Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Airgun Shooter

Looking through a telescopic sight and being rewarded with an image that offers razor-sharp details and brilliant colours is something centrefire hunters have enjoyed for years using super high-quality scopes from Zeiss. Airgun shooters can now get in on the action too with the introduction of the Conquest V4 range of scopes, which will parallax from 10 yards to infinity. There are four models in the V4 range, but two models stand out. The V4 4-16x44 balances a wide field of view with a versatile magnification range, making this compact riflescope ideal for hunting, while the V4 6-24x50 is more specialised for precision shooting, thanks to its higher magnification. Conquest V4 scopes are built with ballistic turrets, which offer a large range of adjustment to compensate for pellet drop. Zeiss…

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Nowadays most of the successful competition shooters use air rifles that are highly configurable. During the lockdown period I was fortunate enough to test out some of these amazing rifles that were kindly loaned to me by a friend. Most manufacturers now offer adjustable stocks as standard. Although this maximises the chances of the stock fitting the shooter properly, all factory stocks are compromised to some extent in order to fit most people. It is impossible for manufacturers to offer different variations of size in a factory offering, and because of this many competitive target shooters opt to invest in a custom stock. In all shooting disciplines it is vital that the shooter is accustomed to their equipment. In most cases consistency means accuracy, and therefore the addition of a…

Let’s face it, of all the things you can hunt with legally in the UK, 12 ft-lb air rifles are pretty feeble. Only catapults are weaker, and I’m not totally sure about that. But that’s the point isn’t it? We’re not all blessed with thousands of acres to roam, and air rifles make even the smallest permission an absorbing challenge. I limit myself to 30 metres when hunting with a .22 and 40 metres with a .177. Trajectory – the extent to which a pellet will drop over different distances – is, of course, the variable we have to master to succeed as legal-limit airgunners. Some shooters use ballistic apps to understand how much holdover they need, while others prefer to set out targets at different distances and spend time…

In the world of optics, few brands demand respect like Bushnell. Its scopes have been a firm favourite with airgunners for decades. It also offers three different lines of monocular rangefinders – for our review we’ve got the Prime 1700 and the Nitro 1800 models. At £415, the Nitro 1800 is Bushnell’s top-of-the-range product. At 87x77x35mm and weighing 160g, it fits into a pocket if you don’t want to carry it in the provided belt pouch. Powered by a CR2 battery, the Nitro 1800 has a range of 730 metres straight out of the box, but can be upgraded. The 6x24 configuration makes the Nitro 1800 excellent for spotting, and with a press of the button will give you a reading in metres or yards. The mode button will optimise…

It’s wrong to pick a rifle on looks alone, but I think most of us have been guilty of that at some time or another. And so it was with the Benjamin Cayden, a hunting rifle that at first glance looks like a traditional sporter, but on closer inspection actually offers quite a bit more, and in any case is extremely pleasing to the eye. The Cayden is part of Benjamin’s Craftsman Collection, which at the moment consists of three multi-shot PCPs, the other two being the Akela bullpup and the buddy bottle-equipped Kratos, all three rifles wearing quite luxurious looking Turkish walnut stocks. The Cayden is a sidelever-operated pre-charged pneumatic that at the moment is only available in .22, but we may see a .177 version later. It’s a…

Struggling with heavy springers in muddy fields was the norm for many keen young airgunners back in the 1970s, but the arrival of lightweight Japanese pneumatic pump-up air rifles changed the scene. The pneumatic pump-up was actually nothing new. There had been American imports, but rightly or wrongly most seen here seemed aimed at beginners. Then as if from a different planet came the Japanese Sharp range of adult-priced and adult-powered airguns. The entry-level Innova quickly found favour, almost weighing less than a packet of Golden Wonder crisps in your school lunchbox. It was recoil-free and insanely accurate. On a par with the best of the rest of the American fayre, we took to the Innova like ducks to water, overlooking things that didn’t seem at all right such as…

Having a torch to hand when you need it isn’t always easy, but Streamlight has set out to right this wrong by introducing the Wedge. This USB-C rechargeable everyday carry flashlight has a thin, compact shape and is designed to be carried deep in a trouser pocket, so it’s always with you. Featuring an intuitive rotatable thumb switch, the Wedge uses a 1500 mAh Lithium Polymer cell battery that recharges by plugging a USB-C cord into the light’s waterproof rear socket. Battery level indicator status is located in the switch, using a red and green LED. Balancing durability with performance, the Wedge is available in black and coyote, and has an RRP of £110. To find out more visit www.streamlight.com.…

