Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Airgun Shooter

I HONESTLY think that we’ve never had it so good as far as airgun hardware is concerned. Technological advances have taken airguns to a level that many of us could never have imagined just a few years ago — but it’s not just the high-spec, high-price gear that has progressed. There are lots of great new affordable air rifles out there, and a couple of hundred pounds should be more than enough to buy you an extremely capable and reliable airgun. Nowhere is the raft of new product releases more apparent than on the show circuit, and both February’s Great British Shooting Show at the NEC as well as last month’s IWA Outdoors Classics in Germany were awash with never-before-seen kit. BSA and their stablemates in particular have recently unveiled…

HUNTSMAN GENUS Daystate had some exciting new guns on show, including the long-awaited Huntsman Genus. This very special commemorative PCP has been produced to mark the business’s 40th anniversary, and features an eye-catching Minelli laminate stock with fishtail chequering and inlaid medallion, a bronze Cerakote finish, Huma regulator and 0dB silencer. STOEGER XM1 S4 SUPPRESSOR Boasting styling and fast-handling along the lines of a shotgun, the Stoeger XM1 S4 Suppressor is an extremely versatile precharged air rifle. Features include a customisable stock with interchangeable cheekpiece, pistol grip elements, a Picatinny side rail, multi-shot rotary magazine and single-shot loading tray. UMAREX RUGER 10/22 This is the new Ruger 10/22 from Umarex. Modelled on the classic sporting rimfire, this recoilless .177 calibre airgun runs on two 12g CO2 capsules and features a…

Lee-Enfield fans have been waiting patiently for the arrival of the CO2-powered BB-firing SMLE, and we’ve been assured that the rifle is very nearly ready to go. UK distributor The Shooting Party has been working with the factory over the past 12 months to make sure the key features of this iconic rifle are just right. The SMLE is of all wood and metal construction, and has the same weight and dimensions as the original. It promises a velocity of around 500-550 feet per second, depending on both temperature and the weight of the ammo, and shooters should get at least 30 solid shots from a single CO2 capsule. The magazine holds 15 BBs and the rifle can take original accessories such as slings and bayonets. The Shooting Party has…

THE COUNTRYMAN MAT MANNING Corvid control is a priority during the spring. Songbirds and gamebirds are nesting, which means an easy meal for crows and magpies, who are partial to eggs and chicks of other birds. Although corvid predation can have a serious impact on breeding success, it is a trait that can be used against them, and Mat plans to use a fake nest to lure the would-be thieves within range. THE QUARRY CARRION CROW AND MAGPIE These birds are close relations, both belonging to the corvid family. They are opportunistic scavengers, equipped with powerful beaks, and will happily steal from the nests of other birds. Corvids are sharp-eyed birds, and will often sit and watch for signs of parent birds flitting in and out of a nest. They’ll…

Many regular readers will be aware that I have been spending a lot of time recently shooting indoors. My main interest in competition shooting has always been that of HFT, which I have been involved with for nearly a decade or so now. But being interested in competition shooting and being any good at it are two entirely different considerations. My outdoor shooting results over the years have not always been to the standard that I would wish to perform at, although I did manage to win the North West HFT Gauntlet Veterans title for the recently completed 2018 winter series. Like anybody who competes in anything will find, sometimes things just don’t go right. If you are anything like me, this leads to frustration when you feel that your…

Ignorance, it is said, is no defence in law. Responsible airgunners know that without a Firearm Certificate (FAC), possessing a rifle that pushes out more than 12 foot pounds (ft-lb) will not only get you into trouble, but fuel the argument of those who’d like to see our sport disappear. There really is no excuse for exceeding the legal power limit. Manufacturers go to extraordinary lengths to ensure their products comply, and licensed gunsmiths know that any breach would have serious consequences for their livelihood. However, the reality is that even new guns can see power levels creep up over time. Personally speaking, everything I touch with a spanner explodes in a cloud of springs and cogs and can only be fixed with the skilful application of a credit card.…

What is it good for? A sling is used on a rifle to free up your hands, take the weight from your arms, and spread it over your back and shoulders instead. Having both your hands free can be invaluable when navigating a farmyard gate, pinging a distance with your rangefinder, or glassing an area with your binoculars. How do I fit one? A sling will be attached to a rifle with sling swivels, which in turn slot into sling swivel studs. Many slings come with swivels already fitted, but some don’t, in which case you’ll need to buy them separately. US and European sling fittings used to differ in size, but nowadays most swivels are designed to take both types, so get whichever sling appeals to you the most.…

