As a dealer I want tell you the biggest hurdle people have with PCP's

[Vana2]

I love airguns and specifically PCPs. From my perspective, all hobbies cost money and I cost them off as "entertainment". It's no different than spending money at the theater or going out for a fancy dinner. To that end, I'll get what I want and whatever support equipment is required. Not a problem - as long as I stay in budget

Truthfully, I find that once you have the airguns and support equipment, shooting is inexpensive relative to other hobbies/sports like golf, skiing or fishing.

I wanted to point out that you don't need a tank and compressor for every PCP bought. One filling station can be shared/used for multiple guns, for the whole family or for a group of friends.

Compressors are getting cheaper all the time and a good one is not that high if the cost is shared amongst a few friends.

Cheers!

 

[jps2486]

I love my PCPs but.... Its almost embarrassing to tell someone how much I paid for them lol

Oh come now. I was in a sporting goods store today (Sheels) and a golf driver was $600 and has no moving parts. Add the cost of the rest of the clubs and it’s big bucks. A year later, you’ll find them in a flea market for $50. On top of that , you play twice a week for $75 a pop. Airgunning is really not that bad.

 

[coastal drifter]

Oh come now. I was in a sporting goods store today (Sheels) and a golf driver was $600 and has no moving parts. Add the cost of the rest of the clubs and it’s big bucks. A year later, you’ll find them in a flea market for $50. On top of that , you play twice a week for $75 a pop. It’s really not that bad.

no worries, I've been "almost embarred" buying them a dozen times or so

 

[Bigragu]

The type of people you describe that think their big tank craftsman compressor they own that powers up all their high dollar air tools and think it should fill a measly pellet gun remind me of a family member whose IQ is@ around a 35. He is the type that likes to use Tim Allen’s tool time rah rah when boasting about his big bad air tools. He talks about his welds like they are something spectacular- “nice bead” is about the most intelligent words(in his mind) coming out of his three toothed
mouth. Anything outside of a 45 or 90 degree fitting is beyond him. To try and explain how to calculate a 33.7* offset would cause buldged eyes and wide open mouth air breathing, and major deer in the headlights of a look.

And he spells the word “oil” as “ol”….. to those types that are hard headed and believe that their $3K craftsman compressor will fill that pellet gun no problem, I’d sell them a gun, a top tier one. They’ll be back the next day asking where to get fittings to adapt to their 3/8” airl line, tell them McMaster Carr is a place to start…. In a week they’ll be back, and you can have an invoice ready to go for a compressor they can buy.

Stubborn, hard headed stupid people need to learn, too, you know.

 

[Ricklin]

If you think PCP is costly, try trap, skeet, or sporting clays. While gearing up for PCP is costly, the shooting part is downright cheap. Both the initial and the ongoing cost of all of the above sports are very high. Yes you can shoot trap with a 150 buck Mossberg, you are still shooting 50 bucks a week in ammo.

 

[coastal drifter]

If you think PCP is costly, try trap, skeet, or sporting clays. While gearing up for PCP is costly, the shooting part is downright cheap. Both the initial and the ongoing cost of all of the above sports are very high. Yes you can shoot trap with a 150 buck Mossberg, you are still shooting 50 bucks a week in ammo.

absolutely

 

[delooper]

Most of the farmers I know would never consider a PCP. Too much maintenance.

A farmer in Canada wants something they can throw in an un-heated, uninsulated shed. They want to be able to pick it up in -30c and use it right away. PCPs with all their seals and delicate parts like air tanks, just don't match the abuse profile a gun goes through on a typical Canadian farm. They lose air pressure. o-rings need replacement, etc.

 

[Ricklin]

Farmers and ranchers. Salt of the earth folks who usually do not pursue much outside the mainstream. A .22 PB in the barn can be there for ten years between uses, yet just pick it up and use it. Power level can be moderated from mild to wild (for the caliber) by simply buying easily available (currently) .22 ammo. BB or CB caps for rats, more power for racoons and possums, just change ammo nothing to it. It comes down to the familiar versus the exotic. In remote locations where the county mounties take an hour to arrive there are likely more moderators than there are tax stamps. Also note it has never been easier to buy PB moderators, or fabricate one. SIlencers have become a much bigger part of the PB gun world in recent years. Esp. in .22 caliber.

 

[orangeokie]

Oh come now. I was in a sporting goods store today (Sheels) and a golf driver was $600 and has no moving parts. Add the cost of the rest of the clubs and it’s big bucks. A year later, you’ll find them in a flea market for $50. On top of that , you play twice a week for $75 a pop. Airgunning is really not that bad.

$600 and made in communist China to boot!

 

[EMrider]

So I am in farm and ranch country and try to market PCPs at a local level more than online. I've lost track of how many people have walked away from buying a PCP because they think their shop air compressor should be able to fill it. This is without a doubt the biggest problem I've had. They all describe how big their compressor is and I show them the proper compressor for the job. I explain its a PSI thing. Their shop compressor likely won't be able to exceed 175-200 psi and they just can't wrap their head around that.

I'm an airgun enthusiast, and these considerations put me off too. I own a few quality PCPs, but the need to refill after 20-40 shots means that they sit most of the time. Have you considered selling spring guns? For the vast majority of my target shooting and hunting needs, spring guns work best.
R

 

[Perle]

I'm an airgun enthusiast, and these considerations put me off too. I own a few quality PCPs, but the need to refill after 20-40 shots means that they sit most of the time. Have you considered selling spring guns? For the vast majority of my target shooting and hunting needs, spring guns work best.
R

Hard to do Springers.
Nothing can match the magic of the pcp

I have a CF Joe B tank and a Vevor pump with a big gold colored filter.
Having a pump is a game changer and makes it very self sufficient.

 

[Leo C]

The issue of inflation is not the primary concern; a cheap air pump can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. The biggest obstacle is not having a sufficiently large backyard or space to shoot. You might need to spend millions for that.

 

[Ricklin]

Most of us can squeeze a 10 meter range in to our suburban backyard. The beauty of air guns is high precision short range shooting. Many backyards are adequate. If it gets too easy? Get a pistol and try standing unsupported....it ain't the distance that matters.