I have been down that exact road and the truth is that accuracy comes from the barrel and the pellet more than from fancy regulators or digital gauges because I have seen cheap guns outshoot expensive ones just by finding the right ammo and spending time at the bench. Shot count matters mostly if you are walking miles on a hunt because carrying a tank or pump is annoying but for target work you can refill anytime so do not obsess over that number. Build quality is where you should spend your money because a gun that leaks air after six months is useless no matter how accurate it is and I always check online forums for common failure points like fill ports or o‑ring seals before I buy anything. I have owned a pinty PCP air guns model that held air for weeks and grouped inside a dime at 30 yards and it cost less than half of what some big names charge for the same specs. My advice is to buy from a dealer who tests each gun before shipping because that catches lemons early and saves you from sending it back across the country. Also skip the bells and whistles like integrated bipods or digital pressure displays because they break and add weight and focus on a good trigger and a solid barrel instead. The best budget move is to spend on pellets and practice because a mediocre gun in skilled hands beats a top tier gun with a shaky shooter every time.