Where do I start?

great idea you will need a air source ,you need to buy a tank and have a place to fill it or rent a nitrogen tank an go that route not sure of the Gaunlets ability the Marauders a nice 1oo yard rifle you may want to look at,, coupon up top for 25 %off good luck there is so much info to learn and its all fun

You should first figure out a budget. Then realistically look at what you want to do with the gun. For target practice you will want something to fill it like a tank. Can you get it filled easily? Should you buy a compressor? If you really want it for hunting/pesting than you might be able to satisfy your needs with a hand pump. I use one and its rather easy but I just hunt. So I pump up before I get ready to go out. I take a few shots the day before to check my zero and that is it. I have a small tank that I get about 20 shots with. So that is plenty shots for hunting. But if I was just plinking/target shooting I would find a better way. The cheapest set up is going to run you around $500 that is for Rifle, pump/tank and scope and other knick/knacks. but this is for the lower end equipment. if you want better it just goes up from there. I would also second the Marauder as a lower end budget. I bought a cheaper gun for my first one and wound up spending as much as the marauder to still not have half the gun. You can also look for used and get a better gun for less money. People are always looking to off load pcp's mostly for what I think is that it just wasn't what they wanted.

Also look at real reviews and not commercials. The manufacture tells tall tales to sell their product and wont tell you the bad things. 

Good luck

As stated before, a carbon fiber air tank will be one of your first purchases. You are already a committed shooter, so I would not recommend that you purchase an entry level rifle. If your goal is 100 yards, you will most likely want a .25 caliber. That said, the .22 can reach out that far but windage is more of a factor. I have a .22 Cricket Carbine that shoots very well at that range and I have a ,22 Modified Marauder that shoots "lights out" at 50-75 yards. You will be watching plenty of reviews. I would suggest looking at the top banners for brand suggestions. Brands like RAW, FX, Daystate, will be a good start but there are others. I would suggest not be in a hurry and take the time to research the rifles. There are quite a few differences and it takes time to wade through all the reviews. 
Best of luck, it's a fun hobby,

NM

100 yard, trigger time --- what trigger do you wish to simulate or shooting time?
100 yard target------ do you want good groups at that range? Just hitting paper & practicing style good enough?
Budget?

GET a shoot or match! 
You just cant do better getting ideas than shooting others airguns and 99% of people want you to do so!

Last?
When do you want one?
Don't know when the gauntlet may show up.

Any rifle/pistol with a regulator will be helpful to you.
Youi'l need to fill it, hand pumps from $100-300. Scuba tank $80-150, scba what ever deal you find. Yoke ( fill station) to connect air supply & rifle $45.00- 450.00.
Scope.

Any interest in improving your wind doping & you might consider a "12fpe" rig.

Check the member map, ask around, look at aafta, shoot some other people's airguns, try a hand pump, ...... .
I'm in E. WA


Keep us posted.
John


John

My own advice mirrors NM Shooter. Minimum caliber - .25. I'm using a .22 which theoretically has nearly the same ballistics as a .25, but it just can't seem to hit 100 yards. Same experience as NM Shooter. Shoots extremely well at 50 to 75, but not 100 yards.

​To give you an example, my Marauder shoots 1.5 inch groups at 75 yards, and part of the spread is the shooter, not the gun. At 100 yards, same exact setup, 6 inch group, and it looked like the pellets may have been tumbling before they hit the target. Still not sure what's happening, but will investigate further. Choose a gun that is known to hit 100 yards consistently, don't cheap out here.

​Budget wise you should figure on (Don't let me scare you off, yes it's a big investment, but your ammunition costs drop tremendously, from whatever you are shooting now at probably $.50 to $1.00 per round to literally pennies):

​​The Gauntlet looks like a good gun, but, as with a Marauder, it's an entry level gun. You may want to figure more like $800 to $1000 for the gun. Or, you could figure your first gun is a learning platform and plan on replacing / upgrading within a year or two. I own a Marauder with that same idea in mind. Saving for my "Upgrade" to a Crown now. Marauders can be tuned and worked on to get to the magic 100 yards, but others come out of the box ready to go. Marauders come in at around $500 or a bit more where an FX Streamline hits $1000.

