New to the hobby : help me pick a pistol/rifle

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

mangler

Member
Oct 24, 2020
9
0
Ontario
Hello,

New member, but I have been reading frantically in the last week. Looking for a first air gun (convertible pistol preferred, but will also consider rifles). My wish list, pretty much in order:

-0.22 cal. (or 0.25)

-Sub 500fps (Canada)

-Backyard friendly (low noise, I would like to shoot outside , I have neighbours about a150' away). I also have a large garage that I can convert, but would like to avoid (many breakables). Canada so no silencers.

-Scope/red dot ready

-Easy to mod (trigger etc.). I figure I will want to tinker.

-Magazine ready/included

-PCP or CO2 (prefer the consistency of PCP, but I own a lot of CO2 gear already (paintball tanks/5lb,20lb tanks, paintball refill station) so that may be a factor.

-Max $350 Canadian for the gun

So far on the short list : Diana Bandit PCP regulated 0.22 carbine kit, Artemis PP800 PCP regulated 0.25 carbine kit, Artemis PP750 0.22 (OOS in 0.22?), Diana Chaser Co2 carbine kit (OOS)

Leaning towards PCP , but I will have to buy a hand pump, which would be extra. Thanks for the help.
 
With your budget and countries laws and restrictions I think you listed a good number of your options already. 
I know you said .22 caliber but given your restrictions I think the Crosman 1701P is worthy of a look. Might be stretching your budget some depending where you are able to source from. The best place if your able to is to buy it direct from Crosman with the AGNATION 25% discount. The 1701P has a decent trigger and it’s accurate out to 20-25 and it’s not terribly loud without a silencer. 
Other than that a Crosman 2240 can be converted to pcp. Number of ways to do that. Just be warned it’s a deep rabbit hole you’d be jumping into. 
welcome and good luck 
 
Upvote 0
Thanks Milehighasirgunner, the 1701P was not on my radar, but I will have a look.

From what I read the 2240 needs a lot of mods, and there is A LOT available. Trying to stay away as that can be a money pit. The Diana Chaser seems to be a better get for me ( less available mods, but better out of the box).

As for the sound I suspect the longer barrels help?, which is why I am leaning towards the Bandit PCP dual barrel carbine kit.

Now the next question is .22 vs .25 cal? I will not be doing much pesting, but if I need to the .25cal likely has the edge. On the other hand, it looks like .22 is way more available, with more ammunition choices ( I would like to shot lead free as much as possible). For target shooting the extra energy of the .25cal will likely be a nuisance, and although not a deal breaker, ammo is also about 33% more. The caliber question is a real head scratcher...😐
 
Upvote 0
Buy the Crosman 2300s co2 match pistol or cheaper order a custom shop 2300kt with LW barrel upgrade. You won't regret it.

Or as stated 25% AGNATION Crosman 1701P for a PCP buy a good filter for the pump.

https://www.crosman.com/custom-shop/
Click to expand...


The Crosman custom shop is pretty cool. As always the biggest question is will they ship to Canada?

How is the consistency of those CO2 pistols?
 
Upvote 0
The Crosman custom shop pistols are a little nicer with the laser engraved tubes compared to the rolled stamped tubes on the 2300S and 2300T. I’ve got several custom shops pistols and carbines.


You know I forgot to mention the vintage Crosman MKI. I don’t know if you can find them in Canada. If you can find one in good condition it might interest you. Maybe even a Crosman 600 or a 150. The 600 is a 10 shot semi auto .22 CO2 power pistol and super fun to shoot. The MKI is a .22 caliber CO2 target pistol and has a decent trigger. It’s basically a replica of a Ruger MKI pistol. Mine is a first variant and has a low and high power setting. Not terribly loud either. The 600 is loud however. The 150 is .22 caliber and CO2 powered also but I don’t have a 150. I’be been looking for a specific model and haven’t found one yet. One came available in the classifieds here this summer I someone got to it before I saw it. that was a very sad day 😞

I understand the 150 has some pop to it also. My MKI below. 

7F76DEA3-5D02-4633-8E5B-6199F53A0651.1603769734.jpeg



 
Upvote 0
...Beeman P1 / HW 45 in .20...just a thought...

https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/spring-piston-pistols/weihrauch-hw45-.20/

wei-hw4520.png
Click to expand...


