Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i Airgun Shooter

WEBLEY RAIDER CLASSIC The Webley Raiser Classic is another proven gun that’s been given a revamp to bring it bang up to date. Housed in a classy walnut stock with a fully adjustable butt pad, this surprisingly compact rifle runs a magazine system which delivers 12 shots in .22 calibre and 14 in .177, and is available in standard and shrouded barrel variants. BROCOCK XR RANGE Brocock airguns have become established as some of the most reliable and versatile pre-charged rifles on the market, offering high-end precision and performance without breaking the bank. Based on tried and tested models, including the Bantam, Compatto and Commander, the new XR range boasts sidelever cocking and loading, plus a few other clever tweaks, to make these guns even more slick in operation. WALTHER…

Jacket or smock? While this question doesn’t provoke such a passionate response as the .177 versus .22 debate, Ridgeline is well aware that some people simply prefer a regular jacket, and so the Monsoon, the New Zealand-based company’s ultimate hardwearing and functional smock, is now available in jacket format too. Maintaining the same distinctive style and being longer than usual, the Monsoon Classic Jacket gives you maximum protection with its highly waterproof (10,000 H2O) and breathable (5,000 MVT) three-layer laminated shell. This means the Monsoon will stop moisture from permeating into the fabric, while water vapour from your sweat is able to escape from inside the jacket, which will keep you both dry and comfortable while shooting. Two zipped waterproof pockets, a hood with three points of adjustment, waist clinch…

So what scope do you need to enjoy your shooting to the max? Well, that is an open question. What kind of shooting are you doing? How much do you need to spend on glass? Some say it’s double the price of the gun! I have some very expensive guns, but do I really need to spend that much on a scope? Well in some cases, yes I do. Not all my rifles are airguns though, so the glass I need for them may very well be different. You will not be shooting 1,000 yards with a 3-9x40, I would have thought. That is not to say it can’t be done, because I know it can, but it’s not exactly optimal. For shooting that far one would suggest a decent…

Many readers will be aware that I have started to take the challenge of benchrest shooting much more seriously over the course of the past six months or so. In part this is due to me giving outdoor competition shooting a rest, as like anything we do for a long time, it can sometimes become a bit tedious with a requirement to freshen things up a bit with a new challenge. I am very similar with my fishing, which usually sees me targeting a species of fish for a prolonged campaign or even concentrating upon a geographic area. The other reason is that my ageing limbs aren’t quite as mobile as they used to be. I understand there are lots of veteran shooters out there who continue to regularly attend…

Q My son is a very sensible 15-year-old and for the past few months I’ve been letting him shoot one of my rifles, but it’s now developed a leak. I know it’s legal for him to shoot it in the field, but can he take it to the gun shop to get it repaired? A Between 14 and 17 years of age, a person may not buy or hire an airgun or ammunition or receive them as a gift. However, they may borrow one from a person over 18 years of age and use it on private property where they have the occupier’s consent, without supervision. A person within this age group may not carry an airgun in a public place at any time unless supervised by a person of…

KEY SPECS SUPPLIED BY: Sportsman Gun Centre (sportsmanguncentre.co.uk) MAKER: FX, Sweden (fxairguns.com) MODEL: Dreamline Classic Walnut PRICE: £899.99 TYPE: Sidelever-action, regulated modular PCP CALIBRE: .177 (tested) and .22 OVERALL LENGTH: 970mm LENGTH OF PULL: 356mm BARREL LENGTH: 500mm WEIGHT: 2.4kg (without scope) TRIGGER: Two-stage adjustable SAFETY: Resettable switch POWER: 11.5 ft-lb Airguns from Swedish gunmaker FX tend to have a very distinctive look, and that look is usually futuristic, minimalistic and tactical – but that’s not the case with all of them. The FX Dreamline Classic, which I have been testing for the last few weeks, is actually a very traditional looking gun. Don’t be fooled by its classic sporter looks though, because it boasts some seriously innovative features. There are numerous different models in the Dreamline range, from bullpup…

