Hunting with expensive gear vs inexpensive gear.
- Thread starter efem09
- Start date
I do like your shooting setting !!!
I designed and made my SUV shooting bench to fold when not in use:
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Nice on the suv. I like the way it folds down. I originally started shooting with a ground bench. Then would stand on tail gate and shoot off of the shell top. Then built a wooden platform to shoot off of. Still standing on tailgate. At work an inspector had a telescopic ladder. That got me to thinking about a bench on top. Not legal in CA, but just fine in NV. Been using that setup for at least 10 years. Being able to swivel 360 is huge.
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Get out and hunt with what you have. Have fun and make ethical kills. Weather is great after that hellish winter.
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I’ve moved in the same direction as OP and now most of my hunting is done with my hw50s in .177 or my longbows. I enjoy the reliable, low-tech equipment and the added challenge. No question my success rate is down, markedly so with larger game, but I’m having more fun at the same time.
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I wouldn't call an R7 inexpensive equipment. Some people enjoy more of a challenge. I have a buddy who hunts everything under the sun and he made a selfbow, arrow, flint napped arrow head and feather from his turkey kills. He is itching to get a game animal with his primative made equipment. Super nice guy and not an irresponsible hunter.
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I've never hunted ground squirrels, only tree rats. I can see why hunting ground squirrels would make more velocity on higher bc projectiles important. For my under 50 yard shots simple domed pellets work great. But nice to see how others do it. I might want to try it some day.
I have no springers, only 5 PCPs which cost less than $500 each. A couple pump ups too but I don't enjoy them as much. 3 of my PCPs are P35s which I like because I can shoot them from my left shoulder just fine (not true for an Impact), they weigh only about 5 lbs before you add a scope, they are accurate and they have adequate power (for my short range hunting opportunities). The 177 is about 19 fpe, the 22 about 32, and the 25 about 32fpe (detuned). I want my PCPs to shoot a pellet they are accurate with between 800 and 900 fps. FPE is secondary, I want a reasonable trajectory and adequate power/penetration for small game. The 25 got detuned because it likes 20 grain H&N FTTs and at the stock tune they were up over 900 fps. So I lowered the regulator and have them going about 870.
I enjoy the fact that my P35-177 and P35-22 are accurate enough posting their scores at the 30 yard challenge is not embarrassing. The 22's best is a 199 and the 177 has posted a 194. They are reasonably competitive with guns costing 3-5 times as much. I find it more fun to try and get "lesser" tools to do good work. I just finished my third wood stock for them on Friday. Now they are a bit prettier too (and they fit me better). This is cherry, the others are mahogany and softwood (painted). I also hunt with the P35s, the most accurate one, the 22 has the least squirrels, 4. But it made a couple shots I probably would not have attempted with the 25 (which has taken 18). Only part of the squirrels head was visible but it did the job just fine.
I have no springers, only 5 PCPs which cost less than $500 each. A couple pump ups too but I don't enjoy them as much. 3 of my PCPs are P35s which I like because I can shoot them from my left shoulder just fine (not true for an Impact), they weigh only about 5 lbs before you add a scope, they are accurate and they have adequate power (for my short range hunting opportunities). The 177 is about 19 fpe, the 22 about 32, and the 25 about 32fpe (detuned). I want my PCPs to shoot a pellet they are accurate with between 800 and 900 fps. FPE is secondary, I want a reasonable trajectory and adequate power/penetration for small game. The 25 got detuned because it likes 20 grain H&N FTTs and at the stock tune they were up over 900 fps. So I lowered the regulator and have them going about 870.
I enjoy the fact that my P35-177 and P35-22 are accurate enough posting their scores at the 30 yard challenge is not embarrassing. The 22's best is a 199 and the 177 has posted a 194. They are reasonably competitive with guns costing 3-5 times as much. I find it more fun to try and get "lesser" tools to do good work. I just finished my third wood stock for them on Friday. Now they are a bit prettier too (and they fit me better). This is cherry, the others are mahogany and softwood (painted). I also hunt with the P35s, the most accurate one, the 22 has the least squirrels, 4. But it made a couple shots I probably would not have attempted with the 25 (which has taken 18). Only part of the squirrels head was visible but it did the job just fine.
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I expect higher end tools or equipment of any type to perform better than midrange or lower end in most circumstances.
Aside from paying for a name, when you spend more on a given tool you are usually buying higher quality materials, machined to tighter tolerances, better engineering, quality control and so on.
With this usually comes better performance and often longevity.
There are always exceptions of course.
I do not own any high end airguns, my most expensive being in the 5 to 6 hundred dollar range, both of those are PCPs.
I do not expect my less expensive guns to make the same caliber shots as my more expensive ones but some do, and some even better.
I find that impressive and when I have a very successful hunting or pesting trip as I did yesterday with my 177 Kral NP-03, pesting pigeons etc at a steer farm permission, I find that to be very satisfying.
My buddy who shoots a Taipan Vet. in 25 was impressed at how successful I was with that gun, most kills at 30 -60 yds, in somewhat windy conditions. Most of his shots were 50 - 80 yds. I am not a better shot than he is, he is probably a little better than me or maybe more than a little, but he was not doing as well as he usually does.
I probably made twice the kills he did, yesterday anyway.
We were both impressed with how well the NP-03 performed.
I was thrilled to have the successful hunt that I did with a less expensive medium powered 177.
I think it is very subjective, I expect the same gun, you name it, to make more kills at a given range in 25 cal than in 177. Sometimes though the 177 may do just as well and that is more of a challenge in my mind and more impressive. This kind of performance likely varies though from one day to the next though.
Aside from paying for a name, when you spend more on a given tool you are usually buying higher quality materials, machined to tighter tolerances, better engineering, quality control and so on.
With this usually comes better performance and often longevity.
There are always exceptions of course.
I do not own any high end airguns, my most expensive being in the 5 to 6 hundred dollar range, both of those are PCPs.
I do not expect my less expensive guns to make the same caliber shots as my more expensive ones but some do, and some even better.
I find that impressive and when I have a very successful hunting or pesting trip as I did yesterday with my 177 Kral NP-03, pesting pigeons etc at a steer farm permission, I find that to be very satisfying.
My buddy who shoots a Taipan Vet. in 25 was impressed at how successful I was with that gun, most kills at 30 -60 yds, in somewhat windy conditions. Most of his shots were 50 - 80 yds. I am not a better shot than he is, he is probably a little better than me or maybe more than a little, but he was not doing as well as he usually does.
I probably made twice the kills he did, yesterday anyway.
We were both impressed with how well the NP-03 performed.
I was thrilled to have the successful hunt that I did with a less expensive medium powered 177.
I think it is very subjective, I expect the same gun, you name it, to make more kills at a given range in 25 cal than in 177. Sometimes though the 177 may do just as well and that is more of a challenge in my mind and more impressive. This kind of performance likely varies though from one day to the next though.
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...no airgun hunting for me as it is illegal both in the Netherlands and France, countries in which I live...
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