Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2021 i Airgun Shooter

As any hunter knows, spotting a quarry animal is half the battle, and while technology will never replace fieldcraft, it’s good to accept a high-tech helping hand when it’s offered, like the InfiRay Eye II E3 Plus V2.0 Thermal Imaging Monocular. This device will reveal your surroundings while helping you spot people, objects and animals out to 1,298 metres. Powered by an integral rechargeable battery, it offers a run time of up to seven hours. It includes a built in wifi connection and onboard photo and video capture. There’s a handy zoom feature and a choice of five colour palettes, but one of its most useful features is its small size, as it measures a pocket-friendly 181mm in length. The InfiRay Eye II E3 Plus V2.0 Thermal Imaging Monocular has…

WORTH £110 Featuring an intuitive rotatable thumb switch, the Wedge uses a 1500 mAh Lithium Polymer cell battery that can be recharged by plugging a USB-C cable into the light’s waterproof rear socket. Battery level indicator status is located in the switch, using a red and green LED. The Wedge, which has a suggested retail price of £110, measures just 13.87cm x 1.52cm, and weighs only 93.5g. It’s available in black and coyote, which is the colour of the torch on offer here. There are two lighting modes. In normal use there’s the 300 lumen Constant-On mode, which gives a beam distance of 69 metres and a run time of three hours. For maximum brightness there’s the 1,000 lumen momentary THRO (Temporarily Heightened Regulated Output) mode, which delivers a 35-second…

Anyone who knows the pain of shooting a rifle that just won’t perform as well as it used to will know what I’ve been going through with my Cometa Fenix 400 Carbine. I first bought this rifle from a good friend and colleague of mine. He was giving up shooting in favour of fishing. No accounting for taste if you ask me, but I got a good gun for a good price so couldn’t complain too much. I remember my first time out shooting with this gun at my favourite range, it was perfect in every way. I could hit anything I liked and it was very accurate, at least as far as my shooting skill allowed. The rifle came in at just over 11 ft-lb, which was exactly what…

Hopefully by the time you read this we will be nearer to being able to engage in our favourite hobby as normal once again. Like everybody else, and unless they happen to be involved in essential pest control purposes, my own collection of guns has been sat looking forlornly within their cabinets wondering what they have done to deserve such long periods of inactivity. I am bored of using the “C” word, but hopefully, due to the current vaccination campaign and lowering infection rates we will be in a position to at least live in something that we can class as “normal”. So how can we best prepare ourselves and our kit for those wonderful days when we head out to the range or field and can spend hours shooting…

Shooters with serious money to spend aren’t afraid to go the extra mile when it comes to splashing out on high-performance equipment. You can hardly blame them because, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for when it comes to shooting gear, and that applies to optics. One problem faced by hunters and target shooters who want to invest in top-quality optics is that this equipment has been made for use with powder-burning rifles. The result is that the best telescopic sights tend to be parallaxed for ranges beyond the distances that most airgunners are likely to be shooting over, so they aren’t really fit for purpose. That’s no longer a problem for airgun shooters who want to treat themselves to a Zeiss scope though, as…

The last 18 months or so have seen an upsurge in interest in airgun slugs, with both mainstream manufacturers and smaller specialist operations offering a huge range of ammo, with quality being high across the board. The downside to this is that most of this ammunition is the preserve of the FAC-holder, with these heavy slugs requiring a high level of muzzle energy to unlock their ballistic potential. But there’s good news for people who enjoy shooting sub-12 foot pound air rifles – manufacturers like Pro Hunter Swaging are now producing slugs to cater for lovers of the legal limit. Pro Hunter’s latest, lighter Premium High Impact design is a .22 slug with an advertised weight of 17.8 grains. That’s not much heavier than a typical .22 pellet of around…

