especially away from a bench rested position. Has someone else shot your rifle to verify that your rifle and scope setup is fine? Have you shot other air rifles accurately at distance?

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I will second this, I was sure my bobcat wasn't up to standard, I persevered and I improved my shooting skills as well and I have it shooting where I want it now. I thought I didn't have an issue with my shooting skills seeing as I could shoot my other guns more accurately but it actually came down to the hold I was using, the bobcat prefers to be held much more gently than my sub12 ftlb guns. 

Captmoonlight I gotta agree with you. The Disco is a great value, and for me it's a great close range gun. I bought several bags of Christmas balls 1". I hit way more than I miss at 60-80 yard ranges with a Cricket,I miss way more than I hit at 50 with a stock Disco .As far as a budget .25 goes, many have posted favorably for the Evanix. I've gotten spoiled by regulators, that would be a major consideration for accuracy and shot count.

Yes, I have a number of WAR equipped mrods. What would you like to know?? I used to have a few WAR ROD youtube videos up, but had trouble with my account and had to delete everything.

I have built alot of mrods. I have modded stock parts and used aftermarket parts as well. The WAR parts are in my mind the best aftermarket parts available for marauders. If you are interested in having Travis from WAR build you a gun, he does a heck of a job. If you are wanting to buy the parts and do the work yourself, I would be more than glad to help. I have one .25 that gets 20 shots @960fps avg with 25gr kings. Deadly accurate and amazingly quiet due to the NBH hammer. My other .25 gets 12 shots at 840fps avg with 43gr eunjins.

I work for one of the largest military defense contactors in the world. We are UAW, so I try to buy from American companies as much as possible. I have owned nearly every airgun brand, but have stuck with the mrods since Crosman is an American company. If you want a top notch marauder, it will end up costing you as much as many of the more expensive guns. I truely enjoy building guns and readily available parts, so I just stick with Crosman for my own reasons. Just want to fore warn you that dumping a ton of money into a marauder will not warrent a return on your investment upon resale. Its still a marauder at the end of the day!! You can turn an mrod into a gun that will produce results that rival all of the high end guns. That comes at a price with little to no return!!

I am not trying to shy you away from a custom mrod, just want you to have the facts!! I will be glad to help in any way possible.

I can attest to what ajshoots said. I have a 1st gen Marauder in .22 that I have customized with a Hill valve .160 transfer port, gauge block and barrel band(for unfloating the shoud). It also has a Huma .25 cal regulator. It is very powerful and consistent with about 17 shots at 39 fpe. (Baracudas at 920 fps) However it lacks the accuracy of the high end guns. The next step would be an after market barrel. I already have around $400. over the purchase price of the gun into it. I'm having a hard time justifying putting more into it. But its almost there. On the other hand I have my HM1000x .25 ordered. Humm? Good luck with your decision! 

I can hardly wait to hear what you decide. Do keep us posted.

FX Wildcat ... Tack diver right out of the box. 40 shots per fill. Yep, not US made but if you can get beyond that fact IMHO I think you would like it.