Can you suggest an air rifle for me?

Hand pump being viable depends on the size of the PCP air container on the rifle and the fitness of the pumper and how much time you have on your hands. I started with a hand pump, but got tired of needing to spend 10+ minutes pumping from 180 bar back to 230 bar (3300 psi). And a pump that can do 3000 psi isn't like pumping on a bicycle pump - it's work. 

I wound up getting a ShoeBox compressor and directly filled the pistol/rifles (10 minutes of compressor from 180 bar to 230 bar or 3300 psi). Then eventually got a 4500 psi airtank and regulator for quicker more portable fills (I am for about 10-20 seconds based on the PCP tank size).

I started off back yard target shooting /pesting with a Baikal IZH 46 (one hole air pistol at 32 feet) super quiet and they are about $500 used. Then moved to a used FWB 30 then added a Wolverine .177 and now an AirWolf .22 with a FX Impact .25 and .30 on the way. The only down side of starting in on the cheaper side is each time you upgrade and sell the old you can take a haircut based on how much time passed and how many new models came out.

If hunting is not on your "to do" list for an air rifle then a very excellent option is the Daisy 753 or 853 which are single pump pneumatics. They have Lothar Walther barrels and are extremely accurate and not pellet picky. I have both and they are wonderful. They are a little pricey and for what they cost you could get either the Weihrauch HW 30 or the R7 (which are the same gun). The Beeman R7 is made by Weihrauch. The drool factor gives the nod to the HW30/Beeman R7. Better trigger, thousand per cent better aesthetics.

"PulpoBoracho"@Tominco: Thank you for your reply. Let's say I decide to go the PCP route. Do you have any experience with the manual pump? Is it truly a viable way to consistently refill the rifle. You mention it but it doesn't necessarily sound like you think it's a huge burden especially considering I'm pumping between each shot now anyway. Also, to your credit you are dead on about my heart rate increasing between pumps. In an attempt to increase my accuracy I've been pumping my 2100 a little more to try to get more consistent pellet flight. Seems to have worked a little bit but the downside as you mention is my heart rate really increases. Not so much that I feel like I need medical attention, but I can absolutely see the effects when trying to hold the rifle steady. I have no problem doing the pumping first. Like you said it could actually be an advantage over what I'm doing now.

Also, in regards to price. I don't mind paying a lot if it's exactly what I want. For now I would say my budget is no more than $1,000. However, if a qb79 for $300 can shoot groups just as well and as quietly as a $1,000 gun then of course I would want to go to for the cheaper option. I guess what I'm trying to avoid at this point is paying for more than I need. I don't need dime sized accuracy at anything more than 30 yards so no need to pay more for a gun just because it can shoot dime sized groups at 50 yards.

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I've got 2 hand pumps (A Benjamin and a Hill 3) that I don't use except to make sure they work from time to time. My situation is a little different than a lot of others in that I'm a paid Firefighter so, I can fill my bottle any time I want for free. I used the hand pump for a while when I had a Discovery. It worked ok and got me through until I got my bottle. But, that's what it was meant for, biding my time until I got my bottle setup. I think it depends on how much you plan to shoot and how much patience you have. IMO, the PCP road is ultimately going to lead to getting a compressor or bottle setup. Is it worth it? Like I said, it depends on how much you're going to shoot. FYI, You don't shoot PCP's down to 0 pressure. You find your sweet spots high and low zone and shoot in that area. What this means is that for about, 100-150 pumps you should be back in action. It's been a while since I've pumped so, if there's any "hand pumpers" out there that would like to correct my numbers, please do. "Hand pumpers," lol, that doesn't sound right. Even on the Pyramid Air ad for the Marauder, it says the rifle operated from 2000-3000 psi BUT, most owners fill theirs to around 2600. Maybe you operate from 2000-2600 so, you're pumping 600 psi between sessions. 
You've mentioned about dime size groups @ 30yds a few times. If you get dimes at 30 then you'd probably get dime-ish to quarter groups at 50. It's not as though your shots are going to be all over the place at 31 yards. I mean, I get it... you don't need to shoot the long range. I realize you don't want to pay for more than you have to but, what about "You get what you pay for?" Just a thought. 
When I had a Talon SS it was a decent 40yd gun. Others have had better experiences but, I can only speak to what I experienced. They claim 1" at 50 which should be about dime at 30, right? Personally, I could barely get 1" at 40yds. But, I've grown a lot as a shooter since then so, who knows where I'd be at today. Anyway, It might be another option for you to consider. The SS is pretty quiet but not as quiet as a M-rod (in my experience), and it's single load (no mag). From what I've read, it seems most folks that buy and talk about their Air Force rifles are modifying them in one way or another at their own pace. 

