Airgun introduction post

[Cannonball]

Hello everyone, I wanted to do a quick introduction post since I’m an airgun fanatic. I will probably be active in this section and wanted folks to realize I know a few things about airguns and wasn’t just someone passing on information I read on a website. I’m Cannonball or you are welcome to call me Eddie. I got my first airgun about 47 years ago and have always owned one since. I currently have over 20 airguns and am always looking for more. I shoot field target competitions in PCP class with either a Daystate Red Wolf or RAW TM1000, it just depends on the mood I am in as to which one I use. I also have an Air Arms TX200 that I use for springer class in competitions. I hunt with my airguns, both small and big game. I do my own tuning and air smith work to an extent, I don’t have a lathe to make my own parts but I do everything else. I used to be a regular contributor on a major airgun forum but have backed off posting there due to various reasons. I sure don’t know everything and will never claim to but wanted people to know that I do have some experience on the subject. Anyway, thanks for having me here and now back to talking about Henry’s...

[markiver54]

Excellent! Between NCG and you, we should have no problem getting our air gunning questions answered.

[North Country Gal]

I already picked up on your expertise, Eddie, with your handful of posts so far, but great to have another air gun shooter, here.

By way of sharing, we probably have an equal number of air guns around here, covering all types, but my mainstays are also our springers and PCPs.

I used to have all the AA springers and quite a few HW under levers, but most of those are gone, now that my age makes it tough to deal with the weight of under levers. These days I shoot mostly break barrels, HW and FWB

Our PCPs include a vintage Daystate CR-97 and a current Revere, plus a couple of CZ 200s. Still have an original Disco around here, somewhere, too. Also a Steyr LP 10 match pistol.

Lots more, but those are what we shoot the most.

[daytime dave]

I'm glad you are here Cannonball. There are a fair amount of us who enjoy airguns on the forum. I have about as many as you do, but mine are much lower end mostly. I have some to hunt with and some just for shear fun (the fully autos and look alikes).
For my hunting, I have a Benjamin nitro piston II, a first version Marauder, an original Discovery, a 392 and a couple of 397s. All from the fine Crosman company. I like to support them as they are Upstaters too.
I have a couple of Diana model 48s and a variety of Umarex look alike models. I don't hunt as much with my air rifles as I used to. I do enjoy it when I do.
I hope to see a lot here from you.

[Cannonball]

That’s a nice selection NCG, I always wanted one of those Steyr pistols. I’ll list below what I have off the top of my head, I won’t include the CO2 pistols or multi pump rifles. Let me know if you want to see any of these, I probably already have pictures on my phone of them.

Daystate Red Wolf .177
Daystate Pulsar .22
RAW TM1000 .177
Taipan Veteran short .25
Taipan Veteran standard .177
Taipan Veteran long .22
Benjamin Bulldog .357 - that I have extensively modified myself. It makes right at 300 FPE
FX Maverick .30
Weihrauch HW100 .177 - nicest walnut I have ever seen on any air rifle. I have pics handy if anyone wants to see it...
Weihrauch HW50s .177
Weihrauch HW30s .177
RWS Diana 48 .22
Air Arms TX200 MKiii .177
Probably a couple more I’m forgetting...

[BigAl52]

Ive thought about a PCP gun but the cost of getting into it has held me back. It would be kind of cool if one of the PCP gun owners would give some thoughts about compressors from Amazon and a low cost PCP gun. Maybe its not the best but could get one started in that direction. Like what about a Umarex Origin type gun.

[Sir Henry]

Welcome to the forum Eddie. There are quite a few air gunners here.

[Cannonball]

I'm glad you are here Cannonball. There are a fair amount of us who enjoy airguns on the forum. I have about as many as you do, but mine are much lower end mostly. I have some to hunt with and some just for shear fun (the fully autos and look alikes).
For my hunting, I have a Benjamin nitro piston II, a first version Marauder, an original Discovery, a 392 and a couple of 397s. All from the fine Crosman company. I like to support them as they are Upstaters too.
I have a couple of Diana model 48s and a variety of Umarex look alike models. I don't hunt as much with my air rifles as I used to. I do enjoy it when I do.
I hope to see a lot here from you.

Crosman makes a good product. The Craftsman collection they released a couple of years ago has been solid.

[North Country Gal]

Ive thought about a PCP gun but the cost of getting into it has held me back. It would be kind of cool if one of the PCP gun owners would give some thoughts about compressors from Amazon and a low cost PCP gun. Maybe its not the best but could get one started in that direction. Like what about a Umarex Origin type gun.

Al, the PCP guns themselves are actually pretty affordable. PCPs are actually pretty simple mechanisms compared to some other types of air guns. Because PCPs are where the market is in air guns, you have a huge number of options, from budget all the way up to incredibly expensive. Huge selection, lots and lots of great bargains. Just depends on the features you want. I started with a Benjamin Discovery and the packaged hand pump and that's about as inexpensive as it gets.

It's the support equipment that drives up the price, of course. As for compressors, yes, I highly recommend a compressor if you plan to do a lot of PCP shooting. Like most folks, I started with a hand pump and hand pumping is fine for occasional shooting/pest control/hunting, but hand pumping gets old quick for regular steady shooting. We quickly went the scuba tank route and that made life much easier, but driving 40 miles to a dive shop for fills wasn't too practical, either.

We finally just bit the bullet and got an nice Hill compressor. It's the EC 3000. It's been great. It's designed to fill guns directly, not tanks, but that's all we need. It's not cheap. Probably overbuilt for just filling a gun, one at a time, but it only takes a minute to fill our 3600 psi Daystate. Maintenance is practically zilch. Just check lubricant levels.

I have no experience with the budget Chinese made compressors, but I know a lot of folks use them and do well with them. Maybe Eddie can help, here.

[Cannonball]

Ive thought about a PCP gun but the cost of getting into it has held me back. It would be kind of cool if one of the PCP gun owners would give some thoughts about compressors from Amazon and a low cost PCP gun. Maybe its not the best but could get one started in that direction. Like what about a Umarex Origin type gun.

The oil-free compressors usually don’t have a long life and are non-repairable once they break. They are typically good for around 20 hours of run time. I would only recommend them to someone who didn’t plan on shooting much and needed it to be portable since several models will run off a car battery. These are made to fill your PCP only, you should not use them to fill large tanks which I will discuss a little later. My opinion is the best overall inexpensive compressor is the Yong Heng and it’s what I use. These are water cooled, you just need a bucket for your inlet and return lines. They are oil filled and you can easily change the oil, it takes less than two minutes to do. I have had mine for 4 years now but don’t know how many hours are on it. I typically shoot around 2 tins per week during field target season which goes on for 8 months. So on average about 30,000 pellets a year not counting shooting a little during winter. You can use it to fill your PCP direct but I use it to fill a 45 minute SCBA bottle and fill the PCP’s from the bottle. The bottle is much easier to carry around and I get 10-20 fills depending on the cylinder size and max fill pressure on the PCP I am filling. The Yong Heng is comparable in price to the oil free compressors as well. They are quite a bit louder when running and get extremely hot to the touch where the oil free compressors don’t. You can also purchase any part needed to repair the Yong Heng if it does break and parts aren’t that expensive, AliExpress is the best source for parts. If you decide to go this route, buy a genuine Yong Heng and not some other brand that looks the same. The Yong Heng parts are all the same and easily found, not so much with the look alike models. Also get the hardcover version and not the standard version. The hardcover version has extra lines that help separate moisture from the first and second stage on the compressor. I’ll include a picture below for reference. On PCP recommendations, I would ask what all are you going to be using it for before I make any suggestions.