I'm a Poor. First PCP?

[UnderPressure]

I'd have to agree on advice to avoid regulated on a first, and potentially only, gun.  You can always upgrade or swap to a different gun later if this proves to be a space you want to play in long term.  While I love them, I am also able to rebuild them (I bought the parts and testers and have used them) and have multiple guns so if one "goes down" I have others to use if needed.  They are great in use, but do add a point of failure and servicing requirements.  That is part of the reason that my Air Ranger will never get regulated as it is just so rock solid reliable and accurate without one (pretty much everything else is regulated).

If wanting to avoid a regulator but use a hand pump then I would get a gun with a fairly large reservoir.

Small reservoirs on.unregulated guns are fine for people that use SCBA tanks and compressors. However, for people that use hand pumps you will find yourself  doing a lot extra pumps that you wouldn't have had to do if only you had a larger reservoir. This because a small reservior needs more refills for X number of shots and that means more pumps that need to be used to reprime the fill line.

For example, Diana Stormrider Gen 1 and 2 (and clones) only have a 100cc reservoir. That means during long shooting sessions you will have a greater number of lost pumps compared to the same gun with a larger reservoir. This because of the greater number of times the hand pump needs to be connected and disconnected which results in a greater number of times the fill line is repressurized and bled.

The only way to eliminate this small reservoir problem for the unregulated gun is to have an multistage pump on the gun like a Seneca Aspen, FX independence or FX Indy. With an on-gun pump there is longer any lost pumps used to repressurize the fill line. Modular design like the FX Independence where a longer reservoir can replace the on gun pump would be nice as well. (Actually with FX Independence you have the stock small reservoir with on gun pump, you can add a reservoir section in between the small reservoir and on gun pump to yield a medium reservoir with on gun pump configuration or you can replace the on gun pump and just run a large reservoir all by itself). Then you got multiple gun configurations to ideally suit whatever fill options you have.

[Marquette]

I have a .177 Maximus that gives 35 shots at 11 fpe with 8.44 gr JSB Exact from 1900-1200 psi. That is after a lot of tuning. Out of the box to had a typical decending shot string.

[x3baddad]

Wow that is an awesome offer to the OP, He should jump all over that if he has any mechanical ability at all.  I am in awe.

[Jayrotx821]

Went with gen 1 Gauntlet in .22.  Louder than I thought it'd be.  Looking at moderators now.  Hand pump was not as bad as I thought it would be.

[SoCal]

can rec' Hogan Decimeater : user modifiable and oodles less expensive than a Donny.

perhaps worth investigating how much noise coming from trigger/air_valve/etc action compared to barrel.

[Corny]

I would pickup a well build older gun on the cheap.
I would skip all the bottom entry level offerings.

Used gun I would consider
Airforce talon
Older FX (I’ve seen WC mk1 for $400)
Theoben
Older disco can be made into fine shooting gun. Also very solid.
If you’re capable of fixing things…shop the classifies and pick up something broken and fix it.

 

[Earl]

Went with gen 1 Gauntlet in .22.  Louder than I thought it'd be.  Looking at moderators now.  Hand pump was not as bad as I thought it would be.

You made a good choice.
The gen 1 Gauntlet should have baffles inside the shroud that work pretty good.
or
https://hajimotoproductions.com/index.php/product/umarex-gauntlet-strip-stak-pak/

[kbstingwing]

Went with gen 1 Gauntlet in .22.  Louder than I thought it'd be.  Looking at moderators now.  Hand pump was not as bad as I thought it would be.

loud Really? my Gauntlets seem very quiet to me, are you shooting outside or inside, inside can make a quiet gun sound louder than it really is, sound reflecting off walls, my Gauntlets both .22 and .25 are very quiet when shot outside, I left the sound moderation stock, one thing the gauntlet barrel is thin and will bow with a large moderator on it making it have accuracy issues, if you can get something that is small and light weight, like a DonnyFL Koi or similar, good luck and have fun

[bear air]

I think Hajimoto has some items to quiet the gauntlet down. And yes things are loud indoors lol.

[Jayrotx821]

Perspective matters.  It is loud compared to my Daisy 880's with Buck rail moderators.  They are Hollywood quiet.  So far I've only fired it indoors because I want to upgrade the moderator/baffles before I take it outside.  I want it as quiet as it's gonna get get before I subject my neighbors to it. It is a fun rifle.  I am starting to understand the hype behind PCPs. 

I'll be investing in a compressor soon.