FX Airguns has been blazing a hot trail at the forefront of airgun innovation over recent years. With an emphasis on clean, functional design combining match-level precision with seemingly infinite degrees of adjustability, the Swedish gunmaker has established a cult-like following. The team at FX like to think outside of the box, and their unconventional approach to airgun design has resulted in game-changing innovations including the interchangeable Smooth Twist X Barrel System, the instantly famous Power Plenum and most recently a new dual-regulator system on their Maverick bullpup. As shooters strive to push high-power airgun potential to the limit and beyond, FX’s unique combination of adjustability, precision and interchangeable modular design has made the brand a favourite with extreme-range pellet and slug aficionados around the world as well as with its…

LETTER OF THE MONTH FUN TARGETS Over the course of the lockdown I have been out in the garden doing some plinking and target practice. As time went on I started to look for different types of targets and whilst online I came across a fantastic website called Shooting Skull Targets (shootingskulltargets.wordpress.com). The website is filled with tons of free to download and print targets. They have your basic bullseye targets, some fantastic vintage targets, carnival targets, human targets and some game-style targets. The thing I liked about this site is all the targets come in 14cm and 17cm sizes that you print on A4 and cut them out and pop them straight into your pellet catchers. They have larger versions that can be A4 and A3 sizes. I also…

There is no getting away from the fact that farming operations attract pests and the impact can be at its greatest when uninvited guests home in on the yard. You can’t blame animals such as feral pigeons, corvids and rats from targeting farmyards, as these places provide them with shelter in large buildings and easy food sources. Most of the farms that I shoot on tend to be hit worst during the winter. Cold, wet weather and a lack of natural food makes five-star living on a farm even more of a temptation during the colder months. As spring slowly rolls around, the days lengthen and temperatures rise – combined with the wealth of food and shelter on the farmyard, this can create ideal breeding conditions. Thankfully, pest numbers on…

My very first permission, gained many years ago, is a field in the next village. It’s only a few acres, but wandering about the hedgerows with my HW35, I could have been stalking the Highlands of Scotland or roaming the great plains of Africa. Before long I had pretty much explored every corner. It sounds ungrateful I know, especially to those still seeking their first permission, but things got a little stale. I knew exactly where the rabbits would be and where to lay up and ambush them. When I mentioned this to the farmer after several years he replied: “Oh, you should have said, I’ve got plenty of other land you can shoot on.” I didn’t know whether to kiss him or throttle him. Fortunately, I did neither and…

Measuring 95x70x33mm and weighing 175g, the PAO Solar 600 is not only small and light, but the cheapest product in our test, and thanks to a solar panel that recharges the C2 battery, it’s one of the most innovative too. PAO designed the product at the behest of The Shooting Party’s boss, Mike Hurney, after he discovered the battery on his regular rangefinder had gone flat when grouse shooting in Scotland. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the Solar 600 long enough to test the claim that” you’ll never buy a battery again”, but with a range of five to 600 metres at 6x magnification through the 25mm objective lens, the picture is superbly clear with a field of view that equates to 122m at 1,000m. The waterproof camouflage patterned plastic shell…

When it comes to airgunning optics, the Hawke brand is the choice of most shooters and its comprehensive range of telescopic sights adorn more air rifles than any other make. Its rangefinders are pretty popular too. The company offers two product lines, each with three models – the Vantage 400, 600 and 900 metre. And the slightly more expensive, longer performance Endurance 700, 1000 and 1500 metre models. Products in both ranges have a near identical look and feel. The textured polymer shell is grey on the Endurance and green on the Vantage. Both weigh around 170g and measure 970x740x350mm. They take a CR2 battery and share the same dioptre adjustment and operational button configuration. Magnification of 6x and a 21mm objective lens is the same too. When it comes…

Good shooting relies on consistency, whether that’s the shooter’s technique, the rifle’s power delivery or the ammunition. Some barrels are relatively unfussy when it comes to ammo selection, while others are incredibly finicky, and much of this will be down to the head size of the pellet. Some .177 pellets are just sold by the generic calibre, while others are offered by head size. But is every pellet in the tin exactly the same size? And once you know exactly what size your barrel likes, how can you quickly sort pellets of that size? Luckily, US firm Pelletgage has answers to both those questions. THE PELLETGAGE The original Pelletgage is a device that’s used to measure a pellet and determine its true size. It’s a device I’ve discussed before in…

When the BSA Ultra was introduced more than 15 years ago, thousands of shooters around the world instantly fell in love with it due to its ultra-compact proportions and huge accuracy potential. The original Ultra has been tweaked and updated over the years, but BSA has now introduced the Ultra CLX, a brand new variant of this classic PCP. While the CLX maintains all the advantages of the original Ultra, being small, easy to handle and offering full power, this new super carbine has been designed from the ground up. Key changes include the use of BSA’s new Mono Block platform, reducing the number of components and complexity, while improving reliability and efficiency. BSA is also using a new multi-shot magazine with the CLX, featuring a higher capacity of 12…

