SHTF : Springer or PCP With Hand Pump? Which would you choose?

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SHTF : Springer or PCP and Hand Pump? Which would you choose?

  • Springer

    Votes: 18 45.0%

  • PCP & Hand Pump

    Votes: 22 55.0%
  • Total voters
    40
  • Poll closed .
elh0102 said:
Well, you're asking if I prefer a healthy horse or a sick mule, when I need a healthy mule. If I were preparing for a survival situation, either one is kind of a nutty choice. A .22 RF bolt action and a supply of ammo and you're far better prepared. It ain't gonna break, it's lighter, and the POI is much more consistent in varying conditions. But, to answer the question, I'd choose a springer, much as I loathe the things. There has never been a PCP made that I would trust to work under varying but unknown conditions, and for an unknown period of time. If your little survival camp includes a mobile repair shop, then maybe a good PCP.
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crowski said:
I have a Benjamin Discovery with pump. One of my first purchases. Nice gun, I did NOT like pumping. Maybe 3 times, never again. I kept the gun just as a reminder. I have a few springers now and never looked back. Crow
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Nomadic Pirate 66 said:
PCP not even close.

Posted the reasons several times ( looong post ) wish I kept it on file so I could cut and paste,.....I don't have the patience to write it every few weeks :ROFLMAO:
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How about the abbreviated version... :)
 
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BackStop said:
When I saw this thread, I thought, "Oh no! Not another SHTF post!!!"

This has been shredded so many times that it isn't even funny anymore.

If the SHTF really... the last thing I am going to be worried about is what airgun I have. PERIOD!

All my best!

Kerry
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The correct SHTF question is probably closer to "how do I find out which is the correct warlord to back up", assuming there is more than one to choose from. Unless of course you are the warlord, in which case well done you, you've made it in life.
 
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JDGriz said:
The correct SHTF question is probably closer to "how do I find out which is the correct warlord to back up", assuming there is more than one to choose from. Unless of course you are the warlord, in which case well done you, you've made it in life.
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Well with all my airguns, of course I'll be the warlord.
 
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Vana2 said:
Neither, I'd make (another 😉) bow and some arrows.

Bows and arrows have provided food for centuries and they can be made from local materials with simple tools.

No need to rely on modern (and possibly unavailable) consumables like o-rings, and pellets. Silencers are not required.

Cheers!
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I have a bow and crossbow. I definitely can't hit a Rabbit from 100 yards. My PCP however, no problem. I have casting equipment and reuse my Lead, and a 1200 PCE O-Ring set so to never run out. Plus, air is free - :)
 
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BackStop said:
When I saw this thread, I thought, "Oh no! Not another SHTF post!!!"

This has been shredded so many times that it isn't even funny anymore.

If the SHTF really... the last thing I am going to be worried about is what airgun I have. PERIOD!

All my best!

Kerry
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I'll put you down for a Springer ;)
 
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SonOfASlug said:
I have a bow and crossbow. I definitely can't hit a Rabbit from 100 yards. My PCP however, I can take it out every time with one shot. I have casting equipment and reuse my Lead. Also, I have a 1200 PCE O-Ring set so I'll never run out. And, Air is free - :)
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Yup, hear you! Been shooting squirrels out to 80ish yards with my Panthera - they never know what hit them or where it came from LOL!

Flip side, I've hunted long enough that I can get within bow range of my quarry. I've taken 20+ deer and umpteen partridge, rabbits and squirrels with homemade archery equipment.

I like hunting with airguns and (homemade) bows and slingshots ...'cause close up and personal is a challenge. Long range is fun as well. 🙂

Each to their own eh!

Cheers!

2023 Squirrel Season.JPG
 
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Vana2 said:
Yup, hear you! Been shooting squirrels out to 80ish yards with my Panthera - they never know what hit them or where it came from LOL!

Flip side, I've hunted long enough that I can get within bow range of my quarry. I've taken 20+ deer and umpteen partridge, rabbits and squirrels with homemade archery equipment.

