Other Best .22 PCP for the cost, avoiding buyer's remorse...

[MongooseV8]

Best pcp value for the cost? That is one of those subjective questions that really depends on what your goals are. I agree with many above, the first pcp that comes to mind is the Taipan Veteran Gen 1. I have never shot one, but you wont find very many negative complaints. Tony at Talon Tunes still has 2 left in 22Cal for a price that is really close to the used market. I think this is your best bet at no regret. Most Vet owners have had zero issues in several years, which is kinda rare in the pcp world.

Taipan Veteran Version 1 Airgun Standard and Compact - Taipan Airguns

PACKAGE CONTENTS Taipan Veteran Magazines - 2pcs Quick-Fill adapter Spare seals Single-shot tray

talontunes.com

Of course there are lots of others out there too. As much as I have been critical of the Impact and its issues I love both of mine (M3/MK2). And you can get a closeout M3 for a good price right now at Utah. I like budget pcps of good value too, like my BSA/Gamo Coyotes even though they dont have the higher fpe. The FX Wildcat Tube version is another pcp I really loved and regret trading to a friend of mine. You can also buy/trade for a barrel kit to convert your Maverick to 22Cal. There are almost too many options to list, and I dont have direct experience with many of the other great choices. Daystate, AirArms, Skout, etc.

 

[wimpanzee]

I have a taipan mutant .22 and a daystate huntsman revere. Both stack pellets at 50 yards, but the daystate has been the best grab-it-and-shoot gun I have ever had. Its more ergonomic and pleasant and easier to shoot than the mutant. The mutant is a tiny bit more accurate, gets more shots and has adjustable power.

these are my two favorite .22 guns. I would recommend the revere to anyone wanting a grab-and-shoot gun!

 

[JimD]

If you like bullpups I don't think you can beat the bang for the buck of a P35 or Stoeger Bullshark. They are almost the same gun. They are light (P35 - 5 lbs, Bullshark 6 lbs) and short (under 30 inches) and my P35-22 is very accurate. It's given me my only 200 (so far) on the 30 yard challenge. My P35-177 and P35-25 are not quite as accurate (197 and 194 scores respectfully). My P35-22 likes H&N Baracuda Match pellets (21 grains) and gives me a little over 30 fpe with them. There is also a P35X now with a longer barrel, wood stock and much bigger plenum. The machining is noticably worse than my Air Maks Caiman but I enjoy shooting the P35s if anything more. They are just neat guns, especially for less than $500.

The Daystate Huntsman is on my list for future potential purpose and also the AGT Vixen. I am 6'2" with long arms, extra large hands and a big head and I shoot from my left shoulder. So a lot of guns need help to fit me. I would go for the Safari model of the Huntsman to at least be able to raise the comb. Probably need a spacer for the length of pull but the grip is still likely to be an issue since I like the trigger to be on the last joint of my trigger finger. The Vixen grips can be changed so it is more likely to fit me better if I can move the buttpad back with a spacer between it and the 250cc bottle. Both these guns should be quite accurate and powerful enough for what I need. I'm thinking of a 177 (I only have one). But a 22 in either of these would have more power, either should be close to or over 30 fpe. An Air Maks Katran is another one to consider. All these are conventional, not bullpups. All should be well under $2000. I'm also confident the cocking would be less "sloppy" than my beloved P35s but I still struggle a little with the price difference. Still, these guns are around half what some airguns go for.

 

[OldSoldier118]

What are you using it for? Paper, critters? Concerned more with accuracy or fpe or a balance? And what EPG said

Balance is the short answer, but I'd like something with the power to take care of woodchucks and the like, maybe even a ratcoon.

 

[OldSoldier118]

What primary type of shooting (hunting, target, plinking, pesting) do you plan to do with the .22?

Will you be shooting .22 pellets, slugs or both?

A little of everything as I said in the reply to ZekeZX10, I think I want something that I can enjoy shooting but that I could use to hunt or deal with critters if I want to. These were conidiations when I purchased the Dreamline tactical, which is a really nice gun to walk through the woods with but even a 20 grain slug is too slow out of it (I shoot 21s out of my .177).

