Really curious to see if anyone has swapped out all their powder burners for airguns? If so, what was the driving force behind it?
Strictly airguns from powder burners?
- Thread starter JustNeedORingSize
- Start date
Not swapped out as in getting rid of my firearms; but I very rarely shoot them any more. The main driving force for me switching to air rifles was the ability to shoot them so much more often including right in my own backyard. I really enjoy the quiet low key plinking and informal target shooting that air allows. Sitting down for a couple hours with an air rifle and smacking spinners and knocking over little silhouettes is quite relaxing. While I enjoyed shooting firearms I don't think I ever considered them to be relaxing. Recoil and loud noise is not something I miss. In fact I was out once with a buddy shooting squirrels with my air rifle and my buddy was banging away with his ar15. I found the ar15 to be quite obnoxious to be around after becoming so used to my airguns.
Kenny
Kenny
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I don't know if it qualifies because I still own a few powder burners, but they are dust collectors now.
Since I got really into airguns, I just don't enjoy the noise, policing brass, reloading, cleaning powder fouling, burning up barrels, lack of availability in my state of most of the toys I may be interested in......
Since I got really into airguns, I just don't enjoy the noise, policing brass, reloading, cleaning powder fouling, burning up barrels, lack of availability in my state of most of the toys I may be interested in......
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No way. That would be like getting rid of my pickup truck just because I enjoy riding a new motorcycle.
Different tools. Different uses. I keep my tool box full. I see no need to lump all of my shooting activities into one category.
Different tools. Different uses. I keep my tool box full. I see no need to lump all of my shooting activities into one category.
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Haven’t squirrel hunted with a pb for 3 years. I most definitely don’t miss the noise! My ears would have been much happier if I had been using air rifles years ago. It’s much more relaxing shooting air rifles versus pbs.
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100%
It's been a couple years since Ive shot any of my firearms, and don't have much desire to either, for all the reasons Kenny listed.
Airguns scratch the itch, and they do so quietly, comfortably, safely, in greater volume, etc.
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Swapped "out", don't understand the "out".
Me, I had a safe full of fire arms that I shot most every weekend with friends up in the local canyons around SoCal. Lotsa places to shoot. Then came the local government and closed down most places to open shooting. Then a while later, they closed ALL local outdoor shooting unless it was an actual range or way out in the desert.
My/our shooting dropped to basically nothing. Then people started to move away, so the friends that I used to shoot with, ended up in different states.
THEN, the last straw, for me and "my" firearms shooting, was the "aircraft" crash of the 90's. MANY places closed their doors, even some larger manufacturers did. The place that I worked was one. A LOT of people out of work.
I was basically out of work for most of five years. Yeah, I managed a couple of low paying jobs, that didn't even pay the monthly bills. I sold my race car, I sold all but two pistols and one rifle, all to keep up with keeping my house. I closed two savings accounts, everything, money wise.
I was pretty deep in it, by the time I got back to work in a real job at TRW/Northrop Grumman. It took a while to get back on my feet so to speak. I didn't get back into firearms, as I said, all of my shooting friends had moved away. I made do with cars and motorcycles.
Then, 20 years later, retirement came to along. I've had a Beeman Tempest for a long time. Hadn't shot it much. I started shooting crossbows. That helped a little. I don't recall how or what got me into looking at air guns, specifically PCP guns, but, yeah, I did.
So now, for as much as I was ALMOST...down and out...retirement (Northrup Grumman) has been very good to me, and I have some toys back, all air powered. Only have the old couple of pistols and one rifle firearm.
So there ya go. How I got out of firearm shooting, and into air gun powered shooting.
Mike
Me, I had a safe full of fire arms that I shot most every weekend with friends up in the local canyons around SoCal. Lotsa places to shoot. Then came the local government and closed down most places to open shooting. Then a while later, they closed ALL local outdoor shooting unless it was an actual range or way out in the desert.
My/our shooting dropped to basically nothing. Then people started to move away, so the friends that I used to shoot with, ended up in different states.
THEN, the last straw, for me and "my" firearms shooting, was the "aircraft" crash of the 90's. MANY places closed their doors, even some larger manufacturers did. The place that I worked was one. A LOT of people out of work.
I was basically out of work for most of five years. Yeah, I managed a couple of low paying jobs, that didn't even pay the monthly bills. I sold my race car, I sold all but two pistols and one rifle, all to keep up with keeping my house. I closed two savings accounts, everything, money wise.
I was pretty deep in it, by the time I got back to work in a real job at TRW/Northrop Grumman. It took a while to get back on my feet so to speak. I didn't get back into firearms, as I said, all of my shooting friends had moved away. I made do with cars and motorcycles.
Then, 20 years later, retirement came to along. I've had a Beeman Tempest for a long time. Hadn't shot it much. I started shooting crossbows. That helped a little. I don't recall how or what got me into looking at air guns, specifically PCP guns, but, yeah, I did.
So now, for as much as I was ALMOST...down and out...retirement (Northrup Grumman) has been very good to me, and I have some toys back, all air powered. Only have the old couple of pistols and one rifle firearm.
So there ya go. How I got out of firearm shooting, and into air gun powered shooting.
Mike
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I haven’t shot any of my powder burners in over 2yrs and I’m really thinking about selling a bunch of them to buy more air rifles 
I don’t know what it is about this sport that is so addicting but it’s all I think about and want to do anymore, even the wife tells me all the time that she wishes I would pay attention to her as much as I mess with airguns 
I don’t know what it is about this sport that is so addicting but it’s all I think about and want to do anymore, even the wife tells me all the time that she wishes I would pay attention to her as much as I mess with airguns Upvote 0
No. They never got shot a lot to begin with. Ammo prices, noise, exceedingly higher level of power and danger. Have to find and go to an adequate place to shoot them. Which generally requires a LOT more space than an airgun.
