Spring Or Pcp ? Good Scopes ? Etc Etc

[eggs 4]

hi all and please bear with me on this !!

 

i use to shoot about 30 years ago with my trusty feinwerkbau rifle ..... but i sold it for some reason ( to be honest i cannot even remember selling it !) then i got a ... wife , mortgage and 2 kids later ( thankfully grown up ) and now im looking to get back into a bit of airgunning it seems times have changed and im still stuck in the 80s !!

 

ok to cut the wall of text short ..... i would love a pcp but its the 50-70 shots per fill that put me off. basically i have the chance to go wood shooting with the son in law and he swears by his webley springer but we could be miles from home. do you fill a small tank for reserves ?? wander back to the car or carry it with you ? like i said i have a little knowledge of pcp ! im not too sure on how this system works. we also have ratting and pigeons to deal with around the small holding etc.

 

im more of a take gun and a tin of pellets chap and be out for the day ! so im leaning towards a new spring rifle to be honest unless anyone can sway my thoughts.

 

i do like the tactical look of a rifle and have seen a decent BSA tactical xl .22 although an Air Arms tx 200 doesnt look to shabby but then a decent weirauch could cut the mustard i bet. do they do a shorter carbine version ?

 

im guessing these questions have been answered before and i apologise for that

 

and my budget is around £250 - 400 inc scopes ( yeah im a bit cheap ! )

 

i hope someone can help and many thanks

 

[Pete1977 15]

With a budget like that you will be a bit limited but there are plenty of great second hand pcp's about for that money!

 

Thing with a pcp is are you realistically going to use 60 shot in one outing? The answer will some times be yes but most of the time you are very unlikely to use that many shots in one go unless you are doing rats or feral pigeons in high volume, if thats the case then just bung the main air bottle in the boot of the car and top up as needed

 

As to getting a pcp or a springer, well pcp is great but it is a faf and to be honest to me it just doesn't feel like you are shooting any thing, just click, thwack! BORING!

 

Get a decent springer I reckon, you will get a blooming goodun for the money you have and even more if you go down the second hand route

 

Cheers

[silentshot1 206]

As above!

 

On your budget you are either limiting yourself to a £300 2nd user PCP and second user charging equipment. I know there are bargains out there but to pay £300 for rifle and scope, I would factor in another £100 to get it serviced.

 

A decent springer, on the other hand, you could pick up 2nd user for £250 including scope, send it away for a tune and end up with an awesome rifle, probably reliable for 10 years plus, with change in your pocket for the inevitable pellet testing.

 

I would also recommend that with springers you go down the tried and tested AA, or HW route. Your shooting will grow back in to them instead of out of them.

[mattybugeye 884]

+1 I'd get a decent 2nd hand Springer old hw‘s and tx200s are awsum rifles very tunable and reliable plenty pop up for sale and 300 should get you a nice tuned example then 75-100 for some optics :-)

[Jake w 232]

Personally matey I would go for a theoben fenman but then again you can't go wrong with a weirhrauch springer or the tx200 but have a look about you never know what might pop up but let us know what you decide on ?

 

 

Jake w

[pianoman 3,584]

Theoben Fenman was a fine little carbine in its time, for sure Jake.

 

An HW77 or HW97 will not let you down I promise you. I was out with my HW77 .22 yesterday and had the best day's shooting in a long time! Along with my HW80 .22, HW97K .177 and TX200HC .177, I really do not need any more than what I have already. Brilliant rifles all of them.

[eggs 4]

Hi and thanks for the replies. This internet thing can be a bit of a demon at times you know ..... i try to do a bit of research and read other posts on here and other sites etc and i seem to throw even more possibilities into the mix !! After reading i could charge a pcp with a pump that now opens up that route ! It seems as though some pcp guns are cheaper than springers in the secondhand market. Any reasons for this ? is it just the recharging with air bit that causes the hassle and cheaper prices ? What are the things to check on with secondhand ?

What would be a good pcp to look at ? sorry for all the questions

Hopefully im going to Hitchin at the weekend and might do a round trip to Ronnie Sunshines near Hemel. Has anyone been to the shop or bought through them ? If so are they a decent dealer ? At least i can hopefully grab hold of a few guns to get a feel for them.