 

[OldSoldier118]

Personally I think the older Eastern block bullpups are still hard to beat for the value. Taipan Veterans, Kalibrgun Crickets, and Vulcan/Uragans. Can find them used in the $1000 range. If looking for a good 30fpe .22 pellet shooter they are just plain hard to beat and very reliable guns. Or the Daystate Huntsman line are also great for the cost.

I miss the days of lots of great choices in the $1000-$1300 range then if you really wanted to step up the most were topped at $2000. Now the decent range is $1600-$1900 with others topping well over $3000.

I get what you're saying about the price, part of why I've posed this question is my struggle to value the guns. The best simple example I can give is comparing an FX DRS (600mm is $999.99) to a FX King (600mm is $2399.99).

I think I have a Taipan bullpup that I took in on a trade, it's a much older gun and only does about 760fps on its best day, also single shot.

I'm intrigued by the suggestion of the Daystate Huntsmen, the Revere (showing $1400 right now), I've never really considered a Daystate because every time I've looked at them, they are always super expensive.... (>$3000).

Thank you, you've put forward some ideas that I've not considered.

 

[ZekeZX10]

I love my AGT Vulcan 3 in 30 cal. It will shoot MOA or better at 100 yards, plenty of power. Only thing is that you can't adjust regulator or even hammer spring externally. I would get the Uragan in 22 cal but that has the same limitation and for about the same money the AirMaks Arms looks really impressive and sub moa potential and more than enough power and external adjustments. https://utahairguns.com/product/airmaks-arms-krait-x-airguns/ here's a review

and you can get them choke or unchoked (for slugs)
Cheaper than the FX m4 or what I originally thought I was going to buy which was the BRK Ghost ($2,300) Just an idea but looks very good.

 

[OldSoldier118]

Perception of best value for money will be different for just about everyone.

Primarily I pest, then hunt snd I mostly do so with .177 and .22. So for me a high shot count is a must. In my experience guns that meet that criteria will the kalibrgun cricket, fx impacts, daystate delta and alpha, taipan (.177), uragan 1 and 2, vulcan 3. All of these offer over 100 shots from factory. And in my experience all of these are more than capable of shooting under half in groups at 50yds.

You may not need all those shots. You may be just fine with getting 30-50 shots off a fill, and for that shot count you can get a lot of guns that still provide the accuracy that these guns do for a much smaller price.

I haven't shot any Taipan .22 but if they shoot as good as the .177 and the .25 then you've got a winner. The mechanical Daystates shoot like a dream, and you can find them from $700-$1100 and those would be perfect if you are looking for a traditional rifle. Dreamlines are decent and lightweight, easy to tune and work on if need be but underwhelming in my opinion.

You get a Gk1, add a stock and a scope that's one hell of a pistol carbine set up that will allow you to do just about whatever you want and at whatever power you want. Pesting, target shooting, hunting. It can do it all and accurately. I love impacts the most and you can get decent deals for them out there. With my current m3 set up in .177 i can repeatedly shoot golf balls at 125yds and, my old m2 in .22 I would take iguanas out to 200yds no problem shooting slugs obviously but with pellets 100yds and in also wasn't a problem.

I can genuinely feel what you're saying... When I bought my Skout, I literally had an Impact M3 in my cart and just felt like, do I really want to only have FX guns, kind of thinking. I don't regret the Skout but I find the electronics less appealing than a gun that I don't have to worry about having my battery charged (it's not just the battery but the complexity of it). Mine has been back to them for repairs once, I still like the gun but I often think that I wish I had bought the Impact (which is also complex in a different way). I've had some problems with my Maverick early on (it leaked bad when I first got it), it's fixed and is a really nice gun.

When I'm thinking about what to buy, I often pick something out then start thinking about it or maybe over thinking about it; can't I get something that is mostly as good for less.

At the risk of upsetting others, that's the case with my Hatson Factor RC, spent $1000 instead of $2000, it's a good gun but I've had issues with it, I get it all tuned and shooting good; put it away and another day its all over the place, then I have to struggle with it.. I will say it's very sassy gun, I can push 21gr slugs supersonic with it. Compared to my Maverick which is always, always reliably acute.

