How tuff are PCPs

[Wolfer]

How do PCPs stand up to being hauled around on a work truck seat for everyday use. A farming friend of mine hauls a old Nitro piston gun around in his truck every day never cleans it not in a case and kills ever pest he runs across on his ranch, can a PCP be treated like this. This is why I chose the Vectis as a utility/work gun. I will keep in a soft case whenever possible but it will probably be out more than not. Dust will be my main concern, not scratches, scuffs and bumps. How many others have and use a gun like this.      Mike

[tracker1955]

That's a loaded question as it totally depends upon the build quality of the rifle. Some rifles are more than capable of being banged around and will be no worse for wear, others are so fragile you feel like you should be wearing white cotton gloves when you handle them, both can be good shooters but one would make a very poor truck gun. Maybe that's why I like my Rainstorm carbine, it's light, short, but very solid feeling and gives me the confidence to use it in the field. My new Impact feels very solid in hand also, no surprise it has so many fans.

[csitas]

I see the dust as your biggest enemy.  Espeacially where we use silicone grease on every thing.  I can't say that I'd recommend any  banging around. Seems as though things shift a lot. Only way to know for sure is try it and see what they'll stand.

[ranchibi]

As far as built tough, Edgun's are known for they're structural integrity (runs one over without scope with his truck re-mounts scope and POI is the same). As far as dust, dirt etc. I would use a air compressor to blow any accumulated dust or dirt out every couple of days. They are also compact especially the Leshiy's 1 & 2.

[Airnut]

My Urban has logged many a mile as a truck gun.
Still more accurate than I am and never have cleaned it.

[Ribbonstone]

Did test that, but in a Jeep rather than a work truck (and the rifle was in gun sock on the floor boards).

Drive to and from work, any stops I had to make, some travel on rough roads....get it out and shoot the same target each day.

Takes a week…..but have something to look forward to when you get home.

[nervoustrigger]

Like tracker said, there are some models that will hold up to being bumped around but quite a few that won’t.  At a minimum you will want something with a firmly anchored barrel band (or a barrel and receiver built like a tank but those are rare).  Maybe tell us what models you’re considering or the price range you want to stay within.
 
Regarding dust, your best bet is to go with a dry lubricant on the bolt and hammer.  If you smooth the parts and burnish the surfaces with molybdenum disulfide or tungsten disulfide powder, they will stay moving freely for a long time.  That will also help minimize the extent to which temperature swings affect the velocity.

[Motorhead]

DIRT /DUST is NOT OUR FRIEND with any PCP or Spring guns !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Being an Air Tech servicing over a 100 air rifles a year I get to see first hand all the nooks and crannies garbage can get into and F-up our beloved air guns.
Indeed designs change with differing manufactures and there are certainly more that categorize as somewhat fragile to VERY fragile than are trending towards tough or near bullet proof ..... IMO

Toughest of the tough, least susceptible to debris ingress and just one solid mechanical assembly ... The TAIPAN's be them older Mutants or the newer Veterans.
Being a bullpup there short and compact making for a most excellent "Truck Gun"

Don't shoot the messenger 

[RDB]

I think Ribbs use of a gun sock is pretty much mandatory.  They're not that big of a hassle and offer some protection from creepin crud.

[JimD]

I've only owned a PCP for a little over a year but I've owned powder burners for decades.  I don't see much difference.  I've had my Prod apart to move the bolt to the left and to drill out the transfer port.  If dirt gets into the inner workings of the Prod I am sure it will not function correctly and the seals are definitely something a powder burner doesn't have.  But the hammer mechanism isn't that different from the firing pin mechanism.  Both have to work for the gun to fire.  The operating pressure being so much lower on a PCP makes the consequences of malfunctions less.  Plug a barrel on a centerfire and it may blow up in your face.  A pcp will not.  I try to treat all my guns with respect but I wouldn't be afraid to take my Prod in a truck.  I would put it on a rack or something, not on the floor, but I don't see why it would damage it to ride around.  The scope is probably the most fragile thing about any rifle and both powder burners and PCPs have those. 

