Price of PCP V Springers

[angrybear]

I have one pcp in my collection ( years ago I had more, but always took a springer along with a pcp to the range for the sake of enjoyment ) and it's a simple single shot s400 Classic in 177 with the most beautiful walnut stock I have ever had on a factory gun, and the black Rowan bolt handle really compliments the look of the gun.

I bought it months ago, but have used it at the range only five times.

It just doesn't float my boat.

I miss the target ( very small target ) much more with a springer, but when I connect, I feel a sense of satisfaction that no pcp can ever give me.

My S400 is a lovely looking gun and I'm hoping to coax my wife and daughters into joining me at the range with it. If they don't take the bait I will probably just have to sell it and buy two more springers.

I have a plan to see if I can learn to love it. I am thinking of putting on a simple low powered scope and taking standing shots only at small spinners with it. There's not much point in using it on paper. It's just too accurate, and there is very little challenge.

But it might just be a keeper if I can shoot it standing unsupported with a 4x32 scope. So for me, Sporting Air Rifle at 20-25 yards might just be the way to go.

If I hunted it would definitely be a keeper of course, but I don't.

That's the PCP argument neatly summed up.

PCP for hunting, springer for playing.

[MartynB]

That's the PCP argument neatly summed up.

PCP for hunting, springer for playing.

Perhaps a little harsh, way back when I used to hunt, before general PCP's were available, we all used spring guns or pump ups, most commonly Sharp innova's and Aces (or at least I did)

[secretagentmole]

The charging equipment can be written off as a one off cost.

Now cost, for a new magazine fed, PCP rifle, with high pressure pump, silencer, scope and mount as well as a bag, £490!

Yep, that's right, under £500!

Gamo Phox. A usable but not brilliant 2 stage trigger, accurate, fairly quiet, not up there with HW100 levels of engineering, but certainly on a par with sister company BSA. It appears to be a BSA Scorpion/Ultra action with Gamo painted on the side. Thumbhole synthetic stock, BSA magazine (oh well can't have everything), but an entire hunting rig for under £500 including air charging, not bad at all!

[dayglowfroggy]

I have 8 springers and bought an old single shot webley raider for £130 and a axxor pump for £65 just to see what the fuss is about .its ok totaly effortless acuracy but soon gets boring .
Not sure why everyone is allways going on about dive bottles pumping is not that hard and it gives 80 shots in .22.
The only possible reason i can see why i would get another pcp is because i would have run out of springers to try out but thats a long way off.
Pcp are not more acurate than a good springer they are just much easier to be accurate with.
My advice would be get a tx200 or tx200hc .177 and use a sportsmatch 55 one piece adjustable mount i beat two guys who had £1800 pcps with £300 scopes on with my txhc and i am not the worlds best shot just had my eye in that day.was using a mountmaster 4x12x50.

[angrybear]

Perhaps a little harsh, way back when I used to hunt, before general PCP's were available, we all used spring guns or pump ups, most commonly Sharp innova's and Aces (or at least I did)

And way back when, a mk1 Escort 1300XL was my daily driver but today (if I had one) it would only be to play with.

It's called changing times

I class all shooting other than hunting (inc vermin) as "playing" because it's done purely for enjoyment.

[jameswrx]

Isn't this a bit like asking why is an iPhone so much more expensive than two plastic cups with a piece of string between them

[oldskoolzzz]

