Quick back story.
I’ve posted on the break barrel forum with many responses. I bought a Gamo Fusion 22 Gen2 and after a month of trial and error, I returned it for a refund. After 40 years of shooting firearms (no air guns), I just could not achieve an acceptable accuracy with this rifle. I hesitated purchasing a PCP. Because of the additional equipment needed to use it... hand pump/ air bottle/ compressor, etc.
So here we go. I’m back at ground zero. My goal is to have an air gun to target shoot in my back yard which is big enough for a 50 yard range, but not big enough to shoot firearms - I live in a rural suburb area in Ohio.
After many YouTube reviews on many different rifles, I’m settling on the Umarex Gauntlet for a few reasons - feel free to change my mind. It seems to have good accuracy at 50 yards. I do not have to ‘learn how to hold and shoot’, after shooting for 40 years. And most important, I don’t want to spend a lot - the $300 price point seems like the sweet spot for me.
I had considered the Gamo Urban for the same price, but the cylinder size is less than the Gauntlet, and the Gauntlet is regulated air. Also, I like the look of the Gauntlet. Here’s my questions:
Look, my son and I are avid firearm shooters and we will still go to our local gun club to shoot AR-15’s, 9mm handguns, etc., but what we’re looking for is to have a little fun in the backyard without disturbing neighbors while we fire up the smoker for a weekend cookout. That sort of thing. Seems like a PCP rifle meets that requirement, I just have too many questions to make the purchase yet.
Thanks, looking forward to your responses. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, I can take it.
I’ve posted on the break barrel forum with many responses. I bought a Gamo Fusion 22 Gen2 and after a month of trial and error, I returned it for a refund. After 40 years of shooting firearms (no air guns), I just could not achieve an acceptable accuracy with this rifle. I hesitated purchasing a PCP. Because of the additional equipment needed to use it... hand pump/ air bottle/ compressor, etc.
So here we go. I’m back at ground zero. My goal is to have an air gun to target shoot in my back yard which is big enough for a 50 yard range, but not big enough to shoot firearms - I live in a rural suburb area in Ohio.
After many YouTube reviews on many different rifles, I’m settling on the Umarex Gauntlet for a few reasons - feel free to change my mind. It seems to have good accuracy at 50 yards. I do not have to ‘learn how to hold and shoot’, after shooting for 40 years. And most important, I don’t want to spend a lot - the $300 price point seems like the sweet spot for me.
I had considered the Gamo Urban for the same price, but the cylinder size is less than the Gauntlet, and the Gauntlet is regulated air. Also, I like the look of the Gauntlet. Here’s my questions:
- I can’t decide between 22 and 25 caliber
- The option of buying a 4,500 psi refill bottle seems like the best for me. I’m in good shape but from the YouTube’s, hand pumping this rifle with the larger on board air container seems like more effort than I’d want to do. Everyone that hand pumps this gun seems quite winded.
- I’d really like some opinions on which refilling option is the most reasonable.
- If I buy an air bottle, I don’t know what I actually need to buy, or where to buy it. I see some Ninja bottles on Amazon for under $200 but I think I need to buy other things to make it work. I do have a local ‘air shop’ that will fill a bottle for $4.
- And most important, will I be happy with the groupings that are possible with this rifle? I realized after buying the Fusion Gen 2 that many of the YouTube vids are made by really, really good shooters that have lots of experience shooting. So naturally, their groupings are much better than what I could achieve. What I’m looking for is a rifle that a ‘normal’ shooter can expect.
Look, my son and I are avid firearm shooters and we will still go to our local gun club to shoot AR-15’s, 9mm handguns, etc., but what we’re looking for is to have a little fun in the backyard without disturbing neighbors while we fire up the smoker for a weekend cookout. That sort of thing. Seems like a PCP rifle meets that requirement, I just have too many questions to make the purchase yet.
Thanks, looking forward to your responses. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings, I can take it.