First Airgun+scope Recommendation

[Murat_Cyp]

Hi Guys,

I posted a thread a few weeks ago mentioning that I started going to a local airgun club in Nottingham. I have always been a fan of airguns but did not have a chance to shoot before. The guys in the club are super friendly; they lend their airguns (PCPS) to me to try. I also shot with spring loaded club guns.

After three weeks of shooting, I am hooked and loved it to bits. Now, it is time to consider my first airgun setup. I tried a few guns in the club and they have a different feeling. Today, I tried S200 which I never considered as an option to buy for myself but it was super fun and easy to shoot. I also tried few daystate (huntsman and airwolf MCT) both very nice guns. However, I would like to hear from you as well about your experience with airguns.

The gun should be easy to handle (light and well balanced), not very complicated, so more reliable and less thing can go wrong. It should be regulated and if it looks good (i know that is subjective) that's a bonus. I prefer to buy second hand if I found the right setup (mint condition with significant savings over the new one) but if not I will get a brand new setup. My budget is around £1000 for the rifle+scope. I can go a bit higher if really needed to.

My candidate so far (i never had a chance to try it out yet) is FX Streamline or the Dreamline if they come out soon. And scope contenders are AZTEC emerald, MTC Viper Pro, Optisan or Hawke Airmax based on internet review. I will go to local gunshops to see those in the flesh as well. But, I would like to hear from you guys as well.

Best regards,

Murat

[bozz]

Hello there, This is probably one of the biggest asked topics on the forums next to the 0.22 Vs 0.177 questions. It is all down to your choice, holding them testing if available. Then there is the regulated Vs nonregulated question it won't really improve your shot but increases the shot count which most pcp's will give 60 or more shot's so can boil down to what are your using the rifle for ie a day out after rabbits ect then 60 should be plenty, but if you are going to the range shooting targets you might need a few more shots. I decided to get an AA S510 in 0.177 for ratting and range use as i did not want the complication of a regulator and i have not run out of air doing either. I also have a Walther RM8 which is regulated and in 0.22 so more shots from it being 0.22 plus the reg gives me around 160 shots on what is called the sweet spot. But now i have found that i like shooting the springer's as much if not more i have a Walther LGU in 0.22 that is fantastic, and an AA TX200 in 0.177 that i find not as smooth, So all in all it's a hard decision to make as a beginner with all the hype put out by manufacturers, also you will i think overloaded with info from owners, Myself i would not go for Daystate just from tales you here. So i suppose i have confused you even more so i had better shut up and let you make up your mind, All the best Graham.

[Portzy]

I wont make any suggestions just yet......

But also consider it's intended use. Some shoot off a bench; rested and/or bagged/supported @ 20 and 25yards and also 10 mtrs, some shoot standing @ 10 mtrs, some shoot prone or kneeling. All these styles will come with equipment and rifle rules if you want to compete but, even if it's just for fun, you need to consider it's intended or rather main use.

[angrybear]

Don't forget to allow for the cost of either a pump or scuba cylinder to fill the rifle.
Your club may well offer a filling service to fill either rifle or cylinder which if you only ever shoot at the club might suit you, but is restrictive if you can shoot at other locations.

[Muskett]

As said you really need to decide what kind of shooting you like doing. Are you just shooting at the club, or can you shoot in your back garden?
For £350 you could get a really fun but tricky to shoot springer or gasram! Club members always like shooting another springer for fun.
Or put yur budget into one "all rounder" PCP, that you could use everywhere until you know what you really need. Best if you can find something that fits you, and not overly heavy or sophisticated.
Whatever the rifle try to ensure it has a known good trigger, as for a beginner thats if anything is more important than the rest.

There are plenty of good second hand rifles to be had, do buy one under used and not tampered with. Don't buy someone else's basket case. Stick to popular well respected manufacturers and models. Make a short list and see if you can try each for size. Look through a few scopes too.
We are spoilt for choice and eveyone has there own favourite. Without knowing more about you then its its hard to recommend. Most modern PCP's are pretty great already, the rest is personal taste.
Your first air rifle is just the first of many!

[Peter Dunkley]

Air arms S200 will tick all the boxes.
Might have to get someone to tweek the trigger but otherwise perfect little gun.
I know a couple of guys who have them on FAC for vermin control.
Barrels are even up to bench rest standards.

[Murat_Cyp]

Hello there, This is probably one of the biggest asked topics on the forums next to the 0.22 Vs 0.177 questions. It is all down to your choice, holding them testing if available. Then there is the regulated Vs nonregulated question it won't really improve your shot but increases the shot count which most pcp's will give 60 or more shot's so can boil down to what are your using the rifle for ie a day out after rabbits ect then 60 should be plenty, but if you are going to the range shooting targets you might need a few more shots. I decided to get an AA S510 in 0.177 for ratting and range use as i did not want the complication of a regulator and i have not run out of air doing either. I also have a Walther RM8 which is regulated and in 0.22 so more shots from it being 0.22 plus the reg gives me around 160 shots on what is called the sweet spot. But now i have found that i like shooting the springer's as much if not more i have a Walther LGU in 0.22 that is fantastic, and an AA TX200 in 0.177 that i find not as smooth, So all in all it's a hard decision to make as a beginner with all the hype put out by manufacturers, also you will i think overloaded with info from owners, Myself i would not go for Daystate just from tales you here. So i suppose i have confused you even more so i had better shut up and let you make up your mind, All the best Graham.

No, you did not confuse me at all. Good to hear your opinion. I realised that, I missed important bit information in my first post. What will I do with the rifle. Currenly, I am looking for a rifle to shoot in airclub only to improve my marksmanship and understanding of the equipment. I will not buy any charging gear as local airgun club provides fillings for a fee. So regulator is important for velocity consistency and shot count. My benchmark for shot count is stremline's advertised 170 shotcount in .177 (truth or not). I will take my rifle to HFT and some hunting in the future but not very soon as my conditions, lack of transport makes it very difficult.

The scope should have a side parallax adjustment as I found this feature very convenient to use comapred to front parallax adjustment.

I was thinking of getting an FX on HFT stock (Aeron) but they are very expensive and I am not sure if they are for me. I need to try first, the price is too high to gamble. So probably, I will opt for cheap synthetic stock so I can change it later without major financial loss.

[Murat_Cyp]

Or put yur budget into one "all rounder" PCP, that you could use everywhere until you know what you really need. Best if you can find something that fits you, and not overly heavy or sophisticated.

Probably that describes what I really need best.

I will only shoot in local airgun club from 10 to upto 60+ meters. I have future plans to take the gun out for HFT and hunting and but I can not do that now due to lack of personal transportation. FX streamline supposed to give 170 good shots at .177, so that is the benchmark for me. I will not get a filling equipment as local airgun club provides charging services for a small fee, meaning regulator will pay for itself in the long run.

[Murat_Cyp]

Air arms S200 will tick all the boxes.
Might have to get someone to tweek the trigger but otherwise perfect little gun.
I know a couple of guys who have them on FAC for vermin control.
Barrels are even up to bench rest standards.

Yes airarms S200 nice gun to shoot, In my first try, I was hitting 60 meters killzone targets of pigeons in the club off the bench with not so comfortable shooting position. But single shot is not for me, i found it to be frustruating, the pellets are small my fingers are large. With an addition of multishot S200 will cost almost £600 without regulator and low shot count. I much preffer a rifle with high shot count and regulator in £700-£800 range.

I also did one hole 5 shots groups with Airwolf MCT at 30 yards but the gun is expensive and heavy for my liking. I do not know what to say about the electronic trigger though, it definatelly helps with acuracy but probably requires some time to get used to. I think I am more into mechanical builds.

[bozz]

Hi again i always think the more there is in it the more can go wrong there are some gun manufacturers that have had lots of trouble with regulators yet others seam fine, FX went through a bad stretch with the impact but seam to have sorted it now. Its horses for courses and you can end up sinking a lot of dosh into them. all the best Graham

[Airsporterman]

I got my Wife a humble and cheap (new) BSA Meteor when she started shooting back in the 80s - it came with a Peep sight. That little rifle was/is consistent/powerful and accurate - indeed amazingly so, in fact, we later found it outshot far more expensive quality springers.
So I would recommend one of those with the best scope your budget will allow - but if you can, try it with the peep sight - both of us scored some impressive results with it at the time, often doing better than with a scope. Eyesight may be a problem now for us as we both need reading glasses!
My Wife became a consistently better shot than me too!

ASM

[Murat_Cyp]

I got my Wife a humble and cheap (new) BSA Meteor when she started shooting back in the 80s - it came with a Peep sight. That little rifle was/is consistent/powerful and accurate - indeed amazingly so, in fact, we later found it outshot far more expensive quality springers.
So I would recommend one of those with the best scope your budget will allow - but if you can, try it with the peep sight - both of us scored some impressive results with it at the time, often doing better than with a scope. Eyesight may be a problem now for us as we both need reading glasses!
My Wife became a consistently better shot than me too!

ASM

I tried break barrels at the club but after shooting with PCPs they suddenly became chore to shoot for me ))

[Portzy]

I tried break barrels at the club but after shooting with PCPs they suddenly became chore to shoot for me ))

It seems to me that your heart is set on a PCP but I cannot help but comment that you are missing out by fast forwarding to such a sitution.

