Airgun World UK - July 2015

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VOLUME 38 ISSUE 10 EDITORIAL Editor Terry Doe 01189 742511 Technical Editor Phill Price Consultant Editor Jim Tyler Chief sub-editor Rosie Barham Publishing Consultant Derek Barnes Designer Keith Harris

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THE EDITOR SAYS... t’s been a remarkable month here at Airgun World, but then, when I look back as I do every time I sit down to write this page, pretty much every month has something remarkable about it. This time around I find myself reflecting on a month spent using and thoroughly abusing a prototype Brocock rifle, and how that rifle represents a new beginning for a company so many airgunners hold in high regard. The Compatto – not sure about that name, but the rifle has impressed all who’ve seen it – is a Brocock of a different feather, and an important statement of intent from those who now own the company.

I

CRASH TEST DUMMY In addition to carrying out the more conventional tests, I’ve been asked to bash the Compatto around a bit to see how it handles the abnormal abuse to which sporting air rifles are so often subjected. I’ve been doing such things on behalf of airgun Bashing innocent rifles against sturdy fences needs to be done, but not by you, OK?

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Now, let’s think up some more abuse, shall we?

manufacturing companies for many years, but I still wince when I dish out the mistreatment. It’s just wrong to chuck a rifle in a bramble patch, or drag it through half a mile of wet grass, but these things have to be done and I’m apparently the very fellow to do them. I’m trying to take this as some form of compliment, but I think I’m kidding myself. I was asked by one company to ‘seriously abuse’ a new rifle they were developing, and ‘do so beyond the point of failure’. Basically, this meant, I had to build up the abuse until the rifle wouldn’t work any more, and log the reaction from the rifle’s various performance features. This is far more complicated, and far less fun, than it appears, believe me. I came up with a full-on assault course for the prototype, which included burying it in sand and stomping on it, tying it to some rope and dragging it along a muddy, water-filled ditch,

dropping it from a high seat, and ‘cleaning’ it with a jet-washer after each of these ordeals. That rifle was also lobbed from a moving vehicle during a lamping trip and left in a deep freeze for four days. Did it break? Of course it did. It took way more of that mindless abuse than I thought it could, though, and my face got cramp through wincing at what I was doing to that poor airgun. I like to think my efforts helped make that prototype become a better rifle, and changes to the design were certainly forthcoming because of my ‘tests’. Yes, I think it’s fair to say I have a talent to abuse, but that’s still not the greatest compliment, is it? Oh well, it’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it, I guess.

THANKS, ALL I’d like to close this month with a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everyone who contacts this magazine with suggestions, praise, criticism and contribution. So many of you do this and I’m pleased to report that the vast majority of the feedback is positive, but keep those suggestions and criticisms coming because without the guidance from its readership no magazine can give the most important people of all what they truly want. See you all next month, then, and as far as my cruel abuse of airguns goes, please don’t try this at home, folks! All the best.

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Editor

AIRGUN WORLD

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CONTENTS

THIS MONTH...

Bullseye Bargains! Reader Ads

P80

BROCOCK COMPATTO You gotta be cruel to be kind p19 03 Editor’s Welcome

24 Newton

28 Benevolent Dictator!

Thanks for the feedback, plus some smashing revelations

Steve Newton shows us how to get a rabbit ready for cooking

The Remington Tyrant turns out to be surpringly friendly - says Phill Price

08 Points of You Your views, news, praise, questions and criticisms of Airgun World, and the airgun world in general

13 What’s Going On? There’s always plenty of things happening in the world of airguns - and here’s the pick of the action

39 A higher level!

31 Airgun Student

There’s so much more to learn, when you raise your hunting aspirations

Young Naylor Ball’s study schedule is disrupted by his need to find a workable way to charge his rifle

35 Coming To America Pt3 John Milewski concludes his series on Webley pistols going Stateside

16 Competition

43 Everyday Hunter

Here’s your chance to win a £500 Walther LGV Master combo - for just £1.50!

Super-keen hunter, Nigel Jones is on a ratreduction raid, this month

19 The Editor’s Test: Brocock Compatto

47 Return of the Air-Mak!

Terry uses and abuses the prototype of the new Brocock Compatto

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Umarex Boys Club member, James Thornber, unwraps an iconic pistol from Russian manufacturers, Baikal

CONTENTS

NEWS & OPINIONS / KIT REVIEWS / FEATURES / TUTORIALS / TECHNICAL

Technical Airgun Taming The Twang

TECHNICAL AIRGUN

TAME THE TWANG

Resident Lord of the Springs, Jim Tyler, on various ways of reducing mainspring noise p73

Jim looks into the various methods of taming mainspring noise

n the worst cases, spring noise can be audible from a distance, which is a problem for those who wish to shoot in a garden without annoying the neighbours, and a serious issue for anyone trying to control rabbit population, because a single shot can empty an area of rabbits. Even if there are no neighbours to annoy, and no rabbits to be scared, the twang is at the very least an irritation for the user, and airgun enthusiasts have long sought ways to reduce the volume. The audible twang is caused by a variety of vibrations in the spring wire, and at a range of frequencies, and the key to reducing the vibrations is to absorb as much of the energy causing them as possible. The traditional way of reducing spring

I

twang was to coat the spring in a heavy grease, and that does reduce the volume, but at a price. The viscosity of grease varies according to temperature; the higher the temperature, the runnier the grease, and vice versa, which varies the speed at which the spring can accelerate the piston up the cylinder. If a springer is set up to be close to the legal limit in relatively cool conditions, a certain amount of spring energy will be lost, overcoming the internal friction of the grease, and that internal friction reduces when the grease is at a higher temperature, so that more of the spring energy can be used to drive the piston, usually resulting in higher muzzle energy. Changing viscosity with temperature is not the only

downside to using grease to dampen vibration. The vibration of the spring can throw grease onto the cylinder wall, from where it can eventually find its way into the compression area and auto-ignite, or ‘diesel’. In the days when piston seals were leather, and usually lubricated with oil, grease in the cylinder wasn’t a problem, because the oil used to lubricate the piston seal was probably already auto-igniting, but when synthetic seals were introduced, non-dieseling rifles could suddenly start dieseling if mainspring grease migrated into the compression area, changing not only muzzle

energy, but also pellet point of impact, and without warning.

SLEEVE As the use of synthetic piston seals became more common in the 1980s, a solution to grease being thrown off the mainspring and migrating into the compression area was to fit a sleeve inside the piston, to cover the inside of the cocking shoe slot. The materials of choice were the steel drinks can, or plastic cut from various food and drink containers and, in some instances, fitting the sleeve in itself often helped damp spring vibration, so

»

Most rifles leave the factory with lavishly greased mainsprings.

The main vibration appears to commence as the piston comes to a standstill, and then starts to compress the front of the spring, while the spring rear is still travelling forward. PTFE piston sleeves are very good for damping spring vibration.

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Project Long Gun - Part 2

TECHNICAL AIRGUN Eddie s long TX200 coped with a 15mm reducer at 35 yards but, like me, he wants to test at longer range in still air.

More mysteries for Jim to solve as the Long Gun is assembled and tested p76

PROJECT LONG GUN PART2 Jim gets the long gun assembled and tested, and it immediately reveals further mysteries of the springer shot cycle. hen first fitting the .177 Anschutz barrel to the .20 HW95 breech block, I had deliberately left the ‘power plant’

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(piston and spring) untouched in the rifle, to highlight the effects of swapping the barrel. The internals had been optimised for the .20

barrel, so the rifle was far from optimised with the .177 barrel, and the muzzle energy dropped by 0.8 ft. lbs. from 11.3 ft. lbs.

Recoil standard and long gun. Despite being more energy efficient, the .20 barrel produced greater surge.

76

PHIL HARDMAN Framed on the farm p87

AIRGUN WORLD

with .20 H&N FTT to 10.5 ft. lbs. with .177 Air Arms Field. What was so striking from my initial measurements of the recoil cycle was that the ‘lost’ 0.8 ft. lb. of energy was not driving greater piston bounce and recoil surge and, in fact, the surge with the .177 barrel was around 60% that of the .20. Logic would suggest that energy not used to drive the pellet must drive the piston bounce instead, so yet again, as can be seen in the illustration ‘Recoil Standard and Long Gun’. the springer shot cycle was defying logic. To complicate matters, I then tried H&N Field Target Trophy (the pellet I’d used in the .20 barrel), and the muzzle energy climbed to about 11 ft. lbs., coupled with a slight increase in surge, probably caused by around 1mm greater piston bounce. Following the lab. test, I fitted an old Pecar 6 x 42mm scope and moved to the range, to see whether the barrel was pointing in the right direction; in other words,

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There are many ways to reduce spring noise, but which work best?

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POINTS OF YOU

THE AIRGUN WORLD FORUM FOR YOUR RANTS, RAVES AND Q&AS HELLO LOLA? A recent letter from Neil Murray regarding a second-hand buyers guide, and another from a chap requesting an article on the Whiscombe JW 60, because he had just purchased one (lucky sod), plus the fact that I have just recently acquired a second-hand ‘brand-new’ Logun Mk2 Professional have inspired me to put finger to keypad. I’d like to suggest a nostalgia-driven series of reviews to bridge the gap between the excellent works of John Milewski, on guns of the more distant past, and what’s available today. Having owned and used airguns as a youth,

THE SENSITIVE KIND I’ve just read Jim’s excellent piece on measuring springer hold sensitivity. When I read the bit about him handing it on to an HFT springer shooter to test for field accuracy, another question posed itself in my mind for Jim to consider. It is a given that another shooter, using an even slightly varied hold, will undoubtedly have an effect on point of impact of shots, but would this also have an effect on the rifle’s grouping ability with a given pellet? He has shown that many things can affect, and

and then spent a long time in a rifle wilderness before returning seven years ago, I have a lot of classics to catch up on and would be more than happy to submit my findings on discovering ‘Lola’, as my wife has christened my new mistress. If you are interested, and find my scribblings worthy, that is. PAUL JOHNSON Paul, by all means tell us about ‘Lola’ and what she means to you, mate. We’re always keen to hear our readers’ personal experiences … of the airgunning kind, obviously. – Ed.

COOKING UP TROUBLE? After the conviction of a chef who shot wild birds from his bedroom window, I would like guidance on the legality of shooting in your own garden. Feng Shou Yin was fined £960, ordered to pay £1000 costs, and had his £700 airgun forfeited under the Wildlife and Countryside act. He killed two pigeons, two blackbirds, a starling and a magpie. The chairman of the bench, Shahnaz Hasmi, at his magistrates trial said he was ‘totally irresponsible’ using the weapon in a residential area and shooting from his bedroom window. We all know that blackbirds aren’t on the vermin list, but there are conditions for those species that are.

even change, a rifle’s ‘favourite’ ammo, I wonder if this could, too - food for thought? DOZ Jim replies - That’s an intriguing thought, Doz, which at first sight seems implausible, although a shooter with poor follow-through might achieve his best accuracy with the pellet that exited the muzzle soonest, whilst a shooter with better technique might do best with the pellet most suited to the individual barrel.

LETTER OF THE MONTH WIN THE JACK PYKE HUNTERS BOOTS I’ve come back to the sport of airgun shooting after many years away, and it’s fair to say I’m a completely changed man. I’ve been through a triple heart-bypass, a divorce, a change of house location and a total redirection of my career, but I’m proud to say I’m a far happier person for all that; probably because of all that. My ‘new life’ has also given me a different approach to my airgun shooting and these days I do it purely for the pleasure it brings me, with none of my previous competitiveness, the continual striving for perfection, or the misery when I thought I’d failed. Terry, I recall talking to you when you won the Kent Open Championship with a perfect score, and you told me you’d ‘been lucky with a couple that just crept into the kill zones,’ and you joked about even perfection not being good enough when you’re obsessed, as we both were back then. You were right, and I’ve never forgotten that conversation. Thanks to the generosity of the people at Jack Pyke, we’re able to give away a pair of the brand new Hunters boots every month to the reader we consider to have sent the best letter. That’s 120 quid’s worth of excellent footwear, just for letting us know what’s on your mind. You’ve got to like those numbers! So, have a think about what you want to say and get in touch, by email or letter. Don’t write pages of text because we’ll have to to be purely yours. State shoe size and

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These days, instead of going all out to be the best I can be, I just enjoy it as much as I can, and there’s a huge difference between those extremes. I now shoot vintage guns, pistols, CO2 guns and anything I think will make me happy, and they all do. I’m back in this wonderfully pointless pastime, and I’m absolutely loving it. I recommend this approach to you, and to all airgun shooters, everywhere. Keep up the great work, Terry. Rog Barnes Blimey, Rog, I remember that conversation, and the shoot that sparked it, mate. Obsession is rarely healthy in the long term and it leads to a loss of focus on what our sport is ultimately all about. I’m still enjoying my shooting immensely, and it’s great to see you are too, so I guess we’ve learned a bit from our obsessive days. Enjoy those boots, Rog! – Ed

address, and it’s great if you can include a photo, too. I promise we read every communication we get. If your letter wins, you’ll get these superb boots, which feature full grain leather uppers, a Vibram Trek Hunter rubber sole, a 100% waterproof, breathable, Hydroguard membrane, odour-resistant Agion antimicrobial inners and Thinsulate liners. There’s even more to these amazing boots, as you’ll find out when you win a pair. Good luck!

Something on your mind? Send us your letters and we’ll share your views with the readership. Write to: Points Of You, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berks. RG40 2EG. Or email [email protected]

We know you can’t shoot blackbirds and starlings, but what about pigeons and magpies? Contributors to the magazine often show photographs of magpies and pigeons they have shot on their permissions, so what I want clarification on is, can I shoot from my bedroom window? Can I shoot pigeons that are destroying my vegetable patch? Can I shoot magpies for eating the eggs and young of the birds in my garden? I can’t understand how a pigeon or a magpie is vermin on farmland, but when it flies 100 yards to my garden it is protected. Taking it to extremes, is a pigeon on a dairy farm protected because it is not eating crops? STEVE Good question, Steve, and the answer is readily available. Go to the internet site www.gov.uk and search for wild birds: licence to kill for conservation purposes. There, you’ll find the following information: ‘If you’re a landowner, occupier or other authorised person you can use this general licence to carry out a range of otherwise prohibited activities against certain wild birds. You don’t need to apply for this general licence but you must meet its conditions and follow its instructions. You are an authorised person if you’re: *the landowner, occupier or anyone authorised by the owner or occupier *authorised in writing by the local authority *authorised in writing by any England, Scotland or Wales conservation body, a district board for fisheries or local fisheries committee *authorised in writing by the Environment Agency, a water undertaker or a sewerage undertaker You can only use this licence to protect: *wildlife (including wild birds) *vegetation I’m not aware of the circumstances regarding your garden, but provided those terms

are met, and provided other, non-lethal, methods – scaring, and proofing - are not practical, then you may control those birds. Make sure all pellets remain in your boundary, and of course that all shots are completely safe. Also be mindful of the concerns of neighbours, and of all other legal requirements. – Ed

CARVE HIS STOCK WITH PRIDE Here is my modified HW100. It is a superb rifle as you know out of the box, but now I have really got into HFT and FT, I needed a different stock and I wanted it to fit me so I decided to buy a block of walnut from eBay for 50 quid and do it myself. I am good at building things, but I have never done any carving or work with hardwood, so I went on eBay and bought a set of cheap chisels, and a couple of router bits, and here is the result. First, I routed in the action, for which I first made some accurate measurements and drawings, and then using scrap wood, I made up some jigs to help me to keep it accurate. Once I was happy with the fit, I started on the carving, all which was done by hand and took up my evenings for about two weeks, and then came the brave bit, cutting out the trigger access and carving to the shape of my hand. Sanding

took up my evenings for a further week, from P60 sandpaper to 2000 wet and dry, and left me with no fingerprints! I have now refitted the action and I’m ready to make a test shoot tomorrow, and then I need to decide on a finish - seal, oil or stain, lacquer, or matte? In the end, months of working in the shed has rewarded me with a custom stock that I can be proud of, and with a bonus of no soaps to watch with the wife! Go on, get yourself out in your shed and start carving! MARK LAWRENCE

Nick – I’ve never thought of it that way, but I definitely know of pre-charged pneumatics that have been charged with air pumps going strong after 10-plus years. So, all you techy types out there; does the charging valve open for each stroke of the pump, or does it remain open as soon as the pump’s system reaches the required pressure? – Ed

OPEN AND SHUT CASE I’m a new subscriber and returnee to airgun shooting, and I’m enjoying the new PCP innovations in particular (Daystate Huntsman Classic in .177). Could I seek your opinion, please? I’ve been advised that refilling a PCP airgun with a hand pump will eventually damage the valve mechanism in the airgun because it opens and closes with each stroke of the pump. A complete fill takes several hundred pumps, whereas using a charging bottle results in the valve mechanism opening and closing once only for each complete fill. Is this right? A great magazine, by the way. NICK ANKERS

From this ...

... to this. Well done, Mark.

Ready to pump - but will it eventually wear out the valve?

