My Air gunning story (long)...please share yours

[Tpatner412]

Well guys as I sit awake at 1 AM typing, I just kind of think about my life and where Im at.  I haven't had too much time to shoot of late with school and tennis back in full swing but I have had lots of time for the GTA.  I really can't put my finger on a specific word that describes my feelings of obligation to come spend an hour or two a night on this site but I don't really care about that.  I really like it here, good people and good conversation for the most part.  I have been very fortunate to meet many of the members here in person and build friendships with them.  I just wanted to tell you all a bit about myself and what I like to think my place in Air gunning is.

For those of you who do not know, I am a 20 year old college student and I spend most of my time playing tennis (I play for a Division I college team) or playing with airguns.  I got into air gunning about three years ago now when I started watching Rick's video reviews.  After emailing with him a few times, I settled on a QB78 Deluxe and shot the heck out of it.  My Freshmen year of college I bought 3 springers; A gamo whisper, cometa fusion black and an RWS 48.  Now to say that I was addicted to airguns was a bit of an understatement.  I was a religious reader and rather quiet member of the old GTA (I think I had maybe 150 posts in 4 months) and I slowly learned more and more about this sport.  I used to think that I would never sell any guns, I would just keep them all and have a massive collection like Gene.   .  I was 18 and had no real use for money so I spent it all on pellets and scopes and guns.  By my 19th birthday I had some nice guns and had my sights set on more.

A brief side bar here.  The other day I found a list of the guns I wanted when I started this obsession and I laughed looking at the list because I either own or have owned almost all of the guns.  And the ones I haven't owned I have shot.  Just interesting to have actually viewed where I was and where I am now in my air gunning.

So onto my Sophomore year and I moved off campus into a house with a nice deck and a 50 yard backyard.  I was in heaven.  And to accomodate this new landscape I needed some new toys.  So I sold off my Gamo, RWS 48 and Cometa for a Disco with pump and a BSA lightning.  Now the lightning was my dream gun and I love the way it looks.  Any way, as soon as I got the disco I was in the yard shooting the pop tabs off of the cans.  Not the cans but the little pieces you open the can with.  I was very impressed and quickly became one with that rifle.  It was all good for a while and the itch to buy a new gun had somewhat subsided, then all of a sudden as I was cruising a classifieds page my heart jumped.    An EVANIX RAINSTORM .22.  The gun Paul Capello, shot literally one hole with and got 70 shots, and at $100 off retail.  The gun was mine before I decided to actually say "I'll take it."  Within weeks I had it and the havoc began for the local starlings.  Soon after I bought a tank and got rid of the pump.  For those of you thinking about getting a pump over the tank, just buy the tank if you can afford it.  I'm in good shape and pumping was really not that hard but it is a pain in the rear end!  Tanks are just the American way I suppose LOL.  Ya know since we are all becoming increasingly sedentary and lazy   . 

Now for those of you wondering where a 19 year old kid gets a couple hundred dollars at a time from, well I have a summer job that pays well and I work at school on top of tennis so all of my guns have been purchased by me and only me.  That's kind of a badge of honor for me.  maybe it shouldn't be but that depends on how I feel about my finances on any given day LOL.

So now I was really getting into the PCP's and had to get another.  It was coming up on my birthday and I decided to throw a want ad for a BSA PCP out there.  Now many people probably wonder why someone would go for a BSA PCP when a Mrod is half the cost and probably just as accurate but there is just something about the looks of BSA guns that gets me drooling, always has and there probably always will be.  So I ended up finding an awesome BSA SuperTEN in .22 with a quick fill built into the bottle.  Now for those of you that think your Mrod is accurate, let me see your Mrod beat my SuperTEN in an accuracy competition.  Let me tell you now, NOT GONNA HAPPEN!  I declare that with confidence. 

So the end of the school year rolls around and I asked my Dad if he would take me down to South Carolina for the annual fun shoot.  The cost of hotel and travel was my birthday present from my parents and that was my choice not theirs.  So we set off from KY where I go to school for SC.  We live in Chicago so my Dad made a total trip of 16 hours or so just to get to SC.  I got to meet all of the fine folks that I talk to in the chat room and many more.  Had great conversations with good people and best of all, Gene let me into the gun room  .  I got to shoot some really fine air guns and it really helped me determine what I wanted in the future.  The fun shoot in SC was maybe the best weekend I have had in a really long time.  If you can make it this coming year I strongly suggest you go.  I got to shoot an R9, HW97, FX Independence, FX cyclone, AA S200, AA S410.  Just some really fine air rifles. 

