It’s the question everyone seems to be asking. “How well does the Umarex Cowboy Rifle shoot pellets?”

Actually, it’s somewhat of a strange question. The Cowboy rifle is a BB gun. It has a smooth barrel and it shoots BBs very well – as we found out in our recent, comprehensive HAM test review.

But people want to push the envelope and shoot pellets as well – or possibly instead of – BBs. This is clearly going beyond the barriers of the gun’s original design and intention. After all, it IS a BB gun!

And what happens if there’s a problem when you use your Umarex Cowboy Rifle to shoot pellets? Like a jam that you can’t clear? 

In that case, it’s probably not wise to expect that Umarex USA would honor a warranty claim on your gun as you’re using it in a way that’s not intended…

But, with that caution in mind, let’s answer the question. How well does the Umarex Cowboy Rifle shoot pellets? The targets throughout this story give the results…

First the good news. HAM Publisher Stephen Archer fired approximately 200 pellets to answer this question. He experienced no jams with the sample gun that tested so well shooting BBs.

As the Cowboy Rifle is an Umarex product, we decided to shoot test targets with a selection of RWS pellets which are distributed by the company.

So yes, at least this gun fires pellets downrange without problems. The next question is “How well do they group on the target?”

The immediate answer is “Generally pretty well.” As you would expect, some pellets will be more accurate than others. 

Overall, 7 Grain wadcutter pellets traveled downrange at close to the same speed as 5+ Grain BBs. This clearly provided greater Muzzle Energy – around 5 Ft/Lbs for lead pellets compared to less that 4 Ft/Lbs for BBs.

But is this significant? 5 Ft/Lbs is still nowhere near enough to undertake any kind of humane airgun hunting and most plinking does not require the additional energy.

It’s true that shooting at reactive steel targets such Field Targets or Cowboy Action targets would be both safer and more satisfactory with lead pellets rather than steel BBs. So there’s a benefit.

Maybe there’s the hope for better accuracy shooting lead pellets than steel BBs. If so, that’s not the case. We shot the Umarex Cowboy Rifle at 10 Yards with pellets. The best group attained was not better than the best group attained with BBs. Although it was close!

That was with wadcutter pellets. Using domed pellets, the group was actually worse than using steel BBs.

Then consider that the price of lead pellets is hundreds of times higher than that for steel BBs. Particularly in the case of the RWS R10 competition-grade wadcutters which our Cowboy Rifle preferred!

HAM testing also revealed that the Standard Deviation – the measure of shot-to-shot consistency in a string – was far higher for lead pellets than for steel BBs. In other words, you’d be more likely to experience vertical stringing down that target with pellets. This is visible in the targets you can see here.

In order to propel the lead pellets downrange at a greater Muzzle Energy than steel BBs, the Umarex Cowboy Rifle likely used more CO2 per shot. Makes sense, right?

This greater CO2 use may have over-stretched the internal design of the Cowboy, leading to the faster FPS drop. It may also explain why the accuracy test also saw FPS falling fast after just 35 shots: check out the Test 4 target that shows the gun clearly running low on gas. 

Or was that the result of a non-punctured or defective 12 Gram CO2 cartridge?

So, “How well does the Umarex Cowboy Rifle shoot pellets?” Actually quite well, especially considering it was not designed to do so. But, with the possible exception of Cowboy Action Shooting, why would you want to?

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Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action CO2 BB Air Rifle

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Umarex Legends Cowboy Rifle

The post How Well Does The Umarex Cowboy Rifle Shoot Pellets? appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

A few weeks ago, HAM Publisher Stephen Archer called-in at the Velocity Outdoor headquarters in Bloomfield, New York. While I was waiting, Airgun Product Manager Phillip Guadalupe passed-by the reception desk carrying a regulated Marauder air rifle. That’s the “Field and Target” model.

Of course, he stopped to say “hello”. And also to ask what I was doing there! (I had arrived for a completely different purpose).

Naturally I had to ask Phillip about the air rifle he was carrying. It was, he replied, a .177 caliber Regulated Marauder air rifle he had taken from the production line.

Velocity Outdoor tests every PCP they manufacture on a special fixture. That comes after they have already conducted a leak test to ensure the gun hold full pressure.

During this test, a highly-experienced member of the manufacturing team records the Muzzle Velocity. Marauders are adjusted so that FPS matches the company’s internal manufacturing specifications.

Once the Muzzle Velocity has been set, the gun is then given an accuracy test on the fixture. Phillip was holding a test target from this fixture.

But, instead of the normal 5-shot accuracy test, Phillip had fired this regulated Marauder air rifle for 100 shots. He had done this using 10.5 Grain Crosman Ultra Magnum domed pellets.

Then he had run another test. This time firing 90 shots. As you can see, both groups showed great accuracy. Yes, I know the test fixture is at just 10 Yards, but that’s still far enough to give a good indication of accuracy with a large enough group.

Also interesting was the FPS data he had written on the target…

The regulated Marauder air rifle Phillip had in his hands showed extremely impressive consistency across the 90-shot string:

Maximum 876 FPS.
Minimum 853 FPS
Extreme Spread 33 FPS
Standard Deviation 3 FPS

It’s interesting to compare these results from this regulated Marauder to those of the .22 caliber gun tested by HAM some time back.

PhiIlip’s test was definitely not conducted for publication – we just stumbled into each other by chance that day. His test was purely for internal use. But I whipped-out my iPhone and that unscheduled meeting was recorded for posterity…

Thanks Phillip!

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Benjamin Marauder Field And Target Air Rifle

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Benjamin Marauder Field And Target

The post Phillip’s Regulated Marauder Air Rifle Performance Test appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Low-end PCP air rifles are a hot segment in the airgun world right now. So many folk want to know what is the best $200 PCP air rifle for me?

Let’s take a look at three top contenders in this market segment. They all won coveted HAM Gold Awards in our consistent, structured test reviews. This means they’re all great guns!

In this feature, we’ll summarize the HAM test data and conclusions on these three $200 PCPs. Of course, everyone has their own specific requirements, likes and wants. You can use this to help you make your own choice…

The best $200 PCP contenders are (in alphabetical order):

1. Beeman Chief

2. Benjamin Maximus

3. Diana Stormrider

Beeman Chief

HAM tested the Chief in .177 caliber. In fact, it was a pre-production 2017 SHOT Show demonstration model. It achieved an excellent 83% score in HAM testing and gained a HAM Gold Award.

It’s a single, shot, bolt action air rifle with no regulator or silencer. We found the Chief to be loud but powerful, peaking at just on 20 Ft/Lbs Muzzle Energy even in .177 caliber. This makes it great choice as a low cost PCP hunter.

With a maximum fill pressure of just 2,000 PSI – like all three of our contestants – the Chief is easy to fill with a hand pump. We found it accurate with a wide range of pellets.

Although unregulated, the shot curve is pretty predictable. And some people will find the comb of the wood stock too low for a consistent cheek weld.

The Chief is currently selling at a Street Price of $180 and it has a 1-year warranty.

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Beeman QB Chief PCP Air Rifle

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Beeman QB Chief

Benjamin Maximus

HAM tested this $200 PCP air rifle in .22 caliber. It was a regular production gun and – as always – we shot it straight out of the box.

The Maximus achieved an 82% score in HAM testing. That’s identical to the Chief for all practical purposes. It also gained a HAM Gold Award.

Like the Chief, the Maximus has rather limited space for pellet-loading. It wasn’t pellet-picky and produced a strong Muzzle Energy of 22 Ft/Lbs in .22 caliber. It’s another great hunting airgun.

Again, the 2,000 PSI fill pressure makes the Maximus easy to fill with a hand pump. The main downside was the heavy trigger. And there will be people who don’t like the synthetic stock – although it is fitted with sling swivels.

Street Price for the Maximus is $190. It comes with a manufacturer’s 5-year warranty. That’s a best in class.

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Benjamin Maximus Air Rifle

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BENJAMIN MAXIMUS AIR RIFLE

Diana Stormrider

The Chief and Maximus are broadly similar in concept. But the Stormrider offers a different approach to being the best $200 PCP air rifle.

It’s is the only model in this segment to offer magazine pellet feed.

HAM tested the Stormrider in .177 caliber. It attained a score of 79% and a HAM Gold Award. Please note that this review was of an original “Generation One” Stormrider.

Diana has a policy of continuous improvements for their products and there’s now a “Gen Two” Stormrider. This is a similar gun with an improved silencer – not present on the Maximus and Chief – and improved trigger. That would undoubtedly lead to higher scores in a future HAM review!

We found the Stormrider slightly more pellet-picky than the other two models. It was slightly less powerful at around 18.5 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy in .177 caliber. The shot count was lower than the other two. And we’re a little worried about the robustness of that long, unsupported barrel…

Diana has an exciting range of options available for the Stormrider. These include a left-hand bolt conversion capabilities, a regulator upgrade, single shot tray and more. HAM will be looking at these when we test the Stormrider Gen 2.

The Gen 2 Stormrider sells at a Street Price of $200 and has a one year warranty. (The Gen 1 model was latterly selling at $170).

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Diana Stormrider Multi-shot PCP Air Rifle 0.177

So what’s the best $200 PCP air rifle?

If you want a powerful, single shot hunter, or are not concerned about noise, the Chief and Maximus are very tough to separate. It may well come down to a preference for the Chief’s wood stock or the security of the 5-year warranty that comes with the Maximus.

Although the “Gen One” Stormrider trailed just a little in HAM testing, it’s likely that the Gen 2 version will score higher – maybe a lot higher. HAM will be reviewing this model in depth soon.

Because all three are HAM Gold Award winners, you can be sure that one of them will be the best $200 PCP air rifle for you. It’s great to have choices!

PS. You can check out the links in this review to access the full, original HAM test reviews for each model.

The post What’s The Best $200 PCP Air Rifle For Me? appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Amazingly, the year is half way through! So, it’s time to check out the 2019 most popular air rifle reviews so far this year.

Firstly, a big THANK YOU to all Hard Air Magazine readers! This is YOUR choice of the 2019 most popular air rifle reviews to date.

In the first six months of 2019, HAM readers read a total of over 280,000 product reviews. And you paid really attention to these reviews, spending an average of over 4 minutes and 30 seconds reading each one.

That’s over 21,000 hours spent reading HAM product reviews! WOW!

So here are your Top Ten most popular air rifle reviews…

Top Position – Umarex Gauntlet .25 Caliber

It was a close run thing for the HAM 2019 most popular air rifle review for the first half of the year. But the .25 caliber Umarex Gauntlet gained the crown. As well as a Gold Award in doing so.

Obviously many of you are looking for a powerful, regulated PCP hunting air rifle at an outstanding price.

Congratulations to Umarex!

For more information on the Gauntlet in all calibers, check out HAM’s hard copy book Choosing and Shooting the Umarex Gauntlet.

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Umarex Gauntlet PCP Air Rifle, Synthetic Stock

Number Two – Weihrauch HW100

The Weihrauch HW100 is a long-running favorite of HAM readers and the HAM Team, too! It’s another HAM Gold Award winner, of course…

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Weihrauch HW100 .177 Cal

Third Place – FX Dreamlite

Many of you wanted to read all about FX Airguns’ new Dreamlite. It’s part of the Dreamline product platform that’s becoming available in an amazing profusion of models.

Is it a HAM Gold Award winner? Yip, you bet!

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FX Dreamlite, DonnyFL Moderator

Number Four – ATi Nova Freedom

The American Tactical Nova Freedom is an interesting and innovative PCP with a built-in hand pump and an attractive price. It’s very tunable and the HAM Team liked it a lot. It’s another HAM Gold Award winner.

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American Tactical Nova Freedom

Number Five – Diana Outlaw

The HAM Gold Award-winning Outlaw is an attractive PCP offering a great blend of value and performance. The side lever operation and stylish design are obviously making HAM readers look a lot at this gun.

If you want a ton more information beyond the review, it’s all in the HAM hard copy book Choosing and Shooting The Diana Outlaw.

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Diana Outlaw

Number Six – FX Impact

Who wouldn’t want an FX Impact? It’s the “AR15 of the airgun world” and a natural HAM Gold Award winner. All we need is the money…

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FX Impact Air Rifle

Number Seven – Weihrauch HW97K

Our most popular review of a non-PCP air rifle! The HW97K is a long-standing favorite of HAM readers and knowledgeable shooters. It’s another HAM Gold Award winner!

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Weihrauch HW97K

Number Eight – SIG SAUER MCX

The MCX was one of the original SIG Air products. It continues to be very popular with a huge range of buyers. The only CO2-powered firearms replica in this list, like its close cousin the MPX, it’s widely used as a plinker and firearms trainer.

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SIG Sauer MCX CO2 Rifle + Scope, Black

Number Nine – Gamo Swarm Maxxim

This was the gun that started the multi-shot breakbarrel trend.HAM found the cocking and loading to be flawless when we tested the Swarm Maxxim in this review. It’s a HAM Bronze Award winner.

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Gamo Swarm Maxxim IGT Air Rifle

Number Ten – SIG SAUER ASP20

The new SIG SAUER ASP20 takes a different spin on the traditional, single-shot breakbarrel. It incorporates lots of new technology and was another HAM Gold Award winner.

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SIG Sauer ASP20 Gas-Piston Breakbarrel Air Rifle, Beech

Again, thanks to all of you for reading HAM test reviews! Will these air rifles still lead the pack at the year end? One thing’s for sure, we’ll let you know very early in 2010!

The post 2019 Most Popular Air Rifle Reviews To Date appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Chad Kentner brings us his review of the Daisy 599 Target Air Rifle. You can check-out his video below, too. Take it away Chad…

It is not often that the US Market is the first to see a product produced in Europe. However this has been the case for Daisy’s newest edition to their target air rifle lineup.

The Daisy 599 Target Air Rifle is built in the UK. It comes standard with a Cold Hammer Forged BSA barrel, adjustable stock, removable quick fill air cylinder, two stage trigger and match sights. The price comes in at a very reasonable $595.00.

As you may have guessed from the barrel, this rifle is also being marketed by BSA as the BSA Silver Star. That model is available in both .22 and .177 configurations and was introduced after the Daisy version this past February.

You might be asking yourself, why would I have any interest in 10M target shooting?

Well, many people are! And in my experience, it is one of the best training methods for all types of shooting situations. That’s because it forces one to control your breathing, strengthen your core, and – most importantly – develop trigger control.

All three of these will help with accuracy in benchrest, Field Target, hunting or even the impromptu plinking session.

I have been using this particular 10M air rifle for several months now and have really enjoyed the accuracy, quality and ease of use.

Beginning with the beech stock, you will notice that it is ambidextrous. There’s stippling for additional grip, an accessory rail under the foregrip, adjustable comb and a shoulder pad that not only adjusts for height, but length of pull too.

The wonderful part is that there is enough built in adjustability to not only fit someone of adult stature (6’0”) as well as youth shooters.