Bench bags are great, but can suffer from two issues, these being weight and adjustability, however Edgar Brothers looks to have overcome both with the TacRest Inflatable Shooting Bag, a stable rest that has one unusual ace up its sleeve – it’s a pre-filled bag with an inflatable bladder. Bench bags need to be heavy enough that they don’t shift around when you’re in the aim, but not so that they become a nuisance to lug around. Weighing in at 2.1kg, the TacRest is a compromise between the two. But its special feature is the built-in micro-adjustment pump. When you’re in the aim, you can inflate or deflate the notch the rifle is resting in, raising or lowering your point of aim accordingly. This system is much easier than having…

There’s a saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather as long as you’ve got the right kit, and the Grizzly III Jacket from Ridgeline will let you venture outside with your airgun even when the mercury’s plummeting and the wind’s howling. The Grizzly is water-resistant and windproof, meaning you can enjoy your sport whatever the weather — and for extended periods too, thanks to its double-lined hood and extra length. Like its namesake, this jacket is ideal for those that thrive outside, but when the weather starts to turn cold there’s no need for this particular Grizzly to go into hibernation! Its key features are: • Water-resistant • Windproof • Hard-wearing • Long style • Zipped pocket • Double-lined hood • Large chest pockets The Grizzly III Jacket…

Like most of us, I enjoy the occasion of buying a new gun. Following a lot of research, preferably trying an example of the prospective purchase for myself and reading the various reviews or watching many of the now excellent video reviews helps us all to make those all-important purchasing decisions. Regular readers followed my affliction over the years as many guns have come and gone to be replaced by newer models which always initially hold out great promise. That doesn’t mean that the guns I have sold on don’t cut the mustard, just that my eyes forever wander as the industry brings out more and more fodder for an airgunner who can’t keep his wallet in his pocket. I suppose it is shooters just like me that the industry…

British gunmaker Brocock has adapted and evolved its winning semi-bullpup design considerably since its inception a few years ago. Some of these developments have focused on boosting performance while others have enhanced these handsome guns’ aesthetics. The latest change, and the one that has resulted in the subject of this review, brings benefits on both fronts. If you didn’t guess from the name, the new Brocock Safari XR is cradled inside a Safari stock. This woodwork has already been seen on Daystate’s awesome Red Wolf Safari. Daystate has a close synergy with Brocock, which means many advancements made by the former end up being incorporated into guns made by the latter. That is a very good thing, and it certainly works with this new handle. Apart from having a strikingly…

The Sig Sauer KILO 1400 BDX may carry a premium price, even if it is towards the lower end of the American company’s range, but there’s no doubting the product’s quality and easy-to-use design. Made from high-quality polymers with rubberised textured panels that combine to offer IPX4 waterproofing, the KILO measures 100x75x33mm and weighs just 157g. A dioptre ring offers plenty of adjustment to ensure a sharp image with enough eye relief to make using this device with glasses easy. Thanks to high-quality lenses that have Sig Sauer’s SpectraCoat anti-reflection coatings, the image through the 20mm objective lens is extremely clear at the fixed 6x magnification, enabling the KILO to detect out to a claimed range of 1,400 metres. A CR2 battery is installed by undoing a coin slot cap…

The Rapier Ballistic Rangefinder from MTC Optics has been around for some time. But, like many of the company’s other products, it was developed with airgun use in mind. Weighing 178g and measuring 105x72x38mm, it is as light and compact as any of the other products on test. The image through the 6x magnification and 25mm objective lens configuration is nice and clear from five metres out to 1,200 with a claimed accuracy of +/- one metre. The rubberised dioptre adjustment turns easily with enough resistance to make accidental movement unlikely, and the eye relief of around 19mm will be appreciated by people who wear glasses. A CR2 battery provides around 5,000 ranges and there’s a 10 second auto shut-off feature. A square red button turns the unit on and…

FOR SALE: FX Impact MkII. Black, .177 calibre, 11 months old. Andy Hunt (West Sussex). Tel: 07761 063442. Email: andyhunt0627@outlook.com FOR SALE: Two custom stocks. HW95 CS500, left-hand with rosewood caps. £140. HW99 CS700, left-hand thumbhole with adjustable butt pad. £160. Both in very good condition. R Woodgate (Isle of Wight). Tel: 01983 566634. Email: OzzieBob@outlook.com WANTED: Theoben gas-ram barrel in .177 or .20, Slimline or EVO silencer fitted. R Woodgate (Isle of Wight). Tel: 01983 566634. Email: OzzieBob@outlook.com FOR SALE: As new BSA Silver Star. New May 2020, complete with hard case and an unused Optisan Mamba 12x44 scope. Cost £599. £350. John Lane (Norfolk). Tel 01366 386329 or email john.lane19@gmail.com FOR SALE: Theoben Sirocco .22 with Bushnell scope. Excellent condition as little used. £400. No offers. Brian White…