It sounds, to me, like you want a rifle that's decently accurate and quiet that you won't have to mess with, just fill and shoot. That's why I like the M-rod for you. It's a low priced, high value, quiet, easy to use, decently accurate air rifle. And, it's very popular which means there's lots of advise waiting for you further down the road if you need/want it. 

One of the most important things to consider when making the change to the PCP world is your high pressure air supply. Will pumping 100-150 times between shooting sessions work for you? Will there be a time later on that you might upgrade to a compressor or bottle system? Is it feasible to pump up the rifle after you're done so it's ready to go for the next time? You don't store PCP's empty, it's bad for them just like pumpers. You mentioned about the pumps breaking down. I've had my Benjamin pump for years and haven't had any issues. Granted I don't use it much anymore, but I did use it regularly for a while. As with everything, the way you treat it is the way it will treat you! There are rebuild kits available as well. I plan on getting a rebuild kit for my pumps even though I don't use them much. If something does start to fail, I know I've got the parts standing by to make the repair right away. 
I personally don't like Co2 rifles. It's got nothing to do with loudness, accuracy, or quality. It's got to do with the fact that I can't produce my own Co2 to refill them with or manufacture my own cartridges. So, I'm always going to have to buy more Co2's and I'm always going to want just 1 more. That's just my opinion on it. I actually own 3 Co2 powered guns. 2 are for nostalgia and 1 is about to be sold off (or, maybe given away. hmm). 
If they weren't so expensive, I'd solve all your want's and needs and recommend an FX Indy or Independence. They're both high end rifles with on board pumps and small reservoirs. So, you get beyond the accuracy you're looking for, quiet, a small number of shots between pumping sessions, and/or 3 pumps per shot. No external power sources needed at all. But the price is going be about double your maximum budget. It's always the $$$, isn't it?
Tom

Yes the qb79 can be pumped, if you go the pump route I suggest that you buy a quality pump because cheaper pumps such as the benjamin pump can fail pretty easily, in fact that is the reason why I bought a tank and now I never use my pump, the good news is the tank was actually cheaper than the pump, my tank was bought from ebay for $100, however the fill adapter ($100) made the pump slightly cheaper than the tank setup, still it is completley worth it.

Tuned qb79 shots dimes at 50 yards so 30 yards with a stock qb79 should do the same or better.

You should see the qb79 as a tinkerers gun really, even though it is very capable as a stock gun I suggest a stage 1 tune. If you want an out of the box airgun the AirArms s200 will fit your needs and will be prettier than the qb79.

Most manufactures recommend you keep the tank with a certain minimal pressure (even in storage) and have a minimal pressure recommended for firing.

Yes on the starting at fill pressure (mine is 3300 psi) then going down to some point (depends on gun, mine is around 2500/2600 psi) then back to 3300.

Depend on the gun, you don't need to pump after a few shots. My FWB PCP pistol and both rifles go for 100 shots with no significant change in pellet velocities that would change impact point.

As a rule, I keep my Daystates above 2500 psi but shooting down to 1500 psi isn't a problem. For most guns there is a point at which when you are below a certain pressure the velocities drops off, variance in shot speed increases, and as a result the group usually opens up or the impact point changes.

If you aren't going to hunt I don't know that the extra power of a PCP is going to make that much difference to you. And the PCP's are generally more expensive than their counterparts. The nice thing about a PCP is you can get alot of shots without changing CO2 cartridges (at that cost) and you don't have multiple pumps for a single shot.

Springers can be very accurate but it requires more technique to shoot well than a PCP does.