GO ONLINE FOR TARGETS AND TINS Targets And Tins is a family-run business with a shop with an on-site airgun range, and now you can check it out online and pick up some great gear thanks to its new website. Targets And Tins stocks a variety of airguns, pistols and accessories, and caters for newcomers and experienced shooters alike. It offers a selection of targets and pellet catchers which can be used in the garden for plinking, while at the other end of the scale there‘s a range of night vision products for after-dark pest control. Take a look at targetsandtins.co.uk for more information. GO BIG OR GO HOME Lothar Walther manufactures rifled barrels from special gun steel and stainless steel in over 240 different calibres for target shooting, hunting,…

Over the last few months we’ve witnessed a massive surge in the number of people wanting to take part in our sport, many for the very first time. If you’re one of these people then there’s some really good news that needs to be shared – the choice of airguns and accessories is huge, and there’s something out there which will be a perfect match for both your shooting needs and your wallet. Having such a massive choice can be a double-edged sword. For anyone starting out, the amount of guns, scopes and other accessories on offer can be bewildering. Some airguns are specialised, and buying a gun on looks can lead to disappointment if you find your new purchase isn’t right for the type of shooting you want to…

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Many shooters regard German brand Anschutz as the best in the world. Often raved about on shooting forums, Anschutz is synonymous with the 10-metre shooting disciplines, a style of shooting that Anschutz continues to dominate. The Anschutz brand has always set new standards of quality when it comes to the air rifles the company manufactures, which is why they have proven to be so popular amongst today’s target shooter Other than the Anschutz 9015 HP (high power), from the factory, most Anschutz 9015s are set at 6 ft-lb as this is the optimum power for 10-metre Olympic indoor shooting. They require tuning and converting to get them running at the full 12 ft-lb needed to compete in most UK target shooting disciplines. The RAT Works, well known for their tuning…

While it’s great to see CO2 guns that are created from the ground up, plenty of shooters love getting their hands on pellet-or BB-firing historical replicas, with the Legends series from Umarex featuring a variety of guns from the Old West to the Cold War. The latest addition to the range, the M1A1 Legendary, is of course instantly recognisable as a copy of the Thompson submachine gun, and it’s a good one too. The Thompson was first produced in 1921. It was an expensive design, with cooling fins around the barrel, a very high rate of fire and the ability to take the classic 50-or 100-round drum magazines that made it so popular with the gangsters of the Prohibition era. The gun was subjected to a series of design changes…

FILL IN THE FORM BELOW AND EMAIL IT TO: GUNSANDGEAR@FUTURENET.COM WITH ‘AIRGUN SHOOTER’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. THE ITEM STAYS LISTED UNTIL BEING KNOCKED OFF THE BOTTOM FOR SALE: Weihrauch HW100 .177 in walnut stock with silencer, two magazines, bipod, gun bag and Hawke Vantage IR 6-25x50 AO scope. Also included is a Hill filtered air pump. All in excellent condition. John (Essex). Tel: 07884 437438. Email: jv.arniston@ hotmail.co.uk FOR SALE: Primos Trigger stick Gen 2 in very good condition (not used outdoors). £80. FOR SALE: Air cylinder NPE 3LT 300pe. Only filled once. £80. FOR SALE: Tinbum Tuning Maxi Drop-In Kit and spring, for use in HW 99S-57, plus brass 6mm safety catch for HW 99-95-98-57-50. Never used, still in box. £30. FOR SALE: Bisley quality leather gun sling…

“THANKS TO THE HERITAGE’S ENORMOUS SHOT COUNT, RUNNING OUT OF AIR DURING AN EXTENDED SHOOTING SESSION IS A THING OF THE PAST” Daystate has more than four decades’ experience in making pre-charged pneumatic air rifles, and that innovative gunmaking heritage has been transferred to its latest special edition – the Red Wolf Heritage. The company celebrated its 40th anniversary by bringing out the Genus, which was a special version of the Huntsman. And the Staffordshire firm has taken a cue from the Genus by offering similar styling with the Heritage, mixing a bronze and carbon-fibre finish with matching two-tone laminate woodwork. Daystate collectors are quick to snap up limited editions, and I’m willing to bet there’ll be more than a few Genus owners who’ll be trying hard to snare a…

