JTS Wise purchase or Not ?

[KRich]

I'm about ready to "pull the trigger" on a new rifle and would love some input from the fine members here. I have never owned a PCP before, so I'm pretty clueless on what to expect.
I'm looking at:

JTS Airacuda Max in .22 & JTS COMP1 Portable PCP Compressor​

I have watched several YT vids, and all seem pretty positive. As this is my first outing with PCP, I can't blow huge money just yet.

Advice on what gr. pellet would perform best in this rifle would be of great help as well. I tend to stick with H&N and JSB in my other rifles...
I will use the gun for backyard plinking mainly, but with a rodent/bird kill occasionally.....75yrd

I was delighted to find out JTS (America) is located just 30 min from my house, so if any issues arise, then pounding on a door shouldn't take that long.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

[KRich]

I have an fx Maverick and an fx impact that I shoot much more than my Airacuda max .22 cal. They are just a more refined pleasant experience to shoot. However, with that said, even owning rifles 5x the cost I can say the Airacuda max (at least mine) is a flat out winner. It is incredibly accurate, even with crosman 14 gr pellets. The reg stays put doesn’t creep at all and I can take the gun out of the safe after sitting weeks and the velocity on the first shot is right on. My impact can’t even do that. They have a three year warranty on a 400 dollar gun (wow). The only complaint with mine out of the box was the barrel / breech/ scope rail alignment was funky. A 1” tube scope didn’t even have enough adjustment. I was told to loosen the barrel band in case it had been bumped in transit and shifted the shroud. I took it off completely. That did make it better however I never retested the 1” scope to see if it would work. I had the same issue with both avengers I owned. I think it is just the nature of the beast with the more cheaply manufactured China guns. Other than that the gun is great and worth every penny. The warranty center is within a drive for you. I don’t think you can go wrong.

Awesome sir. Much appreciated.

 

[KRich]

I have bought MANY times from Pyramydair. They are super reliable. AoA is also super reliable.

Indeed, myself as well. I had a chance to visit AOA in person a few years back, and bought my HW80 while I was there. Super helpful folks...PA as well. Several air rifles from them too, and you can't beat the buy 3 tins get one free deal. I was planning on buying the Airacuda from PA

 

[KRich]

@MysticalDragon Did you read the initial post?


@KRich was very detailed in his post and questions. A compressor doesn’t have to fill a SCBA bottle. He didn’t mention a SCBA bottle. He can fill his gun’s reservoir directly from the compresor. Many compressors are built this way.

@KRich $1000 is a nice budget to start with. The linked thread below was composed for people new to PCPs like yourself. Take a look. The gun @Emu suggested is listed there along with user experiences of other AGN members.

Good Out of the Box Shooters (PCPs) - Share Your Experiences

After reading many threads where members ask questions seeking advice concerning which gun to purchase for hunting/pesting, a first PCP for backyard plinking, or wanting to tryout benchrest styled shooting I saw several posts where tinkerers, competitors, and mechanically inclined members are...

www.airgunnation.com

Thank you sir......

 

[WorriedMan]

Thank you kind sir

KR,
You're very welcome. If you go Airacuda Max, I'm around to help, feel free to PM. Let me suggest two other things; (1) Consider .25 over .22, the versatility of the .25 will impress. (2) Compressing air causes heat, heat kills compressors, the more ways to dissipate that heat, the better. Methods to dissipate heat: high-speed fans, water cooling, low-gearing, crankcase oil, standard-speed fans. Be wary of any high-pressure air (HPA) compressor that utilizes only one method. WM

 

[KRich]

KR,
You're very welcome. If you go Airacuda Max, I'm around to help, feel free to PM. Let me suggest two other things; (1) Consider .25 over .22, the versatility of the .25 will impress. (2) Compressing air causes heat, heat kills compressors, the more ways to dissipate that heat, the better. Methods to dissipate heat: high-speed fans, water cooling, low-gearing, crankcase oil, standard-speed fans. Be wary of any high-pressure air (HPA) compressor that utilizes only one method. WM

THANK YOU Very much !. I was wondering about the advantage of going with .25 over .22....it has been on my mnd. Yes, indeed, heat kills. Hence the reason why I was choosing the JTS pump over the Air Venturi RovAir (both being $500)....The JTS from what I see, has much better cooling. Could you suggest a superb water/oil trap to hook up inline? From what I'm seeing, both units are lacking in this department.

