Absolute Nube - Need to understand the basics

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AdrianBar

Member
Mar 30, 2021
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La Paz, Bolivia
Hello There,

I am a shotgun shooter, I competitively shoot Skeet and Olympic Trap.

Few days ago a guy from my Club showed up with an FX Impact and I absolutely fell in love with the thing, I shot a few rounds and was amazed by the accuracy, silence and apparent simplicity of the rifle, and decided I wanted one, but when I started looking for options to buy and came to find how ignorant I am about the whole "PCP World".

As most people my first experience with a rifle came with a .177 spring air rifle (Gamo), I have owned a few of them over the years, most spring action and 2 nitro piston, which I enjoy very much and use for Dove hunting now and then, but when it comes to larger game, they simply don't work.

I have read some articles online about what to get, but they add to the confusion.

I am looking for advise on understanding the basics in order to be able to get an Impact... I'm confused about suppressors, tank sizes, there seem to be lots of trigger options, as well as barrels. Of course, I understand that what you use a rifle for is what defines what you need, in that regard, I would use the rifle for some recreational target shooting, maybe some small tournaments, and occasional dove and jackrabbit hunting, I doubt I will be shooting at anything father than 100-110 yards away... (yes, pellets, slugs, etc. will be phase 2 for me).

Thank you for any advice.




 
If you are completely new I would give it a couple of weeks. In that time I would look up a bunch of YouTube videos about Fx, other brands, and the general workings of a pcp. Also search this forum as it is full of in depth discussion on various topics. After that time of research you will likely have a better idea of what things you want in an airgun. There is just so much info that no single thread could get you anywhere near the info you need. 
 
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Sit down with a large cuppa coffee and about 3 weeks of uninterrupted time with Airgun Nation and you will have earned your yellow belt in Airguns.

Your approach is spot on, crawl walk run shoot then learn air guns. Be open to other brands, as FX is good...they are kind of the Apple phone of Airguns. All the cool kids have them. Lots of great options out there that are not FX.

Welcome to our family. Hope you enjoy your time with us.



Noted your location is La Paz Bolivia. Bien Venidos hombre!
 
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110 yards is a long way for hunting IMO. However as a shooter that has lots of powder burner experience it can be done. I generally shoot no farther than 70 yards. If you plan on doing those kinds of shots I suggest going straight to slugs. Fx has a slug liner barrel that is tuned and built around a slug. That being said a heavy pellet will do the job. Fx comes tuned from the factory for a certain projectiles. Do research on the fx and best pellets or slugs for the job you want to do. The reason for this is because they build thier barrels with perfect twist rate and tune the gun from factory to be the best with that pellet. Again I suggest slug liner or at least a barrel designed for heavier pellets. Lots of options out there. 
 
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The guys up top have given you great advice. I do not own an impact, but usually spend an hour or so a day reading for us watchig youtube and the like so fair amount of useless knowledge built up. The impact is equivalent to chess... It has lots of moving parts that do different things and is pretty complex... Certainly the deep end of the swimming pool. You may want to start with something slightly more basic with some tunable parts to get your feet wet and learn the basics of pcp. Likes the others said there is to much info out there to explain it all at once. If you do decide to start with an impact focus on the basics.... Gun, and air source. Then worry about suppressors, extra barrels, custom triggers, grips and tanks when the time comes. 
 
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Impact for first PCP can be a little bit challenging...but great gun if you set on one, order from someone like SPAW who can set it up the way you want it, you don't want to set up the gun like impact if you don't know what you doing, that's why we got so many posts about "broken" Impacts. Get .22cal or .25 cal 700mm barrel Donny FX or Ronnin moderator and you good to go, I own .25cal Impact 700mm with Ronnin on the end and couldn't be happier.

B


 
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If your budget allows, jump right into the compressor section and make plans to source a compressor first before the gun. Solidify your air source, wether it be a compressor or a tank. Not even going to suggest a hand pump, but it’s out there if you so choose. 

Then get the gun you want!
Click to expand...


And a good recommendation by @Bigragu as always.

b
 
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This is an excellent forum for learning. Explore the areas. Many other people new to airguns everyday. Plan for PCP, and explore other brands—Airforce, RAW, FX, etc. it’s a great hobby in it’s own right. Once the initial expenditure is in, it’s really cheap to do (I shoot trap and skeet too, and it continues to cost, even though I reload my own shells). However, I will warn you, it’s addictive!
 
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Hello There,

I am a shotgun shooter, I competitively shoot Skeet and Olympic Trap.

Few days ago a guy from my Club showed up with an FX Impact and I absolutely fell in love with the thing, I shot a few rounds and was amazed by the accuracy, silence and apparent simplicity of the rifle, and decided I wanted one,

Thank you for any advice.



Click to expand...