The breech features a modern straight pull T-Handle bolt, a generously sized loading gate, and a dovetail sight rail.

The Daisy 599 also comes with a two-stage adjustable match trigger. There are four screws on and around the trigger housing. These allow you to adjust the first stage, sear engagement, second stage weight and second stage overtravel.

So you can set just the right feel and a trigger that is crisp, consistent and just to your liking. Another aspect of the trigger that I liked is the ability to adjust the angle of the trigger blade to fit your specific trigger pull. As a personal preference, I don’t particularly like a straight trigger blade, for example.

Another interesting aspect of this air rifle is the air cylinder. First and foremost it is easily removable and comes with the valve built into the cylinder. Daisy also supplies numerous o-rings in the box for the potential need of a reseal during a match and looks easy to do so by an average airgunner.

A plastic cap covers the fill port and it uses a standard BSA fill probe to recharge the cylinder. Don’t forget the quick disconnect fitting for your fill probe if you order the rifle as one is not supplied.

The owner’s manual says that the HPA cylinders of the Daisy 599 Target Air Rifle are also power configurable. The cylinder shipped with the air rifle shoots at around 6 Ft/Lbs of energy.

However it is always nice to to have options and this got me to digging further into this. Although the Daisy website doesn’t state anything about additional cylinders or adjusting the one it came with, more information was available on the BSA website where it states that cylinders are available in both 6 and 12 Ft/Lb. versions.

I hope that in time Daisy will bring 12 Ft/Lb cylinders into the U.S. market too.

Having all of the makings of an excellent air rifle, we have yet to cover the information that is most important to both me and you as a shooter. That is to know if the Daisy 599 is accurate, how many shots to get and how does it feel from a shooter’s perspective?

Beginning with the chronograph data, I was able to shoot 152 shots off a single fill in .177 caliber.

Of those shots I noticed three distinct patterns based on fill pressure. The first third of the fill was shooting around 540 FPS, the second third of the fill was shooting around 550 FPS and the last third of the shot string was shooting around 555-560 FPS.

This may seem like a considerable spread to some. But keep in mind that at our distance of 10M this has little to no impact on shot placement of and at this price I am very happy.

Knowing that this particular rifle was shooting consistently over a long period of time made me excited as to what it could do on the range. To garner the best results and to take as much human error out of the equation as possible I started with shooting the Daisy 599 Target Air Rifle off a bipod.

Grouping outdoors at 10M wasn’t even a real task for this air rifle. It was shooting a single hole using RWS wadcutters each and every time I tried.

Of particular importance to me is the option to not only shoot this rifle with a diopter sight, but the ability to add a scope too.

Mounting the MTC Optics Mamba Ultra Lite 3-10×40 scope on the Daisy 599 allowed me to take this 6 Ft/Lb rifle out to 25 Yards. As one might expect with a lower power air rifle, groups did begin to open up slightly…

After trying a variety of pellets, I found using JSB Exact Express 7.87 gr. pellets provided the best results. The best group of the day consisted of 3 pellets through one hole and two that I pulled a little to the left for a group size of .33 CTC.

I wouldn’t be doing this rifle justice without actually taking it to one of our local 10M clubs and giving it a go. Back in March, I was able to meet up at Germania in Columbus, Ohio for a match.

On my first outing with the Daisy 599, I was able to best my previous top scores with a new personal best of 63.5 as scored by the Orion Scoring system. This was not only a personal best, but was also good enough for third place on the night!

I attribute much of the improvement to the rifle and the comfort level I was able to achieve with the adjustable stock, nice trigger system and of course the Cold Forged Barrel.

Whether you are a member of a high school rifle team (JROTC, 4-H, etc…), local competitor, or just was to practice with a well balanced and accurate rifle; the Daisy 599 Target Air Rifle may just be the rifle you have been looking for.

The post Daisy 599 Target Air Rifle Review appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

VALUE FOR MONEY

At a Street Price of $129.95, a ton of people will buy the Ruger 10/22 air rifle – on the name if nothing else. It’s a very realistic-looking replica of the semi-auto rimfire.

For the increasing number of airgun shooters who want to use alloy pellets, this big news is that the Ruger 10/22 air rifle tested by HAM shot extremely well with them. In fact, better than with lead pellets – that’s very unusual!

And most buyers are likely to be happy with the performance if the gun is used as a backyard plinker and fun shooter.

Like the rimfire 10/22, if you want to make full use of the accuracy, you’ll need to scope the gun. And you’ll need to buy a dedicated 10/22 Picatinny rail adapter. Both are extra cost and – together – can double the price of the basic airgun.

But this is not a hunting air rifle and – perhaps more importantly – it’s NOT a semi auto. For those who are familiar with the capabilities of blowback-operated, CO2-powered, full/semi auto replica BB guns such as the Umarex Legends MP40, for example, that will be a big disappointment.

Note, the sling is not included. We added a set of Uncle Mike’s sling swivels and a web “Chicom” sling as part of our testing. HAM Publisher Stephen Archer likes slings on rifles!

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Ruger 10/22 CO2 Air Rifle .177 0.177

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Ruger 10/22 CO2 Air Rifle

REALISM – LOOKS AND FEEL

Compared to the rimfire 10/22 original, this airgun is an EXTREMELY close copy of the all-weather, synthetic-stocked version. The weight is around half a pound lighter for the airgun, but that’s about the only significant difference.

Overall look and feel is just like that of the firearm. The Ruger company website endorses this airgun as a faithful representation of the 10/22. It’s very hard to argue with that!

The rear sight has limited elevation capabilities, adjusted with a clamp screw. However, the front sight is not drift-adjustable for windage, hence the need for some type of optical sight to achieve the accuracy of which this gun is capable.

ACCURACY AND POINT OF IMPACT

The Ruger 10/22 air rifle proved to be very accurate with most of the HAM standard test pellets. In fact it’s one of the very few air rifles tested by HAM that displayed best accuracy with alloy pellets!

Obviously this is a low-powered plinker, but accuracy at 10 Yards was excellent with the H&N Field Target Trophy Green pellets. It was also very acceptable out at 25 Yards, as this test target shows. Note that HAM Tester Doug Wall left the scope elevation setting unchanged from the 10-yard zero to illustrate the change in Point Of Impact at the increased range.

Excellent accuracy was also achieved firing Crosman Premier HP pellets. (See the test target below). This is an important trait for any budget air rifle as these pellets are available almost everywhere and are an immensely popular purchase from big box stores. Many buyers of the 10/22 air rifle will undoubtedly use these pellets, so it’s good that they performed well in the HAM test gun.

The firearm Ruger 10/22 has no scope mounting capabilities, so – as an accurate replica – the 10/22 air rifle follows this lead exactly. It also means that the airgun has that rear sight of very limited adjustment capabilities. So a scope is definitely required to make use of the gun’s excellent accuracy potential.

Like the rimfire, installing a scope on a 10/22 requires fitting a separate scope rail. The HAM Team installed a Leapers UTG Picatinny rail mount. This was designed and intended for installation on the firearm and it fitted perfectly.

Then we installed an UTG Bugbuster on the rail for our testing. A compact, light rifle needs a compact, light scope! There’s more detail on this in a previous HAM post.

This rail and scope combination worked very well, but just about doubled the $129.99 cost of the gun! A cheaper alternative would be to use a red/green dot sight like this Leapers UTG SCP-DS3068W shown below. But you’ll still need the Picatinny rail adapter.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The headline claim for the Ruger 10/22 air rifle is that it has the look and feel of the rimfire original. That’s clearly well achieved!

Umarex claims a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 700 FPS with alloy pellets. HAM achieved a maximum of 666 FPS using lightweight Gamo alloy pellets at 67 degrees F.

Like all CO2-powered airguns, the 10/22 air rifle shoots faster in warmer temperatures. In fact the difference is about 2 FPS per degree F change in temperature. This means that – had the HAM test gun been shot in a 90 degree environment – it would have achieved 712 FPS, exceeding the manufacturer’s claim.

Umarex is also scrupulously accurate in its description of the gun, describing it as a “multi-shot air rifle”. This is true and the company is to be commended for not trying to claim that the 10/22 air rifle has a semi-automatic action. Some other companies are less scrupulous in this type of description for their airguns…

CONSISTENCY

The Ruger 10/22 air rifle tested by HAM demonstrated impressive consistency for an airgun of this type and price.

Standard Deviation – the measure of shot-to-shot consistency within a string – was very creditable for a CO2-powered airgun at an average of 11.2 FPS. Muzzle Energy was also quite consistent at between 5.5 and 6.1 Lbs for 5 out of the 7 HAM standard test pellets.

Trigger pull weight in single-action mode was also consistent, with a variation of plus or minus 6 Oz around the 4 Lb 7 Oz average for the gun tested by HAM.

REALISM – TRIGGER AND ACTION

The Ruger 10/22 rimfire rifle is a semi-automatic. The 10/22 air rifle is not. There’s no blowback on this airgun, that makes a very significant difference!

In fact, the 10/22 air rifle CAN be fired by simply pulling the trigger. However it’s then operating as a double-action revolver and the trigger pull weight is extremely high – about 14 Lbs in the gun tested by HAM. Ouch!

The rimfire model is not renowned for a light trigger in stock form, but 6 Lbs is a more typical TPW in that case.

To reduce stress on the trigger finger and improve accuracy, the air rifle version can be operated as a straight-pull bolt action gun. In this case, the charging handle is pulled back before each shot. The trigger now operates single action and reduced the pull weight to a much more manageable 4 Lbs 7 Oz average on the gun tested by HAM.

HAM Tester Doug Wall used this “straight pull” bolt operation method for his shooting tests. It certainly gave good results, but definitely detracts from realism compared to the semi-automatic operation of the rimfire 10/22.

In single action mode, trigger pull is fairly long and it’s not easy to feel a distinct release point for the sear. Although double action gives that very heavy tripper pull, it is actually easier to feel the “wall” where trigger release will take place.

The charging handle also has two stages. The second (harder) stage rotates the magazine and brings a new pellet into position for firing.

Operation of the charging handle requires a fairly short travel. However, it requires about 18 Lbs of effort which – due to the size of the handle – can only be done with one finger. Whether fired single- or double-action, the HAM testers acquired a sore finger when shooting the 10/22 air rifle!

SHOT COUNT

The 10/22 tested by HAM produced 60 shots from a fill of two fresh 12 Gram CO2 cartridges before the Muzzle Velocity fell below 300 FPS. After this, the pellets were being “lobbed”, as Doug Wall recorded in his testing notes. The temperature for this test was 68 degrees F.

This number of shots is acceptable for a CO2-powered air rifle, however it’s far from outstanding. Given the 110 shots from a pair of fresh CO2 cartridges delivered by the Umarex Legends Cowboy rifle (albeit shooting BBs), the HAM testers had expected better, especially as both guns are almost certainly manufactured in the same Taiwanese factory and neither has blowback operation.

It’s possible that the the very tight grip on the pellets by the pellet clip may cause this relatively low shot count, as a relatively large amount of energy (= CO2) would be required to unseat a pellet every time one is fired.

MUZZLE VELOCITY

The Ruger 10/22 air rifle tested by HAM delivered a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 666 FPS shooting 4.7 Grain Gamo Platinum PBA pellets. (As explained above, this could translate to as high as 712 FPS at higher temperatures.

As usual, 7.0 Grain RWS Hobby pellets produced the highest Muzzle Velocity with lead, giving 589 FPS at the 67 Degree test temperature.

As this table shows, here was one of the rare occasions where (almost) the fastest-firing pellets also gave the best accuracy. The 5.56 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy Green pellets gave 645 FPS, together with excellent accuracy in HAM testing.

Given the physics of using CO2 as an airgun power source, somewhere around 700 FPS is a very acceptable peak Muzzle Velocity for a mass-manufactured air rifle in .177 caliber. So the 10/22 delivers in this respect.

But note that – with this power level – the 10/22 air rifle is strictly a plinker. A Muzzle Energy of around 6 Ft/Lbs is not enough for hunting, except maybe very small critters at very close range and if the shooter is a very good shot. HAM recommends buying a more powerful air rifle if you want to hunt!

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

Overall appearance and finish of the 10/22 air rifle are very good. The 10/22 has simple, smooth lines and this is well represented by the airgun version.

Visible metal parts are well finished, with Ruger branding applied sharply and clearly.

The synthetic stock is likewise nicely executed. Mold seams are minimized and the surface textures are well executed both on the top – where they’re obviously most visible – and on the underside (where they’re not).

BUYING AND OWNING

The Ruger 10/22 air rifle is readily available online from your usual favorite stores such as Pyramyd Air and Airgun Depot. We can also expect to see it sold in many big box sporting goods stores also.

There’s a one-year warranty provided by Umarex USA from their Arkansas facility. The Owner’s Manual is well-illustrated and offers guidance in English, French and Spanish. However, it gives no guidance on what to do in the case of a jam.

Pellet loading is achieved by removing the magazine assembly from the un-cocked gun. Then the red rotary pellet clip can be removed to load pellets.

At least it can be removed after the retaining catch has been pulled back (it’s the part marked 214 in the photograph below). Pulling this catch back can be a fingernail-breaking affair as it’s very tight – at least on the gun tested by HAM.

A further loading wrinkle is that you need to give some attention to ensuring that pellets are correctly inserted in the red rotary clip.

The Owners Manual warns against allowing pellet heads to protrude in front of the clip face. However the HAM Team found that many types of pellet needed to be seated into the clip using a pellet-seating tool or similar. Using a tool allows all pellets to be correctly located against the step in the clip for uniform operation.

Either way, if a pellet head or skirt hangs outside the red pellet clip, there’s a good chance that it could cause a jam. That would likely be very difficult to clear given the enclosed nature of the feed system. So attention is required when loading pellets for the 10/22 air rifle!

Regular 12 Gram CO2 cartridges are loaded in through the butt, with their round ends back-to-back. They are pierced and retained in place by the metal spacer. This is tightened using the Allen (hex) wrench built into the butt plate.

SAFETY FIRST. Due to the realistic appearance of this product, handle it as you would a firearm. Do not display it in public or in any place where it could be mistaken for a cartridge firearm.

TEST TARGETS

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

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Ruger 10/22 CO2 Air Rifle .177 0.177

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Ruger 10/22 CO2 Air Rifle

The post Ruger 10/22 Air Rifle Test Review appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

“What’s the best $300 PCP for me?” That’s been one of the most widely-asked questions in airgunning over the last couple of years.

To be more precise, the question really is “What’s the best regulated, silenced, magazine-fed PCP $300 air rifle for me?”

This is the market segment that was created by the launch of the Umarex Gauntlet. It’s become ultra-competitive as other manufacturers have introduced their own products with similar specifications for the magic $299.99 price point.

