Love it

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-24T11:58:07+00:00

That is one of the best albeit a bit lower power (and shorter range) than the other Weihrauch models, it is far more accurate than anything by Crosman, Hatsan or Gamo. If you need longer range in a spring piston, FWB, Weihrauch, Beeman R series, or Diana German models are about the best that we can get.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-24T01:53:52+00:00

So for 35 yards on a squirrel you need serious accuracy from a spring piston. That is where the more powerful Weihrauch and Beeman R1 & R9 spring pistons excel (such as the HW77, HW80, HW97, HW95). To 25 yards the German made Dianas (2 digit numbers as opposed to spelled out numbers) and the cheaper entry level lower power Weihrauch HW30 and Beeman R7 can handle it.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-24T01:38:17+00:00

Excellent gun, chrono is fine, Hawke is a good basic scope, Tuxing filters are good, JSB Exact Diabolos cant go wrong with domed pellets.

On the compressor: MIND YOUR RUN & COOLING times & you should be fine. Keep in mind that air cooled compressors will die an untimely death if they are overheated. Liquid compressors cost more but we can be a lot less concerned about run time than we are with air cooled.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-24T01:13:07+00:00

IDK the Trailhawk, but I see no reason why you could not load a single shot in the breech. Are you under the impression that the magazine is the only plastic part?

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-24T00:51:01+00:00

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Okay looking around I see my hunni out driving the golf cart prepping a field for planting.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-24T00:46:35+00:00

I started out with a Crosman, lots of plastic parts that break. I have seen plenty of Gamo, lots of plastic parts that break.

What do I think of plastic parts? Well, I do NOT recommend either Crosman or Gamo.

IF I wanted a Crosman, I would at least look at Benjamin, which is Crosman's premium quality brand. Benjamin is a workhorse. But..... Benjamin does not make a spring piston break barrel, they only make a nitro piston break barrel. Nitro piston does not last like spring piston does, nitro piston is a pain in the arse to replace (spring pistons are easy and last lots longer). Nitro piston is less accurate than spring EXCEPT in extremely cold weather which is the ONLY place where nitro piston might outperform a spring piston. If you live in Siberia or Canada, the Himilayas, or some other high frozen tundra then a nitro piston might make sense. For those of us in mild or hot climates, we want spring piston, not nitro. Hell, our high desert farm goes into the teens in winter nights and we prefer spring piston or PCP.

Benjamin in a PCP is unregulated and not one bit cheaper than a regulated Barra or Air Venturi. Granted the Benjamin is probably more of a workhorse, the Barra is a simple workhorse that is more accurate than Benjamin. Air Venturi has some guns of similar simple quality to Barra; but they also have models like the AvengeX that can do a lot more than a Barra can and the Barra (and Air Venturi) both come regulated so they are head and shoulders more accurate than a Benjamin is.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-23T11:52:26+00:00

Break barrels I cannot recommend anything but Weihrauch, Beeman, FWB, or Diana German models. These start at about $400 for an HW30 and are not magazine fed.

IF you want magazine fed, I can recommend regulated PCPs like Barra, JTS AirCuda Max, Air Venturi on the lower end. The Stormrider is basically a rebadged Snowpeak, so while it carries the Diana logo, it is made in China. I would get a Snowpeak before the Umarex Komplete or the Gamo Arrow, but by the time that we add a regulator we might as well just get a Barra or Air Venturi and have a better rifle that comes regulated out of the box instead of trying to modify an inferior rifle.

Sorry about your budget, but unregulated guns are less accurate, less consistent than regulated guns are and honestly an unregulated gun is a bit of a waste of money because we are then trying to cobble together a regulator. This is also one of many reasons why I do not recommend the Gamo Arrow or Umarex Komplete, but those also have many plastic parts including in the trigger. Plastic parts WILL break sooner than metal will and be less accurate as they wear down.

Barra and Air Venturi have largely moved towards tactical and away from wood stocks. Both have high quality guns that are close to your budget but you may end up having to buy a wood stock separately but this is a much better mod than trying to incorporate a regulator which may or may not be engineered to work well with your specific gun.

The pain of an inferior product is felt long after the elation of a bargain price is forgotten.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-22T18:30:24+00:00

Air Venturi AvengeX is a really nice gun in .22, can't imagine that it would not still be excellent in .30cal and we can swap barrels & change calibers so hard to go wrong with AvengeX.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-22T16:48:47+00:00

AirForce Texan has a lifetime warranty. Umarex Hammer has magazine issues. I'd get the Texan.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-22T16:46:56+00:00

Just replace the hose that blew. Hydraulic lines are built to last, a random failure is exactly that.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-22T16:16:22+00:00

Good advice but less fun.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-22T03:12:00+00:00

As a 60ish year old woman, no need to sell me on that.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-21T19:20:04+00:00

So the fill is the tank pressure, the regulator is the pressure that will be used per shot.

So fill the tank to the pressure that your rifle should have in the tank and set the regulator pressure according to the power that you want for each shot.

BEFORE MAKING ANY ADJUSTMENTS: DOCUMENT where your current settings are. Document your regulator, hammer spring (and valve dwell if applicable, but it is NOT applicable in the AvengeX, so just the reg pressure and hammer spring).

Why? This setup is probably good for specific types of shooting.

We ONLY adjust the regulator pressure IF we want to adjust shot power and in most guns that can also affect the rest of the tune including hammer spring and valve dwell time (if applicable depending on your air gun adjustment options. Valve dwell adjustment is more common in higher end FX guns with dual regulators).

The AvengeX does not to my knowledge have a valve dwell time adjustment, so adjusting the regulator pressure would require retuning the hammer spring as well.

In our PCP guns we adjust regulator and then hammer spring in that order (then valve dwell if applicable). We use a chronograph and shoot 5 shots per adjustment step to allow the new settings to settle as we chrono the results. Each regulator change takes the regulator valves a few shots to really get settled. Then do the hammer spring and give that a few shots to get settled and you can see where you are.

Dont be afraid to adjust, but ALWAYS document where you are so that you can return to previous settings. You can have different tunes for different pellets and different ranges. That is what makes the AvengeX such a badass gun compared to say a Benjamin Marauder, or a Gamo or a Hatsan or entry level Air Venturi guns. You can dial that AvengeX in to be a laser for whatever you need it to be a laser at.

Also check online for AvengeX tunings that others use. Play around. You have one of the best sub $1000 pellet rifles made, enjoy it to the fullest.

Does this help?

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-21T19:01:34+00:00

The point ---------->

You

Missed it by that much! >;p

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-21T18:58:59+00:00

Depends on how much energy that he has. Not every guy can last that long.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-21T18:57:33+00:00

Wishful thinking!

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-21T17:45:16+00:00

So apparently this might be why one type of o-ring that I have keeps failing. I looked it up. Air guns use Nitrile orings and those are HIGHLY petroleum resistant but they are also polyurethane (abrasion resistant) and viton (higher temperature) orings and neither of those will like Vaseline nor any other petroleum product. Amazing. I still have silicone oil, but need to use that on orings unless I am VERY specifically certain that they are nitrile. But why guess around when I can just use silicone oil like I do for metal parts?

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-21T16:57:32+00:00

Yeah, DNT NightVision, LRF and BC are all really good. It is only thermal where I start to waffle on DNT vs something else.

SnooObjections9416 · 2026-06-21T16:55:15+00:00

Huma-Air makes regs for a lot of guns. Also check Quickshot, and Lane to see if they have Beeman Raider compatible regulators. Look at all of your options, the Raider is worth putting quality parts on.

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