What are your expectations for budget airguns? - [2025-04-22]

[GTA-Airgunner]

Good Morning Airgunners!  Thank you for being part of the GTA!

So today's topic is a fruit of some of the shooting I've been doing.  I recently received the Crosman Prospect .22, a $400 regulated PCP that pushes about 27 foot-pounds throughout the shot string.  I've tested two of them. The first one was great out of the box, although I did not have much time with it before I had to send it back. This sample is mine to keep (Thank you, Crosman!), so I'll have more time to really put it through its paces.   Be sure to check AirgunWeb for the video coverage.  I'll send it over to the GTA for a proper GRiP review as well, but that will take a bit, given all the other products ahead of it.   

Anyway, my new Crosman Prospect needed some TLC out of the box.  I actually cleaned the barrel because the out-of-the-box results were measuring up to my other sample.  Anyway, after a good barrel cleaning, it started to shoot like I expected, which brings me to today's question. What are your expectations for budget airgun performance? Here are my thoughts.

First of all, my cutoff for budget PCP airguns is about $500.  So anything under  $500 is budet.  From $501 to say $1200 is mid range.  And anything over $1201 is high-end.  I'm sure folks may have different thoughts, but that's where I'm at on it.  So here what I want from a budget airgun.

1. less than 15 fps throughout the shot string on a regulated gun
2. 2" CTC or better at 50 yards for plinking around.  1" CTC or better if it's marketed for hunting - This is not a once off, but an overall average of what it can produce 90% of the time.

I was thinking about all kinds of other things that I want to see, but they are all super subjective.  There's shot count, energy, aesthetics, etc. but in the end, I just want something that can shoot consistently and accurately.  Ideally I'd love to only ever shoot SUB MOA airguns, but that's a lot harder to find than you might think, especially for $500 or less. 

Anyway, I'm curious to know what you all think about the subject.  My post tomorrow will be about the value of upgrading a "budget airgun" vs just buying high end up front. 

Thanks again for being part of the GTA!

Cheers
Rick

[Blowpipe Sam]

What do I expect?  Decent design but Lots of assembly errors.  Poor quality control.  The occasional utterly bizarre fault like the gas ram installed backwards or loose screws rattling around inside the mechanism.  Cheap materials.  Crummy plastic sights.  Ergonomics sacrificed for style.  Worthless plastic bling.  Hype.  A short service life and frustrating performance issues.

What I want from a budget airgun?  Accuracy.  I can cope with or fix the other issues as long as the gun is intrinsically accurate.

[GTA-Airgunner]

That's awesome feedback.  After 18 years doing this work.. I can tell you that your assessment is spot on with budget guns.  Getting one that doesn't have some or all of those issues is the exception to the rule.  I will say that things have gotten better since I started.  Brands like Macavity are a good example.  Most of what I run into these days are silly mistakes and poor quality o-rings.  Every avenger I've owned has leaked within the first 12 to 24 months. 

Thanks again for jumping into the discussion.. and thank you for being a part of the GTA.

Cheers
Rick

[Blowpipe Sam]

Pardon me.  I’m kinda grumpy.  I took advantage of your subject to dump a little.  We’re all aware of the shortcomings of budget/entry level air guns.  I know that styling is important for marketing a budget gun.  Look how the styles change constantly.  I would like to see a simple, unadorned gun in a traditional looking stock.  But styling like that is not going to sell the volume of product that the retailer wants.  Crosman’s Summit Ranger of a few years ago is a case in point.  A nice conventional synthetic stock, great iron sights, sling swivels, and a barrel unadorned with plastic.  Boring.  Apparently no one bought them.
I enjoy the innovation that is a big part of the air gun hobby right now.  The folks marketing budget guns want theirs to be innovative too.  So we have a fad for magazine fed break barrels.  Everything has to have a moderator/shroud now.  The cheap scope conundrum is well known.

This isn’t going to change.  It’s just the nature of the game at this price point. 
On the plus side they are cheap and plentiful.  If you strip all the bling off you often find a decent air gun underneath.

[eeler1]

What Sam said, and, there is probably a big difference between a $200 budget gun and one for $500, at least I'd expect it to be so.  And I think expectations depend a lot on how experienced with airguns a person is.

With respect to pcp guns, it seems like the lower the price, the less adjustability is built in.  More expensive guns may have adjustments for the regulator, hammer spring, hammer throw, transfer port, and/or trigger.  Cheaper guns aren't as user-friendly for changing things, and make you tear them down and fuss around if you want to.  So, I guess my expectation for a cheaper gun is that you accept it 'as-is'. 

The other side of that is, a more experienced user would probably be more inclined to do things to a cheap gun that they wouldn't to a more expensive gun.  Treat it more like a kit that you have to disassemble, clean, smooth out, and otherwise tinker.  There is some satisfaction in taking a cheap gun and making it shoot good.