NO PLACE LIKE FOAM I really enjoy reading Airgun World, and your sister magazine. I have recently taken up air rifle shooting after a 40-year lay-off from .22 rimfire - and all’s well, the aim’s still good! I have not graduated to PCP yet, but enjoy the challenge of my springer, a Weihrauch 97K under lever. However, for out in the field I couldn’t find a non-rattling, easy-access pellet holder, so old bodger sat back with a couple of sherbets and dreamed up his own, using plastic foam pipelagging tube. Just cut a short length and pierce 15-20 small, shallow holes with a small skewer or darning needle the latter fixed in a cork unless you have asbestos fingers - heated briefly over a flame. With a little trial and error, you end up with a holder that gently grips the pellet head leaving an easy-to-grip, but protected skirt at the surface. I thread a couple on a neck cord or pop one in a loose pocket and I’ve got enough pellets for a good session of fieldwork. Because you always find the skirt first, they are

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9

POINTS OF VIEW Katie’s dad has benefitted from a little airgun therapy. Great news!

so easy to load, even in the gloaming. They don’t last forever, but then they only cost pennies. Your magazines have been an invaluable source of information to steer me back into the sport. Thank you. Insulate your pellets from damage and have them at your fingertips - easy.

mechanisms’ to help me when I was in recovery, and if you or your dad ever need to speak to someone who has been somewhere near where he is, get in touch and we’ll hook up. Keep up the great work you guys! – Ed

SPREAD THE WORD!

BACK INTO IT

NIGEL COXHEAD

I would just like to let you know about my dad, Neil. Like you, Terry, my Dad had a spinal fusion, but unfortunately it left him disabled, and he went into deep depression; he has worked hard all his life and to see him like this is pitiful. My husband, who is in the forces, came home on leave and bought his air rifle home, showed it to Dad, and then went to the garden to do some shooting. My dad went to see what he was up to, and after a while asked if he could have a go. When they both came in it was all he would talk about, so my hubby gave him a copy of Airgun World to read and after he’d read it from cover to cover, and then read it again, I think he was hooked because he asked me to put a order in at the newsagents for his own monthly copy. My sisters and I bought Dad an air rifle for Christmas, a Walther R8, and his smile was unbelievable. He hasn’t done that for so long and we all welled up. Since Christmas, Dad has joined my hubby’s local airgun club, and he goes as often as he can. So, Terry, thanks to you and my hubby, you have given Dad something to get up for in the mornings. KATIE SINGLETON Katie – what a fantastic story, and well done to all concerned, especially your dad. My spinal fusion eventually rescued me from depression, but I was warned of the possibilities and I know others who haven’t been so fortunate. I developed what are now known as ‘coping

I just wanted to mention that to keep our sport/ hobby alive why not spread the word and talk about it? You’ll be surprised how much interest is out there that just needs waking up. It does work. About 20 years ago, I used to shoot every week and run a small, friendly air rifle club here in South London and several members of my family had rifles, including my wife and daughters, but due to changes in all our personal lives, the club closed and we disbanded. Approximately a year ago, I bought a couple of gun magazines and it got me thinking that I wouldn’t mind getting back into shooting again. I chatted to my son-in-law about the hobby, got him interested, and within two weeks of that conversation we had both invested in new rifles. He bought a Daystate Regal Huntsman, I bought a BSA SE Ultra Multishot, and that was only the start of things. We’ve since both added more guns to our growing collection. The reason I say ‘spread the word’ is that by talking to friends and colleagues in person, or through Internet media sites such as Facebook, we have introduced or encouraged more people to get involved. I have work colleagues asking me for advice regarding getting involved in the hobby and purchasing guns for their own use; one colleague of mine is already on his fifth purchase since Christmas, so talking about our hobby does spread the word and encourages others in some cases. In my mind, for every newcomer who joins us it’s all better for the future of the airgun industry across the board, both airgun and ammo manufacturers, and the airgun media, too, because they want to be a part of the scene and keep up with all that’s going on. I am an admin on the group, ‘Trigger Happy Gun and Blade Owners’ on Facebook so you can look us up and join our big, friendly chat zone. I hope to see you on Trigger Happy soon. Please mention that you’ve read this letter when joining us to show that spreading the word works. Take care all. Think ‘safety’ and enjoy your hobby, but don’t forget to spread the word! TAZ KAVANAGH.

range rifle. What distance is medium range? I am considering purchasing the rifle so all help will be appreciated. Thanks. DYLAN GILBERT Dylan – a quick poll in the Airgun World office pegged ‘medium range’ at a maximum of 25 yards, and the XS501 can certainly group under an inch at that range. The model tested in our March edition was producing almost 11 ft.lbs., so it has the power to do a job out to 25 yards, provided, as ever, you can match its potential accuracy. – Ed

‘Medium range’ is around 25 yards agreed?

THE STUDENT KING? I know you won’t publish this, but I think your airgun student, Naylor Ball is really fit, and if he’d like to take me shooting I’d really be pleased to meet him. My mum thinks he’s fit too, and she says he looks like Elvis when he was young. Please pass on this email to him. Thanks. LAUREN Well, Lauren, I’m sure this won’t embarrass Naylor at all … much. A ‘young Elvis’, eh? Hmmm, now you come to mention it …. – Ed

We think Lauren may have spotted something!

FORCE FOR GOOD I bought an Air Force One Trophy pistol after reading Phill Price’s test on it in the June issue, and what a fantastic pistol it is! For £200, I’ve got a really high-quality gun that performs way above any level of marksmanship I’ll ever have. My partner is now going to buy one, so those back-garden plinking competitions should be really intense! LARRY POWELL

RANGE DEFINITION I was reading the article on the SMK XS501 in the March 2015 issue of Airgun World and it states that the rifle is a good short to medium-

Better than its owner, according to Larry Powell.

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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WHAT’S GOING ON? THERE’S SO MUCH TO PACK INTO THE NEWS THIS MONTH!

The wonderful Derek Peckover.

CUT TO THE CHASE! Airgun World readers have been emailing and phoning me in search of custom knife and catapult craftsman, Rob Rowley’s, contact details, so here they are: Phone: 07547 113972 Email: [email protected] Or visit his Facebook page: www.facebook.com./ RkKnivesCatapults Rob’s workshop is right next door to A & M Custom Gunsmiths, in Mansfield, so there are two good reasons for sorting out a visit.

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT There’s a dart board in the editorial man cave, but it’s strictly for airgun use, thanks to these excellent darts from Sportsmarketing. These darts are cheap to buy, just £19.99 for a pack of 10, and of course they’re reusable. I shoot them from an ancient .22 calibre, break-barrel pistol, and I’m in serious training to beat a mate of

Rob Rowley - custom knife craftsman.

mine who takes these things far too seriously; unlike me, obviously. Anyway, if you fancy some old-fashioned airgun fun, check out SMK’s website and Facebook page, plus don’t forget to order your catalogue and airgun handbook today by calling 01206 795333 or email website@ sportsmk.co.uk Old skool airgun fun.

Wet ‘n’ wild fun for the kids at this year’s CLA Game Fair.

JUNIOR BONANZA AT THE CLA! With each adult ticket to this year’s CLA Game Fair giving free entry for a child under 16, the show is set to be a supremely family friendly event with masses of exciting activities specifically aimed at children. Topping the bill is the new kayak experience where children and adults can try kayaking on the 32-acre Harewood House lake. Run in conjunction with GUL Watersports and Channel Kayaks, the kayak experience is free for under 16s. Other great activities are available, including water zorbing, bumper boats, quad bike racing, and a spine-tingling ride in a fighter jet in the Help for Heroes simulator. For budding Spider(wo)men the climbing wall is the place to be while

MAY COMPETITION WINNER!

Superman fans will enjoy soaring above the ground on our zipwire, and kids of all ages will love bouncing on the bungee trampoline. This year’s CLA Game Fair also features Active Adventure activities for 6-12 year olds. Aimed at wannabe survival experts, these two-hour sessions include team building, problem solving, camp crafts, fire lighting, shelter building and low ropes. Children aged 3-5 can enjoy one-hour, free play sessions including soft play, bouncy castles, arts and crafts and building equipment, whilst children over six and adults of all ages can tackle the hugely popular Battlefield Live laser tag game. Come on down to Harewood House near Leeds on the 31st of July to the 2nd of August - and give it a go!

OUR MAY COMPETITION WINNER NOW OWNS A FANTASTIC WALTHER ROTEX RM8! Ivan Goodall from Worcestershire is probably on holiday as this magazine hits the newsagents, but he’s already been given the good news that he’s won the May prize rifle, so it’s an even happier holiday for Ivan. Ivan told us he’s a ‘dedicated back garden marksman who wants to improve’, and he’s definitely got the right hardware to do that!

Q: In the Ed’s test on page 19, what size is the bottle on the Rotex RM8? A: 200cc

SEE P16

FOR ANOTHER GREAT PRIZE! www.airgunshooting.co.uk

AIRGUN WORLD

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»

WHAT’S GOING ON? BSA is now offering the lovely Black Pepper stock on the R10.

PEPPER ADDS SPICE!

Laminate stocks are here to stay, of that there can be no doubt, and when they look and handle as well as the BSA ‘Black Pepper’ version which made its debut on the

company’s Gold Star flagship, that can only be a good thing. Now, that ‘thing’ has become even

better, with the news from Birmingham that BSA are spreading Black Pepper love to embrace its R10 MKII sporter. The new configuration is priced at £799, and it can be ordered in all

LIGHT ‘N’ HANDY

BOOTS WITH BITE!

More enlightening news from Sportsmarketing, in the form of their TACTLED™ Flashlight. This high-performance, lightweight unit costs just £49.95 and it’s a handy 13.5 cm (5.3 ins) long, yet it offers up to 7 hours of pure white light from its two, CR123A

We do love a pair of boots, don’t we? We love them even more when they’re light, comfortable, affordable, and packed with features, and these Viper Elite-5 Coyote boots from Thatchreed tick just about every box. The uppers are sturdily double-stitched from a combination of cowhide suede leather and 1000D Cordura, which comes complete with a speed-lacing system and rustproof metal fittings. A genuine Vibram, Multi-sport rubber outer sole is welded to an EVA midsole, and the toe area of the boot is protected by a rubberised rand and toecap. These boots weigh in at a mere 1240 grammes a pair, and that includes the

Affordable excellence from SMK.

non-rechargeable batteries, which are included with the unit. This flashlight comes with a twin ring mount system that fits all 26mm (1 inch) scope tubes, and a remote tail pressure switch is also included. The whole system is built around an aluminium casing and is waterproof throughout, which for under fifty quid, has to be top, top value. We’ll be testing it soon, but in the mean time, as always, check out the SMK website for details, or call 01206 795333.

FAR-SEEING HAWKE Hawke Optics has gone global with an incredibly informative and extremely user-friendly new website. Just go to www. hawkeoptics.com and you’ll see what the Airgun World team saw when we visited the Hawke Optics stand at IWA in Nuremberg earlier this year. Everything’s supremely organised for easy access and the amount of information available is genuinely impressive – as are the

scopes we saw in Germany. The entire website is designed to allow anyone to research products and then locate their nearest dealer, but there’s far more to it than that. If you’re looking for something new and exciting in the world of sports optics, get yourself a cup of something pleasant and browse Hawke’s new website, but leave yourself plenty of time, because there’s a whole new world on there.

Give yourself plenty of time to explore this one.

R10 MKII calibres and formats. Our source tells us that the Black Pepper stocked R10s are selling fast, so stake a claim with your nearest BSA stockist right now. www.bsaguns.co.uk

Hydroguard waterproof membrane and internal padding. Priced at £95, and also available in Multicam, this is a boot that won’t have your wallet howling, either. www.thatchreed.co.uk

TRICK BITS FROM ROWAN The Airgun World office always buzzes that little bit more when Rowan Engineering sends us new stuff. Every airgunner loves trick bits and Rowan never fails to come up with the goods. This month we smiled and nodded our heads a lot at a couple of accessories designed to complement the Air Arms HFT 500 and Ultimate Sporter rifles, as Rowan’s elegant silencer adaptors and a seriously clever hamster were unwrapped. The adaptors come in either polished or black anodised aluminium and cost £33.95 and £34.95 respectively. They’re a simple sliding fit and are held securely by four M3 grub screws, and within a minute or two you have a standard ½-inch UNF male adaptor ready to go.

The Viper Elite-5 Coyote - top boot, this.

The hamster is equally easy to install because it uses the rifle’s stock fixing bolt thread, and an extended fixing bolt is supplied with the kit. Just remove the stabdard bolt, fit the hamster with the extended one, and you’re ready to adjust it to suit your preference. No drilling, no tapping, no hassle and no worry. This hamster, like all of Rowan Engineering’s products, is well made, practical and stylish, with a black anodised aluminium stem and a Delrin palm shelf. What a great accessory for just £49.95. Contact no: 01295 251188 www.rowanengineering.com

Easy and elegant adaptors.

Fancy a retro-fit hamster? Rowan Engineering has the very thing.

WHAT’S GOING ON?

MIX ‘N’ MATCH Here’s a natural pairing from Ridgeline, courtesy of the New Zealand company’s UK agent, Highland Outdoors. It’s the Norwester fleece and the Stalker trousers, although the latter are listed as ‘pants’, which for we British types, is a different garment altogether. Far more importantly, those Stalkers are proper outdoor trousers, tailored from a bonded Polyester fleece, reinforced at the seat with Cordura to guard against dampness, plus unfair wear and tear, in that most essential of areas. The straight-cut legs

LUCHS-URY ITEM! More and more airgunners are getting into hunting with night vision hardware, and this new infrared illuminator from German specialists, Laserluchs, is just about the perfect companion. The Laserluchs 5000 is a gamechanging LED infrared illuminator that’s been designed specifically for modern digital night vision technology, such as the Pulsar Digisight, the Yokon Photon, and the ATN X-Sight, and thanks to that LED system, its output is completely ‘eye-safe’, and

include a ‘relaxed’ knee area, side air vents to keep you cool during strenuous walks, and weathersealed zips on both hip pockets. An elasticated, snap-buckle waistband, belt loops and a zipped fly completes the Stalker package, and you can have these superior strides for just £49.99 The Norwester is a classic, wear-anywhere, lightweight fleece jacket, featuring elasticated cuffs, a sealed, zip-up breast pocket, draughtproof high collar, pouch pockets and a full-length front zip. Yours for only £39.99, and ideal for the pub as well as the field. www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk invisible, of course. With a Weaver rail fitting, an instant spot-flood variation, a range of up to 600 metres and a three-year warranty, the Laserluchs 5000 IR illuminator is powered by CR123A 3-volt Lithium batteries and has a diode lifespan of 10,000 hours. Retailing at £219.99, this is state of the IR illuminator art, and we’ll be using one when we return to the ATN X-Sight in a future issue. Available from www.scottcountry. co.uk Tel 01556 50 3587 UK Distributor www.thomasjacks. co.uk

Are we looking at the ultimate in IR illumination?

THE CUP THAT CHEERS!

Air Arms is all about the complete experience, these days. In addition to the Sussex-based company’s world-beating range of air rifles, the growing army

of Air Arms fans can now buy hats, polo shirts, hoodies, rifle cases, pellet tin holders … and now mugs. Extremely stylish, shiny black mugs, to be precise, which do the time-honoured job of restraining our tea, coffee and occasional soup. We have three in the office currently under test, and all seem to be surviving the, quite frankly, childish squabbles over who owns them, as well as nightly ordeals in the dishwasher. Priced at £7.79, call Air Arms on 01323 845 853 for details.

The Norwester fleece and Stalker trousers are a match made in hunting heaven.

DAYSTATE SELLS OUT! The production run of the limited edition Pulsar OS stopped on Friday the 15th of May, when the 200th and final rifle in the series was completed. Post-production testing of the rifles is taking a little longer, and although all of the early guns shipped have been snapped up, it is expected to be a few weeks before all stocks have been sold out

of the gun shops. There was no break for the Daystate Pulsar crew, though, because the following Monday saw the start of the standard and ‘Forest’ laminate editions of the Pulsar, which Airgun World will be reviewing as soon as they’re ready to go. Exciting times at Daystate headquarters! www.daystate.co.uk

It’s a sellout success - the new Daystate Pulsar OS.

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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WIN!

WALTHER LGV MASTER PRO COMBO

WORTH £500!

Walther’s remarkable LGV break-barrel range of rifles has been expanded with the release of the new Master Pro. It has all the precision engineering we’ve come to expect and now features a new stock and trigger blade. The stock has an adjustable butt pad, a higher cheek piece to work better with a scope and its more steeply-raked pistol grip drops your finger perfectly on the trigger - and you could win one for just £1.50!

TWO WAYS TO WIN! A WALTHER LGV MASTER PRO COMBO

Answer by text or spot-the-difference by post

BY TEXT

To enter, text ‘AW Master’ followed by your answer (e.g. C) your NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS to 80058. Texts cost £1.50 plus your standard network rate.

QUESTION:

BY POST

In the Ed’s test on page 19, what is the Brocock Compatto’s highest power option? A. 12 ft.lbs B. 30 ft.lbs C. 10 ft.lbs.

Spot the six differences between the photos below. Entry costs just £1.50 per go – cheques and postal orders made payable to ‘Airgun World’ – and you can enter as many times as you like by photocopying the entry form. As a bonus; for every five postal entries you submit, you get one free – i.e six entries for just £7.50! Includes scope and mounts, which may differ from those shown.