Let’s take a look at three top contenders in this market segment. They all won coveted HAM Gold Awards in our consistent, structured test reviews. This means they’re all great guns!

In this feature, we’ll summarize the HAM test data and conclusions on these $300 PCPs. Of course, everyone has their own specific requirements, likes and wants. You can use this to help you make your own choice of the best $300 PCP for you…

The best $300 PCP contenders are (in alphabetical order):

1. American Tactical Nova Liberty

2. Benjamin Fortitude

3. Umarex Gauntlet

American Tactical Nova Liberty

HAM tested this model in .22 caliber with a wood stock. The wood stock option pushes the price up to $349.99. But there’s an otherwise identical synthetic-stocked model at $299.99. The stock makes no difference to performance, of course!

The Nova Liberty gained an an outstanding 88% score in HAM testing and gained a Hard Air Magazine Gold Award. We found the best accuracy with heavy H&N Baracuda Match pellets.

Compared to the other models listed here, it is the only one with a sidelever cocking action. This is a definite advantage for operation compared to a regular bolt action used by the Gauntlet and Fortitude. It’s also the only one with a wood stock option and the only gun with open sights. (Naturally, you can also use a scope if required).

You can read the full HAM review here.

Currently, the Nova Liberty is available at a special “20% Off” to HAM readers. Just click through from the ad on the HAM Home Page…

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Nova Liberty PCP Air Rifle

Benjamin Fortitude

The Benjamin Fortitude is another HAM Gold Award winner. It scored 84% in HAM testing.

However, Velocity Outdoor has since introduced a “Generation Two” version of this gun with an adjustable hammer spring and other improvements. You can see the benefits of this in a second test we published here.

The result of the “Gen 2” modifications is to provide a greater shot count. It’s up to 70 consistent shots from 60 in HAM testing in .22 caliber. The trigger pull is somewhat better, too.

The Fortitude is the smallest and lightest of our three contenders. It also has the longest manufacturer’s warranty at 5 years. That’s best in class.

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Benjamin Fortitude PCP Air Rifle, Regulated

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Benjamin Fortitude Air Rifle

Umarex Gauntlet

This is the gun that started the whole “$300 regulated PCP” category. It’s still the one to beat as it combines a great shot count with power, accuracy and a long warranty.

For many buyers, the Gauntlet also has one overwhelming advantage – it’s available in .25 caliber. Our other top picks are not.

Unlike the others, the Gauntlet has an interchangeable HPA tank. There’s also a growing range of aftermarket parts, upgrades and accessories being made available for it. That’s a sure sign of large sales and an enthusiastic user base.

HAM has tested the Gauntlet twice. Each time it earned a Gold Award. In .22 caliber it scored 88%. In .25 cal, the score was 89%. These are great numbers for any air rifle of this price.

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Umarex Gauntlet PCP Air Rifle, Synthetic Stock

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Umarex Gauntlet Regulated PCP Air Rifle

So what’s the best $300 PCP for me?

If you want .25 caliber, it’s an easy choice. It has to be the Umarex Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is also a great choice in the other calibers, too.

For a sophisticated alternative that provides sidelever cocking and the option of a wood stock, the Nova Liberty heads the pack.

If you value light weight, the potential for adjusting the shot count/power ratio and the security of a five year warranty, it has to be the Benjamin Fortitude.

Because all three are HAM Gold Award winners, you can be sure that one of them will be the best $300 PCP air rifle for you. It’s your choice!

PS. You can check out the links in this review to access the full, original HAM test reviews for each model.

The post What’s The Best $300 PCP For Me? appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The P365 firearm retails at around $500. The P365 BB pistol sells at a Street Price of $79.95. That’s about one sixth of the price of the identical-looking firearm.

Given the realism, performance and quality finish of this blowback BB pistol, the question has to be “How can they do this for less than $80?”

Overall, replica BB pistols are of amazingly high quality and offer great value for money. The P365 BB pistol is outstanding even in this company. It offers all the functionality BB pistoleeros want except for firearms-like field strip capability.

Given the size, performance and price, we’re happy to give SIG Air a pass on field stripping. The P365 BB pistol is clearly great value!

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Sig Sauer P365 ASP Air Pistol 12-shot BB Magazine

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Sig Sauer P365 BB Pistol

REALISM – LOOKS AND FEEL

The P365 BB pistol looks like the firearms version. It feels like the centerfire model too. Overall size and weight are very similar. So are operational controls.

Here we have a very close replica of the P365 concealed-carry firearm. In fact, the term “replica” is almost incorrect. As both the firearm and BB gun are produced by the same company, it’s probably better to regard the P365 BB pistol as a version of the 9mm P365, rather than as a replica.

First impressions are that the P365 is almost impossibly small. What’s even more remarkable is that it has a functioning drop-free magazine.

This magazine contains the BBs and their loading system. It also incorporates the firing valve and the 12 Gram CO2 cartridge. This has to be the smallest drop-free magazine we’ve yet seen.

As can be seen from the photograph below, the complete magazine is very little larger than the CO2 cartridge. As making mechanical things small is always difficult, this means that some remarkable design engineering has been involved in the production of the P365 BB pistol!

ACCURACY AND POINT OF IMPACT

As a concealed carry firearm, the SIG SAUER P365 is not intended – or expected – to be a precision target pistol. It’s a close range tool for last-ditch personal protection.

However, the P365 BB pistol tested by HAM easily exceeded our “minute of soda can” tests at 6 Yards with all of the regular HAM test BBs. It actually displayed superior grouping to the SIG 1911 Max Michel BB Pistol a while back.

So, in this case, small size does not preclude good “BB gun level” accuracy at 6 Yards. The group only widened-out at 10 Yards, as you can see below. This is very good performance and – frankly – better than the HAM Team was expecting!

HAM Tester Doug Wall found that “our” P365 BB pistol shot 2 – 3 Inches low at 6 yards when using the 6 O’Clock hold sight picture recommended in the Operator’s Manual.

By using a center hold, Doug achieved good groupings in the center of the target at 6 Yards. The gun shot very low at 10 yards. But again, we need to remember that the P365 is intended for close range use.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The major claim for the P365 BB pistol is that it represents a well-nigh exact version of the 9mm firearm. It certainly does!

Moreover, because of this similarity, it can be used as a training tool by owners of the P365 firearm. Again, we have an emphatic “yes”.

As this is an airgun, there’s the inevitable questions about Muzzle Velocity. SIG claims a maximum of 295 FPS for the P365 BB pistol. The P365 tested by HAM significantly exceeded this.

The fastest FPS achieved in HAM testing was 298 FPS average for a 10-shot string of Umarex Steel BBs. This included a first shot as high as 318 FPS.

As always, the projectile velocity attained by CO2-powered airguns varies with temperature. It increases by about 2 FPS per degree Farenheit increase.

As HAM testing was undertaken at a cool 68 degrees F, this means that the 298 FPS average we recorded would be as high as 342 FPS at a 90 degree ambient temperature. That’s waaaaaaay above the manufacturer’s claims!

CONSISTENCY

The P365 BB pistol tested by HAM displayed fair consistency. Accuracy was very good or better with all the standard HAM test BBs at 6 Yards.

As with any CO2-powered airgun, the P365 BB pistol shoots slower and slower throughout the string. The slowing of successive shots is fairly predictable. Standard Deviation (the measure of shot-to-shot FPS variability in a string) was quite satisfactory for a BB gun at an average of 15.64 FPS.

The trigger pull weight varied by up to 10 Oz around its 7 Lb 14 Oz average. Again this was satisfactory and not really felt in use.

REALISM – TRIGGER AND ACTION

HAM Tester Doug Wall found the trigger pull of the P365 BB pistol to be “fairly smooth, but long”.  The sample tested by HAM also had a trigger pull weight that averaged around 7 Lbs 14 Oz. This is a Pound or so over the specs for the firearms version.

However, as a true blowback pistol, the trigger is not involved in advancing the projectile for the next shot. This makes it a genuine semi-automatic action, just like that of the 9mm version.

The blowback action felt good. However – being really picky – it’s true that the slide locks back at about half the travel of the firearm. It’s also less than the maximum slide travel of the pistol when firing.

This is a characteristic shared by several other blowback BB pistols. In this case, it’s probably another result of the very small size of the P365.

The safety lever is ambidextrous, functioning correctly from both sides of the gun. This is an improvement on some previous SIG Air pistols, which had the safety operable on one side only.

Safety operation was smooth and effective under test.

Another good feature of the P365 BB pistol is that the slide locks open after the last BB has been fired from the magazine. This is excellent and a feature that’s not present on many semi-automatic BB pistols which allow the gun to be “blank fired” even when no BBs are left in the magazine.

Again. another feature which replicates the action of the firearm realistically.

SHOT COUNT

In HAM testing, the P365 BB pistol achieved 60 shots from one 12 Gram CO2 cartridge. That was before the Muzzle Velocity dropped to 200 FPS.

60 shots per fill is slightly less than average for the blowback replica pistols tested by HAM. However, as is indicated in that story, there’s only a certain amount of energy contained in one 12 Gram CO2 cartridge.

CO2-powered airgun designers have to achieve many things with that fixed amount of gas. In the case of the P365 BB pistol, it’s likely that the requirement for extremely small size trumped FPS and shot count. The HAM Team understand this and feels that the designers made some good calls in producing this air pistol

As with centerfire pistols, you can’t have it all in a concealed-carry package!

MUZZLE VELOCITY

Muzzle Velocity of the P365 BB pistol tested by HAM was adequate at between 265 and 300 FPS, depending on the BB used. CO2-powered airguns will tend to shoot faster with a longer barrel.

The P365 has a very short barrel, so it’s no surprise that Muzzle Velocity is on the low side for a blowback replica BB pistol. That’s exactly what we would expect but it’s still plenty powerful enough to put holes in paper.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

Overall appearance and finish of the P365 BB pistol tested by HAM was excellent.

The quality of the metal slide molding was very good and the finish uniform matt black. The quality of the plastic frame molding was even better – in the HAM Team’s opinion. In particular, the quality of the molded stippling on the pistol grip was quite outstanding.

Interestingly, the gun tested by HAM has the serial number 19DK00001. SIG Air confirms that this is a genuine production pistol and not a pre-production unit. In that case, the number makes us think that the HAM test gun was the very first production P365 BB pistol!

(Apologies for the pesky dust in the photograph below. We’ll make sure that the photographer does better next time!).

Another good feature is that the obligatory warning notices – “This is not a toy” etc – are printed very unobtrusively on the underside of the frame. This obviously complies with legal requirements while not offending the sensibilities of the many CO2 replica buyers who find such warnings displayed in bold white text to be irritating and unrealistic.

BUYING AND OWNING

The P365 BB pistol is supplied complete with a well-written and illustrated manual. It’s in English only. There’s also a very substantial 1/4-Inch Allen wrench and a pack of steel BBs to get you started. (That’s even though SIG does not sell BBs as a separate item).

In common with other SIG Air products, the P365 is well packaged. Many $80 pistols are clamshell packaged. Here we have a nice card sleeve with a two-part plastic inner.

This packaging looks classy and protects the gun well during its journey to you. It also costs money and it’s good to see that SIG is not cutting corners on presentation to achieve the remarkably low price.

SIG has not skimped on warranty coverage either! The P365 BB pistol has a 12-month warranty from the company. This compares well with the 90-day coverage offered by some other manufacturers of replica BB pistols.

Note that the P365 BB pistol is not field-strippable and SIG recommends that the gun is not disassembled for any reason.

There’s one operational matter to bear in mind when loading the P365. It’s covered in the Operator’s Manual, but it’s worth repeating here…

BB loading is very easy. There’s a notch in the magazine to hold down the BB follower: that’s good. However, BBs are loaded through the top of the magazine and – rather unusually – there’s loading port tab that must be pulled down to insert the BBs.

This is one additional step than is normal for BB loading, but this operation soon becomes intuitive after loading a few magazines. Spare magazines are available and it would be a great plan to buy a few extra to maximize range time.

SAFETY FIRST. As with all BB-firing airguns, it’s necessary to wear shooting glasses when firing this airgun. Also do not shoot at hard surfaces or water. BBs tend to bounce off these surfaces and may hit you, or something other than what you intended. If in doubt, don’t pull the trigger! Due to the realistic appearance of this product, handle it as you would a firearm. Do not display it in public or in any place where it could be mistaken for a cartridge firearm.

5 YARD TEST TARGETS

10 YARD TEST TARGET

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Sig Sauer P365 ASP Air Pistol 12-shot BB Magazine

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Sig Sauer P365 BB Pistol

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

The post SIG Air P365 BB Pistol Test Review appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Recently a friend of mine became interested in airguns. So he asked “Steve, what’s the best break barrel air rifle for me?” Let’s offer some advice to Tom’s question in this post…

It turns out that Tom was interested in a traditional, break barrel air rifle because he was attracted by its simplicity. We talked about PCPs, but he didn’t feel that the complexity and need for additional charging equipment was for him. Tom wanted a pure, simple airgun shooting experience.

Tom also wanted a good quality air rifle. He didn’t want to spend $1,000, but he felt that for somewhere between $300 to $500 he should be able to buy a high quality break barrel airgun.

So here’s the suggestions I gave Tom to help him decide on the best break barrel air rifle for him. They are three HAM Gold Award-winning air rifles. In alphabetical order…

1. Beeman R9

2. SIG SAUER ASP20

3. Weihrauch HW50S

Beeman R9

The German-manufactured Beeman R9 is a long-running favorite. In fact, it’s manufactured by Weihrauch. It provides outstanding accuracy and shootability in a traditional spring/piston format.

If  Tom values quality and results more than muzzle velocity or the latest “must have” airgun technology, the R9 is a great choice for him.

Sure, the R9 doesn’t have a gas ram or a silencer. It doesn’t have Weaver scope rails. It doesn’t require lots of accessories. This is an air rifle for people who don’t need these things. It’s a pure, simple product that manages do make the process of shooting an air rifle enjoyable, satisfying and elegant in its simplicity.

But it does have Weihrauch’s outstanding Rekord trigger.

Selling at $400 plus the scope in .177 and .22 caliber (somewhat more in .20 cal), the R9 is in Tom’s price range. It is, of course a HAM Gold Award winner, achieving a 90% score in our comprehensive, standardized testing.

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Beeman R9 Elite Series Combo

SIG SAUER ASP20

The SIG ASP20 is powerful, accurate and consistent gas ram air rifle. Accuracy is excellent with the right pellets. It has a quality finish and sophisticated design. The price is right and the brand name is tops for a huge number of shooters.

The ASP20 is SIG Air’s first completely in-house designed and manufactured airgun. Tom will probably prefer the wood stock – he appreciates such things – and be happy with the $430 price (plus scope). There’s also a synthetic version available for $350, but otherwise identical.

This American-manufactured HAM Gold Award winner scored 89% on test. It’s an ultra-modern design that uses gas ram technology instead of the traditional spring.

