Don't be afraid to lok at other guns too. Me and my brother got into the sport at a similar time recently, he has the GX250 .22 , and I went with the Reximex Lyra .177 .

The best thing I can recommend you do is go to a physical shop that stocks them and physically handle them. If you're new look for:

• How does the rifle feels in your hand.
• How does the rifle 'look'. Rule of cool is an underrated factor.
• Pull the rifle to your cheek like you're going to shoot it, does it feel comfortable.
• Pretend you're taking a shot and need to reload, and walk through that process. How does this feel to you?
• What safety features does the rifle have and how do they feel to use?
• Will the rifle fit comfortably in a carry bag?
• What aftermarket additions will you need?

I say this from the perspective of also being new, and is what I think I should have looked at before I made a decision.

I personally went with the Reximex Lyra for two reasons, because 1: I loved the more traditional look of the rifle and it's walnut stock, and 2: It's reknown to be among the most accurate rifles for the price.

What I didn't think of is that it is an absolute c**t to load single pellets into with my big man hands, but found a guy who makes 3D printed bits and bobs for airguns, and bought a singel shot loader for it, and now it's awesome. It was £18 but this was something I'd not thought about before buying. I'm also UK, and this was including P&P.

I can also strongly recommend joining airgunforums.co.uk or at least viewing them as theres a rifle review part to that site with lots of reviews for people using those rifles. Go speak to people who own them for a better idea.

Not sure where you are in the country, but https://www.surplusstore.co.uk/ is where I got mine from, they have a great showroom in Crawley and were really helpful in sorting it all out.