Advice requested - which caliber?

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Tarasdad

Tarasdad

Member
Oct 12, 2015
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California, United States
I'm looking to purchase a PCP rifle with my stimulus check when(if) it comes. Primarily looking at the Hatsan Flashpup in either .22 or .25 - and that's my quandary, choosing the caliber. I plan to use it for both target shooting/plinking and for hunting jackrabbits, Eurasian Collared Dove, turkey, maybe even up to small wild pigs. The hunter in me wants to go .25 while the competitive marksman wants to go with .22 caliber. I also know that .22 pellets would be more easily come by and less expensive...but is that enough to go with the smaller caliber over the .25?

Any input VERY much appreciated!
 
For the $1200 stimulus check I would personally buy the pre-owned Daystate Renegade in 25 from AoA or a 25 Taipan Veteran from Ben (mywifeboughtit). You will be MUCH HAPPIER. I have a 22 Flashpup that I never shoot. It really needs a regulator and there's a loud ringing ping when shot not pleasant for me and worse than my older EdGun. I have the Renegade in 177 and 303 both are super accurate and a joy to shoot. If you're on a tighter budget I have a 22 Kral Puncher Breaker Marine Silent and that's the bare minimum I would recommend and has a factory adjustable power wheel with very good shot curve but not as accurate as the Daystate nor Taipan. Don't buy a gun that you won't want to shoot or that's a chore to shoot I say. YO!
 
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@tarasdad, if the small pigs are you outliers as far as hunting. Then the bulk of the shooting you described can be handled nicely by a .22 caliber PCP. And with slugs small pigs might be possible depending on the shooter and scenario. Plinking and target shooting will be more expensive with the .25 and you’ll use more air to send those projectiles. The question is how often are you going to go after pigs as opposed to the other critters you listed?
 
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I’ve had bad luck with two Hatsan rifles, a Bullboss and a springer. Parts are of poor machining quality. I’d never own another.

A Benjamin Marauder in .25 could be had for the same money as a flash pup. With all the tuning advice out on the internet, you could have an American made pig slayer.
Click to expand...

Ditto. My one Hatsan has been the rifle that required the most work. The machining is ridiculously bad. I'd shop for a used rifle, of better quality, vs. a new Hatsan.
 
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Frankly...if it were me,I would be inclined to look at Pyramyd Air's refurbished list. Of that,what I've personally found to be an Excellent value are the Kral rifles. I have already purchased 2 Krals from them as refurbs and have No regrets! One is a Puncher Pro in .22 that has beautiful walnut,is Crazy accurate and can be tuned from 30 fpe with JSB 18.13's to 50+ fpe with the 33.95's.

I paid $379. Here it is...
1586187177_4966476675e8b4ba9baad16.71263612.jpg


More recently,I picked up the Puncher Pro 500 in .25

It shoots the 25.39's like a dream and a couple turns on the hammer spring adjuster and it will spit the 33.95 MKII's at over 60 fpe! ...Very accurately.

Here it is...
1586187534_2039234845e8b4d0e0ecd24.87630130.jpg
1586187535_20210815025e8b4d0f2fd278.41020341.jpg
1586187536_11674599265e8b4d1053c4b6.79722453.jpg


Finally,I have a Kral Puncher Breaker in .22

Its been home tuned and Lane regulated. I've owned it for about 3 years. Zero problems! It's a short,handy little Bad-Ass!

I'd hate to see you spend Way more than needed in these times. Seems like Whenever someone asks for advice on an airgun purchase...there are those out there that will gladly spend your money For you!

I'm Not one of them! Hope this is of help to you.

Mike.
 
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As much as I'd love to go with FX, Daystate or Brocock they simply aren't in the budget. Even the used ones I see are beyond what I can afford. Kral might be doable but only if I can find a good discount. I'm trying to keep to a max of $700 and that includes everything - rifle, scope and mounts, pump (a compressor is WAY out of the question), and an assortment of pellets and slugs. Being on Social Security Disability Insurance doesn't leave a lot of spare change so whatever of this stimulus (IF we ever see it) I don't spend has to go for other expenses. As it is $700 is pushing it.

Although I do plan to use it for hunting my primary goal in getting a decent PCP is to get myself out of the house and off my butt. I need the exercise and one good way for me to get it is to "woodswalk" - or, in my case, desert walk. I used to love going to the woods with my .22 and spending a day plinking at whatever caught my eye. I was especially fond of pinecones and hickory nuts laying on the ground (safety first, always). With the price of ammo these days .22LR has become precious so I need an alternative. I thought about a decent break-barrel but I'm not sure the arthritis in my back - the reason I'm disabled - would take too kindly to one. I used to own a RWS Mod 48 in .177 and remember how tiring that was to shoot for an extended period, and that was before my back issues!

