N/A Alternatives to BRK Ghost? What am I missing out on?

I bought a BRK Sniper XR in .22 about a year ago locally here from Airguns of AZ (lucky to have them so close.) It’s been great, zero issues. I’ve recently put a AGM Rattler thermal scope on it and been shooting rats. Next level fun.

At the time I bought it I knew very little about PCPs and didn’t really know what I wanted. Now I do.

I want a Ghost because that’s all I know. But it has all the “wants” I’d like to have. Can you give me advice on other guns I should be looking at? AOA, while fantastic, doesn’t carry many of the brands I see listed here and often praised.

Here’s my “wants” in order of importance.

1) Size. Must be a bullpup or smaller. Had I known how important a very compact package would be in my current endeavors I’d have bought a bullpup. This is my #1 requirement and my #1 regret with the XR. With the XR and moderator it’s very long. AOA guys talked me into the Sniper XR (and it was good advice at the time) but I wish I’d have know about the ghost at the time. They did well because I went to buy an Akela. If the XR were in a compact bullpup config I wouldn’t be posting.

2). Weight. With the thermal and sometimes a bipod the XR gets a bit heavy. Lighter the better, but I’ll make concessions here for other qualities. Needs to be able to be easily fired while standing, shoulder fired.

3) Power adjustments are important (possibly including barrel changes for length/fps). I would like to be able to change velocities being that Im shooting in my backyard. Sometimes the XR punches through a few more “things” than I wish it did. At the same time I want to shoot ring neck doves at the dairies, so I need the higher power as well.

4) Shot capacity. Not so critical, but 10 round magazines like the XR would be fine, doesn’t need to be semi. No single shot.

5) Shots per fill. More is better, but I have a tank from AOA and they’re only 7 miles away. Do prefer the look of the CF vs aluminum “on gun” tanks (not sure what they’re called?).

6) Available mods. So I have a lathe and milling machine and own dozens of firearms. I don’t think any of them are “stock.” So I was a bit disappointed to see how little the BRKs can be modified. It’s kind of what I do, I tinker, modify and play with my toys usually until they’re perfected or broken....both expensive directions.


Forgot to add that it needs to be quiet, very quiet. I have a moderator on my BRK and it’s insanely quiet, but without it, the neighbors may call. (I can legally shoot in my backyard according to city regs, I’ve checked.)

I’d appreciate any advice on pcps I may not know about that would fit this bill. I also really liked the RTI Prophet I looked at FWIW. What in the FX lineup would be comparable? AGT? Taipan?

Caliber would be .22. If I’ve forgotten something LMK.
Thanks!
 
In my opinion, the BRK ghost is really good choice, a little bit heavy if you need to carry it around, but well-balanced, my taipan veteran 2 is a nice bull pup but little on the heavier side and it has a little bit of a bark in 25 caliber, I never tried the RTI prophet but that looks like an interesting air rifle, what about the BRK Pathfinder in 22 caliber that’s compact and light and seems to be a really good air rifle with all the videos that I saw on it, great reviews, there are so many options out there, that is good because there’s a lot to choose from 👍🏼😊
 
It's going to be hard to beat a ghost. Especially how easy it is to change barrels on the fly not have to mess with allen wrenches to play with a hammer spring..... JSB RD 25.3 50yards.....still testing pellets...
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As you...may have seen in your search, did you look into Utah Airguns also ?

The FX Wildcat / Maverick (almost the same gun) is hard to beat, at any price. Moderate length.
The AirMaks Krait is a great little gun (you wanted SHORT !) I have a "compact" version. Great little gun.

And yeah, I have the Ghost, Uragan, Caiman (out of stock), other FX guns, along with...other...guns.

Mike
 
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Keep your Sniper XR for those longer shots at the dairy… Maybe consider a Pathfinder XR, which I own. Or, my favorites, the Atomic or Ranger XRs. 4.65 pounds before you add your goodies, so very easy to keep under 8 pounds. Both of mine easily take rats and small pests out to 50+ yards. I went from a Sniper HR to the Atomic XR with zero regrets…

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All great replies, thanks! I think I’ve either heard of or actually researched all of the guns mentioned, so that’s good. I don’t seem to be missing out on too much.

And just to make sure I understand, the shorter the barrel, the less potential power (fps) I’m going to get, right? (All things being equal.)