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SIG SAUER ASP20 Beech

Weihrauch HW50

The Weihrauch HW50S air rifle is close to the perfect spring/piston air rifle.

It offers excellent accuracy, beautiful design and finish and great consistency. It’s carbine-like design is short and light. Recoil is very low and it’s fitted with the outstanding Record trigger. Another HAM Gold Award winner, it’s 85% score was a touch lower due to its lower power.

The Weihrauch HW50S air rifle can be found on sale for $317. Again, the choice of scope is left to Tom at additional cost.

For this price, the competition comes mainly from other high-end German spring/piston models. Considerably more power is available at considerably lower prices from a whole raft of other break barrel air rifles from multiple manufacturers.

So the HW50 is completely overwhelmed by the competition in specifications and price. But Tom is a sophisticated customer. He’s not looking for a Zillion FPS Muzzle Velocity or lots of unnecessary bells and whistles.

Quality, accuracy, consistency, easy shooting and a superb trigger are what interest him. In this respect, the Weihrauch HW50S delivers a strong value proposition.

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Weihrauch HW50S

So what’s the best break barrel air rifle for Tom?

There’s no doubt that Tom would be happy with any of these three air rifles. All could be used for plinking, Field Target shooting and hunting. It just comes down to what type of shooting he intends to do most of the time.

If Tom decides that he mainly wants to hunt, the best break barrel air rifle for him will be the SIG SAUER ASP20. It has the most power – particularly in .22 caliber – and that’s vital to achieve the humane, one shot kill that all hunters strive for.

Should Tom decide that he’s more interested in plinking and other types of informal shooting, the Weihrauch HW50 will be the one to go for. It’s the easiest of the three to shoot all day. It will also be the most suitable for freinds of smaller physique who might have trouble cocking a more powerful break barrel.

But if Field Target competition or other more serious target shooting is to be top of the bill, Tom will be best to choose the Beeman R9 in .177 caliber.

Whichever model he chooses, Tom can check the targets at the foot of each test review to get an idea of the best pellets to use with his new air rifle.

Then all he needs is a scope and he’s ready to shoot. Tom loves UTG scopes (he’s used them with firearms), so I know that’s what he will choose to accompany his new air rifle.

The post Steve, What’s The Best Break Barrel Air Rifle For Me? appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Brocock Concept Lite is a recently introduced member of the company’s semi-bullpup PCP platform that was started with the (still available) Compatto a few years back.

With a Street Price of $1,200, it’s clearly not a low cost air rifle. However this pricing is at the lower end of the “quality” PCP market.

Given the quality of results and finish – not to mention the considerable customisability of the Concept Lite – it’s clearly great value for the price being asked. HAM Tester Doug Rogers, who’s used to high end air rifles, commented “I really like this gun” in his testing notes. That’s a definite recommendation!

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Brocock Concept Lite

SPEED AND ACCURACY

The Brocock Concept Lite tested by HAM achieved a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 1096.20 FPS with the lightest Gamo Platinum pellets in our standard test suite. The highest achieved with lead pellets was 989.30 FPS with 7.0 Grain RWS Hobbys.

However, most purchasers of this air rifle will be far less interested in these numbers than the 970-ish FPS that’s achieved with mid-weight domed lead pellets. This is a more suitable velocity for practical accuracy. Indeed, many knowledgeable owners may turn the power adjustment down a notch to obtain slightly slower numbers – at least in .177 caliber.

Overall accuracy displayed by the Brocock Concept tested by HAM was excellent. Moreover, it was excellent with a wide range of pellets. That’s very unusual and a significant benefit for many shooters. It means that the gun will likely work well with their existing favorite pellets, rather than require an extensive search to find a new “perfect pellet”.

HAM Tester Doug Rogers is convinced that the fliers on his 25-yard target below are the result of the “heavy looking” FFP reticle making it difficult for him to consistently find the bull. That tight group of 7 shots represents – he is convinced – the real accuracy of the air rifle.

That group has a Center-To-Center width of 0.2 Inches and a vertical CTC of 0.43 Inches. Pretty good! Obviously Doug had left the scope elevation turret unchanged after shooting the 10-Yard targets with the same H&N Baracuda Match pellets.

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

Trigger Pull Weight of the Brocock Concept Lite tested by HAM averaged just less than 2 Lbs 6 Oz. The first stage of the sample reviewed by HAM had an extremely light first stage. The second stage was very well defined and quite crisp. However, the average Trigger Pull Weight of 2 Lbs 6 Oz is clearly set for hunting use rather than target shooting.

The trigger is adjustable, so the pull weight could be lightened. However HAM always tests airguns with the trigger set as received, so we didn’t experiment with that.

The manual safety uses a side-to-side “paddle” lever for operation. This works very well for right-handed shooters. However, it’s less convenient for left-handers who will need to change their grip on the gun to knock off the safety before firing.

HAM Tester Doug Rogers really liked the the slick cocking action. The large, perforated bolt handle won his approval too. Doug thought that this was one of the best features of the gun from an operational perspective.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The manufacturer claims that the Brocock Concept Lite combines considerable versatility in configuration with high quality and light weight. That’s clearly been achieved!

Maximum power in .177 caliber is specified as 18 Ft/Lbs. The gun tested by HAM exceeded this with 18.37 Ft/Lbs using heavy H&N Baracuda Match pellets.

CONSISTENCY

The Brocock Concept Lite tested by HAM demonstrated excellent consistency in a number of ways.

First was the consistently excellent accuracy across multiple pellet types, as demonstrated by the test targets.

Next was the extremely low average Standard Deviation (the measure of shot-to-shot consistency within a string). This was just 3.34 FPS across the whole range of HAM test pellets. This is – we think – the best figure ever recorded.

Then there’s the trigger. The average Pull Weight was 2 Lbs 5.9 Ozs. The highest and lowest Pull Weights we recorded on test varied by only 1.5 Ounces. This is an entirely imperceptible level of variation and, again, is extremely low compared to almost any other air rifle HAM has tested.

As we can see from the shot count chart below, the Concept Lite tested by HAM produced 60 regulated shots from one fill of its small, 150 cc (9 cubic Inch) tank. Using JSB 7.87 Grain pellets, the average was 965 FPS for 60 shots, with a low of 955 FPS and a high of 974 FPS.

The Huma regulator’s set pressure was clearly reached at around shot 60. After this, the Muzzle Velocity declined steadily with decreasing HPA pressure as expected.

The gently – but steadily – increasing trend of increasing FPS across the shot string clearly indicates that the Concept Lite has been tuned at the factory for maximum shot count. (See HAM Technical Editor Bob Sterne’s post on Using Hammer Strike To Control PCP Power for more details). That explains the excellent shot count from a relatively small HPA tank.

NOISE LEVEL

The Concept Lite has a shrouded barrel that provides a quiet report when fired – especially considering the relatively short length and small diameter of the shroud. So it’s “backyard friendly” in factory condition and would – of course – be even quieter at lower power settings.

However the front of the shroud includes a threaded muzzle nut that can be removed if required to add additional silencing equipment. Alternatively, the Brocock Muzzle Brake would make a great-looking replacement!

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

For this test review, we installed an MTC Cobra F1 4-16×50 First Focal Plane scope. MTC Optics and Brocock are part of the same group of companies, so this seemed like a logical combination. We used a pair of UTG Pro scope rings from Leapers too.

Overall, this proved to be a great combination that balanced well in use both for offhand and rested shooting.

This was HAM Tester Doug Rogers first serious time using a FFP scope. He felt that it would be great for hunting, but was less suitable for target shooting as the reticle tended to block out the bull at higher magnifications – as described above. Of course, this is a characteristic of all FFP scopes.

SHOOTABILITY

The Brocock Concept Lite impressed the HAM testers with its shootability! Doug Rogers’ testing notes read “Easy to shoot. Comfortable.”

It’s a compact, chunky-feeling air rifle that has that “just right” feeling at the shoulder. This is largely due to the very solid Aluminum chassis that forms the “lower” of the action. Of course, the collapsible AR15-style stock allows for a wide range of pull lengths and that’s very useful.

If this was the personal property of either of the HAM testers, we would further improve it by adding an AR15 stock cheek riser. They’re readily available and would improve the cheek weld – both of us have long necks!

An alternative would be to remove the scope rail extension and mount the rings directly onto the receiver. However that would require the use of a scope with a much shorter eye relief than we need for comfortable shooting.

The balance of the Brocock Concept is muzzle heavy, but not unpleasantly so. In fact, the testers felt that this slight muzzle-heaviness made freehand shooting more enjoyable and accurate.

The magazine was easy to load and mount. It gave flawless feeding during the course of our tests.

The single shot tray also proved good to use. Unusually, it can be inserted into the breech from either side, not just the left as with the magazine. This is the first the HAM Team has seen with this capability.

All-up weight of the Brocock Concept Lite as tested by HAM was 8Lbs 5 Oz. That’s including the side Picatinny rails and the mounted scope. Weight of the “bare” rifle is just 6 1/2 Lbs.

The overall length of 35 Inches – with the stock extended – closes down to less than 32 1/2 Inches with it collapsed. This makes carrying in the field very convenient. It would be even more so if a sling were to be fitted using the slot in the stock and an additional sling swivel attached to a front accessory rail.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

The HAM Team likes the look of the Brocock Concept Lite. It’s slim and lightweight without looking gangly. The modular, “black gun” look is executed well and harmoniously.

The side Picatinny rails can be removed if preferred. This shaves a little weight and size and would be beneficial if you prefer a thinner forend to grasp with your leading hand.

High quality machining and finish was apparent on all external parts. This is in common with all the other Brocock air rifles we’ve examined.

In particular, the black anodized finish of the receiver and lower gives every indication of being durable over the long haul and rough handling.

Given that the Brocock Concept Lite uses an AR15 stock and AK47 pistol grip, there’s plenty of aftermarket alternatives available. Combined with the three front Picatinny rails and multiple scope mounting options, this means that there’s a huge number of ways to personalize this air rifle to fit you needs.

All that versatility means that the looks can be very different, too.

BUYING AND OWNING

The Brocock Concept Lite is available from Airguns of Arizona and Precision Airgun Distribution dealers across the USA. It’s supported by a 3-year warranty through Precision Airgun Distribution.

The gun ships complete with one 10-shot rotary magazine, a single shot tray and fill probe. Four replacement fill probe O rings are also included with the gun.

Unfortunately the fill probe requires an adapter to fit the female quick disconnect that you’ll undoubtedly have on your HPA tank or compressor. Don’t forget to order one if you don’t have a Brocock or Daystate air rifle already!

The fill probe cover rotates to reveal the HPA fill port. It’s then rotated back to prevent the possible ingress of dirt, dust and junk that could otherwise cause problems in use.

Additional magazines are available too, at $79 each. They are the same as are used in other current-production Brocock models.

The magazines are easy to load with pellets. They also fit easily into the breech. There’s a red indicator dot that shows when the magazine is empty. However, this magazine design does not block the gun from being fired on an empty chamber, so you’ll need to pay attention to that indicator to avoid firing unintentional blanks.

The pressure gauge is clear and easy to read. However – as always – the HAM Team dislikes having a pressure gauge at the end of the HPA tube. It’s not a great idea to have to almost look down the barrel in order to check the pressure: in our opinion, at least!

The Owner’s Handbook is nicely-printed in color and has clear instructions. It is, however, of the “generic” type, covering multiple models. So it’s necessary – for example – to know that the Concept Lite is actually a “Compatto” model and that the fill pressure is, thus, 3,340 PSI and not higher.

TEST TARGETS

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Brocock Concept Lite

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

The post Brocock Concept Lite Test Review .177 Caliber appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Following the announcement that the Beeman QB II Repeater is available and shipping, HAM has received a sample gun. Let’s take a closer look in this article…

The Beeman QB II is a repeater version of the QB78 S, with a 10-shot magazine combined with an appropriate bolt and breech.

The magazine uses the familiar spiral spring pellet advance system. However it differs in both external design and location system compared to the common Marauder/Gauntlet version.

There’s a translucent rotating cover plate – as expected. However, the number of shots remaining is indicated on the outside of the pellet rotor. It’s observed through a window in the side of the magazine.

There’s a solid steel post in the magazine well and the magazine clips securely around this when it’s pushed into position. This is another unfamiliar design approach that seems to work well.

The magazine functioned correctly in our brief testing session so far with no jams or mis-feeds.

The breech is of a different design to the traditional, single-shot QB78. It has a cock-on-opening action, as you would expect for smooth feeding in the repeater action. There’s also a rear bolt handle locking slot to hold the bolt back when loading a magazine.

Unlike previous QB78s, the bolt itself projects back through the rear of the breech when in it’s rearward position.

The Beeman QB II repeater is supplied with fiber optic front and rear sights. Most owners, however, will want to mount a scope. Doing so requires that the rear sight is removed from the breech.

This is not difficult to do, but the user guide supplied with the gun does not provide instructions. So we’ll show you here…

First, remove the windage adjustment screw (1). Then carefully tap out the pivot pin (2) with a thin punch. (I find that it removes best from the side shown here).

Now you see a flat plastic plate. Unscrew the two fixing screws (3 and 4) below to remove it from the breech. Note that there’s a small spring in the hole in front of screw (4), you may wish to remove this first so that it doesn’t become lost.

Now the rear sight is removed and you’re ready to fit a scope in the regular manner with one ring ahead of the magazine well and the other behind.

Here’s the rear sight parts after removal. It’s easy to re-install the rear sight if required, as you can see.

We mounted a Leapers 3-9 x 40AO scope onto the Beeman QB II. Note that, because there is no shroud, the barrel top is below the level of the breech. This means that lower rings than normal can be used to mount the scope, improving the cheek weld in use.

We used a set of medium rings with this 40 mm objective diameter Leapers scope instead of the regular high rings. There’s still plenty of space for the magazine, as you can see below.

Enjoy

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Beeman Model 1085 QB II CO2 Repeater Air Rifle 0.177

The post Let’s Look At The Beeman QB II Repeater appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

HAM readers previously saw the Diana Skyhawk PCP air rifle in our report from the 2019 IWA Show in Germany. Now we have one in-house at the HAM offices. Let’s take a closer look…

In the hand, the Skyhawk is very compact and comfortable to hold. This is an ideally-sized air rifle for a truck gun, or as a compact hunter. It holds smaller than it looks!

The Italian Minelli stock is beautifully designed and looks wonderful, too. Not all bullpups are fitted with an adjustable buttpad. However the Skyhawk is and this proved very useful in achieving a good scope line without resorting to riser rails or rings.

That scope mounted on the gun is a Leapers 4-16x40AO model. It’s about average length for a riflescope of this configuration, but that’s about as big and heavy as I’d like a Skyhawk scope to be.

The rear-mounted cocking lever is easy to use and well-rounded for use by left-handers. The magazine fits very unobtrusively into the action, too, as you can see.