 

[WorriedMan]

KR,
I've five .25s and one .22 in PCPs. Ammo more expensive but you'll bring more to the fight with mid to larger size pests. Here's my Yong Heng HPA compressor set-up. The orange-colored filter, by back wall, is a coalescing water filter, $125 on eBay. Search eBay, "coalescing filter," for diagrams explaining operation. This is one I'd recommend first. The long gold one, paired up with the coalescing, is a winning combination. I'll include picture of Owner's Manual, $60 on eBay, search,

"PCP compressor filters." WM

 

[KRich]

KR,
I've five .25s and one .22 in PCPs. Ammo more expensive but you'll bring more to the fight with mid to larger size pests. Here's my Yong Heng HPA compressor set-up. The orange-colored filter, by back wall, is a coalescing water filter, $125 on eBay. Search eBay, "coalescing filter," for diagrams explaining operation. This is one I'd recommend first. The long gold one, paired up with the coalescing, is a winning combination. I'll include picture of Owner's Manual, $60 on eBay, search,View attachment 400189View attachment 400190 "PCP compressor filters." WM

You sir, are awesome. MOST appreciated. I will look into this in greater detail for sure. Excellent food for thought. I think I found it....I've been using water traps for years on various compressors......everything from painting cars to woodworking and had no clue about these sophisticated filters..Thank you very much sir for shedding that light..

 

[WorriedMan]

You sir, are awesome. MOST appreciated. I will look into this in greater detail for sure. Excellent food for thought. I think I found it....I've been using water traps for years on various compressors......everything from painting cars to woodworking and had no clue about these sophisticated filters..Thank you very much sir for shedding that light..

My pleasure to help, many have done same for me, nice to return the favor. WM

 

[HogKiller]

THANK YOU Very much !. I was wondering about the advantage of going with .25 over .22....it has been on my mnd. Yes, indeed, heat kills. Hence the reason why I was choosing the JTS pump over the Air Venturi RovAir (both being $500)....The JTS from what I see, has much better cooling. Could you suggest a superb water/oil trap to hook up inline? From what I'm seeing, both units are lacking in this department.

I'm almost in the MEH category on this, the key is what are you doing with it and what do you THINK you'll be doing with it? .25 is more expensive to shoot, you can push the pellets out further because they're heavier. I've got both a .22 and .25 Maverick both will take down a ground squirrel at 100 yard, but the .25 does it with a bit more authority but dead is dead. If all you're doing's punching paper then .22 at the price of those you can add a .25 later as you get use to the gun and the budget allows. Welcome to the Rabbit Hole®

 

[KRich]

I'm almost in the MEH category on this, the key is what are you doing with it and what do you THINK you'll be doing with it? .25 is more expensive to shoot, you can push the pellets out further because they're heavier. I've got both a .22 and .25 Maverick both will take down a ground squirrel at 100 yard, but the .25 does it with a bit more authority but dead is dead. If all you're doing's punching paper then .22 at the price of those you can add a .25 later as you get use to the gun and the budget allows. Welcome to the Rabbit Hole®

Thanx Killer. I ended up buying the .22 version...due to be delivered this Friday. The rifle will be used mainly for backyard plinking in my "shooting gallery" I set up on nice days. Maybe a few birds here and there with an occasional squirrel-nothing major. I was tempted to dive into the .25 but as you and Worried pointed out, the cost to shoot goes up. I'm not sure how many folks here are into firearms, but we are having a crisis right now with .556 & .223 ammo.....worse than it's ever been. Our current "President" is doing more foolish things...not to mention Vista outdoors selling out to the Czech's...... and Ukraine/Israel getting a poop ton of our ammo as well. Anyway, my ammo stash in all calibers is quite significant, and I must keep it that way for the foreseeable future. So if I want to shoot, then back to air rifles I must go. After all, one must stay in "shape" so to speak. I have a few High-end precision .22 rimfires that I can employ if taking "larger" small game is needed. I have been a fanboy of Benjamin/Sheridan air rifles since I was 6 years old. I have in my collection a rare Tootsie Roll and a Blue Streak:

And on the more serious side, 2 Weihrauch's (HW80 & HW90) and my beloved Beeman R9 (HW95) I bought way back in the early 90's.:

The Beeman R9 is getting a new power plant installed this week courtesy of Vortec as well as a new breech seal coming from Australia. Its time the old gal got a refresh. This Airacuda as I stated before, will be my first venture into the PCP world. If my company doesn't go cheap on me this year, and gives out X-Mas bonuses, then I may have to dive into the FX Crown Continuum MkII with Walnut stock I'm drooling over.

Yes indeed.......that rabbit hole goes rather deep..........with no end in sight.....

 

[KRich]

My pleasure to help, many have done same for me, nice to return the favor. WM

I seen what you did reading your original post......I haven't bought the JTS pump yet, as my research into a compressor is ongoing. I see you have the Yong Heng. How is it holding up? That compressor is water cooled and half the cost of the JST. I could buy all the advanced water separator's and the pump for what the JTS would cost.....I'm leaning heavy that way...

 

[MysticalDragon]

I seen what you did reading your original post......I haven't bought the JTS pump yet, as my research into a compressor is ongoing. I see you have the Yong Heng. How is it holding up? That compressor is water cooled and half the cost of the JST. I could buy all the advanced water separator's and the pump for what the JTS would cost.....I'm leaning heavy that way...

Take a look at the GX Cs4. It is water cooled also. Many have had good results with them. I went with it off amazon as it was hard to beat the price. I can fill scba bottles with it too if I need to.

 

[beerthief]

Thanx Killer. I ended up buying the .22 version...due to be delivered this Friday. The rifle will be used mainly for backyard plinking in my "shooting gallery" I set up on nice days. Maybe a few birds here and there with an occasional squirrel-nothing major. I was tempted to dive into the .25 but as you and Worried pointed out, the cost to shoot goes up. I'm not sure how many folks here are into firearms, but we are having a crisis right now with .556 & .223 ammo.....worse than it's ever been. Our current "President" is doing more foolish things...not to mention Vista outdoors selling out to the Czech's...... and Ukraine/Israel getting a poop ton of our ammo as well. Anyway, my ammo stash in all calibers is quite significant, and I must keep it that way for the foreseeable future. So if I want to shoot, then back to air rifles I must go. After all, one must stay in "shape" so to speak. I have a few High-end precision .22 rimfires that I can employ if taking "larger" small game is needed. I have been a fanboy of Benjamin/Sheridan air rifles since I was 6 years old. I have in my collection a rare Tootsie Roll and a Blue Streak:
View attachment 401626


And on the more serious side, 2 Weihrauch's (HW80 & HW90) and my beloved Beeman R9 (HW95) I bought way back in the early 90's.:

View attachment 401629

The Beeman R9 is getting a new power plant installed this week courtesy of Vortec as well as a new breech seal coming from Australia. Its time the old gal got a refresh. This Airacuda as I stated before, will be my first venture into the PCP world. If my company doesn't go cheap on me this year, and gives out X-Mas bonuses, then I may have to dive into the FX Crown Continuum MkII with Walnut stock I'm drooling over.

Yes indeed.......that rabbit hole goes rather deep..........with no end in sight.....

nice collection , even a "Tootsie Roll " Stan in Ky .

 

[KRich]

Take a look at the GX Cs4. It is water cooled also. Many have had good results with them. I went with it off amazon as it was hard to beat the price. I can fill scba bottles with it too if I need to.

Awesome sir. I will look into that for sure. Thanx !

 

[MysticalDragon]

Awesome sir. I will look into that for sure. Thanx !

Also I added an external water separator as extra insurance. I will likely do something outlined in the post below as it does take some time to purge and fill the separator. There have been many positive reviews about it.

