Indoor and target PCP, AA T200

[John E Davies]

The Umarex 850 M2 looks like what I want but being a novice when it comes to airguns is it not recommended to leave a partially used CO2 cartridge in the gun

I wonder why? Maybe possible rust where the needle punctures the end cap? I personally would not worry if it was just a few days. PCP guns OTH are supposed to be stored with at least a little (dry) air in their tanks, to preserve the seals.

John Davies
Spokane

[dave77]

Did some searching and it seems it's ok to leave the co2 cartridges in for few weeks but not recommended for long term storage. I wonder if you should put some kind of lube on the seals for long term storage, I recently came across a pellet pistol that had not been shot for many years and a co2 cartridge would completely leak out almost immediately.

According to the seller of this single 12g cartridge adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F3GRSJ4/re ... NrPXRydWU= it will work in any air gun that uses 88g or 90g cartridges. Would rather get the Umarex double 12g adapter if it becomes available again. If I get the rifle I would probably be shooting it quite a bit at first so would probably get a couple of the 90g cartridges.

[BigAl52]

Dave
I have a Crosman CO2 pistol. I have left Cartridges in it for a while and had no issues. I also place a drop of pellgun oil on the end of the cartridge before dropping it in the tube. Those Umarex CO2 adapters are around I have found some on ebay but the price is higher than the 29.95 Umarex wants for them. I also have found at Midway those 90g cartridges are 15.00 a pair. Thats the cheapest I have found them. What caliber are you considering Dave?

[dave77]

I was thinking .22 There's a combo deal on Amazon, for the same price as the gun alone on Umarex's site you get an extra magazine, 2 88g co2 cartridges, and a tin of pellets so about a $60 savings but only available in .22. After reading North Country Gal's post about .22 vs .177 maybe it's better to spend the extra and get a .177 from Umarex's site.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088FZK7FF/?c ... _lig_dp_it

[North Country Gal]

Lots to consider on the choice of caliber, but in the end personal preference usually decides. One thing that you should consider in CO2 or PCP, though, is that you will get more shots per fill in 177. If budget is a concern, 177 cal pellets are cheaper, better selection and are the ones you're more likely to find on a local basis. If you just prefer 22s, though, that's plenty good enough a reason to go 22. Shooting costs might be a bit higher, but we're not talking about breaking the bank, here.

[dave77]

Not as much savings as I thought getting it from Amazon, have to pay $30 sales tax there while no sales tax at Umarex. Also read some reviews and they said Umarex.com was excellent, very helpful if any problems. So now I'm thinking .177. Site says .117 is 150 fps faster than .22, is that what gives it the flatter trajectory?

I really have no preference, will just be plinking, some paper targets and maybe the occasional rat or mouse so .177 would probably be fine.

[Sir Henry]

I’m torn between 17 and 22 also. I have no real reason to go 22 and Joanie has pointed out all the reasons for me to continue only with 17’s.

[North Country Gal]

Yes, faster means flatter trajectory, alleles equal. The same power plant can push the lighter 17 cal pellets faster and also do it with less air in a CO2s or PCP. That's why you get more shots.

There are some diehard air gun hunters who actually prefer the 177 for small game hunting because of that flatter trajectory. Shot placement is everything in air gun hunting. The flatter trajectory of the 177 also is one of the reasons why it is the most popular caliber in Field Target where shots are at unmarked distances out to 50 plus yards.

The big advantage fo PCP is that you can adjust the power to shoot those big 22 and 25 cal pellets or slugs and push them up to that ideal 900 fps range. Means fewer shots if you use the same size reservoir, but all you have to do is use a larger reservoir to get more shots in the big calibers. PCPs have a ton of advantages for air gun hunting or long range work. Can't be touched in competition shooting.

[BigAl52]

Faster and flatter doesnt necessarily give one more kill power where hunting goes. Even though the 22 is a little slower it will hit with more energy.

[dave77]

I hate having to make this kind of decision, almost wish they only made this rifle in one caliber.

What type of hunting would be better with .22?

Not really much small game to hunt around here. No rabbits, our squirrels are the small variety, not sure what else you would hunt around here. Used to be an abundance of ground hogs right in my backyard but haven't seen any for years. Probably only thing I would shoot would be rats or the occasional skunk. There are quite a few quail and doves around but not sure if it would be legal to shoot them with a pellet gun.

[BigAl52]

Id probably go 22 Dave for me as I already have some in 22. The little pellets are hard to handle but with a mag like this gun has it would be easier with the smaller pellets.

[Sir Henry]

I’m having problems handing the 17 pellets. Sometimes I wonder if they flipped on me and if I’m putting them in backwards. I think not because the bolt wouldn’t close?

[North Country Gal]

Ob some guns, yes, you can load pellets backwards. I've done it on break barrel springers and when it happens, you will get the champion oof all flyers.

[dave77]

Just ordered the Umarex 850 M2 from Umarex USA. Decided on the .22 as I do have some arthritis in my hands. Coming Fedex ground from Arkansas so will probably take at least a week to get here.

[North Country Gal]

Good for you, Dave. I do tend to fumble those 177 cal pellets more as I've grown older.

Well, our CZ made T200 arrived,today. Wow! What a neat little rifle. It's short, light, and very nice and handy. Reminds me a little of a 10/22. No wonder it has such an amazingly loyal following. It comes with a nice aperture sight and globe sight combo, but I think I'm going to scope, first, to get an idea of accuracy. By the way, there is a Sporter version that has more power, but gets fewer shots per fill. This target version gets 100 plus shots per fill.

[BigAl52]

Congrats NCG thats a fine looking rifle.

[BigAl52]

Just ordered the Umarex 850 M2 from Umarex USA. Decided on the .22 as I do have some arthritis in my hands. Coming Fedex ground from Arkansas so will probably take at least a week to get here.

Dave
Curious why you ordered it there instead of that package deal on Amazon?

[dave77]

I was thinking of getting the .177 model which wasn't offered on Amazon. Saw these reviews for UmarexUSA and was impressed. The Amazon seller reviews were just so-so.

No sales tax (WA sales tax is over 8%) on the UmarexUSA order paid for the extra mag so all I'm out is the no-name pellets and CO2 tanks. Ordered a couple of Umarex 88g CO2's and a 500ct tin of Benjamin pellets, supposed to be the same exact pellets as Crossman Premier, so probably better quality CO2's and pellets for around $30 more.

Sounds like if there's any problems they will be a lot easier to deal with than Sports-and-Gadgets.

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/umarexusa.com

The one bad review was meant for Umarex France

[North Country Gal]

Can't wait for a report when you get your new Umarex, Dave. Keep a good supply of pellets on hand. I think you'll need them.

An, yeah, the more I get involved trying to help some other forum friends make the choice between PCP and CO2, the more I like the CO2 option.

A lot of PCP fans go heavy on the gun recommendations and gloss over the fill issue when a beginner wants advice on how to get started in PCP. This is a mistake. I'm just not comfortable recommending a hand pump as a way to fill PCPs, anymore. A hand pump might get you by for occasional shooting, now and then, but if you plan to do even a fair amount of PCP shooting, you'll end up with scuba tanks or a compressor, anyway ... or, as too often happens, you get out of PCP. Pumping by hand gets old in a hurry.

[BigAl52]

Dave
Something I didnt do and was amazed at the difference it made is run some patches down the barrel before shooting it. Dont use and copper or metal brushes . I did my pistol this am and it was not done either. I cant wait to shoot it to see how it shoots now.