Simple questions from someone new to pellet guns

Hey Fred welcome to the darkside muahahahha.

Well it all depends on what you are trying to do with the gun. There are a ton of pcps that will push a 10gr 22 cal pellet at that velocity or even faster. I have one that I can adjust the output from 430 fps to 920 fps with an 18 gr pellet. I use it predominantly for pesting and hunting. Or I can use lighter pellets and adjust to desired velocity at the muzzle. 

There are some gold budget pcp rifles for $300.00.

Any pcp can be hand pumped but that will depend on how much you wish to look like the hulk lol. 

I have 2 scba tanks I fill at a local dive shop without the necessity of a dive card as i don't use for scuba. 

Today there are some $300.00 pcps with regulators or there is a cost effective way to add one without breaking the wallet.

Welcome Frederick, 

A low working pressure gun with a small tank (like the Benjamin Maximus or Discovery, or the QB Chief) which work with a 2000 psi fill will be hand pump friendly. Click on the "quick links to our sponsors" banner at the bottom of the page-Crosman (who make the Discovery, Maximus and Marauder) offers AGN members a 25% discount!

From my somewhat limited experience a well set up non-regulated gun will yield a decent amount of shots within 20-25 fps. I see many regulated gun shot strings posted here and elsewhere that aren't much more consistent as far as the extreme spread. In addition, regulators can go wrong and regulated guns generally use a higher fill pressure making them difficult to use with a hand pump.

I fill with scuba tanks mainly, most dive shops will fill without a dive cert if you put a "not for scuba use" or "paintball only" sticker on your tank-they will usually sell you one. After looking at the cost of upgrading my fill set up and the cost of a higher end gun I'm definitely staying with my Benjamin Marauders and CZ S200, especially given the hit I'm taking financially from the current situation!

Stay well,

John

Approximately how much pressure is used to drive the projectile out of a PCP airgun? I know this depends on all kinds of variables, but what is a ballpark number for let's say to drive a 10g .22 pellet muzzle velocity of 700fps?

That is pretty light for a .22 pellet 14.3gr might be a better medium weight pellet and you can drive it out of a gun at 700+ fps on co2 at 800 psi or so.

PCPs can be hand pumped. Is this practical, or is the first thing you discover is that you need a tank?

Yes, PCPs can be pumped and many of us start out that way. The 2000psi PCPs are the best for pumping. You never need a tank you just want one after pumping your arms off for many weeks when you first get to the dark side.

Where do you get high pressure guns charged? When I used to SCUBA dive, they would not fill tanks unless you had a dive certification card. (I don't know where mine is.)

I got my tanks filled at the paintball shop but many will only fill to 3000psi and the reason I bought a small inexpensive Chinese compressor.

Can a decent rifle be had for <$300. Recommendations?

Yes, there are several in that price range. Crosman makes the unregulated single shot the Maximus for $220 or so and the regulated repeater the Fortitude for $309. Umarex makes the regulated repeater the Gauntlet for about $229 Not made in the USA though

Pressure regulators... I assume these are used for adjusting muzzle velocity? Is this pretty common feature, or is it more of an option on higher priced guns?

Regulators are really posed to even your shot strings velocity out so you can shoot more shots more accurately. Although some use them to gain power other use them to gain shot count. Regulators are not just found on expensive guns any longer as some of the budget guns have them.

Thanks,

Fredrick

Click to expand...

C’mon, Fredrick, just dive into this hobby, lol. You know you want to! “We” all know you want to, ha ha! 

Welcome aboard. You just got some great advice from the responses given

My first PCP was a Benjamin Discovery with hand pump. It, or something equivalent is a great place to start. So much fun!

With a 2000psi max gun, If you decide to get a air tank it won't be such a big deal if you fill it at a paintball shop that will only go to 3000psi.

But, pumping one of these lower pressure guns is not bad at all as long as you are in reasonably good shape and healthy.

I now have five pcp's, a good size tank, and a shoebox compressor. Unless you only dabble, or have extreme super human willpower...........

Have fun

JT 

As I see your question , you're asking how much pressure is really necessary . In the many years I've been airgunning, it's been shown that CO2 can generally max at around 700ish fps at 75 or so degrees. That's about 700 psi. The weight of the projectile doesn't seem to matter all that much. Before the nit pickers jump in, keep in mind it's just an approximation. I've read where the old Austrian rifles were operating on approx 600 psi. These examples I would consider the low limit of generating decent performance. When you up the pressure OR use a lighter gas(like helium), you can get faster flows through the valve and barrel and hence... higher velocities. You can do a LOT with 2000 psi. My EVOL has the reg set at 2000 psi, for instance, and drives an 18 gn pellet at 975 or a 25 gn pellet at 900. Discovery's have valves designed effectively use below 2k psi... their max fill pressure as another example . Keep in mind, a properly tuned pcp only sips a little of the reservoir supply and the valve should be closed before the pellet is midway down the barrel anyway .

Tanks are a convenience . You can pump effectively but it's effort. The tank means you can shoot more conveniently. A lot of scuba shops will fill a tank by filing a waiver that says it's for non breathing purposes. In general, you will probably want airguns with smaller reservoirs if you plan to pump.

Regulators are NOT necessary. Their purpose is just to provide a constant pressure to the valve and make tuning a bit simpler. 

There are a few worthy <$300 airguns but you'll need to sort out your intended uses or wants/expectations.

Welcome to a very enjoyable pastime .

Bob

I have a 6.5" TKO suppressor on my .22 Maximus and it needs it. Not backyard friendly w/o one. Only bad thing is that the rifle is now 48" long. So if a neighbor sees you shooting a scoped, 4' foot-long, blacked-out rifle, they may be concerned. But it's a great gun overall. Easy to pump to 2000psi, very reliable, shoots well over 800fps with 14.3 gr Crosman Premiers and is very accurate. This rifle drops rabbits in their tracks. Clean the barrel really well as soon as you get it, then just shoot.

The Fortitude Gen 2 is quiet right out of the box, uses a 10 rd magazine, and is regulated. However it is a little less powerful than the Maximus and requires pumping to 3000 psi.

Both guns benefit greatly from a trigger mod which I did on the Maximus. (See Baker Airguns trigger mod.)

Good luck and welcome!

This is my Benjamin Marauder pistol turned into a carbine. With a Neil Clague LDC. 
To use a LDC/ suppressor or moderator you just need to get an adapter. Because the moderator will need to thread into the barrel shroud not the barrel like some guns . 
This is a fantastic gun. I love it perfect for back yard plinking and pesting. 
Here it is with the cheap-O night vision 

TKO. Hugget Donnyfy just a few suppressor manufactures 

For punching holes in paper. Single loading is fine. But for pesting you definitely want a magazine fed gun.
We all occasionally miss the target and need a quick follow up shot  

This is my 22 cal puncher I modified to shoot 18 gr jsb at 925 fps with the ability to turn it down when necessary. Been very happy with it. It is dead nuts accurate to 100 yards and I built the suppressor myself, and all u hear is the hammer striking. I recently sold my 2 25 cal airguns in anticipation of the new Rti prophet.