Evolution House
THE EDITOR SAYS ...
2-6 Easthampstead Road,
Wokingham, Berks. RG40 2EG.
Whether you’re a Stealth fan or not, it’s great to have those ‘different’ choices.
Email: terry.doe@archant.co.uk
VOLUME 41 ISSUE 6 EDITORIAL Editor Terry Doe 01189 742511 Technical Editor Phill Price Consultant Editor Jim Tyler Chief Sub-editor Rosie Barham Art Editor Louise Walker Official Archivist John Milewski
ADVERTISING Group Sales Manager Dan Chart 01189 742503 dan.chart@archant.co.uk Sales Manager Sharon Blick 01189 742533 sharon.blick@archant.co.uk Sales Executive Tom Richardson 01189 742514 tom.richardson@archant.co.uk Office Manager: Sharon Wells 01189 742524
PUBLISHING Commercial Director Peter Timperley Group Content Director Vicky Mayer Publishing Consultant Derek Barnes
SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription queries? Tel 01858 438840 Overseas +44 1858 438840 Online www.airgunshooting.co.uk Email archantspec@subscription.co.uk Write to Airgun World Subscriptions, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, Leics LE16 9EF
PRINTING/DISTRIBUTION News distribution Seymour, 86 Newman Street, London W1T 3EX. Tel 020 7396 8000 kate.scofield@seymour.co.uk Printed in England: ISSN 1741-1939 Printing: William Gibbons
TO BUY A BACK ISSUE OF AIRGUN WORLD CALL
01858 438 840 Buy single issues online - go to: www.buyamag.co.uk/AirgunWorld CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE! WWW.AIRGUNSHOOTING.CO.UK + BEFRIEND US ON FACEBOOK! Published monthly © Archant Specialist 2012 Archant Specialist is part of Archant Ltd
FOR ALL BASA ENQUIRIES CALL 0844 848 8057
lthough it says ‘February’ on the cover, the way publishing schedules work means that this issue is the first we’ve produced in 2018. So, first and foremost, everyone at Airgun World would like to wish you a happy New Year, during which we sincerely hope you, your loved ones, and the sport that means so much to us all will thrive and prosper. Few things are certain in this world, but experience dictates that, with the S.H.O.T. Show in Las Vegas on immediate approach, the British Shooting Show at the NEC in Birmingham in mid-February, and I.W.A. in Nuremberg in early March, the beginning of the year is going to be extremely busy in the world of airgunning. We already know that a whole host of new airguns are set for launch at these shows, so exciting times are ahead for us all, and that’s just how we like it.
A
Jim Tyler. Friend, hero and legend.
THE SPICE OF LIFE … This month, I renewed my acquaintance with the Gunpower Stealth, which I was amazed to learn has been around in various forms for over 20 years. Yes, really! Today’s Stealth may look all but identical to the matte-black, ‘tactical’ takedown that made so many of us sit up and take notice a couple of decades ago, but as I found out, it’s a far more precise and practical sporter, these days. Its status as a ‘Marmite’ rifle, loved by plenty and hated by some, has definitely endured, though, and in my view that’s a good thing. We need choice, and a wide variety of ways in which to enjoy this wonderful sport of ours, and the Stealth epitomises the ‘different strokes’ approach. May it always be so.
A MESSAGE TO JIM Our revered Technical Airgun guru, Jim Tyler, will be taking things a little easier from now on, but his legions of fans can rest assured that he’ll be an important part of Airgun World for as long as he wants. Jim will contribute three pages most months, or more should his insatiable appetite for research and discovery require more room for expression, and if any man deserves a rest, it’s our Jim. He knows how highly I regard
him, both as a person and as a force for good in the sport he’s served for so many years. Jim was the first ‘famous’ airgun person who encouraged me and helped channel my level of enthusiasm, way back in the 1980s, when he was as busy an editor as I am now. Jim still took the time and trouble to advise me, and the time constraints I work under now make me appreciate that gesture all the more. I’ve always tried to follow Jim’s example as far as helping and encouraging people into our sport, although I’ve had to do so with a mere fraction of the great man’s expertise. I’ve said it before, and here I am saying it again; if we ever get around to creating an airgunning hall of fame, a statue of Jim Tyler should greet visitors at the main gate. Enjoy ‘taking it easier’, Jim, and carry on being a legend, mate. All the best. ■
Editor
Reminder - The March issue is on sale on Wednesday the 14th of February!
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
3
CONTENTS
THIS MONTH ...
Bullseye Bargains! Reader Ads
P102
ED’S TEST GUNPOWER STEALTH
p18
03 Editor’s Welcome
47 Dump Shoot
66 Tempest Fugit
Variety is the spice of airgun life, says the editor
John Milewski explains the concept and format of a dump shoot at Bisley
Russ Douglas goes back in time to his first-ever airgun, the Webley Tempest
09 Golden Ticket
50 Step into 2018!
68 Keep it Simple
The great Air Arms open day - get your entry in to win a Golden Ticket!
Terry Doe offers suggestions to improve your airgunning experience in 2018
Phill Price takes a look through a Gen-1, hand-held spotter - old school at its best
11 Points of You
56 Top Value Guns
Here’s where you have your say and ask your questions about what matters to you
Tim Finley expounds on the qualities of a Gamo C-15 pistol
14 What’s Going On?
58 Cinderella - part 1
All the news, information, and dates for upcoming events in the airgun world
Pete Evans defends the Weihrauch HW57 from a bad press
17 Competition
60 Hardman’s Hunting
Win a GunpowerStealth combo worth £700, for just £1.50. Enter now!
Phil compares a red, gun-mounted lamp against night-vision gear
35 Gary Wain
65 Valley Values
Has Gary finally concluded his quest for the perfetct pellet?
Valley Arms, in Ruthin, Denbighshire is the place to go for expert advice
4
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
DAVE BARHAM p22 SCOPE UPGRADE
CONTENTS
NEWS & OPINIONS / KIT REVIEWS / FEATURES / TUTORIALS / TECHNICAL
Technical Airgun What’s the Damage?
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
SKIRTING THE ISSUE?
Is it safe to use damaged pellets, and how will they affect accuracy? Jim looks for answers
Will damaged pellets affect your accuracy? Jim Tyler reveals his findings p74
The skirts of the squashed pellets had full rifling indentations, so they were reshaped in the PCP barrel.
here was a time when it was not uncommon to open a tin of pellets and discover that a significant percentage of them were badly deformed, or even missing their heads, but improved manufacturing machinery and quality control has made that largely, although not exclusively, a thing of the past. I honestly cannot remember the last time that I found a damaged pellet in any of the tins I bought – and I have bought a lot – but occasionally, a few people report otherwise. The most common pellet damage today is deformation of the skirt which, unlike most of the pellet damage of old, is not a manufacturing issue, but a packing, handling or transportation problem. Many modern pellets have thin skirts that form a seal in the breech at low air pressure, which is generally a good thing for energy efficiency, but does make the skirts more susceptible to damage. However, because the skirts are thin and soft, in theory it should take little force from the compressed air in an airgun to return them to their original shape, which begs the question of whether skirt damage will affect muzzle energy and accuracy.
T
74
AIRGUN WORLD
EXTREME DAMAGE There is a school of thought that considers a powerful blast of air from a spring airgun to be sufficient to reform mildly damaged skirts in the breech, but not so in a PCP, so that is perhaps the first thing to address. I knew from past experiments that springers can, in some circumstances, reshape deformed pellet skirts, but had not tested PCPs, so I squeezed the skirts of three .177 pellets to 3.7mm, which is far greater distortion than any pellet I’ve ever seen straight from the tin. I had to use a thin Allen key to seat the pellets in the magazine, which by itself reduced the deformation to 4.08mm. To see whether the act of chambering a pellet would further reduce ovality, I cycled one into the breech, then used a cleaning rod to push it back out, and it was still oval. I shot the pellets into a wrobbled-up old bed sheet 50 yards downrange, to catch the pellets with minimum impact damage, then retrieved and inspected them. The skirts of two of the three pellets were more squashed than they had been originally, but that must have been due to impact damage because the skirt of the third looked
pretty round. Close inspection revealed that the skirts of all three pellets had indentations from the rifling impressed right around their periphery, so they must have been in contact with the rifling, and they must have been at least partially reformed by the PCP before exiting the muzzle. I could not tell whether the depth of rifling indentations was even right around the periphery, so it is possible that the skirts ended up less than round, which would not aid accuracy. At least we know that PCPs can, in some instances, partially reform deformed skirts.
THE CHRONO’ TEST Before plunging headlong into accuracy testing, I decided to run damaged and undamaged pellets through the chronoscope, to see whether the deformed skirts affected muzzle velocity, and I’m glad I did, because it saved me a lot of work. The extreme velocity spread with damaged pellets through my PCP was five times as great as with undamaged pellets, at 50fps against 10fps, and there was no point bothering to test accuracy because even though the pellet skirts showed rifling dents right around the periphery, with a 50fps
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
SUBSCRIBE TO AIRGUN WORLD! PRIORITY ORDER FORM Airgun World, FREEPOST LE6423, Leicester, LE87 9BY, UK
No stamp required if posted YOUR DETAILS (mandatory Mr/Mrs/Ms
within the UK
to complete)
First name
Surname
DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR
Address
Postcode Telephone
Mobile
Email* *Please enter this information so that we can keep you up-to-date about your subscription and with important information exclusive offers that we think you’ll enjoy. You can unsubscribe these messages at any time. from
DIRECT DEBIT Service User Number
Instruction to your Bank or
415266
Building Society to pay by
NAME AND FULL POSTAL
ADDRESS OF YOUR BANK
To the manager (Bank name)
ISSUES 5 FOR £5
Subscribe & SAVE up to 76%
Direct Debit
REFERENCE (office use only)
Airgun World PRINT – Please start my subscription for just £5. After my trial continue at £17.95 every period my subscription will 6 months. Airgun World DIGITAL – Please start my subscription for just £5. After my trial continue at £17.99 every period my subscription will 12 months. OR BUILDING SOCIETY BRANCH
• FREE delivery to any UK address • Never miss another issue • Just £1 an issue
Address
Postcode
GO TO PAGE 96
Name(s) of account holder(s) Branch sort code
Bank/Building Society number
INSTANT DIGITAL ACCESS
INSTRUCTIONS TO YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY. Please pay Archant Community Media Debits from the account detailed Ltd Direct on this instruction, subject to safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that the instruction may remain with Archant Community Media and if so, details will be passed Ltd electronically to my Bank or Building Society.
Signature Date YOU MAY CANCEL THE DIRECT DEBIT AT ANY TIME AFTER THE FIRST PAYMENT IS TAKEN. Banks Building Societies may not accept and Direct Debit instructions for some types of account.
CREDIT/DEBIT CARD Airgun World PRINT – for just £41.45 for 13 Please start my subscription issues. Airgun World DIGITAL for just £19.99 for 13 – Please start my subscription issues Start Date
Issue No (Maestro only)
✃
Expiry Date Card number
Signature Date
Source code: CAW8X02A
CHEQUE Airgun World PRINT – payable to Airgun WorldI enclose a cheque made for £41.45 Airgun World DIGITAL payable to Airgun World– I enclose a cheque made for £19.99 Archant Community Media Ltd, the publishers, would like to keep in touch, from acknowledging receipt of your order efficiently to sending you details of exclusive offers. Please tick here if you would rather not hear from us by post email or phone We’ve teamed up with some . great partners who would like to contact you occasionally if you would prefer not to receive but these messages tick here for post and phone . If you’d like to hear from them by email tick here or SMS tick here .
• Read the magazine online or through the app • Access to the fully searchable magazine archive • Download issues to enjoy offline anytime
T&Cs: Direct Debit is a UK only offer. Details of the Direct Debit request. After your first 5 issues, Guarantee are available on your print subscription will months, and your digital subscription continue at £17.95 every 6 will continue at £17.99 every based on the full cover price. 12 months. Savings are Airgun World is published 13 times a year. Your subscription will start with the next available may not include promotional issue. For overseas offers please go online. Subscriptions items packaged with the magazine OFFER ENDS 13/02/2018 at the newsstand.
EASY WAYS TO ORDER
www.subsave.co.uk/agw
01858 438840 QUOTE CAW8X02A
US AIRGUNS LABRADAR p38 71 Follow-up Test
105 Don’t Panic!
The editor gets the best out of the Hatsan Nova Tact Compact
Russ Douglas joins the ‘Home Guard’ at GARC for an evening of airgun fun
79 Airgun Student
109 Pump it Up
Naylor Ball gets to grips with the Night Stalker, from AC Guns
Phill Price has plenty of fun with a pump-up plinker
83 Result!
Pre-order the March issue today and save £1 on the cover price. Go to www.buyamag.co.uk/ airgunworld and enter discount A987W.
Part Two of Tim Finley’s ‘red dot versus open sights’ investigation
SAVE
86 Umarex Boys Club Adrian Cooper tells us about his 1911 Colt pistol, won in an online competition
93 What a Sight! John Milewski tests a theory with an aperturesighted Airsporter from BSA
98 Rosie’s Recipe
MICK GARVEY p42
A meal in minutes, and plenty left over for the freezer - rabbit and potato cakes.
SUMS UP NIGHT VISION
£1!
UE ON NEXT ISS
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
5
FREE COMPETITION
The editor says - get those applications in for one of the best airgunning days of the year es folks, it’s been confirmed that Wednesday the 21st of March will see Air Arms hosting its annual open day, and just like the past two events, it’s definitely going to be an occasion to remember. Not only will you get an exclusive tour of the Air Arms factory, where all sorts of production processes, from raw materials to final finishing, will be explained in detail by the specialists who developed them, but you’ll also see how Air Arms’ range of worldbeating springers and PCPs goes through assembly, calibration and testing, with staff and expert guides on hand to explain every detail. As previous Golden Ticket winners have said, ‘It’s an absolutely amazing day, and I can’t believe how much I’ve learned!’ Then you’ll be invited to the company boardroom, where a buffet lunch will be held whilst you take part in a full-on question and answer session to discuss what you’ve seen, before taking the final part of the tour. You’ll be in the company of fellow airgun enthusiasts, plus I’ll be there with our Technical Editor, Phill Price, and Air Arms MD, Claire West, will be dispensing her usual lavish hospitality. I promise you’ll see for yourself how proud the Air Arms people are of what they do, in addition to just how much goes in to their famous array of airguns. There’s even a goodie bag of cool Air Arms
Y
Jewels in the Air Arms crown. There will be so much to see and do for those Golden Ticket winners.
stuff for the lucky Golden Ticket winners. Finally, it’s all completely free of charge, and all you have to do is turn up. If ever there was an offer you can’t refuse – here it is!
GET THOSE FORMS IN! If you would like to be part of this fantastic day out, all you need to do is fill in the Golden Ticket
application form on the reverse of this page, cut it out, send it to the address shown, and be prepared to make your way to Air Arms headquarters in Hailsham, Sussex on Wednesday the 21st of March this year. Each ticket admits two, so choose a friend, partner or fellow airgunner to take with you. Get that entry in right away, then – and the very best of luck! ■
10
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
POINTS OF YOU
THE AIRGUN WORLD FORUM FOR YOUR RANTS, RAVES AND Q&As
LETTER OF THE MONTH WINS THE JACK PYKE HUNTERS BOOTS After reading the article on Bill’s Guns in the December issue I just had to tell you that it not only had me in tears, but it also inspired me to catch up with three of my old shooting buddies. I hadn’t spoken to my friends for over 10 years. Not through any disagreement, but we’d just gone our own ways. One of my friends turned out to be disabled after a serious motorcycle accident and as it turned out, he needed some help. Without your article I probably would not have contacted him, even though he lives less than 20 miles away and I’ve always intended to look him up ‘when I had the time’. Thanks to the ‘Bill’s Guns’ article, I finally picked up the phone and made contact. I’m so glad I did. We are mates again now, and we have even started shooting together again, although my friend can only do
so from a bench in his garden. His wife told me it’s the happiest he has been in years, so that article has really made a difference to my life and to my friend’s. Thank you so much for doing it. ALEX KINGSLEY Alex, I couldn’t have wished for a better response to that article, and knowing it has played a part in reuniting friends is simply fantastic. My friend, Bill Sanders, was driven by his need to spread the word about our wonderful sport, and I know he’d have been overjoyed that an article about his guns has had such a positive effect. Please let me know your boot size and we’ll get them off to you right away. Thanks again! - Ed
Thanks to the generosity of the people at Jack Pyke, we’re able to give away a pair of the brand new Hunters boots every month to the reader we consider to have sent the best letter. That’s 120 quid’s worth of excellent footwear, just for letting us know what’s on your mind. You’ve got to like those numbers! So, have a think about what you want to say and get in touch, by email or letter. Don’t write pages of text because we’ll have to edit it and we’d rather your
BILL’S GUNS (AGAIN) I’ve been reading AGW for over 30 years and I can honestly say that your ‘Bill’s Guns’ feature is the most moving piece I have ever read in the magazine to date. You clearly wrote it from the heart and this makes a nice change from the ‘nuts and bolts’ reportage upon which the magazine is, quite rightly, founded. Our sport, when it becomes an important part of our lives, also becomes far more than merely shooting. Friendships and fellowships develop, and these can last a lifetime. Sadly, some of these lifetimes are nowhere near long enough, as you found out with your friend, Bill. Please, will you always find room in Airgun World for such heartfelt features, because I
thoughts were just as you wrote them. State shoe size and address, and it’s great if you can include a photo, too. I promise we read every communication we get. If your letter wins, you’ll get these superb boots, which feature full grain leather uppers, a Vibram Trek Hunter rubber sole, a 100% waterproof, breathable, Hydroguard membrane, odour-resistant Agion antimicrobial inners and Thinsulate liners. They’re great boots - so good luck!
assure you they’ll be appreciated by anyone who understands the full depth of what our sport can bring. ROD POINTON Be assured, Rod, as long as I’m editor, Airgun World will always accommodate airgun-related stories of human interest. As you so rightly say, our pastime is so often much more than a hobby to us, and this fact should always be acknowledged and celebrated. - Ed
BILL’S GUNS (YET AGAIN) Just a few inadequate lines to tell you how much we (my wife is also a reader) enjoyed the ‘Bills Guns’ article in December’s issue. What a
remarkable man Bill was, and what a collection of guns, and friends, he had in his too-short time on this earth. Your article was incredibly moving and it’s obvious you, Bill, and your friends shared some wonderful times. Those ‘working’ friendships also helped shape our sport and the guns we use today, so thanks for that too. Keep up the good work and I’ll be seeing you at the British Shooting Show to buy you a coffee, or something more reviving! TONY SMALLS (AND THE MISSUS) Good on you Tony, and of course your good lady wife, and I’ll hold you to that offer of a drink at the British Shooting Show. The nature of the beverage will depend on the time of day,
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
11
»
Something on your mind? Send us your letters and we’ll share your views with the readership. Write to: Points Of You, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berks. RG40 2EG. Or email terry.doe@archant.co.uk
So many readers wrote to us about the ‘Bill’s Guns’ article, and there will always be a place for this kind of feature in Airgun World.
but whenever you and Mrs Smalls drop by, we’ll have a good old natter. See you at the NEC! – Ed
DAD KNOWS BEST
SPOT THE RELOAD
As the proud and happy owner of an Air Arms Pro-Sport and Daystate Regal, I’m something of a pragmatist when it comes to the springer vs PCP debate. However, I would like, if I may, to share my dad’s view on the subject in order to remove any doubt and finally put things straight. “All you need is an Airsporter and a tin o’ Wasps.” So there we have it. Solved, once and for all. Bless him. WARREN CLARKE Your dad sounds spookily like mine, Warren, although it has to be said, there was a time when an Airsporter and a tin of Wasps were way beyond my budget. In those days, it was more about a second-hand Relum and a box of Beatall Waisted! – Ed
No matter how hard I try, I can’t make the 11th shot from my 10-shot magazine make a hole in my target, all I get is a blast of air and that’s it. You see, I was so intent on getting my cross hairs on the target that I completely forgot to count the number of shots I was taking. Something had to be done, so out came the paint pots and the magazines, and a spot close to the magazine slot received dabs of fluorescent paint as shown in the photographs. I start off by aligning the yellow dot of the magazine with the yellow dot on the rifle for my first shot and when the red dot on the magazine lines up with the yellow dot I know it’s my last. It helps me so maybe it will help others. TONY WOODWARD
SIMPLY THE BEST
Tony Woodward has spotted a simple way to remind himself that his magazine needs a reload.
Praise where it’s due. Best Fittings equals best service and best advice. I sent something back, and there was no problem – sorted, even though I got the parts wrong. I would like to thank Sam. He’s a top man – Sam’s the Man. www. best-fittings.co.uk Free catalogue available. Call 01747 312672. Hope you don’t mind the free plug. BOB JEFFREY We don’t mind at all, Bob. Any company that looks after our readers deserves a namecheck at the very least, and Best Fittings has definitely earned its great reputation. – Ed Best Fittings gets the thumbs-up from Bob Jeffrey, among many others. If you have a good-service experience, please share it with our readers. – ED
12
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
What would be helpful is a side-by-side comparison of foot-pounds at different distances. For example: two guns, one .22, t’other .177 both showing 11 ft.lbs. at 1 metre – or whatever. Then comparing them at 5m, 10m and so on. I’m aware that there is all sorts of theoretical information on the web, plus ChairGun, of course, but I can’t find anyone who has done a practical test, using chronos. Some insist that .22 holds its energy better, others are adamant that .177 retains more power due to less wind resistance. I’m reduced to sitting in the corner totally confused. Just a suggestion. ROBIN LAMBERT It’s an excellent suggestion, Robin, and our resident pellet-testing specialist, Gary Wain, is already on it, as you’ll see at the end of his article in this very issue. Let’s hope we can lift at least a bit of that confusion for you. – Ed
Gary will be, literally, extending the range of his pellet tests.
RATS THE WAY TO DO IT
A RANGE OF CONFUSION Yes, I know this debate has been going on for decades, and I’m not suggesting that you manage to solve the question (or you could sort out the Middle-East conflict while you’re at it) but here’s an idea for a nerdy article. After decades of springers, I’m going over to the dark side next year and currently saving to get a PCP. It’s bad enough deciding which one to go for, without having to decide which calibre to choose. I thought I had settled on a Compatto until Mr Price did a couple of excellent articles on the BSA Ultra, putting me in a complete quandary.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a mouse eating the bird food that had been spilled on the floor by larger birds eating on the bird table. I live in a semi-rural location, with open ground behind our garden, so this is not unusual, but I was surprised when a rat ‘stalked’ the mouse and then, after attacking the little fella, the rat ran off with the mouse in its mouth! I regularly visit a farm permission and shoot rats, but one in my small back garden was another issue, especially when one of my neighbours is not a fan of shooting. I watched the pesky rodents’ movements for a while and discovered that they seemed to be coming from his rock garden. My neighbour and I get along just fine, but we never discuss guns or shooting, I thought I should mention the rats to him because of the health threat to his kids and pets. To cut along story short, I spent an evening with my air rifle in his shed, waiting for the rats to show. After a while, he joined me and I explained about my gun, safety, backstops and other sensible and legal matters regarding shooting, and especially about shooting in populated areas and ethical kills. He seemed
WHAT’S GOING ON TOTAL SUPPORT FROM IDLEBACK! Those wonderful people from Idleback donated one of their fantastic shooting chairs, and after considering many, many requests, we’ve decided to give it to Stuart Read from Northants. Here’s a little of what Stuart told us: ‘Before l was married l had a horrific horse riding accident which resulted in me breaking my lower back. This was 20 years ago and l have battled through and have been able to do most things as normal but the last four years have been a struggle as arthritis/
BACK IDLEOMP C ER! WINN
ankylosing spondylitis have taken hold in my damaged back, which means l can no longer stand for long let alone steady a rifle for a shot. I was about to sell my guns, but your Idleback chair offer gave me hope of carrying on shooting for a while longer and perhaps help me to keep out there for a few more years. Thank you, and please Idleback for such a generous offer.’ Congratulations, Stuart, and please let us see you using your fantastic new Idleback chair!
ARMEX THE M4 Airgun World has been given a sneaky peek at an exciting new rifle that’s soon to be imported by Armex. The Colt M4 is one of the most desirable rifles for collectors of military guns, and the picture shows us that this is highly detailed and accurate. However, inside is a break-barrel springer action that we’re assured will offer the full 12 ft. lbs. We’re advised that it will be .177 only, and has a rifled barrel so we can expect the proper level of accuracy that Umarex delivers. As you can see from the picture, it’s loaded with Weaver rails to accept lasers and flashlights, so you can build it up as you choose. Open sights come as standard, plus there’s yet more rail on top to accept any sight you like. The
This superb M4 replica is actually a break-barrel springer!
price is expected to be around £300 and it weighs close to 3kg, which all suggests that this will be a serious shooter as well as a collectable replica. www.armex.co.uk
DECEMBER’S SPOT-THE-DIFFERENCE COMBO WINNER! OUR DECEMBER SPOT-THE-DIFFERENCE WINNER WON HIMSELF A SUPERB DAYSTATE HUNTSMAN REGAL WORTH A COOL £800, FOR JUST £1.50 - AND YOU’LL FIND ANOTHER GREAT PRIZE ON PAGE 17! The Daystate Huntsman Regal is one of the UK’s most popular sporting air rifles, and now Marcus Johns from Kent can be added to the Regal’s list of admirers, because he’s won himself one in our December competition. Marcus told us, ‘I know people say they never win anything, but I really don’t - ever! Until now, I have never, ever won so much as a tenner on a scratchcard, anything in a raffle, or a single penny from every sweep we’ve had in my office at work. Nothing! I still can’t believe I’ve won such a great rifle!’ You can believe it, Marcus, and we know you’ll soon understand why the Daystate Hunstman Regal is such a popular sporter.
SEE P17
14
FOR ANOTHER GREAT PRIZE!