ENTRY FORM

Airgun World Competition, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berks RG40 2EG

Your Name ....................................................................................................................................................................... Address ............................................................................................................................................................................ Postcode................................................... Daytime Tel .................................................................................................... Email........................................................ Preferred Calibre ....................... Prize to be sent to: (Name and address of your local gunshop) Name of shop ................................................................



Address ............................................................................................................................................................................ .......................................................................................................................................................................................... BASA members ca Postcode .......................................................................................................................................................................... using one of their n enter sp ‘FREE ENTRY’ tok ecial If you are under 18, an adult must sign on your behalf and give his/her name and address ens Name................................................................................................................................................................................ Address ............................................................................................................................................................................ ......................................................................................................................................................................................... Postcode...........................................................................................................................................................................

6

FIND

Closing date: 24th July 2015

Tick if you have a subscription to Airgun World

What would you like to see in Airgun World? Simply write your suggestions below, or list your comments on a seperate sheet of paper, and send it with your competition entry.

ES CHANG

..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... The winner of the text section and the winner of the spot-the-difference section will go into a draw to decide the overall winner. There are six differences between the two photos. Simply draw a circle around them as you spot them, then send in your completed entry form Terms and Conditions: The winner will be published in the August issue. Competition closes at midnight on 24th July 2015. Usual terms and conditions apply – visit http://www.airgunshooting.co.uk/home/terms_and_conditions. Archant Ltd, publisher of Airgun World, would like to keep you up to date with any special offers or new products/services which might be of interest. Please tick if you DO wish for Archant Ltd to contact you in this way by email SMS. Please tick if you would prefer NOT to receive information by post. phone. We occasionally pass your details onto carefully selected companies who wish to contact you with information about their products/services, please tick if you DO wish to be contacted in this way by email SMS. Please tick if you would prefer to NOT receive such information by post phone. COMPETITION RULES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

16

AIRGUN WORLD

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EDITOR’S TEST: BROCOCK COMPATTO

CHUCKING CHECKING!

The editor puts Brocock’s new Compatto through an airgun assault course ’m frequently asked how I test rifles for this magazine and what I’m currently up to with Brocock’s new Compatto rifle should explain things a treat. This Compatto isn’t the finished version by any means; in fact it’s a nailed-on certainty that it will undergo some fairly major changes before the button is pushed and it goes into full production. I find the whole process fascinating, and I’m hoping you will too. First, let’s cover the background details, then we’ll shift into the nuts, bolts, washers and tubes of the whole deal.

I

BROCOCK REBORN Around 15 months ago, the world of airgunning learned

that the Birmingham-based Brocock company had been acquired by Dianna Holdings, which is the Italian owner of shotgun manufacturers Marocchi and Breda, as well as Daystate in the UK. Soon after, the Brocock production facility was moved to Daystate’s new, more spacious, headquarters in Staffordshire. This move changed the game for Brocock, big-time, and you’re about to find out why through the medium of the Compatto air rifle.

FROM VIRTUAL TO REALITY The Compatto began as a design formed from feedback from a variety of sources, including Brocock customers,

field testers and technicians, backed by input from the dealers, reaction to samples displayed at shows, and the thoughts and ideas from the likes of me. This entire mix was fed to a designer, who created the initial images, which were then passed to the 3D CAD team. Here’s where the design gains virtual substance as a 3D image which can be turned and shifted in every way, then measured, manipulated and remodelled, until it’s ready for the next major phase.

3D PRINTING This phase is crammed with loads of that fascination I mentioned earlier, because it’s all about the modern phenomenon of 3D printing. You will have seen 3D printing in our

blessed tabloids, amid all manner of doom, gloom, and entirely reasonable sensationalism, as various hacks try to convince us that 3D printers will be the downfall of Western society. These devices do almost what their name suggests, in that they ‘print’ – sort of – whatever design is programmed into them. It was this ability to reproduce realistic synthetic replicas of guns, knives, tanks, or killer robot sharks, that wouldn’t be picked up by security scanners, that had the tabloids freaking.

COLD CASTING For our purposes, imagine the stock of the new Brocock Compatto going through the 3D printing process, and emerging fully-formed in a soft plastic

»

‘The Compatto represents a substantial upgrade on the company’s previous guns’

Accuracy testing, with a Ripley Elite as the ‘control’ rifle.

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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EDITOR’S TEST: BROCOCK COMPATTO

material, which is then used to create a mould from which an aluminium cold cast of the stock is produced. This cast is then covered in the rubberised material intended for the production version, and it’s ready to have the essentials bolted to it.

BUILDING THE PROTOTYPE By now, the Compatto’s action will be ready for assembly and initial testing by the in-house Brocock technicians. Once the build has been completed, and in this case the features will include a synthetic, ambidextrous stock with a walnut option and an adjustable butt pad, a 10-shot removable rotary pellet magazine with an optional single-shot tray, the full Slingshot hammer system, as developed by Steve Harper for Daystate, a two-stage adjustable trigger backed by a new-design ‘paddle type’ safety catch, an on-board power adjuster, a fully-baffled barrel shroud for muzzle noise reduction, threaded for an additional moderator, and all in what Brocock refer to as a ‘semi-bullpup’ configuration of just 34 inches long and an all-up weight of around 6lbs. Performance-wise, the Compatto is intended to produce 30, high-power

Simply launch the test rifle ...

(up to 30 ft.lbs.) shots, or over 100 at sub-12 ft.lbs. from its 150cc air reservoir and 200 bar charge. The target price is £585, with a desired release date of mid-July, but that date, like every one of the Compatto’s specifications, and even its name, is subject to change at this early prototype stage.

THE RIFLE ARRIVES I took delivery of the Compatto you’re looking at now about a month ago, and with it came a simple instruction from Brocock. ‘Smash it up, Terry. Even you won’t break this stock, but we don’t expect to get it back in one piece, so do your worst.’ Not too technical, then, and just right for an artiste of airgun-mangling like me. My first job was to assess the Compatto visually; in other words, I have to

... watch it fly ...

judge how pretty it is. Never, ever underestimate the importance of an airgun’s looks, even among those who profess to be ‘all about performance, me!’ They’re not all about that, at all; they’re as much a tart about having a pretty rifle as anyone else. Thus the beauty contest is staged, and the judges give their marks. I always involve as many trusted sources as I can at this stage, and that usually includes the stalwarts of the Monday Club from my own club at Bisley. I call this distinguished posse of time served airgunners the ‘critical mass’, and if they like or dislike anything about anything, they’ll soon let me know. They largely approved of the Compatto’s looks, but told me they’d withhold their full report until the production sample rocked up. Fair enough.

IN THE FIELD My first shooting test involves basic accuracy, whatever the conditions, with a ‘control’ rifle on hand as a gauge. For this task I chose my Ripley Elite, which

... and repeat 30 times or so over the next month.

shoots like a match rifle, despite a shameful lack of TLC on my part. From the target range bench at Bisley I put together a credible series of groups with the .22 prototype, culminating in a ten-shot specimen that tore as I poked my fat finger into it. Basic accuracy sorted, now for consistency. Shot after tedious shot zipped over the chrono, until I’d exhausted 112 of my best Air Arms Field pellets, and the chronograph had given up an average variation of 11 fp.s. over the first 50 shots. I’ll be doing that all again, several times, during this evaluation, but first I had some Compatto-bashing to do, so I blatted out the remaining air and headed for the undergrowth.

TOUGHING IT OUT With the basic accuracy and magazine function established, the next phase of my test would be ‘less technical’. I’m used to it by now, but Air Gunner editor, Phill Price, who did the photos for me was fairly horrified when, after

‘I began lobbing it into clumps of brambles’

Standard tests also apply.

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www.airgunshooting.co.uk

EDITOR’S TEST: BROCOCK COMPATTO

checking all was inert with the Compatto, I began lobbing it into clumps of brambles, assorted reedy tussocks and patches of burdock. Phill continued to wince when I grabbed the Compatto by the butt pad and dragged it through yard after yard of the very same hostile foliage, with the barrel occasionally bumping along the ground. The full course of this abuse will soon include hosing down the rifle and leaving it securely stashed outside in the rain all day. Phill shuddered when I began to rip at the Compatto’s neat,

Looks good, shoots well - and it can take the knocks.

The nicely crafted bolt handle, magazine and power-adjuster.

shiny bolt handle and tried to squeeze the trigger hard enough to fire it with the safety on. His look said, ‘is this all really necessary?’ and I can understand that, but these are essential tests, because these extremes will be part of this rifle’s working life and it must be able to Battle scars. It’s all part of the testing.

A fine 10-shot group at 40 yards, just big enough to poke an expert finger through.

Impressive magazine, and worth using elsewhere.

deal with them.

BACK TO ZERO Once I’d deemed the abuse to be sufficient for one session, I recharged the Compatto and went back to the target cards. All good, nothing broken, although I have already formed a few strong opinions about the prototype. First, the cheek piece needs to be higher by quite a bit to bring the shooter’s eye in line with the scope. Next, the pull-length is around an inch too short; not for me, for normal people, so that’s another recommendation that will be winging its way to Brocock headquarters, along with my concerns about a proper front mount for a sling swivel stud. I think the Compatto’s magazine is truly excellent and worth bringing in throughout the whole range, Daystate as well as Brocock, but I know these companies want to retain their own identities so that may be a non-starter.

INITIAL VERDICT

Drag artist. Bumping the Compatto through the undergrowth for a mile or two is entirely valid.

The Brocock Compatto represents a substantial upgrade on the company’s previous guns, especially in terms of solidity and I guess ‘seriousness’. I like the pre-Compatto Brococks, but this new era shows a marker has been thrown down – and I’ve shown that throwing down is all part of the development process. Next month there will be more use and abuse for this prototype Compatto, and by then I’ll have had some reaction to my findings and recommendations. At the moment, I haven’t a clue how my input will be received but I won’t throw my toys out of the pram if I’m ignored. I may well chuck this rifle about a bit, though. See you next month. ■

TECH SPEC Model: Compatto (prototype) Manufacturer: Brocock Country of origin: UK Price: £585 - intended Type: Pre-charged pneumatic, 10-shot, semi-bullpup sporter Calibre: .177 and .22 Cocking: Bolt-action Loading: Via removable, rotary magazine, or optional single-shot tray Trigger: 2-stage, adjustable Stock type: Ambidextrous, skeletontype sporter Weight: 4.2kg (6lbs.), scoped as shown Length: 864mm (34 ins) Barrel: 431mm (17ins) Average energy: 11.6 ft.lbs. Contact: Brocock 01785 851304

RRP £585 The best safety catch yet fitted to a Brocock.

An absolute essential - in my book, at least.

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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22 | AIRGUN WORLD | www.airgunshooting.co.uk

GAMEKEEPER’S REPORT

Starting from the back legs is a good method for gutting; just be careful of the intestines.

gutting the rabbit and each method has its merits. One way is to hold the rabbit by the back legs, slide the knife between them, angling the handle back toward you, and carefully run the blade up toward the ribcage, unzipping the skin as you go, but being very careful not to puncture the gut and spoil the meat. The other way is to hold the rabbit by its front legs, with its belly facing you, and then slide your knife carefully between the V of the rib cage just deep enough to clear the skin. Lift the handle of the knife and angle the blade so you are only cutting the skin and not the intestines. Slide the blade all the way down the rabbit’s belly right down to the back legs and then remove the knife; beginners may find the first method easier. Be careful what you do with your knife now. I do a lot of night shooting and have lost loads of knives over the years, so it’s second nature for me to put my knife into the ground and push my foot against it. This way, I always know where it is in the dark.

A FLICK OF THE WRIST

» “If you don’t like getting your hands bloody, then stick to target shooting’‘

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Flick the rabbit downward and most of the paunch will fall out.

Next, hold the rabbit by its head and back legs, with its back toward you and belly facing the ground, and flick the rabbit hard towards the floor to expel the intestines. Try to do it with one fluid motion. Most of the intestines will be removed by the action of flicking, but the gut and livers can be grabbed with your hand and taken out. All that’s left now is the kidneys, lungs and heart, and some people use these, but if you don’t want them, then pull out the kidneys and insert your hand into the ribcage where you will find a thin membrane; break it, grab the heart and lungs, discard and the rabbit is now gutted. If you ever find yourself out with someone who opens up the rabbit, then holds the head and feet, and spins in circles trying to throw the guts out then take care. You are out shooting with an idiot who has little or no experience! Such actions mark these people out for what they are. If you don’t like getting your hands bloody, then stick to target shooting because

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REMINGTON

BENEVOLENT DICTATOR! Phill Price tries a rather smart new Model from Remington riting as somebody who is surrounded by the latest super-guns every day, I have to confess that I don’t often think for too long about affordable plinking guns, which is a shame. Simple, inexpensive, break-barrel rifles are the bread and butter of the airgun community, and like most shooters, I started my rifleman’s career with one. In reality, they’re all that most people need, offering all the power and accuracy you want for hours of happy, back garden plinking. Luckily, there are lots of suitable ones on offer today and Remington has just added another, which looks like a winner to me. The Tyrant is a simple break-barrel, spring-piston rifle nestled into a black synthetic stock, which in line with current trends is ambidextrous. Unsurprisingly, coming from Remington, it’s styled like an American centrefire deer rifle and

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handles similarly, too. It’s relatively light at 7.3lbs, scoped, so is easily handled by anybody, but remember that it has a full-size, adult stock, so might not suit junior shooters.

SHROUDED IN MYSTERY The most visually striking feature is the thick barrel shroud that Remington refers to as a ‘bull barrel’. It’s actually a long, synthetic sleeve that envelopes the

a frosty morning. Thirdly, it protects the barrel from knocks and scratches and prevents it from rusting. The sweat on our hands contains salts that corrode steel, but they will have no impact on the shroud. What it isn’t, is a silencer. Using a torch, I looked down the muzzle and I could see that the rifled barrel extends right to the end. To cock the Tyrant, I gave the shroud a bump with the palm of

would pop on every time I cocked the barrel, but no. The safety tab is positioned in front of the trigger blade making it easy to push forward and off with your trigger finger while on aim, and I like this position, but some people think it’s dangerous operating a lever that close to the trigger blade. I guess that’s a personal choice.

TOP TRIGGER Rifles at this price have simple triggers and, to be honest, they’re usually not too good, so I was pleasantly surprised by the one fitted to the Tyrant. It’s sensibly heavy, but not too long in its travel, making it perfectly useable. This is a big advantage over its direct

“The firing cycle felt quite snappy and there was little, if any, noticeable vibration after the pellet had left the muzzle” steel barrel, and offers a number of benefits. Firstly, it looks good, somewhat like a fullbore moderator on a deer-stalking rifle. Next, it makes the rifle more comfortable to cock, especially in cold weather. The polymer feels warm to the touch, unlike steel on

my hand and then pulled the barrel all the way down. The cocking effort was quite light and long, so won’t be too tiring through a long plinking session. I was surprised to find that the safety wasn’t automatic. Coming from the land of litigation, I though it

competitors. The firing cycle felt quite snappy and there was little, if any, noticeable vibration after the pellet had left the muzzle. There was, however, a noticeable muzzle crack, which surprised me. With just a little concentration and proper technique, I soon

The barrel shroud offers several benefits

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PLINKING

TECH SPEC Manufacturer Remington

“I simply shot off-hand, as most plinkers do, and enjoyed the freedom”

Importer SMK Web www.sportsmk.co.uk Tel 01206 795333 Model Tyrant Weight 7.3lbs (3.3kg) (with scope) Length 41¾” (106cm) Trigger Two-stage Stock Synthetic (ambidextrous) RRP £159.95 Gunslip £24.95 Pellet catcher £12.95

RRP £159.99

Shot off hand the Tyrant felt good

found it easy to connect with plinking-sized targets and I made a conscious decision not to test the Tyrant as I would a top-end rifle. Instead, I simply shot off hand, as most plinkers do, and enjoyed the freedom from the test bench. The 4 x 32 scope was bright and clear and I was glad to see that Remington included a recoil arrestor in the double-bolt rear mount, to keep it secure. No open sights are fitted, but I think pretty much everybody wants to use a scope these days, and with one included at such a bargain price, I feel it’s the right choice.

RIGHT ACCESSORIES The UK importer for Remington is SMK, who included some Remington-branded accessories that are typical choices for anybody taking up the sport. First

Rifle, scope, gun slip, pellets, targets and their holder for under £200

off was a tin of their round head Hammer pellets, which are inexpensive, yet good quality. Next out of the box was a steel pellet trap, and target cards to fit, and finally a very important accessory that we all needed, which is a secure gun slip to carry the rifle in. Remember that it’s illegal to carry an uncovered rifle in a public, so always use a proper case. This whole set-up costs less than £200, which has to be an absolute bargain and a great way to get into our sport. The combination of a synthetic stock and a polymer barrel shroud should help make this rifle pretty tough. Beginner’s guns can get some pretty rough treatment, so the super-strong synthetic parts are a very good choice. The Tyrant stands out in this price range and I think is well worth a look. ■

The accuracy was more than good enough for plinking

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AIRGUN STUDENT: PUMP ACTION

AIRGUN STUDENT

through the basics, but that filter stopped me in my tracks. The problem was that this isn’t my pump, and my mate paid £185 for it, so as soon as I began to wonder what I should do next, I stopped. No way was I going to risk damaging that pump, so I put the filter back in its plastic bag and set up the Mk4 without it. I’d checked on the Hill’s website and there was the pump without the filter, so I knew it could work without it, and that made up my mind to finish putting it together. However, before I did that, I called Air Arms for confirmation that it was OK to charge my S510 with a pump without the Dry-Pack filter fitted. I learned a lot from the

Pumping wasn’t anything like the workout I’d been warned about.

