New guy intro. Looking for second and possible third PCP...

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Scouty

Scouty

Member
Sep 6, 2019
1,223
238
SD, United States
I've had some trouble with the forum software timing out so I'll keep this brief. I got my first PCP this past spring after a returning pest issue. I hastily did some sort of pick the right airgun for you type thing and got a Marauder pistol with a Hawke scope that is probably borderline too big for the gun.

I like the P-rod well enough. It's not too noisy and is easy to pump so it gets used a lot more than the Gamo springer it replaced. In a nutshell, we're going to keep the P-Rod but I'm reluctant to spend money trying to turn it into something it's not.

I'm fortunate to own both a home and a cabin, both on heavily wooded lots and both close to National Forest land. Both come with their own pest issues.

I have also found that the P-Rod is enjoyable enough to shoot that my 10 and 11 year old boys are spending a lot more time with me shooting paper targets.

Really not sure which way to get to fulfill my needs. I know there isn't one gun that will fulfill the needs of all three of us. Well actually all four of us if you include the retired cabin neighbor who is assisting greatly with the pest issue.

So I'm upgrading myself from lurker to active participant. Hopefully one day I can keep track all of the jargon and acronyms that are used around here.


 
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I can wholeheartedly recommend the Kalibrgun Cricket Mini Carbine.
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That is one I'm interested in. Does it come in 177? Off the top of my head I don't think I've seen one.

Also, I don't think I've seen the LOP listed. Do you have one you can measure?

Something my somewhat small 10 year old could shoot from a bench but still be useful for me while hunting or stalking pests would be great.

I know the Brocock Bantam Sniper mini is similar and comes in 177 but as I recall it's already longer despite not being as quiet as the mini carbine. So upgrading the moderator would make it even longer. Not a deal breaker but at that price point I'm willing to be picky.
 
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I can post you a picture of the gun with measurements soon. No, not available in .177, AoA lists them as available in .25, but I have never heard from anyone having one. Mine is in .22 and it shoots the new Hades pellets lights out, one 1/4" to 1/2" at 30 yards easy. Recently shot it at 100 and hit tiny targets 5 shots, 4 hits. @Centercut has one too and he routinely shoots pests past 100 yards. 

Look around in my thread, I moded the gun and made it lighter and shorter ( idea stolen from @Centercut ) I have owned both Brocock and Kalibrgun. My 2cents worth is that the KG is a better gun overall. Certainly has a nicer trigger. I got mine from Charlie at GA Airguns. Good guy to deal with, he sends them to you all tuned up and ready to go. If you really need/want a .177, I think that Bantam Mini will most certainly fit the bill. Shoot, I'm wanting a .177 and that Bantam Mini is in my short list. 
 
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I can post you a picture of the gun with measurements soon. 

Look around in my thread, I moded the gun and made it lighter and shorter ( idea stolen from @Centercut ).
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I would love to see the pictures and a brief discussion of how you shortened it, assuming I don't find the it first. I have some of the other threads open in new tabs and am reading through them and I found a mention of using a 2" shorter barrel. Somehow that thread didn't pop up in my previous searches. 
 
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Welcome!

You might look at the Benjamin Maximus or Fortitude-They're both under $300 and lightweight. You can mod them to your liking-the Maximus is a 2000 psi fill gun and the Fortitude is regulated. The Crickets operate on a higher fill pressure if I remember right which might make pumping a chore, though once you're sighted in you can just top off after each pesting session. Extended target sessions may make you want a different fill source.

The Marauder rifle is another excellent choice but is probably too heavy and bulky for the youngsters. Another option to look at would be the Air Arms/CZ s200. It's light, accurate and simple, as well as having a 2600 psi fill and smallish air tube making pumping more practical.

If you decide to go with a Benjamin, click on the sponsors tab here and get a discount on most Crosman/Benjamin products.

Shoot safely,

John
 
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Welcome!

You might look at the Benjamin Maximus or Fortitude.

Another option to look at would be the Air Arms/CZ s200. 

Shoot safely,

John
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I would probably rule out the Maxmus/Fortitude/Marauder due to length. One thing I really didn't like about my Gamo springer was how long it was when I was trying to walk between trees and also not attract attention of neighbors while try to sneek up on a critter trying to become my roomate. The P-rod was much better for that and I'd like to stick to that carbine type.

The S200 is one that hasn't come up in my searches. If that 36" length is including the plastic moderator I could see it being a compromise for us. Maybe not something I'd try to squeeze into a backpack but fun to shoot from a bench and somewhat compact for pesting. But still affordable enough that I could buy something else to be a backpack gun.

