Wish they sold an "Off the deep end" starter package

I feel your pain. Just get some counseling it might be cheaper but not as much fun. Between AOA and MidwayUSA and your credit card you can solve your problem.

Don't forget if you are going for a PCP you'll also need an air source...

Much of the fun is learning and acquiring as you go. I started this hobby over twenty years ago and remain more hooked now than ever. With two spring rifles (plus one on the way) and four pcps (and having sold another half dozen along the way), figuring out what you want and working to acquire it is the fun part. As for pellets/slugs, you can never have enough (I probably have 50,000 plus) and trying different ones in new rifles is the fun part.

Finally, I would suggest that you consider making your own targets given your range conditions. Spinner blades, paper targets, etc. can easily be purchased but you can build better mounting posts and backstops easier and cheaper than one can buy, specifically tailored to your situation.

The best part about this terrific forum is how so many are incredibly willing to share their ideas and experiences to the benefit of all, especially new shooters. Most of us have had the successes and failures along the way to make your experience easier and less painful, if you just pay attention.

Good luck and let us know how we can help......

BTW - where are you located?

Are you ever going to compete, home plinking, hunting, if so what? Do you know if you’ll be satisfied with a certain distance & energy carried to said distances? Are you limited by anything such as noise, neighbors, wife or family?

I live where you can shoot anything if you have a natural or man made berm in your yard. I’ve got a clear 100 yard range & could go to 400 when fields are plowed or snow falls. JSB pellets 18.13, Kodiak 21.14, JSB .22 25.39 to .25 33.95’s all easily reach to 200 yards but 10-12’ of drop. Going for anything including targets, slugs take over and they’re used for any pest bigger than a bird past 100 yards.

So I have a big compressor, AlkinW31E that tops my tank from 2K to 4500 in less than 4-5 minutes. I still shoot tuned spring guns. In owning a lot of both I’d say find whatever it is you want and buy the best you can afford but decide on mass shooting within 100-200 yards or past that. Decide on choked barrel that can & will shoot some slugs & pellets or no choke more dedicated to slugs. 

You could buy a great older Rapid for pellets & a new JSAR Raptor for slugs. I’m going for a .257 slug gun with a barrel The Raptor won’t work with but they’re very good fairly priced rifles. I just want quite a longer/ bull barrel more power and there’s is a tensioned system. 

my advice is slow down

research saves you money

try to do I right the first time

but you will have failures and a big box or drawer full of them

great used guns will save you a lot of money

and do buy the tools to do the repairs or other jobs right

there is always going to be a new gun and you can't buy them all but when you get up to 70 or 80 it feels as you have

Ha, all it takes is money, I hope you have lots of it!

Rifle - Daystate or American Air Arms. 

Scope - Nightforce ATACR 7-35x56 with mil XT reticle. For far less money but still an awesome scope buy a Athlon Midas TAC 6-25x50.

Rings - American Rifle Co for the AAA with picatinny rail or Sportsmatch for the Daystate.

Pellets - JSB are usually airgunners go-to brand. Gunzilla for lube, that stuff is great for keeping barrels from leading up.

Pelican hard case, they are heavy but nearly indestructible. Or a drag bag which is also useful for laying down prone or hiking because many of them have shoulder straps like on a backpack.

Steelplinkers.com for steel targets.

Bipods - Atlas or Accutac.

Triad Tactical rear bag.

For benchrest SEB front rest and Edgewood bags.

The Wheeler scope level system works okay but I just use the edge of a building because it's plumb and because I don't trust cheap levels.

A friends Labradar works good for AG's with the microphone.

I won't even ask how many guns I need...I already know that has no answer

Click to expand...

Sure there is an answer to that one. ALL OF THEM! lol

Off the deep end? Want to dive right in? Know you’ll be staying a while and are aware of the costs? Then...



PCP of your choice (after proper research), scope, rings, bipod, LDC

SCBA tank or the like.

