Piston Guns  

Are a little easier on your wallet but are much more difficult to shoot accurately, a Springer's score will almost always be lower than a PCP's. The guns possess an "old world" charm in that they provide ample feedback when firing and once mastered they offer a great deal of satisfaction. The guns are finicky and change every time you take them out, they seem to be alive and have good days and bad days. I change out my TX's spring every year and its not uncommon for me to see a drop of +80 fps from the begining to the end of the year; maintenance can be a bit more frequent than a PCP.  The tendancy is for folks to start with a Springer but switch to a PCP rather quickly. 

Break Barrels – My main criticism against break barrel guns are that you can’t fit a real long scope because they interfere with the barrel mechanism. However, if you use a lesser scope or put your scope on risers a break barrel will be fine. 

Beeman R9 $325 or R11 $550

Under levers – Have ruled the roost in Spring class for a number of years.  What makes them deadly are their fixed barrels (less bushings to fail) and ability to take a long high powered scope.  

HW97 or 77 $550 - The HW’s are great guns. They have the Rekord Trigger and excellent barrels. Straight out of the box they can be a little harsh but tuned they are very smooth and refined. I find that they are harder to cock but less hold sensitive than a TX.  A older non-“K”arbine 77 is a wonderful gun that has a slightly better balance for FT. It’s a touch nose heavy and is easier on the follow through, IMO. 

Air Arms TX200 $560 - The Tx200 is supposedly the most winning Piston gun there is; I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true. What makes it special is its CD trigger. The TX’s trigger is the best piston gun trigger I’ve felt (not counting the 10 meter guns). Also straight out of the box it comes with nylon bearings to help smoothen out the shot cycle; Other guns when tuned add these nylon guides/buttons. 

Other Underlevers (affordable) 

Bam B-40 $300 – Chinese copy of the TX.  Shootable unit but after you smoothen it out with a $100 tune you'll still be left with a Chinese barrel. You might be better off getting a second-hand TX or 97/77 for $150 more. 

Bsa Superstar used ~$325 –.  Its trigger, 14mm scope rail and availability are its down side; the trigger isn’t up to the Record or CD but its decent. It's capable of taking a Gas Ram so it’s shot cycle will feel very fast, it also has a rotating loading port so you never put your fingers inside the gun. At 12fpe its a great shooter wickidly accurate, very mild mannered and just as good as the TX or 97/77 in the shot cycle. 

Side levers -10 Meter guns -Single Stroke Pneumatic – Price varies 

RWS 54/52/48 - I had a 54 a year or two ago and while it was probably the most accurate springer i've ever had. It had a shifting POI problem that i couldn't figure out. I blame it on the sledge system and loose tolerances. Dropping the power down did not help nor did buttoning the piston or adding thrust bearings to isolate the spring or a buttoned slide or.... A 52 or a 48 should be workable but their T-05 triggers need help. They're hunting triggers and not necessarily target friendly.

FWB300 or other 10 meter match gun will work for targets up to about 35 yards or so. The energy retained will be approximately 60% or approx 3 fpe. At Diablo 9 out of 11 lanes are less than 35 yards so if you gave up though lanes you'd still be capable of shooting a 40 and probably take the match. 

Compressed Air Guns (PCP) 

PCP Guns are by far the best thing in Airguns since the Diabolo pellet design. In a FT match the cheapest PCP gun around will probably out shoot the best Piston gun you can readily buy. They are recoil-less, have very good triggers and offer outstanding accuracy. They don’t have a 40lb cocking force like a Springer but instead derive their power from a compressed air tank. The guns air tank is typically filled from a master scuba or carbon fiber tank. There are 2 main power levels for a PCP 12fpe and 20fpe. The 20fpe guns have a trajectory and wind deflection advantage over their 12fpe brethren. The 12fpe guns are a bit smoother to shoot and offer a much higher shot count per fill. The PCPs down side is cost, in addition to the cost of the gun you have to purchase, maintain and fill a scuba tank.   

Entry level guns.  In no particular order: 

Benjamin Marauder $500 - Brand new from Crosman/Benjamin (6/09) and this is a very nice gun. I recently got to play with one and was thoroughly impressed. Its fit and finish is like a European gun, its trigger is very nice, is 2 stage and goes down to about 6oz. Its accuracy is very good; i took out a 55yard field target in 3 shots from an unsighted gun. Its dual fuel meaning it'll run on co2 or compressed air and its a 10 shot repeater.  All this for $500, this is a s410 at 1/2 the price, woohoo. And unlike the Discovery you wont have to heavily mod the gun or make a stock for it. Unlike the B-50 you wont have to rebarrel and revalve it to get the most from the gun. The Marauder is probably the best bargain in PCP's today.

 Crosman- Benjamin Discovery $250  If you're handy and like modifying stuff this is the shiznit. In stock form you may need to do a few mods to get the most for your buck. i.e. add a two stage trigger, adjustible power knob, custom stock.   

Bam B-50 aka Chuntsman $300 12 or 20fpe versions.  No longer recommended. The valves break and support is almost non-existant. Unless you're able to work and fabricate your own valve get a Marauder instead. The gun is a copy of the Daystate Huntsman from the UK. BigEd does a nice tuned version of the gun for a reasonable price, he has a number of mods for those lookng for a more custom gun. For a few more dollars he will even place a Lothar-Walther barrel in them. I've dealt with BigEd a couple of times and found him to be pleasant & knowledgeable and he stands behind his work IMO this is a better deal than the Disco for most folks because the stock, bolt and trigger are a little better in stock form. There is some concern about the valves on the guns and their longevity. 

The Mid-Range PCP rifles  

Air Arms S400C $650 or S200 $550 in 12fpe  outstanding accuracy, 2 stage triggers and decent number of shots per fill. The S400 has a Sporter style stock while the S200 has a 2- piece Match style stock. Some of the nicest Europeon PCP guns at an affordable price. AA also makes a variation of the S400 callled the MPR which has a FT adjustible target stock and upgraded trigger for about $1000. 

The Higher-End PCP FT rifles

Air Arms EV2 12fpe $1900

Daystate MK3 FT - $2000 - Now out dated by the Grand Prix which boast a onboard chrono and computer adjusted hammer which self corrects.   

Walther Dominator - $2000

Steyr LG110FT $2300

USFT $2300