Newbie here, looking at my first PCP

[jakev383]

Hey everyone - another newbie here, or at least looking to be a newbie into the PCP world.

I've owned some pumps in the past (whatever could be had at Walmart or Sears). Those were mainly just for plinking.
We have a few chickens (pets really - my kids gave them names like "Hennifer Lopez") and some woods which butt up against the back of my property. I will occasionally get a rat or two who take advantage of the free chicken feed at night. I quickly found out that those .177 rifles were not really up to the task - unless I got a headshot, it would just discourage the rat for a few hours. And head shots were rare - I can watch the pellets corkscrew through the air if I pump it up enough to be able to hurt the rat. Less pumps stabilize the flight, but won't take a rat out.

I bought a Crosman Quest Nitro Piston Elite in .22 a couple of years ago to take care the rats which works out okay. I lay on top of my pool house at night and can shoot them at 15yds without too much trouble. My only real complaint is that it doesn't seem terribly accurate past 25yds (admittedly I've only ever used one brand and type of pellet in it), and it's a long rifle which makes reloading the break barrel action awkward - gotta stand up to do the whole reloading dance. I think it's 42" or 44" long.

For a scope I was usuing the one which came with it, but I picked up an ATN X-Sight 4K Pro 3-14 scope a few months ago really cheap since it was "broken". I was able to fix that but haven't really done anything besides sight it in on the air rifle.

Anyway - new rats will still find the chicken-chow every once in a while, but I've recently had a couple squirrels decided to chew on my buildings which I'll need to deal with. I can't lay on top of the pool house during the day for a couple of reasons (metal roof is too hot in the Texas sun, neighbors will think I'm more odd than they already have observed, etc). I can sit on my back porch and thin the squirrel herd out some, so I've begun to look at some PCPs which are shorter than my Crosman as well as hopefully being more accurate at 50yds. Being quiet is still pretty important since my back porch is closer to neighbor houses than the pool house is.

I've been watching a bunch of videos and reading here, and I think I'm starting to settle on the Airforce TalonSS. It is at the extreme upper end of what I'm looking to spend, but if it's a buy-once-cry-once deal then I'm okay with explaing to my wife why I have yet another hobby which isn't cheap.
Since it is mainly for pest control and some plinking, being a single shot is okay. I suspect that it will be easier and faster to reload than the Crosman so I'm already upgrading in my opinion.

I have a couple of questions for those more experienced than I...

1. Given my needs and the requirement to be somewhat quiet, is the TalonSS a good choice for the price or is there something else comparable/less expensive that I may not have considered yet?
2. 20, 22, or 25 caliber? It seems to me that 22 caliber is the most popular and offers the largest number of projectile choices, with 25 caliber being next.
3. Since I'm going to be new into the PCP world, are there any other aspects which I'm overlooking due to ignorance? I know I'll need a pump of some type, and will want to try a variety of pellets to figure out what works best - anything else?

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any wisdom you may pass along!

 

[Matt247365]

.22 cal will work great for what you're describing

 

[Scotay42]

Get a stoeger bullshark or anowpeak p35/p35x and use jsb .177 10g slugs. They expand like crazy and body shot wreak havoc. The little .177 slug will expand to almost .5 inch wide. They work well and can be very quiet.

 

[markhooper]

as far as a pump, I'd not want to hand pump it but I'm old and tired..
I actually have a couple Condor's.. one standard and one SS.. for quiet on the Condor you have to use the ring lock kit and the 123 orface to keep it subsonic with 14 grain pellets.. 25 grain pellets are fine up to mid power range.. and the 34 grain pellets are just around 950 fps at maximum power in the SS but the longer barrel Condor will still push them supersonic at mid power level with the factory orface.. lots of shots per fill .. I'm not familiar with the talon but I know it's got a shorter barrel and I'm just guessing it has a smaller orface.
they are very accurate and so simple that hardly anything to go wrong.
you can add a Donny FL on the end, but it only slightly helps the SS Condor if you are already shooting supersonic.. that said I couldn't stand the regular Condor without a moderator.. the SS built in moderator does really well.
another one you might consider if you are not wanting a ton of power, would be a Diana 48.. in 22.. it's a side level so easier than a brake barrel.. I'd prefer it if I didn't have a compressor..I had a RWS Diana 48 years ago and it was good.
I have a Omega trail charger to fill my PCP guns and it's been really good..I keep reading about the GX compressor being good as well..
you are welcome to PM me if you want to talk about any of them..
Mark

 

[Peashooter]

I can attest to .177 10 gr slugs ( JSB KO MK 3 ) working very well, i have even dropped a pheasant with one.

