PCP air rifle setup

Jump to latest Follow Reply
If you are new to air guns I would go cheap or if you are already a air gun shooter, Springer or gas piston I would spend the $1000 on good used better stuff. By cheap I mean Beeman QB or Benjamin Maximus. 2000 psi fill pressure to easy hand pump. A used recent hydro SCUBA tank and a Hawke 2-7 scope. When you go over 3000 psi fill pressure hand pumps and SCUBA tanks become almost worthless so a carbon fiber 4500 psi tank and a place to fill it become almost a must. So plan on $400 minimum for a tank. Depending on your idea of a good scope the price could be $100-300 but the Hawke 2-7 for $100 could still be an option for offhand shooting. For bench shooting you will need to spend more. That leaves $500 for a used gun. They are out there to be had if you are patient. I wasn’t sure about a pcp when I started but I wanted to shoot at 9000 ft altitude. I learned CO2 guns only work well in a limited temperature range. Springers and gas piston destroy themselves in thin air. So I bought a pcp on the cheap. I don’t shoot competition. I plink with it and love it. If I ever talk myself back into competitive shooting which I did for over 30 years I will spend the money to get the better gun. And air tank! Spinners spin, cans fly and balloons break just the same with a $200 gun as a $1200 gun. 
 
Upvote 0
So far I'm pretty sold on the avenger .22. I see that it's made in a bullpup version as well. Performance wise and pellet wise are the two the same? I know some of the features like the trigger and the added regulator gage are different but other than that? I guess if you tuned a avenger bullpup like you would a standard avenger would you get the same results or similar results or am I looking at a totally different gun?
 
Upvote 0
Performance for the bull pup and standard Avenger will be the same. For a soldier in close quarters combat the bull pup would have an advantage. But in the air gun world I can’t find a use for it and have tried. Everything they do is done better in a standard rifle configuration. Balance, scope height, cheek placement, rapid shooting, versatility, and aesthetics are all sacrificed for a shorter ‘rifle’.
Others may disagree but the rifle configuration when not for military use has been preferred for centuries for a reason.
 
Upvote 0
For a soldier in close quarters combat the bull pup would have an advantage. But in the air gun world I can’t find a use for it and have tried. Everything they do is done better in a standard rifle configuration. Balance, scope height, cheek placement, rapid shooting, versatility, and aesthetics are all sacrificed for a shorter ‘rifle’.
Others may disagree but the rifle configuration when not for military use has been preferred for centuries for a reason.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%
 
Upvote 0
In regards to the differences between a bullpup and rifle configuration, if you hunt in thick woods or brush, the bullpup configuration might suit you better because of its shorter overall length. If you also hunt from within the confines of your vehicle (shooting out the car window), a bullpup will work better IMO. 

I'm not saying you can't do the same with a rifle but it would be more unwieldy especially if you attach a moderator to it. The trigger might be different in feel between the two which is another consideration. Most likely, the trigger in the rifle version might be better. I've never shot either one so I can't speak from experience. If you see yourself shooting mostly from the bench, then I would go with the rifle configuration. Good luck. 
 
Upvote 0
I'm fairly new to this forum and am going through this same process as I got serious about airguns in mid 2020. I had found someone to rebuild my old Crosman rifles from the 70's and got my first look at how big this world is. You can go a long way on $1000. My first modern pcp was a Maximus and it's been quite good. I've also gotten a Beeman AR2078A for match shooting and two Benjamin springers that will split cards. I've also bought a restored Sheridan and a restored Crosman 140. Both are beautifully made and shoot great with iron sights. The only downside to the Maximus is the hand pump but I need the exercise. With the repairs on my old ones and all those I've bought since I've spent no more than $1000 and have 11 air guns I can shoot all day. You can spend several times that amount very easily on one rifle and accessories but you don't have to. I recommend you pick up a pcp or springer in the mid $300 range and take some time learning it. The Maximus or Avenger, maybe a Benjamin Trail springer, would be good starting points. You'll find out quickly what you want and more importantly, what you DON"T want. I'll bet this time next year you have more than one.



Rick H.
 