[subscriber]

The forces involved in cocking a springer dictate that it be "strong".  Compare that with the dainty little screws that hold the upper receiver of a Marauder to the air tank/chassis tube, for example.  Then there is the skinny barrel of the typical PCP, inside a dainty shroud...

It amuses me to see airguns (typically in the hunting gate) lain down directly on loose dirt, photographed next to quarry taken.  Some attempt to prop the airgun in some way, to minimize dirt exposure.  Others use fallen leaves.  Anyway, it is their property I suppose, so none of my business. 

I don't feel the need to demonstrate how robust my airguns are, although I think the typical springer will survive a "drop test" better than the typical "cheap" PCP. 

The most interesting man in the world is alleged to have said, "I don't often use an air rifle as a club, but when I do, I prefer a springer"

At a minimum you will want something with a firmly anchored barrel band (or a barrel and receiver built like a tank but those are rare). 

Regarding dust, your best bet is to go with a dry lubricant on the bolt and hammer.

DIRT /DUST is NOT OUR FRIEND with any PCP or Spring guns !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Being an Air Tech servicing over a 100 air rifles a year I get to see first hand all the nooks and crannies garbage can get into

[JuryRigger]

The most interesting man in the world is alleged to have said, "I don't often use an air rifle as a club, but when I do, I prefer a springer"

You *dang* near made me spit coffee all over the keyboard there... 
Jesse

[Back_Roads]

 Many of us truck gunners add an extra barrel band to cheap guns like the Maximus with good reliability, be observant of dust, I like to use a HPA  bottle as there is a blast of air available to clear things out. Not sure if the Diana Outlaw is still available but it has been a solid trick gun for me for a couple years now.
 Air Force guns are pretty rugged also though I do keep mine in a case till needed.

[Wolfer]

Thanks for all of the great replies, I keep a couple of shaving brushes in a zip lock bag and clean the gun up a bit before it goes back in the soft case. Compressor blow at the end of the work week. Thanks again.    Mkke

[Motorhead]

Compressed air blows debris INTO the gun mechanics as well off ... food for thought 

[Wolfer]

Very good point Scott.    Mike

[Dbez1]

DIRT /DUST is NOT OUR FRIEND with any PCP or Spring guns !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Being an Air Tech servicing over a 100 air rifles a year I get to see first hand all the nooks and crannies garbage can get into and F-up our beloved air guns.
Indeed designs change with differing manufactures and there are certainly more that categorize as somewhat fragile to VERY fragile than are trending towards tough or near bullet proof ..... IMO

Toughest of the tough, least susceptible to debris ingress and just one solid mechanical assembly ... The TAIPAN's be them older Mutants or the newer Veterans.
Being a bullpup there short and compact making for a most excellent "Truck Gun"

Don't shoot the messenger 

About 2 years ago, MOTÖRHEAD and a couple others on this forum talked me into a Taipan Veteran and all I have ever done was shoot it (a lot) and occasionally run a Patchworm through it. It was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. It’s by far my favorite gun and I don’t abuse it though.

[kbstingwing]

It all depends on which one you buy, some you could run over with a truck and it will still work fine, some you just sneeze wrong and it breaks...... , I guess mine are pretty tough, I haul Booty down the rough dirt road to the Range on Sundays with the guns bouncing around in the back bed in the camper shell, and they haven't Broke yet.....

[ranchibi]

Like Motorhead pointed out about using a compressor blowing air like I suggested above, can be detrimental.....wipe down with damp cloth and service when service is needed! When in the truck, wrap it in a towel to keep dust away till you shoot it....shouldn't get too much dust inside while shooting unless really gusty out!

[Doug Wall]

A lot of PCPs are quite long. Something in the range of 3 1/2 to 4 ft might not be too handy to stash in a truck. I would think that a bullpup design in a soft case might be the ticket.