I like hunting with airguns and (homemade) bows and slingshots ...'cause close up and personal is a challenge. Long range is fun as well. 🙂

Each to their own eh!

Cheers!

View attachment 410824
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Nice! There are definitely benefits to a having a bow and arrows. Clearly, I need to practice up on that end. Thank you for sharing!
 
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Vana2 said:
Neither, I'd make (another 😉) bow and some arrows.

Bows and arrows have provided food for centuries and they can be made from local materials with simple tools.

No need to rely on modern (and possibly unavailable) consumables like o-rings, and pellets. Silencers are not required.

Cheers!
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Bows and arrows are exceptional and really valuable,....I make my own bows and would definitely have some in a SHTF situation,...however a good PCP is a real great tool, I have enough spare parts in a little bag to make my PCP and pump last a lifetime, I can cast pellets out of wheel weights, silent, precise, powerful a great weapon for the situation
 
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I have about a dozen air rifles now. I also have a couple of flintlocks which I built and sufficient powder and lead and the means to cast it. I also have a couple of rim fires and a few thousand rounds of ammo. I have a few bows which I built and the makings of any number of slingshots.

THE FIRST THING I WILL TRADE AWAY are the airguns. ;) Dis boy ain't stupid. I will trap to eat and there isn't an airgun made that I would take over a 10/22 with a couple of 30 round magazines. Not that I am planning on getting into a fight clearly if I was I'd go heavier but ...

Well I forgot the Mossy 500 and a few hundred shells but yeah ... The airguns are trading material so springers.

But lets talk about reality. In a situation where the rule of law has broken down 2/3 of US won't last the first six months. The average age on this forum is 56 years and the SD on that number wasn't that big IIRC. Most 56 year olds (and younger) will be more competitive than us older fellers. The old ones of us will succumb to medical needs, or accidents, infections, or starvation even if we have our trusty BB guns. That's reality. You can do what you want to try to stave that off but realistically very few men/women over 60 will make it past the first year and practically NONE will make it past the second year if it goes that long.

Now (some of you) will get all huffy about me saying this. You don't need to. I'm happy to concede that YOU are the exception if you believe that. I just know what a war zone looks like and old people don't make it, neither do the very young (infants and todlers), and women of child rearing age... Once the law breaks down you get what you are seeing on the news lately.

Nobody but NOBODY is going to want to trade you for a PCP and a pump they have to carry around...
So...
Springers or pumpers, because you can trade them for things you REALLY need.

eh? Sounds like the fart sack is calling. :sleep:
 
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I think what everyone should keep in mind is that SHTF could play out in thousands of different ways and they don't all necessarily involve the end of the world. I can't think of any potential disaster scenario however where an airgun or airguns would be a liability. Worst case scenario, you just ignore or abandon it and I can easily imagine situations where being able to quietly hunt, kill pests or train new shooters would be advantageous.

I would probably rank airguns as somewhere below bicycles or solar panels and somewhere above slingshots and Bowie knives for SHTF.
 
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People enjoy daydreaming about SHTF scenarios because A) they get to live out a hero fantasy where they’re staving off hordes of cannibalistic marauders to protect their wives and all the other damsels in their zip code in order to reap the benefits and B) because they mistakenly assume that with the disappearance of civilization comes the erasure of all their problems, i.e. no more bills, debts, taxes, chores, and other mundanities. They imagine all that will be left is shooting the occassional animal, growing a beard, and sitting by a fire. The truth of course is that civilization provides untold luxury, and without it, every moment of every day would be a muscle tearing labor just to provide basic necessities like clean water. There would be unimaginable hardship in areas that most of us can’t predict. There will be no victory against marauders because disease will get us first, and there will he no damsels to protect because you will be too busy protecting yourself. It won’t matter how many guns you have because someone else will always have more. Whenever I get lost in such a fantasy, I remind myself that no matter how hard modern life can feel—with all it’s unsexy little struggles—it beats the alternative in every single way.
 
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