advice on purchase

This is easy....I will answer your question then tell you why.

https://www.airgundepot.com/rws-34-air-rifle.html

That is what you SHOULD buy...and here is why......it might get long.

PCP, hand pumps suck, nothing more needs to be said. You will hate it and never shoot it if you have a hand pump and that is it. So if you want to enjoy a pcp and in its most inexpensive form to enjoy you are going to want a 2000lb fill....read that number TWO THOUSAND POUNDS....remember pumping up you bicycle tier when you turned 10....well you don't really....because you are thinking about a hand pump. And here is another news flash....hand pumps need to be rebuilt....oh yea....and a "good" hand pump will set you back your gun budget in itself. Oh yea you can go cheaper.....but with some things they cost what they cost for a reason.....parts and rebuildability (is dat a word) is one of them.
I am in your same ball park age wise 53, but have some medical issues.....to have a scuba shop fill your scuba tank is going to be under $20....it differs around, but it should not be more then that....then you need the tank, a used tank is going to run you about $100 (tanks don't last forever as well) and the valve is another $50....in round numbers. So you can do the math and see what the world of PCP is really going to cost starting from ground zero....oh and have I said you are going to hate the hand pump....and I bet your 10yr old is not going to have enough strength to pump that thing....I was going to say at all, but more then a few times. IT IS HARD WORK.

You want quality, something that is going to last.....Gauntlet is so new it really does not exist on shelves yet....quality....who knows.

The RWS 34, is THE springer that all others are judged by, I doubt you can find anyone that will say anything bad about it.....the thing is just that good.

Now if you go down this rabbit hole and find out wow this is really fun the kiddo and I are having a ball....sure look into PCP.....but not for dipping your toe into this pool.....IMHO it is really bad advice.

Keep researching, read some of the godfathers articles, and look at the 34, that is a gun your daughter will show her kids how to shoot with.....yes it will last that long.

My TX200 was a thing of beauty. A wonderful trigger. An UNDER LeVeR...not a break barrel..and I sold it. One has to hold a springer just so for tight groups. Ambient air changes its power, hence grouping. Lower power than most PCPs. Louder than most PCPs. I just did not enjoy a springer. This is what I experienced.

With my PCP, the sun shone through the clouds...rainbows appeared and unicorns pranced in my yard before my eyes. Or that was 2 day old Chinese take-out...

It was, no, IS night and day. I smile shooting PCP. I rack the lever and load another shot...and another and another, I change out empty magazine for a full. I enjoy it. This again, is what I, David aka Duncan experienced. Thus my advice. And I will leave it at that.

Shoot, enjoy, have fun.

I have read a few posts from those that got one already amd watched the best review on it. I think it will be a good starter PCP. I have recommended it to local work friends. We all know it isnt a $2,000 Daystate. But it isnt a springer...

The RWS34 has the same power as the Hatsan Striker 1000 (x or s) or Edge. Or even the Crosman Optimus .22. The latter two are way cheaper and make that same 800FPS or more. The Benjamin Trail NP XL1100 .22 magnum has some 300FPS more, and even pellet that are like 14gr, like the H&N sniper light, will still yield around 900FPS+. They can be found on sale this time of year as low as around $225, which is what I paid for my Trail NP XL725 several months ago. And even it slings lead at up to 858/32.55 so far.

Yes Sir, the 34 which can be found on sale often for $250 is THE springer IF one leaves all the personall stuff out.

John

Nice work. I hope you enjoy it and works great for you. Welcome to the sport.

Thanks for keeping us updated Blackburn. Excellent choices. And a big welcome to the Dark Side ;-)

Fuss

Where's my Athlon!? Oh, Blackburn has it.

Dude will be doing tricks soon. Shooting wing nuts off swinging kite strings from 75 yards.

Haha, yes sir Blackburn, you're in good hands with DuncanHynes. I bought a Sightron SIII from him and it's the cat's meow. David will certainly look after you!

Peace and crosshairs grease
Fuss

"blackburn11"fpgt72, 

I appreciate your input. And admit that I am worried about the cost of the pcp setup hitting me again... whether it is needing a new/better hand pump or getting an air tank and paying to refill it.