KEY SPECS PELLET: Hades MANUFACTURER: JSB UK DISTRIBUTOR: Air Arms (www.air-arms.co.uk) TYPE: Segmented domehead diabolo CALIBRE TESTED: .22 (.25 also available) HEAD SIZE: 5.5mm SUPPLIED IN: Tin of 500 PRICE: £14 ADVERTISED WEIGHT: 15.89 grains MEASURED WEIGHT: 15.96 grains USES: Hunting, precision plinking In Greek mythology, Hades is both the land of the dead and the god who rules there, so it seems only fitting that JSB should grant this name to its latest dedicated hunting pellet. The Hades is an unusual projectile, because from some angles it looks like a regular domehead diabolo, but if you look at it from the top you’ll clearly see a segmented pattern where the metal has deliberately been weakened to assist head expansion on impact. I don’t know whether this was actually an…

This summer brings us the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. It is very important that we do well – not just for our national pride, but also to ensure our sport receives future funding. Sport for England only invests in those disciplines that do well. We saw at the last Games that success in the shotgun disciplines led to increased funding, and it’s noticeable how much British Shooting has done – compared to badminton, which saw most funding cancelled, resulting in fewer coaches. We have a great chance of winning medals in the Shotgun Trap, with Matt Coward Holley, Aaron Heading and Kirsty Barr already having quota places. In smallbore shooting, Scotland’s Seonaid McIntosh follows her sister Jen in wearing the GB uniform. Seonaid goes in as current world…

Minehead & District Rifle & Pistol Club has antecedents going back to the 1880s, and there is a painting owned by the National Rifle Association showing the Dunster Militia practising musketry with targets set against the local cliffs. The club started in 1937 as the Royal British Legion Club and in 1984 it changed to the Dunster Rifle Club. In 1995 the new range was completed and the club became Minehead & District Rifle & Pistol Club. Facilities include an indoor range of 25 yards and 50 metres. Airgun shooting takes place at 10 metres and 20 yards, with automatic target changing. The membership is currently numbered about 40, with ages ranging from 10 to the mid-70s. There is no minimum age for joining, although the determining factor is the…

How long have you been shooting and how did you get into it? I started as a teenager when I was about 16 years old. My parents’ house had a large garden, about 30 yards long. That was 50 years ago and my first gun was a Diana Mod 22 .177 made in Great Britain with open sights, no scope rail. I still have the gun, but sadly it’s in poor condition as I shot thousands and thousands of rounds through it and wore it out. What type of shooting do you enjoy? At the moment I enjoy shooting prone. Shooting longer range at 50m or more, prone gives me great stability. In the past, many years ago, I shot Field Target, which I enjoyed greatly, but I have never…

First focal plane scopes. Prismatic scopes. Short eye relief scopes. These are just three types of scope that have recently been gaining pace on the airgun scene. But do we all know what they are or what they do? Shooters need to know what optic they’re looking for – and what they’re getting when they pick up a new scope, and this becomes doubly hard for newcomers to the sport who may not understand even the basic terms and features. So let’s demystify this sometimes tricky subject. A modern telescopic sight is a precision instrument, often full of exciting features, but at its most basic level a scope has just one very simple role to carry out – it helps us point the barrel of our airgun in a particular…

You won’t have failed to notice that slug ammo is a huge talking point right now. Social media is awash with claims about this bullet-shaped ammo’s ability to maintain momentum, retain energy and deliver remarkable accuracy out to ridiculous distances. Quite frankly, I was already more than happy with what my airguns were achieving with conventional pellets, but with slugs causing such a stir, I decided to carry out a test of my own to find out whether they really are the next big thing or just a flash in the pan. To set the scene, slug ammunition has become a huge talking point over the last year – and if you watch YouTube videos made by power-hungry, range-obsessed shooters from across the pond, you will certainly have heard about…