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
Something you think airgunners should know about? Tell us about it and we’ll share your news with the readership. Write to: What’s Going On, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berks. RG40 2EG. Or email terry.doe@archant.co.uk
SIGHTS TO SEE
New optics fill the lastest Hawke Sport Optics catalogue like never before
Hawke Optics is a company that never rests, and their new 168-page catalogue covers their complete collection, featuring old favourites, updated models and new products specifically designed from customer feedback. Hawke has been working hard to bring new and innovative products to the range and has many new products to be released in 2018. The Frontier range will be enhanced with First Focal Plane (FFP) and tactical turrets models. The all-new Endurance range now offers long eye relief as standard, and a wide-angle optical system in 13 new models. The Vantage range includes three, new, wide-angle, 30mm rifle scopes, whilst the Sidewinder range has been enhanced with two FFP models to grow further the long-range shooting offering from Hawke. The full range of rifles copes includes new, unique reticle designs, exclusive to Hawke and a much sought-after, Long-Range Centrefire (LRC) reticle. Other notable additions include red dots and upgrades to the full binocular range. To get your copy call,01394 387762 or download from https:// uk.hawkeoptics.com/hawke-catalogues.html which be will be live for 2018. www.hawkeoptics.com
LAST CALL FOR THE BRITISH SHOOTING SHOW From the 16th to the 18th of February we’ll be at the British Shooting Show, held for the first time at the prestigious NEC (National Exhibition Centre) right in the heart of the country in Birmingham. This superb facility couldn’t be easier to access by car, train or even by air, ensuring that everybody has an easy journey. It also means that ‘The Big Airgun Experience’ will be in a nice warm hall, just like everyone else. No more ‘poor relation’ treatment for us! Everybody who is anybody will be there, from the big manufacturers to small innovators, and will show you all that’s new and exciting in our sport. As with previous British Shooting Shows, there will be plenty of ranges where you can shoot all kinds of airgun in all sorts of disciplines and ‘try-before-you-buy’ many guns from top makers. We’ll be there , so come come along and say hello. www.shootingshow.co.uk
NORTHERN EXPOSURE The good folks who organise the Northern Shooting Show have told us, with not a little excitement, that they have yet again needed to expand the size of the venue to cope with all the companies planning to attend. The show is at the Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate and will be on the 12th and 13th of May 2018. This will be just its third running, but it has already gained a reputation for being one of the ‘must visit’ shows in any shooting man’s year. The huge airgun area will be in the central hall right at the heart of the show, where you can be sure to see and handle all the latest kit alongside plenty of opportunities to spend your cash on your new must-have accessory or rifle. We’ll see you there! Early-bird tickets on sale now at £12 by visiting www.northern shootingshow.co.uk
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
15
WIN!
A GUNPOWER STEALTH COMBO
WORT £700!H
PLEASE NOTE: A SCOPE, MOUNTS AND BIPOD ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS MONTH’S PRIZE
he Gunpower Stealth has been band of admirers for well over 20 time the original, takedown, mattekept faith with its striking design. These grade, Lothar Walther barrel, refined enhanced trigger, safety-catch and
T
SO EASY TO ENTER!
pleasing its dedicated years, now, and in that black ‘tactical’ sporter has days, though, a match internal valving system, stock compound - plus a
few extra developments we’ll reveal next month - have taken the Stealth to a new level of performance. Anchoring that performance, is a huge shot capacity, lightweight, compact handling, and of course the ability to take down the rifle for maximum convenience and portability. This prize includes the Stealth rifle, silencer and charging adaptor, and it can all be yours for just £1.50. So don’t hang around - get those entries in now!
Simply spot the differences and enter by post - like we did back in the good old days! ES CHANG
POST FORM
Spot the six differences between the photos to the left and circle them with a pen. Then cut out the completed form and post it to us. Entry costs just £1.50 per go – cheques and postal orders made payable to ‘Airgun World’ – and you can enter as many times as you like by photocopying the entry form. As a bonus; for every five postal entries you submit, you get one free – i.e six entries for just £7.50!
✁
6
FIND
Airgun World Competition, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berks RG40 2EG
✁
Your Name Address Postcode Daytime Tel Email. Prize to be sent to: Name and address of your local gunshop Address Postcode If you are under 18, an adult must sign on your behalf and give his/her name and address Name Address Postcode Tick if you have a subscription to Airgun World Closing date: Thursday the 1st of March 2018 What would you like to see in Airgun World? Simply write your suggestions below, or list your comments on a seperate sheet of paper, and send it with your competition entry.
There are six differences between the two photos. Simply draw a circle around them as you spot them, then send in your completed entry form. The winner will be drawn from all of the correct entries received before the closing date. Terms and Conditions: Winner will be published in the March issue. Competition closes at midnight on the 1st of March 2018. Usual terms and conditions apply. http://www.airgunshooting.co.uk/home/terms and conditions. Archant Ltd, publisher of Airgun World, would like to keep you up to date with any special offers or new products/services which might be of interest. Please tick if you DO wish for Archant Ltd to contact you in this way by email. Please tick if you would prefer NOT to receive information by post. We occasionally pass your details onto carefully selected companies who wish to contact you with information about their products/services, please tick if you DO wish to be contacted in this way by email. Please tick if you would prefer to NOT receive such information by post.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
17
ED’S TEST
Nothing looks like it, handles like it, or shoots like it - and its fans have loved it for over 20 years.
THE NATIONAL STEALTH SERVICE
The editor changes his game to accommodate an airgunning phenomenon ’m doing a complete about-face this month and, sad creature that I am, once again I find myself getting all sorts of excited about testing a ‘different’ rifle in a different way. First, the rifle in question is the original takedown PCP, the Gunpower Stealth, which now commands full-on cult status since its emergence during
I
18
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
the late 1990s. Even today, amid a vast range of black, ‘tactical’ rifles, complete with accessory rails, distinctive styling and a potential options list longer than their barrels, the Stealth manages to stand alone, even without its optional bipod. It has even managed to resist the overwhelming requirement for
multi-shot capability. Quite simply, nothing looks, handles or shoots like a Gunpower Stealth. This is a rifle that does things its own way. Next, my different way of testing it will fly in the face of what I’ve done these past 30-odd years. Normally, I do as much pre-test
GUNPOWER STEALTH
homework as I possibly can, which includes interviewing those involved in a rifle’s design, manufacture and distribution. I usually speak to some trusted sources, too, especially if they’ve been involved in testing prototypes of the review rifle, or when they have specific experience of it. Then, if the test rifle isn’t brand-new and I know of any owners who’ve used one for a while, I’ll get their opinions, too. After all of this information is safely harvested and my sheaf of notes is stashed in my testing kit, I head for the range, forewarned and forearmed.
DIFFERENT STRATEGY Not this time; for this one I’m going to shoot first and ask
questions later. I’ve tested several Stealths, so I know the deal, but this is the latest version and I know things have been done to it, inside and out. My plan is to obtain my results first, then investigate what may have brought them about. I say ‘may’ because it’s not always certain that an upgrade automatically brings improvement in terms of visible results. Often, a rifle’s components are upgraded to improve reliability or longevity, rather than any result that can be measured on a test target, or felt during handling. The system will be simple, then; I’ll describe what I have in my hands, assemble, charge and shoot it, then give my verdict. I’ll even do what we should all do, but rarely get round to, and study the rifle’s manual. How very non-bloke, I trust you’ll agree. Finally, at the end of this test, I’ll list my observations and only then go to my sources for the inside story and to have my findings explained. There will be a follow-up test in the March issue, where I’ll supply the background details that aren’t in this one. I hope that’s sorted the ‘about-face’ format. Let’s get on with the test.
IN THE BOX The Gunpower Stealth usually comes in a cardboard box that looks way too small to accommodate a full-size rifle. Within that box you’ll find the two components of the Stealth, the action and the buddy bottle butt system, and once you’ve taken delivery of these and fitted a scope to the rifle’s hi-rise rail, the cardboard box becomes redundant, because you can’t put the rifle back in it without removing the scope. Thus, the first Stealth option hoves into view, in the immensely handy
form of the zip-up, soft ‘laptop’ case pictured here. Within this case, your scoped-up Stealth can be secured via the most tenacious Velcro tabs I’ve ever encountered, along with another couple of compulsory options, the £45 silencer and the £89 bipod. Oddly, the Stealth’s charging adaptor is also an option, and I recall asking Gunpower’s Geoff Darville about this a few years ago. He told me the adaptor wasn’t included in the price of the rifle because many of Gunpower’s customers have more than one model and buying the rifle only reduced the price for them. Basically, the purchase price of the rifle doesn’t include the cost of an adaptor in case the buyer doesn’t need one. Explained that way, it makes sense, although I suspect it won’t be seen like that by newcomers to the Gunpower brand. Anyway, the adaptor costs £32.95, and forms the union between the Stealth’s 490cc, removable air tank and its refill method. Simply put, you unscrew the Stealth’s air tank, attach it to the adaptor, which is screwed onto your air supply, and you fill the tank with air, before re-fitting it to the rifle. This takes about a minute.
CHARGING AND CAPACITY With a full, 3000 psi, charge installed, the Stealth’s air reservoir will produce the very thick end of 500 shots at 11-plus ft.lbs. in .22, and getting on for 400 in .177. The illustration in the rifle’s manual shows another option I’ve yet to use, which could be another worth
My preferred butt plate set-up was 180-degrees different to Bert’s.
non-starter. From my recent research into the Air Arms S510 TDR takedown, I now know that a significant number of owners leave their takedowns permanently assembled, so the Spin-Loc option will prove popular, I’m sure.
HERE COMES THE LECTURE I can’t leave this phase of the review without my usual tedious warnings of doom, gloom and mechanical disaster if you don’t keep the charging connectors free of potentially invasive crud. This warning applies double to any airgun that can be taken apart and sees its vitals more exposed than the standard format rifles. I once saw someone drop the newly charged air tank of a Stealth, which plugged, valve-first, into the mud. The ‘challenged’ chap then gave the encrusted valve a quick wipe with his grubby hand, blew on it a couple of times, and was about to screw it into the rifle’s action when I intervened. It took a full 10 minutes of meticulous brushing, picking and flicking, followed by a visual inspection under a jewellers’ loupe, to get that valve into an
“With a full, 3000 psi, charge installed, the Stealth will produce 500 shots” considering. It’s the ‘Spin-Loc tank system’ which includes an on-board pressure gauge and the facility to charge the rifle with its bottle attached. This locks the bottle in place, though, so if the Stealth’s takedown feature is important to you, the Spin-Loc system might be a The optional ‘laptop case’ would be a definite for me.
acceptable state to be reconnected to the rifle. All the while, its owner tutted, sighed and called me impolite names. Looking back, I should have let his rifle’s failure teach him a better lesson than I managed. Don’t be a challenged person. Keep those connectors absolutely spotless and your rifles will surely thank you for it.
ASSEMBLY ESSENTIALS As simple as it sounds, there’s a proper way to re-attach the Stealth’s air bottle correctly. Just give the rifle’s cocking button a nudge forward to get the bolt out of the way before screwing home the tank. That’s it. There’s no need to cock the rifle fully, just slide that bolt forward and all will be fine. Fitting the scope needs to be done properly, too, but this time it’s all about the height of the eyepiece and its alignment with your eye. The design of the Stealth puts any scope a fair way above the barrel, so I’d recommend you begin with the lowest mounts you can get away with. The cylindrical ‘cheek piece’ allows a variety of resting places for the face, plus the variable height and pull-length options on the Stealth’s
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
19
»
ED’S TEST butt plate permit a degree of fine-tuning, so please make full use of these. The mantra, here, is ‘make the gun fit you, rather than the other way round’. This rifle offers gunfit assistance, and every bit of it should be utilised.
can be shifted but the mechanism itself is set at the factory. Now, for those already curling a snooty lip at such a feature, I’ll insist you try before you sneer. The fact is, the Stealth’s trigger is an entirely credible one and it slips every shot with predictable precision, and without creep, drag or hesitancy of any kind. It’s not a ‘breathe on it and it will shoot’ trigger, and it’s all the better for it. This is a practical, safe, sensible trigger that gets the job done well. Yes, really.
READY TO SHOOT With the rifle assembled and the scope in optimum position, it’s time to get it on the test bench and see what sort of accuracy I can get out of it. By now, one upgrade had already made its presence felt and it’s one of which all potential Stealth owners will heartily approve. The compound of the ambidextrous fore grip and drop-down pistol grip has changed and now feels much, well, ‘grippier’. At first I thought Gunpower had switched to a soft, rubberised material, but it’s still hard and resilient; it just feels soft and more secure in the hand. This upgrade provides a more positive connection between rifle and shooter, and that’s never a bad thing. The test rifle is a .22, so I lined up my tried and tested pellet brands, screwed home the optional silencer Gunpower had included, and plumped up a beanbag to nestle the rifle into. I had the option of the bipod, but declined that for the initial session to keep the rifle as low as possible on the bench. First shots on approach!
USING AND ASSESSING - INITIAL IMPRESSIONS To load the single-shot, ambidextrous Stealth, the cocking handle is pushed forward against the pressure of the hammer spring until it clicks into retention. A pellet is then loaded directly into the exposed breech, before the cocking handle is returned to seal the breech, There’s a proper way to re-attach the bottle - and a strict requirement to keep everything crud-free.
CONSISTENCY AND ACCURACY 15 shots at 38 yards, in the pouring rain. Air Arms Diabolo Field, in case you’re wondering.
and locked into position with a quarter turn to the left or right. Cocking the rifle automatically sets the safety catch, which is positioned just ahead of the trigger show. This catch is a definite upgrade on
I shot five ‘clearing’ pellets immediately after charging the rifle, set up the chrono’, and went through the zeroing process, recording the Stealth’s output as every five shots or so. After 150 shots, I discovered that the .22 test rifle was running at 11.1 ft.lbs., and it showed a maximum velocity variation of 19 f.p.s. More importantly, I’d confirmed that its Lothar Walther barrel was earning its keep to the tune of half-inch groups at 38 yards. I’d meant to
“flies in the face of conventional design, by having a non-adjustable trigger” the ‘Swan Vesta’ – the previous version looked like a match head – and it can be reset by pushing forward the cocking handle. A forward prod with the trigger finger disengages the safety catch, and the Stealth is ready to shoot.
TRIGGER This rifle once again flies in the face of conventional design, by having a nonadjustable, two-stage trigger. The trigger shoe Fitting the optional - it’s really isn’t; you’ll need one - moderator, just before the rain went biblical.
set the target at 40 yards but somehow messed that up, and by the time I realised my error, it was hammering down and I wasn’t about to break cover to shift a target back two yards. Settled in nicely, I concentrated on extracting maximum accuracy at 38 yards and drilled some satisfying raggedy one-holers before a capricious breeze joined in with the rain to mess things up a treat. During rare lulls, I cranked up the scope’s magnification and did my best on a 50-yard target, which span obligingly seven times out of ten. More wind and rain stopped play at this point, but the accuracy facts were well on their way to being established, and the Stealth had acquitted itself extremely well. This rifle definitely shoots to the hunting standard, which is exactly what it’s designed to do.
THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS
Bert preferred the adjustable butt plate this way up.
20
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
New grip material, new safety design, and that positive, two-stage trigger.
As soon as this edition is finalised I’ll be speaking to Gunpower’s Geoff Darville and getting the inside story on what’s been done to the Stealth since last I tested one. Geoff’s a cagey guy, so I don’t know what, if anything, he’ll reveal, but for me there’s an increased impression of precision about the latest Stealth, and that compound certainly improves hand contact and therefore handling. For now, I can see the appeal of this, the ultimate ‘Marmite’ airgun, and its success over a couple of decades confirms that more than enough people like it, to keep it coming back for more. Long may we have these ‘different’ guns within our sporting catalogue. Here’s to a healthy, Stealthy New Year. ■
GUNPOWER STEALTH
My mate Bert loves the Stealth, and he shoots one extremely well.
TECH SPEC Model: Stealth
Sights: Scope rail only.
Manufacturer: Gunpower
Stock Type: Hi-impact synthetic fore end and grip. Buddy-bottle butt. Fully ambidextrous.
Country of Origin: U.K. Contact: 01233 642 357 Price: £579.95 (rifle only).
Weight: 2.4k. (5.25lbs. unscoped).
Type: Takedown, pre-charged pneumatic, single-shot sporter.
Length: 740mm (29 inches).
Calibre: .177, .20 or .22.
Barrel: 300mm (12 inches) Lothar Walther match grade.
Cocking: Push-forward bolt. Loading: Direct to barrel, via sliding breech. Trigger: Two-stage unit. Factory-set pull-weight, trigger shoe adjustable for position.
Power: 11-plus ft.lbs. Options: Charging adaptor £32.95, Bipod £79, Silencer £49, Laptop-style case £45.
RRP £579.95 www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
21
DAVE BARHAM
SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT
Dave Barham finds a scope that matches the potential of his rifle s it normal to shoot your way through tins of pellets, just so that you can attach the hose and fill the rifle up again? I know that might sound a bit weird, but that’s exactly what I found myself doing immediately after upgrading to a 7-litre cylinder filling solution last month. I think the novelty of being able to fill my rifle in a matter of seconds, rather than a few minutes, had a strange effect on my psyche! I was getting as much satisfaction from filling the rifle as I was from shooting it. I spent countless hours in my garden, destroying paper targets on a makeshift
I
range, but all that shooting soon exposed a problem I hadn’t previously considered.
TIME FOR AN UPGRADE At the time of my mass paper-killing spree I had a BSA EMD 3-9 x 40WR scope fitted to the rail, which is the standard magnification scope I have been using for nearly 30 years. However, it soon dawned on me after walking up and down the garden some 100 or more times, that due to the increased accuracy of my new PCP rifle, I really needed a tad more magnification – so I could actually see what was going on 30 yards away.
Main The new scope and mounts, ready to be fitted to the R10.
22
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
Don’t get me wrong, it was great exercise, but did I really need to walk down to the targets after every four or five shots to see exactly where my pellets were going? It’s easy to see where the first half a dozen shots go on a new target, but once you start putting 10, 20 or 30 shots into the same area, it becomes nigh on impossible with a standard magnification scope. The thought of buying a ‘spotting scope’ did cross my mind, for a nanosecond, but I thought, ‘what’s the point, I might as well just upgrade to a higher magnification scope instead’.
HOW TO FIT A SCOPE
The new BSA EMD624x50AO in all her glory. Quite a bit longer than my original 3-9 x 40WR.
Happy Christmas to me!
A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH
and could get to work. I thought it might be interesting for some of you to see how I attached the new mounts and scope, so I got the studio lights out and shot it step by step. Needless to say, I’m more than impressed with what I actually got for my money – a superb scope and mounts for less than £100!
Having decided it was time I entered the world of ‘big zoom’, I popped on-line to see what scopes other shooters were using. What a minefield it is out there in Internet land! So many opinions, and so many scopes to choose from. My budget was limited, very limited, what with Christmas bearing down upon me at a rate of knots, so I thought I’d quickly research what folk were saying about BSA scopes. I was rather pleased to note that a lot of shooters, and shooting websites, were praising the optics from BSA, with many comments about the mil dots being crystal clear and close together, so I took a look at what they had to offer. After very little research (it was a matter of seconds) I saw the BSA EMD624x50AO scope advertised for less than £90 – sold!
SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE RESEARCH! Just 24-hours later, I had a shiny new waterproof, fogproof, lightweight 6-24x50 scope sitting on my dining room table. I quickly took the existing scope off my BSA R10 in order to get my new baby fitted, but then my heart sank. The objective lens
“I’m more than impressed with what I actually got for my money” diameter on my original scope was 40mm, this new one is 50mm. What a plonker! I needed to order new ‘high’ mounts in order for the scope to be fitted, but another 24 hours, and my bank balance £10 lighter, I received the new two-piece BSA high mounts
Now I’m ready to get back out into the field. Scoping up rabbits and pigeons with this new piece of kit is going to be a doddle. As you will see, I also had trouble with the scope caps, which was soon rectified with a Stanley knife! ■
»
HOW TO MOUNT A SCOPE
1
The first job is to get the mounts onto the rail, then tighten the screws just enough so that the mounts can move along it.
2
After placing the scope on top of the mounts to get a rough idea of where the scope would sit, move the mounts into position, then tighten in place.
3
One of the mounts has a hole in the middle, which leads to another screw. For recoiling guns, this locates the ports at the rear of some scope rails to add more anti-recoil solidity.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
23
DAVE BARHAM 5
6
4 With the lower parts of the mounts secured firmly in place, it’s time to place the scope back on top. Make sure it’s sitting as square as possible. It will be adjusted later on, though.
7
Now for the tricky bit; the two top sections of the mount and eight screws need to be fitted to secure the scope in place permanently.
8
Place the top part of the mount on top of the scope so that it lines up with the mount underneath as closely as you can. Doing this makes putting the screws in easier.
10
9
Drop the four screws in and give them a couple of turns to hold them in place. Don’t tighten them down yet, though.
Repeat the process with the second mount, just giving each screw a couple of turns with your fingers to get them started.
12
11
Now for the even trickier bit. You need to tighten each screw down in sequence in order to get an even spread of pressure. It’s rather like tightening the wheel nuts on a car. Give each screw half a dozen turns until you begin to feel the resistance.
You’ll notice that these BSA mounts come pre-fitted with anti-twist grip strips on both the lower and upper parts. These just help to cushion the scope tube and give extra support.
Your aim is to have the same size gap between the top and bottom mounts on both sides. Once you begin to feel the resistance, work your way around from screw 1 to 2 to 3 and 4, giving half a turn each time.
14
When you do this correctly, you should have exactly the same size gap on the opposite side of the mount like this. Repeat the process with the other mount and you’re good to go.
15
13 Even with the high mounts there is just a millimetre or two gap between the objective lens and the shrouded barrel on my R10SE Super Carbine – tight fit or what!
24
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
The tight fit meant that the objective lens scope cap wouldn’t fit onto the scope, so I had to improvise – cue Stanley knife …
With a little bit of chopping, I managed to remove enough of the scope cap so that it would fit onto the end of the scope. Job done.
GARY WAIN
PERFECT PELLET ROUND-UP PART 2
Gary Wain concludes his search for the ideal airgun ammo ... or does he? e left off last month having talked about coefficient of form, sectional density and how they combine to give what is known as a ‘ballistic coefficient’. Before we move on, let’s just have a little recap. Sectional density is a measure of the penetration characteristics of a projectile with regard to how easily it will pass through something, and is a product of its mass and frontal area. There is a mathematical equation that will help you to determine this value, but let’s boil this down to its essence and say that given a fixed velocity, heavy narrow things are able to penetrate better than light narrow things, or indeed heavy wide things. It really is that simple.
W
BALLISTIC COEFFICIENT So how does all of this relate to ballistic coefficient? Well, ballistic coefficient is strongly related to sectional density, but adds to it by bringing the shape of the projectile into the equation. Just to make things sound like they’re complicated, instead of using the word ‘shape’, those physicists use the term ‘coefficient of form’. So, coefficient of form can be used to describe in mathematical terms whether a projectile is flat, rounded, pointed, and everything else in between, and it’s this shape that partly defines it’s penetration characteristics. I am though willing to bet that you already know that pointy things move through the air better than blunt things, in which case you’ve already got a good grip on
coefficient of form, and have so perhaps also grasped the idea that sharp, pointy things will also move more easily through ballistic material or quarry. When we relate this to our ballistic testing we see that the science backs up the fact that given the same coefficient of form, it’s actually
their energy to the target material. Adding a deformable element to the front of the pellet further adds to the deceleration, and causes the pellet to surrender even more energy more quickly. Indeed, take a look at the pictures of the whole range of pellets tested and you’ll see that the largest cores were obtained from
“the largest cores were obtained from hollow point and deformable pellets” the lighter pellets that make bigger entry holes and create the larger internal ballistic cavities, and this fact holds true whether you’re comparing .177 with .22, or just heavy and lighter pellets within the same calibre. All other factors being equal, the lighter pellet will always do the most damage because it gives up its energy to the material more readily.
DEFORMABLE PELLETS Of course, all other factors aren’t always equal are they? If they were then we wouldn’t have the wide variety of pellet shapes and styles to choose from. When we look back at coefficient of form, it’s easy for us to understand why the flatter-nosed pellets do even more damage than round-nosed pellets, and that those with hollow points do even greater damage still. Again, the coefficient of form is playing a major role because it helps the flatter pellets to slow down quicker and surrender more of
hollow point and deformable pellets. In fact, the pellets that produced the largest cavities with the biggest entry holes and smallest exit holes were the SMK Victory Implode, H&N Hunter Extreme and the H&N Terminator. Pretty much all of the deformable pellets performed admirably, with the exception of the Norica Killer, which failed to deform and gave a much narrower and longer wound tract than its stablemates. After that the next three pellets were all JSB wadcutters of varying weights, and the rest of the wadcutters followed on behind.
CLEAN KILL So does this make hollow points and wadcutters the perfect pellets? Well, yes and no; if we’re taking about hunting as opposed to merely shooting at ballistic clay, then we very much need to factor in accuracy. There’s no point having a pellet that will leave a
»
Four designs of the same weight. Which will do the most damage?
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
35
GARY WAIN
Every pellet offers its own terminal performance fingerprint.
massive wound tract if it’s not accurate enough to hit the target consistently – and there’s the rub. As devastating as the hollow points and wadcutters are, as a rule at ranges over about 15m – 20m they’re simply not accurate enough to be trusted to deliver a clean kill. That said, if you’re shooting at ranges under 15m then these sort of pellets should most definitely be top of your list. Fill your magazine with wadcutters or, even better, hollow points and close-quarters quarry, such as rats, aren’t going to know what hit them. If you’re lucky enough to have a rifle that performs well at distance with hollow points, then you’ve hit pellet perfection, but it’s more likely that you’re going to need something else. A properly deforming pellet is devastating.
OPTIONS So what are the other options? If your rifle shoots well with any of the deformable spire-point pellets that are on the market, such as the JSB Polymag short, the JSB Predator Metal, the H&N Scorpion or the RWS Powerball, then you’re in luck. All of these pellets proved to be slightly more accurate at A range of heavy-hitting .22 pellets.
36
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
range than the wadcutters and hollow points, and all provided decent cavitation, which for the greater part is due to them actually being a hollow point pellet with a deformable plastic or metal nose that either crushed or parted company on impact, letting the hollow point nature of the underlying pellet work its magic.