I seem to be in a minority here. I've got a FTP900 and recently bought an Airwolf MCT and a Air Arms Pro Sport. I was most excited about the Pro Sport arrival as I had to wait for a week for it to arrive. When it did arrive, I took it to the range and most of the time the safety would not activate and there was a twang. So I went home, stripped it down and regreased it properly and put it back together. Next time at the range the Safety catch didn't work again and the trigger wasn't the best, so back apart again. I stripped the trigger assembly and was treated with a horror of manufacturing. The were machine marks all over the place, chunks missing from one sear and a lump of metal stiking out of another which was marking the one it touched. After a few hours of polishing it was much better and the trigger was much smoother. There was a lump of thick grease on the safty catch which was stopping it from moving. All cleaned and fitted back together with a light oil and it now catches everytime. Back to the range and now there was a definite clunk everytime it was coked as the spring loaded part of the arm was catching. So back apart again, all surfaces de burred, sanded, polished and regreased. Rifle back together for the who knows how many'th time and it now cocks smoothly and fires smoothly with little twang, but I'm just not bothered about shooting it. I'd much rather pickup the FTP or Airwolf and hit whatever I'm aiming at with consistency, I also like to see where the pellet went so I can adjust my aim. I know, I know, 'my technique is wrong', 'springer this, springer that', 'PCP is boring', blah blah blah.

I was really looking forward to getting a springer to have something different but unfortunately the whole experience is not what I'd expected. I just don't get that interactive feeling everyone goes on about. I'm sorry to say it just feels a bit old and outdated even though it's only 3 weeks old and to be honest if I could go back in time I'd keep the £550 in my bank account. Pro sport is likely to be up for sale but only getting half that money back is going to sting a little.

In conclusion to this long post, get a PCP....!

Interesting post.

I wouldn't say your in a minority many have also experienced similar to you

I flit between pcp and springer embarrassingly way too frequently. Heck I change my mind more times then the missus changes shoes

I've often found I expect way too much from a springer

Chopping and changing isn't doing me any favours from a pcp one week nailing every target then the next week can't hit a barn door with a boinger!!

To me both have there place but pcp doesn't have to be expensive.

I feel my shooting is much happier say shooting even an old used BSA ultra at sub £200 for rifle and even with pump or bottle it still usually works out a cheaper setup than most quality springers out there.

And to me it's just as much fun to plink with a pcp the same as any springer.

Granted springers are cheaper to run in the long run with no baggage to boot and to most they do offer that certain charm and shooting satisfaction.

[TonyL]

I seem to be in a minority here. I've got a FTP900 and recently bought an Airwolf MCT and a Air Arms Pro Sport. I was most excited about the Pro Sport arrival as I had to wait for a week for it to arrive. When it did arrive, I took it to the range and most of the time the safety would not activate and there was a twang. So I went home, stripped it down and regreased it properly and put it back together. Next time at the range the Safety catch didn't work again and the trigger wasn't the best, so back apart again. I stripped the trigger assembly and was treated with a horror of manufacturing. The were machine marks all over the place, chunks missing from one sear and a lump of metal stiking out of another which was marking the one it touched. After a few hours of polishing it was much better and the trigger was much smoother. There was a lump of thick grease on the safty catch which was stopping it from moving. All cleaned and fitted back together with a light oil and it now catches everytime. Back to the range and now there was a definite clunk everytime it was coked as the spring loaded part of the arm was catching. So back apart again, all surfaces de burred, sanded, polished and regreased. Rifle back together for the who knows how many'th time and it now cocks smoothly and fires smoothly with little twang, but I'm just not bothered about shooting it. I'd much rather pickup the FTP or Airwolf and hit whatever I'm aiming at with consistency, I also like to see where the pellet went so I can adjust my aim. I know, I know, 'my technique is wrong', 'springer this, springer that', 'PCP is boring', blah blah blah.

I was really looking forward to getting a springer to have something different but unfortunately the whole experience is not what I'd expected. I just don't get that interactive feeling everyone goes on about. I'm sorry to say it just feels a bit old and outdated even though it's only 3 weeks old and to be honest if I could go back in time I'd keep the £550 in my bank account. Pro sport is likely to be up for sale but only getting half that money back is going to sting a little.

In conclusion to this long post, get a PCP....!

Blimey!!

Even as a committed Boinger devotee, I can well imagine why this experience hasn't exactly enamoured you to the springer concept.