KEY SPECS GUN SUPPLIED BY: Gamo (www.gamoguns.co.uk) MODEL: GX-40 PRICE: £379 TYPE: PCP CALIBRE: .177 (on test) and .22 ACTION: Bolt-action MAGAZINE: Multi-shot (10 shots for both .177 and .22) OVERALL LENGTH: 96cm (37.8”) including muzzle brake BARREL LENGTH: 47cm (18.5”) WEIGHT: 3.0kg STOCK: Ambidextrous synthetic thumbhole SIGHTS: Dovetail rail LENGTH OF PULL: 37cm (14.6”) TRIGGER: Two-stage, adjustable TRIGGER-PULL: 1lb 12oz SAFETY: Manual, resettable MUZZLE ENERGY: 10.3 ft-lb Most airgun shooters are familiar with the concept of a starter rifle that’s been deliberately priced low to attract newcomers to the sport. The preconception here is that the rifle’s been built down to a price, and while it may kick-start a new shooter’s enthusiasm, they’ll soon want to move on to a more upmarket airgun. But what if that budget gun…

FOR SALE: Daystate Timber Wolf .177. Number 14 of 100 limited edition gun. Has a 5-20x50 MTC Genesis scope, hard case and all certificates, all in mint condition. £2,000 ovno. Paul Schielaert (Leeds). Tel: 075 4976 1580 FOR SALE: Air Arms Ultimate Sporter .177. Laminate stock, 2x 10-shot mags, fill adapter, hard case. As new. Genuine reason for sale. Face-to-face only. Cash only. £700 ono. David Bessell (Bolton, Lancs). Tel: 079 4917 4570 FOR SALE: Daystate Genus Limited Edition .177, commemorating 40 years of Daystate production. Only 200 made. Totally unused in Daystate hard case with special edition book, single-shot tray and mag. 30-month warranty remaining. £1,350. Call Ray (Goole, East Yorkshire). Tel: 019 7766 1671. FOR SALE: Weihrauch HW100T and slip plus two 14-shot magazines and single-shot adapter. £660.…

British athletes put on some fantastic performances at this year’s Intershoot contest, especially from the junior shooters, boding well for future Olympic and Commonwealth competitions. The highlight on day one was England’s Joe Baker winning the Junior Men’s Pistol event and Scotland’s Emilia Faulkner winning the Junior Women’s, with Wales’s Lucy Thomas coming a close second. Emilia’s qualification score of 571 is also a new British record. Day two saw Kristian Callaghan come seventh in the Senior Men’s Pistol contest. Emilia continued her top form to take the Junior Women Pistoltitle. Inthesame event England’s Harriet Watson and Lucinda Evans came sixth and seventh, with Wales’s Lucy Thomas coming eighth. Along with Maddy Barnes, the England shooters took the team Gold, and in doing so set a new GB record. The…

Air Arms has won one of the most coveted titles at the Great British Shooting Awards for the second time in a row – with the Air Arms S510 being crowned Airgun of the Year. The aim of the awards is to give recognition to the products, organisations and people that make the shooting industry what it is today. From cartridges to clothing and scopes to shotguns, the awards represent every corner of the market. The first winners were announced at the British Shooting Show in February 2019, and they returned bigger and better this year, adding three new categories including an award specific to shotgun ammunition and another for the most innovative product launched all year. Pulsar returned as the awards’ headline sponsor, and they also picked up the…

This year’s Target Season will be an exciting one, with the return of the National Series and Super League, culminating in August with the final at Bisley, the home of British shooting. The National Series is contested over 49.5mm knockdown targets, and allows newcomers of all ages to compete. Athletes who have qualified from the 10 regional competitions will then take part in the final in August. The Super League is shot alongside the National Series on smaller 35mm targets, giving more experienced athletes the opportunity to compete in multiple domestic ISSF-standard events across the country and accumulate points across the season. The athletes with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned Super League Champion. All events are open to novice and experienced athletes alike.…