Not sure if they do any secondhand stuff though ?

 

Any advice would be great

 

Cheers

[pianoman 3,584]

Probably, PCPs are cheaper on second hand sales as there are possible negative reasons like faults and leaks and other unreliabilty issues, as to why people are selling them. Or it could be a simple case of needing quick cash to pay a bill or buy a new rifle and the gun's fine. You have to be aware of what you are really buying with second hand PCPs. Not all sellers are as sound as some would have you believe. But there are some fine guns from decent chaps out there. So it's not all bad news by any means.

 

A great spring rifle, on the other hand, is still a great spring rifle. You would have to do some serious damage deliberately, to render one totally useless. And all but the most seriously poor basket-cases, are eminently restorable. Hence, they can hold decent values.

 

There are a great number of instances here where lads with the know-how have restored Weihrauch spring rifles that they found in very poor external condition, with rusty barrels and cylinders, worn-out internal parts, the bluing virtually lost and battered old stocks. But internally, they have proved fantastically clean and the cylinders and barrels are still efficient and as accurate as ever they were. A lot of elbow grease, re-blue and a stock refurb later, they have turned a worn out old gun into an almost good as new, superbly accurate, clean functioning air rifle that can put a string of pellets through the same hole at any range they can steady the rifle at.

 

Good luck with your searches.

Simon

[eggs 4]

Ok off to look at a secondhand HW77 this weekend. anything i should look out for ? Its from a dealer but he couldnt give me a date of manufacture. Is that normal ?

 

Cheers

[mattwhite 1,992]

Im a little biased but i would go for a tx 200 in either caliber. That should set you back 375.00. To get a scope on it would push you a little over but you will have one heck of a hunting tool. Pellet on pellet with a springer for about 425.00. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with the 77 as they are very similar in a lot of ways. Keep us posted.

[mattybugeye 884]

I may have a old version hw77k for sale shortly

Another member has 1st refusal as sort of building it for him but car troubles may of eaten up his funds

It's getting fully stripped and reblued

New spring

New piston washer

New breech seal

Fully polished internals

Polished trigger

Re finished stock

Plus more it's in bits at moment and aiming to have it done in next week or so

Will be looking around 250-270 depending on any other bits it will need but will be spot on has venom silencer/muzzle weight fitted too

Just a option for you if the one you view is a no go.

Cheers

[Darkie69 76]

I may have a old version hw77k for sale shortly

Another member has 1st refusal as sort of building it for him but car troubles may of eaten up his funds

It's getting fully stripped and reblued

New spring

New piston washer

New breech seal

Fully polished internals

Polished trigger

Re finished stock

Plus more it's in bits at moment and aiming to have it done in next week or so

Will be looking around 250-270 depending on any other bits it will need but will be spot on has venom silencer/muzzle weight fitted too

Just a option for you if the one you view is a no go.

Cheers

If you have read some of Matty's posts you will see one of recent refurb jobs, personally I'd sooner trust him than some RFD's out there.

[eggs 4]

Hi. Thanks for the replies again

 

Cheers for the offer mattyb ... nice one .i will let you know what happens this weekend. I reckon ive talked myself into getting a springer. i reckon there must be less to go wrong than with a pcp and after maybe a little tune they look to be very smooth.

 

Funny how it seems i have do a little research and find 2 gun clubs near ish to me that i never knew were there ! One with a shop that has a tx 200 so i can go look at that hopefully. Also found out i can go and do some clays locally for a small cost ( friend of a friend )

 

It really is strange how asking one person something opens up a real can of worms

 

Cheers

[gurtwurz 792]

Sounds like a bargain for what's arguably the best spring rifle of all time, if matty's mate doesn't have it, I'd bite his hand off for that 77.

I picked my own 77 up for £150, and it's the best spring rifle in my gun cabinet (and that's including my stutzen pro sport!).

Seriously worth consideration mate.

[mattybugeye 884]

No worries hope you find something nice if not il let you know if sale don't go ahead