When you go PCP you atleast need a $200 hand pump. If you shot a few ten shot strings and call it a day, that will be fine. Based on the PCP you choose, you can get 3 or 4 of those sessions per fill. But If you want to shoot 100 shot sessions then top off and go again, I'm betting that hand pump is going to get old quick and then you are going to be looking at a $600 compressor or visits to some pumping station to refill. How close is the nearest place where they can refill you gun and at what price? I'd look into that to see if that makes more sense than buying you own compressor.

Based on what you've written:
Accuracy is important
Quiet is important
Cost is a factor
You don't want a multi pump rifle
Doesn't sound like a pistol is an option
No hunting
In a neighbor hood shooting (have you check local laws to ensure you can discharge an air rifle)?

I'd be steering you towards a single pump pneumatic target rifle. No high pressure PCP hand pump, compressor, or reserve air tank are going to be needed down the road. So if you get tired of it, you have minimal invested.

I agree with Tom on this. Since you do not hunt a 177 marauder seems to be the setup for you. If you shop you can get the gun for just over $400 and a passable scope and rings for around $100. Now that's going to be a China scope and rings.... If you are willing to tinker, considering killing power is not a factor, you could tune for a lower pressure fill and get away with a 3000 psi scuba tank setup. With a 12 ft.lb tune you should get a huge shot count per fill. As time passes you might upgrade your tank setup and maybe even find a buddy who works at the FD for free fills. But a 4500 psi CF tank would yield a but load of shots on a low power tune 177. There are threads, recent, on this site on how to buy a used FD tank and setup a 4500 fill station. Just keep reading here and you will find the answers to your questions and gain a good education on air guns. 

Most of the good non PCP options have already been suggested, but it sounds like you will probably find issue with the limitations of each of the platforms in chasing your goal of 1/2" @30yds

HW30 (Springer) - springer recoil that requires careful hold, specific benchrest, 30 yds is pushing it. Mine does 1/2" @22yds
Daisy 853 (SSP) - low velocity gun designed for 10m, may not do well at 30 yds
Benjamin 397 - lots of pumping between shots that can affect heart rate as stated earlier. 4 pumps to get to HW30 velocity.
All of the above - no bipod due to pumping/cocking mechanism in the way??

While PCP may be overkill for potential POWER, it does NOT sound like it is overkill for potential ACCURACY you are seeking. The good news here is that since you are only punching paper, you can either get a low power gun or downtune a marauder and get a TON of shots per fill. I have a .22 Marauder tuned to shoot 30 shots from 2400psi-1700psi @825 fps. If you downtuned a .177 marauder, I'm guessing you could get 40-50 shots at an even lower max fill pressure. What this means is that even with a 3000psi AL80 scuba tank, the cheapest and most commonly available (used go for $50-100), you would get a MINIMUM of 2000 shots per tank fill. The QB rifles suggested will offer a similar high shot count per tank benefit. If you have a fill location within an hour, I think the tank is a no brainer as it will let you shoot a lot with the least effort, and only cost $5-$10 to get the tank filled. It will also be cheaper or the same price as a pump depending on what tank you get. The $800 number quoted earlier sounds about right for the cost to get into a marauder.

One additional hidden cost of this will be that since you want to tune for low power and high shot count, you'll need to get a chronograph ($100). You turn a couple allen screws that affect hammer spring pressure and hammer throw and measure the results. Chronograph lets you find the right pressure range for consistent shooting. It is rewarding and actually a lot of fun tuning your PCP.

The .177 Marauder should do even better than that with a 12fpe tune. Mine is set to 19.7fpe with 10.3gr pellets (3000-1800psi @900-930fps) and gives 47 shots within 3%ES with no modification. It's currently in the hands of WAR, and I expect it will do even better when it comes back. So I would think a marauder shooting light pellets at 12fpe should be capable of 60-ish or so good shots.

"PulpoBoracho"@22junkie: Do those rifles shoot dime sized groups at 30 yards if shooting off a bench/rest/bipod? I want to put a bipod on whatever I get and from what I understand those guns need to be held a certain way? What's your opinion on that?

Thank you!

