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

[smythsg]

I used to be able to buy Airforce airguns for under $500.00. Seneca rifles as well... ah, those were the days!!

[avator]

The Pinty P-Force Tactical was a great value. I enjoy shooting it with the laid back single shot loading.

[Zsigmund]

  My expectations for a budget airgun? Disappointment, lol.

 As others here have said, poor workmanship, cheap materials and lack of QC are too often present in modern "budget" airguns.
Some manufacturers, not all, have non-existent customer service and/or zero parts support.

 I don't consider guns over $200 as budget guns. A lot of folks won't even consider anything above that price.

 The industry seems to be trying to get us to accept a never ending parade of new models with escalating prices and tiny incremental improvements. The music equipment industry does the same thing. Fender guitars brings out a new Stratocaster every two years, different paint jobs, minor parts changes and a $200+ price increase; then they hype the #$%# out of it.

 I would like to see more simple, dependable airguns made with decent materials in the "budget" range. Could we at least get simple metal sights back?? Offering more value in the budget sector could bring more new people into our hobby. Don't give them a terrible first experience, not everyone wants to repair and tweak their new gun (like I do).

</rant>

 Cheers,
        G

 

[GTA-Airgunner]

Hey there all,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the subject.   I guess I should have been more specific and said Budget PCPs, but this has led to some great insights on things.   The term "budget" is certainly subjective.  When I started, spending $100 on an airgun was a lot of money.  That has changed over the years as I've become more involved in the hobby.  I bought my Daystate Red Wolf off the back of the AOA van.  That's certainly NOT budget.  But it's an incredible shooting experience and was worth it to me.  I also bought some Air Arms guns over the years, BSA, FX, and Daystate too.  As much as I love those guns, I think I get more enjoyment out of my Seneca (Sumatra), JTS, Barra, and Macavity guns.  I don't know why, but my "nice" airguns tend to spend more time in the safe or their cases, then they do on the bench.

Do you all have airguns at both ends of the price spectrum?  If so, which do you spend more time shooting?

Cheers
Rick

[avator]

Nope... I'm a chartered member of the nothing over 300 club. I have, on occasion invested slightly more on upgrades.

[Blowpipe Sam]

Y’all have heard my opinion.  If I win the lottery I might break my rule.  Although I’d probably buy a TX200 or a HW.
There are high end springers and there are high end PCP’s.  Why are there no high end pumpers?  And don’t tell me Benjis and Dans because they never sold for the kind of prices I’m talking about.

[avator]

LOL... ever priced a SuperGrade?  Yikes !!

[Zsigmund]

Hey there all,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the subject.   I guess I should have been more specific and said Budget PCPs, but this has led to some great insights on things.   The term "budget" is certainly subjective.  When I started, spending $100 on an airgun was a lot of money.  That has changed over the years as I've become more involved in the hobby.  I bought my Daystate Red Wolf off the back of the AOA van.  That's certainly NOT budget.  But it's an incredible shooting experience and was worth it to me.  I also bought some Air Arms guns over the years, BSA, FX, and Daystate too.  As much as I love those guns, I think I get more enjoyment out of my Seneca (Sumatra), JTS, Barra, and Macavity guns.  I don't know why, but my "nice" airguns tend to spend more time in the safe or their cases, then they do on the bench.

Do you all have airguns at both ends of the price spectrum?  If so, which do you spend more time shooting?

Cheers
Rick

 My most expensive PCP is a gen. 2 wood stocked Marauder, and I got that heavily discounted. I like it a lot but shoot my less expensive guns more, mainly because they are smaller/lighter and I'm not so worried about getting them dinged up. 

 Cheers,
       G

[Blowpipe Sam]

Bill, yeah supergrades bring a lot of money these days.  But they didn’t sell new for anything like the dissimilarity we see in standard grade vs premium grades today.  There never were a lot of them and they aren’t in production now.  That drives the price up.  I just wondered why no one offers a high grade pumper today.

[JimT66]

Bill, yeah supergrades bring a lot of money these days.  But they didn’t sell new for anything like the dissimilarity we see in standard grade vs premium grades today.  There never were a lot of them and they aren’t in production now.  That drives the price up.  I just wondered why no one offers a high grade pumper today.

I love my pumpers too. No worry about carrying along a separate hand pump, or anything else but pellets. It is a pitty that they seem to have fallen out of favor. But man, the power levels of my lower priced "budget pcps" is just unbeatable comparatively speaking.. I'm with Avator and Blow pipe Sam. I ain't A gonna pay more than the $500 level when I have the fun I have with my "cheap" pcp's.