So I went home for the summer and my Dad says to me one day, "man I didn't realize how expensive those R9's are."  He shot Gene's and I think he fell in love LOL.  I could see him trying to figure out how he could justify buying one and then I saw him think about how he could get it past my Mom LOL.  So I was on a mission for an R9.  I had a few pennies left over from work at school so I went into a local AG dealer and bought a .20 R9 and some pellets and walked out.  It was brand new but from 2009 so I wasn't sure what it was going to be like.  Well I took it back home that night and shot a group the size of a .22 pellet.  So I knew I had a winner, but I was left with this empty feeling because I had an R9 for my Dad but not one for myself.  So I got online and negotiated a trade for my BSA lightning and got a nice shooting .177 R9.  Now comes Father's day and I unveil not one but TWO R9's to my Dad.  To the back yard we went and he chose the .20.  He liked the edge in power for squirrels and chippers.

Now if you haven't figured it out already, I really like airguns and am willing to throw around some major cash to get what I want.  But the story I am about to tell you almost made me give up buying airguns.  This past summer I discovered auctions sites for guns and AG's.  I noticed a BSA R10 (it's a more feature laden version of the SuperTEN) up on the block and threw in a bid.  So push comes to shove and ~$700 later I had a never before shot R10.  Well it turns out that the former owners had never seen an AG before because they disconnected the bottle and so I immediately figured that the guns internals were going to be full of dust and I would be screwed.  But yet again I got lucky and the internals were fine.  After replacing a few Orings I had her in top shape and went to test her out.  Loaded a pellet and pulled the trigger, POWWWWWWWWWWW.  Sounded like an AirForce Condor.  Prolly on mid power.  It was that loud.  So I have an LDC on the way as I type (should be here tomorrow actually  ).

Any way, I just wanted the folks out there to know that air guns are more than a hobby, they are part of life for me.  I am an air gunner.  It is part of my identity.  People see gun cases and say oh do you have guns? I say I have Air guns.  And so begins the whole explaining the difference between a AG and bb gun LOL.  I just want to say thanks to each and every one of our members because if it weren't for all of you, I would have no one to push me into buying so many cool toys.  And to those of you that I have had the pleasure of dealing with or meeting, I just want to wish you all the same good fortune that I have had in this obsession because we all deserve to get good shooting guns that we love.  I know my story is a bit long and abnormal but I feel like Air guns are part of my future and I hope that is a future that involves the GTA and all of our members as well.  It always helps to remember where you started this addiction and I hope that some of you guys will take a look back and share your stories with us as well.

And just a final side note, I have no idea what I am going to buy next but you can bet your butts that when I figure it out, its gonna be nice and you all are going to be very VERY jealous.

Thanks for listening

Tyler

[lizzie]

Wow- very nice and interesting story Tyler.

Mine is much simpler and based on need over want, but it has grown (and continues to do so) toward the collecting end of the spectrum.

I build bird houses for bluebirds and purple martins. House sparrows and starlings are aggressive competitors for their housing, and starlings in particular can devastate a martin colony in a short period of time. I never saw a starling on our property until 4 years ago. I knew then that I was going to have to come up with a way to control them, but if I controlled starlings with nestbox traps (which does work), I was risking trapping martins as well, and I didn't want to do that. Last summer (2010) I finally worked up the courage to start learning to shoot airguns. I knew nothing about them, and had no experience shooting any kind of long gun at all. I went to Walmart and just picked up an AM77 without knowing anything about it. I brought it home, sat down at the bench, and put some serious hours in, teaching myself how to shoot. I joined another airgun forum, but I found that nobody there really enjoyed discussing the craft, and there was very little activity there, so I eventually just kind of abandoned the site except to check in now and then.
Fast-forward to this summer- I discovered this site while googling something air gun related. I saw that there was some real interest and love of airgunning displayed by the members here, and I lurked for about 5 minutes before I joined, lol.

Reading some of the threads really got me interested in German air rifles, which was something that I already knew I wanted, but didn't really have the inclination to spend the bucks on, but one day, I had spent the day visiting with my parents (my dad had just been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and was undergoing radiation, and I was going with them to a doctor's appt). On my way back home, I impulsively stopped in a gun store just to see if they carried air rifles. They don't, but they had a consignment room where their customers can sell. They had this beautiful older air rifle that I knew zero about, but I knew the name was German, so I decided what the heck, and I bought it. Turned out to be a FWB 124 with an old Beeman Blue Ribbon scope.

Well, my purchase turned into a love of fine craftsmanship of older German-made air rifles, and I started pawn-shopping for others. I have so far bought a Winchester 435 (Diana 35), and a Diana 50, and got both for a great deal. I've also picked up a couple of older model American guns which I treasure as well.