A quality compressor so you can be HPA independent.

Lots of pellets.

After that just keep adding PCPs to the stable as you see fit. Good luck and happy spending and shooting.

I know what you mean. I dove in head first after many days of research on this site. Great information available. One month in and a few thousand dollars later I am so far very happy. I'm sure I could have done it for much less but I went the high end recommendation route. It hurts up front but it should last for a long while.

I am enjoying things more than I had imagined. It started as a pesting need but quickly became an obsession. I can now shoot every day from my kitchen table. No way I could do that with a powder burner. Also no worries of not being able to get ammo.

I would have loved an "off the deep end" package. It would have made things even easier. Now I just need counseling for my new obsession.

Thanks, 

Jeremy

Kohersh- with two guns at your disposal, and more on the way, do plan on stocking up on chemical consumables like the silicone oils and greases, moly grease, moly powders, applicators, q tips, etc.

Find and download all the parts diagrams, schematics, etc., for your guns and learn how to buy O rings from the popular O ring vendors, and keep a supply for each gun. 

Aside from all the tools ever listed by folks over the years that are must have’s for PCP work, do plan on making a few custom tools as you go, for specific guns and specific duties.

As you obviously wish to get better and move into the “next phase,” you will benefit more than you can imagine by developing relationships with “next level” vendors and tuning professionals.

I use Ken Hicks for my very high end air gun purchases. The rifles arrive custom tuned and perform at a level one just cannot achieve from a straight factory boxed rifle purchase.

i have also benefited greatly (both pcp and springers) by buying high quality used rifles on this site and using the money I saved to send the rifles out to Scott Schneider at Motorhead Airgun Tuning Services. The difference in performance upon return is always remarkably improved.

One of the reasons I have accumulated so many rifles is that by using the above resources, the rifles I have can actually become boring to shoot due to their extreme level of accuracy - but what a nice problem to have.

From the list you have provided, even with the big tank, my next priority would be a high quality air compressor, at least an Omega Turbo Charger or Daystate as examples. This purchase will truly “set you free” to enjoy your new hobby to the max. My charging station consists of two 75 cubic feet Air Venturi tanks and the Omega Charger. I top the two tanks off about every two or three weeks with an hour to two hours of minimal effort. On the couple of occasions where the compressor was down for service, I had plenty of air in reserve to span the repair cycle time.

You did say you live in divers heaven. 5 minutes away, $20 a fill. It all depends on the actual time to get that fill and how many times a month/year. My cost to fill my 60 SCBA was $11, but the “hidden costs” driving to and from, the hours it took, gas, etc. My compressor is half paid for just on the amount of fillsI done to date. And that was in a years’ time. I now fill a 45 and 60 minute SCBAs and love being my own HPA source.

I think those last two messages have a lot of advice in them. As for the O-rings and supply chain that is a great call I think. I enjoy tinkering with my stuff a LOT, but competing time interests are a challenge, which is why when I am charging hard on something I loathe hitting a brick wall due to lack of preparedness- hence this list. HOWEVER with a resource like Ken Hicks is an inexpensive1 day UPS ground shipment away from me that could actually save me some $ in the longrun, thereby allowing for more guns? thoughts?

Regarding the compressor let me run this by you guys, I live in divers heaven and have a fill-only shop not 5 minutes from me. He gets $20 to fill the carbon bottle, but I can buy a lot of fills before having purchased my own compressor and its all their maintenance too. Does that resonate with you guys? The compressor was actually the 1 thing I was not going to buy.

Click to expand...

$20 a fill is a tad on the high side good for a a back up option. It's not like you're going to use your tank down to 0 psi, more often than not you're going to top it off at 2800-3000psi.

Thus $20 for 1500 psi, with so many dive shops available, there has to be one offering fills in the $10 range.

I'm in California and there are plenty of places in the $8-$10 range.

Also ask about buying multiple fill tickets, this brings the price down even more.