Hunting with expensive gear vs inexpensive gear.

efem09

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Jun 16, 2017
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Hi all,

What do you think is more impressive and why?

Personally, i find it more challenging hunting with an springer , than with my high end pcp's with expensive scopes and bi-pods.

I don't know what it is but, for example i really love my small little R7 in .177, with a cheap 4x32 mil-dot scope, taking that one and closing in on the quarry, instead of taking my Daystate Wolverine R in .25 with a 2K Leopold on it and sniping from 100+ yards, it's like almost no challenge, a good bc slug and correct scope adjustments and pull the trigger.

What are your thoughts about this.
 
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Totally in disagree !!

I feel much reward from a perfect pull and perfect shot placement than thinking it was amazing that I was able to shot something because of bad quality of equipment.

Pursuing rabbits with a baseball bat is not something atractive for me in this stage of life.
 
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This same thought pervades the archery hunting community as well. Old-fashioned recurve bows hunting at 15 yards vs. the expensive and modern compound bows with high draw weights and all the latest tech gizmos for longer range accuracy and power. And then of course the argument turns to crossbows.... :ROFLMAO:

While there are humans hunting, there will be some that want to hunt with the latest and greatest in human innovation, and there will be others that want it to be as simplified as possible. They want the challenge, as you said. Hunting like the indians did, if you will.

Me, I like to hunt with all of it!! 🤪
 
If I were going to hunt, and I have but no longer do, I don’t want a high end rifle, too easy and probably heavy. If I’m out pesting it may well be with a 760 if I know I can make a clean and humane shot. I have several mid-range rifles with decent scopes and they are suitable for hunting as well. Nothing wrong with high end gear, just not my preference.

Rick H.
 
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I’m not looking to be impressed when I hunt. I’m looking to kill and hopefully eat something. I’m concerned with efficacy and safety. I want to make good shots. The challenge is making good shots with a PCP which is my chosen tool for the task. I have a different relationship with each gun/scope combo. I don’t care much about the cost of the set up so long as I have quality tools.
 
An R-7 is a great springer,for hunting the R-9 is better....I am the guy who as a kid shot tens of thousands of BB each year, now that was a challenge to hit birds and such, that is where and why I learned to get as close as possible and learned wind drift even at 20-30 ft....
Hell ya it is fun.....but so is taking a real long shot with an accurate longer-range rifle......truth be told many of the close encounters no longer exist.
 
I principle I do agree with the OP,

Grew up hunting with high power centerfires but never felt like a hunter until I started bowhunting ( not Compounds ) then I took it further by making my own selfbows and that really made the sense of satifaction hit the roof.

As for Airguns, I hunt mainly wild hogs so for me PCP is king, don't get me wrong I like springers but for my kind of hunting I need to know my first and most likely only shot of the day has to be on point.

Springers are great and lately I've benn enjoing greatly shootin my Titan at the property I work at and got several chickens with it but for serious hunting I will still always get a PCP rather then a springer, just get close and do the hunter thing but to be able to rely on your gun to put the round exactly where you want is,.....paramount.
 
Ahhh, another what's more impressive or harder, expensive vs inexpensive thread. This and pretty much every hobby/activity forum in the history of the internet has them. Which indicates the better hunter, marksmen, human........
I'm in just to watch the pages and pages of responses that will ebb back and forth between opinion, facts, and personal attacks. LOL
To me it's impressive to succeed with the equipment you chose and enjoy using without placing judgement or your standards on others.
 
I hunt with springers. And have with Co2 Hardly ever take a shot over 50 yards. And 90% of the time closer. Alway try to get a clean kill. I don't think either one a PCP, spring-piston or co2 is more impressive than the other. Practice, knowledge of your equipment, and it's limitations, combined with good set of hunting skills is the most important.
 
Equipment doesn't equate with talent. I've seen people with very expensive equipment suck at racing, fishing, shooting, photography, you name it. I've also seen people that excelled in all those areas with inexpensive, dated but functional equipment. In fact some were the best I knew in the area of interest. Never judge a player by their equipment.

Anyway both situations in the OP require talent. The HW30 is an excellent rifle. I have three of them. There's days I can rival pcp accuracy at 25 yards or less. I don't consider that a cheap gun or a handicap when used within reason.

Personally I don't think the issue is price rather than pursuit. It's really which challenge appeals to you more. I know plenty of hunters that like the short game and gave up rifles for bows to never look back.

Others like the challenge of long range ballistics and continually strive to make longer more difficult shots.

I will say I have seen talanted people hampered by cheap crap equipment. That's a different story. That's just being stupid, cheap or broke.
 
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To each his own. I don't care what a person uses to hunt with as long as it is legal and ethical. As long as the person using their preferred weapon has became good with it and knows how it performs and more importantly knows his/her limitations with that weapon. I will not judge you on your choice but I will say something if you suck with it and cripple animals on a consistent basis. You might need to rethink your weapon of choice. I hunted for decades with recurves and longbows because I enjoyed it and I knew my limit for deer was 25 yards and did not go past that. I hunt with handguns during rifle season cause I like the easy of carry and getting close. I also know my limits based on my shooting ability with iron sights vs scoped. Enjoy the time out in the field.

Jon
 
I buy my tools and sporting equipment for my needs and as an old guy I could care less if people are impressed or not.

What is important to me is a job well and properly done. To do that you need proper equipment and the knowledge/experience on how to use it.

In a hunting/pesting situation, live targets should be dispatched humanely and ethically. What ever weapon used should be appropriate (accuracy and power wise) for the situation and, more importantly the shooter must only shoot within their effective range.

The last 10 seasons I deer hunted I did so (successfully) with a homemade wooden selfbow that cost under a dollar.

IMHO, The cost of equipment is not impressive, the skill to use the weapon of choice is. You can't buy skill, you have to earn it.

Each to their own eh!

Cheers!
 
I know no one who knows the difference between $80 airgun or an$1,800 airgun. So the only one I have to impress is me.

Do Prods qualify as inexpensive?
I took my AA 500 and Prod hunting a couple weeks ago. The AA starved while the not accurate enough stock Prod got all the chppies.

Circumstances played into it, the Prod was on me at all times while burning brush, where the AA is really for hunting from the couch on the porch.

No real need in my world for another high end gun, but I am planning for one next year. But not till after the compressor issue is solved.

I went from 1986 to 2000 with a 1377. It solved nearly everything till I bought a Gamo. That cured me of springers for a while. I gave the Gamo to my son who still uses it.
 
It all depends what you like to do. With regards to air guns, I was a springer guy. But once FX came out with the Impact I was hooked. For many years I have hunted ground squirrels in NV. I now use air guns. Actually just came back from my second trip yesterday. My typical shots are 75-150 yards. Yes some are 30-50 yards and I can shoot as far as you’re comfortable with. This really can only be done with higher power guns hooked directly to a bottle. In the end, it is what you personally enjoy doing and what your wallet can afford.
Most importantly- have fun!
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