Shooting a PCP at 50yds is like shooting centerfire at ???? yards

I must be the odd ball. 50 yards is fifty yards no matter. The first time I shot reduced distance targets back on the high school rifle team was 40 years ago. As the targets get closer the mistakes are not as magnified. And vision clarity is better making closer targets easier. Felt recoil and perceived recoil is non existent. Our Air gun are not as difficult to shoot. They are a magnificent training tool and loads of fun.

Years ago I read of a competion in South Africa that compaired air rifle shooting to 1000 yards centrefire but can't remember the distance they were shooting at but it was considerd to be a equal challenge and training .

I shoot a lot of F class of a bipod rear bag and shoot a pcp rigged the same for same field techneque and consider it the distance are what they are . If you were shooting a old springer under 12 ft/lb with open sights the .177 was the flatter round balancing on your mates shoulder then 50 yards head shooting rabbits was a good shot but with the pcp with a top dollar scope a rest or bipod 50 yards is not a big deal really.

The pcp of today with 100 yard accuracy potential have completely transformed the experience of airrifle's so a 12 ft/lb is still a 12ft/lb and a lot of folk here are sold on the cosmetics and find it restrictions are heart breaking , but if you can run a unrestricted as on a fac you have a very different deal now with regulare accurate shots out to 100 plus and if your on your game the pcp is as rewarding as the big f class distances .

I would say it depends greatly on which PCP and which centerfire you are comparing. Cheap PCP vs. great PB is going to be like 8 to 1, or even 10 to 1. A great PCP vs. a a not-so-great PB is probably going to approach a 4 to 1 ratio.

I would say it depends greatly on which PCP and which centerfire you are comparing. Cheap PCP vs. great PB is going to be like 8 to 1, or even 10 to 1. A great PCP vs. a a not-so-great PB is probably going to approach a 4 to 1 ratio.

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We are just talking about the maximum reasonable useful range of air rifles ,rim fires and center fire rifles. You would have to reasonably assume we are talking ideal conditions and the best of the best rifles and ammo and top notch shooters. We are comparing apples to apples or what’s the point.

Most of us have watched Bob’s video’s (and others ) he’s hitting pest birds at 100 yards with his FX equipment . Do you think he would be able to hit a 10 inch gong with a 308 at 600 yards if we gave him equipment of equal quality or a say a 3 inch target at 150 yards with an Anschutz 22 and eley ten X ammo . I’m pretty certain it’s a sure thing.

If the conditions or equipment isn’t of similar quality or the shooter(s) of the same ability of course you can’t expect similar results.

We all know the biggest variable is the person pulling the trigger 

The point being made is the air rifle is holding its own and I would say possibly surpassing the others with in it’s range Maybe it always has but the RANGE is getting longer.

I’m not that great of a shot but I’m hitting sparrows pretty consistently at 45 yards with my air rifles. I don’t think that would have been remotely possible for me what 5 years ago??? Maybe I’ll improve and reach out even further.

I drive myself nuts shooting pest birds. I’ll smack a sparrow and 15 minutes later a pigeon will light in the same spot and I’ll miss him. That’s clearly proof of shooting skills or in my case the lack there of . I’ve done that pretty often. Hit groundhogs at over 300 and miss a close one.

I have learned that with air rifles ten yards can amount to a big difference in your point of aim. You need to know the exact distance and elevation as well. BUT if you hit them all what’s the point 

bubblerboy64 is right about it being the shooter. look at Steve at AEAC..... every gun he reviews pretty much shoots the same at 100 yards. thats because it is the same shooter. and a good one. heck one of the best groups i seen him shoot was with a Beeman QB Chief!

I often thought about this same comparison. I shoot both. The way Airguns are getting more accurate these days and 100yds is getting boring, the odds are getting better for airgunning. I would say 50yds with an Airgun is 50yds with center fire. Would also say the same out to 100yds plus. But past 150 or 175 things change for the better for center fire. But then again here comes the slugs for Airguns which may change everything. 

50=100 Depending on quality and power of scope. 

If your shooting S&B vs Vortex results may very 

More have .177 than you think. There's a reason it has the most offerings in weight, shape, diameter, and manufacturers than the other calibers.

Obviously, the answer to this question is entirely relative to the guns being used, their inherent accuracy, projectiles, calibers, optics, the environments, and shooter abilities. That said, the accuracy of my Brocock 22 at 50 yards would, in my estimation, be equivalent to my 30-06 at at 150, my 25-06 at 200, and my 30-30 at 25 yards. Throw some wind into the mix and those gaps will change dramatically. At some point that old 30-30 Marlin will out-shoot the Brocock!  

As Airngasnan said. Everything's equal until the wind picks up.

Taking a red squirrel cleanly at 100yrds with my Taipan presents about the same challenge as me taking a groundhog at 500yrds with my 22-250. Shooting most of my PCP's at 50yrds is as easy as 200yrds with my centerfire rifles. The only thing that is not comparable is the energy level.