Best All-Around PCP .22 Rifle for $300+/-

[John "spysir" Blount]

"do you think the BSA to be a better rifle for the price? "

Yes! All the way around, better. Now barrel length (w/in reason) does not effect accuracy. A 10" barrel can group just as well as a 20", the quality of the barrel does matter and BSA has a decades long reputation for great barrels. You will also have much better support if needed but likely not need it.

Your local ace hardware or such would have o-rings and many sell complete kit's for your rig these day's. No issue.

John

 

[Trucker3573]

I contacted him after replying to you, and he told me that this rifle does not come with any spare o-rings/parts. I assume that the o-rings would be metric? It is harder to find metric o-rings in my area as opposed to SAE.

Also, I am debating whether to phone DAR tomorrow and ask about sending a replacement rather than a refund. Since the DAR and the BSA Buccaneer would be essentially the same price, do you think the BSA to be a better rifle for the price? I noticed that the muzzle velocity is less than the DAR; however, I always understood previously that a longer barrel (like the BSA has) equals better accuracy. I will be shooting Crosman Premier hollow point 14.3 grain since I have a little more than 1,500 of them left.

Thanks

My urban pushes crossman 14.3 almost 900 with hammer spring maxed. The BSA should be well over 900. It also should shoot them extremely well as my urban is half inch 50 yard groups with any of crossman 14 grain variants. I also believe there are o ring kits on Ebay for the BSA

 

[cmhughes]

Regarding BSA Buccaneer support, I saw a video review done in early 2021 (Midwest Airgunner) when researching to find out more about BSA that really slams BSA/Gamo for its lack of support as well as quality control and build issues. Maybe this was someone who got a lemon that was venting? It seems that DAR has a problem with lack of support as well since it is a small company, but at least DAR supplies some replacement parts with the rifle. Maybe I got a lemon from DAR and am slamming them too soon as well.

 

[Trucker3573]

I think that guy was a DA if it's the same review I'm thinking of. In it he claims there is no way to get it apart to work on it. Lol which isn't true at all. 

Also don't be dissuaded from an avenger because of the fill pressure. It's a bit of a pain to pump from empty but once you do it isn't bad to top off. You don't have to fill to 4k either. Shooting 14 gr you probably won't need the reg set any higher than 15 to 17 hundred. You can pump to 3-3500 and still get a good number of shots. Mine in 22 caliber stacks just about any pellet I put in it. Captain o ring store sells complete rebuild kits as well for them. 

 

[SlugmasterABC]

I would go with simple and solid pcp and take SPA/Artemis M11. Decent out of the box and really easily modified to what ever you might want it to be in future.

By far my favorite cheap pcp

 

[cmhughes]

Sorry - one more question about the Buccaneer: does it need an adapter for the fill probe like the Gamo Urban does?

 

[Trucker3573]

Sorry - one more question about the Buccaneer: does it need an adapter for the fill probe like the Gamo Urban does?

I know the you tube vids show needing that for the urban but the one I bought from pyramid this spring was already milled for the foster fitting to snap right on. I would message that seller to find out about that BSA. Not sure which it would come with. 

 

[cmhughes]

Where does one find the Artemis M11 at? There is not much info on the web.

 

[cmhughes]

OK - after all the suggestions as well as researching and looking at reviews, I am narrowing it down to the BSA Buccaneer and the Air Venturi Avenger. 

As far as BSA, I have had a couple Gamo break barrel springers that seemed to do pretty good, so I assume that the BSA will probably hold up well. In spite of the recoil, the Gamos shot fairly accurately. Trouble is that the BSA would need a fill adapter which would add $10-20 more, and it does not come with any spare 0-rings/parts which I would have to search for. 

The Air Venturi Avenger seems to have better prospects for tuning, and the hand pump I have would fit without any additional adapter. It also comes with spare 0-rings. Being Chinese-made, though, may make it prone to more maintenance/breakdowns in the future. It seems a little less solid than the BSA. That being said, I had a Beeman(?) side-cock springer that held up pretty well; so, one cannot assume all Chinese-made products are inferior (especially since practically EVERYTHING is made there now - just "assembled" in the USA).

Let me know any preferences for one vs. the other or any other suggestions, and thanks for all the input.

 

[cmhughes]

What's a "prod"?