The exception to this in our testing was the H&N Hornet. Although of the same design as those mentioned above, it ploughed a long and narrow cavity, which on examination, proved to be as a result of the pointed nose section not fulfilling its side of the bargain and getting out of the way so the rest of the pellet could deform. Next up, we have the heavy pellets, and if you’re not convinced by now, you never will be. Take a look at the images we’ve shown here and you can see the difference between the narrow cavities and long penetrations left by the 16.2gr JSB Exact Beast, and for that matter the copper-coloured 16.05gr H&N Rabbit Mag Power. Now compare those cavities to those left by the lighter, domed pellets, and we think you’ll agree that if you’re out hunting you’d rather have the lighter, domed pellet in your magazine. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for the heavier pellet, but you won’t be making the best use of them in a sub 12 ft.lbs. airgun.
EXOTICS Last, but not least, we have the exotics; those pellets that don’t really fall into any other
PICKING PERFECT PELLETS
With the exception of the wadcutter, all the heavy .22s left long narrow cavities.
Which would you choose, and why?
The Daystate Pulsar never missed a beat during testing.
category, or are so far out on a limb within a category that we have to deal with them as exceptions to the rule. I’m thinking of pellets such as the ultralight 5gr Gamo Raptor and the Skenko Poly Rhino. By rights, these ultra-light pellets should be devastating, but they simply fail to deliver at range. The reason for this, we suspect, is that they are just too light to carry any kinetic energy forward to the ballistic material and lose most of their energy simply by passing through the air. What are we left with? Well, if you haven’t already guessed, it’s the good old round or domed-nosed pellet. As a rule, these deliver decent cavitation, with those around the 8gr mark performing best. OK, so they’re not giving the fattest wound tracts, but they’re not far off, and what they lack in absolute
devastation they by far make up for in accuracy.
WINNER? Do we have a winner? As we’ve already said, if you’re shooting quarry such as rats at less than 15-20m then a good hollow point or wadcutter will be accurate enough and certainly leave a devastating ballistic cavity. If you’re shooting at ranges over 20m, or getting close to the 35m mark, then our recommendation is to spend the time finding the domed pellet that best suits your rifle. At the end of the day, these are the pellets that the FT and HFT chaps use, so a good deal of a pellet manufacturer’s research and development budget goes into this area. So, is that me finished with pellet testing?
Nope, not by a long chalk. Having demonstrated that more energy is surrendered by flatter or hollow point pellets, than by domed pellets, I want to see just how much energy we’re talking about, and how that relates to various ranges. To do this I’m going to use the pair of R2A chronographs that I have on loan from Blackpool Air Rifles. Before I can do this, though, I need to make some guards to protect the chronographs and prevent stray or deflected pellets making a mess of the R2As. Fortunately, my good friend, and fellow bell target shooter, Jim Brown, happens to be a skilled engineer and fabricator, so he’s just the craftsman I need to make up some baffles, and as soon as we have them we can get cracking with the next lot of pellet testing. Can’t wait! ■
Four domed-nose pellets. Which will give the best results?
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
37
U.S. AIRGUNNING
Here’s the combination we used for production BC testing. It works very well.
A LOAD OF BALLISTICS?
Our U.S. correspondent, Stephen Archer, delves into the mysteries of ballistic coefficients allistic coefficients are an often discussed subject on both side of the pond. Probably BCs (as we’ll refer to them mostly for economy of space) should be given a Government Health Warning. Often they cause confusion, sometimes they result in a rise in blood pressure. Occasionally, they are the cause of violent disagreement. Firstly, I thought it would be instructive to improve my understanding of BCs, so I read every-thing I could find on the topic. This definitely produced the confusion mentioned above. The complexity of the explanations about BCs, not to mention the huge number of variables involved in their calculation, certainly led to a serious bout of head scratching. So, for a while, I let the matter drop, but the need for some understanding didn’t go away. I
B
38
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
read all the learned material again. This time the result was slightly less confusing. I had made progress, so it seemed.
LET’S TAKE A PRACTICAL APPROACH The real change in my understanding of ballistic coefficients came with a simple thought one day. I decided to make some BC tests myself and look at the problem experimentally. Basically, BCs can be determined by measuring the velocity of a pellet at two points, with a known distance between them, and then applying an equation to calculate the results. Straight away, this poses some problems – how to make the measurements and how to get the requisite distance. If we were to use multiple chronographs to
calculate the BCs, we would also need to aim with sufficient accuracy so that the pellets passed through the ‘sensing windows’ of both units. In or-der to minimise any small inaccuracies in measurement, we would need to place the second chrono’ as far downrange as possible – 30 yards or more. Visions of dead chronographs hit by pellets travelling downrange loomed large in my mind. Then there’s another issue. Individual measuring devices will give different results for the same measurement unless they are calibrated together. An obvious daily example is that of comparing your watch with mine. They’re bound to show slightly different times. Such slight differences in chrono’s would make the resulting BC values inaccurate. Then I thought, ‘well, maybe we can use the
BALLISTIC COEFFICIENTS
same chronograph at different distances for successive pellets of the same type’, but we know that two pellets will have different velocities, even if fired from the same gun under the same conditions, because they’re not exactly identical. There will also be tiny differences in the firing cycle of the gun, every time. So, again, that was a no no. Given that calculating BCs requires extremely precise, comparable measurements, that issue of ensuring accurate, precise, measurement of pellet FPS at two points separated by a long distance was a top priority to overcome.
DOPPLER RADAR TO THE RESCUE The answer was at hand in the form of a Labradar unit. This uses Doppler radar to measure the velocity of a speeding pellet, and it can do that at multiple distances. Perfect! Now I had a single measuring device that eliminated the need to calibrate two individual chronographs. This Doppler radar solution allows multiple velocity readings to be made of a single pellet at almost any distances downrange that are required. The manufacturers of Labradar claim that it produces readings accurate to 0.1%. Pretty good! They also confirmed, for reasons I don’t understand, that the Labradar units sold in the USA are twice as powerful as those sold in the UK. That would definitely be helpful because it promised the opportunity for a longer distance across the ballistic coefficient here in ‘the colonies’. Having solved that issue, now I needed the space. Fortunately, my friend, Doug Wall, has a very large garden and can shoot easily at 50 yards. Problem solved. Again, it’s easier to find this sort of space over here than it is back home in England. So, Doug and I made some initial BC test experiments using Labradar back in the summer. Now we had some FPS numbers. All (all?) that was now required was to create a
We used a Marauder for our early experiments, but being unregulated it was not suitable for the production BC data gathering.
Doug with Mach 12.5
spreadsheet to accept the data and spit out the appropriate ballistic coefficients. Well, almost all …
FIRST TESTS, FIRST RESULTS These initial experiments taught us many things. Among them was how to overcome the variations in downrange velocity between individual pellets of the same type. We decided to test 10 individual pellets of each type and average the results. Without the need to get all 10 of those pellets consistently
Doug Wall, shooting a Marauder during our initial experimental testing.
through a chrono’ far downrange, this was now a practical possibility. We also made an interesting discovery about pellet velocities at different distances downrange. Taking a 10-shot string, the velocity was pretty consistent at the muzzle and at 10 and 20 yards downrange. Yes, there were obviously differences between individual pellets in the string, but they were relatively small. Moving out to 25 and 30 yards, the consistency between the velocity of individual pellets in the string began to open up a little, but we still felt the variation was manageable, with a standard deviation of around 5 FPS for many pellets. However, at 35 yards and beyond, the standard deviation numbers suddenly doubled or tripled! Yes, we could easily have calculated an average velocity from the 10 individual measurements, but how representative would that really be? Such an average over 100 pellets might be OK, but the variation observed across 10 pellets was too great for any average to be statistically significant. So, we decided that the measurement distances for the pellet velocities would be 0 yards (at the muzzle) and 30-yards for our BC calculations. As a side note, I should say that we had decided to test pellets straight from the tin. We did this to make the resulting BC as representative as possible for everyday shooting. Of course, we could have sorted individual pellets before testing, but another question then arises. What would be the sort criteria? Pellet weight, head size or length, and if we did sort, what would be the acceptable measurement limits? It was clear that, the more we sorted pellets before testing, the more consistent the resulting velocity measurements would be, but would that result in ballistic coefficients that
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
39
»
BALLISTIC COEFFICIENTS
!++)12)# .%&7#)%-2 %12)-' !+#3+!2).- .0*1(%%2
!+)"%0 %++%2 !,%
Using the FX Impact, we could test .177 pellets as well as .22 and .30 calibre pellets, all fired from the same gun for maximum compatibility of results.
actually represented the pellets people would actually shoot in reality? Clearly not. It did underscore the value of sorting pellets, though, particularly for accuracy at longer ranges.
THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN, WE DID MORE! Then another thought occurred; there’s value in generating a ballistic coefficient value for one specific pellet, but obviously there would be much more value if we could produce BCs for multiple different pellets. The BCs were produced from experiments undertaken under identical conditions, as near as possible, so not only would the individual BC values be accurate, but they would also be comparable against each other. You see, BCs generated using different test methodologies and different measuring equipment at different locations, and using different air rifles, will actually vary, making comparison between them unreliable. So, rashly, we decided to move into ‘production mode’ for ballistic coefficients. We would make tests of multiple different pellet types under the same conditions, thus generating comparable BCs for a whole range of different pellets. Had I fully realised the amount of work involved, we probably would not have done this, but that’s life. This defined our choice of air rifle for these ‘production’ BC tests. We would need a regulated PCP, or PCPs if we were to produce BCs for multiple calibres. Of course, introducing different guns as the projectors for Although Labradar records all the shot data electronically, I still did a lot of hand-scribing to ensure that we had the right data for the right pellet.
40
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
)%+$ !0'%2 0./(5 %!$ )6%
%++%2 %)'(2
0!)-1
!0$1
4%0!'%
2!-$!0$ %4)!2).-
!0$ 4%0!'%
!++)12)# .%&7#)%-2 !2 -%0'5 !2
H&N Field Target Trophy 4.51mm
different calibres would lead to variation in the BCs across calibres, but help was at hand. Our friends at Airguns of Arizona loaned us an FX Impact with which to conduct our BC tests. Not only that, but they included a full set of interchangeable barrels and bolts as well. Now we could use the same air rifle to produce consistent, comparable ballistic co-efficients for pellets in .177 calibre as well as .22, .25 and .30 calibres. So that’s what we did!
RESULTS, RESULTS ‌ So far, Doug and I have produced consistent, comparable ballistic coefficients for more than
80 different types of pellets. This is almost certainly the largest data base of consistent, comparable BCs in the world! Weather permitting, shooting outdoors is the only major source of variation in our testing, but we minimise this with our location and choice of test days. We’ll move this to well over 100 BCs for different pellet types and calibres in the forthcoming months. Now, I accept that the BCs we have generated are exactly specific to the FX Impact air rifle shooting in full-power mode, but the consistent test protocol means that our BC results are broadly valuable to anyone looking for pellet ballistic coefficients, even if just as a starting point, and they are definitely valuable for comparing BCs between different pellets and even different calibres. Because the BC of the same pellet varies slightly depending on its velocity, we also, uniquely, publish the first and second FPS figures from our tests. This gives you the opportunity to customise our test results to suit the lower velocity airguns in the UK. To make the results of this huge amount of work freely available to airgunners everywhere, we have loaded all our BC results on to the Hard Air Magazine website. You can see it at www.hardairmagazine.com/ballistic-coefficients I hope that our hard work will be a valuable, independent source of pellet test data that will help many of you to shoot more accurately in the future. ■Stephen Archer is the Publisher of the US-based online Hard Air Magazine.
23rd - 26th JAN 2018 SANDS EXPO CENTER, LAS VEGAS
16th - 18th FEB 2018 N E C ,B I R M I N G H A M
w w w . d a y s t a t e . c o m
MICK GARVEY
THE DARK SIDE …
‘Snow fun’.
Mick Garvey reflects on the findings from his popular mini-series t feels so long since I embarked on this mini-series on night shooting, but along the way I have rediscovered my love for lamping, realised that money doesn’t always get the most suitable option, and I think I’ve seen the future. I decided to use all the different disciplines on my FAC .25 FX Impact to keep the comparison on a level playing field, so to speak, because this is my ‘go to’ gun for most of my shooting. I kicked off with the very impressive Tracer f900 which was kindly loaned from Jamie, at Tracer Power. It came with a range of different coloured LED drop-in lamps, including red, white and green, and I also requested the IR unit to complement the set-up. It has a claimed run time of three hours, which I can
I
42
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
vouch for, but the 800-metre beam may be a stretch, although I was regularly picking up eye-shine easily at 400 metres. I never got the chance to test the 800-metre claim, but rest assured, I will, because I was impressed enough to buy the f900 from Deben once the field test was finished. I had rediscovered a passion for lamping, and I have since used it to great effect on my .223 and 17 HMR while on foxing duties, and I’m looking forward to repeating the rabbit action with it in the Lake District over Christmas. The whole kit had a rock-steady quality feel to it and once I’d got used to the adjustable mount, I found it hard to go back to my original torch mount, and the sliding dimmer switch is a
tremendous addition. The drop in IR was another touch that worked well for me. The simplicity and ease of changing the ‘pill’ was a pleasure, and once teamed up with the next discipline, the Photon RT, it became even clearer how good a hunting torch it was. Maybe, the only drawback was the beam being a visual deterrent on quarry that had been lamped before, but on the plus side, the relatively low cost, compared to digital and thermal NV, and the fact that it lets you keep your day scope, outweighs the visual deterrent.
INSTANT RECOGNITION The Photon had been ordered from Scott Country International (SCI) to replace my
NV KIT COMPARISON
FINAL THOUGHTS »
Photon XT long before we decided on this mini-series and it arrived in time for my second field test. I have already said that the RT is much easier to use than its predecessor and the XT wasn’t difficult by any means. The way it performed in both day and night conditions will
hours. It’s priced in the low to middle range so it wouldn’t break the bank to add this to your armoury, but I would suggest the option of an independent IR illuminator because this will help save battery life. The RT does like
“one of my most memorable days after I had only gone out to zero” make it a firm winner for many, including me, and I feel I have chosen well with this purchase. This will be another scope that will not only be used on my airguns, but also on my rimfire and centrefires. It was beautifully at home on the Impact and gave me one of my most memorable days after I had only gone out to zero, picking off nearly 40 pigeons in a few
its batteries and using the on-board IR will only shorten your shooting time. A DNV battery kit is available from SCI and comes with two battery packs and a charger unit for under £70. This will keep you going all night, and even longer if you utilise the battery carriers that come with the RT as standard. I use rechargeable Energisers with
mine so, along with the DNV kit, I had four power supplies. Getting the image clear is key for instant recognition, but once set, spotting was so easy even in trees overlooking my decoy patterns. As is common now in most digital and thermal scopes, there is a recording facility so you can keep a visual diary of your day’s shooting. All the files can be uploaded to the stream vision app on your phone and can be posted to various media locations, such as Facebook and YouTube.
TOTALLY INVISIBLE The third and final part in the series was about thermal-imaging, and this is the real game changer. Thermal brings day to night in a way that no other night vision does. Totally invisible to your target, to the point where you are
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
43
»
MICK GARVEY The Photon and f900 are ready and waiting.
looking at your quarry and you start to think, ‘it must have seen me’, but no, it doesn’t. I have been semi-concealed and called in a fox to within 25 yards and managed to record the event on the XQ50F, kindly loaned to me by the guys at Sellmark in the USA. I also managed to record squirrels running around the various memorials in Washington DC, many at over 200 yards away and easily identifiable as squirrels. Get yourself set up in your favourite hide and scan the area around you, you’ll be surprised what’s out there, totally unaware of your presence.
HAPPY TO OUT THERE I have gone on record as saying that I am happy sometimes to be out in the woods or fields and study the movements of various creatures, and not necessarily vermin; sometimes I watch the buzzards or sparrowhawks, and even the pheasants and partridges that are part of my remit to protect. I have even seen owls come swooping in, through the darkest of nights toward my fox caller, and watched badgers go about their business whilst I’m out ratting. All of these Close up and personal.
44
AIRGUN WORLD
Snow fun.
“Remembering to hit the record button was another problem I had” were at night, but I have also had the pleasure of observing other wildlife with the thermal scope or spotter during the day, including foxes and deer and even wild turkeys in the USA. There is no visual beam emitted from the thermal so it is so easy to sit and observe for hours on end, and this is the best part, the battery life is outstanding. I doubt most would run out of power in a day unless, like me, a day’s shooting can be up to 16 hours, especially in the summer. You could be out on the squirrels at first light, carry on though midday on the pigeons, go back to the squirrels in late afternoon, then on to the pigeons as they come in to roost at dusk, and finally, to a spot of ratting at the end of the day when darkness falls. This is something I do regularly in the summer, and there is a battery pack available, but you can utilise one of the many phone battery packs available.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
NV KIT COMPARISON
Remote viewing too, with stream vision.
Setting-up through stream vision on the mini-iPad.
Getting the XP fitted.
RECORD BUTTON
per gun because changing zero range would waste valuable time, and once you have mastered your holdover and your landmarks, you should be set. I have been out a couple of times with the XP mounted on the Impact, and have taken a few daytime woodpigeons and a good few rats, but my biggest issue was shooting in the rain and fog. The XP didn’t like this, and getting a feel for distance was difficult, but once a rabbit showed itself it was easily spotted and dispatched. Remembering to hit the record button was another problem I had, but this will change, I promise
The Pulsar Apex LRF that I had on loan from SCI had set my juices flowing again, and I had decided to treat myself to the Pulsar XP50 trail. This would be the perfect tool for my shooting because it would easily move from centrefire to airgun. It was programmed with profiles for three different guns; my .223 and my .25 Impact, and I haven’t decided which one will take up the third slot, maybe nothing will. Changing from gun to gun without having to re-zero is a godsend, and I’m hoping that a minimum adjustment will be required, at most. Zeroing is undertaken using Little Hotties hand-warmers set out at your desired range, and each gun’s zero is stored separately. There is the option for three different ranges for each gun, but for me, I’ll just have one zero
FINAL THOUGHTS My final thoughts are … mixed, to say the least. I would not be without any of the
methods I have used and every one has pros and cons; the biggest hurdle is budget and ranging from under £200 to over £4000, the gap is huge. Best value for money has to be the Photon RT, and the most fun I had with any was the f900 Tracer, but the game changer has to be the Pulsar XP50 trail. There are other thermals available at a much lower cost that will provide an incredible ability to spot and drop your quarry. Perhaps coupling the RT with a thermal spotter would cover your needs, and this is something many of my friends and colleagues are doing with great success, too. So many choices, and so many options, but whichever route you take I’m sure that as long as you give it 100%, success will follow. ■
Now that’s what I call a combo!
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
45
MILEWSKI
DOWN IN THE DUMPS!
John Milewski takes part in one of the most enjoyable competition formats of them all
irtually all target shooting disciplines require exactly the same principles to be applied in order to hit the mark. Therefore, it matters little if you are shooting at 6 or 600 yards; apply the same basic techniques and the target will be hit. For me, one of the overriding attractions of air rifle shooting over full, or smallbore shooting is the versatility of the humble air rifle. It can be used on paper as well as reacting targets and as long as safety considerations are placed first and foremost, competitions are limited only by the imagination of the course builders. At Bisley, we have Andy Draper, one of the hardest working course setters I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have featured some of Andy’s courses in the past, such as
V
the Tactical Airgun Challenge and Schutzenfest, which, among so many other things, involved splitting playing cards edge on with open sights – from the standing position, of course.
WHAT IS A DUMP SHOOT? A couple of decades ago, when I used to shoot FT and HFT competitively, I would enjoy the challenge of a Dump Shoot and made a point of attending shoots run by Meon Valley, Burnham and ARC because they often put out this type of side shoot. The concept is to simulate the kind of shooting scenario you might encounter when hunting around an old dump, or the long forgotten corner of a farmyard. Reduced sized kill-zones are the
order of the day, and if full-sized 40mm kill-zones are used, invariably some evil person has welded nails across the kill-zone or placed other obstacles in the path of the target. Basingstoke have a target that requires the shooter to place a pellet through a 15mm pipe, which then does a 90-degree turn and ends up knocking it over. Bisley recently held a club charity shoot in memory of two members who we recently lost and used the Dump format with classic airguns and no scopes. Open or peep sights only could be used, and your rifle had to have been made before 1980. Most vintage shooters tend to use a pre-war BSA for competitions, but the pre-1980 rule resulted in a more varied selection of air rifles than
Shooting in the woods in like-minded company, talking old guns. What’s not to like?
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
47
»
MILEWSKI You had to be careful when aiming because it was easy to hit an obstacle in front of the target’s faceplate.
“Right, I’m having that squirrel in the tree,” says Steve Wescott as he prepares to shoulder his 1912 BSA.
You had to stretch to hit the yellow kill behind this obstacle.
Shooting at a bell behind an old toilet!
Andy Draper lines up his Weihrauch 35.
we usually see. Some chose BSA Cadet Majors, whilst others went for the Mercury or classic Webley Mark 3. One chap turned up with a Kynoch Swift, which is a rifle you do not see very often. I opted for a BSA Airsporter and you can see how I got on with that rifle and why I chose it, elsewhere in this issue.
Andy Lake is one of the UK’s foremost authorities on vintage BSAs and he’s always happy to share his immense knowledge.
A CHALLENGING COURSE Whilst walking the course, the targets looked as though they were all achievable because the distances were mostly well under 20 yards. There were a few long-range tin cans – probably the airgunner’s most popular target of choice ever – and a bell at 40 or more yards away. I thought the 10mm reduced kill-zones would probably sort out the winner because there were quite a few of them. However, overall, the course consisted of lots of targets that most people would be able to hit. One of the easiest targets of all was a crow silhouette placed around 10 yards away, with a full-sized kill-zone. ‘Easy’, I thought as I loosed off a shot, which plated it. I think I was the only one to have missed that target all day! In accordance with expectations for a ‘Dump’ scenario, some of the targets were placed behind old bird-feeding tables with
48
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
This reducer was placed in the shadow of an old ammunition box and was a challenge to see from the firing line, over open sights.
Mel Saunders was shooting one of the smoothest Airsporters I have ever handled.
VINTAGE SHOOT: GETTING DUMPED!
The distances were not excessive, but reduced kill-zones behind obstacles from the standing position provided plenty of challenge.
Peter Binfield, organiser of the Kempton Park arms fairs is a capable shot with an old gun too.
obstacles obscuring part of the target. You had to aim carefully because it was easy to be off by a fraction, and the pellet would connect with wood, resulting in a complete miss. I played safe on a couple of targets by aiming near the edge of the kill-zone, opposite to the obstacle, to reduce the risk of missing altogether and was lucky when my shots landed inside the kills. One target was placed within the shadow of an old ammunition box and it was hard to see the kill-zone after a few people had shot through and peppered the centre of the target.
ENTER THE PYGMY Andy had used pipes to his advantage by ensuring that targets were placed in dark, shadowy areas, and when sighting the target over open sights it was not always clear where the target’s centre was. This all added to the challenge and resulted in more than one person scratching their
head after missing what looked like a ‘gimme’ or easy target. Invariably, when this happened, Andy Draper would appear from nowhere, like a pygmy, laughing in his Welsh accent. I had the pleasure of shooting round with an experienced full-bore shooter, who had never entered this kind of competition before, but Mike said the camaraderie of the shoot was overwhelming, as was the legendary Bisley barracking. I think Mike summed up the mood of the day perfectly because we were all remembering lost friends by enjoying the activity which had brought us together in the first place. Ultimately, it didn’t matter how many points you scored. The fun was in the shooting and in using old guns in like-minded company. My sincere thanks to Andy Draper and Paul O’Donnell for setting such an interesting and enjoyable course. ■
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
49
GETTING BETTER IN 2018
NEW YEAR RESAIRLUTIONS!
The editor comes up with a selection of suggestions for airgunners to consider as we head into our brave New Year his magazine has a policy of not beating its readers about the head with seasonal hype, but the beginning of any year is always a good time to think about making positive changes. Thus, here I am with a bunch of suggestions which have either worked for me, or which I believe could work for you. The idea is to make 2018 your best airgunning year – ever. Read these suggested resolutions, then, and see which ones could take you to that new level of performance, accomplishment, overall contribution, or plain old fun.
T
1. LEARN TO SHOOT A SPRINGER
1. Get a springer into your life, work with it - and let it help improve your technique.
50
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
For many, this could also read, ‘re-learn to shoot a springer’, because there will be plenty out there who began this glorious airgunning journey with a spring gun, then got into the pre-charged pneumatic style of things, and have since shied away from remaking the springer acquaintance. Here’s why I believe you should do that. Yes, you’ll have heard it said so many times before, but studying at the spring-piston institute of advanced technique really will make you a better shot, especially with a PCP. Those recoilless pre-charged pneumatics, with their forgiving ways and tolerance of inconsistent technique, seem like your best friend, but in a long-term relationship, they’ll allow flaws to creep in and establish themselves. Ultimately, once those flaws become part of your technique, you’re on a slippery slope where, should your handling become sufficiently degraded, even PCPs won’t be able to save your results. Bring a springer into your shooting life and those creeping flaws will be exposed, addressed and very soon expelled. Not only that, shooting a springer well is also incredibly rewarding, amounting as it does to a hearty ‘well-done’ and a pat on the back from a teacher with the highest standards. Give the spring thing a go, or another chance to be part of your shooting life. When you do, make the
GETTING BETTER IN 2018
2. The GRS stock from Highland Outdoors offers superb accommodation for every shooter.
3. Are you certain your trigger is perfectly set, or have you just become used to it?
4. Take the time and trouble to test more pellet options in 2018.
the combination of these features can genuinely transform the way you interact with your rifle. Custom grips for pistols can have the same effect, too. Whilst the whole ‘gun fit’ thing is in your head, pay particular attention to the way your head and eye lines up with your scope. Fit different mounts, or use raiser blocks, to align your sighting eye perfectly with the ocular lens of your scope. This will not only bring better eye position, but it will also relax your neck, and that has tremendous benefits for your entire stance. Don’t just accept compromise – do something positive to create perfection.