Here shooting 25 M distance.

The little mice are just one big exit wound, a rat considerably larger but they also get ravaged good.
The bird just dropped without a sound and its 2 friends that walked around like 10 feet away dident even notice so they only left a minute or so later casually walking into the tall grass.

With my.177 i would gladly take a shot at a big fat rat at 100 yards, at least for accuracy i will have no problem and while the 10 grain also reach that far with ease and OK accuracy, i would probably prefer if it was at a moment where i was dialed in with 13 or 16 grain slugs.

I can shoot 24 grain slugs and accurate to 60 yards or so, and so much power ( over 50 fp ) hitting the same place a few times, will put a hole in a 20 foot steel container.

But sure if i could i would shoot .22 too, but the idiots in charge here in Denmark have me and the 6 mill other Danes painted as a maniacs so i can not have that much power unless i take a hunting licence, which is learning a lot more than i need.

 

[beerthief]

Hey everyone - another newbie here, or at least looking to be a newbie into the PCP world.

I've owned some pumps in the past (whatever could be had at Walmart or Sears). Those were mainly just for plinking.
We have a few chickens (pets really - my kids gave them names like "Hennifer Lopez") and some woods which butt up against the back of my property. I will occasionally get a rat or two who take advantage of the free chicken feed at night. I quickly found out that those .177 rifles were not really up to the task - unless I got a headshot, it would just discourage the rat for a few hours. And head shots were rare - I can watch the pellets corkscrew through the air if I pump it up enough to be able to hurt the rat. Less pumps stabilize the flight, but won't take a rat out.

I bought a Crosman Quest Nitro Piston Elite in .22 a couple of years ago to take care the rats which works out okay. I lay on top of my pool house at night and can shoot them at 15yds without too much trouble. My only real complaint is that it doesn't seem terribly accurate past 25yds (admittedly I've only ever used one brand and type of pellet in it), and it's a long rifle which makes reloading the break barrel action awkward - gotta stand up to do the whole reloading dance. I think it's 42" or 44" long.

For a scope I was usuing the one which came with it, but I picked up an ATN X-Sight 4K Pro 3-14 scope a few months ago really cheap since it was "broken". I was able to fix that but haven't really done anything besides sight it in on the air rifle.

Anyway - new rats will still find the chicken-chow every once in a while, but I've recently had a couple squirrels decided to chew on my buildings which I'll need to deal with. I can't lay on top of the pool house during the day for a couple of reasons (metal roof is too hot in the Texas sun, neighbors will think I'm more odd than they already have observed, etc). I can sit on my back porch and thin the squirrel herd out some, so I've begun to look at some PCPs which are shorter than my Crosman as well as hopefully being more accurate at 50yds. Being quiet is still pretty important since my back porch is closer to neighbor houses than the pool house is.

I've been watching a bunch of videos and reading here, and I think I'm starting to settle on the Airforce TalonSS. It is at the extreme upper end of what I'm looking to spend, but if it's a buy-once-cry-once deal then I'm okay with explaing to my wife why I have yet another hobby which isn't cheap.
Since it is mainly for pest control and some plinking, being a single shot is okay. I suspect that it will be easier and faster to reload than the Crosman so I'm already upgrading in my opinion.

I have a couple of questions for those more experienced than I...

1. Given my needs and the requirement to be somewhat quiet, is the TalonSS a good choice for the price or is there something else comparable/less expensive that I may not have considered yet?
2. 20, 22, or 25 caliber? It seems to me that 22 caliber is the most popular and offers the largest number of projectile choices, with 25 caliber being next.
3. Since I'm going to be new into the PCP world, are there any other aspects which I'm overlooking due to ignorance? I know I'll need a pump of some type, and will want to try a variety of pellets to figure out what works best - anything else?