So basically, I tend toward the collector's side over the technology side, but I love shooting too, and I've become interested in learning to tune, because I'm a tinkerer and I like to improve things.

[Tpatner412]

Good story Liz. I've never been much of a collector, mainly becuase I don't like to hold onto guns for too long. But I think I'm gonna change that. I've got a good group of guns that I'm very happy with so maybe I will stock with them for the long hall

[lizzie]

Admittedly, collecting can be a problem, because I've had to limit this impulse in the past, lol.
I will eventually limit this one as well, but it sure is fun.

[Smaug]

Great to get the full background Tyler & Lizzie.

For me, it started when I was about nine, geez, that's 25 years ago already. My dad bought a used Daisy 880 from a friend. He built a BB trap, and we shot targets in the basement. I wanted to shoot ALL THE TIME. For whatever reason, he sold the gun, and I was out of airgunning for a few years.

Fast forward a few years, I finally talked my grandpa into letting me buy Crosman 760 Pumpmaster, when they still had rifled barrels. My brother bought a 66-4X Powermaster. He wanted the scope, as his eyes aren't as good. He was also more of a saver. We went out plinking and also shot the occasional bird. I know, I'm a bad boy, but I put the hurt on robins, blackbirds, starlings, sparrows, and even got a goldfinch. Finally, someone called the game warden on me for shooting geese. I was so happy I could nail them about 4 yards out with 5 pumps and holding high, I bragged to another kid, showed him, he bragged to his parents, who were less than impressed and brought down the law on me. That was the end of my airgunning as a youth. My grandpa had to pay a $100 ticket.

Fast forward a few more years. I turned 21, save my pennies, and got into powderburners. They're really fun, but just so darned expensive to shoot, and so darned restricted. Even ammo for 22s add up, with the reliable, accurate ammo costing $8/100. Action shooting with a 45 was even more expensive: $21/50. I load my own ammo, which brought it down to $11/50. Still, a lot of cash.

My range has an airgun range, which I had been curious about. I never stopped in, but it got me thinking. I remembered how much I enjoyed shooting airguns as a youth. Would it be just as much fun as an adult? I decided to find out. I dug up my brother's old Crosman 66 Powermaster and tried that. FUN! I dug up my grandpa's old Powerline 1200 CO2 BB repeater pistol. FUN! After a few days of research and meeting Tyler (Tpatner412) locally, I went and bought a Stoeger X20. It turned out to be great fun, having full power with one cocking stroke. I then bought a Crosman Raven for plinking fun. Lighter, easier to cock. But I wished for the trigger, accuracy, and ease of shooting of the Powermaster but without lots of pumping. So I bought the Daisy 953. I love this gun. Great plinker and target gun for indoors. Next, I wanted that convenience and accuracy, but with full power. So I just got a Benjamin Marauder in .177. (I like .177, it's economical to shoot and has plenty of energy and range for my needs)

Tyler really took me under his wing and we went to the range. He tried some powderburners and we had a good day shooting. He tried my 22LR (liked it) and 6mm Remington rifle (didn't like it) and a few handguns. I tried a couple of his nice springers. (R9 and the .22 Crosman)  Next time we met up, I tried his Rainstorm and SuperTEN. Wow. Great power, great trigger. The only thing not great is the price of entry! He predicted I'd probably succumb and go PCP one day. I was in denial. I didn't want to drop that kind of coin on another hobby. It took me a while to get myself worked up to the point of getting into PCP. I'm still in the pumping phase and plan to stay here. It is good exercise, and I don't get that much exercise these days, so I hope I can savor it and maybe stay in some kind of shape besides round by pumping up the Marauder and doing part of my commute by bike. Tyler hasn't been wrong yet, so maybe I will end up buying a tank soon. I will be ashamed of myself if I do though. After all, I'm not a 20 year old guy into fast-moving sports any more.

So now, I've taken the bait into this hobby hook, line, and sinker. I've spent a good several hundred bucks on this stuff. I think I'm going to try field target shooting soon with the Marauder or X20. Or both. I've found out that this is just as much fun as powderburners with (a bit) less regulations, a lot less noise, and much lower ammo costs.

This is a nice place, and I'm thankful for its existence. I try to pay it forward here, just like Tyler did for me. If there's anyone newer here, I recommend dropping by the gate for your area and trying to find an old hand to take you under his or her wing.

[Tpatner412]

Great story Jeremy. You never told me that you got the game warden called on you?  That not worthy LOL.