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This question really has more to do with you than these guns. The Daisy Avanti 753 and 853 are made for competition shooting at junior level. The triggers leave much to be desired and are routinely fixed to make them acceptable for competition. They are used by adult competitive shooters for indoor and at home practice. Aesthetics are not there on the Avanti line. My suggestion leans toward the Beeman R78 or Weihrauch HW30s. The HW has sights and I don't think the R7 does. If you get the Avanti you need to re work the trigger. If you get the HW or Beeman you will never look back. Getting back to your question of dime sized groups at 30 yds, I doubt that there are very many people who are capable of doing that on a regular basis with a spring piston or the Avanti. Mechanically, the guns are capable. Shooting for group size is taxing. Shooting for score is taxing. Precision shooting is an art and a skill. If dime size groups is your primary goal then you should start looking at pre charged pneumatics. A lot more expensive, but easier to shoot well. I have springers that can do dimes at 20 yds, but I am working like the dickens to pull that off. There is a lot going on when you are shooting even though it looks like you aren't doing much. Sight alignment and trigger control is the basis for shooting, but NPA (natural point of aim), breath control, cheek pressure, and doing everything the same every shot, in detail. Maybe PCP is worth considering for you. They are easier to shoot well.

I would agree that the .177 marauder sounds like it would fit your needs very well.
I recently got one and have been surprised at just how quiet it really is,
mine stock with just an adjustment to the hammer spring gives me
​40 shots inside 4% spread, at 18fpe with a 2800psi fill.
​should get a lot more than that if tuned to 12fpe.

How many shots per session do you usually shoot?

Until 2 weeks ago I filled all my pcp's with a Hill mk3 hand pump
​For me personally the hand pump worked great, I'm young and fit so
​its easy for me effort wise, especially since most of my guns fill to 2000psi.
​(to fill a disco from 1000-2000psi takes me 40-50 pumps)
​Filling to 3000psi is harder but my guns that fill to 3000psi also give me more shots per fill.
​The main reason I got a tank and compressor is for tuning and chronograph work
​were you are doing full shot strings and for longer target sessions.

The disco is an option, you would need an ldc or a BNM repeater breech and shroud like I have on
​one of mine. stock you will get 10-20 shot per fill but if you have a chronograph
​and buy a $10 power adjuster you can get 30-40 shots per fill at lower power.
​My .177 BNM disco is setup with a regulator and gets 40 shots per fill at 10fpe
​with a 2200-1200psi fill.(still tuning)

​The marauder is a lot heavier but has a nicer trigger and might be a little quieter.
(more of a ping while the BNM disco is softer but a little deeper noise.
​but both are very backyard friendly and the report is quieter than impact.)

​The QB is another great option you need a LDC with them as well.

Joseph

​

Try the Benjamin Nitro Piston break barrel series, from ~130-300 bucks and splurge on a nice scope. You can get them in 177, 22 and 25 calibers depending on your needs, the 177 might be the flattest shooting and most accurate, the 25 most powerful.

They are super, super quiet, slightly louder than a 22 Super Colibri fired from a rifle but not much louder than someone clapping their hands together very hard. The nitro piston makes it way, way quieter instead of a spring loaded gun, I can guarantee that your neighbors this time of year won't heart it because my wife cannot hear us shoot in the back yard with windows closed at all. Again, the Benjamin break barrel nitro piston guns are whisper quiet vs PCP's or springs, anyone is unlikely to hear it even from close by.

One thing as you go up in caliber (and power) with break barrels is the cocking effort which gets exponentially more as the caliber goes up. 177 not bad, 22 more but not bad, 25 much more, the "magnums" are also more and it can get tiring for plinking. Basically the higher the power and larger the pellet, the more for single shot hunting rather than many shot plinking the high effort will make it. You're already used to pumping, and while the PCP's are nice, they require sources of air and maybe you're not used to taking that plunge yet buying all the tanks, maybe a compressor and filling them with air one way or another.

Splurge on a scope, it's so worth it. If you want to shoot dime sized groups at 20-30 yards a nicer scope makes all the difference. Going from the crappy scopes that come with these guns to a 50 dollar Walther scope which is OK to some of the nicer optics costing >100 dollars is a huge jump in quality at each step and worth every penny if you want your experience to be optimal.