Firearms manufactured by Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta are used all around the world by civilian, law enforcement and military shooters, with the Beretta 92 FS being one of the company’s most successful handguns. This pistol has been in production for more than a quarter of a century, and Umarex has had its own version of the FS in its CO2-powered inventory for well over a decade. So the Umarex FS is a bit of an oldie, but is it a goodie? Grab any modern CO2 handgun and it’ll quite possibly be a BB-firing blowback – Umarex even has a blowback rendition of the US military version of the Beretta 92 called the M9A3 (see Airgun Shooter issue 113). The Beretta 92 FS, on the other hand, fires .177 pellets from…

The latest readings of the Offensive Weapons Bill have been taking place in the House of Lords. Given the amount of hours it has been discussed by both houses and hopefully investigated by MPs, you’d like to think it would tackle the issue. But most of it seems to be so they can say they are doing something, regardless of its effect on law-abiding citizens. Our powder-burning friends are set to lose MARS-type rifles, a way to chamber the next round without the traditional movement of a bolt – this can increase the fire rate, but the system offers a huge benefit to handicapped shooters who can now take part in our sport. No MARS-type rifle has ever been involved in a crime. The Bill also suggests curtailing mail order…

Lincoln Target Shooting Club can trace part of its roots to 1908, when a smallbore club was formed in affiliation with the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs. The airgun section started elsewhere in the 1970s, and the two clubs later merged. The club now occupies a purpose-made building near a sports and social club, consisting of a wooden structure that houses both a club room and an indoor 10m range. Here, they shoot only .177 rifles and pistols. There are six lanes, each with electronic target changers. One lane is easily convertible for benchrest rifle. Otherwise, shots are made from a standing position. The range is accessible for wheelchairs, and there is also an outside 25m range. Membership currently stands at 30, aged from 10 to 77. Among the membership…

While the Northern has grown to be the largest combined indoor and outdoor show in the UK in just three years, airgunners have been at the centre from day one – and this year there’s even more. All the main manufacturers will be at the show in the exhibition halls, displaying their latest guns and new releases after their European launches at the IWA trade show in Germany, so you can expect to find some guns never seen before in the UK. This year, Umarex will be represented by Pellpax, with all models available to buy on the day. The manufacturers’ airgun ranges are just outside, so you can try the guns. On the optics side, Hawke, MTC Optics, Vortex and many more will be at the show over the…

The Smith & Wesson Model 586 from Umarex is a CO2 revolver that shoots .177 pellets. It offers great handling and durability, and has the added bonus of being equipped with adjustable open sights – all in all, it’s a gun that looks like it has purpose. Build quality is flawless. This all-metal revolver has a matt black finish with black anodised screws and black rubber grips. It’s very solid, and all the moving parts lock up securely. It even comes with a tool to remove the barrel so it can easily be cleaned with the enclosed nylon-bristled brush. When you’re ready to fire, you can elect to shoot the 586 in either single or double-action mode. The trigger is very good for a handgun of this type. The curved…

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more I appear to dislike the winter season and all that goes with it. Hopefully, by the time you read this, the sunshine will be with us and we can all start to enjoy being outside again without the need for the thermal underwear, gloves and heavy boots that accompany our winter-weight outdoor jackets. That doesn’t mean those of us who dislike winter don’t venture outside during the dark season though. Like many thousands of keen outdoor shooters around the country, winter represents an additional opportunity to gain our fix of competitive shooting that will sustain us until spring. I suppose there are shooters out there that actually prefer competing in conditions that see most sane people tucked up…

“IN MY OPINION, EVERY AIRGUNNER SHOULD OWN A CHRONOGRAPH” In my opinion, every responsible airgunner should either own a chronograph or have easy access to one. I used a .22 calibre BSA R-10 as a test rifle, and while I had no way of knowing which of the four chronographs was the most accurate, they all provided readings which were within a few feet per second of each other. The other good news was that my rifle is legal. Which one you choose is likely to come down to your budget, and the frequency and environment you intend using it. For example, if you have plenty of rifles and spend time working on them in a workshop, you are probably going to opt for the Skan or AirForceOne Ballistically Brilliant…

Winchester made a name for itself back in the 1860s with its successful repeating lever-action rifles, and went on to create the equally iconic Model 70 bolt-action sporting rifle in 1936. It’s a testament to their rock-solid design and popularity that both types of rifle are still in production today. “ WHILE THE TWO RIFLES HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENCES, THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME GUN” But the Winchester name has also managed to cross the divide from centrefires to airguns, and I’ve been shooting the Model 55 and 55RS - two springers that are very much inspired by the Model 70. The Model 55RS, which costs £269, is a scope-only rifle, but comes with a moderator and a riser rail, while the Model 55 has a recommended retail price…