[avator]

It always amazes me the some people consider a $400 - $500 airgun to be a a budget gun. To me $500 is alot of money to spend on anything that is not a necessity.

[HOSPassassin]

It always amazes me the some people consider a $400 - $500 airgun to be a a budget gun. To me $500 is alot of money to spend on anything that is not a necessity.

+1
IMO the only truly budget PCP out there is a Crosman 3622, with the Diana Stormrider and Beeman Chief not far behind.

[Rocker1]

 One of  the best entry level airguns i have touched is the mcavitiy its spot on worst thing is the front rail its kinda flimsey. ill write something up about them, another thing  is the reg is externally adjusted, the hammer is easy to adjust. .  the one im shooting is a 25 caliber agility its  one of the first the newer ones come with 2 gauges..  David

[avator]

The Pinty P-Force rifle strikes me as more of a budget gun.

[Blowpipe Sam]

As the owner of two budget PCP's and the soon-to-be owner of a third I have an interest here.  The C3622 is as basic as it gets but it does have an adjustable hammer spring and it's very upgradable.  The Beeman Raider has some nice features like an adjustable hammer spring, excellent magazines, and a gauge.  The forthcoming Hatsan Flash-R is regulated.  I purchased all of these guns for well under MSRP making them real budget guns.  More and more features are trickling down to the entry level.  The quality of the two guns I have is better than adequate for their price point and it's hard to expect manufacturers to sell higher quality guns for these prices.

Interestingly marketing budget springers seem to be all about the bling and the hype.  The advertising and reviews for entry level PCP's seem to be a bit more sober.  The features they tout for budget PCP's seem to be a lot more practical than a magazine on a 1200 FPS break barrel.

[avator]

If I were in the buying mood the Pinty P-Rifle would be right in the center of my radar.
3600 psi regulated.
Wood and metal.
Side lever action.
2 mags included.
Shoots common pellets.
Good reviews on shot count and accuracy.
Tunable.
Light weight and compact.
Pleasing on the eyes.
Right around $200 with discounts. So it won't be a safe queen.
Shrouded but can remove to add a silencer but not needed in my case... it's a non issue.

[Airnut]

Hum..... entry-level pcp under $500.
That would put my Urban in that category.
I have had it for about 3 years now and not a hint of a problem. One shot kills at 50+ yards all day long.
This "entry-level "pcp has turned me off to any future pcp's. It's just to easy! No challenge.
When I need to dispatch something quick I grab the Urban.
The moral to this story is more money doesn't always mean a better gun.
I don't think you can pigeon hole an airgun as entry-level ,ect using cost only.
That's just me.

[avator]

Not to argue but I do own the Urban and agree that it's a great gun but I found a couple downsides to it in comparisons to the P-Rifle.
Regulator
Side lever
Composite vs. wood
Expensive non existent mags
Non removable moderator
Parts availability
The Urban gets around 30 unregulated shots per fill... not an efficient gun at all.

[Blowpipe Sam]

I told my wife this is a cheap hobby.

Okay,  stop laughing.  Y’all should see what my boating hobby costs.  It is obvious that we all have different ideas of what constitutes budget level pricing.  I haven’t yet paid more than $200 for an air rifle and I hope I never do.  That bars me from owning a lot of fine air rifles I know.  But I have a heck of a lot of fun with these cheap ones and I can’t see how spending $700 or $800 is going to reward me with a commensurate increase in the satisfaction I get.

[Airnut]

Bill
I think is all boiles down to personal preference and intended use.
I only hunt with my Urban so shot count,regulated,ect isn't a issue. I got mine turned up and only get about 15 or so good shots.

[avator]

I told my wife this is a cheap hobby.

Okay,  stop laughing.  Y’all should see what my boating hobby costs.  It is obvious that we all have different ideas of what constitutes budget level pricing.  I haven’t yet paid more than $200 for an air rifle and I hope I never do.  That bars me from owning a lot of fine air rifles I know.  But I have a heck of a lot of fun with these cheap ones and I can’t see how spending $700 or $800 is going to reward me with a commensurate increase in the satisfaction I get.

Here Here.

[avator]

Bill
I think is all boiles down to personal preference and intended use.
I only hunt with my Urban so shot count,regulated,ect isn't a issue. I got mine turned up and only get about 15 or so good shots.

Yes Sir... personal preference and intended use is key. I plink and take pests when the opportunity arises.

[Airnut]

Bill
By the way how is that single shot mag working for you?

[avator]

Bill
By the way how is that single shot mag working for you?

Works great... I was using it a couple days ago. I also got my 2 aftermarket mags working good.

[Airnut]

Bill
By the way how is that single shot mag working for you?

Works great... I was using it a couple days ago. I also got my 2 aftermarket mags working good.

Great!!