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any wisdom you may pass along!

Welcome to the best AGN
Stan in KY.
Before you buy a gun , price how your going to fill it ? compressor $$ Moisture filter $ or a hand pump $ watch videos on How to use a hand pump for PCPs , a lot different than pumping a tire . an air tank ? where to get it filled and how much$ ?
For what your doing you might check out Diana 48 , yes it is a springer , more power than you need for rats and squirrels ,

 

[Scotay42]

Handpump is not bad on the little guns, but a gx cs2 would be very beneficial.

 

[Frozenspyder]

A TalonSS would work. It's a single shot, but it's still going to be faster and easier to reload than what you're using now. It's more than quiet enough and has plenty of power. You'll probably want a compressor for an Airforce gun though. I've got a few and while a hand pump works, it's a slow tedious process because of the size of the tank. Especially from empty. Topping it off after a shooting session isn't as bad.

As for the caliber, I don't think there's a bad choice. There are very few choices in .20 but they're all good. .22 is much more common and a TalonSS should be able to shoot at least light slugs if you choose that route somewhere down the line. A .25 will hit hard and definitely kill whatever pests you're trying to eliminate.

If you decide to go with a .25, I'd look at the TalonP as well. It's basically a TalonSS without the built in moderator, but it's got a Condor valve for more power. Plus a slightly smaller tank that's easier to fill. Get a moderator from Talon Tunes and it'll do everything you could want out of the platform.

 

[Ranchibi]

Like beerthief said above, a fill source is needed. Also look at the Umarex Zelos. I have it's little sibling the Notos, great for shots up to 30yds without any mods but the Zelos has much more power right out of the box. Took these 2 squirrels the last couple of days @ 15yds with the Notos, both head shots.

 

[markhooper]

Like beerthief said above, a fill source is needed. Also look at the Umarex Zelos. I have it's little sibling the Notos, great for shots up to 30yds without any mods but the Zelos has much more power right out of the box. Took these 2 squirrels the last couple of days @ 15yds with the Notos, both head shots.

View attachment 525144

View attachment 525145

I had a notos for a pistol for around a year.. never put the stock on just hand grip and open sights.. was too long for me as a pistol, I shortened it down to shroud length and put a moderator in the shroud.. it was good just 16" was still a bit longer than I liked.. was a bit quieter than factory and very accurate. if I remember correctly it would get almost 4 magazine on a full
Mark

 

[Ranchibi]

I had a notos for a pistol for around a year.. never put the stock on just hand grip and open sights.. was too long for me as a pistol, I shortened it down to shroud length and put a moderator in the shroud.. it was good just 16" was still a bit longer than I liked.. was a bit quieter than factory and very accurate. if I remember correctly it would get almost 4 magazine on a full
Mark

Cool mods! Yeah, this would make a very longish pistol! I think an HW44 would be as big and long as a pistol for me but I am not too good with a pistol!

 

[KitCarson16]

Airgun Depot advertises the Talon SS as wonderfully accurate gaining a two inch group at 50 meters. Wow!!!! Now that is some substantial accuracy.

Thing is I can do better than that with the cheapest break barrel on the market.

There are a lot of choices in todays market , take your time, look at them all and watch reviews and videos for a couple weeks and pick the one that impresses you.
Yep lots of choices, it is like a maze especially to anyone that does not keep up with all brands and new models. Just take your time and seek out reviews and such as for one example go watch Airgun Detective and his reviews. They are truthful and he is a pretty good shooter. Not the only one but that will get you started.
Cheers
Kit

 

[markhooper]

Cool mods! Yeah, this would make a very longish pistol! I think an HW44 would be as big and long as a pistol for me but I am not too good with a pistol!

yes a friend FelixS has the JW 44 and only way it is smaller if you removed the factory moderator..
I like his reximex but I can't stand the angle of the grip as a pistol..
his Huben GK1 is really nice..
Mark

 

[markhooper]

Airgun Depot advertises the Talon SS as wonderfully accurate gaining a two inch group at 50 meters. Wow!!!! Now that is some substantial accuracy.

Thing is I can do better than that with the cheapest break barrel on the market.