This month, our novice is charged with filling his PCP s I closed last month’s article, I said I’d needed to have a major re-think about my shooting, and I really have had to do that. I’ve been as careful as I can to spend my money wisely and I think I’ve got some fantastic kit. My new Air Arms S510 has all but cleaned me out, but I needed a way of charging it because I can’t keep relying on a mate who loaned me his diver’s tank and hose set-up. As it turned out, I’m still relying on him, but in a different way, and not for long, I hope. My mate has two high-power pre-charged pneumatic air rifles and these get through an awful lot of air when he’s doing his best to keep down the vermin on his various permissions, so the fact

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was he wanted his air tank back. Being the good mate he is, though, when he came to pick up his tank, he left me with a brand-new Hill’s Mk4 pump, still in its box. He told me to assemble it and try it out, and if I got on with it, I could use his pump until I’d saved enough to buy my own. If I didn’t like the pump, I could spend my savings on a new bottle. It was a win-win for me, so I went for it.

CHARGING RULES From the research I’d done I knew I had to keep everything to do with charging my rifle clean and free from contamination. This is because particles of grit could get into the valve systems of the S510 and stop them sealing perfectly.

That means leaks and a dead gun, so I didn’t want that, and I’m now obsessive about keeping all the connectors spotless. To tell the truth, I’m still not sure about how a few particles of grit can bring down a rifle, but even I know enough to do as I’m told by those who really do know about these things, so I’ll stay on full alert for incoming muck.

The Hill’s Mk4 pump. It’s a win-win for me. The info was there, but I bottled it.

BUILDING THE PUMP I’m not the most technically gifted person in the world, but I’m mega-keen and I didn’t think I’d have a problem building that pump, and I didn’t … until it came to fitting the Dry Pack air filter to it. The instructions were included, and the pump-building guide was printed on the box, so I flew

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AIRGUN STUDENT conversation that followed.

DRY AIR Before that conversation with the helpful chap at Air Arms, Alan, I think his name is, I thought air was just air and that was it. It isn’t, and now I know why. It turns out that the compressors used to fill divers’ tanks pump in ‘dry’ air that’s been filtered to remove airborne particles, and most of the moisture that air contains. That Dry-Pack filter on the Hill’s pump is designed to do the same, and according to the blurb on the Hill’s website, it offloads 95% of atmospheric moisture. Dry air was the preferred choice, then, but Alan told me that a couple of charges with the Dry-Pack filter off the pump

wouldn’t harm my S510, so that reassured me. I knew my mate who owned the pump would help me fit the filter, so I changed my focus to getting the pumping technique right – and that’s important, too, as I found out.

PROPER PUMPING I don’t think I’m a natural-born pump-operator. My training keeps me fit and I’m reasonably strong, but using a manual airgun pump isn’t about fitness or strength, it’s about technique. I’m still developing the ‘bend your knees as you push down’ style, but even so I found it way easier than I thought it would be to put 200 bar into my rifle. I’d heard a few stories about how hard pumping was, but I didn’t find it a problem

“Using a manual airgun pump isn’t about fitness or strength”

at all. Even my granddad can do it! As it is, I’m happy to use this pump and with a three-year guarantee behind it and no charges for refilling, I think I’ll be buying one. I’ll be happier when I get that Dry-Pack filter fitted, but that won’t be a problem as soon as my mate comes round.

I may have been a bit over-keen.

Careful assembly must get it right.

That’s 200 bar installed, so I can now ‘bleed’ the charging hose and disconnect.

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I really do need to work on my pumping technique.

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NEXT LESSON At last I can get on with some proper shooting, but even this isn’t what you, or I, would expect and my learning curve just got a whole lot steeper. See why next month, OK? ■ With my air-supply sorted, I can shoot as much as I like.

FOR GREAT SAVINGS BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE AT www.gamefair.co.uk

Harewood House, Leeds, Yorkshire Friday 31st July - Sunday 2nd August 2015 www.gamefair.co.uk

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MILEWSKI

PART

COMING TO AMERICA John Milewski recalls when Webley met Abercrombie in the conclusion to his series

“The company moved to New York in 1917 and built a shooting range in the basement”

The post-war Webley Mk I, seen here on the range.

ver the last couple of months we have looked at Webley air pistols distributed in the U.S.A. and specifically, those imported by A.F. Stoeger Inc. We will round off our look at imported Webleys this month by examining those distributed by a famous firm, which is no longer associated with firearms. Abercrombie & Co was founded in 1892 by David Abercrombie, and after Ezra Fitch bought a major share in this upmarket sporting goods store in 1904, it became Abercrombie & Fitch. In 1907 Abercrombie sold his share and the business traded under the helm of Ezra Fitch. The company moved to Madison Avenue at 45th Street, New York in 1917 and built a shooting range in the basement of the shop. A company still trades under this name, but sells clothes and has no connection with the original business, which closed in 1976, other than having acquired

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the famous brand name. The company described themselves as, ‘The greatest sporting goods store in the world’ and sold airguns among their shootingrelated requisites. The Webley Mark I and Mark II were included in the company’s 1929 and 1930 Firearms and Sports catalogues. Webley air pistols were listed in the 1936 and 1941 catalogues but not 1937 and 1938 (Cornell Publications). Abercrombie & Fitch acquired rifle makers, Griffin & Howe, along with sporting goods merchants, Von Lengerke & Detmold, in 1929. Both were prestigious shooting related businesses and it has been suggested that they may also have imported Webley air pistols into the USA. Imported rifles and shotguns have been seen with Abercrombie & Fitch stamped upon them, but no such Webleys are currently known. Although Stoeger claimed they were sole

distributors for Webley from 1927 until the agency was terminated in 1937, by Webley & Scott, other firms such as A&F may well have also imported arms directly from Webley. After all, A&F imported Purdey, Greener, BSA and Mauser arms, as well as many others from England and the continent at the time.

LEDGERS Air pistols were not generally included in ‘handgun ledgers’ because U.S. Federal law did not require this, but the City of New York does not make any distinction between air and powder arms today, which are both subject to the same restrictions. It is possible that the

This Webley advert from 1959 refers enquirers to Abercrombie & Fitch.

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VINTAGE GUNS

same applied during the 1920s and 1930s, and some Webley air pistols are known to have been entered into handgun ledgers produced by Abercrombie & Fitch. The company created a new inventory each year and any guns that remained unsold from the previous year were re-entered into the new inventory, followed by newly acquired stock. Ledgers from 1940 and 1941 include Webley Mark I and Senior air pistols and I am indebted to Bob Beach, the Griffin & Howe archivist, for freely sharing the company’s limited records concerning the sale of Webley air pistols. In 1940, there were 11 Mark I and 25 Senior pistols in the ledgers, whilst by 1941 the inventory contained 10 Mark Is and 8 Seniors. Mark Is were serial numbered in the 55000 to 64000 range, whilst Seniors were numbered roughly between 13000 and 18000. Pistols were entered in date order, as they came in, and although some serial numbers were just 10 digits apart, I could not identify any consecutively numbered models. The ledgers

give a fascinating snapshot into history because they contain details of calibre, barrel length, name and address of the buyer, model, date of sale, cost of pistol and the selling price. The cost element was entered in code, as was the selling price at times. For example, a .177 slant-gripped Mark I numbered 59678 was acquired by A&F on 31 May 1939, at a cost of $11.25, and sold on 3 October 1940 for $17.50 at a 55% profit.

WEBLEY & SCOTT CIRCULAR A&F continued their association with Webley & Scott after the war and into the 1950s, suggesting that they did, indeed, import arms directly from the U.K. firm. Webley often answered personal queries, with the issue of circular letters in an attempt to minimise staff workloads; one such letter, referenced R506/1/54 is illustrated herewith. The letter was intended to answer export retail queries and was sent to an enquirer from Massachusetts, and the gentleman was referred to

Surviving Abercrombie & Fitch ledgers are partly in code and show a fascinating insight into how the original pistols were accounted for. Image courtesy of Bob Beach of Griffin & Howe.

1941 ledger showing Webley air pistols. Image courtesy of Bob Beach of Griffin & Howe

By 1941, Abercrombie had slant grip Webley Mk I and Senior pistols in stock, but no Juniors were entered in their ledgers.

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Webley’s U.S. dealers in the form of Abercrombie & Fitch. Assuming the reference above relates to January 1954, the circular was used for at least a year because the postmark on the envelope is 11 January 1955. The final page of the circular states that air pistols were prohibited imports in Iraq, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika (Tanzania), Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast. Presumably, air rifles were permitted and a list of dealers located in the above mentioned countries was included in the circular. Abercrombie & Fitch continued to advertise Webley products into the 1960s, and undoubtedly introduced many

Americans to the quality products that were the Webley air pistols and rifles. ■

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND REFERENCES: Bob Beach, Griffin & Howe archivist Abercrombie & Fitch catalogues dated between 1929 and 1941 Cornell Publications Webley Circular R506/1/54 Wikipedia Finally, an apology from the caption gremlins. The top picture on page 35 of my article in June 2015 was incorrectly described as a Senior. The caption should have read: Stoeger marked imported Webley Junior pistols on the front right of the air cylinder. Abercrombie considered the Webley Mk I to be an ideal air pistol trainer.

HUNTING

Phill Price shows us the advantages of an elevated view timber, and if you’re lucky enough to have these where you shoot, get permission form the stalker and then take advantage of your good luck. I know a super-serious stalker who has these where he shoots. When he climbs up he takes his deer rifle and his best airgun, and from looking out of the windows, he regularly gets good bags of woodpigeons and squirrels while he waits for the deer to arrive, and he loves it: lucky man. riting as somebody involved in several types of shooting outside of airgunning, I’m always interested to see if equipment and techniques used by other shooters could have an advantage for us. For example, nobody knows more about woodpigeons than the keen shotgun decoy guys. They study the birds’ habits and feeding patterns, and then test out all kinds of decoys and flappers to bring the birds in range of their scatterguns. Alongside airguns, I have a love of deer stalking and a piece of equipment I use regularly is a high seat. In essence, it’s a ladder with a chair at the top that you lean against a tree. From this elevated viewing point you gain many advantages, which got me thinking how airgunners could use the same idea. On many large estates that have big deer populations the staff build permanent high seats from thick

ON THE MOVE

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High up, you can see so much more.

“Clearly, you need to be sure that where you climb is safe and that the farmer is happy for you to get up there”

I use a lightweight, portable, folding model from Seeland for both deer and airgun quarry. It cost me around £240 and I’ve had good service from it. I like the fact that it’s portable because it lets me move it to where the action is. For example, in the dead of winter when the squirrels are most visible, I position it near to a pheasant feeder that I know the tree rats will be raiding. I settle into the seat before first light and wait for the action to begin. Birds and animals don’t expect humans to be ten feet above the forest floor, and so tend to go about their business without noticing me. I wear full camouflage, including a face veil and gloves, keep my movements to a minimum, and I’ve had some really successful days, when I’ve bagged pigeons as well as the

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HUNTING

squirrels and rats I was targeting. Being up high does more than hide you from your quarry. From a height you can see more than you do at ground level, which can often tell you things about your permission. I’ll take any opportunity to climb up to get a better look. For example, some trees just beg to be climbed, so I’ll unload my rifle and place it somewhere safe, grab my binoculars, and get up to have a look around. Sometimes, I’ll see rabbit warrens I’d never noticed before, or perhaps those runs the rabbits use to travel along that I hadn’t seen from the ground. I’ve also found fir cones that have

been chewed by squirrels, telling me were they’ve been feeding. Another way to get up high is to use farm buildings. Clearly, you need to be sure that where you climb is safe and that the farmer is happy for you to get up there, but they can be really useful. Tall hay stores and two-storey farm buildings have both given me a better view of the area, and hidden me too. On my brother’s farm, he had a kind of office-cumstoreroom that had a small window looking out over a piece of rough ground. This often held rats and rabbits, along with the odd magpie

and rook. As long as I didn’t make a noise and moved slowly, they seldom looked up, and many ended up in my bag.

DIY Although smart, portable, high seats are great, many shooters find inexpensive ways of making their own stationary ones. If you’re a good carpenter, complete diagrams can be found on the Internet, showing you how to build safe and durable ones just for the price of the wood and some screws. Other shooters I’ve met have made them from scaffold, or even those portable towers and a few scaffold planks to make

semi-permanent high seats. These can hold two people, which can make the long waits more fun as long as you can keep your voices to a whisper. Any high seat, whether shop bought or homemade has to be silent. Squeaks, clicks and creaks will give you away in a second, because the sound will draw the quarry’s eyes straight to you and the game will be up. Use extra screws in wooden ones, and grease on metal ones, until the noises stop. One of the most important reasons that deer stalkers use high seats is safety. Taking your shot angled down into the soil

“Although smart, portable, high seats are great, many shooters find inexpensive ways of making their own stationary ones”

My Seeland high seat is easily carried.

Once against the tree I use a ratchet strap to hold it securely.

The padded rail of my high seat gives a stable support.

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Homemade high seats can be extremely effective, too.

ensures that the bullet buries itself and greatly reduces the chance of a ricochet. The same applies to airgun pellets. From the room in my brother’s barn, my pellets simply flattened themselves on the concrete and I never once had a ricochet despite the hundreds of shots I fired there.

OVERLOOK One place I put my high seat regularly is on a raised piece of ground beside an extensive rabbit warren. The ground here undulates and often there are rabbits out that I couldn’t have seen from the ground, but are in plain view from the seat. I attach the seat to a sturdy tree and that

brings an important advantage; behind it are lots of other dense trees which means that I’m not silhouetted against the sky - a dead giveaway. Just like in a pigeon hide, I always try to have a solid background to hide my shape. Have a think about your own permission and consider where shooting from a higher position could work for you. In the simplest form, you could build a hide on a high bank overlooking a rabbit warren. For the more adventurous and skilled, a permanent two-seat hide near your busiest rabbit area could pay off, and for lazy people like me, buying a portable high seat is a complete winner.■

From ground level my field of view is quite narrow.

From the high seat i can see the vermin approach.

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NIGEL JONES Nigel Jones is on an anti-rat crusade in the farmyard hroughout the last month, I have been rather busy tackling the brown rat, which carries the scientific name, ‘Rattus norvegicus’. The brown rat is generally thought to have come from Norway, transported on the ships that crossed the channel to Britain around the eighteenth century. However, when I completed my NPTC pest control course some time ago, I found that the brown rat actually originated from Asian countries, such as China, Japan and India, and there it’s called ‘the true rat’. The brown rat at can grow up to 23 centimetres in length, but I think they’re getting bigger than that, going by some of the monsters I’ve shot lately. Rats have a good sense of smell, and are known to communicate using ultrasound; their other senses, taste and touch, are equally efficient and the brown rat only has one weak spot - it’s colour-blind. Rats breed quite rapidly. A female can have between three to 12 litters a year, each consisting of six to eight young, and it’s not long until the juvenile females start to breed as well, at around 12 weeks. So, if rats are ignored, you will encounter a serious infestation quite soon that could cost landowners an arm and a leg to deal with. Rats gnaw constantly and will damage sheds, outbuildings, water-pipes, and electrical cables. They often nest close to a food source, and there’s an old saying, ‘You’re never more than 10 metres away from a rat.’

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DISEASE When out shooting rats with your air rifle, be sure always to go for head shots, and take along a bucket and a set of tongs to pick them up with afterwards. Never touch rats with your bare hands, and I must stress ‘never’. They carry numerous diseases; the main one Leptospirosis, otherwise known

Mix the oil with the spread until it runs - but the rats don’t.

as Weil’s Disease, can get nasty if picked up, so if you suffer any flu-like symptoms after tackling these rodents, then seek medical attention straight away. Right, now that I’ve covered a little bit of history, habitat, breeding, and safety, let’s move on to what I’ve been up to. As some of you already know, I’ve being hitting the grey squirrels very hard lately, but that’s come to a halt now because the leaves and cover are in their favour, so I’ve moved on to a rat problem that arose from last month’s feature. I revisited the same farm to check it out properly this time, as last month’s visit was a fly-by just to spread my new Air-Arm’s TDR’s wings, resulting in the bag of nine rodents. It’s a new permission which presented itself through a close friend of mine, Les Martin. He runs his own air rifle shop in Rugeley, Staffs., and his close buddy, who owns a cattle farm, had a serious rat infestation that needed my urgent attention. On checking the farm, I found rat runs everywhere and holes under the cattle sheds. This was quite a bad situation, but if I couldn’t

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overcome this one, with my pest-control training and airgunning experience, I should retire right now.

