Spring powered air guns - what is the market?

[malkiserow]

Going on from the other threads and not sidetracking them, what does the market look like?

 

What groups of people buy them? And how would we define them? I guess there are the idiots who want the cheapest gun they can get to shoot anything they can but there are the people who want to test them against the 60 air guns they already have in their collection. I also guess some parents buy them for their kids to use under supervision to inspire then to shoot and learn gun safety along with some good marksmanship skills.

 

So how do manufacturers set out their products when it comes to springers?

 

If you were Weirhauch or Hatsan, how do you see the UK marketplace?

[Jega]

I can only really comment on my own particular point of view,i consider myself pretty fortunate in as much as i've got just about all the guns i'll ever need.

That being the case when the day comes that i cant find room in the cabinet for a decent springer i'll pack the game in .

The main reason i still grab a springer for hunting is the simple satisfaction shooting a basic rifle gives me ,i suppose the marketing revolves around as many varied reasons as there are shooters .

From a purely financial point of view buying a known name i.e. Air Arms ,Weihrauch etc gives you a rifle thats been proven over many years ,is easy to get parts for ,and will retain more of the initial cost then a lesser known make ,also the cost of a p.c.p and associated kit can be a bit off putting especially if its for a youngster just starting out .

I bought my own son his first springer (HW 99S .177cal )primarily to get him shooting safely some 12 years ago and yes we still use it regularly ,a bonus being its retained about 90% of its initial cost .

[Underdog]

I do think the independence a springer gives is under estimated and understated.

I mean spending four to five times the amount for a PCP of quality because they are better is perverted in my opinion. It is an air gun with limited operational distance period!

[fenboy]

A tuned springer is a joy to shoot , no worrying about seals / leaks , its ready to go at the drop of a hat gives more consistency shot to shot than a PCP no power curve to worry about as accurate as you need for airgun ranges , what's more cocking a springer builds muscle , building muscle makes you a man

 

My springer has now accounted for 100s of pigeons and rabbits and still shoots spot on every time I get it out , what more would you want !

[Underdog]

I have not had this 97 long and whilst heavy yes it is stable. I often watch the pell all the way to target. And from any held position.

I fitted a wide sling and the weight is not an issue.

It is one of those airguns that you know it will not be off zero or out of wind!

[Mentalmac]

In fairness, I have always had PCP's but got a really cheap Stoeger X20 Supressor thing which I started out with - and find I often grab it and take with me when out shooting, enjoy using it... adds another element to shooting rather than the all too easy PCP

[Killshott]

I regularly shoot both PCP's, springers & Gas ram air rifles. IMO they all have their uses. For plinking, target practice & shooting discipline, I value a springer every time, usually an AA TX200. For general shooting & independence, I favour my gas ram BSA Lighning XL break barrel with its Theoben GR. Less recoil, less twist, and simplicity of use. But for hunting use, I favour my AA S410 as it is multi-shot & being PCP it can be rested on fences, posts, trees & of course used with a bipod. None of which is really do-able with a sringer or a Gas Ram. Generally hunting, I use less that 2 dozen pellets as each time I pull the trigger I am intending on a humane kill and I can't carry that many rabbits! So the limitations of shot capacity are not an issue for me. I would never get rid of my springer as I have found from experience that regularly using a recoilless PCP makes you a lazy shooter and the basics such as rifle grip, breathing & trigger follow-through are easily forgotten. My belief is that if you can hit what you are aiming at with a springer, you can hit it with any combination that you are familiar with.

I am fortunate enough to have built up a small collection of rifles over many years of shooting experience, so I have the luxury of choice. But if I had only one option, it would be a springer, but don't buy cheap, buy the best that you can afford, make sure that you are using the best pellet choice for your barrel, get familiar with your rifle/scope/reticule combo, make sure that your discipline & shooting technique are as good as you can be, and practice, practice, practice as often as you can

Edited June 25, 2015 by Killshott

[compo90]

Springers are simple, I like simple things, less to break/go wrong

 

Only ever had springers, have used pcp's owned by family and friends. But I think its too complcated with charging bottles and such.

