N/A Why PCP airguns are so expensive?

[BackStop]

If you think the new market is nuts, then just check out the vintage and collectible markets. There are 3 JW80s that I have seen advertised recently for $7500, (and one on the classifieds here for $5500). Now I am sure that Whiscombes are some damn fine shooting rifles and the stocks on all 4 of them are real things of beauty, but I'd also bet that a tuned Avenger would outperform a Whiscombe in nearly every way and I'd bet that Steve Corcoran or some other stock maker could make a similarly gorgeous stock for $1000 or so.

The Whiscombes are at least very high quality guns however. Double barrel Daisy's also go for crazy prices and they're really just cheap children's toys.

Still, it all equates to folks with more dollars than sense in most cases. (grin)

Of course, to each their own! (chuckle)

All my best!

Kerry

 

[Caliber 22]

It is like most people buying the latest and greatest high dollar smartphones but only using it like a entry level smartphone. Most times it is about "want" and not "need". Actually, all we NEED is food, clothing and shelter, more than that is "I WANT". Shooting paper at home like most do, can be done with budget rifles.

 

[Dogowsky]

I bought a Umarex Notos recently for chipmunks control and had to RMA it right away without making a single shot. The barrel moves and wiggles in any direction it wants. That would translate to, I don't know, 10x10 feet groups at 50 yards? If the barrel does not fly away, of course. I partially took it apart in a hope to find something obvious, like was found and fixed in AEA Challenger, but nothing. It is either a defect in manufacturing or missing part.

Anyways. This thing costs almost exactly the same money like Ruger 10/22 does. But Ruger is made in America, with high labor cost, it uses more expensive materials, and the design is better.

AEA Challenger .510 is more expensive, since it is more complex, uses more material, have to deal with greater pressures and energies, wooden stock is more nice, etc. At least I was able to shoot it out of the box and see a dirt splash approximately in the direction I aimed. But, again, it costs as much as a .308 Ruger American Gen 2, which is better designed, uses better materials, has nicer finish, got more R&D, used American labor, etc.

I get it when a hand-assembled and tuned precision machine costs a few grands. It's all about highly skilled labor cost and prestige margin after some point, I get it. But those cheapest guns? Is it PCP demand so hot that airgun vendors mark everything up shamelessly? Or there's a huge hidden cost in the PCP production that I don't see?

My first Notos from Pyramid was defective as well. Had to turn right around and ship it back for replacement. The second one arrived 10 days later and it was fine. Somebody made our first ones on a Monday!

 

[ebutter]

There are way more moving parts in an airgun. There needs to be a storage method for the propellant unlike a firearm.

 

[Nomadic Pirate 66]

A firearm is basically just a pipe and a striker, airguns are way more complicated.

 

[jmohme]

People tend to base thier opionions on cost on the sum of the parts it is made up of and not all of the steps and costs in getting it to a sellable product.
With high volume products, the initial costs can be recovered in a reasonable ammount of time. PCP air guns are not high volume products.

 

[Sawney Bean]

People tend to base thier opionions on cost on the sum of the parts it is made up of and not all of the steps and costs in getting it to a sellable product.
With high volume products, the initial costs can be recovered in a reasonable ammount of time. PCP air guns are not high volume products.

This is especially true when you consider a low volume product with a lot of precision parts and an undeveloped design.

The basic design elements of PCP's are pretty well established these days, but not so much for semi-autos. Those are still in their infancy.

 

[jmohme]

This is especially true when you consider a low volume product with a lot of precision parts and an undeveloped design.

The basic design elements of PCP's are pretty well established these days, but not so much for semi-autos. Those are still in their infancy.

The basic elements yes, but the implimentation of them into a new product, not so much.

 

[Sawney Bean]

The basic elements yes, but the implimentation of them into a new product, not so much.

But not having to invent the basic elements is a huge cost saver and makes new products an order of magnitude better. Imagine having to reinvent things like sidelever cocking, cylinder magazines, regulators, plenums and as likely as not getting them wrong the first half dozen times.