The Skyhawk PCP is supplied with two magazines. Each holds 11 pellets in .177 caliber, 9 in .22 or 8 in .25 cal. They are of a completely different design to those used in other Diana PCPs, with a vertical format to match the outline of the breech.

There’s also a very substantial single shot tray which – like the magazines – is retained in place by a magnet.

The trigger feels to be perfectly positioned when holding the pistol grip. The combination of the aggressive checkering on the wood, the rake of the grip and the curve of the trigger blade all make a positive impression from the start.

There’s also a simple, push-across, trigger block safety.

Filling the Diana Skyhawk PCP with High Pressure Air is easy with the supplied fill probe. The permanently-attached, pull-out fill port cover is very convenient and will never be lost in the field. That’s good!

Maximum fill pressure is 3,620 PSI (250 Bar).

The HAM Team will be reviewing the Skyhawk in the near future. Stay tuned!

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Diana Air Rifle Skyhawk PCP Air Rifle, Walnut 0.177

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Diana Skyhawk Air Rifle

The post First Look At The Diana Skyhawk PCP Air Rifle appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Umarex Synergis sells for a Street Price of $160 – well, $159.95 to be precise. The HAM Team were expecting it to be much higher, given the specifications. Straight out of the box, we immediately felt this would be stellar value for money in an air rifle.

However, most users who want to enjoy the accuracy of this air rifle will want to buy and fit a superior scope. In our opinion, the Synergis would be better priced at – say – $200 with a decent, AO, Mil-dot equipped, “airgun rated” scope.

As it is, the owner needs to budget for a replacement scope and rings to realize the potential of the Umarex Synergis. This is – of course – a common issue with bundled scopes, except that this one was clearly at the low end of the performance spectrum

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Umarex Synergis .177 cal, Multi-shot Gas Piston Rifle Combo 0.177

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Umarex Synergis Air Rifle

SPEED AND ACCURACY

The Umarex Synergis tested by HAM achieved a highest muzzle velocity of 1,231 FPS when shooting the ultra-light Gamo Platinum 4.7 Grain pellets. The maximum muzzle velocity using lead was achieved by the 7.0 Grain RWS Hobbys at 968 FPS.

As is apparent from the test targets, the Umarex Synergis tested by HAM gave good accuracy with most of the standard HAM test pellets.

Impressively, this is one of the most accurate air rifles we have ever shot with alloy pellets! The groups with the alloys were nearly as good as with the heavy H&N Baracuda Match pellets that so often produce top accuracy – as they did here.

However, the test gun did have a tendency to throw an occasional flier. It didn’t do it all the time and the flier wasn’t consistently in the same place, although it did tend to be on the first shot of a new magazine.

What makes the accuracy even more impressive is that these targets were shot using a magnification of only 3X using the bundled scope. Great shooting Eric! (Check out the Sights and Scope section below for full details).

The HAM Team clearly expects that accuracy would have been even better with a better quality scope. The Umarex Synergis tested by HAM definitely delivered on the accuracy promise claimed for underlever air rifles.

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The trigger pull weight of the Umarex Synergis tested by HAM averaged 3 Lbs 7.8 Ozs. HAM Tester Eric Brewer noted that “the trigger breaks at a consistent area but seems to drag before reaching the firing stage.” It certainly didn’t prevent him from shooting some very good groups!

The manufacturer claims that the Synergis has a two stage trigger. The HAM Team is not disputing this. However, it certainly felt much like a single stage unit to us…

Many experienced shooters will be delighted that the Umarex Synergis is equipped with a manual safety. This is of the push-across type. While possibly too small for use by gloved hands in cold weather, it worked positively and was easy to use in our test environment.

Like most such “push across” safeties, this one needs to be pushed from the right side to be set for  firing. This is easier for a right-hander than if left-handed operation is used. However once this type of safety mechanism is chosen, it’s bound to be easier one way than the other…

As  gas ram-powered air rifle, the Umarex Synergis requires a continuous, steady pull in the cocking arm. The gun tested by HAM required an effort of 31 Lbs. This requires a fairly strong person to operate, particularly if taking advantage of the 12-shot magazine capacity for an extended shooting session.

Before pulling down the underlever, the end of the cocking handle must be pulled back. This disengages the cocking arm from the barrel shroud, as can be seen in the photograph below. It’s re-engaged before pulling the trigger.

The Synergis operation manual warns users not to place their fingers between the cocking mechanism and the stock. Page 8, illustration 3 in the English language section, shows this. HAM Tester Eric Brewer endorsed this ” Don’t trap your fingers in the cocking assembly. Be careful!”, he wrote.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The manufacturer claims a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 1200 FPS with alloy pellets and 1000 FPS with lead.

The Umarex Synergis tested by HAM slightly exceeded the alloy speed with a highest average of 1231 FPS. That’s 2.5% above the claim. The fastest lead pellets averaged 986 FPS (1.3% slow).

Overall, the HAM Team is willing to say that the Synergis matches it’s manufacturer’s Muzzle Velocity claims.

CONSISTENCY

The Umerex Synergis tested by HAM demonstrated  outstanding consistency in several respects.

Firstly, it was consistently accurate with a wide variety of pellets. This is important as it saves the new owner from a long, time-consuming hunt to find a new “best pellet” for his or her air rifle.

Secondly, it gave an average Standard Deviation (variation in shot-to-shot consistency in a string) of just 6.22 FPS across all the standard HAM test pellets. That’s extremely low for a gas piston air rifle and well up into regulated PCP territory!

Thirdly, the trigger pull weight varied by just 7 Ounces around it’s 3 Lb 7.8 Oz average. Again this is a very good result that’s above average for  airguns in this class.

NOISE LEVEL

The Umarex Synergis is the only spring/piston or gas ram air rifle known to the HAM Team that’s fitted with a shrouded barrel. This, of course, is common on PCPs but not for manually-cocked air rifles.

In practice, the shroud worked pretty well. It certainly made the report of the Synergis tested by HAM “backyard friendly”. It was not as quiet as our “gold standard” for quietness, the Benjamin Marauder but it was still pretty good.

At least it was quiet providing that alloy pellets were not used! The Synergis gave muzzle velocities in the 1200 FPS range with lead-free pellets. That’s above the Speed of Sound and no silencer or shroud on earth is going to quieten down the sonic boom made by the pellet itself after it leaves the barrel.

To be clear, this is not a slam on the Synergis, it’s true for any .177 caliber air rifles shooting at greater than about 1100 FPS – however quiet the product name claims it is…

So if you use light, lead-free pellets, prepare for the Umarex Synergis to sound like a 22 Long Rifle firearm! The answer is simple, of course. Use heavier lead pellets to keep the neighbors happy.

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

Unfortunately the scope supplied with the Umarex Synergis is very disappointing.

As a 3-9×40 scope, the HAM Team’s hopes were high that this would be a better optic than the standard-issue 4×32 scope that’s bundled with so many low-end air rifles. Sadly this did not turn out to be the case

As there’s no AO (Adjustable Objective) mechanism fitted to this scope, sharp focus is dependent on the factory settings. The problem is that the scope would only deliver tolerable  – at best – sharpness at 10 and 25 Yards when set to the minimum 3 X magnification. Increasing the magnification only gave a worse image.

This means that the test targets shot by HAM Tester Eric Brewer were shot at 3X magnification instead of the 9X that would normally be used.

So, the scope does not focus close enough for normal airgun use. Furthermore it has a simple Duplex reticle with no Mil dots. This makes it unsuitable for holdover/holdunder use with airguns. But wait, there’s more…

The reticle of the scope bundled with the Umarex Synergis tested by HAM broke during testing! Undoubtedly, this was the result of the stout recoil developed by the air rifle. This is what happened…

The scope rings are of the Picatinny style. This is good because the Picatinny mounting system has no problems handling the strong recoil of the Synergis. Also the Picatinny rail itself is securely welded to the compression tube.

However, the rings are very flimsy, with only one screw each side of the mounting rings. And then these rings are waaaay too high. In fact they’re “see through” rings of the type that some folk fondly hope will allow them to look through to see open sights even when the scope is fitted.

But there are no open sights on the Umarex Synergis! Duuhhhhhhhhh…….

But there is one piece of good news about this scope. The sample tested by HAM was of the “one time AO” variety. If the outer ring of the scope bell (front) was slightly unscrewed, it’s possible to VERY CAREFULLY rotate the inner ring around the objective lens.

Rotating this inner ring alters the parallax adjustment of the scope and allows it to be re-focussed to a closer distance. Once a better focus has been achieved, the outer ring is then rotated to lock the new setting in position. This could be good if the reticle holds out.

So why didn’t we use this hack to improve the performance of the scope in HAM testing?

Firstly because we used the Umarex Synergis bundle as instructed. There was not mention of this “one time AO” hack. So the average user would not know it were possible.

Secondly because we don’t know if all the scopes supplied with the Synergis have this “one time AO” capability. (Maybe we just got lucky).

At any event, the best thing to do with this scope and rings is to replace them with something better. Putting a decent scope with Mil-dot reticle, “airgun rated” recoil capability and strong rings will allow the real accuracy of the Synergis to be fully exploited.

This Leapers scope is a prime example of what we mean. Yes, it’s going to cost more money but you will be able to actually see the target, use a any magnification and stand a much greater chance of hitting what you’re aiming at!

The Umarex Synergis is good enough that the HAM Team believes this would be a worthwhile investment.

SHOOTABILITY

Make no mistake! At 45.75 Inches overall length, the Umarex Synergis is a big air rifle.

The weight of 9 Lb 6 Oz (with bundled scope) is right up there, too. So this is an air rifle for a large, strong person. It’s definitely NOT a kid’s gun or one for a small, short person. You need size and physical strength to manage the Synergis.

HAM Tester Eric Brewer commented in his test notes, “Made for an adult. Long stock. Good for a larger person (like me). You need to have big hands to unlock the cocking lever.”

There’s no doubt that the 12-shot magazine provides one of the neatest multi-shot gas ram implementations available today. It sits low in the action and does not obscure the scope – as is the case with several other models. Very good!

The magazine loading system also eliminates the need to insert the shooter’s fingers inside the action to load pellets – as is the case with single-shot underlever air rifles.

Even though such models have sophisticated anti-beartrap mechanisms to prevent the potential danger of trapped (chopped?) fingers, HAM Publisher Stephen Archer prefers the safety of magazine loading. Eric Brewer is a Diana 54 shooter and so is used to loading pellets into a sliding breech!

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

The HAM Team feels that the Umarex Synergis is a good-looking air rifle. It’s long, sleek and stylish, in the popular “all black” color scheme.

The stock is nicely-shaped. However it does have some pronounced mold lines that detract from the appearance.

Unfortunately the sample tested by HAM had some “drying marks” in the black finish of the compression chamber (see photograph below). This doesn’t appear to effect the functionality – there’s no sign of rust – but it disappoints the eye.

As with the scope, we would have been happy to pay a few bucks more for a finish that better matched the shooting capabilities of the Synergis we tested.

There’s a rubber buttpad at the rear of the stock. Unfortunately this has a (fairly) smooth surface. It would benefit from some ribbing to improve shoulder contact in wet weather, or when used with slippery nylon clothing.

BUYING AND OWNING

The Umarex Synergis is easy to find online from the normal, reputable sources, including Pyramyd Air and Airgun Depot. It may also become available in big box shooting goods stores as both Umarex USA’s distribution muscle and the price point make that an attractive proposition.

There’s a 3-year warranty offered through Umarex in Fort Smith, AR and further security is offered through the inclusion of 2 magazines with the gun. That’s good!

The Synergis magazines themselves are conceptually very similar to those used in the Umarex Gauntlet and some other PCP air rifles. They have a clear cover plate which is rotated to load pellets. An internal spring drives round the pellet holding rotor inside the magazine and presents them for loading into the breech as the cocking lever is closed.

However, it’s important to know that – unlike the Gauntlet magazine – that for the Synergis does not block the action closing after the 12 shots have been fired. In other words, it’s possible to dry fire the air rifle unintentionally.

True, there are reference marks – the red and white dots – that indicate when the magazine is empty. However, the user needs to pay attention when shooting and watch for the magazine to run dry.

Another issue that can arise is that – as with many PCPs – if the cocking lever is operated twice in succession without firing a shot, the Synergis will double load pellets into the barrel.

As both dry firing and double-loading are undesirable situations, HAM recommends that the shooter monitor his or her operation closely to avoid such user errors.

Finally, the Umarex Synergis tested by HAM occasionally failed to load a pellet when the gun was cocked. This happened a couple of times during the shooting tests, but we could not replicate the issue in structured testing on the bench.

TEST TARGETS

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Umarex Synergis .177 cal, Multi-shot Gas Piston Rifle Combo 0.177

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Umarex Synergis Air Rifle

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

The post Umarex Synergis Air Rifle Test Review .177 Caliber appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

HAM specialist PCP air rifle tester Doug Rogers recently bought a new air rifle. It’s a Weihrauch underlever. In fact, it’s a .20 cal HW97K.

Background

As Doug is a long-time PCP shooter and Field Target competitor, I had to ask him about his choice…

“Well,” said Doug, “As you know, I’ve always been a huge Weihrauch fan. I love my HW100 PCP air rifle and thought it would be interesting to try a Weihrauch springer. And I’ve always wanted a 97.”

Doug went on to explain that the HW97K underlever was an obvious choice for him. It had received great reviews in the comprehensive HAM test review some time back. Like the HAM test gun, his gun is fitted with a thumbhole stock, which Doug also favors.

In fact, the .177 caliber HW97K had achieved a score of 89% and earned a HAM Gold Award on test. This remains one of HAM’s all-time most popular air rifle test reviews.

Doug was also attracted by the benefits he felt must be inherent in a fixed-barrel springer.

So why a .20 Caliber gun? It turns-out that Doug had been looking at the Airguns of Arizona website and seen a great deal on a .20 cal HW97K. As he was going to buy a – for him – very unusual air rifle, why not make it in an unusual caliber too?

In fact, Hard Air Magazine has never tested a .20 cal air rifle. It’s become something of a forgotten caliber, although a small number of air rifles – including the HW97K – are available with this bore diameter.

Having received the air rifle, Doug attached a favorite 4.5-14 x 42 Hawke Sidewinder scope using a set of SportsMatch rings. Then he was ready to go!

.20 Caliber Pellets

Doug is also interested to see how the .20 caliber will perform for him. Like most of us, he’s read all that stuff about .20 combining the benefits of .177 and .22 caliber pellets. Some say that .20 cal. is a better caliber than either.

Is that true? Doug plans to form his own opinion based on his experience with this gun.

