I am looking for advice on air guns.

[Ohen Cepel]

I have a Benjaman Nitro Venom in .22 and like it a lot. Would recommend it.
It's powerful while still being pretty quiet.

Had a Gamo and I am just not a springer guy. A nitro Gamo may have been OK so I won't lump them all together.

I would get a nitro these days. Go with .22 in part for more thump and for the fact that a strong .177 will break the sound barrier making more noise and decreasing accuracy.

I'm a Pyramid Air guy myself. Sign up for their emails and wait for a good sale. Get several pellets to test when you get the gun (4th one is free). Mine likes ones around 18gr. Crow Magnums in particular.

Some don't like the scope which comes with the combos, so far mine has been fine and I'm living with the trigger.

Charlie the Tuna makes a replacement trigger for $30 if you hate the one you get. The Venom was adjustable and I got it to a point where I like it.

 

[SleazyRider]

I agree with ZVP. I also use a QB78 22. Mine has been tuned for more power and a better trigger by Mike at Flying Dragon. I also advise strongly against GAMO. Very poor quality, poor trigger and inaccurate. You can by directly from a tuner like Flying Dragon. He has Springers and CO2 guns, the QB79 can be converted to PCP or bulk fill but I don't know much about it.
Mike will test each gun and for a small fee will tune the gun of your choice. They are better quality Chinese copy's of good guns. The Industry brand he sells makes gun that are rebranded for some American companies like one Ruger model. Usually the Walmart guns that are branded Winchester or Ruger are pretty good for cheap. But as other s said a RWS or other name brand is going to be better. The CO2 and PCP are easier to shoot accurately than Springers. Good luck.

I've been looking at the Flying Dragon website for quite some time now, and they don't seem to have any of the QB family of rifles for sale. The only two suppliers I could find are E. Arthur Brown and Archer Airguns. Besides, the tinkerer in me prefers to "tune" the rifle hisself. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.

I agree with your assessment of the Gamo trigger, so replaced mine with the Charlie DaTuna setup---what a difference! Using Gamo Match ammo, I've nailed squirrels with head shots at 30 or so yards. I'm finding that selecting the right ammo is key to air gun shooting.

 

[d2wing]

I haven't talked to Mike in awhile. He has a shop in Iowa. Give him a call. He is very helpful and will tell you what he can get. He did have classes and info on tuning. I don't have any experience with Archer but he is reputable and has accessories as well. I don't know anything about the other guy. I don't know anything about tuning. Mike showed me how to disassemble my gun and do things when I bought it in person, but my memory isn't so good. It didn't seem all that hard. There is a Chinese gun forum.