Glad I could help feed what has become a bit of an addiction for you. And don't lie, you're addicted LOL. Hopefully you will have a similar opportunity to share your hobby with someone, like the opportunity you gave me.

[Smaug]

Oh, and as for whether a Marauder can hang with a SuperTen, we shall see. But I'll leave you with this as food for thought: (1" .177 Marauder group @ 91 yards)

http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/message/1316450518/Long+distance+shooting+with+-177+Marauder-----++%26quot%3Bedited+and++%2B1+pic%26quot%3B

Hey, do you think this thread might be more suited to the new Introductions Gate? It might be fun for new guys and gals.

[lizzie]

Cool story Jeremy- thanks!

[newguyontheblock (Nathan)]

took me two days to get these stories read with various distractions and obligations.  

Great stories guys.  Tyler im like you, Im 18 just lacking the will to spend all my money though.  I thoroughly enjoy my airgunning, my .177 disco is scary accurate.  I compared it to a buddies .22 LR and i shot more lightbulbs off the fence than he did  (dont worry we set them there and cleaned it all up)

All my hard earned dough (hah hard work ) is going into a business venture that should allow me to be my own boss.... thennnn ill spend the rest on airguns and catch up to you!

[VINNY]

When I was about 12 or 13 my dad bought me a Red Ryder. [back when they really were accurate.]Shooting that thing was my favorite past time until I was 16.I could'nt miss.I joined the Army and forgot about airguns 

In 1995 I found a Benjamin 132 in a motorhome somebody traded in.I turned it in, nobody claimed it.I shot it when camping, but thats about all.Still have it in the origional box with all the paperwork.

Then one day I saw an add for a Big Cat 1200 at Big 5.I went and bought it, did some searches on line and found the GTA. I now have 24 or 25 air rifles and 7 air pistols.

 The kids moved out, now I have my own "Gun Room".
There are so many reasons why I like airguns.I wish I was more into it back then, but there was no internet, and no GTA to read every night and pour gasoline on the fire!

[mav72]

I was looking for that link that had all the exploded parts views of different guns but I never found it but it did remind me that there was a back room...

Here's my story... When I was 4 or 5 my dad got my older brother a Crosman 766... My dad was into powder burners and at that time I think he had his Winchester 22 repeater and a silver 38 revolver pistol that my uncle sold to him with the intention of buying it back due to his gambling problem... I know my brother used to own a Daisy bb gun before I was born but it was broken by the time I got to it... After it was bought that 766 was put to good use... I used to watch my brother shoot all kinds of things the fence and he'd go with his buddy to shoot birds...Back then, it wasn't a big deal for a kid to carry around a pellet gun and there were farms all over with rabbits to shoot...

Now that I think of it, I've never been a big fan of Co2... I've always thought it was because it ran out but now that I'm looking back, the first time I saw a Co2 cartridge was when my brother tied me up, laid it right next to my face, told me that it was a bomb, and then left the room... I think that's why I'm not quite right in the head and I start laughing when it comes to danger...

Anyway, I wasn't allowed to touch or have the need to touch any type of projectile arms until I was 11 when my dad decided to teach my younger brother to shoot who was 8... We inherited my older brother's 766 because I guess it was a kids toy to him by then.. After we got into shooting cans, my dad decided to buy a Model 1 because me and my younger brother were always getting into fights over who was going to shoot next... I stuck with the 766 because it was more accurate and let my younger brother shoot the Model 1... I barely found out this year (2011) why the Model 1 didn't shoot well... We also acquired a Crosman 38 Co2 revolver and used to shoot all the time but I started to be less interested in guns and more interested in girls.. So when the Phase II 1377 was bought, I wasn't really into shooting anymore and all the guns just sat for years...  I had friends that were heavily into Powder Burners but the closest I'd ever get to guns was looking in Bass Pro and Cabela's catalogs...

Fast forward Christmas 2010.. My older brother wanted an airgun for pest control... I got him an AM77 for Christmas... That same Christmas my sister and family gave me an Airsoft pistol... I started shooting it around the house and then that made me pull out all the old airguns... The 766 no longer held air, the model 1 and 1377 still shot but I don't know what happened to the 38.. I wanted to fix the 766 and I started looking around the internet and that's when I found the forums... Not until I acquired my cousins broken Phase II 766 that I had the parts to fix the one I have... By this time, I wanted a new gun... My brother let me shoot his AM77 at his house... I enjoyed it so much that I got one for myself... He also gave me his refurb plastic 760 that was left outside since it couldn't hit anything.. (I sure changed that.)  So now I once again have the the airgun bug...