[buellm2]

Reading this thread with great interest.   I'm still debating the PCP rabbit hole, might need a few more years of thinking about it.   Not sure if I want to deal with the electric pump, maybe hand pumping will be the workout I need.    If I were to buy a budget PCP, I'd have a preference for minimal plastic.   Excellent accuracy is a very big deal, great trigger is a big deal.  Tacticool is a negative although if it was extremely accurate with a good trigger, I could tolerate some tacticool features.  Single shot is OK although a multi shot would be a plus.  Probably would want a .22.   So I'd want my budget PCP to be very accurate, great trigger, pretty reliable, beautiful or at least decent  wood  and metal finishes.   I don't want owning a PCP to turn into an occupation dealing with problems.  Maybe I'm not describing a budget PCP. 

Is an HW 30s a budget AG?  It was less than $300 a couple years ago.  I felt like a was getting a pretty good bang for the buck with that one.

[avator]

Question...
What would airgunning be like for you if you knew that every time you pulled the trigger the pellet was going to hit the head of a tack at say, 50 yds? How long would it take to become somewhat boring leaving you with the desire for something more challenging?

[Zsigmund]

Question...
What would airgunning be like for you if you knew that every time you pulled the trigger the pellet was going to hit the head of a tack at say, 50 yds? How long would it take to become somewhat boring leaving you with the desire for something more challenging?

 Great question!

 If it took no effort, I would be bored very quickly, less than a tin of pellets.

[eeler1]

Daystate made a higher end pumper some years ago, the "Sportsman" I think.  It cost over $500 at the time, which would probably be $700 or $800 or more today.  Must not have been profitable for them as they were only made for a few years, then discontinued.  So, sure, a higher quality pumper is achievable, but maybe not profitable.  Hence probably why nobody is making them. 

[splitbeing]

Question...
What would airgunning be like for you if you knew that every time you pulled the trigger the pellet was going to hit the head of a tack at say, 50 yds? How long would it take to become somewhat boring leaving you with the desire for something more challenging?

 Great question!

 If it took no effort, I would be bored very quickly, less than a tin of pellets.

My Akela was easily accurate, so I waited to shoot it at my buddy's 100 yd range to make NUAH in .177. Otherwise, it didn't get shot alot. My new Pinty rifle is stupid accurate it too. Will it suffer the same fate?

Guns that are accurate but demand some effort get shot more I suspect for me.

[Airnut]

Question...
What would airgunning be like for you if you knew that every time you pulled the trigger the pellet was going to hit the head of a tack at say, 50 yds? How long would it take to become somewhat boring leaving you with the desire for something more challenging?

Thats me Bill!
I got bored plinking with my Urban and 2027 real quick they are now strictly just for hunting. I hate to say it but when I just want to have fun I grab what I consider a budget airgun a well tuned B3. When I feel adventurous I grab one of my tuned Ruger Air Magnums. When I feel nostalgic I grab my QB58.
The point being they are all cheap springers.

[avator]

Question...
What would airgunning be like for you if you knew that every time you pulled the trigger the pellet was going to hit the head of a tack at say, 50 yds? How long would it take to become somewhat boring leaving you with the desire for something more challenging?

Thats me Bill!
I got bored plinking with my Urban and 2027 real quick they are now strictly just for hunting. I hate to say it but when I just want to have fun I grab what I consider a budget airgun a well tuned B3. When I feel adventurous I grab one of my tuned Ruger Air Magnums. When I feel nostalgic I grab my QB58.
The point being they are all cheap springers.

Exactly. I have guns that hit right where I aim them.. I tend to bring them out more if we have a visitor. When I'm alone I bring others out and challenge myself to shoot them better.

[airgunaut]

I have no experience with any PCP and may or may not get one. The touted accuracy and, especially, the capacity for quick successive shots, are appealing. But I really don't mind pumping my guns at all and loathe needing lots of "stuff" to do something that can be accomplished well with other guns, including PB.

I'm still having fun (and challenge, too) with my pumpers. Purchases ranged from $55 to $400. If there actually were a new high-end multipumper made that fit me, I'd be willing to pay the premium price.

Because I don't go nuts buying things (any kind), price is not the barrier as much as simply not seriously wanting anything else yet.

[bear air]

Great thread Rick. I appreciate the content. I only have budget guns. I have learned from previous melt downs that I need to be ready to resolve issues with a budget gun. Which leads me to the tinkering aspect. Some day I might be able to get a higher end gun but until that happens I'm pretty sure my stable can handle whatever I throw at it. I can relate with keeping the really nice ones put away. I have a .177 marauder that sits in a Steve Corcoran stock and it rarely even gets out of the case.

[buellm2]

Question...
What would airgunning be like for you if you knew that every time you pulled the trigger the pellet was going to hit the head of a tack at say, 50 yds? How long would it take to become somewhat boring leaving you with the desire for something more challenging?

If a challenge is desired, all one has to do is take their super accurate bench rifle and shoot standing/offhand.   You will no longer be bored hitting the head of a tack every time at any distance.   If you can do that offhand, there'll be a place for you on the Olympic team.