While I don't own a FX Impact, it don't think it's a simple rifle by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, I think it probably got too many possible adjustments... It's a bit like someone wanting to learn to drive with a Caterham 420R

- How much $$ are you willing to throw at this project? As in rifle $, air-source $, optic $
 
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If an FX platform is what you seek, why not start off with a bang(meaning, a great gun) and start scouring the classifieds(still sticking to the plan of air source first) and pick yourself up an old reliable- the wildcat MK2. No exterior power wheel knobs to have to mess with, and it’s truly a proven platform. These can be had now, depending on stock configuration and wether sniper version or compact, typically anywhere from $800 to $1050. If shot count is required, pick up the sniper style versions with the longer air tubes. Compact versions are ok, if that’s what your into, but realize the air tube is shorter, and you won’t get too many regulated shots(did I mention it’s a regulated gun?)

The STX liner systems can be used on these for slugs or pellets, there’s decent aftermarket support, and parts availability still thru FXUSA. Great gun to learn maintenance from, and from there later on as $$ allow and knowledge increases, then shoot for the more complex platforms such as the impacts or mavericks. 

My suggestion only. 
 
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I’ve been into PCPs for about 6 years now and I have a cabinet full of my “learner” air rifles that rarely get shot. I do have the Impact MK2 700mm, Dreamline Saber Tac and an LCS SK 19. I consider those 3 rifles my “go to” solution for almost everything I do. If I were doing it over I would buy the very best I could possibly afford as well as a YH compressor. As has been pointed out by others, FX are great airguns but, they are so heavily promoted and marketed many aren’t aware of other great choices out there. Had I done that in the beginning I figure I would have saved over $4K. Just my thoughts.
 
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Just another thought and has been mentioned but, if you want to enjoy your PCP you need to have a compressor. Cheap YH can be had for under $200USD and run up to around $300 for units with autoshutoff. A decent scope is going to be a must so, figure around another $300+ for that. If you think an SCBA bottle will serve your purposes figure out who will refill them in your area and for how much. I live in a rural area and the closest site for me to get charged is over 70 miles away. Bottom line; the initial investment in a PCP will actually be around $600+ additional to make it really work for you. And whatever you do don’t get sucked into one of the “shoebox” compressors.
 
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Adrian,

¡you're in La Paz! 😄 Hello neighbor! I'm in Lima!

I'm glad you seem to be able to buy good quality airgun gear in Bolivia (or get it from the US). 👍🏼



You didn't mention scopes in your request to understand the basics.

I assume skeet shooter don't use scopes, and in any case, scopes for airguns have quite different requirements than for powder burners.

I'll attach a guide on how to select your scope magnification range, which includes a multitude of factors, so you get just what you need (and not just someone else's favorite....).



Happy shopping!

Matthias



❌ Guide: What Magnification Do I Need?

download.png
View attachment SCOPE MAGNIFICATIONS. 022. 2020-07.1617246445.pdf


 
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Thank you all for the warm welcome and the good advice!!

I am always amazed and proud of how much of a welcoming and helping community we sport shooters are.

In general, I have a couple of things in mind: 1. As pointed out by JimNM, I live in Bolivia, which means that getting the required permits to import even an Airgun is daunting and, therefore, trying something simple until the basics are comprehended and moving up from there, although sound advice, is not practicable in my case; 2. When I started shooting (trap and skeet are my forte, but I also do practical shooting and some bench rest with a .22Lr) I started with simple, rather cheap guns and, as AIR-Nashville wrote, I started collecting them and over time I realized I could've saved some $$ had I shot for the stars and gone straight for the big boys.

In this case, I shall do a little more reading, but I think I will make the effort to get the best airgun I can afford so that I stay with it for a really long time.

In that regard, any advice on versatility and durability? (suppressor, Barrell, definitely air source, etc.). I already have a Vortex Crossfire II lying around, so I believe I'm set for optics.

Thank you all for your time and great advice.
 
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A great compressor is a great investment. You can gamble with the inexpensive units, but you may find the same pattern of trying to save money and eventually realizing you could have bought 'right' the first time.

I know there will be those that disagree with me, and I don't mean to imply that I've tried them all, but I don't find much difference between suppressors. It takes about a 3dB difference to register a difference to your ears, so don't get hung up on one suppressor being a couple dB better than another in some test. Also, most of the testing isn't truly valid as a proper setup is prohibitively expensive, so take it as relative with a significant margin of error. In particular don't compare one person's volume measurements with another persons. Look at size and weight as those will change how your rifle feels. 

GsT
 
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Adrianbar,

This might sound like a silly question, but what's available in Bolivia?

  • Having to import a top tir springer (like a TX200) wouldn't be so bad, as there isn't all that much that could go wrong. And if need be, you could probably find someone local to make a part...
  • A PCP is more complex, and having to find o-rings would probably easy enough... I'm not sure about regulators and/or electronics
 
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