LITTLE AND LARGE I’ve been very fortunate to get a few new bits of kit together, to help on my quest to control our vermin population to an acceptable level. With a new Air Arms TDR in .177 calibre, and a new Nite-Site Wolf unit from Scott Country, I am well equipped for the job in hand. I’m not one of those calibre critics; both are great for any type of pest control or hunting, but I chose .177 calibre a long time ago, and it does the job perfectly, so don’t listen to anyone who says, ‘You need .22 calibre for ratting’. You don’t! The only thing you have to do is take extra care, and keep to headshots - that’s it. Believe me, I have been ratting with air rifles for more years than I care to remember, and my .177 calibre airguns have put down rats without a twitch, no problem. So, pick whichever rifle and calibre you’re comfortable with, and enjoy its benefits. These rifles will out-shoot us every time, so we have to up our game to keep up with our rifles.

TASTY TREAT I planned my pest control foray for a Friday evening as the weather forecast looked promising. I decided to take along my shooting sticks and my Jack Pyke hide seat, so I would be very comfortable while ambushing the scaly-tails. On arrival, I put down my preferred bait for the evening, which is one of our favourite chocolate and hazelnut spreads. I mix Nutella with sunflower oil, which keeps it runny, so the rats will stop and lap

faded, I looked through the Nite-Site and spotted my first opportunity of the evening heading toward the cattle feed. The rat paused just underneath the tractor, so I carefully steadied the ultra-clear sight picture of my scope’s reticle on the rat’s head and released the shot. It connected superbly, rolling ratty number one over cleanly with a nice head shot. My next chance presented itself straight away, as another scaly-tail appeared to sniff

“Don’t listen to anyone who says, ‘You need .22 calibre for ratting’” it up, rather than pick it up and run, resulting in lost chances. I set up just in front of one of the cattle sheds, looking in from the actual farmyard. The landowner had pointed out that this is a busy area for the rats. They arrive from the left, through the stored machinery and tractors, to get to the feeding troughs, so I was right in the mix, hoping to catch them out with my night vision. As the light

at its fallen companion, so I lined my Bushnell’s cross hair again, just a tad under the rat’s ear, and pressed through the two-stage trigger of my TDR. Thwop! Ratty number two rolled over cleanly, with another nice head shot, confirming my brace. My night foray was now underway as yet another rat appeared from the left of the shed. This particular rodent didn’t stop until it got to near the

cattle. He stopped and sniffed my runny Nutella bait, and started licking away. I let the large, diseased rodent have a couple of scrumptious licks before my Air Arm’s TDR turned out its lights permanently, for the third rat of the night. Over the next half an hour I managed to add another three scaly-tails to my growing tally, resulting in six for the first area of the farm.

NEW AMBUSH I moved my shooting equipment and made my way to the next ambush area, just around the corner. This is where all the rat holes and runs are, and it’s the most infested position on the farm. I pitched down around 20 yards from all the rat holes; I had already baited the runs earlier, so all should be good. I switched on the Nite-Site Wolf and set the variation of the huge power of its three

Personally, I think rats are getting bigger.

... when you know what you’re looking for.

Rat runs are easy to spot ...

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internal infra-red illuminators. I’m so happy with this unit since I’ve had it. The screen brightness was set for my new position and range, and it didn’t take long before two rats emerged to lap up my bait; the Nutella mixture has never let me down. I placed my super-clear cross hair on the first rodent, and released the shot. Thwack! Ratty no more, as my .177 high-speed Air Arms Field hit home hard. The other rat scarpered, but returned within a minute, so I let off another shot that connected perfectly, bowling the scaly-tail backwards on to its back with a few

kicks and the normal ‘helicopter tail’ that rats do when they have been hit with a accurate headshot.

GOOD NIGHT! My night proved to be very successful. On my second location I added another eight rats, taking my tally overall to 16, a number that is very acceptable pest control, for sure. I then moved on to my final position by the entrance gate to the farm, where the main grain store is located, and this has a few rat holes located right underneath the storage box, which is a steel

shipping container. I set up, standing behind a nice-sized hay bale about 16 yards away. There was quite a lot of movement here because

this area had a few younger rats present, but that didn’t stop me adding to my bumper bag of scaly-tails. I added five more, giving me 21 for the session, and proving what an absolutely great night’s shooting I’d had, and the farmer was well pleased with my service the next day, when I sent him a pic’ of the rats I’d shot. Well that’s it for this month, folks. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. See you next time! ■

The precision of .177 has always worked perfectly for me.

Although some evidence is easier to spot.

A good night’s work, with plenty more to come.

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AIRGUN WORLD

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The legend goes on…

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12-shot .22 magazine (16-shot in .177)

Side lever cocking for fast re-load

Super quiet fully shrouded barrel

‘Soft-touch’ finish

Available through your local gun shop. Distributed to the trade by ASI. Tel: 01728 688555 Web: www.a-s-i.co.uk

UMAREX BOYS CLUB

RETURN OF THE AIR MAK!

Umarex Boys Club member, James Thornber, reports on Baikal’s version of a quality is just on another level changed the packaging. For years, BBs that look nicely finished, but legendary pistol ith such a distinguished history, it’s no wonder the Makarov pistol has such a following. First brought into service in 1951, the Makarov was the result of Nikolai Makarov utilising and developing the Walther Ultra design, which was essentially just a larger version of the Walther PP. In 1951, it was selected to be the standard service pistol, due to its simplicity and ease of manufacture among other reasons, and has since had versions of it produced by a vast variety of countries and companies. Formally replaced by the Yarygin PYA pistol in 2003 it has certainly earned its mark in the history books and can still be found in production, and in use across the world, even to this day. So, when Baikal came along with their air version of the Makarov in 1998, sometimes referred to as the ‘air Mak’ it’s no wonder they soon proved to be very popular with the general market. It’s often said that the Baikal Makarov came into existence after the Izhevsky Mechanichesky Zavod (IMZ) plant had an excess of the higher capacity PMM cartridge version frames and needed a costeffective way to move them on. Thanks to its wider frame design, it provided just enough room for a 12g CO2 cartridge to be housed within an adapted magazine – and so the Baikal Makarov came into existence.

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Baikals always turned up in small cardboard boxes, wrapped up in wax paper, something that seems to please the collectors out there, if kept all together, but this version came in a plain black, hard pistol case. I thought this was a vast improvement for something that is £170 worth of pistol, so it’s always nice to keep it safely stored. On opening the box, the first thing you notice is the return of the wax paper, which I liked, because let’s face it, it’s a Baikal product and it’s just the law to have wax paper hidden in there somewhere! Much like previous models, you still get the spare seals and the complimentary bag of

unusually, mine didn’t come with a user manual, something that previous Makarovs I’ve owned have always had.

PLEASANT SURPRISE

For anyone who has never owned or held a Baikal Makarov before, picking it up for the first time will be a pleasant surprise. The build

when compared to other replicas out there, and if you want realism then this is certainly the pistol for you. For me, even as a collector who has come across these pistols, I was still impressed. One of the first things I noticed was the return to the PMM frame and the cast slide, which is very much a return to its Generation 4 roots. The Generation 5s went down the route of using the

The CO2 capsule holder fits neatly inside the grip.

“even as a collector who has come across these pistols, I was still impressed”

ON THE CASE Once getting my hands on the new nickel version of the Baikal Makarov, the first thing that struck me was the fact that they’ve finally

Great to own - fun to shoot.

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UMAREX BOYS CLUB single-stacked frame PM version of the Makarov, utilising a milled slide, which I have to say I preferred because you had the milled-out ejection pin slot just behind the port, although I’m sure there will many people who have their own thoughts on a favourite Generation. In true Baikal fashion, this pistol is far from perfect. Although the slide is now finished in this really attractive nickel finish, the closer you look the more you’ll notice some rough spots, but these are easily polished out with a bit of TLC, resulting in an outstanding finish that will please anyone, be it collector or back-

like. Okay, it’s not ambidextrous, but it’s in a really convenient place on the right-hand side of the slide. However, the thing I like most about the safety catch is that it doubles as a de-cocking lever, which rests the hammer back down without discharging the pistol when it’s cocked, and a small red dot gives you a clear and visible indication whether or not the pistol has its safety catch engaged. Solid stuff.

TRIGGER The trigger isn’t going to win any awards for the smoothest pull in the world, but when cocked into ‘single action’, it’s sufficiently

It’s a timeless classic.

garden plinker.

FEEL The second thing I picked up on was the feel of the action, which was far from smooth when I cocked the slide back for the first time. Already owning Makarovs, I was aware that the slides are often fairly tough to pull back for the first time, thanks to the heavy-duty recoil spring, but this one felt different and it wasn’t what I was expecting from a Baikal pistol. So, following the exact same takedown procedure as the real Makarov, I stripped the pistol down and took a look, and lo and behold, there was a fair bit of muck inside, but once cleaned out and reassembled I have to say that it’s been feeling a lot better. Aside from the finish, everything is exactly where you’d expect it to be on the pistol. The magazine release catch can be found on the bottom of the pistol grip and can be a bit fiddly to use at first, but once you’re used to its position and function, it’s really well placed. The safety catch is certainly one feature that I really

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smooth to get a reasonable grouping at close to mid-range. Double-action takes a little more effort, but to be honest, you won’t be buying this pistol for the trigger, you’ll be buying it because you want one of the most realistic replica pistols on the market. Unfortunately, there isn’t any blowback, but to be fair, I don’t think it’s needed, and the lack of moving parts only increases shot

count per CO2 capsule. Unlike many replica pistols on the market, the Makarov also comes with a rifled barrel, and although this doesn’t really change much with regard to accuracy, it does make BB choice a little more important. While some have said running any steel BB through the barrel should be fine, I prefer using the Gamo lead shot because the softer material won’t damage the barrel after prolonged use.

VERDICT Overall, I have to say that the nickel Baikal Makarov is certainly a welcome addition to my collection. It’s always been the holy grail of Makarovs that I’ve never managed to pin down, but thanks to the hard work by the team at York Guns, who managed

to get 80 imported after a two-year search, I can now finally say that I have one in my collection. If you’re after a bombproof, realistic replica, then you can’t go wrong with the Baikal Makarov. With all its shared parts with the cartridge version, the build quality really is outstanding and it’s not until you pull the trigger and just get a ‘pop’ that you realise it’s only an air pistol. If the nickel finish isn’t your cup of tea, you can still easily find the Generation 5 Makarovs on the market, with black frame and slide along with some Soviet-styled grips; a bit more understated, but equally as impressive. Yet again, I’ve been nothing but impressed with the Baikal Makarov and would recommend it to anyone who wants another addition to their collection. ■

“This one felt different and it wasn’t what I was expecting from a Baikal pistol.”

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

It’s got to have the wax paper - that’s the law!

CLA GAME FAIR

AIR AT THE FAIR With just a few months to go we take a look at the incredible CLA game fair ccording to BASC, the UK is home to an estimated four million airgun owners. Of these, some 1.6m shoot live quarry, whilst airgun target shooters account for a total 1.4 million gun days per year. The appeal of airgunning means that the dedicated airgun feature area at this year’s CLA Game Fair, to be held at Harewood House in Yorkshire from Friday 31st of July until Sunday 2nd of August, is certain to be extremely popular with show visitors. Managed and run by the Airgun Manufacturers Trade Association (AMTA), an organisation set up over 20 years ago to promote airgunning as a sport, to stay ahead of any potential legislative changes and to represent to the interests of airgun manufacturers and distributors in the UK, the

A

CLA Game Fair airgun feature area is one of largest and most comprehensive airgun exhibitions in the country. With an extensive programme of events including tuition, have-a-go shooting lanes, a hard-fought competition, and a wealth of new equipment on show, visitors will be able to try before they buy, pose questions to airgun experts, test a range of different air rifles and get their hands on the very latest kit. “The airgun feature area at this year’s CLA Game Fair will be the place to be if you are already into airgunning, thinking about taking it up, or just want to find out more,” explains Simon Moore, chairman of the AMTA. “This major feature area not only means that showgoers can immerse themselves in the world of airgunning, but is also vital to

Simple break-barrel guns can offer loads of fun.

promoting the sport which is, after all, at the grass roots of shooting. Most people shooting rifles and shotguns today started out by shooting an air pistol or rifle and we want to encourage more people and youngsters to take it up and get involved.”

INSTRUCTION Promoting airgunning is also of benefit to the UK’s airgun manufacturers and distributors. As Simon adds, “Air rifles are one of the most important product ranges for gun shops to sell; as sub 12ft ft.lbs. rifles are unlicensed, The views are simply stunning.

“12 shooting lanes will be available, each manned by a qualified coach, enabling both adults and children to try their hand”

Chillin’ with his new Pulsar.

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CLA GAME FAIR

The gardens are quite stunning.

How beautiful is that view?

making the process of acquiring one straightforward and easy. This is why airguns are a staple of the shooting industry as a whole.” One of the most popular elements of the airgun feature area at every CLA Game Fair is the opportunity for visitors to try out a range of different air rifles at distances from 10 to 50 metres. This year up to 12 shooting lanes will be available, each manned by a qualified coach, enabling both adults and children (over a specified height) to try their hand. As an incentive, while adults will be charged a small nominal fee, any accompanying child will be able to shoot free. Younger children and those under the height restriction can also shoot

for a small fee on two specific lanes where specialist coaches will ensure that they have a safe and enjoyable experience. For those with an element of competitive spirit in their blood, Air Arms will be running a challenging yet enjoyable competition over the course of the show and offering an air rifle as top prize. The airgun feature area will also be the place for shooters of traditional, spring-powered, break-barrel air rifles to have a go with the newer technology pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifles, which are powered by compressed air. “These are becoming increasingly popular,” explains Simon Moore. “Not only are they recoiless, which makes

First-class instruction is guaranteed.

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www.airgunshooting.co.uk

“Major shows really are the places where manufacturers and distributors launch new products” All ages will be well catered for.

Hitting the target is fun, so you’ll be able to rest the rifle like this.

them extremely ‘friendly’, especially to newcomers, but they are also easy and simple to use, so they appeal to a wide range of shooters. As such, PCPs have done a great deal to encourage more people into the sport.” Novice and experienced airgun shooters alike will be able to browse new products from big name brands, such as BSA, Gamo, Air Arms, Weirauch, Daystate, Crosman, all of which are expected to be present at the show. A plethora of new launches is expected, but at the time of writing these were closely guarded secrets. However, if this year’s British Shooting Show is anything to go by, visitors can look forward to some clever new PCP air rifles, high-power carbines, fun to shoot rapidaction targets, new charging kits, clothing and, of course, a wide range of scopes and optics.

COME AND HAVE A GO! “Major shows really are the places where manufacturers and distributors launch new products, and this year’s CLA Game Fair will be no exception,” says Simon. “After all, it is the premier window for the airgunning community to look at, and handle, all that is new and exciting in the airgunning world. It means people can try before they buy; test-fire their favourite brands, have a go with new ones and pick the brains of the experts on hand who can provide advice and answer questions on subjects such as legal issues, the best type of airgun for their needs, products, accessories, where to shoot and so on. Airgunning is a friendly, accessible sport, so whether you are a seasoned shooter, a beginner, or you have someone in the family who wants a new hobby, come along and see what we have on offer!” ■

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READERS RIFLE

CROSMAN – HAPPY MAN! Airgun World reader, Colin Raeside, reveals his remarkable Ratty

“It had to fulfil four basic features ... low weight, short length, multi-shot breech, and running on HPA”

That’s some Ratty, no?

his build starts in the same way that many Crosman owners will recognise. I was interested in a gun for my son, to prevent him getting his hands on my Daystate Regal, so I bought a standard Crosman 2250 Ratcatcher from the free ads and found myself wanting to push its performance almost straight away. This led me to various internet forums and more than a little research. The culmination was a conversation with fellow Bisley FTO club member, Paul O’Donnell. This man is an authority on air-powered rifles and has the ability to engineer anything, and once my son’s gun

T

was up to an acceptable standard with regards to accuracy and consistency, I started to think about how I could build my own version. This is the point at which most existing Crosman owners will be face-palming themselves, having the knowledge of what I was letting myself in for.

SOME OF ITS PARTS From the outset, I realised that it would have to be scratch-built without ever

Colin’s super-Ratty - a project brought from idea to reality.

working from an existing ‘Ratty’, and after much ‘interwebbing’, I mentally assembled a parts list. It had to fulfil four basic features because its use would be very specific; low weight, short length, a multi-shot breech, and running on HPA (High Pressure Air). Having previously owned a BSA R10, I looked immediately at a paintball bottle. I had seen the forward drop blocks and wasn’t keen on how far forward the weight fell, but I looked on G-Mac’s site and spotted the 180 degree drop block. I knew it was exactly what I wanted

because it put all the weight as far back as it would go. This is where it started to get very interesting. The existing 2250 main tube didn’t have enough length to get the 13ci bottle to fit, so a 2260 main tube was sourced, along with a two-stage trigger assembly from America. Paul then shortened the main tube by about 40mmm and rethreaded it. The original drop block was intended for a 1077 model, so the probe that connected it to the back of the valve would not reach. At this point, many cups of tea and Jaffa

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READERS RIFLE

BNM breech came to me through a Facebook forum member. I was always going to stay with .22, but it came with a 24-inch barrel that was just too long for my requirements, so we worked out the optimum length to be a 14.5 inches and Paul happened to have a brand new spare. Included with shortening the shroud, fitting the baffles and drilling the vent holes, this allowed the movement of the expelled air not to impede the path of the pellet and it cut the noise too.

