This report covers:
- BB’s response
- Like a multi-pump except…
- Accuracy
- Too much stuff!
- Power
- More on stuff
- Summary
Today I’m doing a report that is based on a comment made last week. Reader thedavemeister said the following.
RidgeRunner, I have yet to cross over to the “Darkside,” LOL! I guess it’s a psychological thing….growing up with my Sheridan, then my RWS 45 sproinger…then my R7…then my HW97…with all those guns, I knew EXACTLY what they would do when I pulled the trigger; I never had to check a pressure gauge or anything…just grab the gun and some pellets and head out the door. I guess I just like things simple.
To which reader RidgeRunner responded.
Dave, The “Darkside” is usually for those who wish to go beyond the range of sproingers. Most sproingers “top out” at around 25 yards. There are a few that are good to about 50 yards. Those are usually expensive.
With the “Darkside” your effective range is determined by how much you want to spend. Cheap precharged pneumatic airguns (PCPs) can usually outshoot most sproingers. I am beginning to explore the Maximus. It is easily filled with a hand pump. The manufacturers have discovered there is a market for Price Point PCPs. Some have a really good price tag.
When I started on the “Darkside” I had a Talon SS and an Edge, both of which I filled with a good hand pump. This year I bought my Maximus. I picked it up on sale for $150. It is super easy to fill with a good hand pump.
Hey, I have quite a few sproingers, but I like the “Darkside” also.
BB’s response
Like many people I avoided PCPs as long as possible. Like Dave I thought they were more complex and had too much technology, like the gauge Dave mentioned. But in the 1990s I was writing a newsletter about airguns and it had to include all of them. So when push came to shove in 1996, I broke down and bought a used Daystate Huntsman.
I bought the rifle from the late Rodney Boyce who taught me quite a lot about precharged pneumatics, so I could write about them without sounding completely clueless. I learned about the inverted bathtub power curve, and why overfilling robs power and other things like shot count. But that just got me started. There was a whole world of learning ahead. Today I’m going to attempt to simplify some of that for you.
Like a multi-pump except…
First off, a pneumatic is a pneumatic — be they single-stroke, multi-pump or precharged. All of them push the pellet out with a burst of air. Dave mentions his Sheridan, so let’s start there. A Sheridan Blue or Silver Streak is pumped by the shooter up to 8 times to fill the air reservoir for one shot. Fill once, shoot once.
Some other multi-pumps (like my Benjamin 700) get multiple shots from a fill, though the shooter has to top them off with a couple pumps before each shot. Still other multi-pumps of the past like the Yewah 3B Dynamite have filled with enough air for many shots at the same speed, but they took an enormous number of pumps to fill — like 150.
Back to the Sheridan, it operates between 400 and 750 f.p.s. for a lighter .20 caliber pellet. It maxes out around 14+ foot-pounds.
Pumping takes time. It’s also relaxing, if you can be patient.
A PCP, in contrast, shoots at the same power level for every shot, unless it has adjustable power as many of them do today. And it does not have to be filled between shots. That is the major distinction between it and a multi-pump. RidgeRunner mentioned the Benjamin Maximus, but that one is no longer available, so let’s look at the Benjamin Fortitude Gen 2.
The Gen 2 Fortitude is $320 as this report is published. The velocity can be adjusted up and down a bit from how it comes out of the box, though it isn’t as convenient to adjust as many more expensive rifles.
In .177 The Fortitude I tested got a power level of about 15 foot-pounds at the maximum and at the lowest power about 5.5 foot-pounds. That is a good and useful spread.
My velocity test was a little odd, but I learned there were at least 60 good shots on a fill and the Fortitude Gen 2 fills to 3,000 psi. Therefore using a hand pump is entirely possible. Yes, that means a lot of pumping when it comes time, but you get many more shots at higher power than you do from a Sheridan Blue Streak.
Accuracy
Well, this is the big one. Besides shooting without pumping each time, most PCPs are very accurate these days. The Fortitude Gen 2 certainly is. And, remember the Air Venturi Avenger? That $350 PCP was almost as accurate as my Air Arms S510X that costs almost 5 times as much!