3. RE-JIG YOUR TRIGGER SET-UP Your trigger forms the link between you, your airgun, and the ‘authorisation’ of every shot. It’s the use of the trigger that signifies all is as it should be and that the shot may be taken. It’s a massively important phase in your shooting technique, yet far too many of us don’t give it the attention it deserves. Change that by making certain your hand and trigger finger are in the perfect position to work correctly with your airgun’s trigger blade. Fitting a palm shelf is one of the easiest and most effective examples of DIY any shooter can carry out. A rested, relaxed
relationship a regular one and the benefits will appear before your very eyes.
2. DO SOMETHING TO MAKE YOUR RIFLE FIT YOU BETTER In my extensively researched opinion, using a gun that fits is the single greatest advantage within our control, these days. Airgunners come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with widely differing requirements when it comes to … pretty much everything. Shoes, trousers, hats, gloves, shirts, jackets, watch straps; you name it, we have our own fitting needs. Yet, when it comes to our rifles, for some it’s a ‘one size fits all’, so we compromise and get on with it. It’s like having a new car, but not being able to adjust the driving seat position. We’d be able to drive it, but nowhere near to its full potential. Consider changing the game for yourself by fitting an adjustable butt pad, or having that done by a gunsmith. Think about an adjustable-height cheek piece, too, because
5. Clubs offer so much more than just a safe and enjoyable place to shoot.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
51
»
GETTING BETTER IN 2018 trigger hand is a more efficient, controlled one. Now make sure the let-off, blade position and overtravel of your trigger unit is spot on, and fit a trigger shoe, or even a replacement trigger system, if there’s one available and it does a better job. Above all, make absolutely certain that your final authorisation of the shot is as good as it gets. This doesn’t mean ‘as light a trigger as possible’, either. Correctly set, safe, predictable and consistent triggers are part of our shooting foundation. Get yours right and you’ll be much the better for it.
4. TEST SOME PELLETS This one really couldn’t be any more simple. Even if you’re satisfied with the pellets you’re using, try a few different types to see if any of them offer you more. ‘More’ will usually mean ‘greater accuracy’, and testing at range on paper targets sorts this one out in no time at all. Should you discover a new pellet that out-performs your current brand, the next step is easy – buy loads! If the pellets you’re already using come out on top, then you have the extreme satisfaction of knowing you’re using the best, and that’s a significant advantage in itself. Long-range accuracy isn’t the only factor, though. If you have specific jobs for your pellets, say close-range effectiveness on rats or feral pigeons, then you’ll find different designs perform in different ways, in terms of penetration and the transmitting of ‘shockenergy’ to your quarry’s central nervous system. As ever, doing your own homework is the best way to match specific pellets with specific tasks.
6. Sharing the knowledge, sharing the enthusiasm. Let’s try to do more of both in 2018.
5. JOIN A CLUB I won’t waste much space selling this one to you; the fact is, you can learn more, improve more and enjoy more at a good club in six months, than you will in three years shooting on your own - make that 20 years, in my case. Joining a club was the single greatest positive influence on my shooting, and the same goes for thousands of airgunners. Good clubs are wonderful places, and if you don’t have one withing reasonable range of you, seriously consider starting one. It’s challenging, it takes
hard work, but the rewards are incredible. Get yourself involved at club level and see how your shooting life improves.
6. INTRODUCE SOMEONE TO AIRGUNNING Among the many rewards on offer to we airgun shooters, passing on what we’ve learned has to be right up there with the best of them. Seeing someone discover the pleasures we’ve enjoyed, and then increase those pleasures through greater accomplishment, is a feeling that’s hard to beat. I know this magazine has helped to introduce countless thousands of newcomers to our sport, and we couldn’t be more proud of that. On an individual level, that pride is no less intense, I assure you. Please, if you know anyone who could benefit from being part of this amazing pastime, share what you know and encourage them to join us.
7. INCREASE YOUR FITNESS
8. Friendships forged through shooting are priceless benefits of our sport. Let’s do our best to keep them going.
52
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you take up jogging, or become a gym bunny, or anything as drastic as that. All I’m saying is, your life, and especially the part of it that involves your shooting, will be significantly better if you get yourself a bit fitter. One of the benefits of my illness of 2015 and last year, was a gradual weight loss, and now I’m all but fully recovered, I’ve resolved to get back to my ‘ill’ weight, now that I’m no longer ill. I hope that makes sense. Being a bit fitter will help you in so many ways, including mastering the new stances I’m suggesting in resolution 9, controlling your heartrate, walking miles over fields, and pretty much every other aspect of your sport.
GETTING BETTER IN 2018
As someone connected with sporty sloguns once said, ‘just do it’.
8. GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH AN OLD SHOOTING BUDDY … OR TWO If you haven’t already, please read this issue’s Letter Of The Month. That letter says it all, really, and demonstrates what most of us already knew, that some fellow airgunners out there could do with a bit of contact and support. As we keep on saying, our sport is about far more than shooting. Let’s do our best to prove that this year.
9. WORK ON NEW STANCES Far too many of us stick to what we know and to where we’re most comfortable. This especially applies to our shooting stances, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this mindset costs us dearly in terms of shooting performance. To compound this problem, the most popular stance of all, especially among hunters, is the standing stance, which is the least stable of them all. This year, do yourself a huge favour and learn at least one more shooting stance, then train regularly with it until it becomes as ‘natural’ as standing, or whichever stance you favour now. For hunters, the kneeling stance is incredibly useful, and the sitting position is perfect for static hunting and zeroing. The prone stance, possibly the most stable, yet least-used, of them all, can be the foundation of maximum accuracy and is entirely worth developing. Using the best stance available for a particular shot is, along with optimum gun fit, represents the most effective way we can close the ‘performance gap’ between us and our hardware – and developing new stances is free!
9. Yes, the standing position is the most popular of them all, but it’s also the least reliable.
10. RESOLVE TO HAVE MORE FUN! Let’s finish on the happiest note of all, by resolving to get as much enjoyment as possible from our marvellous sport. The whole essence of airgunning is enjoyment, and that precious commodity can arrive from all sorts of directions. There’s the pure fun of blatting at tin cans or home made targets, through the satisfaction of a successful stalk after quarry, to the intense pleasure of winning silverware on the competition circuit, plus a zillion points between. The essential factor is the enjoyment, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves that our glorious pastime is, above all, supposed to be fun. Yes, there will be disappointment, frustration, and the usual negatives life lobs at us, but the overall effect must be one of ‘I’m so happy to be part of this’. If that’s not the case, we’re doing something wrong. Airgunning is tremendously enjoyable, and that’s exactly how it should be, for 2018 and every year. ■
10. Fun, banter, enjoyment, pleasure, call it what you will, it’s our most precious resource.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
53
TOP VALUE GUNS
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!
Tim Finley gets his hands on the versatile Gamo C-15 pistol
he C15 is a BB-firing, CO2 pistol from Gamo, with a marked difference from other CO2 pistols; it fires both lead pellets and steel BBs. This is an unusual feature in a plinking gun because normally they are either one or the other. To top it all, the C15 is also a blow-back pistol, meaning that the top slides moves backwards, mimicking the recoil of a bullet-firing pistol. So it is unusual indeed. The magazine on this gun is also unusual. As a pellet-firing CO2 pistol, it uses a normal, rotary 8-shot magazine, but there are two of these on the magazine for this gun, one on each end. Fire off the eight shots, push the magazine release button on the left-hand side of the frame just behind the trigger, and the magazine is pushed out of the bottom of the gun under spring pressure. It can then be turned around and put back into the gun to fire off the eight shots housed in the other rotary section of the magazine.
T
This is a surprisingly accurate pistol.
CLEVER DESIGN You have to press the bottom of the magazine into the gun to locate it, so your thumb or finger has to go inside the bottom of the grip in order to do this. Cleverly, the magazine is designed so that it cannot be inserted into the gun the wrong way around. The two rotary sections of the magazine are FIRST easy to load with lead pellets, a picture of a pellet shows the IMPRESSIONS shooter which way round to This compact pistol put them into the mag’, and ticks all the boxes; you can put pellets into two Blow-back operation, grain BBs, it predictably holes at a time before you Fires BBs and pellets … went down to 1.1 ft.lbs. have to rotate the mag’ What’s not to like? manually, to fill the other holes. Make sure the pellets are SINGLE- OR DOUBLEpushed all the way into the rotary ACTION magazine becauseif they are not, it can The trigger is a large, wide-curved cause jams. You can also load the magazine metal piece and the C15 is either single- or with steel 4.5mm BBs, and there’s a magnet double-action in operation. You can just pull in the centre spindle of the rotary magazine to the trigger, which is effectively in doublehold the BBs in place, very clever. CO2 bulbs action; i.e. the trigger pull moves the hammer fit in via the removable back strap and a back into the cocked position and then toggle screw piercer. Over the chronograph, further pressure on the trigger releases it. Due the 7.9 grain lead pellets produced from 1.7 to the blow-back action, the slide then cocks to 1.4 ft.lbs, and after s witching to steel 5.2 the hammer for the second shot, effectively
56
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
making that a single-action shot. The double-action trigger weight is heavy – 3.6kg on the first trigger operation – and after that, the blow-back action cocks the hammer and it comes down by a full two kilos to 1.6kg. A tip here is either to cock the hammer manually, or pull back the top slide to cock it. This will make that first shot as accurate as the rest. The sight base is 132mm long; the rear sight has a white dot on each side of the open notch, and the front post has a single white dot on it. These bright white dots are not paint, but white plastic inserts. They also have
TOP VALUE GUNS: THE GAMO C-15
I found the grip’s size and shape suited me well.
Hammer cocked, safety on. All nicely accessible.
The CO2 bulb fits in via the backstrap.
Bright white sighting dots help with fast line-up.
The front sight has a matching white dot.
a cone-shaped indentation in the middle that collects more light and keeps them brightly coloured – a neat design trick. The moving slide is metal, with the safety catch on the rear left of it. Pushing up shows a small red dot for ‘fire’, and pull down to ‘safe’ showing an ‘S’. The safety blocks the trigger.
well made and very accurate, works with pellet or BB, and its compact size makes it a serious consideration for anyone looking to add an exciting, affordable pistol to their collection. ■
The ambidextrous grip is comfortable and it also has a 44mm-long Picatinny accessory rail in front of the large trigger guard, for lights and lasers. You can tell when you are running out of gas power because the slide stops going back enough to cock the hammer. That’s the time to
stop and replace the 12 gram CO2 bulb. I found this was after four magazines’ worth, but that figure will vary greatly depending upon the ambient air temperature, and so on. Aimed shots at six yards with pellets gave me a five-shot group of 6.6mm, centre to centre – pretty good. It did open up to 20mm for the whole eight rounds from the magazine, but that might have been down to me. When I switched to BBs, it shot around the 30-35mm for eight shots. So, either way – lead pellet or steel BB – the C15 delivers. The gun really does kick, as it was designed to do, you can feel the force pushing back in your wrist. I really liked the Gamo C15 blowback. It’s
Plenty of finger-room within the trigger guard.
The double-ended magazine.
AMBIDEXTROUS
TECH SPEC Manufacturer: Gamo Country of origin: Japan Distributor: BSA UK Ltd 0121 7728543 Model: C15 Blow-back Type: CO2 pistol Barrel length: 98mm Calibre: .177 pellet Action: Double Sights: Fixed open notch and post Sight Base: 132mm Trigger weight: 3.2kg double-action 1.6kg hammer cocked Overall length: 177mm Weight: 0.69kg
RRP £79.00 www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
57
PETE EVANS
WEIHRAUCH’S CINDERELLA
Pete Evans reckons the HW57 is overdue an invitation to the ball eihrauch has built an enviable reputation for constructing well-designed, solidlyengineered rifles that perform well under the most adverse of conditions. Ask a few people which rifle they would choose as a desert island gun and you will find the HW range figuring highly in that list. Another feature of the company is their tendency to develop a model and stick with it for the long term, and a good example is the HW35, launched in 1951 and still with us today. Despite their popularity, there is one model which has sold well, but seems to be given a hard time by some, which has made it less popular than the rest of its family. I’m describing the HW57. The HW57 was introduced to an expectant public early in 2000, not as a replacement, but rather a complement to the existing line up. It was a mid-weight, full-power, underlever sporter, supplied with open sights, and
W
No excessive effort needed to cock the action.
A light hold is what a springer needs.
established features such as the excellent Rekord trigger and high-quality finish were retained – nothing too radical so far, until you get to the breech. Weihrauch decided to take a step away from the sliding breech that featured on the HW77/97, in favour of a ‘pop up’, or as I prefer to term it, ‘an elevating breech’. Elevating breech is a better term, because ‘pop up’ suggests there is some spring loading involved, or maybe a catch to release, neither of which apply. The breech is neatly designed simply to elevate slowly as the under-lever is drawn down. In the fully cocked position, the breech is fully elevated and the under-lever can then be returned to position. This allows the user to seat a pellet, push the breech closed, and compose the shot.
EMBRACE CHANGE This represented a very neat package, which could shoot as well as any of the pre-existing range, offering an alternative to the bulk
58
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
normally associated with the Weihrauch under-levers. It’s a fact of life that humans generally don’t like to embrace change and I believe that is what happened in the case of the HW57. People were distrustful of the breech design. What if it misaligns? What if it drops out in the field? What if the gun isn’t accurate? Lots of ‘what ifs’ there, but in reality these fears are ill-placed. Turn your minds back to the 1980s. There was a plethora of tap-loading sporters from the big names of airgunning, several of which I have owned over the years. It is a fact that some of these did exhibit problems with breech alignment, which in turn led to accuracy problems. Perhaps experiences from the past have jaded the future, but the truth is that the HW57 breech is very well engineered, with very little about it to go wrong. It is made in one piece, and in my experience, the fewer parts that are involved, the more reliable the end product is likely to be.
THE WEIHRAUCH HW57
NEUTRAL BALANCE
Sliding catch, single-handed operation.
USER ERROR The main problem in relation to the breech is user error. Misalignment of the breech can occur if debris is allowed to collect between the action and the breech and the simple solution, of course is just to keep things clean. The other important issue is to ensure that the breech is fully pushed home after loading the pellet – it sounds obvious, but people don’t always do it. As with all air rifles, it is always vitally important that pellets are well seated in the breech. If not, it is possible to distort the skirt, leading to accuracy issues. One last point; your breech is not going to fall out because it is protected by an ‘O’ ring, which incidentally, can be easily removed for cleaning or breech seal maintenance. Instead of fretting about the breech, we should be celebrating the safety it offers – no fingers in front of a sliding breech, particularly important for the young shot to whom a rifle of these proportions is going to be attractive. Low comb, best suited to open sights/scope in low mounts.
Now we have put the breech to bed, what about the rest of the rifle? Well, it’s a trim little number, tipping the scales at 7lbs, with a fairly neutral balance for an under-lever. The under-lever is held in position by a clever sliding catch that can be released and cocked with one hand. Cocking effort is not excessive. The muzzle end does not lend itself to fitment of a moderator. I believe some custom versions have been made, but nothing is widely available. Sound moderators on springers are a subject of debate because most of the noise generated by them is mechanically derived, rather than true muzzle blast as manifested by pre-charged rifles. The mechanical noise is always going to be more apparent for the user because the ear is nice and close to where the action takes place. In my opinion, the introduction of a moderator would spoil the compact lines, so more effort should be given to smoothing out the mechanical operation.
SIGHTING OPTIONS Open sights are included in the package, which gives extra flexibility, and the stock comb is correspondingly low to accommodate this. If you want to use a scope, then a smaller objective lens in low mounts would be the order of the day. The reach to trigger from the grip is quite long, a feature which is apparent on nearly all the HW range, and given that the rifle is a mid-weight springer, the recoil is not excessive, or indeed bad-mannered with issues such as
Elevating breech, very safe in use.
muzzle flip. Most spring guns will have a certain amount of vibration and spring ‘twang’ on firing. My own example, which is around seven years old, exhibits these characteristics and could do with some attention to improve the firing cycle. With these thoughts in mind, next month we will be getting inside the HW57, finding out what makes it tick and how we can improve matters. As well as this, the trigger ergonomics will be addressed. You can be sure that when we are finished, this Cinderella will be ready for the ball! ■ Accuracy, nothing to prove over 30m.
Rekord trigger, the benchmark for sporting triggers.
Clean, slim lines; you can carry this one all day.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
59
PHIL HARDMAN
TAKE IT AS RED!
Use the corner of buildings to aid stability whenever you can.
Phil Hardman compares ‘traditional’ lamping with night-vision on a farmyard rat hunt
his month, I decided to go back to the ‘old school’ in that I switched the infrared LED in my Nightmaster Eclipse 800, rechargeable, long-range hunting light, to the red one, so converting it from an IR illuminator, which I have used to devastating effect, into a red, gunmounted lamp. The reason? Well, it had been a long time since I’d done any ratting with a lamp, and I wanted to be reminded of how it fared as a tactic, compared to when I use night-vision equipment. I always remember being amazed at how much bigger my bag was the first time I used night vision, but at that point I hadn’t been rat shooting for all that long, so I was fairly inexperienced when I last used a lamp. Could my increased success be a
T
OVERKILL It was a frosty night and the usually muddy farmyard was frozen solid and I could hear the crisp and crunchy ground under the tyres of my Suzuki Jimny as I drove slowly into the yard. As I paused to open the gate, my headlights illuminated the first cow shed, and brought with it the first sight of a rat as it scurried into the safety of a hay bale. I drove through, closed the gate and then remounted the truck to park up in the main yard. The plan was to have a look around the yard, sweep the lamp in the buildings, along the front of the sheds, and then move around the back of the yard, search there, and then lamp the whole place, before jumping back in the Jimny to warm up, let
“a quick look through the scope confirmed these to be false alarms” result of my increased experience, or was it solely down to the night-vision gear? Knowing that many people still use lamps as a cheaper, convenient way to hunt at night, I thought I would check it out for myself and see how the results compared to the average NV rat-shooting session. After all, why spend money on night-vision gear, or even thermal-imaging equipment, if a lamp can do just as well, at a fraction of the price?
60
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
the rats settle, and try again. I fitted the Nightmaster lamp to the top of my scope and then turned it on before adjusting the power output. On full power it will easily throw light out to almost a kilometre when you use the white LED bulb, and even with the red one, 500 metres is easily doable, which is serious overkill for 30-yard rat shooting. Luckily, it can be adjusted easily by holding down the power button, which cycles it through
LAMPING RATS
the different brightness settings. I settled on the second-dimmest setting, enough to illuminate even the darkest of corners, even when I was using 6x zoom on the scope, but still dim enough not to scare the rats, I hoped, and not to glare off everything and ruin my sight picture. On full power you’re able to get about three hours constant use, so on this lower level, I guess I could have stayed out all night, which is handy, because the number of times I have forgotten to charge batteries before I go out is embarrassingly high. If you do find yourself running low on charge, you can easily plug in using the lamp’s on-board, micro-USB charging port, so charging it in the car is simple enough.
NOTHING STIRRED I stepped out of the little Suzuki and into the yard, as I slid the magazine into my Weihrauch HW110. The frost on the ground was crunchy underfoot, hardly perfect for stealthy rat shooting, but I still preferred it to the soft mud that usually fills the yard at this time of year. I started with the big barn where the grain is stored to be used as feed for the cattle over the winter. As you can imagine, a huge pile of grain simply lying there unguarded is a magnet to scaly tails eagerly looking for an easy meal. I walked as quietly as I could, to get into position at the entrance to the barn. There is a metal gate across the doorway, which provides me with a nice rest from which to pick the rats off with accurate headshots. Once I was in position, I clicked on the lamp’s power button, and started to scan around the grain pile, and then under the heavy equipment and various other farm related stuff that littered the barn. Much to my disappointment, nothing stirred, but this wasn’t the fault of the lamp. There was simply nothing there to spook, so either they had heard me coming thanks to the frozen ground, or they weren’t there in the first place. ‘Not to worry’, I thought. ‘I’ll come back in a few minutes and have another go’. I stepped back from my resting place and scanned the red lamp beam across the front of the sheds behind me, from left to right, slowly. All I was looking for were the glowing, twinkling red eyes of a rat amongst the dull dirt, straw and mud of the yard. Occasionally, a reflection bouncing off something metallic, or a water droplet caught my eye, but a quick look through the scope confirmed these to be false alarms.
I always try to take resting shots when I can, accuracy is everything!
Lamping certainly isn’t as covert as night vision, but it’s still effective!
OBLIVIOUS My first real chance came in the very back of one of the larger cattle sheds. At this time of year the animals are brought into the yard and put in the sheds over the winter, which makes shooting in there a little bit more tricky than during the summer months when they’re either
»
The biggest benefit of a lamp is that you don’t need to look through the scope as you scan for targets.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
61
PHIL HARDMAN
Free-standing shots are sometimes unavoidable, so make sure you practise for them.
empty, or have very few animals in them. I spotted the rat, a rather large adult, at the very back, and although it didn’t seem to be particularly spooked by the red glow from the lamp, it wasn’t exactly sitting still as it weaved its way from the far left corner through the legs of the cattle over toward the right wall. I tracked it, but I knew there was no clear shot so I was forced to let it go. My patience was repaid almost instantly, because as I lowered the rifle, I caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes sparkling in the beam. I quickly remounted the rifle and took aim at two youngsters that were sitting just under the troughs that run along the left wall of the shed. These two were totally oblivious, and although I’m sure they could see the beam of light that had suddenly burst into their world, they obviously saw no threat in it because neither moved a muscle. I picked the closest one, sitting with its body safely tucked back in the wall, only its head on show. Aiming slightly high to allow for the close range, I sent the shot on its way and watched as the pellet zipped straight into it, catching it just behind the eye. The rat didn’t really react for a second and then it kicked itself forward and slumped in the mix of mud and hay that lay on the floor of the shed. The second rat, about two yards further along the wall, didn’t move a muscle, so I re-cocked the rifle and lined up on that one, just as I had the first. This one reacted as soon as the pellet arrived, jumping out and kicking its legs, whilst its tail wriggled wildly.
DOUBLE FIGURES
Shooting in amongst livestock requires care. Don’t ever risk anything.
Fully rested on a nice soft hay bale, I was never going to miss at this range!
62
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
I didn’t bother to collect my kills at this point, instead preferring to keep any disturbances to a minimum in an effort to bag as many as I could. I moved on to the next shed where, again, I missed a chance at a large rat that refused to sit still in the lamplight, only to bag a smaller adolescent a couple of moments later as it sat cleaning itself without a care in the world. That was pretty much the theme of the night really, some would sit perfectly confidently within the beam, and others wouldn’t. It’s not that they ran; they’d scurry a yard and pause, and then just as I was about to fire, scurry a few more steps, and then pause once again, only to move just as I was about to fire. Still, as time passed, my number of kills increased, and sometimes I was quick enough to bag the unsettled ones, other times I had to watch frustratingly as they disappeared. After an hour or so I was into double figures, but it wasn’t easy, and I had to be extremely careful not to rush my shots and let accuracy suffer as a result. I took a break in the Jimny to get warm, using the heaters to get some feeling back into my numb hands before having a second look around. I did
LAMPING RATS
I prefer to use the Eclipse on a narrow beam setting so I don’t spook any quarry that I’m not yet looking at.
Plenty of shelter, plenty of cover – rat heaven.
keep an eye out of the passenger window and into the grain shed as I sat getting warmed up, though. I switched on the lamp periodically, expecting to bag at least one, but strangely I never saw a single rat in there. By now, the cold was sapping my enthusiasm quickly, and with very few rats now venturing out, I didn’t spend too long on my second walk around before I decided to call it a night. I probably could have bagged a couple more, but the amount of time I would have had to spend out in the biting cold didn’t seem worth it for one or two more, and despite losing count, I’d guess that I had managed about a dozen kills, which I was happy enough with for tonight.
UNLIMITED TIME So, lamping rats – what’s my verdict? As a dedicated night-vision user, I am now totally accustomed to certain things that I’d learned
of time to get the shot on its way. If you need to change position? No problem, they have no idea you’re there anyway, so will happily sit and go about their business in a calm manner, no scurrying quickly, sometimes not moving at all.
DIFFERENT ANIMAL The rat in total darkness is a different animal compared to the rat in the beam of a lamp, which might not react, but more often than not will only sit still for a second or two if you’re lucky, and completely bolt for safety if you’re not. This can be frustrating, and can tempt you to try to rush your shots, which could lead to wounding, so has to be avoided at all costs. Yes, rats deserve the same respect as any other quarry, and we must
“Yes, rats deserve the same respect as any other quarry” to take completely for granted, one of which is time. On the lamp, they know you are there and it seriously reduces the amount of time you have to take the shot, whereas with NV, you maintain the element of surprise, which means you often have an unlimited amount
respect ourselves as hunters to do what we do as humanely as possible. Nightvison gear, then, allows you more time to be precise, so is the more effective tactic, but does come at a cost so it is always going to come down to how often you intend to use it,
how many rats you’ll be shooting, and the size of your hunting kit budget. For the odd time, casual user, who maybe has just a few rats that are causing a problem, the lamp will do the job, although you might need a few more sessions to achieve the sorts of results you could maybe achieve in a single night with NV. Is it worth paying £300-plus to bag a couple of rats from around your chicken coop? On the other hand, to keep a population of many hundreds of rats under control in a large working farm, when you might be out a couple of times a week, every week, then yes, NV is definitely worth the money. You will get your use out of it, it will enable you to shoot the rats that would have run at the sight of the lamp, and because this scenario requires you to keep on top of their numbers constantly, you would definitely see them become very lamp-shy with repeated use of a lamp over weeks and months, something that will never happen with night vision. That’s it from me for this month. Happy Hunting! ■
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
63
VALLEY ARMS
HOW KEEN IS MY VALLEY
Meet Valley Arms, a gun shop staffed by some seriously enthusiastic shooters alley Arms is based in Ruthin, North Wales, and was established in 1984 by company director, Jim Dodd – multi British Champion and international shot. We have a sizeable amount of experience within the firearms industry, including two members of staff who shot for Wales regularly in the World Championships, and others who shot at TacPro in the USA. We offer advice for the beginner, and the experienced shot, from target shooting to hunting, and we sell starter airguns through to advanced pre-charged rifles.
