Hello all! Looking for advice on very first airgun.

25 cal does well although I think a powerful 22 cal with heavier pellet could be just as good if not better due to slightly cheaper ammo. The dreamlike appears to be a good gun. At that price tho I would probably get an air arms s510. They are not necessarily better or worse guns I just think air arms is prettier and just as high quality. For 1200 you could find some insanely good guns used on the classifieds here. If you go that route use a well known seller and look up thier feedback. Goodluck. 

The Dreamline is an excellent rifle for performance and features with the ability to change calibers if desired. Since you mentioned mainly wanting to shoot off the bench I would spend an extra $100 or so and get the Dreamline in the Saber Tactical Chassis. That will give you an adjustable butt stock, cheek piece and the arca/picatinny rail giving you a much longer base for stability while using a bi-pod. Now as for caliber the .22 is economical to shoot but in windy conditions will be pushed around quite a bit by the wind at 75 to 100 yards. You could shoot the NSA slugs which off a much better b.c. . The Dreamline power level should allow to shoot the lighter weight NSA slugs at decent fps. The cost of the NSA slugs for the lighter weights is not much more than the JSB 18's. Now if you really want to buck the wind and just have a round that seems to just shoot accurately all the time I would go with the 30 caliber. The increase in cost is quite a bit which is the trade off to consider. Bill

https://utahairguns.com/fx-dreamline-saber-tactical-chassis-airgun/

https://nielsenspecialtyammo.com/collections/22-caliber

PS I don't know if you considered the air filling requirements of the rifle too. Either a light weight portable compressor or carbon fiber 4500 psi bottle that you would take to a scuba shop to fill.

https://www.pyramydair.com/s/a/Benjamin_Traveler_Gen_2_4500_PSI_Portable_Compressor/9720

Look hard at the Brocock sniper XR magnum in a .25. I have a FX Dreamline Classic in .25 and a Brocock sniper in .22. I like to shoot and not tinker so much so the Brocock is solid and accurate. The FX is great but I’m always trying to make it better! Just my 2 sense!

Man , at that kind of budget you have a LOT of choices, especially if you are willing to look at a used gun.

I guess the 1st thing would be are you wanting a Traditional style " Long Gun " or a Short Bull Pup , or something in between ?

As for Caliber , as stated above the .25 will be better at longer ranges in a traditional pellet, but if you want to spend just a hair more money on ammo then you can go the .22 route using slugs ...

If you wouldn't mind posting up what style gun you are really wanting I / We can give you a better idea of what to look at.

I think your first PCP should be relatively robust and simple, with a positive reputation for reliability. My suggestions would include: HW100, Taipan Veteran (if you prefer a bullpup), FX Royale, Daystate Huntsman or Wolverine, Air Arms S500 or S510. 

I feel your pain regarding .22 ammo, been through several cycles of shortages. By going to air rifle, you're kind of trading ammo issues for rifle issues. Not that the rifles are especially problematic, but they lack the robust construction of cartridge rifles. These things are held together with grub screws and O rings, so a certain level of maintenance is required.

Lastly, in the 75 to 100 yard range, standard power air rifles are really stretching their limits. I consider mine 50 yard rifles.

The Brococks are solid choices. My .22 Bantam HR easily shoots dime size groups in good conditions at 50 yards. I consistently kill pigeons out to 84 yards. I have thousands of pellets through mine without an issue. I had to re-seat the Oring at the inlet valve because I filled it too fast. Other than that it’s been consistently accurate, first shot accurate. I don’t like to tinker, other than lightening the trigger pull it’s been performing flawlessly “right out the box”.

With air rifles, the difference between 50 and 100 yards is huge, so I suggest that you first decide on that priority of use. If 75-100 yards is a regular practice, then I think you should focus in the HP guns. No free lunch, these high power rifles, in general, demand a higher level of routine maintenance.

I have had good luck with Kalibrgun & Taipans. Very robust, accurate, & reliable. 
For paper & targets a .22 will be a great choice out to 100 yards. My .22 Cricket can pick off small steel targets at that distance, no problem. 
Price wise most of these new go over $1200, but great deals can be had on used ones. That being said, $1200 can get you a very good PCP, many good choices out there at that price point. 

You could get many answers that won't be wrong on this one.



I can say that Brocock and Daystate make some of the premier guns that will stand up with the FX Dreamline in quality as just a couple of examples.



With a Brocock Bantam Sniper you get a huge reservoir and will get a lot of range time on the bench between refills. https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/precharged-pcp/brocock-sniper-xr-.25/



Using guns with smaller air reservoirs like the Dreamline you probably might be lucky to tune it and get half the shots of a big bottle gun, depending on tune and caliber.



I'd recommend a 25 because it will be a better performer in windy conditions. Logically this makes me recommend a big bottle gun because you get more shots between refills. 400cc reservoir or more. That way you don't have to get frustrated and buy another gun because you didn't get the proper one the first time.



I am not saying you have to buy the gun brands I recommend. Rather that you should consider shot count and refills as well.



Now that I said that... How many shot from a Dreamline in 25?

Buy the RWS 54 or 56 for 50 to 100 yard consistent accurate shooting. That you can stretch out to past 150 yards once you get used to it. Nothing to fiddle with. Use the money you saved on a Leupold EFR 6-5-20x40AO scope and MOA base and mounts. You can reliably click your yardage with the Leupold scope.

The RWS 54 and 56 should outlast the PCPs when it comes to servicing. I believe the RWS still have LIFETIME WARRANTY too.

Didn't say if that $1200 includes a scope or not. Buying a PCP requires a fill method, either pump (lots of work) or compressor, or bottle you get filled at the paintball shop.

Figure out your scope and fill method and that'll leave you with your real budget. Personally, I don't pump. Too much work (and I have physical disabilities too), so I went compressor and tanks. Unfortunately the compressor and tanks were about $700 which would only leave you $500 for the gun. Lots of good guns in that range.

Don't forget about used as well. I'd buy from a reputable dealer like Utah Airguns or Airguns of Arizona for a first time used gun.

Way too many choices these days.

.22, 25 or .30 bullpup. You could get a used .22, .25 or .30 FX Wildcat, Vulcan or Cricket (no .30 outside of custom) for your price range and needs. The forum has a member feedback section that could help when considering a used gun and the trustworthiness of the seller. You could PM one of us as well to see if we know the seller.

With airguns, you need a 20” barrel or so to have good power. This makes a traditional gun, once you add a silencer (5” plus) too long for me. This is one of the reasons I prefer bullpups. .22 shooting the most common great pellets in .22, JSB 15.89gr or JSB 18.13gr, can perform great at 50. 100 is a challenge. .25 shooting the most common pellets, JSB 25.39gr or JSB 33.95gr, may perform better at 100 than the .22. For .30, the accurate pellet is the 44.75gr. This .30 pellet and the .25 33.95gr will perform best out to 100 yards.

Here are two .30s I found after briefly looking over the classifieds. I know both these guys and they are good seller:

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/wts-wildcat-mk3-30cal/

I actually just sealed and tuned this .30 Cricket custom. Deadly accurate too:

https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/wts-30-custom-cricket-carbine-ernest-rowe-built/

Good luck.