On-the-fly adjustable power .22 PCP, What's out there?

I have a 100 ft3 3300psig aluminum tank that fills these PCPs a bunch of times to 2900 and then partial fills a few more before I refill at a dive shop. It's heavy, but it was a lot cheaper than a CF 4500psig tank, and my dive shop only goes to 3500 anyway.

As far as the bantam being ugly, I dunno, it looks a bit like a super-soaker or Nerf toy, so the neighbors won't mistake it for a fire arm. The flat finishes are a bit utilitarian, and the wood is nice but should be fancier at the price point.

My S510 is definitely better looking. I just replaced the stock with an Air Arms flat brown poplar ambidextrous stock. Tee high gloss two tone was ugly. 
 
"Birdo"I have a 100 ft3 3300psig aluminum tank that fills these PCPs a bunch of times to 2900 and then partial fills a few more before I refill at a dive shop. It's heavy, but it was a lot cheaper than a CF 4500psig tank, and my dive shop only goes to 3500 anyway.


I called three local dive shops today:

1) Only fills to 3000 psi, I won't even bother with them
2) Fills up to 6000 psi, if I need it, $10. They sell huge 120 CF 3500 psi tanks for $300, but he said they're huge and are about 90 lbs. He said if you're gonna do that, you may as well get a 6000 psi nitrogen tank from a welding supply shop.
3) Will fill to 3500 psi

I think I might get a big, new US-made CF tank instead of another rifle. If I'm honest with myself, I've got all the PCPs I need right now, but the S510 is still in the back of my mind. If I see one pop up, I may just weaken and make an offer, hehehe.

I just shot a couple hundred rounds through the Compatto in my basement on low power, and filled it 3 times with the pump. I really don't mind it when I'm shooting around the house, and it's about the only real exercise I got today. But when I go out somewhere and am shooting outdoors, I don't want to be pumping damp air into it.
 
"aa_limited"get an air wolf.. you will do way less pumping.
I can go 500 shots with out repuming at 14. 5 foot pounds
Yeah, but when I pump, it will be for two hours straight! :D

I just watched Matt Dubber's review on the Galahad. It was surprisingly frank, for a guy who has 'Air Arms' in his channel name. :) He didn't like the rotary cocking or the shroud.

It has click stops on the power adjuster and shround and regulator options that are not quite right. Once they get that right, I bet it'll trickle down to the S510. Look at the shot curve graphs he showed. It's a great case for a regulated gun. If/when that happens, BSA will need to follow suit with the R10 or risk extinction.
 
"Smaug"
It's a great case for a regulated gun. If/when that happens, BSA will need to follow suit with the R10 or risk extinction.
?? 

The R10 has been regulated since the start? 

Also yea matt didn't hold back on the galahad review. Would not buy is the verdict i got from it. 
The reg is good but no where near Fx standard, and there was quite a bit of sound coming from that gun. Cocking lever didn't convince. 
Worst part for me is that it was heavy, if you want a pup then its because you want something smaller to walk around with. 
 
"Deja"
"Smaug"
It's a great case for a regulated gun. If/when that happens, BSA will need to follow suit with the R10 or risk extinction.
?? 

The R10 has been regulated since the start? 
I meant that since the R10 has always been regulated and the S4xx and S5xx have not, but have adjustable power, the R10 may need to get adjustable power to be competitive. That, or it will need to be significantly less expensive. I suppose it already is, since they go for $1050 instead of $1250 like the S510. I guess it's worth noting that the S5xx are side lever vs. bolt on the R10; that matters to some.
 
"Deja"Also yea matt didn't hold back on the galahad review. Would not buy is the verdict i got from it. 
The reg is good but no where near Fx standard, and there was quite a bit of sound coming from that gun. Cocking lever didn't convince. 
Worst part for me is that it was heavy, if you want a pup then its because you want something smaller to walk around with.
Well, I was just thinking that for $1500 or whatever, it should be damn near perfect. The rotary cocking, I was open-minded for, but not if it is high effort. The thing about side lever cocking is that one is pulling back the hammer spring against one's shoulder, instead of having to support the gun with equal force to keep from pushing it down, in the case of the rotary cocking.

Agreed on the declining power regulator and ineffective shroud.

The weight is not such a big deal to me, since as a bullpup, it is distributed better than it would be on a rifle, and they DO make a shorter, lighter version in the short version.

They have a lot riding on this. I'm sure they'll get it worked out very quickly and get Matt an updated review sample soon, so that the whole airgunning world knows they fixed it. :)
 
Why don't you buy a used scba tank? The economics of a new 4500 psi tank never made sense to me. 

The store I buy my used tanks from and fill at always has tons of tanks in stock. This is a link to the store:

Home[/QUOTE]https://aaaemergency.com/embed/

All the tanks are ex-firefighter tanks so they are good quality and come with a fresh hydro. I paid $115 for my last tank from them with 8 years of life left.

That way, you'll have more money left to get both a tank and gun.

BTW, for that $1000 - $1200 price range, I can't think of any air gun that I would prefer over a Mutant. I find mine to be considerably more consistent, accurate and quiet than any other 22 I have used in stock form.