Just not nearly as easy to use for those reasons.
Invariably, I've bought way more airguns where I may have bought more powder burners.
But had I not bought any airguns at all, I would have bought, $ for $, less powder guns anyhow just due to the difficulty to use.
Just not nearly as easy to use for those reasons.
Invariably, I've bought way more airguns where I may have bought more powder burners.
But had I not bought any airguns at all, I would have bought, $ for $, less powder guns anyhow just due to the difficulty to use.
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Other than bird hunting, my PB’s gather dust and take up space in the safe.
I had pretty much given up shooting my PB’s. Just no interest anymore. Then one day I was at the archery range which shares a building with the local indoor air gun range. Public relation officer for Fish and Game talks me into visiting the air gun range and I have not looked back.
I shoot more now than I ever did before.
I had pretty much given up shooting my PB’s. Just no interest anymore. Then one day I was at the archery range which shares a building with the local indoor air gun range. Public relation officer for Fish and Game talks me into visiting the air gun range and I have not looked back.
I shoot more now than I ever did before.
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only PB i am keeping is my custom lab built Anschutz . Last to sell is next week at gun show S&W 41 . (money to go to Midwest air gun show )
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I've pared down my PB collection considerably and the ones that I've kept are for "social work" or are collectable.
I mostly just shoot airguns in my yard or basement. There's no hassle getting my gear ready to go to the range, ammo is waaaayyyyyy cheaper, and they are just plain fun!
I mostly just shoot airguns in my yard or basement. There's no hassle getting my gear ready to go to the range, ammo is waaaayyyyyy cheaper, and they are just plain fun!
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Shot PB for 30 years, got pretty good at pistols in my teens. Spent a lot of money on tacticool shooting when I was younger because it was cool with friends. Recently I was thinking about building a PB long range rig but really have no interest in PB at all. Some of the old timers still go to and host PB matches but we enjoy our time with airguns so much more, we can tell tall tales and shoot all day and NOT going to the range.
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Squirrels and a dog, ok, that and the BS of Fauci's Virus, had a request to reduce the ground squirrel population at a Horsemans Association, I knew I'd never do it with a .22 so I bought a A17 17hmr and boom squirrel guts all over the place, 18 my first outing. BUT there is a dog that hates the bang, even a 100 yards away, so I thought I'd try a airgun, bought a Remington nitro, broad sides of barns were perfectly safe, took me forever to get the barrel straightened and the thing to work, found out about PCPs and down the Rabbit Hole® I went. Got a Sapsan, loved it but the reg wasn't playing well crept like there was no tomorrow, went back to the shop for repair, the same day that Putin did his thing. Didn't see it for a year. Didn't want to go back to the Nitro so .... bought a Maverick, then another one. It's fun to get the trigger time in the back yard and to muck around with the mechanics, sadly nary a squirrel has been gotten, have to learn the 100+yard skill set with airguns oh and having the pesky rodents actually being UP and out might help. Did go to the range with a PB, use to be fair, with my Xd9, OMG at a measly 5 yards I could barely hit paper, took a few mags to get back into the groove, use to be able to hit steel at 100 yards. Residing in a state that restricts so much and a fed that is getting worse can't take some of the Pew-Pews out and I'm not sure I miss it. I've got a sweet little setup in the back yard, and knock on wood, nary a peep out of my neighbors or people walking on the street other side of the fence. Lots of shrubs help. Had a guy 80 yards away tell me he could hear the poof and the pellet hitting the paper, must have great ears but he knows I shoot anyway so not an issue.
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At the peak of the ammo raping prices of the covid hoax my local gun store advertised primers for one dollar per primer. I had been buying a handgun or rifle from them every other month for five years (I didn’t have a massive collection, I would buy, try it and usually sell to try something new). That was the last straw.
I sold ALL my reloading gear and components and a couple guns, only retaining some rifles I would hunt with (bolt guns) and four handguns for defense. I sold all that in 45 minutes at fair pre-rape prices for $8500.00. Put it all into PCP’s and an Alkin and pellets.
I shoot every day in the basement, at two permissions or my gun club.
The beauty of airguns is I can easily shoot 500 pellets in an outing for less than I can eat out at a restaurant.
I have not burned a single grain of gunpowder since January 2021 and don’t see the need to unless I hunt something that an air rifle isn’t allowed or isn’t ethical.
I sold ALL my reloading gear and components and a couple guns, only retaining some rifles I would hunt with (bolt guns) and four handguns for defense. I sold all that in 45 minutes at fair pre-rape prices for $8500.00. Put it all into PCP’s and an Alkin and pellets.
I shoot every day in the basement, at two permissions or my gun club.
The beauty of airguns is I can easily shoot 500 pellets in an outing for less than I can eat out at a restaurant.
I have not burned a single grain of gunpowder since January 2021 and don’t see the need to unless I hunt something that an air rifle isn’t allowed or isn’t ethical.
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I have a small collection of PB's, mostly pistols, AR's and some sentimental guns. I haven't shot them in many years but they will stay in the safe. I have put together a collection of airguns, 3 pistols and 12 rifles, I will shoot these in retirement in my backyard.
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I like my .22lr but don't shoot it as much as I'd like. Shotgun has been a couple years since I shot it. Sold my .223 R700 and .17hmr a few years back. Airguns are just too fun and easy and much safer to shoot.
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i will keep all my PB's, reloading equip, rifles and handguns for my son and grandkids.
we deer & hog hunt a lot ! i mostly use my airguns but sometimes i
like to go out to around 150-200yrds, so......
we deer & hog hunt a lot ! i mostly use my airguns but sometimes i
like to go out to around 150-200yrds, so......
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