V
STAFF All three of our staff shoot. We believe that it’s important to be at the coal face when it comes to giving help and advice to the customer. Nigel has 40 years shooting experience. He is a former British Army sniper and is a very keen airgunner who shoots targets all over the UK and enjoys all kinds of hunting, for pigeons, rats, and more. Dennis has been shooting for over 40 years, and has a wealth of knowledge of the countyside. He shoots vermin on his farm and target shoots for the Welsh national team. Ian has shot airguns for over 30 years and can often be found plinking on his land, with his old faithful springer – a 127 Feinwerkbau Sport. Ian has also obtained a vast knowledge from shooting at Tac Pro in the United States, from .177 air rifles through to .50 rifles. Ian is very keen on his classic, old airguns and can All the gear, plus a wealth of ideas. Valley Arms provides the total customer experience.
Like his colleagues, Valley Arms’ Nigel Williams serves up experience, expertise, and enthusiasm as part of the service.
often be found in the workshop, fettling away. The final member of the staff is Richard who has been shooting for 20-plus years. He is a good all-round shot with airgun/rifle and shotgun and is also a very keen working-dog trainer for scurries and field trials.
PRODUCTS We at Valley Arms pride ourselves in the fact that we only stock high-quality guns and accessories that won’t give us problems, so we are selective in what we sell. We want the customer to go away happy that the rifle/scope combo they have bought will never let them down, be it in the field or on the target course. Big sellers for us are Air Arms, BSA, Brocock, FX, Weihrauch, Hawke and MTC.
SERVICES WE OFFER: We offer credit in both stores and give a lifetime warranty on our new airguns. We have a 25m indoor range for airgunners’ use, where they can zero a scope, put their rifles over a chronograph, and have dive bottles filled while they wait.
The on-site range facility lets you try before you buy.
Also, when you buy a combo deal from us, we will even find out the best pellet to suit your rifle and needs. We also offer a gunsmith facility for most airguns, and of course our enthusiasm comes as standard for every customer! ■
VALLEY ARMS SHOOTING SUPPLIES Bolero Camp, Park Rd Ruthin, Denbighshire LL15 1NB Tel: 01824 704438 Email: ruthin@valleyarms.co.uk
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
65
RUSS DOUGLAS
TEMPEST TIME! Russ Douglas takes a bracing trip down memory lane
he eagle-eyed among you will have noticed in the November issue that I’d resisted the urge to go down memory lane and buy a second-hand .22 Webley Tempest – my first airgun. Well, I gave in a few weekends ago, and popped back there after phoning to check it hadn’t been snapped-up. Only, I went one better because whilst friendly shopkeeper, Graham, was filling out the paperwork – my Scottish airgun licence – I still refuse to call it an ‘air weapon certificate’ – stupid politicians –I spotted a second Tempest as originally boxed Thanks John Milewski! .177 Tempest on the shelf. After an all-too-brief moment’s dithering, I made an offer for the pair, and after a short, gentlemanly haggle, I was the proud owner of a brace of near-immaculate pistols. I’d hesitated previously, due to the price, and the fact that although boxed, the .22 Tempest was packaged with some steel darts, which are fun when you’re a kid, but obviously can harm the rifling. I remember briefly firing darts when I was a young teen and I enjoyed the ‘tracer’ effect they gave, especially with the extra ‘loopy’ and relatively slow .22 trajectory, but soon version of the Hurricane and was grew bored with retrieving and first introduced in 1979. The traditional, inevitably replacing them, or steel Webley pistols were too expensive to binning them when the sharp tips produce by 1979, hence the moulded finish on bent over. the Tempest. However, the pocket-sized profile remained the same as that on the older Senior and Premier pistols, as did the ‘barrel over BACKGROUND / HEADS-UP cylinder’ design. Very few manufacturing The Tempest and its big brother, the changes were made to the Tempest over its Hurricane, with the finger-adjustable target lifetime, which demonstrated that Webley came rearsight/optional scope mount, were Webley’s up with a winning design from the start.’ premier air pistols for many years, being the John also commented that the Tempest later incarnation of earlier designs, the Mk1, MK2 and so on. I went straight to Airgun World’s air pistol oracle, John Milewski, for a little bit of background on the Tempest: ‘The Webley Tempest is a more compact
production had been transferred to Turkey a few years ago, but sadly, that production is due to cease altogether, so get your Tempest orders in now, before you lose the chance to own this legendary pistol design. Part of the appeal of the Tempest comes from the lovely feel of the sloping grip angle, assuming you’re a right-hander, and pronounced thumb shelf as you bring it up to the aim.
T
ACTION/SAFETY Both Tempests are 23cm long, 14cm high and weigh 1kg. The Tempest is a moulded barrel-over-cylinder, spring-piston design, with direct loading of pellets into the rifled barrel, a hinged strap retaining the barrel and a rubber breech seal to keep things airtight upon firing. The safety catch is on the left side and both it and the whole pistol are dedicated right-hand – sorry lefties. There’s a sizeable comfortable thumb shelf too, that rests the end of the thumb on the safety catch. Speaking of the safety, it clicks on/off positively, but only when the pistol is cocked – another cocked-status indicator, which I love to see. There’s no anti-bear trap on the pistol, so you have to keep your fingers away from the trigger during cocking and loading, although this also means the pistol can be safely de-cocked, providing you take care of course.
WEAK LINK I remember my dad sourcing a replacement plastic fore end for my Tempest, after it split underneath; perhaps a design flaw, perhaps
“few manufacturing changes were made to the Tempest over its lifetime”
66
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
TALKING ABOUT THE TEMPEST
The .22 as I bought it, complete with darts.
Home in a lockable case from BAR.
One very happy me.
from repeated cocking over my knee. I noticed that of the two, the .177 Tempest had an identical crack, so sourced a replacement fore end from gunspares.co.uk to replace it, via the Original advertising - Thanks John Milewski!
First range session.
split pin. Sure enough, further range time has seen this crack widen, so I replaced the fore end, during which operation it split completely, but I’ll glue the halves together to keep as a back-up. Comparison-wise, the two different vintage/ calibre pistols are identical, bar the more modern ‘Webley Tempest’ lettering on the .22, and that pistol also has a slightly warmer surface finish, less like cold enamel and perhaps more like a modern, powder-coating finish.
CHRONO’ TESTING I had no idea how long since either pistol had last been fired, although the .22 Tempest came with nearly a full tin of heavily tarnished pellets, so likely sat unused for some time. After the guns had settled down, the .177 averaged 409 f.p.s./ 2.6 ft.lbs. with RWS Basics and the .22 averaged 320 f.p.s./3.6 ft.lbs. with 15.89gr Diablos and 380 f.p.s./ 3.8 ft.lbs. with lighter 11.9gr RWS Hobby flatheads. So, very respectable, and no real physical fatigue from repeated cocking during a decent length plinking or target practice session either.
RANGE RESULTS There was no club night due for ten days, so for starters, I used my
Results – .177 – 2 group at 10m.
indoor loft (bedroom) range, which gives me 5.5m from muzzle to target; not ideal, but enough to get a feel for them and get the sights adjusted roughly. Then, indoors at Denwood, I further tweaked the sights for the full 10m range. I erred on the side of common sense, for once, and did most of my shooting seated, either freehand or with my left elbow resting on the table. Still so much fun either way – although I still have to remind myself to focus on the foresight for every single pistol shot (grrr). Both shot very respectable groups of about 2 at 10m, and I’m looking forward to improving those with practice!
FUTURE I have designs to customise one of these pistols with an anatomical wooden grip originally sourced for an ASI Compact. Watch this space for that. ■
UK SOURCES: S/H .177 and .22 Webley Tempest: RFD Sloans of Inverurie (www.sloaninternational. co.uk). Lightweight RWS Basic .177 wadcutters, .22 RWS Hobby Wadcutters, pellet tin savers and Flambeau lockable twin pistol case: BAR (airgunbuyer.com) Replacement plastic fore end and sight adjustment screws: www.gunspares.co.uk
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
67
NIGHT VISION
THE GENERATION GAME Phill Price asks if Gen1+ night vision is still relevant in a thermal world The small number of buttons keep life simple.
he world of night vision seems to be one of the fastest developing areas of hunting, with new models and technology coming to the market every few months. Traditional night vision worked by gathering available light and then enhancing it to make a usable image. The development of such technology was known as Gen 1, Gen 1+, Gen 2, Gen 3 and so on, but as digital versions came along, we saw fewer ‘Gen’ models offered because the digital options were brighter, clearer and a lot less expensive. Currently, the night vision hot favourite (literally) is thermal-imaging that relies on the heat given off by our quarry to find it. I offer this potted history to explain my surprise when a Gen 1+ hand-held spotter, made in China, by Apresys, landed on my desk. I thought this was old technology and that the world had moved on. The unit is their 28-0550 model, weighing 530 grammes and measuring 20mm long, with a fit and finish that would not look out of place on much more expensive units.
T
RTM? I like to try new kit without reading the manual, for two reasons; one, I think that’s what most men do, and two, to see for myself how intuitive the
68
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
controls are. Fitting the two AA batteries was obvious. The compartments are clearly marked for polarity, and Optical Solutions supplied their Kentli rechargeables, which was handy. I like units that work on common-sized batteries because it eliminates the hassle of buying odd cells. The ‘power-on’ button was also obvious and I was happy to see a tiny green LED light up showing that the unit was running. The 50mm objective lens rotated to focus, as did the eyepiece. Like all the NV scopes I’ve tried, the depth of field was pretty shallow and lots of
refocusing was needed as I scanned around. Although the scope is neither big nor heavy, I found myself using both hands to control it, just as I would a pair of binoculars. I was immediately impressed with the optical clarity at short range, and I must say, relieved. The last Gen 1 unit I was sent to review was so bad that I sent it back. The image was so poor that I couldn’t see my Labradors on a football pitch at 50 yards! With this one, I was able to study leaves and plants easily at 20 yards, so this scope is clearly in a different league. Next, I pressed the button
Running on two AA batteries makes powering the unit cheap and simple.
NIGHT VISION You can add an illuminator to the Weaver rail on the side.
marked IR, meaning ‘infrared illuminator’. Built in to the housing is an IR projector than adds light to our search that the scope’s sensor laps up, but our quarry cannot see.
IR BENEFITS This does three things; one, it boosts the detail of the image we see; two, it adds to the range at which we can see, and three, it makes ‘eye-shine’, that tell-tale reflection from the eyes of rats and rabbits. As the IR unit comes on, a red LED lights up showing us that it is running as well. IR units usually add to the battery drain so people use them only when needed. Apresys claims 48 hours of battery life, which is impressive. On the side of the body, there is a section of moulded-in Weaver rail that allows you to fit an additional IR illuminator if you want more reach, and this unit definitely needs one. The smart little unit sold by Deben costs around £80 and would make a huge difference. The magnification is 5x which I think is a good choice for airgun hunters. It’s easily enough to spot rabbits at the maximum reach of the sensor, but allows a nice wide field of view in situations like close-range ratting. Too narrow a view and you could miss potential shots.
GOOD ENOUGH I have to say again just how impressed I was with the image quality at short range, but at longer range the technology showed its age. At the centre of the view, objects were clear enough, whilst there was a distinct ‘fish eye’ effect at the edges. The less than perfect perimeter didn’t worry me too much, though, because I found that I naturally centred the object of interest anyway. Under the body, there are threaded holes to allow the scope to be mounted on a tripod and that will offer maximum steadiness and reduce fatigue if watching an area for long periods. Although I had only a couple of weeks with
this scope, I developed a sense that it was well made and would be durable. All the controls worked reliably and I soon found it quite natural to use. Of course, there are better monoculars to be had, but often they cost much more and they, too, need an add-on illuminator to get the best from them. If you’re on a budget and don’t need the ultimate clarity, then this is a solid option and well worth a look. ■
TECH SPEC Manufacturer: Apresys Model: 28-0550 Tel: 01394 286815 www.opticalsolutions.uk
RRP £269.00
The small lightweight build makes for comfortable handling.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
69
FOLLOW-UP TEST
SHORT & TO THE POINT
The editor provides a no-nonsense guide to getting the most from the Nova Tact Compact ’ll begin this follow-up test with a bit of a recap, then, in a refreshing break from tradition, I’ll pitch straight in to a practical guide on how to get the utmost from shooting the Hatsan Nova Tact. Sound like a plan? Great – let’s do it. First, whoever got it together to offer a foreshortened version of the Nova Tact should be given an award for their services to airgunkind. After two months of shooting the .22 calibre test rifle, I can now fully appreciate the transformation in handling, convenience, and subsequent enjoyment, which has been delivered courtesy of turning the full-length Nova into the Compact version.
I
THE KINDEST CUT I like a compact rifle, especially a sporter, and this Nova is built for the purpose of hunting, no doubt about it. Having now clattered the Hatsan around chicken sheds, log stores, and the inside of a brand-new 4 x 4, driven by its anxious owner who fretted every time he heard the ‘clunk’ of rifle on window surround, I really do understand and value the Nova’s reduction in length, and expansion in handiness. My mind stayed focused on my shooting, not least because I wasn’t freaking out about smacking
ABOVE AND TOP RIGHT: I didn’t fully explore the Nova’s open sights capability, but I strongly suggest you do.
the muzzle on things, especially when shooting in the dark, as I tend to at this time of year. Even with all the room in the world in which to swing the test rifle around, the cut-and-shut that turns a Nova Tact into a Compact, really earned its keep. I could also fit an extra silencer, without making the rifle too ‘leggy’, and initially I thought this to be essential, but it really isn’t, unless you want silence for the sake of it, rather than as a means of putting more vermin in the bag.
FINE FEATURES The Nova’s length-adjustable butt and
height-adjustable cheek piece combine to offer genuinely improved gun fit, and this is one feature I cannot praise too highly. Another praiseworthy feature is the rifle’s huge shot capacity, which provides over 400, full-power shots in .22, and a reported 300 in .177 from each 250 bar charge. Realistically, in sub-12 ft.lbs. format, the times in your hunting life when you’ll make full use of the Nova’s prodigious output, will surely be counted on the fingers of half a hand, and like me, you’ll top up with air before each hunting trip. This ‘habit’ forms the basis of one of my tips for top performance, but more of that soon. Now add an excellent trigger, a truly accurate barrel, a 10-shot magazine system that works with total reliability alongside the rifle’s sidelever action, and you have something that matches tactical with practical, for £590. If you like your hunting guns to perform, rather than pose, this lopped-off Nova is quite the package.
PREMIUM PERFORMANCE EXTRACTION Here comes the ‘shoot it better’ stuff, and it’s all perfectly straightforward, I promise. First, let’s go to the topping up the rifle before every
The Compact version of Hatsan’s Nova Tact is proof that less is more.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
71
»
HATSAN NOVA TACT COMPACT session habit I mentioned earlier. Having found my rifles’ ‘sweet spots’, which is the charge pressure that produces the most consistent shots, I fill my guns to this point before I go hunting. If you do this each and every time you use the Nova, or any non-regulated rifle come to that, you’ll teach yourself what your rifle does throughout the most useful part of the charge. Even if the first 50 or 100 shots from your rifle cause no discernable power-curve or shift in trajectory, the fact that you know what’s happening will improve confidence, because you’ve eliminated another variable.
DO ALL THE USUAL STUFF I said getting the best from the Nova was straightforward, and it is, so take full care of the basics by getting those stock adjustments absolutely perfect for you. Keep tweaking them, too, until that rifle fits you without conscious effort or moving your head around to find optimum eye-relief for the scope. This rifle gives you the chance to achieve enhanced gun fit, so make the very most of it. Of course, the remaining golden rules apply, and these cover pellet choice, trigger settings, and the unrelenting need to keep crud out of the system. Hatsan provide a plastic plug for
There you go; the perfect plug ‘n’ play situation.
the Nova’s charging port, and because that port is in an area where grubby hands often wander, it’s essential that you keep it protected. Use the plug, don’t lose the plug, and if you do manage to lose it, find a suitable replacement until your dealer can get you another one from Edgar Brothers. Above all, don’t run that rifle without an inlet port plug.
OPEN SIGHTS I was really determined to give the Nova’s open sights a proper go and explore their potential to the full. I didn’t do this; at least not to the level I’d promised myself. I had two sessions with the Nova, where I strolled about the wood yard and blatted a wide variety of
Keep this charging port clean and sealed, and you’ll avoid a ‘hole’ lot of trouble.
targets, from tiny chips of timber to dried thistle heads, and although this proved the effectiveness of open sights out to 15 yards or so, I didn’t honestly push that particular envelope anywhere near enough, and I’d strongly suggest you did just that.
FINAL THOUGHTS This is a well-made, highly functional, commendably accurate and completely practical sporting air rifle. It’s also more affordable than many, and those features I’ve listed combine to put the Hatsan Nova Tact Compact on the shortlist of any hunter looking for a reliable companion in the field. It’s no lightweight but it’s certainly handy, and if you value performance over pretty, you need to take a long look at what could be the short answer to your hunting needs. ■
The Hatsan Nova Tact Compact - it does the things hunters need.
TECH SPEC Model: Nova Tact Manufacturer: Hatsan Country of origin: Turkey Price: £590 Type: Pre-charged, multi-shot, tactical sporter Calibre: .22, .177, .25 Cocking/loading: Sidelever Loading: Via removable, rotary 10-shot magazine Trigger: 2-stage, adjustable Stock type: Ambidextrous synthetic, adjustable for pull-length and cheek piece position Weight: 4kg (9lbs) Length: 37-41 ins (949-1040 mm) Barrel: 585mm (23ins) Fill pressure: Max 250 bar Shots per charge: 300-plus, in .22, potential 240-plus in .177 Variation over 100 shots: 15 fps for .22 on test when charged to 230 bar Average energy: 11.5 ft.lbs. Contact: Edgar Brothers at www.edgarbrothers.com
RRP £590 72
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
SKIRTING THE ISSUE?
Is it safe to use damaged pellets, and how will they affect accuracy? Jim looks for answers
The skirts of the squashed pellets had full rifling indentations, so they were reshaped in the PCP barrel.
here was a time when it was not uncommon to open a tin of pellets and discover that a significant percentage of them were badly deformed, or even missing their heads, but improved manufacturing machinery and quality control has made that largely, although not exclusively, a thing of the past. I honestly cannot remember the last time that I found a damaged pellet in any of the tins I bought – and I have bought a lot – but occasionally, a few people report otherwise. The most common pellet damage today is deformation of the skirt which, unlike most of the pellet damage of old, is not a manufacturing issue, but a packing, handling or transportation problem. Many modern pellets have thin skirts that form a seal in the breech at low air pressure, which is generally a good thing for energy efficiency, but does make the skirts more susceptible to damage. However, because the skirts are thin and soft, in theory it should take little force from the compressed air in an airgun to return them to their original shape, which begs the question of whether skirt damage will affect muzzle energy and accuracy.
T
74
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
EXTREME DAMAGE There is a school of thought that considers a powerful blast of air from a spring airgun to be sufficient to reform mildly damaged skirts in the breech, but not so in a PCP, so that is perhaps the first thing to address. I knew from past experiments that springers can, in some circumstances, reshape deformed pellet skirts, but had not tested PCPs, so I squeezed the skirts of three .177 pellets to 3.7mm, which is far greater distortion than any pellet I’ve ever seen straight from the tin. I had to use a thin Allen key to seat the pellets in the magazine, which by itself reduced the deformation to 4.08mm. To see whether the act of chambering a pellet would further reduce ovality, I cycled one into the breech, then used a cleaning rod to push it back out, and it was still oval. I shot the pellets into a wrobbled-up old bed sheet 50 yards downrange, to catch the pellets with minimum impact damage, then retrieved and inspected them. The skirts of two of the three pellets were more squashed than they had been originally, but that must have been due to impact damage because the skirt of the third looked
pretty round. Close inspection revealed that the skirts of all three pellets had indentations from the rifling impressed right around their periphery, so they must have been in contact with the rifling, and they must have been at least partially reformed by the PCP before exiting the muzzle. I could not tell whether the depth of rifling indentations was even right around the periphery, so it is possible that the skirts ended up less than round, which would not aid accuracy. At least we know that PCPs can, in some instances, partially reform deformed skirts.
THE CHRONO’ TEST Before plunging headlong into accuracy testing, I decided to run damaged and undamaged pellets through the chronoscope, to see whether the deformed skirts affected muzzle velocity, and I’m glad I did, because it saved me a lot of work. The extreme velocity spread with damaged pellets through my PCP was five times as great as with undamaged pellets, at 50fps against 10fps, and there was no point bothering to test accuracy because even though the pellet skirts showed rifling dents right around the periphery, with a 50fps
BENT PELLETS - THE FACTS
I squashed the skirts of three pellets to 3.7mm to check whether they were reshaped during the PCP shot cycle.
spread, it would be poor. What I think was happening with these very distorted pellets was that the initial blast of compressed PCP air was not sufficient to reform the skirts of all the pellets, so some air was lost initially to blow by, causing the huge shot-to-shot velocity variation, but by the time the pellets reached, or were in the choke, the skirt had expanded to make full contact.
Testing through a spring airgun, the damaged pellets had better shot-to-shot variation than the PCP at just under 30fps, but muzzle velocity was in the order of 20fps to 30fps down, suggesting that, again, there was a degree of air blow-by before the skirt expanded enough to form a seal. Even though the shot-to-shot velocity variation was lower than that of the PCP, the effect on accuracy of
It’s worth giving a new tin of pellets a quick visual check before you start using them.
initial blow-by on accuracy would probably be as great or greater, because it would change the point in the recoil cycle at which the pellet started to move, so it would change the point at which the pellet reached the muzzle. Variations in pellet start and exit timing are disastrous to spring-airgun accuracy. I needed to test pellets with less severe distortion, more in keeping with what you might
When it comes to tedium, little matches visually checking 500 pellets.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
75
Âť
TECHNICAL AIRGUN typically pull out of a tin and, as luck would have it, I’d been given just that.
TYPICAL DAMAGE The damaged pellets in the sample tin showed the hallmarks of the skirts being forced against the heads of adjacent pellets, or caught between two pellet heads, and ranged from slight ovality to two deeper diametrically opposed dents. The tin did not contain enough pellets of any individual degree of severity of damage for meaningful testing, so I had no choice other than to try to replicate the different levels of damage in the sample tin to provide enough samples for testing, starting with moderate ovality. To replicate moderate deformation, I used a micrometer to squash pellet skirts to 4.4mm, which you could feel if you rolled the pellet between the pads of finger and thumb when taking it from the tin, as many people do, and which most would decline to shoot. As it turned out, rejecting the pellets would be a wise move. My TX200HC is typically giving in the range of 772fps to 778fps with 8.4gn pellets, but with the pellets with slightly oval skirts, that dropped to 748fps to 763fps. The drop in velocity is not
If a pellet has a concave dent in the skirt (arrowed) it’s definitely scrap.
To make matters worse, I shot damaged pellets through my TX200HC into a pile of rags and retrieved them for close inspection, to discover that the skirts had not fully reformed, and that the squashed portions of the skirt did not have any rifling impressions, so there was
“there was no way the affected pellets could shoot with any degree of accuracy” in itself a huge issue, nor is the increase in extreme spread, but what most certainly IS an issue is the variations in pellet start and exit points in the recoil cycle, which means the rifle will definitely be pointing in a slightly different direction as pellets exit the muzzle, so you could kiss goodbye to accuracy.
no way the affected pellets could shoot with any degree of accuracy. So much for the famed ‘powerful blast of air’ in a springer reforming damaged pellet skirts! Pellet skirt ovality is not the worst form of damage; the very worst pellet skirt deformation results in part of the skirt being concave, which
Squashing skirts by around 0.1mm was enough to affect accuracy adversely.
76
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
Contrary to popular belief, springers don’t reform damaged pellet skirts, as witnessed by the gaps in rifling indentations.
is almost certainly the result of the side of a pellet head pressing directly against the skirt of the affected pellet, and it seems inconceivable that a skirt with a concave section could be reformed in the breech or muzzle.
ACCURACY So to accuracy testing which with pellets suffering moderate deformation was, in a word, abysmal, and that went equally for spring and PCP. Not only did moderate pellet skirt ovality dramatically increase group sizes, but it also made the pellets far more susceptible to wind drift. Why so susceptible to wind drift? In a nutshell, in addition to, and/or as a consequence of being less stable in flight, the ballistic coefficient of the deformed pellets would have been much lower, so they lost velocity more quickly, took longer to get to the target, and so the effect of the wind lasted for a longer period. Pellets that visually seemed OK, but had come out of the tin that contained a number of moderately distorted examples could group well, but every few shots would produce a flier, typically around 1.5” to 2” outside the group. That backs up anecdotal evidence from shooters at Nomads HFT club who have in the past sorted damaged pellets from a tin, only to report getting unexplained fliers when using the apparently undamaged remainder. More careful visual scrutiny of the remaining pellets in the tin, using a 30X magnification Lupe, revealed that the pellets producing the fliers had a minor amount of deformation in the form of slight ovality, that had gone unnoticed in my earlier (possibly rushed) visual checks, but was obviously sufficient to send the pellets off course. The ovality was so slight that I was unable to detect it by rolling the skirt between the pads of my finger and thumb.
BENT PELLETS - THE FACTS
WHAT TO DO? It is generally speaking ‘safe’ to use mildly deformed pellets insofar as it will not damage your air rifle, but from the accuracy standpoint, it is most certainly not safe to use mildly or even, it seems, slightly deformed pellets. So what to do if you find your new tin of pellets contains deformed pellets? One option is to sort through them and weed out any that are deformed, for which I would suggest using a Lupe or magnifying glass. There’s a problem with doing that, though; the manufacturer won’t realise there is an issue, so it won’t be put right, and the chances are that other people will find their latest tin contains damaged pellets, so the better option is to return the pellets to the shop, and inform them of the problem. This is not only being fair to the manufacturer, but also to the shop, because if one tin of pellets is affected, it’s quite likely that other tins from the same sleeve, consignment or batch will also be affected, so the shop can check the rest of their stock and take action if necessary.
RESHAPING Because the skirts of pellets most prone to damage are so soft, it would take very little force to reshape them by gently pushing them
Groups shot in a strong cross wind showed damaged pellets (right) suffered far more from wind drift.
onto a suitably sized truncated cone, such as the end of an audio jack plug. Whether it would be worth the time and effort probably depends on the intended use; most serious FT and HFT shooters sort enough pellets to complete a course before a shoot, so reshaping that sort of number would not add too much time to the process, but for the rest of us, reshaping a tin of pellets would probably take over an hour, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who can find far better things to do.