 

[coastal drifter]

Lots of good guns. I have owned a few different "high end" brands, personally I like FX platforms. My next gun will be an FX wildcat MK3 compact.

 

[uladz]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned old good Benjamin Marauder in 22 cal yet. Yes, it's old school, but I just recently got one in my hands, and I'm surprised how well it shoots and how easy it is to tune. I wish I have started my PCP adventure with this rifle. For the money, it was probably one of the best purchases so far, and I have no remorse .

 

[OldSoldier118]

You make no mention of tuning what you already have.

You should be able to make that Dreamer fit your need with some tuning.

If you are not comfortable tuning, I would look for less adjustable guns.

My AA 500 is perfect. Just shoot, no adjustments, it does its job perfectly every time.

I have tried to tune the Dreamline, At a certain point it just doesn't push the ammo any faster, (Pyramyd Air states its max at 850FPS) and I'm doing 880+ with 15.89s JSB Hades. The issue (for me) is I hear, read and see other people doing things like >40gr at over 1000fps (extreme example, see Matt Dubber

) and it makes me want to try things like that. I made mention of buying the longer barrel, which I did for this reason. I've also tested more than 20 different sizes and types of ammo in it, NSA, ZAN, FX, JSB, and more

 

[OldSoldier118]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has taken time to reply to my initial post. I may not have replied directly to you but I have read every post up to this point and I'm taking in all of your thoughts and opinions. Sincerely thank you all.

On an aside, I'm surprised that no one endorsed the FX King, which is what I was (past tense) leaning toward. Right now if I had to make a purchase it would likely be the Taipan Veteran or the FX Impact. Not going to rush into this...

One last thing, for me, I don't like doing the caliber change because I often shoot my guns back-to-back and changing the caliber requires the mechanical swap and retuning, so for me, just doesn't suit. I'd almost rather have another of the same gun setup the way I want. I know if goes without stating it but in the short term I can't afford it.

again thank you to everyone for your replies and opinions!

 

[JimD]

You may have to decide if you want a nice ~30 fpe 22 or a 22 that will shoot fairly heavy slugs usefully fast. I don't think the latter is a 30 fpe gun. More like a 40-50 fpe 22. I do not know of an inexpensive one. My Caiman could get there but it has a fairly heavily choked barrel so I don't know what it would do with slugs. I'm happy with 18 grain pellets going a little over 900 fps which it does with a 100 bar regulator setting and the hammer spring turned down a bunch. An Airmaks Krait or Katran with a 500+ mm barrel should be similarly powerful. My guess is that these guns could get some fairly heavy slugs up over 900 fps.

 

[Sawney Bean]

FWIW-I have an AA s410 in 22 cal. It has no regulator or safety. It is a laser with JSB’s in 16 and 18 gr pellets. I’d get another one in a heartbeat, but I’d look at used as that might be my best bang for the buck option.

I did some shooting with my S410 last Sunday and I'd forgotten just how good that gun shot. The trigger is simply perfect, the ergonomics are great and it consistently shoots groups that are 1 MOA or close to it at 50 yards. I put an aftermarket regulator in mine. It gives you a few more shots per fill and better consistency, but the thing I miss about the unregulated gun was being able to fill it up to 200 bar and getting those first 10 or so shots that were super quiet.

 

[Vetmx]

I can genuinely feel what you're saying... When I bought my Skout, I literally had an Impact M3 in my cart and just felt like, do I really want to only have FX guns, kind of thinking. I don't regret the Skout but I find the electronics less appealing than a gun that I don't have to worry about having my battery charged (it's not just the battery but the complexity of it). Mine has been back to them for repairs once, I still like the gun but I often think that I wish I had bought the Impact (which is also complex in a different way). I've had some problems with my Maverick early on (it leaked bad when I first got it), it's fixed and is a really nice gun.

When I'm thinking about what to buy, I often pick something out then start thinking about it or maybe over thinking about it; can't I get something that is mostly as good for less.

At the risk of upsetting others, that's the case with my Hatson Factor RC, spent $1000 instead of $2000, it's a good gun but I've had issues with it, I get it all tuned and shooting good; put it away and another day its all over the place, then I have to struggle with it.. I will say it's very sassy gun, I can push 21gr slugs supersonic with it. Compared to my Maverick which is always, always reliably acute.