The Avenger put 10 Air Arms domes into 0.17-inches at 25 yards.
The Avenger shot 10 Air Arms 16-grain domes into 0.648-inches at 50 yards.
Here is what thedavemeister said about PCPs yesterday.
“There are a few (PCPs) that are good to about 50 yards. Those are usually expensive [Dave — the Avenger sells for $350. BB].
RidgeRunner, that comment you made really got me to thinking…mostly about how dumb it was for me to sell my HW97! Since I was moving away from our Field Target range (to another state), I thought it would be nice to sell it to another Field Target competitor there (in Florida) to give them a good gun to get into the game. But that gun WAS a tack driver, and it was good all the way to 55 yards…and that was with a very modest 4-14X scope. I SHOULD have kept the rifle, and just got an even better scope; then I’d be enjoying it right NOW on the mini-farm! Shoulda kept it, shoulda kept it! Stupid dave, LOL!”
Too much stuff!
People say that the equipment needed to fill the airgun is what keeps them away from PCPs. I can’t argue that one. You do need some stuff to fill your gun. If you purchase it with that in mind, a hand pump will stand you in good stead. Why airgun manufacturers haven’t realized this and brought out rifles with large reservoirs and lower operating pressures is a mystery to me. Tim McMurray showed us how to do it many years ago with his USFT that got 55 shots of H&N Baracuda Match pellets at 900 f.p.s. — all on 1,600 psi. Okay, so the reservoir was the size of a sewer pipe. Compromise and make one half that size and get maybe 40 shots on a 1,800 psi fill. We know that it should be possible.
The USFT rifle has a huge air reservoir. It take a lot of time to fill, but it stops at 1,600 psi.
Power
I’m staying away from power today, but I will say this. A .25- or .30-caliber spring-piston rifle tops out around 30 foot-pounds. We saw 36.98 foot-pounds from the PCP Air Venturi Avenger and it was no more difficult to cock than when it shot at 22 foot-pounds.
The spring piston rifle requires the strength of Hercules to cock. The Avenger is easy.
More on stuff
If you lived in the US in 1900 you probably got around on a horse or a bicycle in town. Cars were newfangled, disruptive to animals and not to be trusted. Whatcha got parked in your driveway today?
Yes a PCP does need stuff and if you want to go first class, the stuff can add up. But don’t tell me that with a spring-piston air rifle all you need is pellets. Springs bend and break, piston seals fail and breech seals go bad in a hurry. Owning a breakbarrel doesn’t make you a mountain man. All of them have their quirks and problems. I have a precharged TalonSS that’s been working for the past two decades. You have seen it many times in tests. It’s so old it doesn’t even have some of the markings — like the power indicator wheel. But it still works and has never been overhauled or rebuilt.
I’m not saying that a PCP is more rugged than a spring-piston rifle. I’m saying none of them is eternal and to own one means investing in it for their future.
Summary
The bottom line for a PCP? Fill it and shoot it — lots of times. I’m not trying to push anyone into a precharged gun today. But fair is fair and in 2021 PCPs have a lot going for them.
B.B.
When I win the lottery I will entertain the DarkSide. The “serious” guys at the range have their .25 FX Impact, their .22 Leshey 2, their Styr .177, their .177 RAW, their .177 Cricket Now lets talk about scopes…..
And they are never satisfied. Maybe I should trade this gun in for a better/more accurate one???
One MOA at 200 yards is approximately 2 inches, at 50 yards it is about 1/2 inch. that is what I am trying for, same difference….
-Y
KISS is my motto and I’m sticking to it.
Yogi,
I have an HM1000X in .357 that I would like to sell. It is awesome accurate, but you are not going to fill it with a hand pump.
I am a “serious Darksider”. I just bought a Maximus. It is easily filled with a hand pump. It only goes up to 2000 PSI. When I had my Talon SS, I only filled it to 1800 PSI. Then I would get about 20 shots along the top of the curve. When I filled my Edge to 3000 PSI with a hand pump, that itty, bitty reservoir would give me over 100 shots.
Those “serious” guys are hung up on listening to all of the marketeering and must have the latest and greatest toys to brag about. It is unfortunate that you do have to spend a bit to get decent accuracy in a PCP, but not near as much as those “serious” guys are.
I am really into sproingers also. I have way more sproingers than PCPs. You cannot tell me you are going to get 1/2″ at 50 yards without opening that wallet.
Wait till B.B. shoots the HW 50 at 50 yards. Yes, decent scope and decent tune is all that is needed. As B.B. have proven with the HW 30, springers do benefit from a tune.
-Y
PS How much do .357 pellets or slugs cost,lol, lol, lol…
Yogi
This new hw 50 I got did not group good at all at 50 yards with known good pellets I shot from my old 50 I had. Did some work and it is a killer gun now out to about 40 yards. And not bad at 50 yards.
I’ll have more to say after BB does some more reporting on his new style hw50.
As of now I’m very happy with my 50. And guess what the spring was bent. And it was at the piston end after the spring guide where the spring isn’t suppoered. It was a smooth cocker from the factory. Now it’s even smoother cocking and shooting.
And another note it has probably the tightess lock up on the barrel that I have had on the different break barrels I have owned.
But yep liking it and even the new style stock.
Yogi
How much does a .177 caliber or .22 caliber cost.
😉
Oh about 15 bucks for 500…
.357 pellets about the same for 50.
-Y
Yogi
True on the cost. But .177 caliber pcp’s are pretty versatile guns. Once a person gets over getting a electric pump pcp’s are much easier guns to shoot then most break barrels.
So no need for those higher cost big caliber pcp projectiles if you stay with the small caliber pcps. Well unless you decide to go that way at some point in time.
RidgeRunner,
THE DARKSIDER says:
SIG SSP ASP20 in .22 for sure and on a relatively calm day in.177! It sold for UNDER $ 600.00….
But the break barrel shooters gave it NO LOVE!
(sung to the Eagles, Horse With No Name, tune)
Da da di…da da da DA!
shootski
Yea, springer guys like to tinker. SIG ASP20, do not touch the trigger. No spare parts, send it in…
-Y
Plus, accurate, but not laser beam accurate.
Yogi,
Yes it isn’t a LASER and I’m not Buck Rodgers.
The two SIG ASP20 that I own are Sporting Airguns especially the .22 that has the synthetic stock. It slings up really well in my TAB GEAR Elite Biathlon Sling for walks in the hunting fields. The arm cuff gives me the stability I’m looking for to give me around 1 MOA at 50.
The WHISKY3 tracks well and has given me NOTHING to complain about. Now if I want sub MOA and ranges beyond 50 I have a number of PCP that are set up for specific projectiles for specific prey at the typical range they allow me.
I have adjusted the trigger to suit my preferences for a Sporting tool.
Why tinker when all both of my ASP20 needed out of the box was a trigger tweak for personal taste and finding the pellet(s) they like.
Ever shot one Yogi?
shootski
Shootski,
It had some really good points, but Sig did not give it time to make its mark before it dropped it to concentrate on the military pistol contract. It was dropped when that contract was signed.
RidgeRunner,
Your timeline is correct but why does SIG continue to build all the rest of the airguns that the masses seem to be buying? Perhaps the Target Pistol and the ASP20 consumed too much in-house assets {barrel machine(s)} and LASER welding rigs.
My personal belief after some limited research is that SIG knows the value of REPUTATION and the cost benefit of the dross on Social Media Attacks was too great of a RISK to their reputation. Most people who commented on SM had never shot even one or they had connections to other companies to honor; for some reason (success ?) the same stuff happens every time they roll out a new firearm.
Just think how big of a TARGET got painted on the back of SIG AIR by our own Godfather of Airguns® by his honest multi part Blog.
But all of that is just informed speculation on my part!
shootski
Shootski,
If I am not mistaken, the Super Target is made in Italy (FAS). As for their CO2 replicas, I have no idea but I would not be surprised if they were outsourced. They are a big seller with all of the couch commandos, so they may have kept them in house.
RR,
Yes. Sig makes no airguns. They buy them in Asia, like so many others.
BB
Oops!
I’ve used 7-8 pumpers like a Sheridan in my discussions with guys that own those airguns and are sitting on the fence about venturing into pcp’s.
My first pcp was an Air Arms S410 and I hand pumped that gun for awhile. After the first time it was filled I got around 40 shots on the highest power setting (around 900 FPS with 18.1gr pellets). To top the gun off it took about 3 pump strokes for each of the next 40 shots. Much less than 8 pumps for each high power shot for a Sheridan.
BB,
I look upon a PCP as a Multi stroke pump with the pump being divorced from the gun and getting put on steroids to be able to produce higher pressures. The good news with the old Discovery and a hand pump compination is that I never have to concern myself about the cheap scope possibly breaking everytime I fire it. Which I cannot say about my springers which are all limited to iron and peep sights. Getting a reliable springer rated scope is a chancy proposition on my shores with over 90% of the optics being made in China. Especially with local warranties that are practically non-existent.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
I do not know if they are available over there, but get a Leapers/UTG scope if you can. They are all up to sproingers and most are not that expensive.
The Discovery/Maximus and a decent hand pump is an awesome combination.
RidgeRunner,
Thanks for bringing Leapers up but with the number of copies that turn up price is not a guarantee. Anyway at the range I can shoot a scope is overkill anyway. We are so wall to wall in this highly urbanized space we call home and the longest I can stretch is only 23 meters. And I can only regularly use 10 meters maximum. So at that range why bother with a scope? I still get my fun.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
I would not bother at those ranges either. Most of my sproingers would require serious modification to take a scope. They do have some nice open sights though.
Buy a electric pump and then the sky is the limit.
Then you can get what ever pcp you would like.
I love Diana 27 and HW30S, both in .177, just because I am a plinker. No need for adamant artillery hold at that power range. As simple as the hobby could get. No need anymore power either.
For in-home use, my latest favorite is an 880.
If I wanted to shoot at further ranges with a scope, then a PCP would be my best option. A PCP air compressor, a Hatsan that shoots .25 cal pellets at around 800 FPS, and… Well, that’s it. Expensive, yes, but always compare the cost to firearms; in the long, long run, you save a lot. Again target shooting in mind. I don’t hunt, so I don’t worry about that.
What is the perfect airgun for you? The answer lays at what you are going to do with it.
Fish,
I hate to be the one to tell you (not), but that 880 is a PCP.
I know how 880 works. Why would you even say that? Even if I didn’t know, what you said wouldn’t make any sense. Explain yourself.
The single pump action fills a reservoir with compressed air. When you pull the trigger, it releases the content of that reservoir. It is a Pre-Charged Pneumatic. A sproinger does not compress the air until after the trigger is pulled.
RR,
You just described a single stroke pneumatic. 😉
BB
I never said what 880 is or is not. I said if I ever wanted an air rifle with a scope, I would choose a PCP that can produce 800 FPS with a 25 cal pellet. I didn’t want a long sentence like that and pollute my words, so I divided the idea into two sentences and used Hatsan as an example to make it more flawless to read. I know how 880 works. I know how a springer works. Can an 880 ever shoot a 25 cal pellet at 800 FPS? So I obviously wouldn’t prefer it for outside scoped fun. That was what I said. Before you bring it up what everyone knows, I know 880 is not offered with that kind of cal. And the Godfather is right; you didn’t explain 880, you explained something like 853. Also I hope you meant to say ‘coil’ springer.
‘Describe,’ I meant to say – not ‘explain.’ 🙂
Scope shift on my springers was what pushed me to a Benjamin Marauder. I had worked my way up to a .25 cal springer for controlling invasive nutria that were burrowing into creek banks and endangering livestock from cave-ins. I had come to air guns originally because I discovered it was far more effective and WAY safer to control them around livestock and take shots on water (their natural habitat). Bullets ricochet and scare the animals off. Nutria run 20-25lb and require a 30ftlb gun to humanely dispatch. A .25 cal springer worked great until the massive recoil threw my POI off, or just destroyed the scope internals completely, and I discovered my carefully dialed in hunting gun that I had worked out the perfect pellet, pellet drop at 20, 30, 40, and 50 yd ranges, and practiced for hours to shoot in the field and hold 1.5″ groups in real scenario positions (rested off shooting sticks and fence posts) wounded animals instead of killing them. That isn’t acceptable. So I bought a .25 cal Marauder and each shot gets put within 1/2″ of a my aimpoint out to 50yds. That to me is the best illustration of the advantages of a pcp and the limitations of a springer.