Then, of course, there was the issue of finding those .20 cal. pellets…

Without too much trouble, Doug was able to find .20 caliber pellets from both JSB and H&N online. Being a testing expert and understanding the potential for different results with different pellet types, he bought a tin each of these four:

H&N Field Target Trophy 11.42 Grain
H&N Baracuda 13.58 Grain
JSB Exact 13.73 Grain
JSB Exact Heavy Diabolo 15.89 Grain

So quality ammo is readily(-enough) available in .20 cal, Doug found. In fact, Predator Polymags are also available in .20 caliber. However – not being a hunter – Doug passed on these.

He’s expecting to shoot paper targets and possibly Field Target paddles with his HW97K. Otherwise, he would definitely have included some Polymags.

“Yes there’s a limited selection of pellets available in .20 caliber,” Doug continued. “But I knew that before I bought the gun.”

Overall Impressions

On receiving his new air rifle, Doug was not disappointed. “I just love the appearance and finish of the HW97K”, he said. “But then it’s a Weihrauch!” he added!

It’s definitely true that Doug’s new air rifle has the expected perfect metal finish. Combined with the deep, uniform bluing of the steel parts and the flawless finish of the walnut-stained Beech stock, the gun really looks outstanding.

Doug also finds that Weihrauch stocks generally “fit” him very well. That’s been the case with his HW100 and the HW97K is also naturally feels good for him when he shoulders the gun.

Then there’s the trigger. Doug was expecting to like the Rekord trigger fitted to his .20 cal HW97K. He’s not been disappointed…

Here’s the trigger pull weights Doug found for his new air rifle:

2 Lbs 3.7 Oz
2 Lbs 5.4 Oz
2 Lbs 1.9 Oz
2 Lbs 5.5 Oz

That makes an average of 2 Lbs 4.1 Oz, with a variation of only about 2 Oz either side of the average. “Very consistent. I like the trigger.” Doug commented.

Note that the average trigger pull weight of the HW97K reviewed by HAM was 2 Lb 9 Oz. That’s very close to Doug’s gun and indicates the tight manufacturing tolerances the Weihrauch factory maintains in volume production.

Doug also noted that the cocking effort is OK for him and that he finds it easy to load. “And I haven’t run out of air yet!” he joked, being used – as he is – to shooting exclusively PCPs.

However he can’t get used to the automatic safety. “I understand why it’s done” he mused. “But I myself would prefer a manual safety.”

The complete rig of gun plus scope weighs-in at 11 Lbs 9 Oz. That’s pretty heavy but it feels quite manageable in the hand.

Speed And Accuracy

Having set-up his .20 cal HW97K and with a supply of pellets to hand, Doug shot some initial test targets for us.

He stresses that he is not an experienced springer shooter and feels that it could be more accurate in the hands of the right shooter. But he’s learning and I thanked him for sharing his experience.

Starting at 10 Yards in his indoor range here’s what Doug found…

Given that these are some very early tests and Doug is learning how to shoot the gun, I’d have to say that this is excellent accuracy!

Doug was not surprised that the H&N Field Target Trophies showed a somewhat ragged performance. This was because they were a somewhat loose fit in the breech of his particular air rifle.

He knows from extensive HAM-testing experience that loose-fitting pellets usually tend to spread-out on the target, even if the pellets themselves are of high quality. That’s a result of the pellet/barrel interface rather than a function of just the pellets or barrel alone.

Conclusions

Doug is brutally honest and objective in his judgements – that’s why he is a great HAM tester! Here’s his conclusions on his new air rifle.

“I think my .20 cal HW97K was well worth the price,” he told me. “I can’t do it justice because I am not a very good spring gun shooter – yet.”

What I do know is that Doug is having a great time shooting his HW97K!

This .20 cal HW97K has been a whole new shooting experience for one die hard PCP shooter. He’s keen to explore its capabilities at longer range and to see how .20 caliber pellets behave in the wind.

It’s possible that Doug may develop into a convinced springer guy with time. Let’s see…

Finally, Airguns of Arizona currently has some special deals on HW97s in all calibers. You may want to check them out yourself!

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Weihrauch HW97K

The post Doug Tries A .20 Cal HW97K appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

The HAM Team has been testing a 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II for some time. Overall, this is quite similar to the original FX Wildcat in .22 caliber we tested two years ago. After all, it is a “Mark II” version of the same basic gun…

Background

The .22 cal Wildcat earned a HAM Gold Award with a 93% score, so it’s clear that the Wildcat is a great air rifle. This time we’re looking at the Mark II version.

This has longer (700 mm, that’s 28 Inches) barrel, combined with a higher capacity HPA reservoir. These are appropriate for the increased power output of the larger caliber.

Wildcat Mark II models also incorporate the FX SmoothTwist X interchangeable barrel liner system. This allows users the ability to exchange barrel liners for pellet or slug use, for example.

There’s a range of barrel liners in varying twist rates and bore specifications for compatibility with various airgun projectile weights and shapes.

We tested the regular, pellet liner in this 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II.

.30 Caliber Specifics

.30 caliber is rapidly increasing in popularity. However there is still not a huge range of pellets available for it. The HAM Team had some tins of 44.75 Grain JSB Exacts. We also had some .30 caliber Predator Polymags.

Given that the 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II is clearly a hunting gun, we had expected to use the Polymags for our main testing. Unfortunately – and surprisingly – the Polymags proved too long to fit into the Wildcat’s magazine.

So we undertook all the testing with JSBs…

Overall Impressions

As we know from the previous Wildcat test, this air rifle is a beautiful, fine-handling “traditional” bullpup air rifle. It’s traditional because it has a full, regular stock – either laminate, walnut or synthetic, to your choice.

If anything the 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II is slightly more comfortable to shoot than the original – in the HAM Team’s opinion. We preferred the somewhat greater muzzle-heaviness of the large caliber version.

The sidelever action remains a pleasure to use and the trigger pulls back with almost no pressure at all. The average pull weight was 1 Lb 2 Oz. That’s very close to that of the .22 caliber gun we tested before and an indication of very consistent manufacturing and assembly at the factory.

In spite of the very light trigger pull weight, the second stage is very easily detected. It’s no problem at all to hold the trigger just at breaking point. Sear release is crisp and predictable.

As usual, the HAM team tested the Wildcat’s trigger as received “out of the box”. We saw no need to make any adjustments.

The gun we received was supplied with a separate Donny FL silencer, although we didn’t find the need to install it for our testing as the factory moderator muted the report sufficiently for us.

The overall shooting weight of the test gun was 9 Lb 2 Oz – including the mounted Holland’s scope. Length was 35 1/4 Inches. Both these figures would, of course, be slightly higher with a silencer added.

HAM Tester Doug Wall is a left-hander. However he found the Wildcat pleasant to shoot as the magazine protrudes very little from the receiver and because the cocking lever is mounted amidships.

The magazine is very easy to load. However there’s no “blank shot” prevention. The Wildcat does not warn you if there’s no pellets remaining in the magazine. So you do have to keep count of the number of shots fired.

Scopes

We tried the 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II with two scopes. First was the MTC Cobra F1 4-16 x 50. This scope balanced well with the Wildcat and the First Focal Plane configuration clearly offered benefits for a dedicated hunting air rifle.

Then we swapped the MTC scope with a Holland’s Game-Getter 2.5 – 15 x 50 model. This dedicated hunting scope was also mounted using Leapers UTG PRO rings.

Although designed primarily as a hunting scope for firearm use, the Game-Getter displayed some interesting benefits, including the oversize elevation and windage turrets. We’ll be talking more about this scope in a future post in HAM.

Using the UTG PRO high rings, we had no problems achieving a good sight picture with either scope.

As with the first version, the 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II has a fixed buttpad. It worked just fine like that for both shooters. But we felt that an adjustable buttpad would not be too much to ask on a $1,700 (plus scope) air rifle – just in case.

Speed And Accuracy

The 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II tested by HAM was a powerful and accurate air rifle.

Shooting the 44.75 Grain JSBs, we recorded a 10-shot average Muzzle Velocity of 825.4 FPS. This translated to a solid 67.41 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy.

As the graph below shows, the 30 caliber Wildcat achieved 28 consistent shots from a fill of HPA before “falling off” of the regulator. While there was still plenty of power available after shot 28, it would definitely make sense to re-fill with HPA to ensure vertical accuracy.

Of course, 28 consistent shots is plenty for almost any airgun hunter. Combined with the 8-shot magazine, that represents a very practical, usable combination of power and shot count.

As for accuracy, this “one hole” group of 5 shots at 25 Yards was deemed very acceptable by the HAM Testers. This combination of Wildcat, Game-Getter scope and JSB pellets certainly shoots!

At 50 Yards, the 5-shot group had opened out a little, possibly due to some gusts in the crosswind. However, this was still very satisfactory hunting accuracy.

We left the scope windage and elevation unchanged for the 50 Yard shots. The drop from 25 Yards (the sight-in range) was 1 5/8 Inches.

Conclusions

The 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II tested by HAM proved to be powerful, consistent and accurate. It’s clearly a very capable bullpup air rifle that would be a pleasure to own.

We’ll finish this review by repeating the conclusions from the review of the original Wildcat. “The FX Wildcat air rifle is beautifully-designed and manufactured bullpup that’s a joy to shoot. It has the power and accuracy to be an outstanding hunting air rifle.”

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FX Wildcat MkII Laminate

The post 30 Caliber FX Wildcat Mark II Review appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

“What’s the best $500 PCP for me?” If you’re asking this question, you’re not alone. There’s a good number of PCP air rifles at around this price, so let’s simplify things and look at HAM’s selection of the best…

Today we have three top contenders in this market segment. They all won coveted HAM Gold Awards in our consistent, structured test reviews. This means they’re all great guns!

In fact, the these three air rifles all scored 87% or 88% in Hard Air Magazine testing. This means it’s too close to call a “best” gun. It’s all down to your preference.

But the guns themselves couldn’t be much more varied.

In this feature, we’ll summarize the HAM test data and conclusions on these $500 PCPs. Of course, everyone has their own specific requirements, likes and wants. You can use this to help you make your own choice of the best $500 PCP for you…

The best $500 PCP contenders are (in alphabetical order):
1. American Tactical Nova Freedom
2. Benjamin Marauder
3. Diana Outlaw

American Tactical Nova Freedom

This is the radical choice! Firstly, the Nova Freedom isn’t $500 – it’s selling for $400 (plus scope) at the time of writing.

Secondly, it’s a PCP with a built-in hand pump. In fact, it’s one of only two models of this type available. (And the other – the FX Independence – sells for about $1,600).

The built-in hand pump definitely works. It means that you avoid the cost and inconvenience of a separate High Pressure Air hand pump. However, it can also be filled from an external tank or HPA hand pump if required, or if you have the equipment.

Most importantly the built-in hand pump means that the user is able to re-fill the gun while in the field. This overcomes the inevitable air anxiety (“Do I have enough air?”) that every PCP owner has experienced at one time or another. This is a HUGE benefit!

Compared to a more “normal” PCP air rifle with larger tank, the number of shots per fill is very low on High Power. And it’s not regulated. But it’s competitive with many low end PCPs on the Low Power setting. And Low Power is still pretty powerful…

This independence from a separate air supply means that the American Tactical Nova Freedom could well be the PCP that many break barrel owners have been waiting for. It’s powerful, it works and it’s great value!

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Nova Freedom PCP Air Rifle .22 caliber

Benjamin Marauder

The Marauder has been around seemingly for ever. It was the PCP for some years for many airgunners and still is a great gun.

A huge attraction of the Marauder to many shooters is the degree of built in tuning capability. There’s multiple ways to tune the muzzle velocity, shot count, ideal fill pressure and trigger settings to your own personal preferences.

Furthermore, Crosman gives basic instructions to do all this in the Owner’s Manual! This capability to really make the Marauder “your own” air rifle is unique in this price range.

There’s a choice of synthetic and wood stocks. But the Marauder shows its age in having no regulator. Sure, the Field And Target version includes a regulator, but you’ll need to pay $80 more for it. Given that so many cheaper – $300 PCPs – are equipped with a regulator to provided consistent FPS, that’s a big omission in late 2019.

But the Marauder has a large and loyal following from many shooters that’s been built-up over the years. And it benefits from the manufacturer’s 5-year warranty that gives great peace of mind.

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Benjamin Marauder Air Rifle, Synthetic Stock

Diana Outlaw

The Diana Outlaw is a sophisticated newcomer to the “$500 PCP” air rifle market. The manufacturer has selected a different blend of features to the competition, making it an interesting and attractive choice.

Its good regulated shot count, pleasant side lever cocking and consistent trigger make the gun a strong performer. It looks good and feels good in the hand too.

Compared to the Outlaw, the Marauder has a better trigger, is quieter and can’t be blank-fired with a magazine in place. But the Diana has a far more consistent regulated shot count, side lever action and more sophisticated looks.

This comparison to the Marauder in itself means that the Diana Outlaw offers very good value for money. That’s always been the Marauder’s strong suit and the Outlaw clearly trades punches with the long-established champion in performance, value and quality.

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Diana Outlaw PCP Air Rifle

So what’s the best $500 PCP for me?

Choosing between these three air rifles is a really tough call!

If you value the independence of never running out of High Pressure Air, the Nova Freedom is the obvious choice. It’s remarkably comfortable to shoot freehand, too. And – did we mention – it’s $100 less than the other two models here…

For long-term security, the Benjamin Marauder is the one. That 5 year warranty can’t be beaten at this price. Crosman’s spare parts support is the best in the business, too. It has the best trigger here and the tuning options are outstanding.

If consistent FPS is your priority, together with the shot-to-shot accuracy it brings, the Diana Outlaw is the choice. It’s the only one of the three with a regulator. It gives by far the most consistent shots per fill of HPA. For all-day shooting, this is a big deal. It’s also clearly the most sophisticated-looking and -feeling of the trio here.

Because all three are HAM Gold Award winners, you can be sure that one of them will be the best $500 PCP air rifle for you. It’s your choice!

PS. You can check out the links in this review to access the full, original HAM test reviews for each model.

The post What’s The Best $500 PCP Air Rifle For Me? appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

HAM specialist PCP air rifle tester Doug Rogers’ favorite air rifle for Field Target competition is the Weihrauch HW100. In fact, Doug has just made an HW100 upgrade – he fitted a new stock to it. Here’s the story…

Above, that’s Doug at the 2019 Pyramyd Air Cup. He’s making ready to shoot his HW100 at a standing lane. As you can see, his gun is fitted with a regular walnut stock: the one that was supplied with the gun from new. It’s a beautiful piece of wood!

You can read the comprehensive HAM test review of Doug’s own gun in .177 caliber. It’s one of the most popular reviews ever published in HAM. Obviously lots of other people like this gun, too.

Doug loves this gun! Despite being a left-hander, he finds it pleasant and comfortable to shoot. But recently he saw the new, limited edition HW100T version. This has a brown/black laminated stock. Not only that, but it has an adjustable cheekpiece and buttpad. Doug could think of nothing else!