$350 for a ​90 CI HPA bottle. This is the smallest you should even consider. Other tanks go up from there. This bottle provides around a dozen refills on my Marauder, with a 215cc cylinder. 500 CC bottle guns get half the number of refills. For me, that's between 200 and 400 shots depending on how I have the gun adjusted.

​Scope - if you have a scope with parallax down to 15 yards or so, you are set to go. You'll need mounting rings as most rifles are Weaver / Picitinny where air rifles are 11mm Dovetail. Rings range from $6 to $150 depending on what you want. If you need a scope, my personal current favorite is the BSA 4-14x44 FFP that's selling for about $140. That would be the low end and represents one savings for air rifles. I'd never put that on a high powered rifle, as I wouldn't trust it to hold zero. On a PCP, no recoil to speak of, so much easier on scopes. Or you can buy the current, high end, favorite of some people, the Viper Pro series at around $800. I'm a cheapskate, so looking more at the BSA variety.

​Now is the hard question. Pump, Compressor, Paint ball / Scuba Shop? If you like to shoot, forget the hand pump. The 215 CC Tank on the Marauder takes about 3 to 5 strokes per shot depending on how the gun is adjusted. That last 20 to 30 strokes are a real bear because you are pushing 2700 to 3000 PSI resistance. If you have a paintball shop or scuba shop nearby, check them out. I have one and it's around $5 per fill on the 90CI tank. If you buy a 80 Cubic Foot tank, it's more expensive, and some shops just won't fill them, so check that out in advance.

​Lacking a paintball shop, you may be looking at a compressor. I'm no expert. Having said that, we see a number of possibilities.

​High End - Daystate Compressor. $3000
​Mid range - Omega $1400 to $2300
​Low end - I like this option - Cheap Chinese compressor off eBay or Amazon. Ranges from $320 to $400 shipped and in your hands. Read the thread http://www.airgunnation.com/topic/did-i-make-a-big-mistake-i-bought-a-yong-heng-compressor-from-china/ - It gets good reviews from folks here.

​Pellets - Research is your friend. Buy a gun, buy pellets people say work well in that gun. Experiment. Just like reloading. Takes time to develop the right load.

It's a great sport, and once you going, costs are smaller (unless you are addicted like most people here.)
​Example, I shot 120 rounds yesterday. It was $.03 per pellet, and maybe $.02 for air. Total per round cost was a nickel. Even a .22 rimfire is $.08 now with center fire cartriges going up from there. Guy next to me probably fired 100 rounds .223, so his expense was probably $.50 per round or more. I shot for under $6.00 while he shot for around $60.

​Enjoy!

Check your area out for places to fill a tank. I fill at a paintball place. Watch AGN and the YELLOW pages. You can find a whole setup for a lot less than new. AOA has a used gun area also. IMO I would start with a FX streamline. It is a good quality gun and if you want to sell it the gun will hold its value. It also has a lot of nice features you want in a quality rifle that you won't get in a 500.00 dollar gun.
good luck
have fun

If you are experienced high powered rifle shooter then i would say go ahead and match your airguns price point to your firearms. If you have 3000$-5000$ DTAs or any kind of custom builds then id say skip the affordable 600$ pcps and move towards the 1000+ bracket. I can say that fx airgun's trigger, accuracy, quality, and action are second to none(except daystate and RAW imo). Pick a non problematic platform(try not to get the fx impact as your first pcp) like the fx streamline or wildcat if you like bullpups. However if your powder rifles cost are around 1300$-900$ then id say no biggie if you get a budget pcp airgun like hatsans or mauraders. You will also need to think about an airsource: either a airtank, compressor, or handpump. Then finally a scope and pellets. 

One other thought. You said you wanted to target practice at 100 yards. For an air rifle, 100 yards is at the extreme end of accuracy, hence, the Extreme Bench Rest Competition. http://www.extremebenchrest.com/

​Need to set your expectations properly, as expecting sub-MOA groups at 100 yards probably won't happen with an air rifle. Even Ted Bier spent years getting sub-MOA groups at 100 yards. Ted won the Benchrest last year. For this sport, sub-MOA at 100 yards is incredibly difficult. It's simply the physics of the equipment.