I’ll problem end up keeping my Sniper XR, don’t even know how I’d sell it, though it is still like new with the box and all. Those magazines were like $125 each, and coming from the firearms world, I figured I needed 5 at a minimum (got three so far.)

I’m headed to AOA tomorrow, I spoke with Logan and they’ve got a few things I may check out.
 
All great replies, thanks! I think I’ve either heard of or actually researched all of the guns mentioned, so that’s good. I don’t seem to be missing out on too much.

And just to make sure I understand, the shorter the barrel, the less potential power (fps) I’m going to get, right? (All things being equal.)

I’ll problem end up keeping my Sniper XR, don’t even know how I’d sell it, though it is still like new with the box and all. Those magazines were like $125 each, and coming from the firearms world, I figured I needed 5 at a minimum (got three so far.)

I’m headed to AOA tomorrow, I spoke with Logan and they’ve got a few things I may check out.
If your Sniper XR has your longer range pesting opportunities under control... Don’t discount the smaller platforms. @igolfat8 and his partner have hundreds upon hundreds of documented kills with smaller guns. Search out his posts…

 
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I am very happy with my FX Maverick VP, and it checks all of the boxes you mentioned.
  • Bullpup format.
  • on the fly adjustable (and repeatable) hammer spring.
  • Short length
  • Good shot count
  • Great air reservoir options.
And some you didn't list , such as:
  • Three OEM barrel length options (500, 600 and 700mm) but comes with the 600mm as a good mix of shorter length and good power.
  • Variable twist rate barrel liners, with slug specific options.
  • Dual externally adjustable regulators.
  • Cheaper cost of entry, as the VP comes with a 400cc aluminum tank instead of the lighter, Carbon Fiber one.
  • Fantastic fully adjustable two stage trigger.
The really nice thing is, as the gun comes configured from the dealer, it will shoot pellet on pellet at 860 fps, for as long as you have pellets, and you'll never have to touch the regulators. You'll only need adjust regulators if you want a higher power tune.

The FX Maverick VP cost $1450, and if you want the lightest, shortest configuration, (300cc Carbon Fiber air tank and 500mm barrel) that will run around $1800.
 
The Maverick does sound like an option that ticks all th boxes. I sure we I could see one of these in person before buying.

AOA has a Vulcan 3 that I’m going to check out this morning. It may be what will work for me. Maybe not check all of the boxes, but between the Sniper XR and the Vulcan (500mm) it may work. Price is right too.

I’ve been somewhat hesitant on the FXs as they seem to need to be “tuned” quite a bit (or maybe not?). That’s what was nice about the Sniper XR. AOA sets it up and guarantees it to work, as a newbie that’s nice not to have to worry about the gun just working.

I don’t have a chrono, which sounds like a necessity for tuning….
 
Alright - so I did pick up the Vulcan 3. It was LNIB (I don’t think it’d been shot) with all of the original accessories including original box. It seems to be mostly what I want, but man is it loud. This is the 500mm .22.

I think it may be because my ear is so close to the action. My Sniper XR is virtually silent in comparison. Not sure if it’s me, the gun, or what….? I need to have my son shoot them side by side so I can see if it’s more an issue of how close my ear is to to the hammer/action. That would make it more of a non-issue. I don’t want to scare off pests.

Also, the Sniper XR needs the moderator to be quiet, and I was hoping the Vulcan didn’t need one. If it does, that kind of kills the “compact” I was looking for.

AOA has 30 “no questions asked” return, which I always hate to use, but they’d get all my money back, so I wouldn’t feel too bad, lol. I wish they had a “rental” so I could try guns out before buying (like you can with firearms.)

They had both the RTI Prophet compact, Ghost and Sidewinder (preorder but had one on display)…..but maybe, like some have hinted at, I need to go much smaller altogether, like pistol size. I don’t think I want to spend $2500 for those, but it seems I’ve got limited options.

I think I can sacrifice modularity (barrel swaps) and definitely can sacrifice tuneability (some is good). But I can see this as a “set it and forget it” setup.

Here’s a question- with the pistol length (shorter barrels) what am I giving up? Just velocity? Accuracy to some extent I’m guessing? Ability to be accurate with a lighter gun? I always thought the shorter barrels were much less capable due to less fps (power)

Thanks again for the education and suggestions. I’m not asking to be spoonfed info, so if there’s resources I can research myself just point me in that direction.