WIN! THE BEST LETTER GETS A PAIR OF SPORTSMATCH MOUNTS LETTER OF THE MONTH GOING BACK TO MY ROOTS I mainly shoot practical shotgun and rifle, but due to my organisational skills I managed to mix up my MOT date with my FAC renewal and ended up submitting my police paperwork late. This resulted in me having to store my guns with an RFD for six weeks, leaving me with my two cherished, but very rarely used, Weihrauch springers. Practical shooting with shotguns and fullbore rifles had completely eroded my attachment and history of airguns, but out they came. I took the HW77 and 97K to my local club, Gally Hill. It was here that I met the editor of this magazine, Mike Morton, and got chatting and relearning about…

THE QUARRY CARRION CROW Corvus corone PEST STATUS: A major problem for farmers, especially in the spring, crows peck the eyes from newborn lambs. They also feed on the eggs and chicks of other birds, and on newly drilled crops. HABITAT: Crows have a wide range of habitat, but feed mostly around farmyards, in woodland and on arable crops. They favour nesting sites in tall trees either in woods or along hedgerows. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Crows are sharp-eyed and very wary of man. Getting within range usually takes a high level of fieldcraft and concealment. Crow control becomes particularly important during late winter and early spring. Lambing season is just about to get into full swing and these opportunistic scavengers don’t take long to home in on vulnerable lambs. The powerful…

I must admit to being a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to choosing my equipment. I would much prefer to be using a gun with an oiled walnut stock and mirror-like bluing of the metalwork, but I also fully accept that this might not always be practical in the field or out on a target course. One of the companies that has specialised in production of cutting-edge air rifles is FX Airguns. Based in Sweden, the company continues to go from strength to strength with its novel design ethos and refreshing approach to airgun design. The production of truly innovative guns such as the Impact and Crown have lead to individual gun features such as adjustable transfer ports, hammer spring adjustment on the gun, the capability of adjusting…

What is it? A Picatinny adapter is a device that lets you fit items to a Picatinny rail when they were designed to be mounted to a sling swivel stud, the best example being a Harris bipod, or one of its many clones. When would I need one? Bipods with Picatinny fittings are available, like the high-end Atlas and its more affordable clone the Adras, but many airgun shooters already own a Harris-type bipod and won’t want to splash out on a new model just because it has a different fitting. Is it all about the money? For Harris owners, an adapter like the one shown here from Deben, will certainly save them the expense of having to splash out on a dedicated Picatinny-specific bipod if their new gun comes…

KEY SPECS MANUFACTURER: Hawke (www.hawkeoptics.com) MODEL: Airmax 30 Touch 3-12×32 AMX IR PRICE: £319 TUBE DIAMETER: 30mm MAGNIFICATION: 3-12 OBJECTIVE LENS: 32mm RETICLE: AMX IR ILLUMINATION: Red – six levels, with off positions in between PARALLAX: Side focus – 9m (10 yards) to infinity EYE RELIEF: 30mm (1.2″) LENGTH: 266mm (10.5″) WEIGHT: 572g (20.2oz) FEATURES: Waterproof, shockproof, nitrogen-purged Optical clarity, a decent level of magnification and a useful reticle are probably the three main features shooters look for when choosing a new optic. Luckily for us, the Hawke Airmax 30 Touch is able to offer all these features – and more – in an overall package that’s far shorter and lighter than usual. The Touch has a standard 30mm body tube, but a small 32mm objective lens, which means it…

Little-known Rutten were based in Herstal in Belgium, making airguns under both their own name and the Browning banner. Never run of the mill, they developed interesting designs into quality airguns. Readers may remember their battery-operated Browning Airstar, very much ahead of its time back in the 1990s, and the Mach 1 DE seen here also sports some rather inventive engineering. To allow for easier leverage a longer underlever arm was needed, but the trigger assembly would get in the way. What to do except chop the trigger off and stick it on the arm! The trigger blade was separated from the trigger block, being recessed inside the stock on the action. The ‘DE ‘ tag also indicated another engineering trick, Double Energy, referring to how the gun is cocked…