​Extreme Bench Rest is where the best shots in the Air Gun world come and compete at 75 and 100 yards. Setting your sights on what some say is the most difficult competition in airgunning as a starting point, might be a bit aggressive. If you want a budget gun, under $600 or so, set initial goals at 50 and 75 yards. Leave 100 yards until you get your feet under you and can afford a $1800 plus gun. At 50 and 75 yards the less expensive guns do very well. There's just something about that last 25 yards. . . . 

​As a point of reference, a .223 has over 1200 foot pounds energy when it leaves the muzzle. That's more than enough energy to carry a couple miles.
​A .25 air rifle pellet will have around 40 to 50 foot pounds energy at the muzzle. Maybe 300 yards with proper elevation.

​40 / 1200 = .0333 or about 3.3% of the energy a .223 offers. That's 1 thirtieth of the energy of a .223.

​A .22 long rifle has around 120 foot pounds or more at the muzzle. The .25 air rifle is a third of that!

​Consistent 100 yard shooting for an air rifle is a real challenge and really difficult for the best guns. The guys at Extreme Benchrest use RAW (Rapid Air Weapons), FX, and a couple other brands. You can see this years winners and what gun they used at the web site above. Most shoot .30 caliber's, but according to Ted, a .25 has a better ballistic formula (he's way beyond me on that one). He used an FX Impact in .25 and NO I DO NOT RECCOMEND AN IMPACT FOR A FIRST GUN! Just too much gun!

​By the way, I tried 100 yards yesterday for the first time. Abysmal Failure. Not sure what happened, but went from 1.5 to 2 inch groups at 75 yards to tumbling pellets and 6 inch groups at 100. More work on that one to come.

Oh, and one really nice thing about the air rifle. You don't have to worry about pounding the guy next to you with ejected shells for each shot. I was in the perfect position to catch every shell from my neighbor yesterday. No biggie, but it removes one more concern.

​I will be back at 100, but more research is needed. Gotta figure out what I did wrong. That's the challenge of the sport

FX makes a PCP airgun called the "INDY" it has a built in hand pump. Just something to think about.

No compressor, no tank, required.

http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/precharged-pcp/fx-indy/

The Marauder may be a place to start but to get one to shoot you'll double the price you paid for it. I well know, I just don't give up on anyhing. The only thing original on mind is the stock and frame, it's 22 cal. Got it shooting real good, it's close to the 25 cal WildCat out 75 yds but that's it. We have not had a real good chance to test the 25 cal Grown yet but feel like it will out shoot both with the as little shooting we have done.

Marauder:
​I own a .22 version. I like the gun. Major drawback to me is the bolt pull. It's heavy because you are compressing a 7.5 pound spring. Other than that, I like the gun, a lot. It's very quiet, good, solid two stage trigger, and feels good. Gen 2 models have adjustable combs for better sight line. For a powerful PCP, it's around 80 or 85 decibels, so it's a quick pop, and not all that loud. Very back yard friendly.

​I've heard stories from the .25 owners of extreme accuracy. Never validated the stories though. Maybe like fishing? Fish gets bigger every time you tell the story? The .25's are believed to have Green Mountain barrels, which was a much better quality barrel than the Gen 1 Marauders had. Again, once someone gets one, they rarely let go, even with the drawbacks heavy bolt, and non-regulated status. Incredible value for the money.

​I have 50 yards in my back yard. It's a perfect back yard gun. I can adjust the power to fire the Crosman Premier at about 830 FPS, and get around 40 solid shots per fill. JSB Exact Heavy pellets are 30% heavier, so to get the same 830 FPS, I've adjusted up and now only get 20 shots per fill, but have under 2 inch accuracy at 75 yards.

​Hint - For ballistics, download an application called Chair Gun Pro. It's put out by Hawk Scopes. Great ballistics calculator for air guns. Can be used for powder burners as well, but the database has mostly pellets, very few bullets. Great to see what the trajectory really looks like. Android or Apple. 