Having established that the laminated stock would fit his gun, Doug was set. That new stock would be an HW100 upgrade to his gun…

Removing the stock from the HW100 is a simple matter of unscrewing the two stock screws. The stock separates easily, leaving the action like this.

Yes, the walnut and laminated stocks have identical inletting and fit the action readily. They’re manufactured by Italian stock specialists Minelli – only the best, as you would expect for Weihrauch!

Apart from the looks, the main benefit to Doug was the adjustable cheekpiece and buttpad. The regular, non-adjustable – stock fitted Doug almost perfectly, but the laminated stock gave just that touch of customization to fit his physique.

So now Doug has his HW100 upgrade. It looks beautiful and fits him even better than the original stock. He’s one very happy camper!

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Weihrauch HW100T FSB .177 Cal

The post Doug Makes An HW100 Upgrade – A New Stock appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine is an unusual air rifle. It prioritizes different characteristics to most other competing PCP air rifles.

What we have is a very compact, light, beautifully-designed gun that’s a joy to handle and shoot. It has an outstanding trigger and is extremely accurate with mid-weight and above lead pellets.

This is clearly a high quality product. If the flawless finish and sophisticated design doesn’t convince you, the US Street Price of one cent short of $1,500 will!

The power level of 21 Ft/Lbs and limited shot count are both obviously direct functions of the designers’ priorities – compact handling and light weight. If you want more of either, Weihrauch has alternative versions of the HW100 – and HW110 – platforms that offer them.

For the right customer, this beautiful little gun would be very hard to beat.

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HW100 Bullpup Carbine

SPEED AND ACCURACY

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine tested by HAM achieved a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 944 FPS with the lightest Gamo Platinum pellets. The highest with lead was 869 FPS with RWS Hobby pellets.

But these results will be of academic interest only for potential purchasers of this bullpup. They will be more interested in the Muzzle Energy that’s achieved with heavier domed lead pellets…

Here the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine gives a pretty steady 21 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy with all the standard HAM test pellets above 14 Grains in weight.

As you can see from the table above, these heavier pellets all give excellent accuracy, too. This makes it likely that the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine will give great accuracy with pretty-well any mid-weight or heavier domed pellet: the ones it’s owners will want to use.

HAM Publisher Stephen Archer has never claimed to be the world’s greatest shot. This was an excellent group for him at 25 yards!

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The trigger of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine is a two-stage design. The pull weight averaged just 14.7 Oz in the sample tested by HAM.

The first stage was very light. However – despite the light pull weight – the “stop” for the second stage was very easy to feel. Release was then clean and precise. This is a very easy, pleasant trigger to use. HAM Tester Doug Rogers noted that “This is probably the nicest bullpup trigger we’ve tested to date.”

The Weihrauch instruction manual strongly recommends that users do not make trigger adjustments themselves. However, given the feel of the trigger on this test gun, the HAM testers can see no reason to make any changes to the factory configuration.

The cocking lever is light and easy to operate. Weihrauch wisely resisted the temptation to make the lever’s handle rotatable – it’s fixed in position and all the better for it.

The location of the cocking lever makes it easy and convenient to operate with the gun shouldered in the firing position. This is far superior to the system used by many bullpup air rifles, which have the cocking handle right back at the rear of the action.

Doug Rogers confirmed that this location is convenient for left-handed operation also.

Again, these are all solid benefits that have great value in real-world use.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

Weihrauch typically makes very few marketing claims for their products. This is true for the HW100 Bullpup. The closest we get to a claim is the cryptic “30 J” marked on the action. This probably indicates 30 Joules maximum power – approximately 22 Ft/Lbs.

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine tested by HAM developed a maximum of 21.18 Ft/Lbs. That’s close to the claim.

However, it’s very likely that the long-barrelled version of this bullpup also uses the same breech with the same 30 J marked on it. The longer barrel would obviously give somewhat more power than the carbine and meet that 30 J marking.

CONSISTENCY

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine tested by HAM demonstrated impressive consistency.

Standard Deviation – the measure of shot-to-shot consistency in a string, was outstandingly low at just 3.98 FPS across the range of standard HAM test pellets. That’s one of the best numbers we’ve ever recorded and is very close to the “full length” HW100 we tested some time back.

One very unusual aspect of consistency is that the Muzzle Energy developed by the gun is very uniform across different weight pellets. It varied only between 19.20 and 21.18 Ft/Lbs across the range of standard HAM test pellets.

That’s very unusual – normally PCPs develop much higher energies with heavier pellets. In fact, the Muzzle Energy held very tightly between 20.96 and 21.18 Ft/Lbs across the four heaviest HAM test pellets. This means that full power is available across a range of pellets and not just the heaviest – a fact which could be of considerable importance to the hunter.

The shot count curve (above) shows that the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine gives about 31 consistent shots before dropping off of the regulator. Yes, this is not a high number – however it is actually a very good performance from such a small ( 105 cc) HPA tank.

The slight peak in FPS from shots 26 to 31 indicates that this bullpup is tuned for maximum efficiency, accepting slightly lower power as a trade off for more shots. (See HAM Technical Editor Bob Sterne’s article on tuning regulated PCPs for confirmation).

All bullpup air rifles with a mechanical trigger separate the trigger and sear assemblies with a long rod. This is seen in the photograph below for the Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine with the HPA tank removed. It’s also often accompanied by a rather variable trigger pull weight.

However, in this case, the trigger pull weight is extremely consistent. It varied only between 13.8 and 15.5 Ounces in HAM testing. That’s effectively perfect consistency!

NOISE LEVEL

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine has a permanently-fitted silencer. This is very effective and – in the HAM Team’s opinion – is among the most efficient out there. This makes the gun very quiet. It’s definitely backyard-friendly.

(Note, that’s a Leapers UTG TBNR bipod attached to the gun in these photographs).

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

Of course, the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine is not supplied with a scope. This gives the maximum choice for the customer, who will undoubtedly have his/her own specific ideas about optics.

There is a long set of dovetail grooves machined into the top frame of the gun. In addition a set of screw-on Picatinny rails are added at the front of this. We used these and mounted a MTC Viper Pro 3-18 x 50 scope using Leapers UTG Pro rings.

The long-necked HAM testers found this gave a very good eye position without the need for a riser (which is often required with bullpups).

The total weight of this combination was 8 Lbs 7 Oz. (The “bare” weight is just over 7 Lbs). That’s remarkably light and – although the scope looks somewhat large on the gun, the combination balanced very well for shooting.

SHOOTABILITY

Shootability and handling is what the Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine is really all about!

Both left-handed Doug Rogers and right-handed Stephen Archer found it easy and comfortable to shoot. So the semi-bullpup style with forward-mounted cocking lever is truly ambidextrous.

Unusually, we also did not need to adjust the buttplate, although there is vertical adjustment capability available for this to be done.

There is a very comfortable, synthetic cover on the rear of the action. This gives a pleasant cheek weld that remains warm to the tough. Again unlike that of many other bullpup air rifles.

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine has a manual safety. This is also ambidextrous, with levers on both sides of the action. Like other Weihrauch PCPs, it can only be moved to “safe” when the gun is cocked.

Overall, the short length (23 Inches) and compact design make this new air rifle a delight to handle. The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine shoulders well and is fast and easy to bring onto aim.

This is enhanced by the molded pistol grip which – like that on other Weihrauch PCPs – is outstandingly comfortable and obviously designed with considerable care. HAM Tester Doug Rogers described it as “Impressive, the best I have ever held” in his test notes.

The trigger guard has cut outs on either side. These position the user’s trigger finger safely away from contact with the trigger, yet leave it as close as possible for rapid access when ever a shot need to be taken. It’s details like this that really give this bullpup its 100% score in this section of the review.

The 14-shot magazine is simple to load, has no moving parts and is easy to engage in the receiver. It gives total reliability in operation. However, there’s no shot counter to indicate the number of pellets remaining and it can be blank-fired if the shooter does not remember how many shots have already been taken.

If it’s desired to fit a bipod, the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine has an optional short Picatinny rail that can be fitted ahead of the trigger guard. This is secured by two screws and can simply be removed for freehand shooting if required.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

Appearance of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine is understated and stylish. We like it!

Although it looks a little “dumpy” in photogaphs, the gun actually appears somewhat more svelte and slim in real life, we feel.

This Weihrauch is small, but it looks even smaller. There’s none of the “blockiness” that’s often seen with bullpup designs, due to the extensive use of curved surfaces in both stock and pistol grip.

The fit and surface finish of all parts of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine are outstanding! “Exactly what one has come to expect from Weihrauch” in the words of Doug Rogers.

As expected, the finish of the wood soft-touch covered stock, metal and synthetic parts are all flawless. The receiver is in typical Weihrauch deep black. It’s polished to almost a mirror finish!

The HPA tank has the traditional black-painted finish while all pained and engraved lettering is a model of sharpness and clarity. This is flawless finish…

BUYING AND OWNING

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine is a specialist’s air rifle. As such, you wouldn’t expect it to be available everywhere. However, it’s readily available online from Airguns of Arizona and from Precision Airgun Distribution dealers around the USA.

As with other Weihrauch PCPs, this bullpup is supplied with two magazines. There’s also the separate, screw-in HPA tank, which can be filled away from the gun if required. Normally it’s left in place on the gun and filled using the fill probe.

Other accessories include an enormously-substantial brass degassing device that allows pressure to be removed from the HPA tube once removed from the gun. And there’s an equally-substantial brass tube adapter included too.

(If you don’t already have a Weihrauch PCP, don’t forget to buy an additional adapter that converts the fill probe to a male quick disconnect for charging).

Also visible in the photograph below is the short Picatinny rail for attaching a bipod and the voluminous documentation.

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine has the pressure gauge is located in the end of the HPA tube. This is not the HAM Team’s favorite position for this gauge. But – unlike many others – the short tank, long silencer design does mean that it can be read without the need to “look down the barrel”.

As with other PCPs from this manufacturer, the Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine uses a low maximum fill pressure of 2,900 PSI. Although this limits the shot count, it does offer practical benefits.

This low fill pressure does mean that it’s easy to fill using a hand pump. It also means that you’ll obtain many, many fills of the HW from your separate HPA tank.

If you have a regular 4,500 PSI tank, you’ll need to refill that tank much less than with other PCPs that use higher fill pressures (say 3,600 or even over 4,000 PSI). This is simply because you have more “headroom” between the full tank pressure and the pressure requirement of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine. For many shooters without ready access to a compressor, that’s a big benefit.

Warranty of the HW100 is of the “limited lifetime” variety. However the removable HPA tank has a requirement to be re-tested every 10 years.

TEST TARGETS

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HW100 Bullpup Carbine

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

The post Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine Test Review .22 Caliber appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The SIG ASP Super Target air pistol is the latest airgun introduction from SIG SAUER. With a Street Price of $359.99, it’s not the cheapest single shot, entry level target pistol. However, it’s not the most expensive either. And it’s a positive bargain compared to a full-on, Olympic level competition air pistol.

So, if you’re looking for a quality, all wood and metal target pistol, the Super Target is good value. Particularly when you factor-in the premium SIG SAUER brand and 5-year warranty. That SIG name alone gives the shooter confidence that they are going to shoot well!

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ASP Precision Super Target Air Pistol

SPEED AND ACCURACY

SIG Air gives the maximum velocity for the Super Target as 350 FPS. The pistol tested by HAM just exceeded this with three of our test lead wadcutter pellets. It recorded 409 FPS with the SIG Match Ballistic Alloy pellets.

However, with the Super Target air pistol being intended for entry level target shooting, the Muzzle Velocity is really unimportant. It’s all about accuracy!

As this is the first target pistol to be tested by HAM, it’s important to clarify a few things right now…

First, we did not use the usual range of HAM standard test pellets. Instead, we used seven different types of wadcutter pellets. These are listed in the table below.

Second, HAM Tester Doug Wall shot at 10 Meters (11 yards) using a rest. He made shots 10 shots on each target, whereas five shots per target would be normal for 10 Meter air pistol competition. This means that – for pure statistical reasons – our groups are larger than would be expected for five-shot strings.

Third. SIG is marketing the Super Target as an entry-level target pistol – not an Olympic-grade model. We expected entry level groups on target and were pleased with the results.

Fourth, Doug shot at our standard HAM test target. This is NOT a dedicated air pistol target. The 10 ring of a 10 Meter air pistol target has a diameter of 11.5 mm (about 29/64 Inch). The 9 ring has a diameter of 27.5 mm (about 1 5/64 Inch). And don’t forget that a shot just has to cut the ring to be counted at that score. For this test, we ignored shots that would have counted as an 8 or less.

So, we used a transparent template with appropriate diameters to lay over the targets and determine how many of Doug’s shots would have scored as a 10 or a 9. We did this by group size, not based on hitting the target bull as the Super Target Air Pistol was not sighted-in specially for each pellet type.

Here’s what we found…

Out of the 70 shots Doug fired in total using the seven types of pellets, no less than 58 – that’s 83% of them – would have scored as a 9 or better. From the same 70 shots, 42 – that’s 60% – would have scored as a 10.

The best-performing pellet in the Super Target air pistol tested by HAM was the Qiang Yuan Olympic Grade QYS pellets. Using these pellets, 80% of the shots scored as a 10 while all of the pellets fired scored as a 9 or better. That would be a total score of 98. Very good for an entry level target pistol!

The H&N Finale pellets scored very well, too. With two less to score as a 10, the total score from these pellets would have been 96.

Overall, that’s great shooting both from Doug and the Super Target! You can see the actual targets at the foot of this review.

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The average trigger pull weight of the Super Target air pistol tested by HAM was 2 Lb 7 Oz.  Doug Wall commented in his testing notes: “Great trigger! Multiple adjustments.”

In fact, the HAM Team shot the Super Target with the factory trigger settings and found it very acceptable.

The first stage has just the right amount of weight. There’s some travel in the second stage, but it’s consistent and controllable. It’s clear when the sear will be released and Doug was very happy with it…

Cocking the SIG AIR Super Target pistol is achieved by pulling back on the hammer at the same time as raising the slide/barrel assembly. The slide is then pushed down to provide air pressure for the shot.

The slide is rotated right out around the front pivot pin until it stops. The amount of effort required to close is really not that high and similar to other single stroke pneumatic target pistols. The top rear section of the slide also has some subtle “wings” which provide useful grip for your hand and make the action easier to operate.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

SIG SAUER describes the Super Target as an “entry level” target air pistol. Based on the accuracy demonstrated on test, HAM agrees that it’s definitely suitable for this intended use.

And – for those who care in a target pistol – the Muzzle Velocity met or exceeded the manufacturer’s claims too.

CONSISTENCY

The SIG Super Target air pistol rested by HAM displayed excellent consistency.