I tried to include more information in my original introductory post but somehow I managed to get reset twice so I kept it brief. I really have a lot of needs and wants right now and am not sure how much overlap of capability I can really expect from any single gun. 
 
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Click to expand...

I can post you a picture of the gun with measurements soon. 

Look around in my thread, I moded the gun and made it lighter and shorter ( idea stolen from @Centercut ).
Click to expand...

I would love to see the pictures and a brief discussion of how you shortened it, assuming I don't find the it first. I have some of the other threads open in new tabs and am reading through them and I found a mention of using a 2" shorter barrel. Somehow that thread didn't pop up in my previous searches.
Click to expand...

Here’s the pic I promised. Gor the mod please read through the later pages of my thread I linked above. 

1568233455_4211840885d7957efc1dfb3.86327696_3B200147-D966-49BE-9EC6-B1C2654D3682.jpeg

 
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You might be in a tough place depending on how much you want to spend and still doing hand pumping of your airguns. With a small air cylinder like on the P-rod hand pumping is doable however if you go to airguns with larger cylinders it can be a workout and make shooting not as enjoyable. An airgun that comes to mind with a small cylinder to fill is the Edgun Leshiy. It is light, short, highly adjustable for power and built like a tank. It is single shot but it is quick to reload. The only drawback is you would have to come up with some serious cash. Now if you would buy one of the small personal compressors then you could get a mid priced PCP with more features and multi-shot. That is why knowing your needs and price range always goes a long way to making a rifle suggestion. Bill
 
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For what you say you're looking for, I've got to recommend the Air Force Talon P. With extended butt stock and DonnyFL, mine is only 34 in. long, and is basically a small carbine. Single shot may be a problem for you, but it's easy to operate and trouble-free. Tune it down to the lowest setting and still get plenty of power for varmints, and it's fun to shoot. I'd rather shoot it than my longer, more expensive rifles any day, and I'm impressed with the Air Force quality as well...so much that I bought a new Condor SS. Air Force has several short, light guns that would be perfect for your kids and that will do any of your varmints that you want to get rid of.
 
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Thanks for all of the advice. A few guns mentioned were already on my short list (Cricket, Taipan & the Ataman folding) but a few I hadn't come across at all.

To address a few comments and questions:

1) I am looking into options for air. I've struck out with SCUBA as they can only do 3450 PSI at a $12.50 price for airgun tanks and evidently are known for having a bit of an attitude. I can afford a compressor and a tank but with both a home and a cabin think I'd prefer a nitrogen cylinder at work and just fill a tank from there. Regardless, I probably won't be picking out another gun until I have this ironed out.

2) My at home pest issue is birds. For the sake of simplicity let's say up to the size of starlings that would mostly be shot within 10 yards. My neighborhood is very laid back about such things but I'm seeing more mothers pushing strollers so quiet and fairly compact is a priority. My P-Rod is about perfect. A 24" bullpup might be even better. More on that later.

3) Cabin pest issue is squirrels that almost always need to be shot at over 20 yards. Noise is not as much of a priority. The stock P-Rod is quiet enough. My retired cabin neighbor mostly has this under control and basically has free access to my P-Rod. The cabin is in an area that is more or less seasonal and the amount of damage they have done to nearby structures and the one I tore down before building is staggering. His cabin is much closer to the source of the problem and he is doing me a huge favor just by taking care of the problem around his place.

4) I am not sure about single shot. I do require my boys to shoot single shot when target shooting with my P-Rod but I think for pesting I prefer to have a quick follow up.

5) I don't have an exact budget. I'm at a point in my life where I could order every gun mentioned in this thread and slowly sell off the ones that I don't like at a small loss and not be terribly affected. Granted that's not going to happen so I want to shop carefully. My struggle is buying a more expensive gun that ideally would cover multiple needs vs. getting a few and having them ready to go for various needs.

6) This thread has made me think about my priorities and I think I need to prioritize having a pest gun that I'm well practiced with ready to go at both home and at cabin. I need that to be our casual bench/plinking gun so I'm comfortable with it. The P-Rod is sort of covering my bases at the cabin for now, although I'll probably get a more backpack oriented squirrel gun eventually. 

Now back to my options for guns at home, assuming I can get the air situation ironed out. I'm very intrigued by the compact bullpups, although I've never handled one much less shot one. I'm not sure if I fully understand how the higher scope position is going to affect shots inside of 10 yards and/or shots that are much more vertical and have less of a drop? Somehow in my inexperienced mind short and closer to vertical shots are going to be a weakness of a high scope position on bullpups or possibly the Talon Ps mentioned.

Am I wrong about this? 
 
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