​I have bottle and pump. On the Marauder, as currently adjusted I get 20 shots per fill. It takes about 100 pumps to get the gun from 2000 to 3000PSI. That's 100 deep knee bends, really pushing down on the pump for the last 20 to 30 strokes. You will get your exercise, and raise your heart rate to the point where you really can't shoot for 10 or 15 minutes while it calms down. That's my experience, but you might be in better shape than I am. I do about 20 to 30 strokes, take a break, 20 to 30 more, etc.

​The 90 cubic inch bottle. Go to paintball shop, give them $5, to shoot 200 to 400 rounds without taking a break. Maximize your trigger time and buy a bottle. I bought the pump as part of a starter kit. Only took a couple rounds of pumping up and I bought a bottle. Looking at the Chinese compressor now. I'm here to shoot, not pump.

​Pumps run around $200 (I have the Crosman pump, Hill is probably 20% more efficient, so spend the extra and get a hill if you go that route.) Bottle with filling hose is $350. Best extra $150 you'll ever spend, provided you have a paintball shop or dive shop close by.

​I don't know anything about the Blizzard, but as chance has it, I do own a Benjamin Titan GP (I hope that's the gun you were referencing as I'm about to go on a trigger rant!). Had it longer than the Marauder. Good break barrel with nitro piston. I do like the gun overall; however, trigger absolutely SUCKS!. Pure mush. If I remember it was around 6 to 8 pound pull as well. I spent $40 and put an after market trigger in. It helped a little, but it still sucks bad. Marauder Trigger is pure joy. Very distinct two stage. Not sure about the pull, but I don't have any problems with it.

Break barrels are good, but require lots of practice to shoot well. The physics of the gun, where it has double recoil, really makes accurate shooting problematic. Must use the Artillery Hold to have any accuracy at all. Power is Non adjustable as well, so if it puts too much power into the pellet, too bad. Did I say the trigger sucks? It really does. Crosman break barrel triggers are not known for being good. Marauder on the other hand is known to have one of the best triggers in a sub-$1000 gun.

OK, Done with trigger rant.

​My current goal is to upgrade to a Crown later this year or early next year. To show how much I like the Marauder, it will NOT be for sale after I upgrade, I'll still shoot it and use it to introduce others to the sport.

​As always, my advice is worth what you paid for it. It's my opinion. Happy to provide it at No Cost!

Welcome, I too have just gotten into the PCP hobby due to heath this year and its definitely different then LRT shooting out to 600-1000 yards with a 6.5 Creedmoor,I kinda had to get a different mindset which is 100 yards is long range shooting with a Airgun hahaha.................
If you want to go after that 75 yard target with a bit of room and you like the Marauder I would push you to the .25 caliber, I have both 22 and 25 and 50 and under the 22 is fun but when you start stretching it out you'll lose accuracy, my son had no issues out to 60 yards hitting gongs,spinner s and paper also with the 22 he has hit the 75 and 109 yard gong but with no real accuracy but more luck dad thinks, I just gave him the .25 Marauder so he can shoot out farther with some accuracy and he is having a blast, now with a bit better .25 that I use right now I have no issue hitting the 8" gong at 109 yards and everything down to 25 yards, I'm using a Hatsan BullBoss and it's a shooter but now I'm looking for more of a rifle then a Bullpup type Airgun and I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a FX 500 Royale for my long range target rifle(100-175 yards hopefully)..
If you have the funds the best thing I can say is buy the best rifle you can for what you want it to do or else you'll end up playing the buy and sell game, also get a good scope to suit your needs and type of shooting your doing..If you decide you don't like the Airgun hobby/sport you can always sell and recouped most of your money especially with a higher end Airgun and scope...
This is not reflective of everyone else in this hobby just me.........................................................
I had no real option when I got into the PCP hobby because no one within 100 plus miles around me deal with PCP's it's all springers and pumps so I had to do the whole 100 yards,Compressor,tanks,regulators,hoses,pellets and airguns..i went this route.
Air Venturi compressor at 1299.00.
Air Venturi 90 ci tank at 349.00
Air Venturi 74cf tank at 549.00
REGMAN regulator to tether Airgun for longer shooting times 349.00.
Benjiman hand pump 200.00 ? Can't remember....
Hoses and miscellaneous fittings about 140.00 +..
PLUS the 9 airguns I've bought and soon to add another.......Its not a cheep hobby to get into all the way but once your in it comes down to having enough PELLETS..Its like ammo for PBs,you can never have to much hahaha..FYI I have way more into my Powder Burners Way more....

