Which budget Target pistol to start me off?

[Hotwired]

SGC are selling the 46M new at a very good price.

https://www.sportsmanguncentre.co.uk/baikal-mp-46m-177

They said they only managed to get 10 units, 6 sold instantly and out of the couple they had left when I called they now have one less

Embargo on Russia covers sub 6 ft lb air pistols apparently.

[Rickenbacker]

They said they only managed to get 10 units, 6 sold instantly and out of the couple they had left when I called they now have one less

Embargo on Russia covers sub 6 ft lb air pistols apparently.

So you got one of them then?

Diplomatic issues with the foreign office might do your (and my) 2nd hand values no harm at all.

Unless they invade us, and make us drink vodka and eat them damned fish eggs.

[Grunalf]

Hi

I got my 46m from SGC earlier this year - fantastic pistol for the money, although the weight may take some getting used to.

You may also need to personalise the grips, someone said that the IZH 46m grips are actually the packing case for your perfect grip, you just have to get rid of the wood that's wrapped around them .

HTH

Paul

[I. J.]

No one has mentioned the FWB65/80 (yet). A fine, accurate (45+ scores) pistol that can be bought, tatty cheaply. I sold one on here last year for approx £125 that while tatty was still an accurate shooter. Good condition ones, of course, will set you back more.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Airs...l?sort=6&o=125

HTH
Ian

[BJ knome]

The FWB 65 and 80 are probably the best pistols to start with, great trigger, more accurate than most shooters, reliable and easy to get serviced (main agent Centra UK turn-round in a week and very nice people). And you should get your money back if you decide to sell and move up to a PCP.

The best thing to do first is join a good club and try other shooters pistols and club guns.

[mikehill]

Must admit I LOVE my 80 My favourite up to now.

[hwtyger]

Cant go wrong with a Tau 7. Great value for money, very accurate. I dont get higher scores with my pcps.
Dont like fwb65 at-al; they have them at my gunclub; very annoying to cock, and balance is way off (at the back).
Old co2s are great too, had a walther CP for instance, but they all work with bulkfill ánd cilinders are all out of date.
Tau 7 works with bulbs too and doesnt have a cilinder to go out of date

[RobinC]

We have a local shooter who has retired and is selling a Walther CP2 for £250 and a Steyr LP1 for £500, they may still be available. If you email me I'll forward his details.

[Lundy]

This has been a great thread of posts and I have received about 30 PMs on the subject too, many offering me pistols for sale or drawing my attention to ones others are selling as well as more advice.
I haven't jumped yet!
The conclusions I have drawn so far are now based on second hand prices as well as new from your threads, PMs and follow up reading:
-Rohm - Not much positive feedback
-Air arms Alpha - not much said, other than low shot count
-FAS 6004- not as good as the FAS 604, but good looker, good trigger, self contained, light.
-FAS 604 - sweet trigger, reasonably light, maybe too barrel light, low power unless seals regularly replaced, possibility of machining valve to increase power to get 400fps. Prices vary from £170-£310.
- Gamo Compact- cheap, light, low power, similar to FAS in concept, but poor trigger needs work from the box and not in same quality league as FAS.
-Air match 400- similar in look to FAS but side lever. Lovely looker but possible issues with spares, heavy to cock.
-Tau7 - some good and some say it's bad. Can tinker with trigger but it's CO2 and for some reason, I don't fancy the caplet thing and adding £3 CO2 cost to a tin of pellets. Someone mentioned filling from a fire extinguisher.
-Smk - no open sights but great value, can try adding sights from another gun to scope rail- sounds a bit of a bodge( why didn't they include sights?!)
-Baikal 46-most seem to rate it highly, definitely front heavy and often described as slightly agricultural. New ones in short supply, second hand ones even rarer. Good value.
-Original 6g/6m/10 -good guns, heavy, expensive maintenance if not been looked after
-Fwb 65/80 - good starting gun, great trigger, some hate side lever and or don't like the twang!. High service costs if not running right. prices vary from £120 to £500 depending on collectability.
-Fwb 100/103 - great gun, very few for sale, prices upto £500(gunstar!)
-Morini 62- fab gun but generally more in the £600 price bracket with old cylinders unless it's a fixed cylinder which has its own drawbacks
-Steyr lp1 - fab gun, no negative comments, generally £500+ for a good one
-Walther- no one has mentioned them, oddly
-Hammerli- not as good as Steyr, few second hand ones around

General conclusions
-Prices vary a lot, driven by condition, originality and inclusion of original case, manual and accessories which starts to generate a collectors premium.
-Gunstar prices are often high, better checking gun shops or joining clubs
-Everyone loves some and hates others. It's a very personal thing with lots of recommendations to try before you buy
-Check charged cylinders in a bucket of water to check for leaks
-Replacement cylinders cost around £250 per pair depending on model but they can be serviced for around £35 each
-Old cylinders are meant to be replaced after 10 years, not actually found a manufacturer say this but large ISSF competitions do check. No one seems too fussed about having 20 year cylinders unless they leak. If you get to big competitions, but a new spare cylinder.
-Full gun services, especially springers, can cost £100+ to get them back to perfection
-There seems to be quite a bit of trading-up as people perfect their collections, getting a better one then getting rid of the less perfect version, with many people having quite large collections!
-Everyone has been very helpful and understanding of my dilemma

So where do I think I'm going?
Option 1 -go for a cheaper gun to get started -try a Baikal 46 for feel ( is it too front heavy for me?) or get a mid range FAS or Fwb 65/80 , spending around the £200-£300 bracket and later justify moving into the newer high end second hand guns. Must be sound and not need servicing other than perhaps seals which I could learn to do
Option 2- increase budget to £500-600 and wait for a Morini 62 or Steyr LP1 that's right- still seems a lot to pay for a 20 yr old gun! Will need to do careful stakeholder management of Mrs L to achieve this!

Did I miss anything guys? Thanks for all the input. Now, off for a chat with Mrs L......