I must say that a springer looks like a pain in the ass to shot because you need to cock and reload every time you shoot. So I feel that if I could get a cheap hand pump that works and doesn't break on me... then I would be happy filling it up before going out and shooting 60 rounds hassle/work free.

But the part that really hit home is the reliability. I do want a gun that hopefully lasts 10 years or more even.

So I feel that I am looking at....

* Gauntlet for 300 and either a cheap hand pump for 50 for a total of about 350 (but realizing that I may invest another 200ish down the road for a better hand pump or air tank).

* Perhaps the Diana RWS 48 (w/ TO6 trigger) for 470. Pay more now, but know that I shouldn't have to pay anything down the road and get a solid/proven gun that should last a long time.

fpgt72, would you recommend the RWS 48 if I could expand my budget?

Others... do you guys think one of these is a better route than the other and why?

Sorry to keep asking questions. Just want to make a smart purchase for my first and likely only air gun.

Click to expand...

Yes, the 48 is a fantastic gun....FANTASTIC. It is also a side lever....many think this is good, but you may find the leverage a bit different and it will feel a bit harder (it did to me on my 54).

The real reason I usually say dip your toe into this pool for new shooters is that you may not like it. If you are not going to enjoy this sport/hobby/whatever having something like REAL GOOD springer is something that you will not get hurt too bad on if you sell it.....and if you are looking for pest control it can sit (not cocked metal springs take a set) and be ready to go when that tree rat goes after your wifes bird feeders.

Make no mistake, a PCP at any level is going to be more easy to shoot over about any spring gun....I really hate talking this way....but as a general rule it holds true. With a pcp and a pump, there are seals in that pump that if you let it sit for months on end you may find those O-rings dry up, get brittle, they are a wear item....and it is frustrating to try to pump up your rifle after a long winter sitting in a real dry closet only to have it not make pressure.

Gauntlet....is sure sounds fantastic, and I think it will be, but I am not the one to grab the first one off the shelf....I will let others run the thing for a while and see how it goes....watch and read some reviews by people that do not get paid or make a living reviewing products....there is a guy southern air gunner so something like that who seems real, and he likes the umerex rifle....I will likely buy in the spring.

IMHO....and it is just that, if you do one of the two RWS rifles you are going to be buying a tried and true platform that will last for decades....and no one will dispute that. Yes you do have to cock it every time, but it really is not that bad....not that bad even with a little one shooting with you. My son at 8 started shooting my RWS 54 (from a rest, it is heavy) and we had a ball together...I was just happy to be spending time with him and helping him shoot. As we got older we upgraded to other guns....this can be a black hole....most of us have airgun-itis....I think it comes from years of touching lead pellets or something

Then after you and your little one are spending hours after school shooting....shooting green army men, plastic animals....whatever you might then move on to another rifle.

This is really fun....if you have any other questions just holler.

One more thing I will chime in with....don't fall into the FPS trap.

First off what the box says is not real world....those numbers are with the the most skinny pellet they can find, the other thing is they never show the target that was hit with those supper light weight pellets....if it was hit.

One of your main goals is will this thing last the test of time.....the items I suggested will....some of the other spring guns on here that have been suggested, are good guns, but that model will be replaced in a year or two....they have been making the rws 34-48-54 for a thousand years and likely the cockroaches will be shooting them after we are long gone.

Hey Blackburn, you gotta do what feels right to you man. Congrats either way. I don't think I could stand the 39 pounds cocking effort per shot on the 48? Don't know what I hate worse, hand pumping a PCP or Cocking a heavy Springer?

Let us know how ya like the 48.

Ok RWS48 users...the version Blackburn got is black and is a side cocking model (good) He just needs 11mm dovetail medium mounts right?? I saw some dude on YouTube mention a drop adapter...the stupid barrel is fixed though. Just no need for anything special right?

Definitely get the UTG droop mount and low or maybe medium rings. Putting high rings on top of the UTG mount will place it too high. Here's a pic of my 48. As you can see my UTG compact scope is a *tight* fit but work. (BTW, I would NOT get a compact scope again. The optics are great, but I feel like I have to stretch too far to get a good sight picture.)