Sub $800 Air Rifles

My S410 22 TDR is under $800 but super high quality and can kill birds at 100 yards.

Great topic! This is an expensive, addictive hobby. My 2nd PCP was (still have it) a Hatsan AT 44 in .22. The gun was solid out of the box but, you will chase the POI until you regulate it. The HUMA made it a whole new level of fun. Simple to work on and tune; mine has been rock solid. I would say its had about 5K through it and only a few orings have been needed. Im not a "skilled" shooter but, it will consistently split poker chips at 50 yards, not HIT em....split the thin side. With a large crowd and a bet.....I split a kite string at 38 yds....3rd shot. This gun has been SO much fun, quiet, reliable, easy to change the mags and so on. I bought a Benji in .25....and a Kral Puncher, sold them both. Stay with me here; I also have a .25 Cricket tuned by Mr. Rowe. AWESOME gun but, its not a grande better than the Hatsan. Sure, its more powerful and a bit more accurate but, its not that much more fun. I dont shoot holes in paper for my man status, mostly happy meal toys and barbie dolls after a few beers. My AT44 has silenced owners of Benjis, Krals, Airforce, BSA R10 and a few others. Bought it new for sub $550, with he HUMA it hurls .22 18 grain JSB's at about 830 for 35 shots with NO POI change. My only grips is the heft and length. Dont hesitate to pick one up. GREAT trigger if you take some some time to twist the 3 screws.

My first pcp is a benny wildfire. No its not anything amazing but soo much fun to shoot at $130. I have a Hatsan at44 on its way. Got a amazing deal at $248 from amazon. Unfortunately they sent the rifle without mags or a fill probe so waiti g on the replacement. My Budget (the wife) wont allow even a $500 rifle in the house so el cheapos is all I shoot. Heck the downloaded paper targets dont know or care. The multiple dead chipmunks, red squirrels and starlings also never asked the price. If they dont care why should I.

Just shot two 5-shot groups well under 1/2 an inch at 50 yds with my beloved 22 disco. Not sure why I want a dreamline. The disco is all I need. Maybe a 22 fortitude, I'm with you John! Looks like a sweet package. Not sure we need another category. It's cool that what we have in common is a shared love of these guns and not who can afford what. I may never own an impact but I still like reading about others' experiences with them!

Gen1 Marauder would be my choice for new and under $800. Though there are other good options. There are just so many mods/upgrades for the mrod. I did a ton of stuff with to gen 1. This was my first pcp and am happy it was. Still have it and would never sell it.

Gen 2 Marauder here for first PCP, and no I have no intentions to sell even though I now own an Impact. Just too much fun and too quiet! Great project gun. Nothing says I can't have multiple guns for multiple purposes, right??

My first PCP I did not build was a BSA Techstar. At thirty yards, hitting the last pellet hole wasn't really a challenge with Barracudas. Nice simple reliable action with cocking and loading being separate steps. We used to spread things on the target board and snipe flies at 30 yards with it.
The forestock was pretty much square, but that is all you could complain about. Even the trigger was pretty nice. 
If someone gave me a 2k air rifle, it would be on sale the next day and replaced by a $400-500 model. 
I need a powerful hunting rig to carry in my bike saddlebags. I will likely spend a little bit more than $400 for that one, since the choices are limited and I want real hunting power. Even then we are talking about $600 because there are few that will fit the requirement. If I would take Marauder P power, it can be done for under $400. What do I need a $1500 folding carbine for? Technically, that is more than I paid for the bike!