CLEAR PURPOSE The adjustable stock looks the part and does a fine job. Rapid reloading was deemed essential.

cakes had passed between Paul O’Donnell and me, and we had ironed out all the major bugs so he was able to fabricate the required extension piece and a cunning new transfer port. This locks the modified valve into the main tube, without the need for an extra screw.

SCOPE I always maintained that a scope needed to be compact and high spec, because I had previously sold a 2-7 x 32 Bug Buster and regretted it, so the choice was a simple one. I sought out a bargain on a popular auction website and was prepared to give the Chinese The mount works a treat.

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vendors a chance. After a trawl, I settled upon a one-piece, set-back mount, which fitted and held the little Bug Buster perfectly. The adjustable stock was originally sourced for my son’s gun, but I found it suited me a lot better, so he got the original Ratty stock cut and adjusted, and the Plenty of air and plenty of rat-reduction potential.

As I said earlier, there was a clear purpose for this rifle from the outset; and this was shooting rats, so it didn’t need to be a powerhouse because a properly delivered 10 ft.lbs. will easily dispatch scaly-tails out to 25 metres, should I need it to. My shooting partner is an electronics wiz, and he made a home-brewed, but rather effective, night vision set-up. With this combination, we have dispatched countless rats in the pitch black, all without any visible light source. This also ties in with the need for a multi-shot breech because it negates the need for constant reloading, and I get 140 good shots from the regulated bottle. Incidentally, I found that a really efficient way of running it was to opt for the uprated regulator spring, so it now runs at 1100psi, opening the valve far less. This rifle is testament to the vision and quality workmanship of Paul O’Donnell, and it almost didn’t happen at one point. I’m so glad Paul encouraged me to evaluate what I needed and how I wanted to achieve it. I rarely shoot this rifle at over 25m and it fulfils its design and task perfectly. It also keeps the farmer happy! ■

DAYSTATE

HUNTING THROUGH HISTORY Gary Wain recalls the Daystate story through one of its very first products

nless you’ve had your head buried in the sand, or inserted somewhere less pleasant but much tighter, you’ll know that Eccleshall-based firm, Daystate, have recently released their latest rifle. The new Daystate Pulsar, with its electronic trigger and integral laser is certainly an exotic piece of kit, and at £1800-£2000 it certainly has an exotic price tag to match So with the new darling of the Daystate world doing the rounds of the shooting shows and gracing the racks of our favourite dealers, we couldn’t believe our luck when we had the opportunity to look at something very special indeed,

U

The loading port is machined from a single billet and shows a nice deep patina.

but before we do, perhaps we should look at the origins of the company and how this gun fits into it. The company was founded in 1978 by four gents, Don Lowndes, Jim Phillips, Ken Gibbon and Mike

back then, of course, all were hand made, with no two being exactly the same. It was perhaps this attention to detail and Daystate’s growing reputation for high-quality workmanship that attracted a commission by

having little idea what it was. As it had no markings he thought perhaps it was homemade, or perhaps an old foreign import, until he happened across an online video tour of the Daystate factory. Recognising an early

“one of the very first rifles made and most likely one of the very first six” Seddon. Their aim back in the day was to manufacture guns that could be used to shoot tranquilisers to aid in the capture of dangerous animals, and for use in pest control. This first gun was given the name ‘AirRanger’, and

Rentokil in 1980 to build a pre-charged pneumatic rifle that could be used by its operatives for the purpose of pest and vermin control. Bearing the name ‘Huntsman’, what was to later become Daystate’s first commercially available PCP air rifle was born. Daystate themselves were a long way from the high-tech, high-end factory that houses them today. Back then the company was very small and was operating out of a farm building in Ashbourne Derbyshire, and it was there that the rifle we have to look at today was built.

NO MARKINGS The gun is currently in private ownership, its owner originally

example of a Daystate rifle on the video as being very similar to his own, he contacted Tony Belas at Daystate and asked if he was able to help in its identification. To the owner’s surprise, Tony was able to identify the gun as being very early Daystate, and perhaps even pre-Daystate, being one of the very first rifles made and most likely one of the very first six. Tony was also able to inform the owner that added to the example in the Daystate factory collection, the model in the ownership of the original Director, now retired to Menorca, and the one in the Beeman collection in the USA, this now made a total of four early examples of Daystate rifles known to be still in existence.

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DAYSTATE So with the history lesson out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the gun itself. Measuring 980mm from butt-plate to muzzle it’s presented with a removable moderator, which if fitted, adds another 120mm to the overall length. Factor in the length of the barrel at 520mm and you’ll see that this is a full-on rifle length gun, as opposed to a carbine.

CRITICAL DIAMETER According to the owner, and his conversations with Tony, one of the important factors in determining the early origins of the gun is the critical 1” diameter of the air reservoir; the later guns have cylinders of 1¼“. As you can see from the images, the air reservoir is shining and immaculate, even after some 35 years of use, although the same can’t be said for the barrel, which is quite pitted on the outside. While chatting with the owner, we discussed the merits of his conscious decision not to have the gun restored because he prefers it to be true to itself, showing its age and origins. To be honest, nice though a fully-restored original pre-Daystate rifle would look, we can’t help thinking that he has a point. Looking at the cocking mechanism in more detail we can see that there’s no bolt handle, as such. Instead, a simple thumb bolt sits ready to be pulled back once having rotated it 90 degrees to disengage it from the locking mechanism. Those familiar with tranquiliser guns will no doubt recognise this simple yet effective mechanism. The loading port, transfer port and scope rail are made from a single piece of machined steel and, again, have a patina that affirms age and heritage. Those who doubt that this rifle has been in use for pretty much all of its 35 years need only take a look at the rubber butt plate which, although well-worn and beginning to perish a little, confirms that it’s been placed keenly into the shoulder of the shooter many thousands, if not tens of thousands of times.

BROKEN HISTORY So the gun may be worn, but it is

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by no means worn out, as a trip to the local airgunsmith revealed. I would like to be able to say that I took it there deliberately to have it assessed and inspected, but the truth is that while I was using it prior to writing this article, I actually managed to break it. Yep, I broke a piece of airgun history. On inspection, it turned out that I was just unlucky because the issue that manifested itself in my use would have occurred anyway, and it was easily resolved, thankfully, but at the time I was mortified, as you can imagine.

Taking it to the airgunsmith enabled us to get a much better look at the internals and revealedthe Daystate to be a fantastically well put together bit of basic engineering. For example, if we look at the image of the split transfer port, we can clearly see a doughnut-shaped rebate, which you would be forgiven for thinking was designed to hold a seal. That’s what the airgunsmith also thought, but there was no evidence of there ever being a seal fitted here, and although one was fabricated, it was found on

re-assembly without the seal that the tolerances between the two mating surfaces were so close that, in fact, not only was a seal not required but also that fitting actually caused the surfaces not to mate properly, and so detracted from the performance of the gun.

GRIT EQUALS FAILURE It was a similar story up at the fill valve end, where a rectangular rebate, like a wide screwdriver slot was cut into the internal component of the valve. This rebate looks very much like it is

“I actually managed to break it. Yep, I broke a piece of airgun history ”

I’m only nine years older than the gun I’m holding. I think it has aged better.

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

CLASSIC DAYSTATE

Gun number six, or perhaps even earlier.

With the bolt rotated the mechanism can be cocked. It’s a little stiff, but then you’re pulling directly against the spring!

“One of the most comfortable and tactile triggers I have ever experienced” intended to house a spring that will assist the valve in closing, prior to the weight of the air holding it shut, but again, no evidence of a spring could be found, or any evidence of where a spring had worn the surface of the brass. Perhaps one should have been placed after all, because it was here that the problem I’d had with the rifle originally occurred. The first time I came to fill the cylinder from my bottle, on releasing the bleed valve following the fill, the mechanism inside the rifle would not close, causing all the air I had just fed into the cylinder to be released. Several attempts at filling

resulted in the same issue, and even gentle percussive maintenance failed to resolve it, and it was then that I made my visit to the airgun engineer. His inspection revealed that over many years of use, a certain amount of small particulate debris had entered the cylinder, most likely because there was no evidence of a cap on the fill valve, and it was this that had ultimately resulted in the valve failing.

LIVING HISTORY Before we leave this gun, let’s take a close look at the trigger as an example of good, old-fashioned

The sort of wear and tear that only endless shouldering can cause.

The filler had worn over time but was easliy fixed.

Sub-inch groups at 30 yards. Not bad off a 35-year-old gun.

engineering. You’ll see that it’s actually formed from a single piece of steel, with a tail being cut from it, and then being carefully twisted, shaped, and filed, to form the shape of what I can honestly say is one of the most comfortable and tactile triggers I have ever experienced. In the field, the gun is a joy to use and is still a very capable and accurate bit of kit,

well able to put five pellets into a sub 1” group at 30 yards. Not bad for something that at 35 years of age is most likely a good bit older than many of our readers. So there we have it; one of the very earliest Daystate guns known to exist, a living piece of airgun history that is still used most weeks for plinking and, of course, the odd rat! ■

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OLD DOG: NEW TRICKS

DR FINLEY

BACK IN THE GAME!

Tim Finley helps get airgunning legend, Tom Walton, back on the airgun trail om Walton is 79, a great friend, and a lifelong shooter. He was a very keen field target shooter in the early 1990s, until pigeon shooting got him hooked and getting into the FT sitting position was proving a struggle. He sold all his airguns some years ago, but found himself missing out on some quarry because without an airgun the pest controller has reduced options. When it came to shooting with limited safe back stops, and so on, the shotgun and .22 rimfire rifles he was using were just too much gun, so he asked me to help him out and I was all too keen to do so. He told me he wanted a simple airgun, not a pre-charged

T

pneumatic, capable of shooting rats and pigeons and his only specific request was that it be in .177. He knows a thing or two about shooting does our Tom and choosing .177 as an all-round pest control rifle shows that he has the knowledge. The smaller calibre has a flatter trajectory, is generally more accurate, and has the capability to punch through a pigeon’s crop. The old adage ‘.177 for feather and .22 for fur’ has some validity.

LIGHTNING DECISION Rifle-wise I thought immediately of a BSA Lightning SE. I had just bought one for a back-up to my Fenman and was mightily

impressed with it. The short barrel, complete with a moderator, is made for hunting. It is, of course, a break-barrelled, spring-powered rifle, so needs no other equipment to keep it shooting, only pellets and a scope. Scope-wise I wanted to try a bit of comparison. Due to Tom’s advancing age he needs all the help he can get, so the scope would need to have features to enhance his ability to place the pellet in the correct place on his

quarry. I knew he would want a parallax-adjustable scope, being an ex-FT shooter he knows the difference that having the wrong parallax setting, or a fixed non-adjusting parallax, can have. Basically, if the parallax is not set at, or near, the range of the target, then there is potential to miss it because the pellet may not go where you are aiming. I wanted to get Tom a reticle that was capable of illumination. Again, this would help him in difficult

The windage and elevation adjustments are finger-friendly.

My laser-cut piled arms logo is on the grip cap.

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I roughly zeroed in Tom’s rifle before taking it over to him and he loved it ”

light conditions, or when shooting pigeons in dense vegetation. I immediately thought of Hawke; they have loads of airgun scopes now with blue reticles, which are actually designed for daylight conditions, so I met up with Jamie, from Hawke, at the shooting show and discussed it with him. He suggested a 50mm front end for Tom and if I tried a 40mm objective lens we could see the difference it made. The bigger 50mm lens will let more light into the scope as well as giving Tom a great field of view.

SCOPED True to Jamie’s word, the scope came through; a Nite-Eye 3-12 x 50 Digi-IR. The illuminated reticle

is either red or blue and even has an auto-off function, which is perfect for Tom because he gets a bit carried away and would forget to turn the illumination off. It runs off a CR2032 and has 24 brightness settings and a low battery warning. I was impressed with Tom’s scope, to be honest. It has a side focus parallax as well, and Tom has issues with his wrists so it is far easier to operate a side parallax focus wheel than a front objective lens system. Jamie also sent a Panorama EV 4-12 x 40 IR AO scope for me, and an awesome bit of optical equipment it is, too. Both of the scopes have Hawke’s MAP 6A reticles in them; this multi-point reticle has a ballistic program that can run on any device and allows the shooter to know exactly where to aim at different ranges with

their set-up. Very useful, and I worked out a set of ranges for Tom and myself. Tom’s rifle is .177 so he wanted a 30-yard zero, and this gave him 42 yards on his first aiming mark down the reticle. My .22 ratter has a 20-yard zero, giving me 30 yards on the first mark down. As for adjusting the scope, both have eye bell focus rings and I liked the fact that the windage and elevation adjustment was not the old coin type, but a grooved drum under a screw-off dust cover.

SAME BUT DIFFERENT The two rifles were not the same; in the few short months since I got my BSA Lightning SE there have been production changes. Tom’s laser-cut piled arms logo on the stock was now on both sides of

the rear stock rather than singularly under the pistol grip, as on mine and, of course, I had my stock dipped in digital camo pattern, whilst Tom’s was still the natural beech. I roughly zeroed in Tom’s rifle before taking it over to him and he loved it. Immediately, he wanted me to move the scope for him everyone is different and how I had it set it did not feel comfortable to him. I went for a round-headed lightweight .177 pellet for Tom, again as an all-rounder. With it zeroed in Tom had a little job for us already. Good job I had brought my BSA along too! Find out next month about the job our Tom had lined up for the new gun. ■ BSA Lightning SE RRP £290 Hawke Scopes www.hawkeoptics. com

The illumination on Tom’s scope is intelligent. Tom’s .177 ballistic details.

The parallax adjuster on my scope is on the objective bell.

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The grip panels on the fore end

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HIGH POWER OPTION Pure precision beats more power for me, but if FAC is your thing, go for it.

THE WILL TO POWER

A firearms certificate could be within your grasp, but is it worth the hassle? Gerard MacConnachie considers the options More power means fewer shots and the need for a large air reservoir.

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ou’ve heard the story; every airgunner knows someone who knew someone who had an Airsporter with a ‘special spring’ that would drop a bison at 100 yards, or that the SAS designed to breach concrete walls. Mine’s a light and bitter please, mate. The thirst for more power is insatiable in some shooters, but the truth is, 12 ft.lbs. is all that most of us will ever need, for targets or indeed hunting. However, that’s not the whole story; airguns producing much higher muzzle energies are readily available, and offer certain advantages to those with the required firearms certificate. So, is FAC air the way forward for you?

Y

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If you want to apply for a firearms certificate, be prepared to jump through a number of hoops. The required application forms can be downloaded from your local police force’s website, and the first thing you should do is to read these forms thoroughly. There may be reasons why you personally may not be granted an FAC much better to find out before you’ve started the process and handed over your application fees. You need to show that you have suitable cause, of which vermin control is a good example, and that you have FAC-rated land on which to shoot. Many farms will already be FAC-rated, but you will need written permission from the

landowner. You will also need to provide suitable referees, and photographs of yourself, endorsed by your referees.

SECURITY You will also have to provide a secure cabinet in which to keep your FAC rifle, mounted in a suitable location in your house, which the Firearms Enquiry Officer will verify. Here at Airgun World, we recommend that all airgunners provide such storage for all of their rifles, irrespective of power levels, but if you want a more powerful airgun, you have no choice. So what will you get for all this extra effort and financial outlay? The honest truth is, not as much

HIGH POWER OPTION

your shot count is going to be much lower than on your sub-12 rifle. The Theoben Rapid is a very popular choice; the .22 example shown offers three power levels by means of a small adjustable bolt.

HIGHS AND LOWS At the highest setting, this rifle will deliver 33 ft.lbs. with 21 grain Bisley Magnum pellets. It shoots a flatter trajectory than a sub-12 rifle, shoots further, and the retained energy at long ranges is much higher; at 70 yards, the pellet still retains around 20 ft.lbs. On paper, these are impressive numbers, but out in the field, it doesn’t make an enormous difference. You may have three times the power available, but the range does not increase in direct proportion to the power. Realistically, you will have an extra 20-30 yards of effective range available. Is it worth it? That really depends on the sort of shooting you do. A gamekeeper or pest controller whose job it is simply to clear the land of all quarry may well benefit from the efficiency afforded by the extra range and power, but for him the FAC air rifle is probably just

We always consider trajectory, but there’s more to think about with FAC rifles. Personally, I wouldn’t even consider an FAC springer. Others may disagree.

another tool in the cabinet, and sits alongside the shotguns and powder-burning rifles. It will be used according to the

“An extra 20-30 yards of effective range available. Is it worth it?” xxxxxxxxxx” Mega-bags are still possible with 12ft.lbs.

as you might think. Unless you are moving away from airguns and into the realm of powder burners, the extra power available to you will not make a massive difference to your shooting experience. Let us consider a typical modern FAC air rifle. First of all, if you’re considering applying for your certificate so you can fit a bigger spring in your old HW80, forget it. FAC springers are largely pointless; you may find yourself with perhaps 20 ft.lbs. at your disposal, which in the real world will make no difference to you. If you want to go FAC air, you need a dedicated PCP, which will have a large air reservoir fitted, and may offer adjustable power levels, but

circumstances, often because pellets cost a fraction of rimfire or centrefire cartridges.

