Are you ready to take the plunge into the wonderful world of PCP Airgunning? PCP airguns present the best power, range, and accuracy with the same ease of shooting a typical .22 LR. What is the best “first PCP” airgun for a new airgunner? Well, it’s going to really come down to budget. With that in mind, let’s look at three scenarios and compare the features, benefits, and tradeoffs between them. One quick note: each budget will need to provide the rifle and a means to fill it, but not include an optic. Let’s get started.
Under $350
At a bundled price of under $300 (at the time of writing this article), the Gamo Arrow with an included hand pump may be the package to beat. Available in either .177 or .22 calibers, the Gamo Arrow is a wonderful starter PCP. It has the accuracy of a much more expensive airgun while maintaining a compact and lightweight form factor. Additionally, it ships with really nice, fully adjustable open sights. It’s ideally suited for backyard target practice, pesting, and close-range small game hunting, with its high shot count, medium power output, and extremely quiet operation due to its integrated moderator.
The Gamo Arrow includes a host of other cool features, including an adjustable trigger, ambidextrous rear bolt, all-weather stock, rifle steel barrel, 11mm dovetail, and integrated pressure gauge. Perhaps most importantly, the kit includes a way to fill the airgun between shooting sessions. The manual hand pump can reach up to 4500 PSI. Fortunately, the Gamo Arrow only needs about 3300 PSI for optimal operation, and the smaller air cylinder means less time pumping and more time shooting.
Under $1000
We took a big jump up to $1000, but a big portion of that budget is going to our upgraded fill solution. While a hand pump will certainly get your foot in the door of PCP Airgunning, if you like to shoot often, then you’ll want to move to a personal compressor pretty soon. As we look at our next option, we are going to start with either the Air Venturi RovAir portable personal compressor or the JTS Comp1 portable personal compressor. Either will set you back about $500. Both run off 110v or 12v and both can easily and reliably fill your PCP Airgun for the long term. That leaves us about $500 for our PCP Airgun.
Looking at our site and sorting by price, we have an amazing selection of about 62 PCP airguns that would easily fit into our budget. The amazing thing about today’s affordable airguns is that they are all pretty darn good. Looking over the list, we don’t see a single lemon in the bunch. Here are a few suggestions based on genre:
$500 Airguns options:
- Traditional – Air Venturi Avenger Camo Laminate – The OG affordable, fully adjustable, regulated, high-performance airgun in a beautiful laminate wood stock
- Tactical – Macavity Arms Agility MA2 – An AR15-styled, tactical regulated PCP with dual gauges, adjustable stock, and amazing build quality
- Bullpup – Air Venturi Avenger Bullpup II – The newly styled and configured Air Venturi Avenger Bullpup Gen II has an upgraded scope rail and a more ergonomic forward cocking handle while continuing to support a fully user-adjustable system.
Any of the above options would pair nicely with our our personal compressors and set a new airgunner up for a lot of great trigger time.
Under $1500
Keeping with the above personal compressors but expanding our budget by another $500, we have up to $1000 to spend on our airgun. If we had a lot of choices before, we have even more now, with about 80 PCP air rifles priced between $500 and $1000. There are too many to choose from, but we are going to do our best based on our personal experiences.
$1000 Airgun Options
- Traditional – Seneca Eagle Claw – This rifle is a beautiful wood and metal airgun that emphasizes hunting power and ergonomics. It has an underlever action and an adjustable power wheel. Capable of nearly 90 FPE in .25 caliber, the Eagle Claw is a serious piece of PCP airgun hardware for the serious airgun hunter.
- Tactical – Umarex Gauntlet 2 SL .30 Combo – Coming in way under budget, the UX Gauntlet 2 SL Hunting combo in .30 caliber is a regulated beast of an airgun, putting lead on target with 100-yard accuracy and over 100 foot-pounds of energy. This combo actually comes with an optic, so you’d be ready to go shooting right out of the box.
- Bullpup – Reximex Throne Gen 2 .25 – This new airgun is the most ergonomically friendly bullpup we’ve ever had the pleasure of shooting. It features an advanced, fully adjustable power system for the regulator, hammer spring, and transfer port. Additionally, users can swap calibers with ease, making the Reximex an airgun platform vs. just a static airgun.
Got more cash?
Since this article is about your First PCP airgun, we hope that we’ve given you something to think about. And if you are interested in starting more high-end, then we encourage you to visit our site and explore the rest of the airguns over $1000. And remember, we are always here to help you put together the perfect first airgun setup to fit your needs and your budget. Just give us a call, and we’ll be happy to assist.