The very fact that you have to break the barrel, (or cycle the underlever), cock the rifle, load a single pellet, position yourself, settle into the shot, sight up, and ultimately squeeze the trigger, puts you into a certain mindset and teaches you how to shoot a recoiling device that cannot be hurried. I would have to differ and call this learning your marksmanship skills and not a chore. If the mechanical and optical elements are set up correctly in the above scenario and you miss, then it was your skills which caused the miss.

Now, I have nothing whatsoever against PCP's, I have an Ultra in .22 which I use for hunting and it is to me at least the best suited piece of hardwear to use when clearing vermin such as ferrals and rats etc but, I need to add though that I use springers exclusively for what you might call edible and for the pot hunting.

On the range??????

A simple, accurate, well made, joy to own and shoot, and cheap to run;

HW30s with synthetic stock and carbine weighted barrel in .177

And believe me, she is no chore, she does this

[Muskett]

I'm surprised the PCP boys haven't jumped in here.
I'm not a PCP shooter. Have a look at the HW100?? Air Arms Range. Daystate....
The Whatgun 2018/19 is out and worth the but for £5.99.

[Murat_Cyp]

Hi,

I urged to keep you guys updated about the progress I am making since you spend time and effort to help me out.

Today I went to the local RFD. I handled few guns and looked through few scope briefly. It helped to form some ideas about what I really want/need.

First I handled, HW100 carbine and full length rifles. Those rifles looks better in real than in screen. The carbine is very compact, lightweight and well balanced. But 50 shot count put me off. I can not live with this shot count since I wil be do lot of target shooting in the club. If I was purely hunting that would be more than enough but hunting is not my primary reason of getting an airgun now. Full length rifle gives 100 shots, looks OK but it was quite front heavy and heavy in general. So it seems HW 100 is off the list.

Then I tried huma regulated daystate regal. Very light, well balanced good looking rifle which is supposed give 140 shots which is acceptable. Trigger was not too bad, cocking bolt was not very heavy. The guy in the shop quickly put a demo scope on it for me and i found cheek position to be ok but not perfect. I dry fired the gun and it was very quite. It cost £900.

The next gun was FX crown walnut. It felt much lighter than I expected and very well balanced. Cocking action was very very smooth and easy to cock. Trigger was very good, much better than Daystate. Even with dry firing, I almost did not notice when the gun discharged, it was that quite. Price being £1600 (if I recall correctly), it is not something I want to buy at 12FPE power, however I would not hesitate if I had a FAC.

The next gun was brocock compatto target. I did not like this gun at all. It was heavy and not well balanced. Trigger was very heavy, first i thoght the safety was on.

The next gun was FX wildcat MK2. Extremely well balanced rifle, and lightweight as well. Very good probably if you are walking around and shooting things on the trees. But this not my primary intended use of the gun. So no benefit for me having this gun. Other than that, the cocking action was not as smooth as it was on Crown, or may be the positioning of the lever makes it relatively more difficult to cock, i do not know. However, the trigger is not definately as good as crown. I would say smillar to Daystate. And it was very loud!

The last gun I tried was AA S410 lightweight. It felt heavier than regal but not so much. Balance was good and scope cheeck allignment was more suited to me than regal. The cocking bolt was very difficult to cock, especially after trying FX. The trigger was not too bad but nothing like the trigger of the Crown.

Being liking rifle layout rather than bullup, high shot count/ regulator requirement, and smooth trigger/cocking mechanism makes think FX streamline should be my ideal gun. Unfortunatelly, it was not stocked so I could not try it. The other possible candidate would be AA S510 regulated ultimate sporter. Again, they are not in stock and I will need to wait two months to see them in the shop. They are considerably more expensive too. Costing £1100 for laminate one. Probably could be found around £1000 if searched for. That being said, AA could be better value than FX, since AA is coming with silencer, two mags, and superior stock. Laminated (non adjustable and I will need to drill it if I want to attach bipod, which i will have to) FX steamline would cost £940 with no silencer and one mag. It seems I will wait two months to decide if it will be FX streamline (or dreamline if it comes out) or AA S510 R ultimate sporter. I hope they make ultimate sporter in full length, i do not want to get carbine version.

I also had a chance to look through few scopes. I looked through Hawke sidewinder FFP 6-24. It was very complicated for me to adjust the focus of the reticle then the sight. And that reticle really gets small at 6X! Then I tried Hawke airmax 4-16 sidefocus, it was allright. May be its me who was battling for a while with sidewinder and got frusturated but actually airmax seemed more clear than sidewinder or same perhaps...Then I tried Hawke frontier 5-30 and I was blown away by the difference. The image of frontier was much much better comapared to rest and it was lightweight and compact unlike other two. I also tried MTC viper pro, seemed somewhat similar to sidewinder and airmax. They cost around £600 in opticwarehouse and I do not know if there are better scoped to buy for that amount.

That was my impressions today.