There are a lot of choices in todays market , take your time, look at them all and watch reviews and videos for a couple weeks and pick the one that impresses you.
Yep lots of choices, it is like a maze especially to anyone that does not keep up with all brands and new models. Just take your time and seek out reviews and such as for one example go watch Airgun Detective and his reviews. They are truthful and he is a pretty good shooter. Not the only one but that will get you started.
Cheers
Kit

shooter 1726 I think if I remember correctly is one of my favorite reviews.. he's a very good shot.. amazing what he does..
Mark

 

[jakev383]

Get a stoeger bullshark or anowpeak p35/p35x and use jsb .177 10g slugs. They expand like crazy and body shot wreak havoc. The little .177 slug will expand to almost .5 inch wide. They work well and can be very quiet.

I am not familiar with the 177 slugs. I'll check those out!

 

[jakev383]

I can attest to .177 10 gr slugs ( JSB KO MK 3 ) working very well, i have even dropped a pheasant with one.

Here shooting 25 M distance.

The little mice are just one big exit wound, a rat considerably larger but they also get ravaged good.
The bird just dropped without a sound and its 2 friends that walked around like 10 feet away dident even notice so they only left a minute or so later casually walking into the tall grass.

With my.177 i would gladly take a shot at a big fat rat at 100 yards, at least for accuracy i will have no problem and while the 10 grain also reach that far with ease and OK accuracy, i would probably prefer if it was at a moment where i was dialed in with 13 or 16 grain slugs.

I can shoot 24 grain slugs and accurate to 60 yards or so, and so much power ( over 50 fp ) hitting the same place a few times, will put a hole in a 20 foot steel container.

But sure if i could i would shoot .22 too, but the idiots in charge here in Denmark have me and the 6 mill other Danes painted as a maniacs so i can not have that much power unless i take a hunting licence, which is learning a lot more than i need.

Nice video! And I empathize with you - I teach some hunting safety classes here in the USA, but it's mostly focused around not falling out of trees and trying to make sure people positively identify their targets and what is behind it before firing

 

[jakev383]

Like beerthief said above, a fill source is needed. Also look at the Umarex Zelos. I have it's little sibling the Notos, great for shots up to 30yds without any mods but the Zelos has much more power right out of the box. Took these 2 squirrels the last couple of days @ 15yds with the Notos, both head shots.

View attachment 525144

View attachment 525145

Thanks! The Notos pops up quite often when looking at backyard pest control, and always seems to be a suggested follow-on video when I watch something about the TalonSS...

 

[jakev383]

Airgun Depot advertises the Talon SS as wonderfully accurate gaining a two inch group at 50 meters. Wow!!!! Now that is some substantial accuracy.

Thing is I can do better than that with the cheapest break barrel on the market.

There are a lot of choices in todays market , take your time, look at them all and watch reviews and videos for a couple weeks and pick the one that impresses you.
Yep lots of choices, it is like a maze especially to anyone that does not keep up with all brands and new models. Just take your time and seek out reviews and such as for one example go watch Airgun Detective and his reviews. They are truthful and he is a pretty good shooter. Not the only one but that will get you started.
Cheers
Kit

Thanks! I've been looking into things for a couple of weeks now, but even in this thread are some suggestions I'd not come across yet. Just researching this will keep me out of trouble for a few weeks for sure!

 

[MongooseV8]

Get a stoeger bullshark or anowpeak p35/p35x and use jsb .177 10g slugs. They expand like crazy and body shot wreak havoc. The little .177 slug will expand to almost .5 inch wide. They work well and can be very quiet.

This is what I would suggest too. Paired with a GX CS3 or CS4 and you will be in the zone for years. I would not get an AF anything since it sounds like you have a lot of neighbor property close by and might be dangerous to go with too much fpe. A 177 with adjustability like the Stoeger XM1 series will allow you to slow things down if you need to. Check out a DonnyFL Tatsu to throw on the end as well.

And welcome to the forum

 

[Back_Roads]

Keep an eye in the Air Force Outlet Store page, a short time ago I got a Talon SS for $350. There are many PCPs under 500 that would suit your needs. I do alot of farm pesting, and own in the neighborhood of 100 air rifles.

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