TO SUM UP Mildly damaged pellets probably won’t damage your airgun. Damaged pellets will ruin accuracy. A tin containing obviously damaged pellets will probably contain others with very slight damage that can cause fliers. If you find damaged pellets in a tin, it is in everyone’s best interest to inform the manufacturer or importer, with details of batch numbers and dates. ■
Even slightly damaged pellets can cost points in an HFT shoot.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
77
AIRGUN STUDENT
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT … … as our airgun student, Naylor Ball, discovers when he concludes his test of the AC Guns Night Stalker system ou may recall that this second part of the Night Stalker test was held over from last month due to bad weather. Actually, I was raring to go, but the editor was going to do the photos and he reckoned the driving rain that met us on both planned trips would ruin everything, so he called it off. I went on my own in the end and I think Terry may have had a point. I got soaked, mainly because I didn’t dress properly for the weather, and I even dropped the Night Stalker’s instructions near the car in my haste to get going. I found the instructions and did my best to dry them out at home, but all in all, going shooting that night wasn’t one of my better choices. At least the Night Stalker had a proper extreme weather workout, though!
Y
I’ll be out with it every chance I get.
THE NIGHT STALKER SYSTEM Now let’s focus on the AC Guns Night Stalker system itself, and I’ll say right now that learning alongside this product has turned out to be a truly enjoyable experience for me, mainly because it’s so easy to use. In fact, even messing up the unit’s instruction booklet turned out to be a good thing, because I learned to do without it and just practise fitting and removing the Night Stalker, until I could, literally, do it with my eyes closed, or in the dark. I’d sit in front of the TV, fixing the Night Stalker’s display screen, camera unit and infra-red illuminator, then taking it off and packing it into its little padded case, until I could carry out a full build-up and put away routine in under two minutes. My record for having the Night Stalker ready to go is 52 seconds, but without hurrying, a couple of minutes is plenty, once the camera unit has been pre-focused and the correct scope adaptor ring is fitted.
FIRST FITTING ESSENTIALS It’s finding the correct adaptor - several are provided - and focusing the camera to bring the scope’s reticle and sight picture into sharp relief that takes a little time, but only for the first time out, and the Night Stalker’s
instructions are clear and easy to follow, so getting these right really isn’t a problem. Believe me, if I can do it, you can too, but take all the time you need to get the fitting and focus absolutely right, because they’re essential factors in the easy, successful use of the Night Stalker. Remember, if you fit the unit
to a different scope, you’ll probably need to re-do both, but by then you’ll know the drill and it will be even less of a hassle. Apart from getting the fit and focus right, it’s simply a matter of fitting the two clamps that hold the monitor and the infra-red illuminator, then plugging in the camera, flicking its
»
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
79
THE AC GUNS NIGHT STALKER
My personal best Night Stalker set-up time. Taking it easy, once the camera fit and focus is sorted, should take only a couple of minutes.
switch, and you’re a press of the illuminator’s switch from looking at the fantastic world of night-vision hunting.
MY THOUGHTS AND FINDINGS
30 yards. I’m determined to close that down, too, when I get my own Night Stalker unit, and I’ve decided to do just that.
I’ve had the Night Stalker system for almost four months, now, and I’ve used it 15 times or so, in sessions lasting between two hours and six. I’ve also used it as a spotting unit to keep an eye on my permissions when my boxing training hasn’t left time for proper hunting. Here’s what I’ve discovered.
OVERALL VERDICT
BATTERY LIFE AC Guns state that the T50 infrared torch will provide a constant run time of about two hours, and the Night Stalker’s battery pack will power it for over four hours, again if left constantly switched on. In the real world of night hunting, both units are rarely switched on for more than a couple of minutes at a time; at least that’s how I do it, and so does the editor. I spot a rabbit, plan an approach, switch off the torch and camera, then move forward and check the position of my quarry, until I’m ready to shoot. This ensures maximum battery life, and so far, I’ve never run out of power on either unit. Recharging time takes two to three hours, and I’m ready to go again. Chargers are provided, so no problems here.
It’s been a successful test so far - but I think the best is yet to come.
The weight of the Night Stalker itself is no big deal in terms of balance, or in its effect on the
rifle’s overall handling, but the ‘heads up’ shooting stance will do both, at least until you become used to it. Looking at cross hairs on a screen is definitely different to looking at them through a scope, but shooting like this off a rest, or from the kneeling position as I most often do, soon becomes ‘natural’. I’ve put in quite a bit of training with the Night Stalker unit, mainly in daylight, and I can group well inside an inch at
Everything packs neatly into the padded case.
All the charging kit is supplied.
EFFECT ON RIFLE BALANCE/ HANDLING
As you can tell by now, I’m really impressed by this Night Stalker system and I know I’ll be putting in plenty of hours with it in the future. As far as possible improvements go, perhaps an external focusing feature would make life easier when swapping the system from one scope to another, and a single on/off switch for the infrared torch and the camera unit would be great, but that’s it, really. As a student of airgunning, I’m enjoying what I’m learning from the Night Stalker, and you’ll be seeing more of what it teaches me in future editions. For now, I can only recommend you get next to an AC Guns Night Stalker system and see for yourself what it has to offer. It’s opened up a whole new world for me, and I’m sure it can do the same for you. ■
TIPS Take all the time you need to get the camera focus perfect, and make sure the infrared torch beam is trained to light up the area covered by the sighting unit. Practise setting up and putting away the Night Stalker until you can do it in the dark – because you might have to.
TECH SPEC Name: Night Stalker. Supplier: AC Guns. Kit list: Camera unit and battery pack, T50, rechargeable infrared torch, 2 x mounts, charging gear.
Several shims are supplied to ensure perfect fit between your scope and the camera unit.
I shot this rabbit at 30 yards, and here it is at 12 x magnification, totally filling the screen.
Run times: (Constant run) Camera unit around 4 hours, IR Torch, around 2 hours. In a hunting situation, both units should last for at least six hours. Range: I can spot rabbits at over 100 metres and eye-shine at 150. Set up time: Around 2 minutes, once camera unit fixing and focus is set. Contacts: Connor at AC Guns, My Way Lodge, The Ridge West, Hastings, East Sussex, TN37 7PP. Phone: 01424 752261. Mobile: 07730 493900. Email: acguns@talktalk.net
RRP £250 80
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
www.airgunshooting.co.uk | AIRGUN WORLD |
81
D E SIGN ED TO BE ACCURATE AN D P OW ERFUL !
Compact and Light
Straight Pull
When designing the rifle we had compactness and lightness in mind. The Priest measures 706mm in length and weighs only 3kg with the bottle and 2,1kg without it.
Cocking handle allows you to quickly cock the rifle, because of the smartly designed and positioned cocking mechanism which is on the left front side of the rifle.
Hi-Cap Bottle with Regulator The Priest comes with a 320cc buddy bottle which has a working pressure of 300bar. On top of it it has a pressure regulator which is by default set to 125bar.
Interchangeable barrel, from .177 - .30. Trade enquiries welcome. Available now.
S EE T HE PRIEST F O R YO U R S E L F A T C I T Y A I R WE A P O N S TARGET RIFLE REPAIR SPECIALIST & STOCKIST
247 Lyndon Road, Solihull, B92 7QP Telephone: 0121 742 1329 | Email: bob@cityairweapons.com
www.cityairweapons.com
DR FINLEY
RED DOT VS OPEN SIGHTS PART 2 –
THE VERDICT
Tim lines up his findings on the great sighting debate o prove one way or the other if open sights are just as good as a red dot, I set about the test with the Sig Sauer MPX, some pellets, a load of blank test targets with 75mm discs marked on them, and a few 88 gramme bulbs of CO2. I soon discovered that the initial shot timer that I’d downloaded would not allow me to vary the starting beep, time lag. I had the phone on a table below where I was shooting from, so I needed a bit more than the standard three seconds, to click the safety off, and get the gun at 45 degrees to the horizontal, ready position after setting off the timer. To be safe, I needed four seconds, so I downloaded another shot timer – not free this time – to my phone. I hadn’t decided on the number of targets I was going to shoot and in which order. The MPX has a 30-round magazine, so I could have all the targets I wanted. Pistols, though, especially pellet-shooting CO2 pistols, have 8-round magazines, but it wouldn’t take a massive number of shots to prove which was faster, red dots or open sights, so that’s definitely a feature for the future. Meanwhile, I settled upon four aimed shots at four different targets, starting top left then moving 800mm to the top right target, then back another 800mm to the bottom left, finishing with another 800mm move back to the bottom right.
T
TEST SEGMENTS The start or ‘ready’ position, after I started the timer, would be with the rifle at 45 degrees, looking at the first target. Once set up at six yards, I began with the open sights on the MPX. The first run I did was in 5.38 seconds; the second slower, at 5.78 seconds; by the third, I was getting into it so it came down to 4.15 seconds, giving an average of
I really thought the red dot would be way faster than open sights.
5.1 seconds for the run of three. Each test segment consisted of three runs and I took the average of the three. This made the test fairer and more accurate. I could see how fast it actually was when using the MPX with ether open or red-dot sights. It also meant
that I would be firing a lot of shots, but that’s as it should be – the larger the sample of runs, the more accurate the test. When using the open sights, I had to line up the front post and rear peep hole sight and close the non-aiming left eye. As I went on
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
83
»
RED DOT V OPEN SIGHTS - SPEED TEST
shooting, I was getting faster – you always do, the more you shoot – so the next three average times with the open sights were 4.63, 4.48, and then the fastest at 4.34. I then hit on the idea to line up the open sights when already in the 45-degree ready position. This speeded up the times with the open sights down to 4.12, 4.01 and then finally 3.91.
RED DOT It was then red-dot time and the first run was 3.98, second 3.88, and then super-quick 3.62. Remember, you shoot red-dot sights with both eyes open, but was this speeding up the times? I decided to shoot the open sights with both eyes open, and what a dumb idea that was – 6.86, 7.44 then 7.15, but with no hits on the 75mm target discs at all. Not one, nada, bubkiss. The fastest single, four-shot run with the red dot was 3.10, and with the open sights it was 3.67, when I lined them up first at 45 degrees. On pure numbers, the red dot was faster on
a rifle by only 0.29 of a second, and how little that was really surprised me. For target shooting, the lining up of the open sights paid massive dividends; having to line them up on the first shot after bringing the rifle up from the 45-degree starting position, cost me 0.43 seconds per run of four shots, or half a second in real money. This brings me to the conclusion that for a tactical shoot with a rifle, when you don’t pre-line up the sights, then a red dot is faster, but – and here’s the big but – only because you are having to line up the sights. I thought that the results would be more clear cut, with the red dot streets ahead of the open sights, but I was incorrect because they are only marginally faster on a rifle. I was keen now to see what would happen with a pistol, both pellet and BB-firing, with open and red-dot sights. I also had to test lining the sights up in the start position. It goes to prove that you have to test things out to get the real answers. Can’t wait to see what happens with the hand guns! ■
Locking visually onto the target, rather than lining up the sights, wasn’t the fastest way to go.
Once the sights were zeroed, it was game on!
Lining up the open sights speeded things up significantly.
The proof of this pudding ...
... was in the shooting!
84
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
1977-2018
UMAREX BOYS CLUB
It’s a great handling pistol that looks good, too.
A’ CUSTOMED TO WINNING!
Adrian Cooper won a fantastic prize – and he’d like to tell us all about it s part of an online competition run by the Umarex Boy’s Club, I was lucky enough to win a pistol. At this point, I must stress that the prize part of the competition was a ‘hidden score’ type target so I didn’t win purely based on skill. The pistol is an Umarex Colt 1911, Custom BB shooter, kindly donated by Solware in Tamworth. I was offered the option of an RFD transfer, but I only live about 20 miles away so I opted to go and collect it from the shop. I’d never been there before and despite being
A
86
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
quite small, it’s a veritable Aladdin’s cave of all things shooting. It’s packed to the rafters with stock. There’s pretty much every pistol on the market on display, and some used stock too. The welcome was the warmest I’ve ever had in an RFD and I was offered a drink straight away. Carl and his staff are dedicated to what they do and give the impression that they’re shooters first and sales people second. Even though it was a Thursday afternoon, there was a steady flow of customers but nobody was
rushed and people took time to stand around for a chat.
HISTORY Now over to the pistol; the 1911 doesn’t really require an introduction, but for those who are new to pistols, or have been living in a sealed box for the last 100 years, here’s a bit of history. It was first developed by John Moses Browning for the US military to replace the smaller .38 revolver with something more
THE COLT 1911
The slide locks back when the mag’ is empty. Note grip-based CO2 capsule housing. (Below)
versions, and doesn’t really serve any purpose here, but looks cool. It’s a little gritty out of the box, but gets smoother with use. This type of pistol is close to a true semi-automatic, and the trigger doesn’t have to rotate a magazine or feed a BB, so they tend to be very light and crisp and again, true to the real firearm. The blow-back is very snappy, particularly on a new CO2 capsule, and gives a fair amount of recoil. It adds another dimension to the realism because the recoil is enough to disrupt the sight picture, so acquiring the target again for rapid fire takes plenty of practice to master.
CAPACITY
substantial. He adapted a design first patented in 1898, to accept the bigger .45 cartridge that the army were looking for, and in the subsequent ‘torture testing’, the design withstood firing thousands of rounds, including deformed ammunition. If this were not enough, the pistol was also dipped in sand, mud and even acid! It passed with flying colours and the rest, as they say, is history.
CUSTOM MODEL The custom model featured here obviously isn’t built to withstand that kind of abuse, but it’s strong enough for a bit of garden plinking. It’s very similar to the Remington 1911 RAC TAC, and other KWC variants. These ‘tactical’ versions of the 1911 are designed for specialist military applications and practical pistol disciplines, and it feels slightly chunkier than the 1911A1, which most people recognise as the World War 2 American sidearm. The frame is a little longer, in order to facilitate the accessory rail in front of the trigger guard for tacti-cool gadgets, such as torches. It comes in a proper box rather than those horrible blister packs which seem to be more prevalent now. Manufacturers, please take note; we don’t like them! A nice touch is the little box of BBs, which has the Colt branding. There’s also an Allen key for tightening the 12g CO2 capsule. I’m old enough to remember the days when cartridge-firing pistols were legal, and these replicas really are true to the real thing, even down to being able to strip them.
grip safety is functional, too. The magazine is full-sized containing the BBs and CO2 capsule, which is screwed in place with the supplied Allen key. The magazine fits in the other KWC-based 1911s, too, and takes up to 17 4.5mm BBs, although I usually only load 15 maximum, to reduce pressure on the follower and lessen the chance of misfeeds. These magazines are a little fiddly to load compared to some other designs, and the process is made easier with a BB speed-loading tube which can easily be fashioned from an old pen. There are several cut-outs in the slide so you can see the blingy gold barrel, the writing isn’t too over the top, and the Colt logo is on one side.
SMOOTHER WITH USE The trigger is drilled to reduce weight and eliminate ‘trigger bounce’ in the cartridge-firing
Depending on temperature and rate of fire, you can expect around 3-4 mags from a CO2 capsule. You’ll know when the capsule is nearly empty because the point of impact gets lower and the slide gets sluggish. Incidentally, the slide locks back when the magazine is empty just like the real thing. These blow-back BB shooters are ideal for plinking at ranges of up to 15 metres, and you can expect typical groups of between one and two inches at six yards, depending on how fast you’re pulling the trigger.
SODA CAN RULES These replicas aren’t really designed for paper punching, though, so I plan to make good use of this one in the new Umarex Boy’s Club Soda Can World Championships. The rules are simple: Five cans on garden canes, ranging from 1ft to 4ft high, spaced no further than 3ft apart. Range is 6 yards (18ft). You can put the canes – or sticks if you
We like proper boxes. Manufacturers please take note!
FULL-SIZED MAGAZINE This pistol is finished in matte black and has matching black plastic grips. The nonadjustable sights are easier to see with the obligatory white dots for fast target acquisition, and there’s an ambidextrous safety, although I personally never rely on a safety to be ‘safe’. The only safe pistol is an unloaded one. The
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
87
»
THE COLT 1911
and then move to the next. When you’ve hit them all you put the pistol down and stop the timer. There are three strings to the competition; first, shooting from left to right, second is right to left, and finally, any order you like. Best times for each string are sent in by email each month and the competition manager – Paul for this one – posts the leaderboard on the website. Best of all, it’s completely free to enter, as are all the UBC competitions. Shooting multiple strings to try to improve your time is addictive, and it’s not long before you’ll be thinking about loading another CO2 cartridge. My first string was over 12 seconds, but after a couple more run-throughs I shaved a few more seconds off and submitted my times.
IN ITS ELEMENT
The white dot sights work well even at speed.
prefer – straight into the ground, or in a bucket of sand, or plant pots. I opted to go a little more hi-tech and build a rig from some offcuts of wood. The heights of the canes change every month to keep it fresh and prevent you becoming too practised with the same layout. Put all your bits on a table which serves as the firing point. You’ll need a stopwatch (that’s a phone for most people), plenty of BBs – no pellet-firers on this one – safety glasses, and a pistol, obviously (4.5 or 6mm). After you’ve loaded up, you start the timer, pick up the pistol, and shoot the cans as fast as you ‘can’. If you miss, you keep going until you hit it The 1911 stripped - just like the real thing.
This pistol is in its element with a competition like this, and the high-visibility, combat-style sights really help to get a good picture on those cans. The trigger, with a short, light pull, also really helps with speed. I have a couple of other blow-back BB shooters, but I think this one is best suited to this particular competition. If you prefer your shooting to be paper based, there are other speed-shooting competitions on the website that cater for all pistol types, and some rifles, too. Since joining the club in April, it’s really given me a purpose to my shooting and gives me the motivation to improve my technique. I’m very pleased with the pistol and thanks again to Paddy and Carl for organising and supplying the prize. Paddy says: I would like to thank Ade for writing this article so soon after winning the pistol in our
TECH SPEC Manufacturer: Umarex Model: Colt 1911 Custom Calibre: 4.5mm (.177) BB Magazine capacity: 17 rounds Velocity: 90 m/s (295 ft/s) Rounds per capsule: Approx. 60 Trigger: Ported blade ‘semi-auto’ type feel Length: 220 mm Weight: 894 g • Blow-back • Realistic handling • Grip safety • Full metal
RRP £119.95
Too many graphics but that’s life, i’m afraid.
Punisher-themed competition, and well done for winning it, too! Also, a big thanks to Solware. Ade had only had the pistol for a day or two when he began to write this piece to tell us all about our new competition. As Ade says, this pistol is well suited for this type of can-shooting, and it has been a real blast. One UBC member had a party where guests were invited to shoot it; 14 people gave it a go and they all thought it was great. For anyone who is interested in joining, click on our forum, register, say hello, and we’ll lead you the way ■
VISIT US
www.umarexboysclub.co.uk www.umarexboysclub-forum.co.uk www.umarexboysclub-comps.co.uk
88
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
D E E N U O Y G N I H EVERYT ANGE R E H T N O T E G TO ting ranges Specialist air gun
centre and shoo k www.crackshot.u
e owned
new and pr Huge selection of s rie sso ce guns and ac y
Try before you bu
*
and servicing
Lifetime warranty
th setting up and
Unlimited help wi
zeroing in
ts ple packs of pelle Complimentary sam e. tim t ďŹ rs s ult res to ensure top class Finance available
from 0%
g and ny years of shootin Our team has ma disciplines nce in all types of coaching experie pionship level. up to world cham *
r ÂŁ300 in value
on any new gun ove
2971 4 2 6 2 6 1 0 n o w o n call us hot.uk 6TW I info@cracks ton Abbot TQ12 1-2 Sabre Cl, New
www.airgunshooting.co.uk | AIRGUN WORLD |
89
3FREE MONTHS
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS • Up to £2 million third party liability insurance#, covering FAC Airguns and Airguns • Shooting permission slips • Discounts off Archant books & DVDs • Photo ID card and proof of insurance • SPECIAL OFFERS from selected retailers • FREE entry in Airgun World competitions
Just £14.95 12 months BASA membership
COVER INCLUDES: ✓ FAC Airguns ✓ Airguns
Join today for instant cover www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/AGW/BA
01858 438840 quote CBA8W02A
# Third party liability indemnity – excess £250 property damage only. The public liability insurance is arranged by Arthur J. Gallagher insurance brokers limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Lines are open 8am-9.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Saturdays. T&Cs: This offer is for new members only. This is a UK Direct Debit offer only and will be taken annually. After your first 12 months, your membership will continue at £19.95 every 12 months thereafter. Details of the Direct Debit guarantee are available on request. Allow up to 14 days for the preparation of your membership documents. You will be instantly insured subject to your payment being successfully processed. You will need to provide your BASA membership number to benefit from the special offers, for more information please visit www.airgunshooting.co.uk/basa-membership. OFFER ENDS 13/02/2018.
90
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
MILEWSKI
A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES
John Milewski studies an iconic BSA Airsporter fitted with a Sportarget aperture sight
I opted to use this BSA Airsporter Mark I and Sportarget sight combination in a classic airgun competition.
he first of the BSA Airsporters were among the most visually pleasing air rifle designs of all time. Rather than locating the rifle’s cocking lever directly underneath the barrel, BSA concealed it within the fore end. This placed the centre of gravity in a more natural position, nearer the trigger and had the bonus of presenting a streamlined profile to the rifle. This profile provided the Airsporter with the look of a classic, full-bore hunting rifle.
T
PATENTED FEATURES The Mk1 and 2 Airsporters both featured a patented, self-opening tap mechanism, which raised the tap lever as the cocking lever reached the end of its stroke. This saved time and was a useful feature to have on an underlever. The tap lever still had to be closed manually after a pellet had
been inserted and this clever feature was discontinued when the Mk 3 and 4 versions of the rifle were introduced in 1968. Another unique feature of the early Airsporters was the patented ‘Power Piston’ unit, which provided the rifle’s high power. Rather than a conventional, flat-profiled piston head, BSA used a conical piston head, which engaged with a cone recess immediately at the end of the air cylinder. The design was intended to reduce internal turbulence during
sights, I opted for an aperture-sighted version, despite the dark conditions I expected to encounter in the Bisley woods.
THE SPORTARGET SIGHT Parker Hale had a long association with BSA and had offered a wide range of sighting options for full bore, as well as air rifles, since the 1920s. Post-1948, Parker Hale included the Airsporter in their catalogues and offered the specially adapted Sportarget 10 A.S.
“the Sportarget aperture sight was intended for sporting and target use” the firing cycle and like the self-opening tap, it too was discontinued in the mid-1960s. With an outdoor vintage competition looming, I selected a Mark I Airsporter and although the rifle originally came with a solid set of open
aperture sight for the rifle, which is included in the 1950 edition. As its name implies, the Sportarget aperture sight was intended for sporting and target use. It was initially patented by Parker Hale during the early 1930s and early variants were made to fit 1930s BSA underlever air rifles. Before telescopic sights were considered mandatory, aperture sights were used by hunters and competitive shooters. They acted as a window to the foresight and target, thereby eliminating the requirement to focus between rearsight,
Folding the Sportarget back and down enables the rifle’s open sights to be used.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
93
»
VINTAGE AIRGUNS
This 1950s Parker Hale catalogue listing shows the range of rifles for which the Sportarget sight was made. Right: The Airsporter’s sight has a longitudinal tang secured with two screws.
GHOST RING I chose a single-hole eyepiece rather than a wider unit such as the Parker Hale Midget, which offered a choice of six holes. My decision was based on the expected dark conditions in the woods, and the knowledge that using an aperture sight in such conditions generally results in a loss of visual clarity due to less light entering the eye. A small aperture would act as a ‘ghost’ ring and allow light to enter my aiming eye through the aperture, and The 950s Parker Hale catalogues included the .22 BSA Airsporter and its .177 sibling, the BSA Club. After 1959, around it, because there was no wide the Airsporter name was used for both calibres. eyepiece to interrupt the light’s path. There’s nothing quite like testing a theory in a competition, so I also painted the foresight and target, whilst lining up the sights foresight with red nail varnish to further assist with the aiming mark. with acquiring the sight in darkened A variety of eyepiece options were offered, conditions. This ‘trick’ was well practised in from a selection of fixed single hole to the full bore world and I have books from the multi-aperture units. The choice of different late nineteenth century encouraging such sizes of aperture enabled the shooter to choose practice to help get an edge in competition. the most appropriate for the lighting conditions each time the rifle was used, with no loss of zero. For example, a small hole could be used I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW when lighting was bright, but a larger aperture As I aimed at the first 30mm wide target, I was enabled more light to reach the eye in darker pleased to see a clear sight picture, and gloomier weather, or subdued indoor lighting. the target dropped as I tripped the A dab of red nail varnish on rifle’s trigger, providing me with the foresight blade helped me confidence. Facing a 10mm reducer locate it during sighting. on the next lane, I could see the sights clearly enough to place the tip of the foresight just inside the kill for another satisfying hit. The combination of the Airsporter’s muzzle velocity of a shade under 500 FPS, and the clear sight picture offered by the Sportarget sight, enabled me to connect with most of the targets in the competition. My choice of rifle and sight was a sound one; they attained
94
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
the highest score in the competition, with the few misses down to operator error and a poor technique, rather than any fault with the rifle or sight. Both Parker Hale and BSA knew a thing or two about sighting back in the day, and Sportarget-sighted Airsporters can fetch a premium whenever they are offered for sale today. Testing a theory in a competition is always risky because missed targets are an expensive way of learning lessons, but in this instance, I was relieved to have made the right choice. ■
The small, single hole acts as a ‘ghost’ ring in use because it appears as a blur and allows light to enter the space around as well as through the aperture.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk | AIRGUN WORLD |
95
PRIORITY ORDER FORM Airgun World, FREEPOST LE6423, Leicester, LE87 9BY, UK No stamp required if posted within the UK YOUR DETAILS (mandatory to complete) Mr/Mrs/Ms
DIRECT TO YOUR DOOR
First name
Surname Address
Postcode Telephone
Mobile
Email* *Please enter this information so that we can keep you up-to-date with important information about your subscription and exclusive offers that we think you’ll enjoy. You can unsubscribe from these messages at any time.
