Airgun owners vs firearm owners

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I have gone in a specific direction ;

for the first time in 2 decades I have no big bore Airguns and settle with just two .25s compared to the -/+ 15 I had rotating for years.

The PB I have shoot basically like Big bore airguns,......AR9s are about 400 FPE, Henry .357/.38 cal with .38 specials is about 300 FPE so yeah I don't have super powerful centerfires and they just work like if they where big bore airguns so all I need really is my two phenomenal .25s
 
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Nomadic Pirate 66 said:
I have gone in a specific direction ;

for the first time in 2 decades I have no big bore Airguns and settle with just two .25s compared to the -/+ 15 I had rotating for years.

The PB I have shoot basically like Big bore airguns,......AR9s are about 400 FPE, Henry .357/.38 cal with .38 specials is about 300 FPE so yeah I don't have super powerful centerfires and they just work like if they where big bore airguns so all I need really is my two phenomenal .25s
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Don’t forget the best part- no leaks
 
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Nomadic Pirate 66 said:
Yeah ;) I don't really target shoot with PB, or Airguns for that matter ( I get my target shooting fix with my bows and arrows ) so the cost of ammo isn't a factor for me 9mm and .38 special is cheap anyway.
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Yeah that works. Can’t shoot my bows much anymore my elbows are bad but it was fun. Just strictly air.
 
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It goes in spurts or seasons. So nice living in the west with plenty of areas to shoot.

A friend came to visit so I brought my 6.5 Saum out since he hadn't shot it yet, dialed 6.8 mils, held off .7 mil for wind, and cold bore'd the 1143Y steel. No way around it, that's just cool! Then dialed that .7 mil of windage for said friend and he hit it aiming at dead center. The wind had changed but yet another friend hit it on the 3rd shot.

Last year I hit a 20" steel at 1978 yards two or three times out of four try's with the same rifle.

Fly season splatting is here so will bring out the airguns next week.

Oft times I use combo's of both airguns and firearms, whatever I feel like that day, which includes the pistols.
 
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PasadenaMike said:
When im
At my airgun club shooting I can hear the powder burners shooting because it’s on the same property. Anyway , every time I hear a shot I think $3 $3 $8 $1$1$1 $15 ….not that airguns are cheap but the ammo is.
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Like the saying goes, buy once cry once. Once you have the whole package it's cheaper to shoot than even a.22 rimfire. For me it's even cheaper. I cast my own pellets and slugs from recycled lead from my bullet trap. I'm off grid so I don't have a electric bill so all it costs is my time and I'm retarded er retired.😁
 
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dovejj said:
Whats the split? Do most gun owners also own airguns or are people who own airguns just not interested in firearms?

*No judgement either way. I'm completely new to this community so I'm trying to get to know it better.
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I started shooting by myself with BB guns and later a Benjamin Pump pellet rifle. I used to go quail hunting with my dad and shot his 16 gauge side by side. That led to me becoming a PB rifle looney, owning beautiful walnut and steel rifles mostly shooting most cartridges from .22 short to .416 Rigby, and everything in between. I just started with pellet rifles again within the past two years, becoming a PCP rifle looney in the process.
 
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I have switched to air guns for three main reasons: firstly, there is no necessity to shoot over distances of 2-3 miles; secondly, the accuracy they offer; and thirdly, the cost-effectiveness, especially considering the number of companies that manufacture air gun pellets compared to bullet producers. I own 308 Texan and big 9, woodchucks, racoon and Coyote all at 70-180 yards.
 
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I'm 50/50 either way. Have a few PB and a few PCP rifles. I enjoy both equally. But.......CF Ammo prices are getting out of hand while I maintain a very well stocked assortment of pellets/slugs in .22, .25, and .457----Thousands of rounds for each. Seems like when I empty a Tin of 22/25 I order around 4 more to replace it....PB stuff, I'm lucky if I have 2-4 boxes of 12ga, 7mm Mag, .308, or 5.56.....lol
 
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dovejj said:
Whats the split? Do most gun owners also own airguns or are people who own airguns just not interested in firearms?

*No judgement either way. I'm completely new to this community so I'm trying to get to know it better.
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I own both and I shoot both any chance I get. I do shoot the bang sticks as often as I can, long range for rifles and my pistols for ccw and just plinking. I do a lot of hunting from Prarie dogs to elk. I also shoot archery.

I have renewed my interest in PCP's and shoot in my backyard any time my wife will let me, it is easy and very relaxing......most of the time when I am not trying to tune my Maverick. I really want to go get some raccoons and coyotes with it, hence the tuning part. I have recently purchased a slug barrel for my .30 cal Maverick, now that I'm starting to understand the tuning process, I'm am starting to enjoy it more.
 
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Rob_in_NC said:
Fortunate that I can shoot both here at my place without leaving the property. I probably do 70/30 airguns as far as shooting time. Mainly due to the cost/availability of ammo.