I don't own a Prosport, but can only guess that this is far from being par for the course for one of these.

Rather than selling it at a painful loss, and now you have the issues resolved, I wonder if it may be worth trying to get to know it a little better now? Even if that entailed not using it for a while. Picking it up after a break might re-enthuse you later?

[cooler]

boring

dayglow,

You're right. The one word that sums it up. I look at my R10 and think "what a sexy rifle", then I pick it up and shoot it. There used to be an alcohol free beer called 'Kaliber'. One drink and no kick.

The nice thing with a 97K or a TX etc, is that they have more kick than a 22LR powder burner and just as accurate to 50yds! Proper guns, without the vasectomy. To mix my metaphors thoroughly, PCP is the vegans' choice.

c.

[NewPaul]

Blimey!!

Even as a committed Boinger devotee, I can well imagine why this experience hasn't exactly enamoured you to the springer concept.

I don't own a Prosport, but can only guess that this is far from being par for the course for one of these.

Rather than selling it at a painful loss, and now you have the issues resolved, I wonder if it may be worth trying to get to know it a little better now? Even if that entailed not using it for a while. Picking it up after a break might re-enthuse you later?

^^^dont sell it^^^ I was lucky as a newbie to start off with a springer - HW77k and its still my fave. I've got a HW100kt and yep, it's accurate, consistent, predictable and yeah - boring, as much as I appreciate it for what I use it for, it just ain't got the 'soul' that a springer has. I've got a HW90 rammer that I just haven't been able to get on with as it has 'problems', I've done all sorts of tinkering with and it still shoots like a blunderbuss but..... I put it away a few months ago with the intention of giving it a few more second chances and .... I'm looking forward to get re-acquainted with it Keep your springer if you can.

[p.j.]

I think all airguns are great - what ever they are. My advise is buy as many springers and precharged guns you can- without going into debt and shoot them all as often as you can, that's what I do. Ps don't tell my wife I said this

[Caretaker]

Up to a few years ago I had only ever shot spring pistols and rifles.
I returned to the shooting stage after a twenty year break and was introduced to the world of Co2 pistols and rifles.
I picked up a second hand pump about sixth months ago to play around with HPA in my Co2 pistols and rifles.
I shoot rim-fire Sports Rifle Shooting and finally decided I had played around enough and wanted a PCP to join my small collection of home training rifles (Co2, spring and now PCP).
My PCP set-up has cost about £500 - £50 for the pump and £450 for the PCP (Bull-pup P10 Shorty), including 2-7x32 scope.
Time will tell if it's been worth the outlay

[secretagentmole]

Thing is springer owners will spend £400 on a rifle then another £300 tuning it up, to reduce recoil.

£500 will buy a full pcp rig including a method of charging the air cylinder. The PCP does not recoil!

[dave goodall]

dayglow,

You're right. The one word that sums it up. I look at my R10 and think "what a sexy rifle", then I pick it up and shoot it. There used to be an alcohol free beer called 'Kaliber'. One drink and no kick.

The nice thing with a 97K or a TX etc, is that they have more kick than a 22LR powder burner and just as accurate to 50yds! Proper guns, without the vasectomy. To mix my metaphors thoroughly, PCP is the vegans' choice.

c.

If the kick off a tx or 97 is so nice why do lads spend hundreds of pounds and endless amounts of time trying to take the kick or recoil away if this was the case there woud be a lot of tuners out of business

[max headroom]

And way back when, a mk1 Escort 1300XL was my daily driver but today (if I had one) it would only be to play with.

It's called changing times

I class all shooting other than hunting (inc vermin) as "playing" because it's done purely for enjoyment.

no bud. its for food. i take my old superstar for food hunting. gave away the brockock safari and wonder why i payed so much for so little.
have to say, the walnut stock on the safari was to die for. probably why it cost a fortune.
and there is the difference in price. springers will usualy be in beech stocks, PCP being smaller can use more exotic woods