New PCP owner - *WARNING* - dumb questions quite possibly coming . . ( ;-) )

You found AGN, so you are off to a good start! 

Yes, cleaning the barrel is highly recommended. There are many ways to get this done.

Not all guns have an auto engage safety. 

I start looking at accuracy right away with a new gun, but I don't worry about making any changes until I get ~500 pellets down range first. I want to learn the feel of the gun and get comfortable with the scope and I want the interior surfaces of the mechanism to have time to settle into each other. For cheap shooting pellets, try the Hatsan vortex pellets and the crosman premier pellets.



Welcome to the best airgun forum!

Barrels tend to be pretty dirty when new, but that doesn't mean you can't shoot it. Cleaner barrels do tend to shoot better after shooting out the cleaning fluid residue 10+ (could be much more) shots, after cleaning.Same thing as 'leading in the barrel'.

I use a 'mop' on a mine, on a cleaning rod. Much easier, but I won't get info whether it's safer for the barrel then a pull through.

Don't have much experience with AA pcp rifles but I think its a manual safety (you'll have to chose to engage it). Diff than a springer.

On the AA safety issue: I've gotten in the habit of engaging the safety immediately after firing the rifle. I just bring my left hand up (I'm right handed shooting a RH gun) and engage it with my thumb. Do that fifty times and it'll be "automatic." I only touch it again--this time with my tirrger finger-- when I'm ready to fire, with the target in the crosshairs.

Congrats jdanvers,

You dove in headfirst it looks like and a great first gun I'd say. Feel free to ask all the question you might have. I've owned a couple of AA's so don't hesitate to PM if you want. I guess your aware that you probably need a pull through to safely clean the barrel, no wire cleaning brushes. Do you own a chronograph? Pretty much a must have item. You can use it to maximize your guns potential and always know what velocity your shooting at and how consistent each shot is. Are you aware that you need to know when to refill the gun with air at a specific pressure range? Also there are some well known pellets that are usually the "go to's" in 22cal. I'd recommend the JSB 15.9 and 18.3gr pellets and as a heavier option the H&N Barracuda Match 21gr. No insulting questions intended. 

Welcome to the entrance of the rabbit hole.

Jking

As for the safety, I replaced my trigger with a Rowan Engineering target trigger which deletes the safety all together. It can get your trigger pull under a pound and has a shoe that rotates and is height adjustable. I hope you enjoy the gun.

Crown Saver from Mac1 Airguns

del

Affordable PCP Video if you want to learn about PCP tanks: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7BCo4lfnFM

Hopefully you will find this helpful. -Nate

Hi, I have the same air rifle. It's beautiful and heavy. I have about 300 JSB 18's through mine and have not cleaned it, but it shoots well under .50" at my 30yd target off a Bog Pod tripod, so I haven't yet purchased a pull through. I haven't had any functional trouble with the rifle at all, and I don't expect any. I briefly owned an S510 carbine, which dumped air after about 12 pellets so it went back. The trigger safety is not automatic, which I like since I simply ignore manual safeties and depend on the rest of my rules and wits to stay safe.

I initially mounted a 3-15x42 SWFA SS FFP, and just switched to a Vortex Vipter PST Gen2 2-10x32 FFP, both in BKL 300-MB rings. Both optics are great, butt the Vortex is a better fit for my type of shooting. I'm pesting and shooting other small objects in the 20-40 yd range, and my eyes need the scope to be in the higher end of the magnification range range to clearly read the mil hashes, which was a bit too much in the 3-15x. I've got some Warne and BKL low rings coming that hopefully will get me closer to the bore and still clear the magazine.

I went straight to a AirHog Whole Hog tank kit, so I don't know the joys of pumping. I can get a $5 3500PSI fill about 10 mins away, but a 4500PSI fill takes $15 and a 240 mile round trip I would much rather have a buddy close by to split a $1500 compressor. I can get you velocity data from the LabRadar on the 18gr's and the Hades, if that's what you end up shooting. It's better than nothing if you don't have a chrony.

I was going to grab one of those Mac1 pull throughs, but they seem to be sold out. The only surprise I've had so far is with the moderator. This XS is quite a bit louder on power setting 3 than my Sumo moderated .22 Wildcat Mk1 at 879fps. Ok, not real surprised that the Donny is far better than the QTec. The real surprise was when I heated and removed the QTec and found that the shroud is not 1/2" threaded, like all the other Air Arms I've seen. The barrel sits loosely in the shroud without the QTec in place, and actually extends into the QTec sleeve for alignment. So, I have no way to adapt a Sumo onto it right now. I've been in contact with a guy who makes custom adaptors, but it probably won't be cheap or fast to get that done.

Anyway, hit me up if you want to share S510 triumphs or defeats. It's a very cool rifle that I've been obsessed with since I first saw Matt Dubber shoot his a few years back. Once it went regulated, I snapped it up. Cosmetically I prefer the walnut, but I couldn't seem to find that finish in this moderated length.



Happy Shooting.

-Craig

If you can find a can of the new Crosman 19 gr pellets, try them. I bought a couple cans at the Crosman shoot recently. They are very accurate in my 510, maybe more accurate than JSBs.

Bob in WV