H &N spent a long time developing the Baracuda FT, with pre-production samples being tested extensively by shooters in a number of different countries. With their reports handed in, the H&N Baracuda FT was refined and is now in production, being offered in a choice of two head sizes. While it’s marketed as a Field Target competition pellet, this domehead diabolo is well worth considering for hunting and other types of competition as well. The shape of the Baracuda FT is in part inspired by the company’s stalwart Baracuda Match, with a more pointed head than usually found on a typical domehead. The lead alloy used to make these pellets is relatively hard, which does help protect them during transit and storage, but hard pellets sometimes don’t flare to fit…

With advances in technology, the world is getting smaller – and that goes for airguns too. More bullpups and carbines are being made today than before, and that’s created a need for scopes that save on weight and size without compromising on optics or ease of use – scopes just like the Hawke Airmax 30 SF Compact, for example. The Compact is a new addition to the Airmax range. Seen here, the 3-12x40 is the smallest of the bunch, with an overall length of 277mm (10.9”) and a short eye relief of 76mm (3”). And, weighing in at 589g (20.8oz), this scope really does live up to its definition of ‘compact’ – it may be small, but it’s certainly mighty. It uses what Hawke calls a wide angle optical system,…

Did you shoot before starting your company, and do you shoot today? The whole family were keen air rifle shooters, and one day I realised we could use the machines from our graphics business to make our own targets. The first one we did was the rat target and it’s still a bestseller today. We continue to shoot and test all the target designs ourselves. When did you realise there was a market for your product? We gave a few of our initial targets to friends, and they said they were good enough to sell. So we put a few samples on eBay and they took off. The next phase was to visit local rifle shops, who realised the potential and also saw an increase in pellet sales to those…

A shooting buddy recently asked me to run through the way we test the guns that land on our desks here at Airgun Shooter. My answer was simple: the same way we’d test our own guns or those we’re helping a friend to set up. But what exactly do we do? I went on to explain to him the various steps we take, and thought it might be useful to do the same here. The method I’ve illustrated represents one way to test a rifle, but it’s certainly not the only way. However, it is quite thorough, and it does offer the chance to see exactly what each rifle is capable of. I’ve used a PCP to illustrate the process here, but the procedure for a springer or gas-ram is…

For those of us who have been shooting for any amount of time – and in my case it’s well over three decades – there will no doubt be numerous guns that have come and gone over the course of those years. We probably parted company with some of them for good reason – most often to move on to something better – but many of us can probably think of at least a couple of guns that we should have thought harder about letting go of, and now regret doing so. Parting with my first airgun – a second-hand Webley Vulcan which was handed down to me by my uncle when I was about 10 years old – was a mistake that taught me to think very hard about…

You may remember from some of my recent articles that I have found myself enjoying the discipline of benchrest shooting. This has come about following a long introductory period in which my friend Dave and I found ourselves naturally gravitating towards the ability to precisely place a .177 air pellet onto a 2mm-sized bull at 25 yards. Not that shooting accurate groupings of pellets at all ranges isn’t useful for anybody wielding our combinations – just that attempting to score highly on an official benchrest target card requires a considerable amount of skill, and of course the equipment to do so. I own a couple of German-made target rifles that I use for outdoor competition. My current favourite is a Steyr LG 110 that allows me to make the most…

First focal plane scopes are very much in fashion at present, and not without good reason. With this type of telescopic sight, the reticle changes size in proportion with the sight picture as you wind the magnification up and down. That’s great news for shooters who like to change the zoom setting on their scope, because it means the aim points you use to compensate for the rise and fall of the pellet remain the same, regardless of the power you have your magnification set at. The only downside with first focal plane optics, however, is that they tend to cost more than their second focal plane counterparts. More affordable options are coming onto the market, though, and the PAO F1 5-20x50 IR PA First Focal Plane Rifle Scope from…

The Enigma was a very unusual gun, a superbly designed multi-shot with variations to keep everyone happy. They were released in black rubberised stocks, black-painted wooden stocks, dipped camo and deluxe wood. Different barrel and cylinder lengths are occasionally found, with an overall 43” being the average, although some guns were longer, depending on the barrel and silencer combination. They were weighty too – on paper at least. They point faultlessly with no effort, and their superb balance makes them feel as light as balsa wood – well, almost. With an ergonomic pistol grip that even lefties can use, many shooters comment on how good the Enigma feels. And on top of all this, it’s a take-down. A big chunky wheel engages the action to the stock, and it’s big…