With more consideration and research I'm pretty sure I'll be going with a .22 simply due to the cost and availability factor. Plus there are some pellets available in .22 that I want to try that you can't get in .25, or at least not yet. Now I just need to choose which one and convince the Financial Adviser that it's a good idea. 🙏

Oh, and pigs are definitely going to be few and far between. Primarily I'll be after collared dove and rabbits, with the occasional turkey if I can swing it.
 
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Frankly...if it were me,I would be inclined to look at Pyramyd Air's refurbished list. Of that,what I've personally found to be an Excellent value are the Kral rifles. I have already purchased 2 Krals from them as refurbs and have No regrets! One is a Puncher Pro in .22 that has beautiful walnut,is Crazy accurate and can be tuned from 30 fpe with JSB 18.13's to 50+ fpe with the 33.95's.

I paid $379. Here it is...
1586187177_4966476675e8b4ba9baad16.71263612.jpg


More recently,I picked up the Puncher Pro 500 in .25

It shoots the 25.39's like a dream and a couple turns on the hammer spring adjuster and it will spit the 33.95 MKII's at over 60 fpe! ...Very accurately.

Here it is...
1586187534_2039234845e8b4d0e0ecd24.87630130.jpg
1586187535_20210815025e8b4d0f2fd278.41020341.jpg
1586187536_11674599265e8b4d1053c4b6.79722453.jpg


Finally,I have a Kral Puncher Breaker in .22

Its been home tuned and Lane regulated. I've owned it for about 3 years. Zero problems! It's a short,handy little Bad-Ass!

I'd hate to see you spend Way more than needed in these times. Seems like Whenever someone asks for advice on an airgun purchase...there are those out there that will gladly spend your money For you!

I'm Not one of them! Hope this is of help to you.

Mike.
Click to expand...

Mike, those are two gorgeous rifles! I'm jealous! Unfortunately all I see in the Puncher Pro now is .177 and as much as I love that caliber it's just too small for my preferences right now.
 
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Really sorry to throw a wrench into your hopes but if you had trouble cocking- shooting a Diana 48 then I doubt your bad back will allow for use of a hand pump. Your budget and mobility situation you would need a Yong Heng to plug directly into the gun to fill which is doable affordable probably last a while only filling the gun. YO!
 
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Tarasdad, I have to agree with Yo’s sentiments. I’m 220 pounds, where as I may not be in the greatest shape, I’m in better shape than most. I have a bear of a time filling with a pump. By the end it’s taking most of my weight to fill up my Hatsan to 200 bar. That being said I would t recommend killing pigs with the .22 but it can be done. I loaned my Hatsan 44qe long to a buddy of mine, he took it out to his property and at 22 yards did this

1586320861_7396925525e8d55dd715794.53025494.jpeg
1586320861_20184035335e8d55ddc47ea7.71702682.jpeg



Again, I wouldn’t recommend it! But he was in a blind under a deer feeder at 22 yards. Best case scenario. With a brain shot. 


Also as far as budget guns go, have you looked at the Diana storm rider? I’m sure there are others with some experience with it on here, but all the reviews I’ve seen say good things, for the price. I think pyramid air has it for around $200 right now, and $300 with a pump. (But I may just spend that extra cash on a compressor) And please if there are other that can either add to this, or tell me I’m full of it go ahead, I’m just a novice in this world.
 
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If you leave the pigs out of the equation, I highly recommend you take a look at the Gammo urban. You can find good deals on them sometimes. They are a budget gun that doesn't need tinkering and shoot good right out of the box. Have a smaller air tube and are more hand pump friendly. Hand pumping is more technique than muscle. Stiff arms, use your bodyweight and bend at the knees. I have back problems but it doesn't bother me to pump. $50 Amazon pump and a $125 Hawke mill-dot dot scope. You'll be in the game and having fun for around $500.
 
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I agree with some of these guys. If you are disabled with a bad back, you won’t be pumping. There goes $300 for a cheap compressor. You are also going to want to do your research on compressors and how to safely operate one filling a gun. If it doesn’t have auto shutdown and you don’t do things properly, you can wind up very frustrated. Also, some of the better PCP’s can have issues right out of the box. They are not as simple as a springer so you will have to learn how to work on them. You will also have to learn how to keep moisture out of your gun with your compressor. Trust me, buying, shooting and maintaining a PCP is nothing like grabbing your trusty old .22lr and going for a walk. Not even close.
 
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