My 1st PCP - Recommendations?

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jmohme said:
I see a lot of FX recommendations and while I think they are one of the best available, they are complex and I have a hard time recommending them as a first PCP.
I think simple is key for the first gun. There are so many affordable choices that shoot very well out of the box without modifications or a lot of tinkering.
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And sir, that opinion is exactly why I asked. I'm fairly mechanical minded but know nothing yet about tuning a needy gun. I have all the tools necessary and I do like tweaking and tinkering to achieve the maximum out of my toys. I'd hate to be overwhelmed by the complexity of an FX.
 
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IRBent said:
I do understand all of that. For the most part that's why I've never owned an air rifle that wasn't .177 however I recently purchased a magnum springer in .22 and that caused me to want more power and less kick. So I started studying PCP options. Knowing me, I'll end up with an inexpensive PCP only to buy a high end FX, Day state, or better.
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Like mentioned above you should look into the Gamo Urban .22 . Comes with a 5 year warranty and is all steel and made in the UK. It will shoot with high dollar pcps and does well with lower cost ammo. Mines shooting 14.3 CHPs at 860 fps average,,so plenty of spunk . I have a FX Mav and the Urban still gets shot a lot.

I have a .25 Umerex Origin that's the same build as the Avenger. The cocking hande is plastic, the scope rail is plastic, and its made in China. It would be the first to go if I had get rid of a pcp. Not saying it's bad just a lower cost build than the Urban imo.
 
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jmohme said:
I see a lot of FX recommendations and while I think they are one of the best available, they are complex and I have a hard time recommending them as a first PCP.
I think simple is key for the first gun. There are so many affordable choices that shoot very well out of the box without modifications or a lot of tinkering.
Click to expand...
I hear this same claim often, but it is just not true!

I bought my Maverick VP, and it was sub MOA out of the box. Put air in it and ammo, and that was the only thing I ever did until I wanted to get more power. I went from 75 fpe to 95 fpe with a simple tune, instead of needing to buy another airgun.

As far as complexity goes, shooting this is just like shooting any other lever action airgun:
  1. Take off the safety.
  2. Cock the lever.
  3. Pull the trigger.
 
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Well that actually took longer than I expected.
I really though an FX guy would be along to tell me the errors of my ways long before now.

Certainly your Maverick shot great out of the box. I would expect nothing less out of a gun with the FX name on it.
I also never said that any gun did not shoot well out of the box. Only that there are many affordable choices that do.

I am in no way an FX hater, but I stand by what I said. A gun as complex as a Maverick or Impact is not the ideal place for a new PCP owner to start.

Granted, if a new owner gets stuck, FX has probably the best customer support system in place to help out, but in the time you would spend on hold, a person could replace every O ring in an Airforce gun or probably even my RTI. And no, I am not recommending an AirForce or a Prophet for a first timer either, but my point is that it goes beyond just what the gun does the first time out.

The fact is that for a new shooter, simple is best. Complexity can sour the experience very quickly
My first PCP cost me less than an average trip to the range with my CZ pistol, and let me know pretty quickly that I wanted to go further in.
At that point a person can go in as shallow or as deep as they feel comfortable
 
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IRBent said:
I like your username and could hunt hogs here since they're trying to take over. Can your Maverick, or you, maintain a quarter size group at 50 yards? How about further out? I too thought about cocking right handed while keeping my hand on the grip and trigger finger ready, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to hold the barrel up with my left hand on the grip. Which moderator did you choose?
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That's my road name, bestowed upon me when I took out a Harley that had the nerve to be in the space I wanted to occupy when I made major life changing mistake. In my glorious disaster of a state killing those things is still frowned upon, unless they've changed it recently so we can blast them at night.
 
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jmohme said:
Well that actually took longer than I expected.
I really though an FX guy would be along to tell me the errors of my ways long before now.

Certainly your Maverick shot great out of the box. I would expect nothing less out of a gun with the FX name on it.
I also never said that any gun did not shoot well out of the box. Only that there are many affordable choices that do.

I am in no way an FX hater, but I stand by what I said. A gun as complex as a Maverick or Impact is not the ideal place for a new PCP owner to start.

Granted, if a new owner gets stuck, FX has probably the best customer support system in place to help out, but in the time you would spend on hold, a person could replace every O ring in an Airforce gun or probably even my RTI. And no, I am not recommending an AirForce or a Prophet for a first timer either, but my point is that it goes beyond just what the gun does the first time out.

The fact is that for a new shooter, simple is best. Complexity can sour the experience very quickly
My first PCP cost me less than an average trip to the range with my CZ pistol, and let me know pretty quickly that I wanted to go further in.
At that point a person can go in as shallow or as deep as they feel comfortable
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Our friend has a machine shop, I'm moderately certain he can handle the complex task of open #2 reg, set #1 reg, degass, close, sort of close #2 reg, regas, in the mean while pop off the stock pull the dial thingie in the back, be careful not to drop that 3mm ball bearing pull the hammer spring adjustor, measure across it, set to a number we are will to provide, reassemble, spending fun filled hours looking for that 3mm ball bearing, reassemble the stock, SLOWLY open the #2 reg until the desired pressure for desired speed then tune the Hammer spring adjuster to get the thing perfect for standard deviation. Personally I'd dump the #2 gauge and get a Amazon Digital, they work,being careful about the x-ring under. It's really not all that hard for anyone moderately mechanically inclined or even not.
 
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I suggest an Airforce TalonP carbine kit as a great platform to learn the PCP rudiments. Truly ambidextrous because the bolt lever is vertical and secures to left or right. Caliber swap is 5 mins with accurate LW barrels costing around $100. Can be dialed for a wide range of power up to 50fpe (or 100 with longer barrel) with a top hat kit, serving up both utility and learning. Hand pump or cheap compressor friendly, very rugged, compact and light. By all means buy a better PCP later but you’ll always find an alternative use for the TalonP. Mine serves night duty in 25 cal with an IR scope for bandits harassing my chickens. Also used for very low power plinking in 20 cal. Downsides? The biggest is that it’s single shot but it’s pretty quick and easy to load. Also, It’s unregulated but can be tuned for a long flat string with the hammer adjustments and quick change tophats (which restrict airflow). I’d argue that such tuning is a rite of passage when learning the ins and outs of PCPs.
 
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weevil said:
I suggest an Airforce TalonP carbine kit as a great platform to learn the PCP rudiments. Truly ambidextrous because the bolt lever is vertical and secures to left or right. Caliber swap is 5 mins with accurate LW barrels costing around $100. Can be dialed for a wide range of power up to 50fpe (or 100 with longer barrel) with a top hat kit, serving up both utility and learning. Hand pump or cheap compressor friendly, very rugged, compact and light. By all means buy a better PCP later but you’ll always find an alternative use for the TalonP. Mine serves night duty in 25 cal with an IR scope for bandits harassing my chickens. Also used for very low power plinking in 20 cal. Downsides? The biggest is that it’s single shot but it’s pretty quick and easy to load. Also, It’s unregulated but can be tuned for a long flat string with the hammer adjustments and quick change tophats (which restrict airflow). I’d argue that such tuning is a rite of passage when learning the ins and outs of PCPs.
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My TalonP serves the same purpose. Night time chicken killers don't stand a chance.

It is a great, simple, and reliable gun that just happens to be accurate and a lot of fun to shoot.

I personally have no issue with it being single shot. In fact, a single shot loader is the first accessory I bought for my other mag fed PCPs.
Single shot encourages one to take their time and get it right on the first shot.
 
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My first PCP was the Daystate Huntsman Regal XL in .22. Great and accurate all around PCP, I still have.
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