Basically for me... if it launches a projectile, it interests me. Firearms, ELR, blackpowder, pistols, tactical, traditional, springers, CO2 (though not as much), big bore airguns, PCP, slingshots, traditional archery, modern archery, historical archery, crossbows, throwing knives, and even a couple atlatls.
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Next try tomahawks , loads of fun , a "round " sawn from a log of a stump target with a playing card on it .
 
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I own both air guns and powder burners. With but one exception my powder burners are hunting rifles. And a collection of Marlin and other lever guns. Many are heirloom I inherited from my grandfather and father. Of course I have purchased many as well. How many do I have, well, I am not saying but only one of the many is an AR platform. I also have significant supplies and reloading capability. I use them regular enough.

For me, airguns are a niche, I needed the ability to dispatch pest quietly on my rural increasingly suburbun property. And due to increasing encroachment I decided shooting powder burners on my home range was no longer wise. So I have four Marauders and two Urbans and a pump and a scba bottle. I may invest in something like a .30 caliber M(?) at some point.

Airguns, even the quiet Marauder with an added DFL is not as quiet as a .22 powder burner shooting CCI Quiet or Subsonic or Suppressor when I have mounted my legally owned suppressor. The main reason being there is no hammer striking a valve, just the click of the firing pin on the rim. Much quieter. And a .22 PB can generate well over 150 fpe if needed, equal accuracy with good ammo. But, here is the failing for me in my current situation, pellets (not including slugs) just do not have the tendency to ricochet to the next county or skip along the ground and are ballistically inefficient compared to a .22 bullet (and possibly a slug). Thus an air rifle shooting pellets is somewhat self limiting, though caution and discretion is still required.

Then, my original air guns, two Crosmans, circa 1960 and 1962(?) Christmas:



And now, all are aluminum or hybrid tubes for weight reduction and balance:

 
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I shoot both. Airguns for fun and training. Firearm for hunting. My "hobby" isn't one or the other or both. It's a desire to be a better rifleman by improving my ability to shoot offhand. Any old rifle will do that.

We all learned the basics with a bb gun. Many (most) of us spent the next 50 years forgetting them. Air rifles are the perfect answer.

Most guys cant afford to "get good" with a rifle at today's prices. Not even rimfire. But almost anyone can keep up the shot count with an air rifle.

Guys who are into expensive air guns, specs, mods and tech stuff are a big voice in airgunning. It makes a great hobby and/or obsession in itself. And the expanding industry fueled by guys "into the sport" advance knowledge and new technology. It's big business and a booming hobby.

Most guys just want a cheap way to shoot. They can't afford enough rimfire ammo. At times it's been hard to find. Barrels burn out and need replacing. Noise levels and safety concerns limit spots to shoot. It's like water flowing downhill. You wind up at airgun.

My reason for airgunning is training. To rediscover the natural ability to hit a target that I had at the age of 10. And to expand on those skills using my age and experience. Not only was an air rifle the natural choice, it was also the ONLY choice given my financial limitations.

The more you train the better you get. So an air rifle compliments a firearm perfectly.

Anyone into airguns alone would benefit from a higher understanding of firearms. And anyone who shoots firearms would benefit from an air rifle. It's more about "shooting" in general rather than one or the other. At least it is for me.
 
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I own both and enjoy both. As a young man I got into reloading as a means to shoot more for less cost than factory ammo. I bought an R7 and R1 Beeman in the early 1990's and used them a little until the airgun bug bit me in the early 2000's. I've owned more models of break barrel springers of every make and model than I can remember. PCP's gradually dominated in my collection. I had a few years of backyard bliss with my springers and PCPs until a tree hugger neighbor moved next door to me and started complaining. Backyard friendly didn't matter to them over their love for the tree rats. They didn't know the difference between a PCP and an elephant gun but the city laws and restrictions were on their side.

It amuses me to read so many forum members stating that they shoot air rifles to save money. Unless someone sticks to entry level brand PCPs, Walmart pellets, and Yong Heng compressors, it isn't an inexpensive hobby. Long range shooting with slugs or big bore calibers is especially expensive when the cost of all the accessories and ammo cost is added up. I can shoot my rimfire match rifles with CCI standard velocity ammo for less than it costs to buy slugs and maintain high end PCPs, compressors, tanks, scopes, chronographs, and slugs. Customizing a PCP can significantly add to the total cost.

As an older man I also am starting to appreciate the lower maintenance requirements of powder burners as compared to the inevitable service requirements of PCPs. O-rings harden, regulators are a PITA to rebuild and function as when new, compressors are expensive to ship and repair, tanks expire, and big bore pellets and slugs prices are pricey on a unit cost basis.

I've gone full circle and currently find myself enjoying my rimfire rifles and handguns more than my air rifles. Everything has it's cycles. I understand and appreciate both sides of the airguns or firearms preference reasons.
 
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