DIRECT DEBIT Service User Number
Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit REFERENCE (office use only)
415266
Airgun World PRINT – Please start my subscription for just £5. After my trial period my subscription will continue at £17.95 every 6 months. Airgun World DIGITAL – Please start my subscription for just £5. After my trial period my subscription will continue at £17.99 every 12 months. NAME AND FULL POSTAL ADDRESS OF YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY BRANCH
• FREE delivery to any UK address • Never miss another issue • Just £1 an issue
To the manager (Bank name) Address
Postcode Name(s) of account holder(s) Branch sort code
Bank/Building Society number
INSTANT DIGITAL ACCESS
INSTRUCTIONS TO YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY. Please pay Archant Community Media Ltd Direct Debits from the account detailed on this instruction, subject to safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that the instruction may remain with Archant Community Media Ltd and if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank or Building Society.
Signature
Date
YOU MAY CANCEL THE DIRECT DEBIT AT ANY TIME AFTER THE FIRST PAYMENT IS TAKEN. Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions for some types of account.
CREDIT/DEBIT CARD
Expiry Date
Start Date
Issue No (Maestro only)
Card number
Signature
Date
Source code: CAW8X02A
CHEQUE Airgun World PRINT – I enclose a cheque made payable to Airgun World for £41.45 Airgun World DIGITAL – I enclose a cheque made payable to Airgun World for £19.99 Archant Community Media Ltd, the publishers, would like to keep in touch, from acknowledging receipt of your order efficiently to sending you details of exclusive offers. Please tick here if you would rather not hear from us by post email or phone . We’ve teamed up with some great partners who would like to contact you occasionally but if you would prefer not to receive these messages tick here for post and phone . If you’d like to hear from them by email tick here or SMS tick here .
T&Cs: Direct Debit is a UK only offer. Details of the Direct Debit Guarantee are available on request. After your first 5 issues, your print subscription will continue at £17.95 every 6 months, and your digital subscription will continue at £17.99 every 12 months. Savings are based on the full cover price. Airgun World is published 13 times a year. Your subscription will start with the next available issue. For overseas offers please go online. Subscriptions may not include promotional items packaged with the magazine at the newsstand. OFFER ENDS 13/02/2018
96
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
✃
Airgun World PRINT – Please start my subscription for just £41.45 for 13 issues. Airgun World DIGITAL – Please start my subscription for just £19.99 for 13 issues
• Read the magazine online or through the app • Access to the fully searchable magazine archive • Download issues to enjoy offline anytime
5
ISSUES FOR £
5
Subscribe & SAVE up to 76%
EASY WAYS TO ORDER
www.subsave.co.uk/agw
www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIRGUN WORLD 01858 438840 QUOTE CAW8X02A
97
ROSIE’S RECIPE
RABBIT ON THE RUN!
Rosie Barham serves up the ultimate in fast food, with her rabbit and potato cakes
ometimes, I just fancy something simple for dinner when I’ve been working since very early morning. By the time it gets to suppertime, I can’t be bothered to cook a meal from scratch for myself, and I refuse to succumb to the ‘takeaway once a week won’t hurt you’ philosophy – apart from the cost, I
S
Serve with salad leaves …
98
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
don’t know what’s in it – so I have a habit of cooking stuff in advance and freezing it for a rainy day. This recipe is the easiest of all suppers. Remove a few rabbit cakes from the freezer, place on a baking sheet, bung in the oven for about 15 minutes, and serve with something
green – salad, or peas, broccoli … whatever you happen to have handy. The carbs and protein are already in the rabbit cakes, so you don’t need to faff about with spuds, rice, or pasta. A tasty and satisfying dinner within minutes is a winner, in my book. Of course, you’ll have to make the rabbit cakes first, but they’re a doddle and if you keep thinking, ‘I can freeze these for later. I’m making at least three meals here’, whilst you’re prepping, it’ll spur you on. I’ve always got a supply of frozen, cooked rabbit, so that already cuts my cooking time down by 45 minutes. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – stew the rabbits whilst you’re in the kitchen doing something else, remove meat from the bones and freeze for later. I’ll keep on saying it until you obey! These patties are absolutely yummy served with a homemade tomato sauce, or caramelised onions, and from oven to freezer-ready, the whole job took me about an hour; 20 minutes, prep and cooking, and about 40 minutes allowed for cooling time. Fast food at its best. ■
ROSIE’S RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
METHOD ■ Fry leek and carrot for a couple of minutes until softened ■ Place potatoes and rabbit into a bowl ■ Add the leek and carrot mixture ■ Hands in and blend thoroughly
Rabbit meat One chopped leek One carrot finely diced Mashed potato Fresh mint One egg Chicken stock cube Squirt of garlic puree Seasoning Polenta or semolina to coat (optional)
■ Add egg and mint, and seasoning ■ Form into patties ■ Coat with polenta, for crunch (optional) ■ Bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes ■ Serve with salad leaves for a tasty lunch
2. Chop the veg and fry for a couple of minutes, until softened.
3. Mashed potatoes in a bowl and add rabbit meat.
4. Stir in veg.
5. Add beaten egg, mint and seasoning. Mix well.
6. Form into ‘cake’ shapes.
7. Roll cakes in polenta and place on baking tray.
8. Cook for 15 minutes, hot oven.
9. Wrap portions in foil and freeze.
ROSIE’S COOKBOOK
TOP TIP You can use breadcrumbs to coat, if you prefer - and you could fry the cakes for a couple of minutes each side, instead of baking
Rosie’s ‘cookbook with a difference’ includes tales of the misadventures of a teenage airgunner - that’s Dave Barham - top tips, and loads more. Get yours now from www.calmproductions.com £14.99
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
99
BR
ND
G
www.VA L L E YA RMS.c o. u k
TONSOU AT
UN
S A FE
S
ONE OF NORTH WALES’S LEADING GUN SHOPS
Guns
Optics
Maintenance
Reloading
BOLERO CAMP
PARK ROAD RUTHIN DENBIGHSHIRE TEL: 01824 704438
101 HIGH STREET
100 | AIRGUN WORLD | www.airgunshooting.co.uk
BANGOR GWYNEDD TEL: 01248 351641
LL15 1NB
LL57 1NS
n u n n g u u r i g A AirgAir A PAIR O
!
F
T S GAEZIN R A XL OU N FMAW IHE R AUCH T U L G IR U A A G S IN O L B E L E AGUN MAGAZIN ST-S! A PAIR IRGUN MAGA AIR ! BIGGIEN G N I IN N L IR I L A E S G -S T IN W S L BRIITTAIINN’SW L E E IGG IGGEST-S BRIITTAIINN’SS BIG BRIITTAIINN’SS BIG
STOCK EDATOR
E! AD OF ITS TIM
YEAR
& RABBITS LS SQUIRRE
THE BULLPUP EFFECT
V
PERF PLIN
4OC0KS SUPERhSwTith your rifle!
Finley
Get in touc
R FEATAU TE
ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL!
DAYS T
OUR SURVEY SAYS GARVEY OR MYTH? HARDMAN & REAL
UNE! ED! THE £1 TTF K ATUR RICE
D! FEATURE
JIM’S CHEAP
R M 8 K IT X ROTE X A R M Eand R M PX e produce this magazine for our readers, to do that as U S IG S A E E T S G efficiently as possible we need to know who youDare TA Rwhat IY and ICA L T you’d like to see in Airgun World. We’re always asking for feedback C A T 8 7 XS SY N STS E T from the readers, be it on our competition entry forms, the letters T PELLE page, or face-to-face at shows and exhibitions. Now we’d like U toN N IN G U.S . A IR G IS T O L consolidate that information and really get a grip on who DO P Awe’re UX TORN
W
E! this magazine for, what your interests are, the sort of making EXCLUSIV subjects, interests and branches of airgunning you’d like to see
D
U S A IR GRS P PE GA MO SU O F X E UM A R IT B B A R R AT & S IO N KusITthe information. Be totallyH ER N S H O O T questions on this page, then V ERsending N O C . T R .R L .A N O one P IS T O and I promise every honest withByour answersHand W4 4suggestions, IR A O T 2 O C the best possible magazine and your will be considered.IG We all want S M PX ESTS help is the main factorCinHachieving R O N O Tthat. LE Abelow, IN F S You can post it to usRatKthe or simply take a snap IN Gaddress FOU NS U G IR A E of the completed questionnaire, attach it to an email, and send it to R O B B IG IO N G ACaTprize IN terry.doe@archant.co.uk. We’ll have draw each month and T N U H HOT
R E H T L P U P WA L L U B 8 M ! R P U X P E L ROT ! DIY BUL POWER! AUGUST 20
17
£3.99
.uk shooting.co www.airgun
1
2017
Please state your age group – circle one 0 ! 70-plus.RLD Below 20. 20-30. 30-40. 40-50.TH £ 7060-70. R 50-60. O GUN WO W .co.ukTAIR IT F ooting T unshE S irg U How long have w.a T Oyou been reading Airgun wwWorld? OVA ON
.uk shooting.co www.airgun
SEPTEMBER
the questions will change as the information comes in and we learn more about what you want. So, get those answers sorted and help us to make your magazine what you want it to be. Thanks everyone!
featured, and the direction in which you want Airgun World to go. Please help us to make your magazine better by answering the
£3.99
n u g n r u i g A Air Airgun H £ 60 0 !
N KITUN MAGAZINE97K OUTFIT WORT A HATSAN VARMINTELR AIRMGPLETE HW E L DEAL? L A INCG O F E I L E X R R -S E E T S IN E R E M Z G Do you read any other airgun/shooting publications? A H U R G IG A T B A A ’S GUN M T YO BRITAIN’SW I N CONVBERITRAIN’S BIGGEST-SELLING AIR WHAT 0! OR TH £ 75 W Do you have a subscription to Airgun World? L A G E AN R ZINE AIRGUN MAGA ! A HUNT SM www.airgun
WI N
How long have you been in the sport?
shooting.co
.uk
1
D
AIRGUN WORL
GEST-SELLING
BRITAIN’S BIG
Please name your favourite airgun sports.
Who are your favourite Airgun World writers?
ND-NEW R EWhich Airgun World features do you like least? GEFIND ! rk e guesswo TION LEC L O C A If you were in charge of Airgun World, what changes would you make? G ME ! d e il e v n u INGER SS re Mo 2 Euse? What sort of airgun/s do you ownIN and STERCLoA e! WOLVER w to sho t on
✁
RP T IM E WA ID S IN – D AMAZING FIN
ho
DAYS T AM F X STRE A IR L A T E C H N IC VA L U E G T O P -V ’S H U N GA RV E Y SI & NEW SHO
First look!
Which features and topics wouldEyou like to see more of? GAMPROV CY! TURED! I 3 N O I T C LLE ACCURAFEA T ICA L
you believe would TAC Airgun World we go again! Please suggest anything s NE W NOVAimprove e K d ra g p u IY D CH HW97 W E IH R AU O
MAY 2017
RE FEATU T A E SA
ED! FEATUCR H HW97K
W E IH R AU R IN E 2 E W O LV E G E T D AYS TAT R B E L L TA G N U L H T IN S Q U IR R E ER D IN W E K E S ID AWpostal 0 X 60 Please mark your envelope or email ‘AGW SURVEY’ and state your name H and address. 1 0 -5 !H O O T E R K C A T T This will NOT be used for any marketing/commercial purposes. R AT A N E WTIOSN GUNS ITA DAMAGE LIMV IN TAG E 0 COMB GA MO 4 4 N A L A IR G U T E C H N IC R E T O O H NEW S N GU S V IN TA G E
G G N NOVA SP I N I R K A M L A C I ! Y T R O ! ! T Y TAC T S R I I L I VE H ST-AB N
Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berks. RG40 2EG. Or email terry.doe@archant.co.uk £3.99 www.airgunshooting.co.uk APRIL 2017
£3.99
www.airgun
shooting.co
.uk
D AIRGUN WORL
1
co.uk unshooting.
AIRGUN WORLD
101
MARCH 20
BULLSEYES BARGAINS GALORE - DIRECT FROM THE AIRGUN WORLD READERS
For only £4 your advert will appear in the next issue of Airgun World and on our website www.airgunshooting.co.uk
PRIVATE SMALL AD S Ar
ONLY
£4
e you lookin g to sell your gun? Are you a co llector lookin g for that rare gem? Th ousands of de dicated enthusiasts read Airgun W or ld every month. Look no further this is the pl ace to buy and sell!
Post your ad to, Airgun World Bullseyes, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 2EG Please include your name, address, telephone number and a maximum of 40 words. Please make cheques or POs payable to Airgun World. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee which issue your ad will appear in. Please note that we cannot take your advert over the phone. For further information call Sharon on 01189 742524
1946 BSA CADET, excellent original condition, clear photo etching £140. 1960 Relum 322 Tornado .22, excellent condition (re-live your adolescence!) £85. Richter Optik 3-9x50 E telescopic sight. Illuminated mil-dot reticule, boxed, brand new. Unwanted gift £40. Tel: 07774 751583 (Evesham). HW100 .22 complete with 3 magazines and single-shot tray. Hawke Airmax 30x4-16 scope, Harris bipod, sling and gun bag. All in excellent condition. £800 ovno. Tel: 07742 292208 (Hertfordshire). WEIHRAUCH 97K .22, good condition, scope and silencer £250. Webley Vulcan with scope £170. Falcon Light Hunter .22 with scope and silencer as new £380. Diana .22 break-barrel £50. Tel: 01608 684824 (Warwickshire). BSA LIGHTNING XLSE .22, scope SMK 4/40, walnut stock. Purchased but not used £235. Also Air Arms TX200, stock only. Shortened version with cheek rise piece, vgc £50. Postage available. Tel: 01209 612600 (Cornwall).
LOOKING FOR A CHEEK PIECE FOR MY MILBRO COUGAR. I have a Milbro Cougar cheek piece so need to replace. Please contact if you are selling a Cougar for scrap. Tel; 01283 735971 (Derby).
DIANA SERIES 70, MODEL 79 .22 in bits. No trigger, end cap etc, but stock, barrel, sights,
spring, piston body etc all in good used condition. Will give you something to do over Christmas £40. Tel: 01322 220460 (Kent).
AIR ARMS S410 CLASSIC .22, l/h walnut stock, scope, reversible camo suit summer and winter. Vintage quality case, 800 + pellets, new pump, fantastic condition £750. Any questions please ask. Can email pictures, sensible offers please. Tel: 07901 718725 (Glouc).
1946 BSA CADET, excellent original condition, clear photo etching £140. 1960 Relum 322 Tornado .22, excellent condition (re-live your adolescence!) £85. Richer Optik 3-9 x50 E telescopic sight. Illuminated mil-dot reticle, boxed, brand new. Unwanted gift £40. Tel: 07774 751583 (Evesham).
DAYSTATE GRIFFIN NO16. kit as supplied by Daystate plus a few extras. The gun has only been used 3 times less than 200 shots. £1,200. Tel: 01384 235707 (West Midlands). DAYSTATE WOLVERINE C TYPE .177, boxed and as new condition, with magazine and single-shot tray, test certificate and documents £799. Tel: 01977 661671 (Yorkshire).
ZBROIA MODEL 330/180 CLASSIC PCP RIFLE, .177 straight pull cocking, classic sporting stock. Brand new and boxed £450. Tel: 01977 661671 (Yorkshire).
LOGUN S16 .22, excellent condition. Comes with fitted bi-pod, maintenance CD, pack of replacement O rings, nylon gun case, suitcase size. This is a take-down gun, very compact to carry. £390 or near offer. (London). WEBLEY OSPREY .22 COLLECTOR’S GUN. This gun is as new condition. Sensible offers. Tel: 01986 788389 (Norfolk).
GAMO COYOTE .177 as new condition, very little use, with Nikko Stirling 4-12 x 50 AO scope, silencer, quality slip, tin of pellets plus one magazine. £280. Tel: 07720 840224 (Aylesbury). LEFT HAND THEOBEN RAPID 12 MK2, 2 barrels, 2 buddy bottles, diver’s bottle, filling kit, 3-9 x 40 Whitetail Classic sight, bag, mint condition. One owner from new. £550 no offers. Tel: 07794 706324 (Staffs).
OLD AIRGUN PELLET TINS in good condition wanted. Will pay a fair price. Webley, BSA,WASP. Older the better. Tel: 01642 710834 (Middlesborough).
BSA MERCURY .22 MK3, vgc £195. Nikko Sterling 2-5-10 x 42 Nighteater boxed as new £65. Nikko Sterling Diamond 1.5-6 x 44, 30mm tube, excellent £65. Leapers 2-7 x 32 illuminated red/green vgc, boxed £45. All prices inc p+p. Tel: 01983 566634. (Isle of Wight).
WEIRAUCH HW100 .22, 2 magazines, sling studs, Hawke Sidewinder, 3-9 x 50 S.R. Pro, Buffalo slip, Nitesite Viper. £800 ono. Tel: 07477 540409 (Tyne + Wear. Buyer collects). HW100 .22 complete with 3 magazines and single-shot tray. Hawke Airmax 4-16 x 50 scope, Harris bi-pod, sling and gun bag. All in excellent condition. £800 ovno. Tel: 07742 292208 (Hertfordshire). WEIHRAUCH HW97K .22, good condition, scope and silencer £250. Webley Vulcan with scope £170. Falcon Light Hunter .22 with scope and silencer as new £380. Diana .22 break barrel £50. Tel: 01608 684824 (Warwickshire).
BROCOCK CONCEPT .177, single-shot rifle with scope 4-12 x 50, long warranty, pristine condition, family health problems forces sale so giving up shooting. £200 ono. Five litre 300 bar cylinder, cert until March 2022. Tel: 07890 781668 (Leicester).
FX 2000 AIRGUN, made in Sweden, Hawke 3-9 x 50 scope, silencer, FX 2000 pump and padded carrying case all in as new condition as this gun has only fired approx 200 shots. Recently serviced, £350 ovno. Tel: 01603 715231 (Norwich).
WALTHER TOP POINT MARK 6 green- and red-dot sight, little use. Adaptors for use on both sizes of scope rails. Still boxed, lens covers included. £25. Tel: 07890 781668 (Leicester area).
The Bullseyes service is for readers wishing to buy and sell airgun equipment as part of a non-commercial transaction. There is no need for such transactions to be made face to face (unless an airgun is FAC-rated), but Airgun World requests that due caution is exercised when buying or selling an airgun. You must adhere to the current airgun laws. You cannot buy an airgun if you are under 18 years of age. Bullseyes are not offered to those who sell airguns as a way of trade of business
102
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
Kral Puncher Armour
£499
ឣ ឣ ឣ ឣ ឣ ឣ ឣ ឣ
Futuristic Look Side Lever 2 Weaver Rails Visible Pressure gauge Quick Fill System Tactical Style Pistol Grip Adjustable cheek piece Spare magazine storage
SHOT COUNT PER FILL = APPROX: 140 – .177 120 – .22 MAGAZINE CAPACITY = 12 X .22 14 X .177
NOW IN STOCK Other Kral models available in stock
www.woodysofwembley.co.uk 565 High Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA0 2DW • Tel: 0208 902 7217 Opening times: Tuesday - Friday 9am - 6pm, Saturday 9am - 5.30pm. www.airgunshooting.co.uk | AIRGUN WORLD | 103
N O W AVA IL A B L E
THE 2018 BUYERS GUIDE
8
CMMBG18A CMMBG18A
RUSS DOUGLAS
DAD’S ARMY – GARC STYLE!
Russ Douglas enjoys an evening with the Grampian Home Guard thanked my friend Bri yesterday for his flattering letter in the Jan issue, but I’m getting my own back. Last night was a Grampian Air Rifle Club shoot and the first time some new ideas proposed at our recent AGM were actioned. Never let it be said that airgun clubs are stuffy places, with everyone morosely wandering about muttering about the HFT bunny that got away. After the usual annual queue to pay our membership fees to Dale, and a few folk making early opportune use of the indoor range, the serious competition started in earnest. At one end of the range, we had club stalwart, Chris, doing his best ‘Capt Mainwaring’, of Bullbearing 1st Platoon, Grampian Air Rifles Home Guard, 5th Battalion of the North Scottish Foot & Mouth regiment. All shooters on rifle parade had to wear a Home Guard tin hat, armband and
I
‘Captain Mainwaring’ ruling the roost.
Dale ‘in character’ storming to first place with the antique BSA.
»
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
105
AIRGUNNING FOR FUN
Bri’s HW40 with customised grip and red dot.
gasmask bag, so full stiff-upper-lip, battledress uniform. Bri, at the other side, was dashing back and forth between setting up pistol shooters, taking names and doing his best to keep track of the scores as they mounted-up.
CHAMPION SPRINGER The rifle for the classic half of the night’s competition was an antique BSA 1926 Standard model No 2 (S Prefix) under-lever, tap-loading .22, with open sights. All 30 of us took turns to don the regulation Home Guard accessories, and when it was my turn for the tin lid, I discovered that one size of those most definitely does not fit all. Then it was stand – leaning against the side wall of the lane – and fire five shots at a five-target, shooting-gallery–style, steel silhouette target, 20m downrange. Cue lots of
marked everyone by the same method, which is all that counts at the end of the day. To contrast old and new, and again, create a level playing field, the single pistol in use was Bri’s own contemporary .177 HW40 single-stroke pneumatic, brought right up to date with the addition of a miniature OEG red-dot sight via a separate Weaver-to-dovetail adapter, and the plastic pistol grip very effectively DIY- stippled with a soldering iron. That grip is now fantastic, with just the right amount of sharp, grippy edge to the stippling of the plastic side plates, I might consider doing that to my Gamo P-45, but the grip’s perhaps a bit too skinny for it. Fortunately, we were allowed a reasonable number of sighting shots at the practice lane, before stepping into the spotlight for scoring. My five shots grouped at around a 5p piece size, ½” right and 1” low of the bull at 10m, so I stepped up to the plate with more confidence than I’d expected, preparing to aim off accordingly. The automatic safety is always welcome, but of course has to be remembered every time. I was well chuffed to score 42 ex 50 from the pistol shoot, and was in the lead for that half of the comp when I had to leave slightly before the end.
Dale, receiving first prize for the Rifle category.
PRIZEGIVING I woke this morning to texts from Bri. Apparently, Ewan scored a 43 on Pistol so I took second place there, and then, amazingly, I came joint first with him in the competition as
“standing on one leg whilst firing over his shoulder, using a mirror to aim” “Oooh”, “Ahh”, and “It wobbled, then came back up – that counts!” A lot of banter ensued. I hit my first two, then missed the next two, to the usual calls of “Ahh, the pressure’s getting to him!” and then I downed the last, thankfully, to make it three out of five. I also photographed club Treasurer, Dale doing his thing. He’s a champion HFT spring shooter, so perhaps should have been further handicapped by standing on one leg whilst firing over his shoulder, using a mirror to aim, Annie Oakley style, but we missed a trick there and he went on to score four out of five, to win the Rifle category. He wasn’t kidding when he claimed to be a rubbish pistol shot – so it wasn’t a whitewash.
FANTASTIC GRIP At the other side of the range, Bri had set up two 10m shooting lanes; one using a black spot on white paper as a sighting-in target, and the second a proper target card for scoring. We’re not exactly sure which hi-tech method he used, but he was consistent and
106
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
a whole, with 45 ex 55, after he got two ducks on the gallery shoot. He’s pictured receiving the faux cheque and some biscuits from Captain Mainwaring. I missed the prizegiving, but had a lot of fun, which what it’s all about. Dale won a bottle of whisky, kindly donated by Ken. Also donated was a box of biscuits, and Ewan discovered that the ‘cheque’ was a copy of the 1940’s Swallows Bank cheque, from Walmington-onsea dated 1st August 1944 and signed by Captain Mainwaring – all just for fun of course. Thanks very much to Bri, Chris and Paul for organising everything last night. I look forward to seeing what they devise next and just hope that it doesn’t involve us crawling through barbed wire on the 50m range to take shots at more steel ducks, with thunderflashes going off at the sidelines. I’m hoping that they have plans for more civilised six-yard bell target instead. Enjoy your shooting everyone – that’s what it’s all about! ■ GARC = www.grampian-air-rifle-club.co.uk
Ewan, receiving first place for Pistol and Joint Overall first place prize. I’d had to leave before the end.
FURTHER INFO: Feel free to contact me with feedback or article suggestions, especially for disabledrelated articles and reviews you’d like to see - via RussDouglasAGW@gmail.com Flickr: @RussDouglasAGW: https://www. flickr.com/photos/150760461@N07/albums, albums carry HD versions of photos from each article, including extra images.
Repairing and tuning for all types of Air Rifles PCP’s Co2 gas & specialising in spring piston rifles
www.agrtuning.co.uk Tel: 07912 466 917
Sole UK distributor of
The New Amazing Aztec Optics Emerald Range The Aztec Optics Emerald 5.5-25 x 50 and the new 3-18 x 50
A dream of a scope
Second focal plane with calibrations 18x (true MOA) and at 9x. MOA reticle and MOA turrets. Low turrets - pull up/lock down low, and re-settable. Push-on sidewheel for easier side parallax adjustment. Specially designed in the USA for airgunners by airgunners. With Aztec’s lifetime warranty.
Phone +44 (0)1953 860 323 Email: info@xabla.co.uk Xabla is part of Gilbert Distribution Ltd
xabla.co.uk www.airgunshooting.co.uk | AIRGUN WORLD | 107
PLINKING
PUMP-UP POWER Phill Price has some fun with Daisy’s advanced plinker
The Proline isn't obviously an airgun which will appeal to many.
n the huge American shooting market the name ‘Daisy’ is known by everybody because, for a great many people, this huge company supplied their first gun. On their side of the pond, they understand ‘BB gun’ to mean ‘airgun’ and they sometimes call our highprecision adult airguns ‘BB guns’, but that’s okay. I’ll confess that the appeal of steel BBs is lost on me when lead-pellet-firing guns are so much more accurate, and accuracy is my thing. However, I recently tested the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun and at 6 yards I couldn’t miss a tin can, so it clearly was accurate enough. That ultra-popular rifle has a big brother in the form of the Powerline880, another American favourite because it has a pump-up action. This is where a lever drops down and swings forward before being pulled back and up. This allows you to adjust the power level and for plinking, that’s great.
