Exploring the limits of $100 Air Gun Performance (sort of)

Scrufhunter, your comments about the .177 NPs is interesting, as I have come to the same conclusion. I have close neighbors so I don't even try the alloy pellets for fear of delivering the dreaded supersonic "CRACK" that can create problems among friends. The lead pellets from 7.0 to 7.9 gr are OK to shoot at 10-15 meters but don't really hold groups past that for me. Of all things, I found that Hatsan Vortex 8.2 gr hollow points in .177 are the favored pellet for my Fire NP, followed by the RWS Superdomes at 8.3 gr. I have tried several varieties of Gamo and Crosman pellets and haven't found any that really did all that well, which is disappointing. OTOH, the RWS Excite Hammers do an OK job even though they are a bit lighter. I find myself constantly thinking about Ted Bier's comments regarding Ballistic Coefficients as I test out pellets - but I haven't taken the time to really look at the math. I'm just doing this by seat of the pants.

Been exploring some more for the last few weeks, using my Crosman Fire NP in .177 and my Benjamin TitanGP in .22. The grey blobs on the stock of each are sport medicine tape holding in place cheek risers crafted from the spongy rubber tubing used to insulate water heater pipes. It works great: it is soft and yielding on the surface so doesn't irritate the skin during long shooting sessions yet the rubber is dense enough to support a firm cheek weld without deforming too much. Yes, I agree, it looks ugly on what are some nice stocks, but I've always been a function-over-form guy so these suit my style.
 This is a Double Scoped Rifle case from Plano and works very well for these two guns.

Last night we had heavy storms roll through Indiana and my place saw plenty of rain. Nonetheless I was shooting from my garage back door out into my back yard where I'd thrown out an empty Diet Dew can at ~15 yards. Had the Fire in hand and spent the next hour walking that can out across the yard until low light made me give up. By that time the can was 30 yards out. Here's what was left when I retrieved it tonight:
 This is why I took up air gunning as a sport - straight out plinking. I love to shred cans, pop sidewalk chalk into clouds of pastel powder, and target anything else that can be salvaged from the trash or junk pile and safely used as a "reactive" target. To whit:
 I shot this scrap of decking tonight at 35 yards as it was propped up in front of the target. The two smaller bits ended up being blown through the bull of the target and into the trap - I pulled the bits out along with the center bull section that was blown in as well. The hit in the bull center came earlier in the evening, but I still loved hearing the sharp "SNAP" as the wood was hit and then seeing this result.

I shoot from a simple folding camp chair with a padded arm on the left for my forward elbow to rest upon (I'm a righty shooter).
 I call this a pseudo-semi-rested shooting position since the pad just curls around the arm and so offers limited stabilizing influence to my arm. Note that there's a tray on the right side with a spot for a glass or can - I use this to hold my pellet tin. The foam pad adds support for my back. All in all this adds an element of challenge to my shooting that I prefer, making me work hard to steady my sights and practice good breathing, hold, and trigger control techniques. I find all the joy and fulfillment I need in my simple, moderate gas springers (a great oxymoron) and comfy camp chair with yet more water pipe insulating tubing helping support my antics.

mtngerry59 - you are right, of course. With the advancement of air gun technology and manufacturing techniques there is no shortage of spring rifles (and pistols) that can be had for $100, and the accuracy and performance of these modern "low-end" springers would've made us drop our jaws in amazement 40 years ago.

c_m_shooter - guess I'll have to start trawling the convenience stores around here since those are the only places I've seen Neccos in the last... uh, decade? Man it's been a long time and, yes, shooting them is about the only good use to which I can think of putting them.

NickPanther - the F4 shares the same power plant as my Fire NP and Benji NP/GP so I must agree with you. Those are both sweet shooters.

When my Hatsan Mod 87 turned to the dark side and had to be returned I decided to go in a different direction when I replaced it. Having discovered the joy of shooting nitro piston guns from the Crosman/Benjamin lines, I decided I needed to add a member of the NP2 class of rifles without completely abandoning my principled stand on keeping it budget-friendly (re: cheap). In the end I discovered that the Benjamin Summit NP2 (I chose a .22) hit on pretty much all of my wanna-haves: NP2, integral Picatinny rail, CBT (or at least not the usual Crosman trigger assembly!), and not much over the $150 mark. It arrived last Thursday and I've been working with it off-and-on since. Far from being disappointed, I am delighted with the performance of this rifle!

In fact, I've been having so much fun and satisfaction shooting the Summit that I am contemplating getting a starter set-up for recording some watchable video for posting on YouTube. That's a HUGE step for me and one that will take some planning, saving, and practice. But after this evening, when I had sighted in the Summit with the Mantis 3-9x32 scope (again, budget-friendly rules) at 25 yards and then started hitting an empty Crosman 14.3 gr CPHP tin at 51 meters using JSB 18 gr pellets... well, I want to document these adventures to encourage other air gunners of like mind who find shooting a modern springer to be a deeply satisfying pursuit. I very much appreciate the depth of knowledge and out-an-out fun that the PCP shooters here at AGN share with the world. I want to see more of the same type of effort and openness coming in the springer world too so I figure I should have a dog in this hunt as well.

Same philosophy applies to the videography as with the springers themselves: budget-friendly (all together now: "CHEAP") but decent quality equipment that captures the essence of the enterprise without the bells and whistles. Not gonna chrony each gun (yet), no dual-mic sound meters or perfectly calibrated ballistic gel blocks, no laminated holdover cards for reference. Just old-fashioned backyard plinking supplemented with high-viz targets as needed and subject to the whims of Kentucky windage, all augmented by as much wit and wisdom as I can glean from AGN and the many dedicated air gunners who dwell here. It'll be a while before I can pull this all together, as we are relocating to a new town in the coming month. Now I have to find a friendly, accessible, and convenient locale for my shooting adventures. Here's hopin'.

Windmill01, I remember those videos! At the time you posted them here I was researching Crosman and Benjamin guns as a change-up to the Hatsans I'd purchased prior. I cannot replicate your 80 meter shot except for my infrequent forays to some unused recreation areas in my region. I can, and have been, shooting from 25 yards to 50 yards in my own back yard and can even stretch it out to a full 50 meters fenceline-to-fenceline. I've not your accuracy yet, but am gaining confidence and strength as I practice over the weeks. This past weekend I finally settled on a set-up for my three springers vis-a-vis scope assignments. My Benji Summit NP2 .22 has the Mantis 3-9x32 since it is definitely the long gun in my set. My Crosman Fire NP .177 has a Barska 2-7x32 for duty between 30 yards and 50 yards, and my other Benji, the Titan NP .22 , is set up for 25 yards and has a Nikko-Sterling 4x32. All three scopes have Adjustable Objectives and Mil dot reticles to make them as flexible as possible since my target set up often mirrors your own as it wanders across the yard. As you said, I just love popping soda cans, empty fruit or soup tins, unneeded pellet tins, sticks of sidewalk chalk, and small tubs of duct seal with a Splatterburst or Dirty Bird hi-viz target on the lid. As Rick Eustler is known to say, "It's a great time to be an air gunner!"