 

I do pest control now and am looking for a new air rifle for those occasional pigeon shoots, a colleague has a pcp....... I'm looking at another springer

[evo]

I started air rifle shooting with a webley and scott underlever in .177, it was passed down by my father and I learnt my trade with it for many years, god only knows what ftlb it put out, I then bought my own HW80 and my god it was initially a beast of a rifle , but to 35yrds it was a proper killing machine,

 

then I ended up with an AAs410 and a hills pump, now that was an awesome piece of kit,, compared to the HW80 it was super light, it was effortless to shoot but the best thing I found with it was I could take out two pigeons because the second pigeon did not hear the gun,, it was a fantastic rifle,,out of these 3 rifles I have to say the webley and scott was my favourite but times were changing,

 

it was then that I bought the huntsman classic and that was and still is a superbly smooth effortless rifle to use, many a time I have shot a rabbit with a springer and another one has bolted but since using pcp,s I find it much quicker to take the second rabbit out as well,

 

I loved using springers in the past but when you are out at least 4 nights a week then the pcp comes into its own mainly for ease of use and the longer distances I can shoot my quarry,

 

since getting the airwolf mct tactical .177 I fill it up with air, take it out shooting for at least a month before I need to refill the gun, a minimum of 350 shots per charge enables me to do this, its just so nice to hunt with, its a perfect tool for pest control, yes it was expensive but it has made the job much easier, follow on shots simpler and hunting more pleasurable and effortless

 

still love using a hw80 now and again but only to take me back down memory lane,, pcp and by that I mean a top end pcp for me anyday over the ancient springer mech sorry

[krugerandsmith]

I started air rifle shooting with a webley and scott underlever in .177, it was passed down by my father and I learnt my trade with it for many years, god only knows what ftlb it put out, I then bought my own HW80 and my god it was initially a beast of a rifle , but to 35yrds it was a proper killing machine,

 

then I ended up with an AAs410 and a hills pump, now that was an awesome piece of kit,, compared to the HW80 it was super light, it was effortless to shoot but the best thing I found with it was I could take out two pigeons because the second pigeon did not hear the gun,, it was a fantastic rifle,,out of these 3 rifles I have to say the webley and scott was my favourite but times were changing,

 

it was then that I bought the huntsman classic and that was and still is a superbly smooth effortless rifle to use, many a time I have shot a rabbit with a springer and another one has bolted but since using pcp,s I find it much quicker to take the second rabbit out as well,

 

I loved using springers in the past but when you are out at least 4 nights a week then the pcp comes into its own mainly for ease of use and the longer distances I can shoot my quarry,

 

since getting the airwolf mct tactical .177 I fill it up with air, take it out shooting for at least a month before I need to refill the gun, a minimum of 350 shots per charge enables me to do this, its just so nice to hunt with, its a perfect tool for pest control, yes it was expensive but it has made the job much easier, follow on shots simpler and hunting more pleasurable and effortless

 

still love using a hw80 now and again but only to take me back down memory lane,, pcp and by that I mean a top end pcp for me anyday over the ancient springer mech sorry

 

evo.

Know and agree with what you say. Not long ago sold one of my HW80's to a pal, the other equally as good I will never part with. The early 80's springer are just fantastic.

[evo]

totally agree Kruger

 

they certainly were an excellent springer, one of my buddies has an old hw80 and I have been on my hands and knees begging him to sell me it, but he wont part with it,

 

I would give my left arm to own that rifle as its an old version and has not missed a beat once, I would love to purchase it from him and get it fully tuned,

 

what a piece of kit that would be,

[jantar]

Hmm,

Like most have said I too love the challenge of shooting a rifle that has some reaction as it shoots the pellet. I sold my springers and went (?up?) to PCP's but after a month went out and bought the new Walther LGU, then a lesser Hatsan Striker 1000s because I missed the feel of them. Both are springers and both are very very different to shoot. In my book a shooter who has not gained the skills to shoot all types of Airguns effectively and with some accuracy is missing out on a worthwhile personal challenge. One who I see regularly supporting his top quality PCP on a full Buffalo River steel 'zeroing' bench rest then proclaiming his accuracy hitting hole on hole at 25 meters is either deluding himself or trying to impress others. I suggested he use a cushion or bipod but got told that I knew nothing because he was a 'marksman'. Seems to me that the only one he is fooling is himself.

[Underdog]

Absolutely. I always have said that the true definition of a marksman is how well he shoots off hand, no aids!

[Les*1066]

I have two springers - a HW35 and a HW97K - and two pcp's. The springers need a totally different technique to achieve good accuracy, and that all adds to the enjoyment. Could I live without them? Yes, but I wouldn't want to!