I forgot to add all the Scopes and Bipods I've bought to the cost, I'll leave that alone it's scary hahaha.

Nothing wrong with the Marauder for a starter, it can be made to shoot pretty dog gone good. It's a good gun to start to work on yourself. There is a lot of help on here and other sights to help you. Like I said before the only thing that is stock on my 22 cal Marauder is the stock and receiver. With some knowledge of how to work the trigger it can be improved a lot. I've worked on most of all my powder burner for many years, love to setup a 14" barrel TC Contender. We have shot some Wild Cat round in the TC based on the 307 case with Don Bower in CO. at 500 meter and have a 3 shot group you could cover with a quarter.It takes a good trigger and a few other things to make one shoot.
There are some real good after market parts for the Marauder to improve it a lot. Don't skip on the scope and rings, you'll waste your money and blame the rifle.$250 plus for a scope is a good starting point. But do the leg work and check out the reviews on them, there is some real good glass out there you don't have to pay a arm and leg for.Don't expect an 1/2" 10 shot group at 50 yards out of the box, It will take some work on your part.
Yes a hand pump will work, it also will give you a good work out. Get a good one with a moisture filter, it will save your pump and gun.

"FunGun"FX makes a PCP airgun called the "INDY" it has a built in hand pump. Just something to think about.

No compressor, no tank, required.

http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/precharged-pcp/fx-indy/

Click to expand...

Thats what I want for my next one. The Indy bullpup in a .30. 

Hey @tjv1951,

There are no shortages of opinions and suggestions here huh? My thoughts:

1) Going PCP? Figure out your air supply first. I tried pumping in the past and that was a buzz kill. Not hard, but threw off my rhythm of shooting. I found a fire supply equipment company who will fill my tank for $10.

2) Assuming you can find someplace to fill a tank, get a big one. I would not bother with a 90 CU Inch. Shift your budget as-needed to accommodate this.

3) Don't be afraid to buy a used rifle. Look for posts from the seller before they put the rifle up for sale. This can tell a story that could be very good or bad.

4) Do you need scope, bipod, etc? Budget for them too... ;-)

5) Post here asking for local shooters. There are also maps showing where fellow airgunners are. Find someone local and see if you can shoot with them. We LOVE finding other air gunners and sharing rifles and experiences! This may give you a taste of what you like or don't like.

6) If you can carve out a few hundred extra bucks, buy a .177 RWS 34. I truly believe that if you get trigger time (ok lots of trigger time) with a quality springer ALL of your shooting will benefit from it!

Good luck! Keep us posted!

I cannot speak to the PCPs as I am a dedicated springer (i.e. break-barrel, spring piston operated) guy. I do own a Benjamin Titan .22 and can say that "learning" the gun in terms of hold is a must. The Titan uses a gas strut/ram to provide the spring action and so is less sensitive and jumpy than a comparable steel spring set-up. As mentioned above, the Artillery Hold, wherein the hold is light and the gun is allowed to recoil without resistance, is the key to consistency and accuracy. I have easily obtained 1.5 inch groups at 50 yards with my Titan and 2.5 inch groups at 75 yards. As to the "Crosman Trigger" curse, there is a low-cost modification that can be made to the Titan trigger (as well as other Crosman/Benjamin break barrels) which results in a light, crisp trigger. I know this works because I have made the mod on two of my springers and the triggers are now blameless when it comes to accuracy. Fixing the heavy trigger on many springers is a key issue to check out.

Looking for a used gun is a good idea, especially one that has been broken in and is shooting consistently and already comes with a recommendation on what type/brand of pellet shoots well with a particular gun. Check the Classifieds section on this forum as there are tons of deals to be made. Be sure to go back several pages since the deal-making has been hot and heavy of late so there's lots to look at.

ironlion269 - my hat is off to anyone that truly shoots springers well. I never really mastered the break barrel before moving to PCP. I still have two, including the Titan and a Ruger Air Hawk, but can't shoot either very well.

I know it can be done, as people shoot springers well every day. Just wish I could do it!