WHAT ABOUT US? What about the hobby airgunner? Only you can answer that question, and I am certainly not trying to dissuade you, but I’m not convinced. More power might give you a few bragging rights in the pub, but acquiring a firearms certificate so that you can shoot perhaps another 30 yards seems like a lot of effort and expense for not that much return, and 12ft.lbs. will provide all the quarry you need. What really matters is that you know how to shoot properly. Creative limitations in any endeavour force you to work as well as you can within your means. Part of the joy in airgun hunting is having to get close enough to ensure a clean kill, and that requires fieldcraft and a sense of engagement with your environment. I think such considerations start to become diminished the further away from your target you move, but if you think that extra reach is worth the extra hassle – by all means go for it. ■

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TECHNICAL AIRGUN

TAME THE TWANG Jim looks into the various methods of taming mainspring noise n the worst cases, spring noise can be audible from a distance, which is a problem for those who wish to shoot in a garden without annoying the neighbours, and a serious issue for anyone trying to control rabbit population, because a single shot can empty an area of rabbits. Even if there are no neighbours to annoy, and no rabbits to be scared, the twang is at the very least an irritation for the user, and airgun enthusiasts have long sought ways to reduce the volume. The audible twang is caused by a variety of vibrations in the spring wire, and at a range of frequencies, and the key to reducing the vibrations is to absorb as much of the energy causing them as possible. The traditional way of reducing spring

I

twang was to coat the spring in a heavy grease, and that does reduce the volume, but at a price. The viscosity of grease varies according to temperature; the higher the temperature, the runnier the grease, and vice versa, which varies the speed at which the spring can accelerate the piston up the cylinder. If a springer is set up to be close to the legal limit in relatively cool conditions, a certain amount of spring energy will be lost, overcoming the internal friction of the grease, and that internal friction reduces when the grease is at a higher temperature, so that more of the spring energy can be used to drive the piston, usually resulting in higher muzzle energy. Changing viscosity with temperature is not the only

T em h ain commence as the piston comes to a standstill, and then starts to compress the front of the spring, while the spring rear is still travelling forward.

downside to using grease to dampen vibration. The vibration of the spring can throw grease onto the cylinder wall, from where it can eventually find its way into the compression area and auto-ignite, or ‘diesel’. In the days when piston seals were leather, and usually lubricated with oil, grease in the cylinder wasn’t a problem, because the oil used to lubricate the piston seal was probably already auto-igniting, but when synthetic seals were introduced, non-dieseling rifles could suddenly start dieseling if mainspring grease migrated into the compression area, changing not only muzzle

energy, but also pellet point of impact, and without warning.

SLEEVE As the use of synthetic piston seals became more common in the 1980s, a solution to grease being thrown off the mainspring and migrating into the compression area was to fit a sleeve inside the piston, to cover the inside of the cocking shoe slot. The materials of choice were the steel drinks can, or plastic cut from various food and drink containers and, in some instances, fitting the sleeve in itself often helped damp spring vibration, so

Most rifles leave the factory with lavishly greased mainsprings.

rv ib

atio

PTFE piston sleeves are very good for damping spring vibration.

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TECHNICAL AIRGUN: MAINSPRING NOISE

helps to reduce some potential vibration.

there was less reliance on grease to do the job. Today, 0.5mm PTFE sheet appears to be the favourite sleeve material, and with good reason; the stuff is very slippery, so it does not cause friction to diminish available spring energy, but the main benefit is that collisions between it and the spring wire are inelastic, so that some of the energy causing the vibration is absorbed by the PTFE, quickly damping the vibration of the portion of the spring that is inside the piston.

ALL TOGETHER A combination of a PTFE piston sleeve and correctly-sized Delrin spring guides can, without resorting to any grease, cut mainspring vibration down to practically nothing, so there is no external noise, although the user might detect vibration through the stock. Adding a minimal amount of grease to the spring can cut even that tiny vibration.

WHICH GREASE?

GUIDES A portion of the length of the spring is not inside the piston body where its vibrations can be damped by a sleeve, but in the majority of springers the spring guide can do much the same job. Guides used to be made from steel, which unfortunately means collisions between the spring wire and the guide were elastic, and the spring wire bounced off the guide with almost the same energy as before, so that the guide did

My very primitive grease anti-throw test gear did the job.

little to dampen twang, added to which, collisions between the spring wire and an undersized steel guide could produce a fairly loud buzzing noise. Again, a

“Delrin will absorb some energy from the vibrating mainspring ”

plastic material offers an alternative. Many spring guides today are made from Delrin (acetal), which is a hard plastic that machines well and, properly designed, is tough enough for the job. Unlike steel, Delrin will absorb some energy from the vibrating mainspring, helping to dampen the twang in the process. The more snugly the spring guide fits in the spring, the better it is at absorbing vibration. A shorter, second guide - widely called a ‘top hat’ - at the front of the spring, helps to keep it central in the piston and, jointly with the rear guide, by keeping the compressed spring straight it A litre of fumed silica costs around a tenner from GRP suppliers and will last a lifetime.

If you decide to try fumed silica, wear a dust mask.

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In 1985, I bought a 500 milligram tin of CV joint grease, which is a lithium thickened, synthetic grease containing molybdenum, and which I have used for every rifle rebuild I have done, until very recently. Thirty years on, the remainder of the grease in the tin has thickened somewhat due to slow evaporation of one of the constituents, but it’s still doing its job in some of my springers. CV joint grease is very good at lubricating, but if you have to rely wholly on a grease to dampen mainsprings, which will entail a heavier application than I use, it’s not so hot at clinging to the spring, and there are better alternatives. There are a bewildering variety of modern greases that claim ‘high-tack’ and ‘anti-throw’ properties, many developed for the automotive industry, and widely available from motor factors. Some people use greases intended for use on motorcycle chains, claimed to have anti-throw properties. The centrifugal forces

TECHNICAL AIRGUN: MAINSPRING NOISE

trying to throw the grease off a motorcycle chain are the tiniest fraction of the forces trying to throw grease off a mainspring, though, which might explain why the chain grease I tried was far too runny for mainsprings.

TESTING GREASES The obvious way to test greases is to coat the mainspring, shoot the rifle and listen, but as each test would have to be preceded by a strip down and degrease, it would be a very time-consuming process, and I prefer to measure rather than make subjective judgements, anyway. I have previously clamped a microphone to the outside of a springer cylinder, and positioned immediately underneath it, in an attempt to record the spring vibration, and the result suggested a lot of vibration during the initial 40% of compression stroke travel, then low vibration until the piston reversed, when the main vibration commenced, as can be seen in the illustration Capture 1. The two vertical cursors in Capture 1 show the pellet starting to move, just before the piston bounces, and the pellet exiting the muzzle. The test was an interesting exercise, but I’m not convinced that it would necessarily be the Brushing a thin coating of enhanced spring grease onto the long gun spring.

best way to measure spring vibration, because some of the post-piston bounce vibration could be, and very probably is, the barrel vibrating. To measure mainspring vibration in isolation, I’d need to find a way to test without the spring being in an airgun. Before devising tests, it’s important to decide exactly what it is that you wish to measure, and in this instance, I wanted to test the grease’s ability to damp a range of vibrations that varied both in frequency and amplitude, and also to measure the grease’s anti-throw properties, as a measure of how well it would stay on the spring during the shot cycle. The latter was the easier, so that’s where I started, using centrifugal force. I have a Dremmel-type, high-speed drill, which has a top speed of 30,000 rpm, and one of the attachments for it has a 12.5mm diameter drum of a rubber-like synthetic material on the end. The attachment is light enough to weigh on the scales I use for pellets, and weighs 72.5 grains. After applying an even covering of grease, I could spin the drum at 30,000 rpm for a couple of seconds, then weigh it to find how much grease had not been thrown off; the heavier the

FUMED SILICA CAUTION Fumed silica is a very fine and incredibly lightweight powder; even the slightest air movement will pick it up and blow it into the atmosphere, and you do NOT want to be breathing the stuff in, so always wear a dust mask when the container is open, and only open it in still air, and seal it as soon as possible. I used the fumed silica in the approximate ratio of one part fumed silica to three parts moly grease, by volume. I see no reason why enhanced greases could not be created from any suitable base oil, with fumed silica as a thickener, and molybdenum disulphide powder to provide lubrication.

It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t anti-fling. Jim’s enhanced spring grease.

drum après-spin, the more throw-resistant the grease. First up was my 30-year-old CV joint moly grease, and the drum weighed 72.88 grains after the spin, and so had retained 0.38 grains of the grease. Next was some ‘white rubber’ grease I’d been sent to evaluate, and the result was identical. To check that other results were possible, I then tried Castrol LM, a general purpose, lithium grease with no molybdenum, and after the spin, the drum had retained 0.4 grains of grease. Next was the grease I’ve been

My pellet scales can weigh the drum and grease to an accuracy of 0.016 grains.

using on piston seals and skirts since being given it by a friend a few months ago; it’s a high moly content grease, used in the aircraft industry, but was three years past its use-by date, and being thrown out. The drum retained 0.42 grains of the high moly grease, 10.5% more than the old CV and ‘white rubber’ greases. I decided to add a thickening agent to the high moly grease to see whether it was possible to improve its anti-throw characteristics, and I chose fumed silica, which is a very fine powder comprising chains of molecules fused into 3D structures with branches, and it seems the branches interlock, which should give the grease good anti-throw characteristics. The tests bore out the suspicions, and the drum retained 0.74 grains of the enhanced grease. In terms of ant- throw characteristics, it was head and shoulders above the rest on test. Next month, I’ll describe my spring vibration damping tests, and conclusions. ■ Spring guides and top hats can do much to help quieten springers.

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TECHNICAL AIRGUN Eddie s long TX200 coped with a 15mm reducer at 35 yards but, like me, he wants to test atlonger range in still air.

PROJECT PART2 LONG GUN Jim gets the long gun assembled and tested, and it immediately reveals further mysteries of the springer shot cycle.

hen first fitting the .177 Anschutz barrel to the .20 HW95 breech block, I had deliberately left the ‘power plant’

W

(piston and spring) untouched in the rifle, to highlight the effects of swapping the barrel. The internals had been optimised for the .20

barrel, so the rifle was far from optimised with the .177 barrel, and the muzzle energy dropped by 0.8 ft. lbs. from 11.3 ft. lbs.

Recoil standard and long gun. Despite being more energy efficient, the .20 barrel produced greater surge.

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with .20 H&N FTT to 10.5 ft. lbs. with .177 Air Arms Field. What was so striking from my initial measurements of the recoil cycle was that the ‘lost’ 0.8 ft. lb. of energy was not driving greater piston bounce and recoil surge and, in fact, the surge with the .177 barrel was around 60% that of the .20. Logic would suggest that energy not used to drive the pellet must drive the piston bounce instead, so yet again, as can be seen in the illustration ‘Recoil Standard and Long Gun’. the springer shot cycle was defying logic. To complicate matters, I then tried H&N Field Target Trophy (the pellet I’d used in the .20 barrel), and the muzzle energy climbed to about 11 ft. lbs., coupled with a slight increase in surge, probably caused by around 1mm greater piston bounce. Following the lab. test, I fitted an old Pecar 6 x 42mm scope and moved to the range, to see whether the barrel was pointing in the right direction; in other words,

TECHNICAL AIRGUN: LONG GUN

This first five-shot group was promising, but it will take ten-shot groups at longer range to assess the accuracy properly.

The old breech block was a fraction shorter than the one it replaced, so the barrel had to protrude slightly at the breech face.

whether the hole I’d drilled and reamed in the sleeve was concentric. The range was 25 yards, so the pessimist in me chose a large sheet of card to use as a target, and the optimist in me was hugely relieved to see the pellet strike just two inches high and three inches right of the aim point. Five sighting shots later, and the pellet point of impact was just to the left of the aim point, so I shot another four pellets, and was rewarded with a nice little five-pellet, one-hole group in the region of 7mm edge-to-edge. Contrary to what some appear to believe, a single five-pellet group proves nothing, but because the barrel was not yet fixed with Loctite, or pinned, I terminated the accuracy test at that point, rather than risk the barrel or sleeve working loose.

DISASTER! After dismantling the barrel, sleeve and block, I degreased the lot,

using acetone, then reassembled using Loctite 635, an industrialstrength locking compound, with activator, which accelerates the curing process. As it turned out, it accelerated the curing process too quickly, and the joint became solid before I had the barrel in precisely the same place as previously. For some reason that I cannot fathom, the old breech block was a fraction shorter at the rear than the one it was replacing, and when I’d first assembled the rifle, I’d left a fraction of a millimetre of barrel protruding from the rear face of the breech block to compensate, but when I assembled with Loctite, it cured while the barrel was flush with the breech face, and the upshot was that the breech block, and with it the barrel, were angled very slightly skyward. Placing the barrel assembly on a straight edge (the top of the splash plate on my lathe) revealed that the barrel and

block were apparently in perfect alignment, so the problem was indeed the angle of the breech block in the jaws. Out of curiosity, I put the scope back on and discovered that the rifle was only on target at 25 yards with the vertical adjustment at the lowest possible point. It had to come apart again. It had been difficult removing it in the first place, but Loctite 635

is something else, and would not let go until I’d heated it to over 250C. I cleaned everything up, and refitted the barrel/sleeve assembly without using the activator, deliberately seating it a fraction too far, which allowed me to shorten the protruding rear end at my leisure, and to a high degree of accuracy, using the lathe.

SUCCESS! A trial reassembly showed the breech block now to be pointing slightly down; possibly as much as the famous barrel droop of old HW35s, but a tad too much for my liking, so I put the barrel in the lathe, and shortened it by a couple of thou’ a time, until it was a fraction under being aligned with

It took several pulls through with acetone to degrease the sleeve.

”What was so striking from my initial measurements of the recoil cycle was that the ‘lost’ 0.8 ft. lb. of energy was not driving greater piston bounce and recoil surge …” www.airgunshooting.co.uk

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the cylinder. The long gun was complete.

FUNCTION OR FASHION? One of the reasons for creating the long gun was to test whether or not today’s fashion for shorter

barrels, rather than was the norm 30 years ago, comes at a price, or brings tangible benefits. We know that long barrels are not essential for accuracy, thanks to the stunning precision of top match air pistols, so that’s the biggest

concern taken care of. In the case of shorter break-barrels, the loss of leverage increases the force needed to cock the rifle, although at our 12ft. lbs. limit, that should not be too great a problem as long as the rifle is not fitted with a very

into surge than standard, but to all intents and purposes at the same point in the surge as the pellet leaves the silencer of the standard rifle. A short barrel can have a decent-sized silencer on it, and

”Initial accuracy tests suggest that the rifle has lost none of the accuracy capability of a standard HW95 …”

The Loctite activator worked too well! Using a straight edge to check that the barrel was concentric with the breech block hole.

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stiff spring; shorter barrels do need more spring energy for a given muzzle energy, but not that much. In favour of shorter barrels, the pellet exits earlier in the surge stage of the recoil cycle, but only in the region of a tenth of a millisecond (0.0001 seconds) earlier per inch of barrel for the .177, during which time, the rifle will have travelled around 0.03mm further into surge, so it’s not a huge advantage. With an extra 6” of barrel, the long gun pellet leaves the muzzle 0.18mm further

the standard silenced HW95 is a lot quieter than the unsilenced long barrel, whereas a silencer on a long barrel looks plain silly - well, to me, it does - and makes the rifle very cumbersome. In fact, it’s possible that the fashion for chopping barrels back in the 1980s was driven mainly so that hunting rifles could be silenced yet still be manageable in restricted areas, like hides. Although I call my HW95 the ‘long gun’, it’s actually a fraction shorter in overall length than the standard HW95K and silencer.

TECHNICAL AIRGUN: LONG GUN

The long gun feels really good to shoot.

WHERE NEXT? The next step is to get the internals optimised for the .177 barrel, then to set about thoroughly testing the accuracy before studying the shot cycle to try to understand the effect of having a long barrel. Another test I have planned concerns muzzle vibrations, which a friend and I are trying to measure, and the fact that a longer barrel should have greater and hence more easily measured vibration displacement at the muzzle was one of the reasons for creating the long gun.

better, with measurably lower surge than the rifle had with a standard .20 barrel. ■

Best to wear nitrile gloves when handling any chemicals. I’m really enjoying this project.

