At 67 I'm Going Through a Air Gun Life Change.

[wll2506]

Ya, I'll be selling about 5 to 7 of my guns that I have because I have them, most guns to be sold will be spring/gas ram guns. I will keep a few medium power guns for backyard fun, the powerhouse spring guns have/are being replaced by PCP's in a big way.

After playing with my old 22 cal Career 707's, 25 cal Sumatra and my 22 Condor SS and my other other 25 cal Condors, most of my other guns that I thought were cool, are cool, but they are not what they once were. The PCP's in the airgun world have passed them by in a big way.  I have been out of airguns for about 25-30 years until I started posting on these airgun forums maybe some 6+ months ago or so.

I'll keep a few medium powered spring guns, but there are not in the same class as the above mentioned guns, not even close. My Disco's are power houses compared to my old springers ! My Crow Magnums are class *A* custom made type guns ... but so what ... they are toads compared to PCP guns.

My PCP's are spitting out pellets just under the speed of sound with heavy for caliber ammo and no springer can touch that. I don't have any jump or twang ... the only thing is the shot sound, and the barrel shrouds take care of that. The shots that I can make with today's PCP guns were just about a pipe dream a few years ago unless you were hip enough  to have a Career 707 back in the day .. In the last few weeks I have made shots that I would have never tried with my springers. My Korean guns are shooting 22 cal Kodiaks in the high 950's without breaking a sweat and so is my Condor SS. My 25 Cal Sumatra and 25 cal Condors are zipping JSB King Heavies about 950+ fps for around 70 FPE ... lets see a springer do that !

This works for me as my airguns are mostly used for hunting .. if I was a backyard shooter and plinker my attitude might change.

Some changes are coming to my gun cabinet for sure !  The writing is on the wall for me.

wll2506

[oldpro]

Im surprised we never ran into each other William you were right in my back yard in Lancaster Ca. Im with you the pcp airguns are light years beyond the springers and brake barrels its hard to say they are related in any way. Once you step into pcp there is no going back.

[Wildcatter]

Amazing, isn't it?   PCPs have made me shelve my powder burners here in California to go hunting.   With my LDC, I'm shooting in my backyard!

[Rocker1]

 I have been playing with bb guns since  1971 and seriously for the last 15 and the changes I have seen over the years are like star wars,  5 years ago who would have thought you would get 90 shots out of a mrod. David

[wll2506]

I'm surprised we never ran into each other William you were right in my back yard in Lancaster Ca. I'm with you the PCP airguns are light years beyond the springers and brake barrels its hard to say they are related in any way. Once you step into PCP there is no going back.

I have been in Lancaster for about 2 years and hope to be out in two more ;- ) looking for another state, not sure where I will go.

wll2506

[PlanB]

our airgun situations are similar William, i got my first rws in about 57 from Santa. i have no idea where i heard about pcp's about 2-3 years ago but i tried a 22 marauder with hand pump and it was much more accurate than my rws 36, but accuracy fell off . then i found this forum and rico 14, hes in Calif. rico talked me into an fx, wow, fliers went from  1.5" to 1/4".
 i went to ebr last year and plan to go back this year.

[Wildcatter]

I went from a .177 gamo silent cat to an FX Wildcat in .22.  PCP's are just so easy and accurate.  Air source is only issue, but 105 pumps and 60 full power shots?  Pretty good.

[glassman98]

William,wait till you hit 75 like me. Your out look will change again. LOL  Craig

[Nomadic Pirate]

PCP is a whole different ball game.

[wll2506]

PCP is a whole different ball game.

Yes, When I had my Career's I barely shot them because of the noise and the power was over what I felt comfortable shooting in my back yard, so I put them away .... I bet I do not have a total of 200 shots through all 5 of of them together. I use them now but for hunting, shots are few because of the noise. I have moderators for them, but since I live in Kalifornia I don't want an officer who is not knowing the law try to arrest me because the moderator in his/her eyes can be taken off easy and he/she assume it can be used on a firearm.