Upvote 0
My first PCP was a Benjamin Marauder Pistol which I shoot as a carbine. I hand pumped it. It was a lot of fun so I bought a 25 caliber Avenger. I had to get a new, less expensive hand pump for the Avenger because my first one was the Benjamin. The cheaper pump works, if anything, a little better even on the Prod. But pumping the Avenger is a lot different from pumping the Prod. 150-200 pumps is different from 30. Not at all impossible but I'd rather be shooting. So I bought a Yong Heng and an expired SCBA tank. I like that a bunch better. Most recently I bought a SPA P35, a bullpup. I like it a lot better than the Avenger. It feels solider and the Avenger feels long and more difficult to manuver. But it is easier to shoot small groups with the Avenger. I don't think there is a function difference between a bullpup and a regular rifle, it is more what you like better.

Nothing wrong with starting, at least, with a hand pump. From what I read, there are experienced air gunners who continue to hand pump. I like having one for a backup when I travel. They have value even if you later decide to get a compressor and/or tank.

Nothing wrong with the rifles you are considering or others have suggested. I will say that my plastic stock Avenger feels a bit cheap compared to either the Prod or P35. Stock is really thin, shroud supports are plastic, front pikatinny is plastic, etc.. Works fine, however. The reviews I've seen say the stock on the bullpup is better. The Avenger is loud without a moderator, at least my 25 caliber tuned to 48 fpe is. Like over 100db. I know you said you don't have to worry about it but.... A moderator adds over $100 because you need an adapter too. My Prod is about 85db and my P35 is under 80 db. I have nearby neighbors so I apparently care about this a lot more than you.

I have a hawke vantage on my Prod and recommend it. I had a UTG bug buster on it at first and it shifted zero a lot. UTG didn't repair it as they said they would. I have Primary Arms 4-14, West Hunter 4-16, and Athlon 6-24 scopes for air rifles and they all work well - West Hunter jumped POI once on me, however. I think a Hawke Vantage is an excellant budget choice.

I recommend a 22 caliber. The pellets are cheaper than a 25 and almost the same as 177. I believe bigger holes kill quicker so I think it will be better for any hunting. Target shooting is easily possible with any of them.
 
Upvote 0
Most of the guns mentioned are decent guns and will do the job, I suggest .22 cal for critters and pellet cost, if you are in good shape and going to hand pump the gun, a cheap chinese hand pump is just fine, the more expensive ones are just rebranded chinese pumps, if the gun has a large air capacity, hand pumping will be a real work out and take a long time, if you don't want to hand pump, there are good 4500 psi PCP compressors on Amazon, Ebay, and other sites, I have a GX CS2 PCP compressor, it works good, the Spirit tech PCP compressor works good too, Yong Heng is a good at home PCP compressor, lots to choose from, a compressor is cheaper than a SCBA tank which you can use too if you have a place to fill the SCBA tank near you, as for a scope, get a better one, Hawke, UTG, Athlon, Discovery, Westhunter and so on I suggest at least a 3-9x40 or a 4-16x40 or 44, buy good scope rings, UTG is what I use, as for pellets, Lots to test, you want the pellet that works best in that gun, try Crosman domes or hollow points, they work better than the Piranha, JSB pellets work in most guns, a heavier pellet works good for knock down power, I use JSB exact jumbo heavy diabolo 18.13 grain, H&N's are good, FX and Daystate are rebranded JSB's, just a starter for you, also get some Silicone oil and Silicone grease, you will need it to lube the seals in the gun

good luck
 
Upvote 0
The Kral uses a fill probe instead of a foster quick connect, quite a few guns use these. Your gun will come with the probe to fill it and that will screw into your handpump. It’s really simple nothing to worry about, just grab some extra o-rings and you’re good to go. I would recommend against the puncher breaker and go with the mega. A heavy bullpup is awkward especially if it’s all new to you. A set of high rings on the puncher breaker will give you enough height for good sight alignment, I leave the cheek rest off of mine and run medium rings. I have a puncher breaker, NP02 and NP03 they all shine bright against my buddies that have marauders (I’ve got three marauders to compete against). Haven’t had the chance to use an avenger though. No matter what all three of your choices will do you great. The avenger might leave a sour taste in your mouth with pcp airguns if you go the handpump route though.

Beau
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu