I've thought about buying one, especially with the way ammo prices are. 

I like using airguns to teach the young ones how to shoot.  Using .177's so far - an older Crosman side lever spring piston pistol and a Dianawerk ( RWS ) 134 .  They have proven themselves over time as reliable platforms and accurate enough to be interesting.  Also, the rifle is powerful enough to take down the occasional pest as needed.  Tree rats mostly at conversational distances. 

If I were serious about airgun hunting - and I may become serious about it, depending on ammo availability - I would likely go with a larger caliber.  Probably a .22 because of general availability but I always had good luck with my Dad's old Sheridan rifle in .20 .  .  .    

The .25's are also intriguing in terms of retained energy downrange but, like the .20's, their availability is suspect and the number of guns in those calibers is considerably smaller than the .177's and the .22's.   

If I can reliably bag squirrels and rabbits with it at 30 yards I would call it good.  PCP guns are all the rage but seem prohibitively expensive to me at this point.  I'm thinking a good quality spring piston gun with a sound suppressor and accurate enough to make optics useful might be just the thing.  I would entertain the idea of a gas piston gun as well if I can convince myself they are viable long term investments.  I would also like to pick up a CO2 powered target pistol just to help me stay sharp on fundamentals.  They seem to solve more problems than they raise over a longish range session for me or one of the kids I'm helping to learn the ropes. 

Are you using a motorized pump set up for your PCP's? 

Hey, maybe its time to spread your wings a bit.   

Excellent.     Instinctive shooting looks like magic when you see it - or experience it for yourself.  I think the truth of the matter is we continue to learn, adapt and hone muscle memory to produce a desired outcome whatever our field of endeavor.   The magic is the part that is performed by brain and body seemingly without conscious thought or volition. 

In days gone by I also did a lot of dog walking across the fields and wooded patches of the family farm.  The dog walked up the quail and the rabbits and kept the squirrels anchored in the tree.  My job was to make sure they got home and were cleaned and prepped for cooking.  A single shot .22 rifle or the old 16 gauge smoothbore was always close at hand for such forays and a Case pocketknife was kept sharp for the cleaning chores. 

I agree about the scope selection.  Cheaply made stuff is not generally up to the task.  I have not made a selection yet but I lean toward the scopes produced by Hawk and Swift for air rifle specific models.   The little springer rifle I use now is not really a candidate for optics as it tends to be used at very short ranges ( usually inside twenty yards ) and scopes complicate the learning process for the young ones. 

Agreed.  It allows you to practice good fundamentals - sometimes in your back yard or your basement - instead of packing up and schlepping everything to the range.

    Are you using a motorized pump or a hand pump for the Condor?

   Thanks.  I lean toward a hand pump because of the initial cost and also the simplicity of being able to toss it in the truck for field days.  I am concerned the hand pump might not be up to the task of properly drying the air that is passed to the gun's tank and thus causing corrosion issues.  Opinions on that seem to run from A to Z so I'd appreciate your input as an actual user. 

I don't mind the physical effort involved in pumping but I don't want to cause myself equipment problems down the road because I went cheap on it the from the outset. 

As an aside, I was on the Airguns of Arizona site last evening and they seem to be sold out of the majority of stuff they used to carry.  I guess the run on firearms and ammunition has bled over into the air gun arena as well. 

Good to know.  I will check those sites but I'm in no hurry at this point and prefer to deal with local merchants whenever possible.  Quirky?  Yeah, but I'm retireded and its begun to skew my attitude.   

Well, they've always had a good inventory but right now they are looking pretty sad.  I think they just got slammed with orders and the supply chain is maybe a bit backed up. 

Interesting.  My LGS just got in a pallet of ammo two or three days ago.  It's probably mostly gone by now, but it's the first non-"dribs and drabs" quantity he's received in the last six months.

Coelacanth,
Hopefully your local shops will get resupplied soon.

A friend of mine who works in a LGS in Ohio said that the other day they received a tractor trailer load of ammo. So hopefully that will keep up.

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