The Impact has proved to be a popular airgun, and FX has upped its game further with this newest version of the Swedish supergun. The Impact M3 now features dual regulators to deliver consistent pressure, which should translate to increased accuracy. The M3 comes with a new Quick Tune System which lets the shooter ne-tune the rifle, for example adjusting the air pressure of the dual regulators, determining how long the valve stays open and adjusting the strength of the hammer in small increments of 1-2 fps with each click. Further improvements include an ambidextrous short throw cocking lever with an enlarged handle, dual transfer ports on most calibres, tightened barrel housing tolerances and an updated trigger system that allows a crisp second-stage break. Go to Sportsman Gun Centre (sportsmanguncentre.co.uk)…

WIN! THE BEST LETTER GETS A SET OF SPORTSMATCH MOUNTS LETTER OF THE MONTH RICK O’SHEA’S NOT WELCOME I have followed the discussion in the Airmail section regarding some clubs’ reluctance to allow BB guns to be used at their ranges. At Basingstoke Air Rifle & Pistol Club (BARPC) we do allow BB guns, but only if they use lead, copper-coated lead or the frangible (Dust Devil) ball ammunition. Steel and plastic ammunition is banned due to the increased risk of ricochet. A lot of BB guns are marketed as “steel BB only”, but can operate with lead or the Dust Devils. It would be really useful if your reviewers could test all the BB guns they review with non-steel ammunition. It is probably worth me mentioning that the no…

Rabbit numbers have been up and down on my patch over the past few years. Myxomatosis, which has been around for decades, takes its toll, but there always seem to be a few resistant rabbits that make it through and create a new breeding stock. Far more devastating over recent years has been the impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease, usually referred to as RHD or RVHD. This highly infectious disease kills very quickly, leaves barely any external signs and has a mortality rate of between 70 and 100 percent. Rabbit populations can disappear very swiftly when it strikes. RHD has been the reason for the decline in rabbit numbers where I live – certainly over the past two or three years. Last year it struck just as the bunnies appeared…

If my previous article managed to convince you that you can’t call yourself a true enthusiast without owning the important piece of airgunning history that is a vintage Webley air pistol, then read on to make sure you buy a good one! A bit like purchasing a classic car (if only!) it pays to buy the best you can afford. However, if your budget doesn’t stretch to the best, even a slightly tatty example can usually be made to perform well. Much of the advice offered applies whether seeking a post-war (late 1940s, 50s or 60s) Junior, Mk1, Senior or early Premier, so that coverage for all of these is included under the three headings below. Remember to check the pistol is not cocked and has no pellet in the…

Air rifle manufacturers love to tantalise us with increasingly sophisticated rifles. Daystate brought us the Delta Wolf with its on-board chronograph and computerised settings. And just when we realised a regulator was a great idea, FX convinced us we needed two with the Maverick and the Impact M3. But such innovation comes at a price, and for many shooters such rifles are either beyond their fiscal reach, especially at the moment, or are simply excessive for their needs. But if you have say a maximum of £500 to spend, does it mean you have to resign yourself to poorly made, inaccurate old muskets that are horrible to shoot? The answer, fortunately, is a resounding ‘No’ and we’ve assembled five of the best affordable pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifles to prove the…

After the success of the Lincoln Air Rifle project that eventually was sold to BSA, George Lincoln Jeffries retired. However his family continued to stake their place in the gun trade, seeing a market for air pistols. Produced in small quantities in the 1920s, the Lincoln Air Pistol was rarely seen for decades, and only recently with internet exposure have more examples surfaced. Variations have even been noted in frame size and barrel length, from a monster size with a longer spring cylinder grip, to this moderate version with an 8“ barrel, and some with a shortie barrel. There is also a large premium or Target version. Other rare LJ pistols exist, with different charging methods such as backstrap cocking, however it is the break-barrel and trigger guard cocking method…