Perhaps you won't need to adjust power on the fly if the gun is indoor quiet out of the box. The Mutant Shorty is around 26fpe but it can be adjusted up or down. With my tune, I am getting 48 shots before power drops off. The tank is small enough to pump too.

Every collection should have a Mutant imo. 





 
zebra, thanks for that reference for the used firefighter tanks. I think special fittings are needed to use and fill them, right?

Taipan Mutant is on my long-term list. Only thing not to like is the lack of any kind of cheek pad. I was thinking of one months ago, but then came across a deal on a tuned HPA Hammerli 850 that I couldn't pass up. (traded my .177 Marauder for it.) It's regulated, accurate, powerful, (28 FPE) and has a great action and trigger. Only thing is that it's ugly and muzzle heavy. Considering how much actual real, in-the-field hunting I do, I can't justify the Mutant right now. I'm still itching to to the 850 outdoors. For now, all I really know is that it shoots hole-in-hole at 14 yards, and is still pretty tight at 30 yards in a gusty breeze.

What had me thinking about adjustable power is when I took one shoot in my backyard this winter. Downward angle from 10 yards. I had a target stapled to an empty cardboard box. Shot it with my .22 Summit. (20 FPE) Of course it blew right through the box, but I was expecting the ground to catch it. I forgot to factor in the fact that the ground was frozen. It ricocheted and hit a neighbor's house. Luckily, it was the roof or vinyl siding, and no damage was done and they didn't notice it. But then I realized I had too much power and mostly went back to 12.5 FPE from my .177 Compatto. ...and I don't use the frozen ground as a backstop any more!

*********

Thanks all for all your thoughts and advice. 

Instead of going for a all-in-one .22 PCP, I'll just do it with two guns. I just ordered a Marauder Pistol "deer stand kit", a couple extra mags and a degassing tool. High power = Hammerli 850. Low power = P-Rod. Later on, I'll look into the tanks again and maybe some basic mods for the P-Rod. (regulator, additional LDC to make it REALLY quiet) Check it out. With the coupon code from here, it wound up being a screamin' deal at $364 shipped.

I thought about the S510 some more, and I feel like for all it has going for it, it's just not quite worth a grand to me. When/if they fit it with a click stop power adjuster and a regulator (like the Galahad has), it may be a different story. (and of course it'll cost more than a grand at that point)
 
"aa_limited"the s510 I have is the 30th limited edition. every time I take it out of the case I feel I have something special in my hands. cost me over 2 grand for it and worth every penny.
​classic English styleing. others would have pick the daysate regal. I know I made the right choice.
I may get one yet, aa_limited. I actually tried to buy a used one tonight off the yellow, but someone beat me to it. Again. It's a good sign that they don't last long and don't come up for sale all that often.

I just listed a bunch of expensive camera gear on ebay too...
 
"Smaug"
"Deja"Also yea matt didn't hold back on the galahad review. Would not buy is the verdict i got from it. 
The reg is good but no where near Fx standard, and there was quite a bit of sound coming from that gun. Cocking lever didn't convince. 
Worst part for me is that it was heavy, if you want a pup then its because you want something smaller to walk around with.
Well, I was just thinking that for $1500 or whatever, it should be damn near perfect. The rotary cocking, I was open-minded for, but not if it is high effort. The thing about side lever cocking is that one is pulling back the hammer spring against one's shoulder, instead of having to support the gun with equal force to keep from pushing it down, in the case of the rotary cocking.

Agreed on the declining power regulator and ineffective shroud.

The weight is not such a big deal to me, since as a bullpup, it is distributed better than it would be on a rifle, and they DO make a shorter, lighter version in the short version.

They have a lot riding on this. I'm sure they'll get it worked out very quickly and get Matt an updated review sample soon, so that the whole airgunning world knows they fixed it. :)
I guess I need to watch Matt's review again, as I did not come away with the same conclusion.
 
@ aa_limited... I'm an Air Arms fan boy all day! I have the s510 Ultimate Sporter (.22) with the laminate stock (the Bentley of their brand) and I just purchased this little rifle from bowwild a few weeks ago :



My first Daystate and I gotta say it's exquisite! I can't find anything wrong with it (except maybe the bolt can be smoother). I'd think something like the Air Wolf would be even better.
I do agree with you, though, I'd buy another s510 Ultimate Sporter in a different caliber (.177) given a choice.
 
"Str8tshooter"
I guess I need to watch Matt's review again, as I did not come away with the same conclusion.
Usually, sponsored reviewers give pros and cons, where the pros are gushed over, and the cons are sugar-coated. Matt uses less sugar coating than most of them, but he's still gentle. Result is that you have to LISTEN for the cons and realize they may be sugar coated a bit. Don't let the reviewer make you forget about them until you've through them through yourself.

If he says: "I don't like xxx detail" with no qualification, you can consider that a personal preference. If he gives a reason, you have to put that in line with your own preferences and decide whether it's a deal-killer.

What I remember from that review, a couple days later is:
+ Nice build quality, as usual
- Rotary cocking was high effort. We could see how hard he was having to push to cock it...
- Very loud, considering it's shrouded
- Not in the same accuracy league as the S5xx, S4xx series
+ Nice finishing
- Trigger's a bit heavy

My bottom line was that I can have a rifle that shoots as well, at the same power level, for 1/2 or less money, and it is only the great fit and finish that are missing.