The trigger pull weight varied by just plus or minus 3 ounces about its 2 Lb 7 Oz average on test. That’s certainly a small enough variation to be imperceptible to the overwhelming majority of shooters.

Standard Deviation – the shot-to-shot variation of FPS in a string – was also very well controlled at an average of just 3.34 FPS. This is a very low value and contributes to the on-target accuracy across multiple shots.

NOISE LEVEL

The SIG Super Target air pistol is not silenced. However, with a Muzzle energy in the 2 Ft/Lbs range, it should be no surprise that it’s very quiet. Definitely backyard- basement- and range-friendly.

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

The SIG Super Target air pistol is fitted with “regulation” open iron sights. These use a square post front sight, combined with a square notch rear sight. As you would expect, there’s not a piece of fiber optics in sight yet the sight picture is very clear!

The rear sight is click-adjustable for both windage and elevation. As you can see, a screwdriver is required to make adjustments. There’s no chance that the rear sight adjustment could be changed accidentally. Very good!

HAM tester Doug Wall commented: “Good sights. Although my personal preference would be for a slightly wider rear notch”. But clearly he was able to obtain fine accuracy in spite of that!

SHOOTABILITY

The “rotating slide” action of the Super Target air pistol makes it easy to cock. Pellet loading is directly into the rear of the barrel. It’s easy enough once you have had some practice, but may result in a couple of dropped wadcutter pellets until you get the knack.

As you can see, the pellet is loaded directly into the rear of the barrel. The cutouts in the sides of the slide facilitate loading, but there’s no doubt that small, thin fingers will be an advantage here.

However it should be noted that this type of loading is common to most types of over-cocking single stroke pneumatic target air pistols.

There’s no doubt that this is an easy pistol to shoot. It’s fun, too! HAM Tester Doug Wall commented in his test notes: “Grips are nice. Trigger is nice. Balance is nice”.

With a weight of 33 Oz and an overall length of around 10 3/4 Inches, the Super Target certainly feels good in the hand. Not too heavy, not too light and just the right length.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

Although not specifically marketed as a replica, the SIG Super Target air pistol is very close in size and appearance to the SIG P210 firearm.

The overall appearance is sleeker for the air pistol, owing to the lack of magazine and slide release controls. Not to mention having no safety…

All visible metal parts are finished in a matt black satin finish. The quality of machining and finishing is excellent. The engraved lettering on the slide and frame is also done in a stylish, quality manner. This, of course, is exactly what customers expect from a SIG product.

The ambidextrous walnut grips are also beautifully finished. These are nicely grained and feel extremely comfortable in the hand.

BUYING AND OWNING

The Super Target is readily available for purchase online direct from SIG SAUER as well as from specialist airgun dealerships. So it’s very easy to buy. It’s supported with a 5 year warranty, too.

But before you load it for the first time… NOTE THAT THERE IS NO SAFETY!

As with most target air pistols, once the gun is cocked it’s live and ready to fire. This demands precision, disciplined handling on the range. But of course, that’s exactly what it will receive from the intended target audience for this airgun.

The Super Target air pistol is supplied in a quality molded clamshell case. This has black egg crate foam that holds the gun securely in transit. A a comprehensive instruction manual is also included, together with an O ring and Allen key.

The well-illustrated Operator’s Manual provides clear explanations in English, French, Spanish and German.

One final comment. Some entry level target pistols have the capability for adding a red dot or other optical sight. This can be beneficial for shooters with less good eyesight and those who want to use their pistol for precision plinking rather than outright competition. The Super Target does not have that capability and wouldn’t look like a P210 if it did.

However, offering such a capability – as an accessory? – in future might well increase sales of this SIG model even more…

TEST TARGETS

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ASP Precision Super Target Air Pistol

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

The post SIG ASP Super Target Air Pistol Review appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Ataman BP17 air rifle is described by the manufacturer as a “micro bullpup”. That’s a good definition as it’s obviously a bullpup and definitely much smaller than most other PCPs out there.

Although it’s been a long time coming – the Ataman BP17 air rifle has been seen before as a prototype in HAM as far back as the 2017 IWA Show – it still looks futuristic and highly individual.

So, there’s few direct competitors to this PCP air rifle. Maybe none in terms of design. At any event, we have a high quality, compact, accurate and powerful .22 caliber air rifle which would be ideal for backpacking or as a truck gun.

The HAM Team will guess that the majority of Ataman BP17 air rifles will be used for hunting and paired with a quality scope.

The US selling price is $1,400, less one cent. With any sort of suitable riflescope, a complete BP17 rig will have cost its proud owner $2,000.

Does it represent good value at this price? For many people who are prepared to spend this sort of money on an air rifle, the answer is probably “yes”. It’s unique, the  design has an indefinable “something” and it works well. The HAM Team loved it!

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Ataman BP17 Soft-Touch .22 Air Rifle, Black

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Ataman BP17 PCP Air Rifle

SPEED AND ACCURACY

The highest Muzzle Velocity achieved by the Ataman BP17 air rifle tested by HAM was 974.91 FPS using ultra-light Gamo Raptor alloy pellets. 895.20 FPS was the best achieved with lead pellets, using 11.9 Grain RWS Hobbys. This is in .22 caliber.

However, as usual, the highest FPS was not accompanied by the best accuracy. Nor was the greatest Muzzle Energy. As with the majority of PCP air rifles tested by HAM, both accuracy and power peaked with heavyweight lead pellets. This will be very satisfactory for the majority of those looking to make a Ataman BP17 air rifle their own.

In this case, the heavy H&N Baracuda Match pellets gave both the best accuracy and the highest Ft/Lbs on test.

At 25 Yards, the BP17 tested by HAM gave a group with a CTC of .375-Inch x .400-Inch for 10 shots. HAM Publisher Stephen Archer was shooting. Although this was good shooting for him, he was adamant that Doug Rogers would have achieved a still tighter group!

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

It’s usually expected that bullpups will have a rather long trigger pull, or a “mushy” one, or that it will be heavy. But this is absolutely NOT the case with the BP17.

The trigger pull weight was a remarkable 8 Ounces. Yes, Zero Pounds eight ounces!

This pull weight is fine for target use and with an owner used to it. However it’s definitely waaaay too light for a hunting gun. It can also give a new owner a surprise or two until he or she becomes used to it.

Although this is a two-stage trigger, this extremely light pull weight means that the first stage could not be felt. The effect seemed just like a single stage hair trigger: very light with a sear release the moment the trigger blade was touched – or so it seemed.

By comparison, operating the sidelever cocking action is about average in effort required.

One outstanding feature of the Ataman BP17 air rifle is the position of the cocking lever. Many bullpups have the cocking lever waaay to the rear of the gun. In this case, it’s right at the front and actually ahead of the trigger.

Mounted on the left side by the factory, this cocking lever position is ideal for a right-handed shooter.

HAM Publisher Stephen Archer found that the cocking lever could be easily operated through contact with the big muscle below his thumb in the palm of his hand. He found no need to actually hold the cocking lever with his fingers. Operated in this way, cocking was very fast and easy.

But the cocking lever MUST be pushed all the way forward. If not, you’ll find that the pellet has been chambered but the gun will not fire. Remove the mag and fire that shot before going any further.

Remember, though, that – like most multi-shot air rifles – there is no double feed prevention system in this gun. So, if you cock it twice with the magazine in place, it WILL shoot two pellets at once (or possibly jam). The answer is simple: don’t do that!

It’s obvious from the design of the gun that Ataman intends the cocking lever to be operational from the right side as well. As HAM Tester Doug Rogers is left-handed, we were very interested in this option.

Indeed the company actually made and sent HAM a video showing how to make this change! This is just one example of the outstanding support Rustam at Ataman offers as back-up to the company’s products.

Looking at this video, the HAM team believes that – while a change of side for the cocking lever can be done – it’s really a professional job and not one for the average user.

Left-handers wanting to buy an Ataman BP17 air rifle should ask Pyramyd Air’s Tech department to make this change prior to shipping.

The safety is a push-across type and easy to engage. But don’t push it all the way out towards “fire”. In this case, the gun will not fire. It just needs to go far enough…

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The Ataman BP17 tested by HAM met, or exceeded the manufacturer’s specifications. Ataman’s specs call for a maximum Muzzle velocity of 840 FPS and a Muzzle Energy of 25 Ft/Lbs, both with 15.89 Grain pellets. As can be seen from the Consistency chart below, the gun tested by HAM was shooting exactly on the 840 FPS mark with the same pellets.

HAM achieved a maximum Muzzle Energy of 25.69 Ft/Lbs with 21.14 Grain Baracuda Match pellets.

The manufacturer’s specs claim 25 shots per fill. Again, the Consistency chart below shows that we obtained 35 consistent shots from a 300 Bar fill.

CONSISTENCY

Consistency of the Ataman BP17 air rifle tested by HAM was extremely good.

The trigger pull weight varied by no more than 0.3 Ounces either side of the 8.4 Ounce average pull weight. That’s effectively zero variation in trigger pull!

Standard Deviation (the shot-to-shot variation in FPS across a string) also was minimal. The average was just 3.85 FPS across the complete line of standard HAM test pellets. This is outstanding!

The shot count of the gun tested by HAM was surprisingly long for such a small HPA tank of just 100 cc. As can be seen from the graph below, we obtained 35 consistent shots from a fill using 15.89 Grain JSB pellets.

It’s also extremely clear that the regulator operating pressure of 130 Bar ( 1,885 PSI) was reached directly after shot 35.

NOISE LEVEL

With its full-length shrouded barrel, the Ataman BP17 air rifle is very quiet to shoot. In fact, the HAM Team considers it to be as quiet as our “Gold Standard” for backyard-friendliness, the Benjamin Marauder.

There’s few other air rifles that can match this level of sound reduction…

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

As is expected with high-end PCP air rifles, the Ataman BP17 air rifle is supplied without a scope. This means that the choice of optic is wide open to the owner.

There’s a Weaver/Picatinny rail for scope mounting. But – as with most bullpups – you’re likely to need either very high rings, or a riser mount in order to achieve a satisfactory and comfortable shooting position.

And while – in theory – any scope will fit the BP17, it clearly benefits from a shorter scope rather than a longer one. At least from an aesthetic perspective. There’s not many air rifles where the objective of the scope is further forward than the muzzle!

SHOOTABILITY

Shootability is definitely a strong suit for the BP17.  Its compact size means that it’s incredibly pointable. This is PCP air rifle with a full length (14.5 Inch) barrel and submachine gun handling characteristics!

The BP17 is easy to carry and come to the shoulder very naturally. The safety is perfectly-positioned for the trigger finger. This is one of the few airguns that seems to offer great ergonomics without the need for adjustable buttpads or stocks…

Loading the magazines is easy. The simple, non-enclosed design means that pellets are just pushed into place in any order. Yes, there’s only 7 shots per mag. In fact, it’s the same magazine as is used on the Ataman AP16 air pistol. That’s on the low side but this magazine was obviously chosen for its compact size in a very compact gun. It’s difficult to argue against that logic.

HAM Testers found that it was advisable to rotate the magazine just a little after loading into the breech. When a detent was felt, the magazine was positioned correctly for pellets to be chambered into the barrel as the bolt handle was closed.

In mitigation of the limited magazine capacity, the Ataman BP17 air rifle has a great feature. No less than four full magazines can be stored in the slots of the Picatinny scope mount. They simply push in and are held by detents.

Now the BP17 can be carried in the field with a maximum of 35 pellets on the gun. That’s 7 in the magazine in the breech, plus 28 in the mags stored in the scope rail. Again, a simple, compact and very satisfactory solution!

The wrap-around design of the BP19’s rear stock upper offers a comfortable cheek rest for both left-and right-handed shooters. This is an area where many bullpup designs fall short and Ataman has covered well.

Cheek comfort is a matter of real importance in achieving a comfortable, consistent – and therefore accurate – shooting stance with any rifle. Combined with the tactile black soft-touch coating of the wood stock, this stock design makes shooting the BP19 a pleasure, however cold the weather.

Left-handed HAM Tester Doug Rogers summed it all up in a pithy comment.”This gun is easy to shoot”, he wrote in his test notes.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

OK, let’s be clear. The HAM Team just loved the design of the Ataman BP17 air rifle! It’s one of the most attractive bullpups out there – in our opinion. Of course, that’s just our opinion, but HAM Publisher Stephen Archer has heard many others offer similar thoughts at trade shows.

The gun is almost entirely encased in its black, soft touch wood stock. The finish of this stock was flawless on the example tested by HAM. It looked and felt beautiful.

Finish on the few metal parts visible from the outside was also excellent.

BUYING AND OWNING

As a specialist air rifle towards the upper end of the price range, it’s no surprise that the Ataman BP17 air rifle is found primarily at dedicated Air Venturi dealers such as Pyramyd Air and Airgun Depot. Air Venturi also provides parts and support in the USA.

The BP17 is supplied with a comprehensive range of accessories, including two magazine, multiple Allen wrenches, replacement O rings (for the fill probes) and two brass fill probes. One of these has a male quick disconnect on the other end, making it ideal for use with most user’s HPA filling systems.

The instruction manual is in English-only and is well-illustrated, including a full parts list and diagram. However, it’s very brief and does not cover operation of the safety, for example.

A one-year US warranty is provided through Air Venturi. Given that the Ataman BP17 is not a cheap air rifle, this is a surprisingly short period. Warranties of 3 or 5 years are now common, even on sub-$200 air rifles, making the BP17’s 12-month warranty look distinctly out-of-step with the market.

Filling with HPA is very easy: so long as you have enough pressure. The fill probe simply pushes into the gun from either side for charging.

The HPA pressure required for a complete fill is 300 Bar – 4,350 PSI – however. This requires some attention. As most HPA tanks have a maximum fill pressure of 4,500 PSI, this means that you are unlikely to achieve too many fills of the BP17 from your tank before it needs re-filling again.

Of course, the regulated action means that it’s not necessary to completely fill the gun with HPA every time. But if filled to a lower pressure, the result will be less full-power shots per fill.

To avoid the frustration that this brings, it’s probably best to fill this air rifle from a dedicated small HPA compressor such as the Air Venturi Nomad. That way you can fill to the 4,350 PSI limit time-after-time.

However, one very good point is that the pressure gauge of the Ataman BP17 air rifle is positioned deep in the underside of the stock. Although this requires somewhat deliberate observation due to its deep-set location, it does mean that – unlike many PCP air rifles – it’s NOT necessary to look down the barrel to check the pressure gauge. The HAM Team very much likes this for safety reasons!

There’s also a de-pressurizing capability built-in to the BP17. This is operated using an Allen key through the underside of the stock. This is another good safety feature.

TEST TARGETS

BUY FROM PYRAMYD AIR
Ataman BP17 Soft-Touch .22 Air Rifle, Black

BUY FROM AIRGUN DEPOT
Ataman BP17 PCP Air Rifle

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

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