I
Knocking over a can or punching a hole in a paper target doesn’t need much power at all.
ALL AMERICAN The styling is pure Americana; white line spacers and chequering inserts add a look of the kind of deer rifles that the Yanks love. Although this is a larger rifle than the Red Ryder, it’s still very light at just over 3lbs, so kids will have no trouble holding it. The pull length, the distance between the trigger blade and the centre of the butt pad, is 13½”, a full inch shorter than a typical adult stock. I’m guessing that it will suit kids from around 13 years, and older. The two-part stock offers many more features compared to the Red Ryder, including a raised cheek piece, a more hand-filling pistol grip, and moulded-in
chequering at the contact points. The sights are a step up too. The rear one offers windage as well as elevation adjustment and the fore sight has fibre-optic enhancement. The biggest improvement is the rifled barrel that can shoot lead pellets, meaning much better accuracy. It will shoot steel BBs and there is a small hopper on the front left of the action that accepts 50 of them. Some people have concerns that shooting steel BBs through a rifled barrel might damage it, but if the manufacturer tells us it will shoot both without problems, then I’m not going to worry.
PREPARATION Before you can begin pumping, you need to withdraw the bolt on the right of the action because it you don’t, the chamber will not fill. Pumping is always best done smoothly and not too fast. Speed turns energy into heat, not velocity, so nice and steady is the way. I tried the Powerline at five and ten pumps with both steel BBs and the .177 Air Arms Field Diablo, a very highquality lead pellet.
50 BBs can be loaded through this sliding port.
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
109
»
PLINKING
The styling is pure Americana.
5 pumps Air Arms Field - 6ft.lbs 10 pumps Air Arms Field - 8½” ft.lbs 5 pumps BB - 4 ft.lbs. 10 pumps BB - 6 ft.lbs 8½” ft.lbs. is a lot of punch for a back garden plinker and I was quite happy with the 6 ft.lbs. that five pumps gave. At the lower power setting, the rifle is much less noisy, which is always a good thing in my book. Loud pops and clangs can become very irritating to your neighbours so I always try to avoid them. A quiet pellet catcher is wise for the same reason.
GREAT TRIGGER An area of weakness for many inexpensive airguns is the trigger, which all too often is
TECH SPEC Importer: BSA Guns
much too heavy for young hands to control properly. Because of this, beginners tend to snatch at it as the sights wander past the aim point. This can teach bad habits that can take years to correct. The Proline’s trigger is a little
energy. Somebody asked me what I thought this rifle was for, and the phrase ‘advanced plinker’ came to mind. With lead pellets it has good accuracy, and because it’s a pump-up it’s recoilless, just like a pre-charged
“the distance between the trigger blade and the centre of the butt pad, is 13 1/2”, a full inch shorter than a typical adult stock” long in its action, but is smooth, consistent and not unnecessarily heavy. Further, the reach is nice and short, allowing small hands to reach without over-stretching, which is a very good thing. I suspect this trigger can be made this way because it only controls a small spring, whereas the ones fitted to spring-piston rifle have to control much more stored
pneumatic (PCP) – which makes shooting easier. You could even fit a simple scope later on if you wanted to because there are rails moulded into the action ready to accept one. As with its stablemate, the price is unbelievably low and in my eyes, extraordinarily good value for money. Many a youngster will learn a lot with this rifle whilst having a huge amount of fun in the process. ■
Model: Powerline 880 Pellets are loaded manually in this slot.
Type: Pump action Length: 37.6” Weight: 3.1lbs Calibre: .177 Ammo: Lead pellets and steel BBs Sights: Fibre-optic enhanced open type
RRP £49.00 The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation.
110
AIRGUN WORLD
www.airgunshooting.co.uk
SPONSORED BY
We are the only dedicated airgun shooting facility in Tyne & Wear where you can come and enjoy a warm welcoming environment. Open: Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 10-8 and Sun 10-4. www.washingtonairriflerange.co.uk Washington, Tyne & Wear NE37 1LH 07949 568 892
16 indoor lanes up to 45yds. Taster sessions and tuition available. Suitable for all, from hobby to competition. £10 stay as long as you like.
Based in Warrington in the heart of Cheshire, we offer full club facilities all info can be found on our website. Two purpose built Air Rifle layouts, both being fully covered and offering an array of knock down, pop up targets and spinners.
www.doncaster-airgun-range.co.uk Wharf Road, Doncaster DN1 2ST 07563 880 042
www.owlshoottargetclub.co.uk Prospect Lane, WA3 6EH Warrington 07969232422
KIBWORTH SHOOTING GROUND Our purpose built range boasts 7 shooting lanes, 5 at 25yds for rifle and 2 at 10 metres for pistol use. All lanes are well lit and serviced by a ‘fly by wire’ target system. Open Tues - Fri 10-7 and Sat - Sun 10-5 www.ontargetrange.co.uk 13 Osyth Close, Northampton NN4 7DY 01604 315 224
We have a 20m 6 lane indoor range with target pully system ,bell targets + knock downs .50 m outdoor range with zero plates knock downs and spinners. We also have a 50m members range with knock downs and spinners. www.woodendfarmcomplex.co.uk Huthwaite, Sutton-in-Ashfield NG17 2QJ 01623 550544
3 Covered Ranges, 100m Range, Competitions, Lessons, Shooting Introductions, Gun Shop and Café. Tues - Sat: 9am-5pm. Sun: 9am-3pm. Late night opening Thursdays www.kibworthshootingground.co.uk info@kibworthshootingground.co.uk 0116 2796001
Supplying air gunners, ranges and shops across the UK with quality targets and accessories
www.target-air.co.uk sales@target-air.co.uk
10 x 90-yard open & 2 x 60-yard wind-free lit & heated lanes, bring your own or hire a gun, have-a-go & tuition available – all weather shooting for all disciplines! www.riflemanfirearms.com Hambridge, Somerset TA10 0BP 01458 253700
A Different Calibre Our new indoor shooting range allows for air rifle and pistol shooting out to 30 yards. Variety of targets in-situ to suit everyone from dedicated paper target shooters to the casual ‘plinker’. Open 9.30am-8.00pm Monday-Saturday & 10am-4pm Sunday. Unit 7, Dunhams Court, Dunhams Lane, Letchworth SG6 1WB 01462674861 www.adifferentcalibre.co.uk
12 lane covered air rifle range + 3 pistol lanes Pay and play and annual memberships Gun hire and tuition available www.emmettandstone.co.uk Wilton Farm, Little Marlow, Bucks SL7 3RR 01628 474 187
North Midlands South
DEALERS DIRECTORY 1
BRADFORD STALKER
Visit our spacious showroom with hassle free on site parking. Wide range of rifles & pistols: BSA, Weihrauch, Daystate, Webley, Brocock, FX, Air Arms, Gamo, Umarex, Walther. Clothing & accessories inc, Night vision, Scopes, cylinders, bags, pellets, lamping equipment. Airgun & cylinder refills available, services & repairs arranged. Opening Hours: Mon- Fri 9.00 – 5.30/Sat 9.00 – 5.00. Credit cards and Finance available.
BROM SPORTS
2
3
C&H WESTON
Hereford Airgun Specialist. A large range of Air guns and accessories available including: Air Arms, BSA, Daystate, Webley, Crossman, SMK, Hawke and many more. Also available: air cylinder charging, archery, crossbows, soft air, repairs & servicing and much more. A family friendly outlet, with help and advice always available. Open 9 ’til 5 Tuesday to Saturday.
Established 1819, C&H Weston offer a friendly service. We stock all good brands such as Air Arms, BSA, Daystate, Brocock, Weihrauch, Gamo, ASG, Crossman, SMK. We stock a massive range of pellets and other shooting accessorises. Scopes by Lightstream, Hawke, Nikko, BSA, MTC. PX a pleasure. Second hand guns also stocked. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9-5.30. Sun & Bank Hols 10.30-4.30.
Ouston Bank Farm, Ouston, County Durham DH2 1BB
Bromyard Sports 66 Widemarsh Street, Hereford HR4 9HG
12 East Street, Brighton, Sussex BN1 1HP
Tel: 0191 4100565
Tel: 01432 344610
Tel: 01273 326338
contact@bradfordstalker.co.uk www.bradfordstalker.co.uk
bromsportshereford@yahoo.co.uk www.bromsports.co.uk
info@chweston.co.uk www.chweston.co.uk
CHICHESTER ARMOURY
Guns & Accessories
CHICHESTER ARMOURY
COUNTRY SPORTING GUNS
4
Wide choice of air rifles, pistols and accessories. 43 West Street, Chichester, Sussex PO19 1RP
Tel: 01243 774687
5
We supply airguns and shooting accessories, stocking all major air rifle brands, optics and silencers. Setup and tuning service. We are selected BSA area dealers. Sporting rifles and shotguns including ammo. New and secondhand rifles and shotguns. Shooting Range. We buy airguns. This is the home of the Grand European 80 Varmint air rifle. Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9am - 5.30pm.
6
COUNTRYWIDE
Offers a great selection of new & used air guns. Stockists of Weirauch, BSA, Air Arms, Daystate, Gamo, Umarex, SMK and Crosman. Repairs available. Good selection of scopes on site.
Cannons Cottage, Punchbowl Lane, Brothertoft, Boston PE20 3SB
Bradford Road, Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 8LQ. Other stores located in Bearley, Bourton on the Water, Chepstow, Chipping Norton, Gloucester, Ledbury, Melton Mowbray, Salisbury and Thornbury. Open Mon-Fri 8.30-6.00. Sat 8.30-5.30. Sun 10.00-16.00.
Tel: 01205 311246
Tel: 01225 701473 enquiries@countrywidefarmers.co.uk www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk
stvdxn440@gmail.com www.countrysportingguns.co.uk
www.chiarm.co.uk
12
39 DRAPERS AIRGUN CENTRE DAI LEISURE
7
DAI Leisure is one of the largest suppliers of Airguns, Shotguns, firearms and Sporting Equipment in the West Midlands. We supply BMX, mountain bikes, stunt scooters, radio control and all other types of sporting goods. Visit our store 7 days a week. Mon - Sat 9.30-17.30. Sun 10.00-16.00. Unit 1, Enterprise Trading Estate, Hurst Lane, Brierley Hill DY5 1TX
11
20a Elwy Street, Rhyl LL18 1BP. 10am-5pm Tuesday to Friday Saturday 10am to 4pm.
Tel: 01745 353 476
info@fieldsportsequipe.co.uk www.fieldsportsequipe.co.uk
14
Offering a range of accessories, airguns, rifles, shotguns and ammunition for the country sports enthusiast.
Tel: 01491 576689
info@henleycountrysports.co.uk www.henleycountrysports.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
FIELD SPORTS
Full range of air rifles and pistols: Webley, Weihrauch, BSA, Crosman, Logun, Air Arms, Brocock etc + Scopes, Lamps, Archery
124-128 Hartley Road, Nottingham NG7 3AJ
sales@drapers-airguns.co.uk www.drapers-airguns.co.uk
www.dragonfieldsports.co.uk
12
The Midlands largest Airgun Showroom and Sales Experts. Selling everything from spare parts to accessories to the most sought after rifles and collectors pieces! We supply everything from new and used airguns and their accessories through to clothing, hunting knives and binoculars, and we offer a great service at the shop itself along with competitive prices. Opening Times Tuesday – Saturday 9am-5.30pm. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Tel: 01159702525
Tel: 01978 290990
Central Scotland’s premier retailers of shooting and hunting equipment and clothing.
13 GREENFIELDS AIRGUN CENTRE Stockists of BSA, Webley, Air Arms, Daystate, SMK, Hawke, Weihrauch, Gamo and many more. Helpful Friendly Advice Always Available. Open Tues-Sat 8.30-5.00. Sun 9-1. Closed Mon. Canterbury airgun club on site.
Glasgow Field Sports, Unit 1 The Point Retail Park, 29 Saracen Street, Glasgow G22 5HT. Edinburgh Field Sports, Unit E Granton Retail Park, 65 West Harbour Road, Edinburgh EH5 1PW.
16
The Shooting Grounds, Sturry Hill, Sturry, Canterbury CT2 0NG.
Tel: Glasgow 0141 212 8880 Edinburgh 0131 202 6351 sales@glasgowfieldsports.co.uk www.glasgowfieldsports.co.uk
HENRY KRANK
DRAGON FIELD SPORTS WREXHAM 8 Egerton St, Wrexham Town Centre
info@daveyandson.co.uk www.daveyandson.co.uk
Rifles/Pistols, Optics, Ammunition, arms, Clothing, Gun Cabinets, Quality Knives, Lamps & Torches & Archery, Full Service, Spring Rifles, PCP Rifles, Air Pistols, Shotguns, Rifles for £35.
Friar Park Stables, Gravel Hill, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 4NR. Opening Times: Tuesday – Saturday 9:00-5:30pm
Supplying all types of Air Rifles and Pistols. PCP/Spring/ Gas Ram/CO2. Optics and Nightvision. All associated accessories. Clothing and Footwear.
Tel: 01723 865039
www.daileisure.co.uk
HENLEY COUNTRY SPORTS
8
Wykeham, Scarborough, Yorkshire YO13 9QP
Tel: 01384 265151
FIELD SPORTS EQUIPE
DAVEY AND SON
9
10
Tel: 01227 713222 sales@greenfieldsshooting.co.uk www.greenfieldsshooting.co.uk
15
We stock Air Arms, BSA, Weihrauch, Hatsan, Walther, Gamo, Crosman and Umarex air guns both new and second hand. Extensive range of antique air guns also in stock.
IAN HODGE SHOOTING & FIELD SPORTS Cornwall’s premier gun shop. New and used guns and accessories.
16
JUST FIELD SPORTS
17
“The county’s friendliest gun shop!” New and used guns always in stock, and if we haven’t got it, we can get it. Ammunition, optics and accessories. Full servicing and repair centre.
100-104 Lowtown, Pudsey, West Yorkshire LS28 9AY
Penbarn, Burlawn, Wadebridge PL27 7LA
12 North Street, Leighton Buzzard LU7 1EN Tue-Fri 11-5.30 Sat 9-5
Tel: 01132 569163
Tel: 01208 813651
Tel: 01525 851700
sales@henrykrank.com www.henrykrank.com
sales@ianhodgefieldsports.co.uk www.ianhodgefieldsports.co.uk
sales@justfieldsports.com www.justfieldsports.com
Red numbers are on the next page, turn over for more details
Please turn the page for even more shops in your area
44
18
LOCHMABEN SHOOTING SUPPLIES
18
1
26
11
5-6 Laverockhall Farm Road, Lochmaben, DG11 1RE Tues-Fri 10-6pm, Sat 9-4pm
470 Oldham Road, Failsworth, Manchester M35 0FH 10-5 Mon-Sat. Open most bank holidays until 2
Open: Tues-Fri 9.30am-6pm & Sat 9.30am-5.30pm. 21-23 Cherry Tree Rise, Buckhurst Hill, Essex IG9 6EU
Tel: 01387 811079
Tel: 0161 681 7947
Tel: 0208 504 5946
info@manchesterairguns.com www.manchesterairguns.com
trueshot@btinternet.com www.mayoflondon.com
21 MELBOURNE TACKLE & GUNS
MFC OUTDOOR STORES
29
41
32 9
Britain’s first Airgun Only Gunshop (since 1977). Large stocks of airguns, scopes and pellets. Servicing, repairs and re-blueing. Free advice!
Air rifle and pistol sales. Gunsmith on-site. Dive cylinders and filling station on-site. Indoor range. Vast range of goods and accessories. Expert and friendly advice always given. We also sell Shotguns, Rifles, Cartridges, Ammunition, Cabinets and Clothing.
23
19
43
MANCHESTER AIR GUNS
8
42 15
37
21 10
5
New and Secondhand Airguns Bought and Sold, Pneumatic Service Centre. Also spares, repairs, scopes, Soft Air, Sling Shots, Decoys, Cartridges, Huge Stocks of Army Surplus, Camo Clothing & Gortex, Invisible Clothing, Combat Boots, Ammo Boxes, Camo Netting plus lots more.
64 Church Street, Melbourne, Derbyshire
9 Station Road, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2BE
Tel: 01332 862091
Tel: 01323 846883
www.mfcoutdoorstores.co.uk
28
40
24
OTMOORS
7 MOOREDGES AIRGUNS
24
2
25 6
14 30 27
4
23
Extensive range of all leading airguns, scopes and accessories. Mail order available. Open 6 days a week 9.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat Sunday 10-4pm. Closed Tuesday.
17
36
The Chantreys, Mooredges Road, Thorne, Doncaster DN8 5RY
34
Opening Hours Monday - Friday 10:00 - 17:30, Saturday 10:00 - 17:00 Sunday & BH Closed.
Tel: 01869 338558
Tel: 01405 741706
20
Otmoors specialises in the supply, repair and tuning of legal limit / license-free air rifles and pistols. Run by airgun enthusiasts, our goal is to provide a level of knowledge and service that exceeds that often encountered in more “general” gun shops, many of which rarely have any interest in airguns.
otmoors@hotmail.co.uk www.otmoors.co.uk
www.mooredges.com
13
31
22 3 PICKERING GUNS
35
25
Registered Firearms Dealer. 1-2 Park Street Lane, Park Street, St. Albans AL2 2NE
8 Birdgate, Pickering, North Yorkshire YO18 7AL
Tel: 01727 872646
Tel: 01751 476904
info@pickeringairguns.co.uk www.pickeringairguns.co.uk
parkstreetguns@talk21.com www.gunshot.co.uk
27 We stock rifles, pistols, shotguns, airguns and black powder weapons. Keeping the leading brands in stock, the business can accommodate all enquiries from customers and shooters alike. Complimenting the vast range of firearms, Portsmouth Gun Centre also carries a large amount of accessories, ammunition, clothing and miscellaneous shooting equipment.
Tel: 02392 660 574
sales@portsmouthguncentre.com www.portsmouthguncentre.com
(Listed in alphabetical order)
PNEUMATIC BALLISTICS
28
An innovative developer and retailer of revolutionary technology for Air Rifles. We sell new and used rifles and shooting accessories including pellet magazines which we manufacture ourselves. We offer repairs and servicing for most makes of firearms which is carried out by our experienced gunmaker. Go to our website to find out more. Clochemerle, 45a Station Road, Ormesby St. Margaret, Norfolk NR29 3NH
Tel: 01493 733462 enquiries@pneumaticballistics.com www.pneumaticballistics.com
26
Large display of new and second hand shotguns, rifles, air weapons, and general shooting accessories. Part exchange welcome. Guns bought for cash. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9-5pm. Closed Wed.
PARK STREET GUNS
PORTSMOUTH GUN CENTRE
22
Large selection of new and second hand Sporting rifles, Shotguns and Air Rifles. Outdoor, Waterproof Clothing & Footwear. Barbour, Aigle & Seeland stockist..
www.melbournegun.com
38
20
Scottish Government approved 30m and 10m indoor shooting ranges. We cater for .22 rimfire and air guns. We also hire guns to use on our ranges. No licenses required! Fully stocked shop & gun room. New & used rifles/ shotguns/airguns.
info@ukshootingsupplies.com www.lochmabenshootingsupplies.co.uk
33
19
MAY OF LONDON LTD
PHOENIX FIELD SPORTS SUPPLIES
29
Shot guns ranging across Sabatti, Revo, Investarm, Baikal, SMK and more (new and second hand). Air rifles ranging from Weihrauch, Diana, Remington (spring, gasram or PCP). Phoenix Field Sports is family run business, set in the historic Old Town of Bridlington. We aim to provide a high standard of product and friendly service to all our customers past and new at very competitive prices. Unit 3, 37-41, High St, Bridlington, North Humberside, YO16 4PR
Tel: 01262 605512 Mob: 07778 342464
Reigate Gunmakers LTD REIGATE GUNMAKERS
30
Sporting guns & rifles, ammunition, repairs and storage. 45 Church St, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0AD Closed Wednesday & Sunday
Tel: 01737 244111 info@reigategunmakers.uk www.reigategunmakers.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
DEALERS DIRECTORY
44 33 42 43 37 41 32 38
39
40
36
S.C FULLER
34
Established in 1892 we supply a large selection of airguns, pellets, optics, clothing & shotguns. Open Monday-Saturday 8am-5.30pm. Sunday 10am-3.00pm Closed bank holidays.
31
35
33 SUNDERLAND SCUBA CENTRE Stockists of Weihrauch, Webley, BSA, Norica, Gamo, Hammerli, scopes, lamps, pellets and accessories. Airsoft guns stocked, crossbows & archery available. Guns serviced and repaired. Airgun and cylinder refills to 300 bar.
Open 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Tues - Sat Moorcroft Mews, High Street, Saltney, Chester, Flintshire CH4 8SH
Tel: 01244 681191
Tel: 01543 480 361
tonyscamo@yahoo.co.uk www.tonyscamo.co.uk
www.shootingparty.uk
41
Selection of air rifles including BSA, Air Arms, Daystate, Cometa, Brocock, Webley, Weihrauch, FX, Walther, Edgar and more. Rimfire and centre fire rifles, shotguns, ammunition and cartridges available here. Open 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Mon - Fri, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Sat. 53 Norris Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 7RJ
Tel: 01925 415901 sales@warringtonguns.com www.warringtonguns.com
AIRGUN WORLD
38
We are the exclusive importer and Distributor of PAO Rifle & Pistol scopes, sights, lasers and Range Finders and the AirForceOne range of Airguns & Accessories, including the MOSIN-NAGANT Steel BB Rifle, the Trophy & Taichi Pistols and Panther pellets. 100 + Airguns always in stock. Used airguns always wanted – cash paid. Try before you buy in our indoor range.
A Huge Range of Guns, Accessories and Clothing..
WARRINGTON GUNS
THE SHOOTING PARTY
Tel: 01782 720250
enquiries@scfuller.co.uk www.scfuller.co.uk
staffscustomrifles@gmail.com www.scr-airguns.co.uk
THE GUN ROOM IVYBRIDGE Probably the best selection of Airguns in the South West. Daystate, Weihrauch, BSA, Air Arms, Webeley, Logun. New and Secondhand – Quality Service.
VALLEY ARMS
WIGHILL PARK GUNS
42
Visit one of Britain‘s best stocked Airgun Shops in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside. Try before you buy on our indoor airgun range. Part exchange a specialty. Wighill Park, Nr Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 8BW
Tel: 01937 833757
www.wighillparkguns.co.uk
Jericho Farm, Oxford Road, Oakley, Bucks HP18 9RG. Opening Hours- Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sat 9.00-5.30. Closed. Wed & Sun & Bank Holidays.
WALKERS OF TROWELL
40
Stockists of: Daystate, BSA, Weichrauch, Air Arms, Umarex, Hawke. Large range of Pellets & Accessories. Fishing Tackle & Outdoor Clothing. Nottingham Road, Trowell, Nottingham NG9 3PA.
Tel: Ruthin 01824 704438 Bangor 01248 351641 www.valleyarms.com
Tel: 0115 930 7798
www.walkersoftrowell.com
43
Air rifles, Air pistols & Accessories from all manufacturers. Air fills for PCP & Paintball, Air gun repairs. Airguns to suit everyone’s budget £££. Monday – Friday 10am-5pm - Saturday 10am-3pm Closed Wednesdays & Sundays. Finance available. 2F Whitby Rd, Ellesmere Port, South Wirral CH65 8AD
shop@wirralguns.co.uk www.wirralguns.co.uk
Air Gun Centre Air Rifles by Air Arms, BSA, Gamo & Webley etc. Air Pistols by Beretta, Walther, Umarex, Smith & Wesson etc. New & Second Hand available. Full range of accessories: from pellets to slips & all in between. Part Exchange welcome. Est. 1982. Members of the GTA.
39
Ruthin, Bolero Camp, Park Road, Ruthin LL15 1NB Bangor, 101 High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 1NS
Tel: 0151 355 6666
36
www.oxfordguncompany.co.uk
We stock a large selection of 12, 20, 16 and .410 game and clay shotguns, principally AYA, Beretta, Browning, Baikal, Lanber,Lincoln,Remmington, Bettinsoli, Franchi, Escort, Winchester, Miroku and BSA a wide range of Air Guns, prices ranging from £40 up to several thousand pounds.
WIRRAL GUNS
THE OXFORD GUN CO
Tel: 01844 238308
sales@thegunroom.co.uk www.thegunroom.co.uk
www.trrobb.com
37
Tel: 01306 882177
35
32
Sales, repairs and servicing to spring and pre-charged airguns. Specialist in the fitting of Airmasters88 Air Arms FTP900/EV2 regulators. Air cylinder filling. Studio 12, Townhouse Farm, Alsager Road, Audley, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire ST7 8JQ
Tel: 01752 893344
Tel: 01268 752888
contact@sunderlandairguns.com www.sunderlandairguns.com
STAFFORDSHIRE CUSTOM RIFLES
28 - 30 South Street, Dorking, Surrey RH4 2HQ
4 Western Road, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 9AN
316 High Road, South Benfleet, Essex SS7 5HB
Tel: 01915 670147
TONY’S CAMO & AIRGUN CENTRE
34 T.R. ROBB AIRGUN SPECIALIST Full range of Air Rifles, Pistols and Telescopic Sights. Tuning. Servicing Kits. Airguns Bought and Sold.
4A Atkinsons Buildings, Trimdon Street Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR4 6AH. Mon-Fri 9-5:30 | Sat 9-4:30 | Sun 10-3
31
WONDERLAND AIRGUNS
44
Edinburgh’s leading air rifle, air pistol, air gun pellet and accessories supplier. We are dealers for Air Arms, Anics, BSA, Crosman, Gamo, Sportsmarketing, Umarex, Webley and Weihrauch. 97 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AN. Members of the Gun Trade Association.
Tel: 0131 229 6428 www.wonderlandairguns.com
(Listed in alphabetical order)
THERE’S A NEW HERO IN TOWN – FROM Distributed to the trade by: ASI Alliance House, Snape, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1SW TEL: 01728 688 555 EMAIL: info@a-s-i.co.uk WEB: www.a-s-i.co.uk