Just jump on that Taipan long that’s in the classifieds. If you can’t resist trying to shoot slugs out of pellet guns or like to push a gun beyond its wheelhouse, you’ll need a long in a .22 Taipan. If you’re going to stay in the guns lane, a Taipan standard will push stuff under 20gr way faster than it needs to go. Your experience with the Hatsan Factor mimics many Impact owners. But just try to find a topic about a guy complaining about those sort of issues with his Uragan, Cricket, Vulcan or Taipan. It’s real easy to find Dreamline, Maverick, Impact, etc issue topics. Some could argue because more FX‘s are sold. I say nah, I’ve owned most and I know what I’ve never had any issues with.

 

[Airgun Al]

A little of everything as I said in the reply to ZekeZX10, I think I want something that I can enjoy shooting but that I could use to hunt or deal with critters if I want to. These were conidiations when I purchased the Dreamline tactical, which is a really nice gun to walk through the woods with but even a 20 grain slug is too slow out of it (I shoot 21s out of my .177).

I really enjoy a rifle that allows me to quickly change calibers and lengths of barrels.
Its like buying 4 or 5 guns, for the price of 1.5
Much less maintence too.

Id suggest a FX Crown if you desire a traditional rifle, or a FX Impact if you like the shorter rifles.
Then get 2, 3, or 4 different and additional caliber/length barrels, and be done!

 

[jps2486]

I've fallen in and out of love with most of the guns mentioned here. For a good all around gun that has the capability ofa wide range of power for a moderate price, my favorite now is an FX WIldcat MK3 VP. It's compact but has a barrel long enough to push power if you want it. Later, you can upgrade to a larger CF barrel or any caliber if you wish. It's easy to tune unlike the Impacts. I've had a couple of Dreamlines. They are nice accurate rifles but unexiting. I've had Crickets which are fine guns; durable and accurate, but the wonky magazines turn me off. GRS stocks? Bah! They are eye candy. Heavy and weird to hold with the strange grip design. FX Crowns with the 380 mm barrel is great too. AOA has a great deals on BSA R-10 and Daystate Reveres in the unregulated model. Don't let the fact that the unregulated Revere won't shoot consistently. It does and gets a lot of shots per fill. Keep your eyes on the classifieds. I've seen some bargains of late.

 

[JaceSpace1369]

You may have to decide if you want a nice ~30 fpe 22 or a 22 that will shoot fairly heavy slugs usefully fast. I don't think the latter is a 30 fpe gun. More like a 40-50 fpe 22. I do not know of an inexpensive one. My Caiman could get there but it has a fairly heavily choked barrel so I don't know what it would do with slugs. I'm happy with 18 grain pellets going a little over 900 fps which it does with a 100 bar regulator setting and the hammer spring turned down a bunch. An Airmaks Krait or Katran with a 500+ mm barrel should be similarly powerful. My guess is that these guns could get some fairly heavy slugs up over 900 fps.

Umarex Gauntlet can do it for cheap.

 

[Solo1]

If you want power and ease of tuning get a ghost. I have 2 great guns and great build quality

 

[nomojo65]

I love my AGT Vulcan 3 in 30 cal. It will shoot MOA or better at 100 yards, plenty of power. Only thing is that you can't adjust regulator or even hammer spring externally. I would get the Uragan in 22 cal but that has the same limitation and for about the same money the AirMaks Arms looks really impressive and sub moa potential and more than enough power and external adjustments. https://utahairguns.com/product/airmaks-arms-krait-x-airguns/ here's a review

and you can get them choke or unchoked (for slugs)
Cheaper than the FX m4 or what I originally thought I was going to buy which was the BRK Ghost ($2,300) Just an idea but looks very good.

AirMaks Krait is a great gun, although after a week mine went back to Utah Airguns because the raceway for the cocking hammer reset was very chewed up and chatter marks as well? Hopefully they replace the whole gun? Anyway very anxious to get it back ( new one! ) another point I will say I don’t know how it got past tech. Or pre-shipping check?