Fill multiple guns without dumping the air from your large water trap/filter each time

This is an update to some older posts of mine with new information about the defective bleed valve on the small Tuxing filter with the shutoff valve on it. If you buy this part, be sure to replace the bleed valve assembly with a better built bleed valve so as to not have a dangerous situation...

www.airgunnation.com

 

[Nomadic Pirate 66]

I would rather go for the Standard vs the MAX

 

[WorriedMan]

I seen what you did reading your original post......I haven't bought the JTS pump yet, as my research into a compressor is ongoing. I see you have the Yong Heng. How is it holding up? That compressor is water cooled and half the cost of the JST. I could buy all the advanced water separator's and the pump for what the JTS would cost.....I'm leaning heavy that way...

Everything in the Yong Heng photo totaled < $400. All but water bucket, water pump/hoses and stool are permanent. I set up and break down those each session, toss water in washing machine. Yong Heng has water, fan and crankcase oil cooling. Two and a half years, over thirty hours, still going strong. Operator can add additional exterior fans and ice bottles to help, as shown in photo. Inexpensive repair/rebuild parts are readily available as are repair/rebuild "how-to" videos. YH fills tanks but I only fill guns, shoot a few down, then time for fill session. WM

 

[KRich]

Everything in the Yong Heng photo totaled < $400. All but water bucket, water pump/hoses and stool are permanent. I set up and break down those each session, toss water in washing machine. Yong Heng has water, fan and crankcase oil cooling. Two and a half years, over thirty hours, still going strong. Operator can add additional exterior fans and ice bottles to help, as shown in photo. Inexpensive repair/rebuild parts are readily available as are repair/rebuild "how-to" videos. YH fills tanks but I only fill guns, shoot a few down, then time for fill session. WM

Roger that. I found one for $250 and will probably jump on it. I really appreciate the advice and heads up.

 

[HogKiller]

Thanx Killer. I ended up buying the .22 version...due to be delivered this Friday. The rifle will be used mainly for backyard plinking in my "shooting gallery" I set up on nice days. Maybe a few birds here and there with an occasional squirrel-nothing major. I was tempted to dive into the .25 but as you and Worried pointed out, the cost to shoot goes up. I'm not sure how many folks here are into firearms, but we are having a crisis right now with .556 & .223 ammo.....worse than it's ever been. Our current "President" is doing more foolish things...not to mention Vista outdoors selling out to the Czech's...... and Ukraine/Israel getting a poop ton of our ammo as well. Anyway, my ammo stash in all calibers is quite significant, and I must keep it that way for the foreseeable future. So if I want to shoot, then back to air rifles I must go. After all, one must stay in "shape" so to speak. I have a few High-end precision .22 rimfires that I can employ if taking "larger" small game is needed. I have been a fanboy of Benjamin/Sheridan air rifles since I was 6 years old. I have in my collection a rare Tootsie Roll and a Blue Streak:
View attachment 401626


And on the more serious side, 2 Weihrauch's (HW80 & HW90) and my beloved Beeman R9 (HW95) I bought way back in the early 90's.:

View attachment 401629

The Beeman R9 is getting a new power plant installed this week courtesy of Vortec as well as a new breech seal coming from Australia. Its time the old gal got a refresh. This Airacuda as I stated before, will be my first venture into the PCP world. If my company doesn't go cheap on me this year, and gives out X-Mas bonuses, then I may have to dive into the FX Crown Continuum MkII with Walnut stock I'm drooling over.

Yes indeed.......that rabbit hole goes rather deep..........with no end in sight.....

I got into airguns to get trigger time for the pewpews besides ground squirrels. Because I'm behind enemy lines it's hard to get ammo without paying a fortune and someone's kidney. Or....perhaps breaking the 'law' and going for a drive to a free state. So I conserve my modest stash for SHTF moments.

 

[WorriedMan]

Roger that. I found one for $250 and will probably jump on it. I really appreciate the advice and heads up.

Be mindful, mountains of clones out there, every Chinese HPA compressor manufacturer tried to get a piece of YongyIheng Pneumatic Company's success. You'll want compressor ID plate to reflect manufacturer as shown in photo, to assure authenticity. WM