Apologies in advance for a long post.
I “need” a Wildcat Mk2 or 3 for my wife – but there aren’t any. So, I figured I would get a pistol to scare the closer critters with until the supply chain kinks get worked out. Scare = I can’t hit the broad side of a barn with a firearm pistol so I’m not expecting anything to be different with pellets! And we are old, but I digress.
So I started reading the AGN pistol forum – and discovered this wasn’t going to be an easy decision. To start, my use case is plinking around the place (no neighbors close by) and taking shots at the ground squirrels that wander into range (say 30 yards or less in case I accidentally hit one).
I first looked at the Crosman 1701P and concluded this would be a good platform to learn how to shoot a pistol better on -- but it wouldn’t really fit the brief. Since I’m such a bad shot, single loading is probably also not enough. Maybe I can convince the wife she needs one of these to go with her Wildcat I’m convincing her to get! The 1720T would be nice too but again single loading and maybe not merciful for shooting at ground squirrels. Looking down this road, I also sort of concluded I should be looking at .22 versus .177 but somebody could talk me out of that I suppose.
I paused to consider the P-rod but I have a marauder and it is heavy so I just assume the pistol would be heavy too (remember that ‘old’ person part). And it is probably not as accurate as the Crosmans. How about a Steyr LP50? First, I’m still trying to make the case for the Wildcat. More importantly, however, this is way more pistol than I am needing (i.e. the ‘quality’ cart would be way out in front of the ‘capability’ horse).
So, from reading the forums and my use case, like many, I’m settling in around the Ataman AP16 or the Weihrauch HW44. I should just choose the HW44 and figure another $250 for a red dot scope (which scopes I know nothing about; it just seems this is half way between the cheap ones and the more expensive ones mentioned on the forum). One and done (assuming I can get pellets for it). And it’s German so I assume the manufacturer will be around and that parts/service are available and excellent.
But the AP16 seems like the kind of pistol you would pass down to the kids (assuming the Russian firm can stay in business). Plus, people just say it is more fun. So in addition to the red dot, I would probably also need a moderator (just so the next place over doesn’t think I’m slinging rimfire .22’s all over the place). More supply chains to rely on and this would no longer be a one-stop-shop venture but waiting on a moderator wouldn’t be a deal killer. Of course, I have no clue about service and parts availability. Reading about some of the folks who have had issues scares me a bit as what would one do if they are out of warranty?
At the end of the day, it’s a personal decision and most of the above is just 'thinking out loud'. I think I’ve covered most of the points raised on similar questions in the forum but I welcome any other considerations I may have missed and in particular, views on the serviceability aspects. Bottom line - the HW44 should be fine but the AP16 would be more fun, but only when it's working. Thanks in advance for any additional insights.
I “need” a Wildcat Mk2 or 3 for my wife – but there aren’t any. So, I figured I would get a pistol to scare the closer critters with until the supply chain kinks get worked out. Scare = I can’t hit the broad side of a barn with a firearm pistol so I’m not expecting anything to be different with pellets! And we are old, but I digress.
So I started reading the AGN pistol forum – and discovered this wasn’t going to be an easy decision. To start, my use case is plinking around the place (no neighbors close by) and taking shots at the ground squirrels that wander into range (say 30 yards or less in case I accidentally hit one).
I first looked at the Crosman 1701P and concluded this would be a good platform to learn how to shoot a pistol better on -- but it wouldn’t really fit the brief. Since I’m such a bad shot, single loading is probably also not enough. Maybe I can convince the wife she needs one of these to go with her Wildcat I’m convincing her to get! The 1720T would be nice too but again single loading and maybe not merciful for shooting at ground squirrels. Looking down this road, I also sort of concluded I should be looking at .22 versus .177 but somebody could talk me out of that I suppose.
I paused to consider the P-rod but I have a marauder and it is heavy so I just assume the pistol would be heavy too (remember that ‘old’ person part). And it is probably not as accurate as the Crosmans. How about a Steyr LP50? First, I’m still trying to make the case for the Wildcat. More importantly, however, this is way more pistol than I am needing (i.e. the ‘quality’ cart would be way out in front of the ‘capability’ horse).
So, from reading the forums and my use case, like many, I’m settling in around the Ataman AP16 or the Weihrauch HW44. I should just choose the HW44 and figure another $250 for a red dot scope (which scopes I know nothing about; it just seems this is half way between the cheap ones and the more expensive ones mentioned on the forum). One and done (assuming I can get pellets for it). And it’s German so I assume the manufacturer will be around and that parts/service are available and excellent.
But the AP16 seems like the kind of pistol you would pass down to the kids (assuming the Russian firm can stay in business). Plus, people just say it is more fun. So in addition to the red dot, I would probably also need a moderator (just so the next place over doesn’t think I’m slinging rimfire .22’s all over the place). More supply chains to rely on and this would no longer be a one-stop-shop venture but waiting on a moderator wouldn’t be a deal killer. Of course, I have no clue about service and parts availability. Reading about some of the folks who have had issues scares me a bit as what would one do if they are out of warranty?
At the end of the day, it’s a personal decision and most of the above is just 'thinking out loud'. I think I’ve covered most of the points raised on similar questions in the forum but I welcome any other considerations I may have missed and in particular, views on the serviceability aspects. Bottom line - the HW44 should be fine but the AP16 would be more fun, but only when it's working. Thanks in advance for any additional insights.