My Condors have moderators that are either part of the frame of the gun or have shrouds that are attached with special barrel bushings that are made just for that airgun ... so there is no taking it off and screwing it on a pistol. I love the R&L shroud because it looks like a bull barrel and goes into the frame, it is very clean and looks factory.

In Kalifornia you better think of what you are doing and who can interpret the law one way or another.  A moderator that can easily be taken off is for private property for my way of thinking while I'm in Kalifornia !, I don't want to take any chances.

wll2506

[supertech77]

i hear ya, now wait till you go big bore,like going from spring/n/p to pcp small bore,once you go big bore,IMHO,its a different world altogether ,either way i look at it, i got too many airguns of all types,lol,but i hang on to them,my 25 cals love eungins 43 gr..mostly because there fed a steady diet of them, and 26.gr predator,s too.

[Wildcatter]

I saw you have a tuned .177 Ruger air magnum.   Who did it and what did you do and the results? ??

[wll2506]

i hear ya, now wait till you go big bore,like going from spring/n/p to pcp small bore,once you go big bore,IMHO,its a different world altogether ,either way i look at it, i got too many airguns of all types,lol,but i hang on to them,my 25 cals love eungins 43 gr..mostly because there fed a steady diet of them, and 26.gr predator,s too.

If I got a larger caliber it would be a 30 or a 357 !

I really like the extra shot count of the 30, and it is more suited for coyote size animals, but F&G may consider it to small for game. I would use it on hogs for head shots ... I would use my 25 cal Condors or my 25 caliber Sumatra for hogs with head shots too !

If I got a 357, it would be because F&G opened up air gun hunting with 357 being the smallest caliber ......you never know what Fish and Game is thinking ? I would think they would go by energy level or momentum factor, but who knows !

wll2506

[blackdiesel]

I lost all interest in springers after I shot my first PCP. I ended up giving the springers to my neighbors teenage kids. My son didn't want them after shooting a PCP and he's been using a Sumatra 22 cal. 

[steveoh]

I took out my RWS / Diana 350 Magnum Compact Pro in .22 the other day and shot a dozen or so pellets through it, and thought that it was quite a chore to cock that beast.

Then to try and get the springer zen hold back, and finally squeeze the trigger, and the resulting flinch of that thing kicking my shoulder made me think of getting rid of it. Found myself longing for my childhood Diana sitting apart on the bench.  Gotta put it back together. In the meantime my son and I are having fun with his new 2240, and my QB-79, Sumatra .25 etc.

steveoh

[wll2506]

I lost all interest in springers after I shot my first PCP. I ended up giving the springers to my neighbors teenage kids. My son didn't want them after shooting a PCP and he's been using a Sumatra 22 cal.

The difference is night and day !

Springers are fun and they are OK for playing around and general sporting/hunting stuff at "NORMAL" airgun ranges. ... but nothing compares to PCP's for raw power - (especially with heavy for caliber pellets at high velocity). I'm shooting at distances that I would not consider with my springers ! The more I shoot PCP, the further back in the safe my springers go !!!

wll2506

[jimbo]

Amen brother!

[Ribbonstone]

Yep...kind of did the same thing.  Got into PCP's and eventually went all PCP for a couple of years.

But I crept back to at least some springer shooting....then some co2 for specific uses...and a couple of MSP's....and before I knew it, was back with quite a few non-PCPs.

Realize I could go all PCP....not just the fast and powerful jobs. Can namange +200 shot HPS back yard rifles, +100 shot match indoor rifles,  +100 foot pound big bores...pretty much anything you want to do with an airgun can be done with a PCP.

For you, it's all range and power; having one job in mind does make the power plant choice simpler.  Guess I could swat pest birds in the back yard with a +60 foot pound .25, but I feel it's a little bit like hanging pictures with a sledge hammer (they get hung, but the wall damage in kind of scary).

[Wildcatter]

Depends on the PCP.  A .177 Wildcat with full charge 200+ shots with less then 12 fpe and sub .5 inch groups makes seem archaic. ..

[Wildcatter]

Opps, makes backyard single shot springers seem archaic.