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Advantages of a PCP over a springer?


Cumbrian
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 I have used a HW97 for quite a few years, and very good it is too. But I am finding it rather heavy to lift and hold at my age, plus the effort of cocking it with somewhat damaged  wrists. Also, our dog gets very frightened of the noise of the spring and recoil. So, will a PCP be considerably lighter, obviously no cocking problem, and will it be almost silent compared to my current rifle? 

Grateful for your advice.

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34 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, that's 9llb of weighty springer, you can buy PCP air rifles around 5 llb and quite as a mouse farting !!🤔😁

Thank you. Very helpful and encouraging. Feels like more than 9lbs if I compare it to my Browning 325 at 7lb 11oz., but of course the latter is better balanced.

21 minutes ago, WalkedUp said:

PCP very quiet - effectively silent, easy to shoot accurately as no bounce, quicker to cycle. 

Thank you. Very helpful, and good to hear about the accuracy and cycling, too.

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Generally  if your after ultimate  quietness a long barreled gun in .22 cal with a decent silencer will be great .but obviously  longer barrel equals more weight out front on the hand  .

A bullpup can get round that length  .

But I have to say my new bsa ultra clx apart from being  awesome in many ways .it's also very very quiet (compared to the older models of ultra I have  )  with the standard bsa mod on the end its very effective .

Ultra = short light  .Good shot count .accurate ,cheap ,  reliable and british .

 

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Many thanks to all who have so kindly responded. Lots of useful information and advice here. I like the sound of the BSA ultra or clx, not least for the weight. I have always admired the BSA Martini Internationals .22 LR for their engineering, so I would hope that their air rifle successors - still made in Birmingham, I'm glad to note - will not disappoint.

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Hi Mice, bought an Artemis P15, feels like a pistol weight wise, 100+ shots per fill of it's Titanium cylinder, super accurate (*) but noisy without a replacement shroud end cap or filling the shroud with hair curlers etc. Most likely the most amazing gun I have ever owned when you consider it's sub £400 price tag, (*) These guns are so featherweight that you need to get the trigger set really light, slightest movement of any part of your upper body as you fire causes 3-4mm variation in windage poi. 

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I have an AA S200 Mk2 and it is easy on the arm. I also have just acquired a Boxer Bullpip and that is heavy and unbalanced and fortunately has a sling. BUT it does the job I wanted it for.   I would shop around and find an AA S200. Mine is super accurate with the Webley Mosquitos I use.  10 shot mag is easily refilled. One minus is it has no safety catch but that means you have to be super safe in handling it.  I now have a bottle for re filling and I get plenty of shots per fill.

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1 hour ago, Cumbrian said:

so I would hope that their air rifle successors - still made in Birmingham, I'm glad to note - will not disappoint

There new stuff isn't anything like the quality you would expect,  it seems some are getting great guns, others are getting leaking guns which take months to fix under warranty,  I'd stick to a used ultra or AA from a local rfd if possible. 

59 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

bought an Artemis P15,

That's the one, I couldn't for the life of me remember the make. 

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Over here in NZ, there is no power limit on springer air rifles or firearms license required. You might think it air rifle paradise, but it's not. The more powerful springers, say over 16 ft.lb are a bit of nightmare. Noisy and heavy in recoil. Inaccurate and most people seem to recommend an "artillery hold" to get the most accuracy out of them. They are also rough on scopes and will quickly trash a scope, even those designed for centrefire use. Aside from hassle factor, a PCP would seem preferable in almost every way.  

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20 hours ago, Walker570 said:

I have an AA S200 Mk2 and it is easy on the arm. I also have just acquired a Boxer Bullpip and that is heavy and unbalanced and fortunately has a sling. BUT it does the job I wanted it for.   I would shop around and find an AA S200. Mine is super accurate with the Webley Mosquitos I use.  10 shot mag is easily refilled. One minus is it has no safety catch but that means you have to be super safe in handling it.  I now have a bottle for re filling and I get plenty of shots per fill.

I heard the other day that the AA S200 is no longer being made?

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The hw mods work surprisingly well when you consider what’s inside them. Three paper thin washers, a plastic hair roller type thing and a bit of wadding. Cheap internals for what they charge. I’ve tried various rimfire mods that sound about the same, but are shorter, better made and cheaper. I use an a-tec on my hw100 just because it’s shorter. Nothing wrong with the hw mods, it’s just my opinion that you can get better build quality for less money.

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This is an easy one, here we go in a nutshell  

ALL PCP's make the most incompetent shooter look extremely good. What you choose therefore is down to your budget and personal taste. Don't forget if you need a sexy name on it, that's extra. Won't make you shoot any better. 

Springer's require a bit of effort, they can return good results but you have to put the hours in the perfect the technique. Not rocket science, just a bit of commitment. 

At this point you will get recommendations of what's 'best'. They well may be but are they the best for you? 

Also remember a PCP requires support equipment. Most, again, will say you MUST have a dive bottle or compressor. This is nice but not strictly true. There are perfectly workable options that are available. Springers are free in that regard. 

This is a real world account of airgunning. The BIGGEST thing to remember whichever path you choose is to enjoy it for what it is, take your time, practice and don't get hung up on pellets!😳😄

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20 hours ago, strimmer_13 said:

Actually if going down the PCP route, I'd very much get hung up on pellets. Apart from user error, I can get over 2 inch in variation by using **** to decent pellets

I've probably got 15 different brands/tins I try 

I'm with strimmer on this, a good pellet can be a hit compared to maybe a miss with an ordinary pellet, pay more and get better consistency.

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On 25/09/2021 at 21:17, Mice! said:

There new stuff isn't anything like the quality you would expect,  it seems some are getting great guns, others are getting leaking guns which take months to fix under warranty,  I'd stick to a used ultra or AA from a local rfd if possible. 

That's the one, I couldn't for the life of me remember the make. 

That is not good news. I have omitted to look in on this forum since this was posted until now. Actually, I bought a new BSA .22 today. I gather that the cylinder is the weak point, so I will look out for that. I suppose that if it proves perpetually faulty I might be able to get a full refund. However, I am hoping for the best. The rifle is just the right weight and feels well balanced. It came with a fully charged cylinder, so I will keep a careful count of the shots I take and if the number falls well short of the 50-60 full power ones that I would expect from manufacturer's claim of 62, then I suppose I shall know that I have a dud.

Just at the moment, the main problem is that I cannot obtain a Weihrauch silencer, so I am thinking of using a Swift (Richard Pope) moderator that I have on my CZ .22 rimfire. It works brilliantly well on the CZ. Can anyone tell me whether there is any reason why I should not use it on the BSA? Would the much slower pellet compared to a .22 rimfire bullet cause any problems? Grateful for advice.

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