 

[MileHighAirGunner]

Prod is short for the Benjamin Marauder pistol. A small light weight .22 caliber pistol/carbine. It’s in a completely different class then what you’ve been discussing in this thread. 

 

[WesBob]

The Artemis M11 is another one worth looking at in my opinion! It's on sale for Christmas less than $300,and is a great gun for the money. Regulated, wood stock, power adjuster, two gauges and lots of available power, and accurate. Comes with the unf adapter for a moderator and a couple mags.

Its my main gun, though mine is in 25 cal. 

 

[Trucker3573]

The Artemis looks incredibly familiar and what it highly reminds me of didn't work so well for me at all. 

 

[Guest]

Prod is short for the Benjamin Marauder pistol. A small light weight .22 caliber pistol/carbine. It’s in a completely different class then what you’ve been discussing in this thread. 

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Completely different class indeed,



Cannot touch the pedigree of a BSA

Cannot touch the performance Avengers, DARs get

Even an Artemis m16 would be much better

 

[cmhughes]

Looks like they are only available in Canada.

 

[Batman2]

Contact @bnhappy and ask him how the Avenger warranty works based on his first hand experience never mind everyone else. 

You have every right to know what a worst case scenario could possibly be and well informed about typical customer reported issues associated with the gun so there is zero surprises what you are getting yourself into.

Not everyone has a burning desire to gamble on a good one nor comfortably afford to simply throw money away in a worst case scenario even for warranty you pay out of pocket shipping and insurance and you are without your gun during that time too.

Looks like the BSA is priced at $599 at Airgun Depot and $492 without silencer at Krale and $399 at Pyramid Air apparently this is one no longer available with silencer however there is a $299 synthetic non silencer version available for pre-order.

I would think it's a no brainer if you can snatch one for only $299 with the silencer.

I have the opportunity to buy a used Gamo Urban for $200 which is a very similar gun made by BSA. Currently trying it out and so far so good no complaints on performance.

I had owned an Avenger that I didn't want to spend more money on to chase fixing accuracy issues. I paid $200 for it in brand new second warranty exchange from a disgruntled previous owner. I traded it as is full disclosure on accuracy issues for a scope before it could possibly leak or give regulator problems. Noticed that the gun is really made out of a lot of plastic. You will see what I mean if you end up taking a gamble on the Avenger. This is coming from someone who paid $200 for his as new in the box synthetic Avenger. In all honestly I would be pissed if i paid $299 for it even if it wasn't a leaker.

I don't have money to throw away to chase accuracy repairs or pay shipping and insurance for what was left remaining on the warranty clock which I would have had to pay out of pocket if I decided to keep it.

 

[Trucker3573]

Hatsan often has good deals on refurbs. I bought a hydra awhile back and was like brand new. I looked a few days ago and they had one flash for 200 bucks but it was in 25 cal. I think they had wood flashes in 22 for 300

 

[jjohnsonlta]

Seems like there is no definite gun that fits the bill. Everyone has there own opinions on what's the best for that money. Seems like a lot of guns real close to each other in that price range. Seems like there's a good chance you might experience some sort of problem with a gun in that price range.

I bought an Umarex Origin and have already had a problem. It's non regulated and after studying more on PCP's sounds like getting something regulated is the way to go. Too bad that there is not one gun in this price range that everyone could agree on as being the BEST for the money. I was also thinking of a backup gun since mine in shipping to Umarex for repair under warranty. 

Let us know what gun you decide to buy and why.

 

[Swoab47]

There is no such thing as the "Best"...



Everyone has a different set of wants and needs from an air rifle(or car, truck, boat, etc, etc). All a person can do is try to sort through all the information that is available and make the most informed decision he or she can. And that is not an easy thing to do at times.

In my opinion, the first thing that a person should do when purchasing a new air rifle is to determine what you WANT that gun to do and what you NEED that gun to do. Then create a list of features that you feel are important to you, and rank those features from most important to not so important(ie, adjustable trigger, adjustable hammer spring, regulator, adjustable regulator, price, etc, etc)

Then it is just a matter of finding a rifle that checks the most boxes and fits into your price point.

 

[MSG13]

I'm looking to buy my first pcp and and am still trying to figure out what price range gun to buy as my first.