I agree jps2486 - the higher price end of the market seems to be shifting towards slug shooting - requiring higher power levels and slug-specific barrels.
It’s a hobby for me - so the money I throw at it has to balance the enjoyment I get from it.
It’s a less expensive hobby than say owning a classic or high end car(s)… so I rationalize it as 40 years of a competitive tennis hobby resulted in a $100,000+ back fusion surgery. Of course I still get out to play some tennis - and its more fun now when its not focused on winning tournaments.
With pellet rifles and distances of 75 yards and in, you will find amazing accuracy without needing big power - it doesn’t take huge power to even shoot .30 caliber at 870fps… and you don’t need .30 caliber, lol.
Even for incredible accuracy at typical air rifle distances of 30-40 yards, I’ve obtained great results from modestly priced rifles - just check out the 30 and 40 Yard Challenge leaderboards to see the level of precision that can be achieved with pellet focused rifles.
To stay grounded, I remember a YouTube video of a young UK kid with his Weihrauch HW97 hunting rabbits out in the British countryside. At one point he puts a target about the size of a US quarter on a fencepost - and nails it 10 straight times at about 25 yards with his springer… after the 10th hit he asks viewers “how much more accurate do you need?”.
What I really need is to be 15 years old again - with an HW97, a tin of .177 and a nice weather day…
-Ed