Looks like a nice gun but a bit pricey.

I'm really now deciding between the regulated PCP PP800 in 0.22 or the PP750 in 0.22cal. PP750 looks better in pistol, bigger reservoir, unbranded (iffy?) regulator. PP800 looks more generic, smaller cylinder, but would have a Huma regulator and looks less awkward in carbine form, plus comes with a longer/quieter rifle barrel. Really is a tough choice...
 
Upvote 0
I have both the 800 and 750. Go with the 750. It will give you more shots, feels better in your hand, and is more accurate
Click to expand...


Interesting, and not the first time I hear this about accuracy. Not that I am considering the Rebel version of the PP800 (Diana Chaser Frame) not the wooden handle version. Do you own the bandit wooden handle version?

It seems to be hit or miss with the PP800 Rebel, which seems to be a trend from a quality perspective. Some great out of the box, with some not so great, that seem to see an improvement by light sanding/tweaking.

Still a bit torn. No arguing the larger tank on the PP750 though although with hand pumping it so may be a mixed blessing :)

No longer barrels available for the PP750 either, so I would expect it to be louder. Also OOS in 0.22 right now. Literally a stalemate...


 
Upvote 0
Interesting, and not the first time I hear this about accuracy. Not that I am considering the Rebel version of the PP800 (Diana Chaser Frame) not the wooden handle version. Do you own the bandit wooden handle version?

It seems to be hit or miss with the PP800 Rebel, which seems to be a trend from a quality perspective. Some great out of the box, with some not so great, that seem to see an improvement by light sanding/tweaking.

Still a bit torn. No arguing the larger tank on the PP750 though although with hand pumping it so may be a mixed blessing :)

No longer barrels available for the PP750 either, so I would expect it to be louder. Also OOS in 0.22 right now. Literally a stalemate...

Click to expand...

I have the Diana bandit version with wood grip. I got lucky with mine it has acceptable accuracy and has not leaked. But does not have a hammer spring adjustment like the 750. The best part about the pp800(bandit) was the oversized grip made for a nice project. There’s enough meat on there to let your imagination run wild with grip designs.

The 750 is surprisingly quiet for its size. @ 12 fpe it’s backyard friendly WITHOUT a moderator. With one, you’ll be questioning whether the gun actually shot the pellet until you hear it hit the target

If you do decide to get one, @Dingfelder mentioned the right guy to tune it. You sure get a helluva lot of tuning for $58
 
Upvote 0
Last I saw the tune for the 750 from Brian of Veradium air was $58 and did a lot of work on the product, including fixing sloppy machining. From the description, it sounded like so much work was needed and/or very helpful that I probably wouldn't buy any of the PP series without a proper tune/check-out.
Click to expand...


Can anyone from Canada comment on the availability/shipping issues related to the tune from Veradium? I would be sourcing the PP750 gun from Canada, so I would not want the "modified" gun to get hung up at the border...
 
Upvote 0
If you can come up with another $100 you can get the collapsible, AEA SS HP PCP pistol. It has good reviews here. And it fits in a backpack. Not sure if its quite but its shrouded and you can order it with a additional AEA suppressor permanently affixed from Bin the dealer after December. 

$450 for a semi automatic pcp, will have good resale value.
 
Upvote 0
If you can come up with another $100 you can get the collapsible, AEA SS HP PCP pistol. It has good reviews here. And it fits in a backpack. Not sure if its quite but its shrouded and you can order it with a additional AEA suppressor permanently affixed from Bin the dealer after December. 

$450 for a semi automatic pcp, will have good resale value.
Click to expand...

Looks like a VERY nice pistol, but way over budget (I'm limiting myself to $350 canadian pesos, so maybe 270USD.). Also way over powered, I am limited to 500fps without a firearm license. I may take another look after I get my license though, very nice guns. And no suppressors allowed in Canada :(
 
Upvote 0
Beeman P17 (AKA 2004) is a very cheap option. Lower power but out to 10 meters it can be pellet on pellet. I bought one to good around with and it is Soo much fun. I chronyed mine and the numbers were a low 400 with JSB heavy to 430 with JSB RS. Not pest worthy but I do pop nice that insist on living in the shed. Nice thing is it cost nothing to shoot and won't kill your budget. FYI it has enough punch to knock down Gamo field targets .
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu