just wondering why people do things.......

[RedFeather]

The answer is simple. Each person has his own reasons. Mostly it's because they want to. I have a good many guns, including rimfires. I see some pretty nice old pieces that would cost me $1200 - $1500. If I sold all of my rimfires, I could afford one. Am I going to go after that "pearl of great price"? Nope. That's not why I bought the guns I have. I don't know why so many air gunners feel that they have to "step up" to the "next level" in air guns. Sorry, but there are only so many Whiscombes in the world.

[Big_Bill]

Well Roger,

I have always owned at least one working air gun for the last 53 years. These varied from Daisy and Crosman to Sheridan's. I enjoyed plinking and pest control with an appropriate air gun. I have never needed an expensive air gun until I began 10 meter shooting with an air gun. 40 years ago, $600.00 was a whole lot of money for a B.B. gun, and if you wish to be the best that you can be, you must have the best equipment. After I became as proficient as I wanted, I moved on to 4 position .22 caliber shooting and traded up to a match powder burner.

Now all that I can do on a regular basis is play with my air guns, so I splurged and bought a couple that will keep me happy, and last the rest of my life ! These two cost more money than I spent for my M1A SuperMatch, some years ago. But they do the job very well and look OH! SO! SWEET! and make me happy every time I pick them up !

If my heart didn't fail me, I never would have bought these two wonderful air guns. I would still be shooting powder burners ! I love the smell of burning smokeless powder in the morning, it smells likeVICTORY !!!! But I would still be shooting my Sheridan .20 caliber for fun and pest control !

To make it short: You buy whatYOU need, and what YOU want, to make this hobby enjoyable !

Bill

[jz2]

I fly fish with bamboo and started off buying okay to junk fly rods.  made some mistakes, made some great buys and learned a lot about what makes a great casting fly rod.  now with AG's, I had tim at mac 1 resurrect my old, almost new Mk 1 (shoots great), but had read about 1377's and all the mods, seemed like a good one to get to try some stuff out.  then picked up another 1377 at a swap meet which I rebuilt, along with a cr 140 that tim is redoing.  then got a cr 160 at auction cheap that i will reseal and have a 392 (cheap) coming that needs a stock refinish.   All in I have maybe 500 into it all.  I will shoot and otherwise play around with these guns for a while.  if my interest sticks I will sell a few and upgrade.  if it doesn't, then I will sell or keep them for the kid.  for me, it's about the learning.  it may have been smarter to buy one 400 gun and scope, but I would not have discovered nearly as much about the hobby.  btw - the example I'd like to follow is Nick of anotherairgunblog.  always exploring

[VINNY]

Well, I now have 18 air rifles and 7 air pistols. I dont think any of them cost up to $300. The ones I have shot semi-regularly are hard hitting and accurate. My Quest 1000 [ $89. ] and my  Winchester 800x [ $66. Turkish Hatsan ] put holes in my barbque [ not a cheap thin wall one ] at 12-15 yards, passing through the target.Yes there are FAR better airguns out there, and they have better triggers, cock smoother, etc., but the end result is the same.There are also a lot of posts about problems with the higher end guns too. I have shot a Diana model 34. WOW. BEAUTIFUL functioning airgun.Smooth, had a trigger mod, was tuned, etc. Had a black synthetic stock.Not too impressive in the looks department. About as pretty as my Crosman 1077!  [ which is not pretty, compared to my other airguns but pretty doesnt make it shoot better.]I put that rifle on my want list, but not at the top.It wouldn't out perform most of  my " cheap" springers.I dont personally know if they tend to last longer, springs, seals etc.I hope so for the price. I also like to collect things. No, there is not much resale value in my collection, but I didn't buy them to sell. I have  old collector card sets that are worth $$$$$, but only to somebody willing to pay what they are worth.I don't need, nor can I afford a $600. -up airgun. I have absolutly no desire to go to the "dark side" either. Besides, it's a whole lot easier to say, " Honey, look at this airgun! It's cool, and only costs  $250.!!"  Than, "Hey Honey,........ $650.!!" All airguns are a great way to enjoy our sport / hobby. Get the $600. gun if you want / can. There is nothing wrong with that at all. I only plink at this point, and will hunt this summer if the oppertunity arises. Look in the Hunting gate and see what Long Island Hunter and Shadow are dropping animals with. Those  two guys, along with Johnny Quest and others are a GREAT inspiration to me and they dont always use high end guns.

[Gene_SC]

Wow, now look at what Roger and me started here.. Roger is one of our oldest members. I always love to give him a dig whether it is on the forum or in person. I know he has been mad with me and called me bad names but we have one thing in common and that is air guns..

I simply wanted to make it clear that it is ok to buy a cheap gun. In allot of cases that may be all the money that one could afford at that time or like some they do not want to save and wait.. I want it now so what will $100.00 buy me...

Roger is a classy guy and you can tell just by talking to him. He is a straight shooter and is very weird like me...  But I will always tease and poke him as long as we both visit the GTA..

[VINNY]

This is a great post! I was not offended nor meant any offense by it! I like the question and enjoy reading the answers. Good job Roger!!

[gamo2hammerli]

I love all my airguns....as long as they're accurate.  So far, I've been very lucky with my purchases...no returns and everyone is accurate up to a point.  The PCPs can reach out pass 70 yards easy....I think they can possibly reach out to 100 yards.  This summer I'll try them out at the gun range.  The cheaper Crosmans and Gamos are good up to 40 yards....a few of them are good out 60 yards....so I'm also very happy with them.  The Crosmans and Gamos only have Charlie Da Tuna's gold trigger....no professional tune.

[t165]

Why worry about what other people do with their own "grown up money" they "worked for themselves" and can "spend anyway they like". It's an exercise in futility and frankly none of anyone else's business. If everyone in America bought what some Wisenheimer told them they had to buy it would be a very boring place. Perhaps Obama will appoint an Airgun Police Agency? There would only be one company producing a singular product some "Hitler want-to- be" convinces us we need or should have absent any discussion whatsoever. George Orwell would be proud of this thread. I'm going to buy another cheap Chinese air rifle just so I can say I'm a nonconformist. If uniformed farm animals are knocking on my door tomorrow I know I have went too far with my association with Chinese air guns. Oh woe is me! Come on guys...get real! Live and let live!

[airgunandy]

If I have to spend high dollars for an airgun that has to be sent out to be tuned by a professional before it shoots well, I don't see buying one. If I had to spend like that, I wouldn't even fool with airguns, I'd be buying powder burners, or restoring old tractors.
The "low-end" guns I have will serve my purpose just fine. I see postings on several airgun forums of groups shot out of various high-end rifles with high-end scopes and to tell the truth, most aren't that much better than what I'm getting from some of my low-end rifles. I don't send my guns out, I do the tunes and mods myself. That's another part of the hobby that entertains me. Doing the work myselfalso saves money allowing me enjoy this and other hobbies even more. I will say that I've gotten away from buying Chinese springers though. I have been buying mostly American made Crosman products or vintage airguns.
I cannot come to grips with the idea of spending a huge lump sum of money and only getting one gun. That's like saying I could have taken the money we spent on my car and my wife's car and bought one really super nice car. Duh, but one car would not be enough. Same goes for guns.

[Bogey]

Who really cares what another has for an airgun?    Bhawanna has stirred the ' Tempest in a Tea Pot'.    And as far as that goes, so what?   At least he made a post that   "stirred' the silent majority.

[KenPCPilot]

The biggest reason is cost. I have 9 air rifles the most expensive was my Talon PCP but most are Chinese springers.  I would have to save for about 5 years to purchase a $1000-1500 air rifle.  Forget that crap.  I have loved air rifle shooting for over 10 years.  I honestly get bored shooting the same rifle over and over.  I enjoy shooting spring air rifles the best.  I really look forward to getting a new air rifle either on my birthday or at Christmas once a year. I usually spend months online reviewing the offical and unoffical pros and cons of the rifle I research and select.  I have been to Field target events and shot the Air Arms Evolution 2s and the custom tuned Tx 200s.  They were accurate and had nice triggers but I also found things I didn't like such as balance of the rifleo or comfort of shooting.  I would really be *_*_*_*_*_*ed if I blew $1000 on something I wasn't 100% satisfied with it.  I really don't have a "favorite" air rifle.  I shoot by B-40 probably the most but I get tired of the small loading port after a few hundred shots and will switch to one of my brake barrels or side levers.   To be honest of the people I have met that call themselves air gunners none of them have just one gun.  Yes if I could afford it I would have $4000-$5,000 in air rifles but I could not afford my boat, fishing supplied, astronomy equipment, bicycles etc.  And my feathers were not ruffled by your inquiry it was a good question. I call it good since any post of any kind that can generate more than 5 replies has  been worth reading and responding to.  Bhawanna do you own any Chinese air rifles?

[ezman604]

Excellent thought provoking question Roger. And from the responses, you can see there's no ONE answer to that question. For me, the main purpose of airgunning is the quest to bring together the shooter, the gun and the ammoto make the perfect match. Everything in between is part of the quest to find that elusive combo. And there are good AG's out there from $60 to $600 to thousands. And as Gene said, some folks have deeper pockets than others.

Some of us are tinkerers. I like to buy a gun that appeals to me, see how it fits me and how it performs. If it's not for me, it's gone. If it has potential, I'll tear into it and see if I can make it better. And if it works out to be an enjoyable piece, I'll spend a few more bucks for bling-bling or functional accessories. Like others have stated, this type of purchase was not for financial investment but an investment in YOUR enjoyment. And no, you won't get back what you put into it, as far as money. But the hours of pride and enjoyment are as they say, priceless. And I find itvery hard to evenTHINK of experimenting with a $600 gun.

Then there are the guns you have a personal history with, like my 1967 Revelation PumpMaster 760. MOST folks would just toss one of these aside and not give it a second thought. But,I worked all summer mowing lawns to save the money to buy this one new. I would and have thrown more money into it because it means something to me. And you can buy a replica of this one at Wally World today for $26. A REPLICA, not even the same gun. But just wanted to throw that example out there.

Some day I hope to own a higher end AG. I've personally been drooling over an Evanix Blizzard and the MRod. And with those comes an assortment of support equipment that will also call for an investment. With the current economy andmy financial position, most of my hard earned money has to go toward necessities and obligations like food, mortgage, car payments, utilities and such. I can occassionally squeeze in a few bucks to feed my AG habit when I do a computer job on the side. My "MAD" money. And to feed the AG junkie habit, it's VERY hard to wait, put money back, wait, watch and hear others talk about their guns, wait some more and possibly lose all you saved if an emergency comes up. So I buy what I can when I can.

There's all sorts of answers and reasons, just like the endless variety of people in the world. But thanks for generating a thought provoking post!!!!

Happy Shooting!!!!

Dave

[North Pack]

H*ll, - I drive a 13 year old Explorer, NOT because I can't afford to replace it with something more expensive. I drive it BECAUSE it runs like a freakin' top, and can take me anywhere I want to go!! - A newer & "nicer" car would cost a bundle to buy, add monthly payments or knock a hole in a bank account, cost a bundle to insure, cost another bundle to register and NOT run any better, and can't go anywhere my 13 year old car goes. - Case closed, ...

[ranedouglas]

as for me personally.  i just like to conquer the cheaper guns, making them shoot as good as possible, and then move on to the next one.   i have shot the brittish webs, r-1, r-9, and rx-2 - and yes, they are nice.   the younger guy at airguns of arizona told me his favorite springer was his r-7 (he was a pcp guy - that was before i was 'enlightened').     it's just like it's always been, the way i understand it - back in the days of lewis and clark and nepolian, good airguns were for the elite sportsmen (guys w/ extra money).   a good gun today costs as much as an o.k. running car, anywhere between $500-$2000.    now i have this question for those of who have the nicer HW's, patriots/crow mags,  air arms ................ do they work perfect everytime you get it from the closet or safe ??    or does it take a few shots to warm up - or - do you have to give your scope a click or two after you know damn good and well it was perfectly zero'ed last time you were shooting it ??    damn thing better be perfect if i spend $500-$700 on it.    and if it was perfect, i would be disturbed that there's nothing left to upgrade or fine tune.      i have a usual limit of $250.   got my new .22 rws 350 pro-compact "R" stamped for about $320 - good mount and scope came w/ it.    i put that vortek kit in it.   it's great now.  $400 + all the labor of trying to get that kit to do what it was supposed to do, and all the 1000-2000 break in pellets.    it's my favorite .22 cal right now.   if i had to shoot in competition, i'd use my vintage 1986 rws 36 - it's really smooth w/ the vortek kit in it, but i lost 50 fps w/ that tune kit.   it's my favorite .177.    diana is very hatrd to beat as far as value for your money.   i have several 2000psi crosman/benji's that i perfect andn sell - the carbines based on the custom shop 2250's are so light and accurate and powerful and easy to shoot......it's like cheating or something to me.   i hunt w/ my powertuned disco - it's light, too.   but the carbines are under 4 lbs.   i believe the biggest obstacle i find when selling these turkish webleys is that the other 95% of the pellet/bb gun crowd has this idea of plastic pump-up bb/pellet guns engrained into their minds - so paying $200 for a pelletgun is just too overwhelming for them (these are the people i give my card to at the local sporting goods stores when i'm in there buying .177 and .22 cphp's or sheridan pellets.     one good point about these $500-600 springers - especially the english webleys and HW's - they retain a good resale value.     i'm about to purchase a stoeger x10 w/ wood stock from academy - $99 - 1000 fps carbine.   i'll post for feedback first.   but if it sux - i'll take it back.   this america.  if something sux you're supposed to get your money back for it, then if it breaks after the 30-day warranty, stoeger has a two-year warranty.   i'l know right away if it sux.     there's my 2 cents.   - paul d self.

[djmyers]

I used to have the ooooooooo wow look at this it's a great deal and is so cool. Pretty much I was a woman with cooler hobbies. Lol. Now I research and reasearch till I know I have gotten the best deal. I have wanted an rws gun for years just ordered it Friday. I researched my truck for almost 6 months then drove 2 hours to get it. Just the way I have learned to be now.  Sometimes I lose out because I waited to long. And I have definatly learnd u get what u pay for. 200-300 for a good gun is better than 6  Chinese ones from the flea market at 30 each. I have 5 Chinese springers and several pump guns that get shot by the kids and friends more than me.  I would definatly recommend sit wait and save up to get a great gun that will impress you than say ooooooooo pretty and blow a little bit of money on one that will never add up even after all the extras. My $30 Chinese ones are coming in hany though as test beds for me to learn on without killing a $300 gun.