The stakes are low when punching paper. If you can shoot relatively accurately most of the time and occasionally get some holes in a piece of paper that are impressively close, that’s great. But the stakes are higher when hunting and I have a responsibility to put an animal down humanely with one shot that goes exactly where it needs to (1/4″ behind and just below the ear on a nutria). Close-ish most of the time doesn’t cut it for this kind of shooting, right? You don’t want a tattoo from a guy that takes coupons and you don’t hunt with a gun that shoots “you know, in the neighborhood.”
ProfSteelToe, I applaud the stated attitude to hunting. I prefer to see an animal to live free, and if it has to be killed, then achieving this without the animal ever becoming aware – perfect! 🙂
hihihi,
Nutria are an invasive animal in North America. They do an unbelievable amount of ecological damage to wetlands and have no natural predator to control their numbers. They were introduced for fur farming in the 1920s and were released by uncaring speculating farmers when furs became a luxury during The Depression. I hunt them from my kayak with a .25 caliber PCP that delivers 90+ FPE at my normal engagement range of 25-40 yards.
shootski
“So I bought a .25 cal Marauder and each shot gets put within 1/2″ of a my aimpoint out to 50yds. That to me is the best illustration of the advantages of a pcp and the limitations of a springer.”
ProfSteelToe, thank you for this excellent data point, and for your well-reasoned position on the PCP with regard to ethical hunting.
Take care,
dave
My precharged pneumatic airgun is a pistol, mainly because of the 20 Joules / 14.75 foot pounds power limit here. Springers relatively easily achieve, or exceed this when they’re long arms, however, I know not of any spring powered handgun that can.
So I went pcp: fairly quiet with a silencer, 10 pellet clips which I like, reputedly very accurate (personally, I struggle to hit exactly what I aim for… with any gun 🙂 ). To help steady me for more distant shots, I wish I could find a foldable shoulder stock!
Anybody else have a Weihrauch HW44? To keep it legal, mine’s in 4,5mm / .177″ calibre.
hihihi,
I am not aware of a commercial shoulder stock for an HW44, but one can be had.
https://www.formgriffe.de/en/shpSR.php?p1=446
https://www.airgunforum.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/hw44-stock-improvements.271066/page-2
hihihi,
Welcome to the blog. On perusal I cannot find a commercial folding stock for the HW44. The best I can think of is that you will have to have somebody make use of a 3D printer to make you an adaptor for the numerous folding stocks available for airsoft.
Siraniko
RidgeRunner and Siraniko, thanks for your comments, help and research!
I like the idea of attaching a shoulder stock to the picatinny rail on the pistol. Unless something like that becomes available to buy, I shall simply benchrest the thing… 🙂
Thanks again!
I like them both. They each have their place. I am beginning to experiment with a sproinger and a PCP that I have. With the Tomahawk, I want to calm it down a bit and also see if I can improve its accuracy. With the Maximus I will likely go where no one else has. This should be an interesting Winter for me.
I too used to dream like Yogi’s “serious” guys about the latest and greatest. Now, I just want to learn. I will concede that with a FX Impact you can learn an awful lot about PCPs, but you are also going to spend an awful lot for those lessons.
RidgeRunner,
I’ll be watching with great interest how the RR Max flows.
shootski
Shootski,
Me too. It is already a multi-shot.
Yep, had been considering dipping the toes in the Waters of The Dark Side and this post has led FM closer to temptation. The practical way for FM to get there likely will be via the Discovery/Maximus route – and when the Fun Budget allows.
FM
Do it. If you get a Maximus or Discovery and don’t like it I will buy it from ya.
Now as far as the pump goes that’s another story. I got a couple good electric pumps. Definitely no hand pumping for Gunfun1 with these pcp gun’s anymore ever. One of my pumps works off a car
battery so that way if the power/electric was to go out I can still fill my favorite pcp of the day. 🙂
GF1, thanks for the enabling encouragement; knowing FM’s penchant for holding on to stuff for decades, likely you’d be buying the Discovery/Maximus at the FM Estate Sale. Rest assured you would have priority bidding rights on it. And a Friends-and-Family discount to boot.
Let’s see – FM has CO2 shooters, a “sproinger,” PCP has to be next. Sounds like it is time to compile a Christmas Wish List.
FM
RidgeRunner was talking about a Maximus forever. Even when they was called a Discovery.
I’m pretty positive Gunfun1 could come up with a deal for you on a Maximus. Heck I have one in .177 caliber with a Huma regulator and I would even let you have a few year old hand pump with it I keep around for what reason I don’t know.
Seriously if you want it all its yours cheap. Just so FM can come over to the Dark Side.
Let me know. 🙂
You are killin’ Old FM!; prefer a .22 but on the other hand, you are definitely leading him into irresistible temptation. Not looking for cheap or supersonic velocity, but for reasonable reliability, a bit more power for pesting and a good fun factor. Let me know what would work for you via kubelkobold (at) that googly gobbledygook email. No rush.
You’re gonna force FM to get a chrony and an electric pump at some point, if this goes thru… 😉 so many Rabbit Holes to fall into. Can FM handle the pressure?
FM
I’m going to email you in a minute so I can see if I get your email right. I’ll mark the subject Gunfun1 Maximus so you know the email is from me.
Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. Gunfun1 cracked a tooth in half and had to go to the dentist. Talked about getting dentures. I’m afraid old Gunfun1 will never be able to retire after I get through with this teeth thing.
Anyway email on the way in a minute.
OUCH! Hope you were not literally trying to bite the bullet! Dental issues can get anyone to feel down in the mouth…and the wallet. FM knows.
FM
Yep not crazy about going to the dentist in the first place. Will be glad when it’s over with for sure.
Oh and how does that saying go.
I just sent you a offer I don’t think you can refuse.
Let me know if you get the emial I sent you.
BB,
I like the crank-n-shoot of the springers for general plinking but IMHO, for range, precision and power PCPs are the ticket. I shoot both 🙂
Agreed, the support equipment for PCPs can be steep if you go whole-hog (compressors and carbon fiber tanks) to support a high-power, large caliber airgun but you can go to the dark side economically. A friend shoots a .177 Maximus that he fills from a second hand SCUBA tank that he got for $100.
The other thing is that one compressor can support multiple guns so the cost is (effectively) deferred if shared between friends.
Cheers!
Hank
Hank
The magic word for pcp’s is get that one electric compressor.
And once you do that then a pcp is like any other gun. You can get any pcp you want. And oh my gosh there are oh so many pcp’s to choose from now days.
I got all kind of different power plant air guns. Once you get a pcp and a electric air pump they are just so simple and enjoyable to shoot. You can get bunches of very accurate at longer distance and powerful shots on a average of a 1 to 4 minute fill time depending on your compressor. Plus they are very tunable by just a turn of a screw to get the power you want. That’s good for the different type of places you may have to shoot at.
People don’t be scared of the Dark Side. Trust me there are protecting forces that will help you come over to the other side. Once you do it you will be happy. I’m pretty positive about that.
Do it.
And Hank. I know you know. I just figured this was the place to post my reply. Happy pcp shooting. 🙂
GF1,
You are preaching to the choir LOL!
I have a number of thirsty PCPs and some of them have a 250 and 300 bar HPA diet and large reservoirs. I’d rather not hand pump them!
Agree with you – a compressor is the ideal way to go. It’s nice not to have to worry about having enough HPA. I look at the compressor the way I do an air-conditioner, you can live without one but do you want to?
I filled from a tank for a couple of years. That works fine, you just have to watch the levels.
I received an Air Venturi compressor and CF tank as retirement gifts a couple of years ago. Been smiling ever since.
Hank
Hank
Yep dead on. Wish they had these pcp’s when I was a kid.
Oh well got them now and most happy that I do. 🙂
IT and anyone
Is there a way to scroll back “Related Posts”? They appear in sets of 3 between BB’s report and reader comments. They change every time I bring up this site. Scrolling forward is automatic but I want to go back and read one that I should have read but didn’t.
Deck
Try a search of the blog….
Roamin
That works – – if you have patience.
Thanks,
Deck
Lots of patience. We lost a lot of functionality with recent upgrade. If I kinda sorta remember the time frame of what I’m hunting for, I just go day by day thru the blogs. Comments section is a crap shoot for mining any gold from the dross.
Deck
Sorry but I don’t think I understand what you have going on.
When I leave the sight and return the comments are the same unless someone edits or deletes a comment they made in the edit time period. Or if BB deletes a comment for whatever reason. Then I see a change.
Hopefully BB has the answer for you.
GF1
On my IPad there are 3 old reports headers that appear just before the comments section. These may be very old reports that may be related to today’s report. Sometimes I click on one and read it before losing my train of thought in the comments section. Usually I read all the comments and forget to go back. Later if my rememberer is working I can search for it. I can solve my problem if I go ahead and click on the “Related Post” and read it before returning to comments. But the urge to read comments is strong. Maybe I’m the only one who has this issue.
Deck
Deck
Ok now I know what your talking about. Me I never look at those reports. To me they are like advertising the blog. Which is ok I suppose.
What I click on is the days recent blog or the last days blog if I was involved with comments.
So for me I just scroll past them. That’s old news to me. If I want to pull something old up then I search it. I don’t worry about what I don’t want to know. 🙂
Deck,
I have noticed that too!
I just tried using my History and even then it turns into a pull of the One Armed Bandit; all three windows change!
Three LEMONS for IT!
shootski
How about opening the post of interest in a separate tab or window, to be read when convenient?
On my ipad, when I touch and hold such an item, up pops a small window that allows me to “Open in Background”.
I believe, on a Personal Computer, right clicking performs similarly.
Hihihi
Yep, it works. I was hoping someone using an IPad would come to the rescue and you did.
Thanks!
Deck
B.B. and readership: so let’s say one goes to the Darkside and wants to go hunting or pesting. At the end of his 20 or 40 accurate, full power shots, what then? Do you have to carry a tank on your back like a firefighter or a scubadiver? Do you have a backpack with your pump in it? Or do you have to walk back to your car to plug your pump in?
Roamion,
After 20 or 40 shots???? What do you hunt? If it’s rats in a chicken coop, then yes to all those shots. If it’s wild game, there won’t be even 20 shots. Maybe 10 if the game is thick and unwary.
If you need more shots you carry a pigmy tank that’s good for a couple refills. Or if you have an AirForce gun you carry a spare tank. If it’s rats or pigeons, bring the big CF tank., because you won’t be walking far.
BB
What do I know, I’m a newbie trying figure out all this stuff. So you are saying, in most situations, there is air to spare at the end of the day, whether you are hunting small or medium sized game or pesting because you choose your gun and its shot capacity according to the game you are after. But if you want to have a refill handy, you have relatively convenient options.
Thanks!
When I was controlling nutria I would go out with my trusty .25 cal Marauder and get my 24 shots. That was generally 15-20 animals, considering a test shot or two to confirm the gun is dialed, a few critters that got a follow up, and an occasional missed shot. But only rarely did I ever think, “I wish I had 50 shots.” Well, you know… we always want more shots. But how many do we actually need for this kind of thing? My grandfather hunted his whole life with only 2 bullets in his jacket pocket. He didn’t walk around with a round in the chamber or magazine. He carefully loaded when he was ready to take the shot. By his telling, the 2nd round was only there in case he dropped the 1st one.
Thanks, ProfSteelToe. Makes a lot if sense. By the way, what does one do with 15-20 dead nutria?
Roamin Greco,
With a bottle gun PCP you can carry filled replacement bottles that are used just like air magazines; when the one on the gun is empty (low) you unscrew it and screw in the full bottle from your backpack. When I hunt Nutria from my kayak I get about 8 shots at 90+ FPE so i normally carry 3-4 22 cu/in 3,000psi bottles regulated down to 1,500psi. My maximum number of Nutria taken in a paddle has never used up all my bottles…they seem to all get the word after I have about 20 of their tails.
With a Big Bore hunting large game you keep a big CF in camp or at the trailhead parking lot and carry a small Guppy size bottle as a just in case for a refill. My DAQs only get two really full power shots and i usually only carry four bullets in a bullet pouch and one in the chamber sometimes. Once you fill a tag you will be carrying meat back to camp or the trailhead. Shooting more will be the last thing on your mind.
shootski
Shootski, what you say makes a lot of sense. How do you carry the extra bottles around in the field?
I’ll also ask you the same question as ProfSteelToe, What does one do with 15-20 dead nutria?
Roamin Greco,
At one time some or all of the States that had Nutria problems had bounties of cash money; that worked for some folks. I just wanted them gone because of the damage they did to wetlands that I love to kayak through. I leave them for the indigenous creatures to dispose of just as if they had died of natural causes…after digging out my Lead projectile.
A backpack when no snow or in a Pulk when on Cross Country skis or Snow Shoes.
In the Kayak they go into my Day Hatch since I paddle sit inside kayaks year-round.
shootski
Thanks for sharing that. I’m sure the crawdads appreciate the free lunch!
B.B.
I just finished reading your 3 part review of the Diana Mauser K98 PCP rifle that I found after doing a search of the blog archives. At the end of part 3, you talked as if you would do a part 4 in which the K98 PCP would be tested with a scope. The blog search does not find a part 4.
Did you ever do a K98 PCP part 4 test with a scope mounted?
Charles,
Nope, it doesn’t look like I did.
BB
I’d just like to say that the Air Venturi Aspen is a PCP that you can make perform exactly like a multi-pump and it doesn’t require a separate hand pump or any other gear besides pellets and it’s accurate. I believe the barrel is the same as that used in the Avenger and it is very inexpensive for all the features it has. A good way to enter the darkside, without leaving all that is familiar behind or draggin’ a bunch of extra crap along with ya!
Half
B.B. LOL! I missed this till today. =)~
Dave
You don’t have even one pcp yet?
Why not?
Gunfun1,
I was just funnin’ with B.B. =>
Actually, I could see the usefulness of a PCP for hunting, or predator control. I don’t really hunt anymore (not against it; I’ve just done so much animal rescue for so long that it’s hard to pull the trigger on any fur-bearin’ critter); but I do need to take out the occasional predator here on the farm.
I nearly did get a PCP, but then your comments about the accuracy you were getting with the CCI .22 Quiet rounds coincided with the arrival of a nice used Savage Mark II in .22LR at my local gun store. I picked it up for a look-see, and my friend, Spencer, who works there, said, “These rifles are real tack drivers; I’ve got the exact same one at home.” So, based on his recommendation, I bought the rifle and scoped it; then, based on your recommendation, I tried the .22 Quiet rounds in the gun, and they work great (much more accurate in that rifle than in my old .22 single shot). It shoots into one hole at 15 yards, which is my typical night-time predator range.
Hence, I now have my “fake PCP,” which is always loaded and ready to go, and has worked out quite well, so far. So, while I may get a PCP some day, this rifle is filling th bill in the meantime. =>
Take care & thanks for your inputs,
dave
Dave
Yep them Savage do like them CCI quiet rounds. My 93 and old Winchester semi-auto 190 does.
Don’t know about you but I haven’t seen much of the CCI quiets out there for sale lately.
And truthfully since I got my .22 caliber semi-auto Marauder I haven’t shot my rimfire guns in some time now. Plus luckily for me the SAM likes the cheap Crosman Premiere hollow points.
Anyway all that matters is we are happy with what we have. 🙂
“Don’t know about you but I haven’t seen much of the CCI quiets out there for sale lately.”
Sadly, the same is true here.
“Anyway all that matters is we are happy with what we have”
Amen! =>
Dave
Yep.