WORTH THE EFFORT? I was on the verge of writing that I’d created a unique HW95, but remembered that when it comes to springers, there’s very little in the way of modification that hasn’t already been done by someone, somewhere. The rifle may or may not be unique, but there’s something about it; the balance, the shot cycle, and that gives me that ‘feel-good’ factor and makes me want to go out and shoot it more than any of my other rifles. Initial accuracy tests suggest that the rifle has lost none of the accuracy capability of a standard HW95, and the shot cycle feels

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Post your ad to, Airgun World Bullseyes, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 2EG Please include your name, address, telephone number and a maximum of 40 words and we will contact you for payment if necessary. Please make cheques or POs payable to Airgun World. Get your entries in before the end of January to be in the March issue. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee which issue your ad will appear in. Please note that we cannot take your advert over the phone. For further information call Sharon on 01189 742524

RAIDER 10 .22, Raider 2 .22, Crosman .20 Pump, HW57 .177, Diana 22 .177 ( 1960’s) plus others for sale. Also air bottle and hand pump, bags, straps etc, too much to list. Reason for selling – given up the sport after 60 years. Tel: 01493 789174 (Gt Yarmouth). WANTED – GENUINE Bobcat Stalker Rifle .22 left hand stock. Must be in excellent condition. Tel: 07977323504 (Conwy). YUKON PHOTON digital rifle scope and mounts, only two weeks old. £275.00 ono. Tel:07928502187. HAWKE RD30 RED and Green dot sight, weaver fitting, new boxed £20.00. Rifle rest and work station with tool tray under, clean and undamaged £15.00. Crosman 2240 Co2 pistol with improved anatomical grips also tuned £55. Tel: 07890781668 (Leicester). BSA ULTRA SE .22 walnut stock. New mint condition with MTC Viper 10x44 scope with Weihrauch moderator (silencer). Bargain £450.00. BSA R10 VC .177 walnut stock mint with Viper 4x16x50 scope. All new mint condition. Bargain £550.00 Tel:01925 727666, 07935878980 (Warrington). NITESITE NS50 including Nitesite Lithium stock, mounted battery and pouch, + extra accessories, £250.00 ono. Tel:07852 149760.

WEIHRAUCH HW35 .22, small mark on stock otherwise as new. Slip case and alternative foresight leaves £140.00. Original Model 75 .177 match rifle as new. Slip case and tools, left hand stock, £250.00. Buyer collects. Tel: 01594 837637 (Glouc.) WALTHER LP53 air pistol, boxed, all accessories plus barrel weights. Imported from Germany in 1961, excellent condition. Serial No 066756 £500.00. Cox’s Patent .22 Britania air rifle, serial no.1765, featured by Harvey in Airgun World and Dennis Hillier. Very good all round condition, either sale or exchange for antique Cannon / Morter barrel or small mountain screw gun. Tel: 07719414572 ( Burnley). PHOENIX MK2 ‘Winchester’ style pre-charged air rifle, latest quick fill cylinder, new unfired in box. £650.00. 2001 Theoben Rapid MK2 .22 with rare Anschutz trigger, 400cc bottle, walnut sporter stock, as new £750. Tel: 07761 618977 Hemel Hempstead. WEBLEY TYPHOON PISTOL, immaculate £500.00. .177 Hercules Airforce rifle. 3.9x40 scope, beautiful woodwork, immaculate £200.00. Tel:0151 6911854 (Merseyside). BSA METEOR MARK 1 (58-62) .177, serial no N44441 in pristine condition. Looks little used, possible been in storage long term. Bluing very good, stock only minor marks, power is well up. £150.00 (S. Linc).

THEOBEN RAPID 7 .22 MK1, Simmons scope 6x18-40, silencer, 2 mags and extra buddy bottle, purchased 1987. Still in original box, in first class condition, very little use. £725.00. Tel: 01206 612600 (Cornwall). WEBLEY VICTOR RIFLE .177 1970/80 in near mint condition with Simmons 4x40 Gold Optic scope. Collect only £150. Tel: 01245 320892 (Essex). BSA MERCURY ‘3’ .177, vgc £275. Early 5 digit HW35 .177 £195. Theoben Countryman Carbine .177, vgc £395. BSA Airsporter G.E .22 £190. Stalker Tiger 10 l/h .22 beautiful stock, buddy bottle model £695. Tel: 01983 566634 (Isle of Wight). NIKKO STIRLING 5x20-50 Targetmaster 1” as new still in packaging, cost £175 sell £120. Tel: 01454 314315 (Bristol). WANTED: Kind person in Beeston, Notts area to take my air tank to be refilled. Owing to health problems not able to take myself. Will pay any fees required for this favour and it will allow me to continue my lifetime sport at home. Tel: 0115 9257001 Beeston ( answer phone if I can’t get to the phone in time). AIR ARMS .22 Pro-Sport with Walther scope PX adjustment and IR as new £400. Phone 01564 826594,mobile 07910061468 (Birmingham). WEIHRAUCH HW97K .177, with Hawke Varmint II 4-16x44

scope, Weihrauch one piece mount, lens cover. Adjustable cheek piece and butt pad. CB 625 Chronograph, Bisley cleaning rods, gun slip all vgc £325. Tel: 01603 400056 Norfolk. WANTED, THEOBEN RAPID 2.5 cal. ( non fac). Cash waiting. Tel or text: 07930 612612. Weihrauch HW99S .22 air rifle with Nikko Stirling 4-12x50 AO scope in fleece case. Less than 50 shots fired. As new £150. Tel: 0797 1143121 ( South Essex). WEIHRAUCH 98FT .22 mint unused in box with Bushnell XL scope with hard case, pellets £325. Tel: 07563 706462 Norfolk. UNUSED AIRFORCE One Trophy Vermin .22 single shot pisto, ergonomic grip, cased plus 1,000 Air Arms Diabolo pellets, ten Bisley Co2 capsules, special bonus of ‘Coast’ brand dual colour head torch still in blister pack in this bundle, all for £160. Bergara all terrain chair with turntable seat, all quickly dismantles, light but tough, into canvas satchel, as new £60 post paid. Tel: 01702 200718 ( Essex). RWS Series 50 .177 s/shot rifle in vgc + 10 shot mag £250. ( Berkshire). Tel: 0118 9302067. BSA ULTRA .177 complete outfit for sale. Includes 3-9x50 scope, Weirauch silencer, 3ltr 300 bar air bottle, chrony chronograph, bi-pod, sling, gunbag. All in as new condition, £500. Tel: 01484 715292 ( West Yorks).

The Bullseyes service is for readers wishing to buy and sell airgun equipment as part of a non-commercial transaction. There is no need for such transactions to be made face to face (unless an airgun is FAC rated), but Airgun World requests that due caution is exercised when buying or selling an airgun. You must adhere to the current airgun laws. You cannot buy an airgun if you are under 18 years of age. Bullseyes are not offered to those who sell airguns as a way of trade of business

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Only 2 mins from Junc 36 on the M4

SCHMIDT & BENDER

OPTICS

The S&B FTII fitted to my Air Arms 400.

FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

Tim Finley fine-tunes his attention of the new FTII field target scope from Schmidt & focal plane FT3 reticle. It has a other English shooter who had PROTOTYPE TESTING Bender his is Schmidt and Bender of Germany’s second attempt at a dedicated field target scope. I had a hand in the first one when talking to an S&B technician at IWA in 2006 and he asked me to test a PMII scope so see if it could rangefind and be used for FT. The 34mm bodied scope they sent could rangefind very well so they went ahead and it was on my suggestion that they went for a silver finish to reflect the sun’s rays and keep the scope cool, although they did go for a whole new 30mm bodied scope for reasons which were not explained to me.

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I tested the first prototype scope and found the rangefinding gaps too big. It had 25mm between 50 and 55 yards, so I sent the scope back, they re-geared it and it came down to 7.6mm. Incidentally, I also helped to design the first focal plane reticle, the FT1 was based on a sketch I sent to them. I only had the scope for a few months and did not detect massive changes in rangefinding due to temperature fluctuations, and neither did the The second focal plane FT3 supplied on the test scope.

one, nor the ten prototype testers in Germany. Suffice to say, we now know that over a year’s weather from hot to cold, the 30mm scope can shift by five yards, which is not ideal. The FTII is based upon the 34mm scope I tested back in 2006 and S&B sent me the latest FTII scope in black, with a second

12.5 to 50 times magnification range, the same as the old FT scope but the new scope’s design touches are truly magnificent. and a raised triangular section on the scope’s 47mm diameter side focus wheel matches the hole on the larger side-wheel. This allows you to position the scope in three places. The scope focuses from

“The 128mm diameter side wheel is held on with strong magnets,” The elevation turret.

The windage turret.

Magnification starts at 12.5.

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SPECIFICATIONS Maker Schmidt and Bender Country of origin Germany Model FTII 12.5-50 x 56 Magnification 12.5 to 50 variable zoom Reticles First or second focal plane illuminated Parallax adjustment 10-100m Elevation adjustment MOA in ¼ inch clicks Windage adjustment MOA in ¼ inch clicks

The scope comes with the detachable 127mm diameter side wheel and a sunshade

Objective Dia 56mm Body Tube 34mm

10m to 1000m, which is enough for any FT shooter.

RANGING The ranging is done by putting your own marks on the side wheel, which has an outer ribbed section for grip, then an inner, flat, 11mmwide section so you can apply white tape to mark up the wheel. They have made a read-off bar, complete with a level bubble, which is bolted to the side of the scope, and it comes in three dialing increments ¼ MOA at 100m, MOA at 100m and 1 milliradian at 100m, but I would have clicks because these are more accurate for FT. You can also have clockwise or counterclockwise clicks; American convention is for counterclockwise, whereas the Germans prefer clockwise. Having a 34mm body means a bit of a fiddle mounting to most airguns. There are 34mm scope mounts with an 11mm clamp, but S&B did not send any mounts. However, Tier One does a 34mm two-piece set for 11mm dovetails at £125. I fitted a Hawke riser/ adaptor system onto which went my TPS 34mm mounts from America, and this worked fine, but do not be put off buying a 34mm scope because there are mounts made by SportsMatch in the UK to

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fit them to airguns without adaptors. You’ll need a sunshade on a high-magnification FT scope, and the FTII has one. They do one in the silver Titan finish, too, and this has a black interior.

TEMPERATURE RANGES I tested the scope over two weeks, first fitting it with an electronic temperature gauge. This was a £9.99 fish-tank system running off

wheel between 50 to 55 yards I found was 12.6mm, that is 5mm more than the same diameter wheel on my 30mm FTI, but it’s not as ‘snappy’ on the image coming into sharp focus. I would prefer to lessen the gap, which I know they can do, but I could get used to it - I am just a bit of a techno nut. I hated the FT3 reticle, finding that I lost it on black targets, and turning on the

Finish Silver (Titan), or black Field of view at 100m 3.5 – 0.9m Eye relief 70mm Exit pupil 4.5 to 1.18mm Overall length 437mm Weight 1.35kg Price £1820 RRP (2,520 euros) (Not including duty and taxes) Optional extras Sunshades in Titan and black A ballistic ‘add-on’ elevation turret

RRP £1820

The built-in bubble with read-off marker.

“The S&B 34mm FTII is a masterpiece of engineering” a single AA battery, and I had to file flat the plastic temperature probe so that it could be stuck to the underside of the scope. I ranged it in temperatures from 10 to 25 degrees Celsius, with no change in the rangefinding read-offs. The distance on the

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12 setting illumination solved this. The illumination is good because it lights up the whole reticle. My advice is not to buy a FTII without illumination.

VERDICT S&B have fixed all of the issues

with the first FTI 30mm scope. The S&B 34mm FTII scope is a true masterpiece of engineering, albeit with a very substantial price tag, but if money is no object to the FT shooter, it will deliver the goods. I would have an illuminated MOA CCW clicks, FFP FTII with my FT1 reticle in silver. The current blurb in the UK and the web states FFP is only in black, but I was told by S&B’s sales manager that all scopes will be illuminated and FFP can come in the Titan finish. The S&B code for my dream scope is 678 923 872 A5 A5, to make sure you get the right one, but we need a new bathroom suite at home, and with two kids in junior school I cannot afford to buy an FTII, anyway. Does anyone want to buy a kidney? ■

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HARDMAN’S HUNTING When I’m on top form, everything’s automatic.

PHIL-MING! he weather has been really unsettled up here in the North East of England lately. If it’s been dry, it’s been so windy that I’d have a better chance throwing the pellet than hitting anything with my rifle, and if it hasn’t been windy, it’s been raining heavily, or as was more often the case than

T

not, both at once! I’m not usually one to whinge about the weather, but to be honest, I am getting soft in my old age and really just wanted to get out with some sunshine, little wind, and have a nice session like you’d see on the front cover of a book; early evening, sunny, picturesque. Eventually, the weather forecast granted me my wishes, so my old mate, Leon Fairless, and I arranged to have a good old-

GUN CAMERAS Leon came and picked me up around 7pm and we drove the short distance to the farm. As we headed up the drive, it became evident that we weren’t going to have the place to ourselves; three different horse owners who rent paddocks were there, as was the farmer himself, all doing various jobs before the day ended. With so much human activity, I wasn’t

“Leon had brought a couple of toys along with him for us to try” fashioned, early evening rabbitraiding session. I had ‘picturesque’ in my head, but what I actually got was ‘windy and wet’, and to make matters worse it wasn’t even proper rain, just that annoying, light drizzle that clings to every surface. A man alone in his field. Sort of.

Phil and Leon put some footage and vermin in the bag

holding my breath for brer rabbit, but I hoped that things would settle down quickly once everyone had left. Leon had brought a couple of toys along with him for us to try out, in the form of a pair of ATN Shot Trak HD gun cameras. It’s been a long time

since I did any real filming, but I started out making YouTube hunting videos long before I moved on to the written format. Leon is keen for us to start making some form of hunting videos again, so this was a test run of the equipment, a chance for us to get acquainted with how they work and, more importantly, getting used to adding another step into the shooting sequence. This can’t be underestimated. How much difference can remembering to press ‘record’ make? A lot, let me tell you!

INSTINCT Taking a shot should be instinctive; muscle memory and thought patterns that were formed from many hours, or even years of practice come together and whirr like well-oiled cogs, everything aligned, the same every time. For me, it’s always the same couple of

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Brothers in farms.

“The peak of my baseball cap MUST touch my scope exactly the same way each time. steps, and if any go wrong, the shot tends to go the same way. I spot my target, and instantly its range and the elevation aim point is calculated. I don’t even think of the distance in yards, or metres, I simply know the target is there at that distance, and therefore I must aim there, at that height. Next is windage; again, the wind is that strong, so I need to aim there, an invisible point in space, an imaginary dot hovering next to my intended point of impact. That’s taken less than a second and I didn’t consciously make any calculations. Next, the rifle comes up into my shoulder and I tuck in behind my scope, the peak of my baseball cap MUST touch my scope, exactly the same way each time. I flick off the safety and bring the scope’s cross hairs in over the target as I take up the first stage of the trigger, and then bring it down to my aim point and release the shot. When I am really on form, I am unaware of any of it really. I spot a target, and next thing I know, it’s in the bag. With a camera on board, I have to intervene consciously in that sequence, to press ‘record’, and once you interrupt it, you can’t start it again. Suddenly, range estimation doubts creep in, or I’ll take one last check of the wind, just in case. The whole thing suddenly becomes a thought out,

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often over-thought, process and it throws it all to pot. Sure, I can still hit most of my targets, but I am not as quick, and it’s not as effortless as it seemed before. The only way to get used to it is to make it second nature and add it to the process, a new cog, remove any thought from it and then the accuracy and efficiency will return, so practise, practise, and practise some more!

CAMERA, ACTION! I’d love to tell you all how easy it was to fit to the rifle’s scope, but in truth I just handed my rifle to Leon, and he handed it back a couple of minutes later. So, yeah, I found it very easy! I love a new challenge, so before he had even removed his rifle from its case I was off to look for my first shot of the day, on film, too. There’s a small gate that separates the farm drive from the yard itself, and over the years it has provided more ‘first shots’ during sessions than any other place on the land, so it was an obvious choice. Unfortunately, as I was peering slowly around the side, the farmer spotted me and shouted, “Hello, Phil!” at the top of his voice. I couldn’t really whisper my reply, and

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HARDMAN’S HUNTING Remember to switch on the camera!

“It was seven yards, maximum, and with only its head on show, it was simple case of a clean kill or clean miss. Prime spot for the first shot of the day ... until I had a shout from the farmer!

when a landowner greets you, you greet them back, so I had to reply, way louder than I would have liked. I’m pretty sure I must have cringed as I did, but after a wave and a wink I crept through the side of the yard to a small gap in the hedge, determined to put something in the bag before Leon caught up. There’s a small gate that makes for a totally covered approach and as I peered over it I spotted a decent-sized rabbit maybe 20 yards away, head down, feeding in the grass. I slid the gun over the fence, using it as a solid rest, as I flicked the switch on the camera, which not only turns it on, but sets it away recording, with a little red

light letting you know you’re ready to shoot. I lined up on the rabbit and knew it was going into the bag as soon as I launched the pellet. The sound of the impact seemed to echo back to me as it slumped onto its side, a single leg sticking up into the air, and it lay stone dead. I jumped the fence and went over to pick it up after making sure there were no more opportunities, and as I returned to the yard, Leon arrived carrying a rabbit. Not a bad start then!

RATTING SHOT We left the rabbits on the wheel of Leon’s Jeep and then headed through the farmyard toward larger fields at the other end of the

permission. Because it was getting later in the day, I decided to take a slow pace as we made our way past the cattle sheds, on the off chance that Mr Ratty would be out and about. As it turned out, this was a great idea, because as I slowly crept up to the first, I spotted a rat sitting under one of the feeding troughs. It was seven yards, maximum, and with only its head on show, it was a simple case of clean kill, or clean miss. I held over for the shot, which was a repeat of hundreds, maybe thousands, of ratting shots I’ve take in the past at this range, and after remembering to press ‘record’ on the camera, I fired. The pellet hit home perfectly and

the rat knocked itself out from under the trough and lay kicking its last in amongst the hay. I left it where it was and moved on, making a note to dispose of it on the way back.

PERFECT BALANCE On reaching the end of the yard, we agreed to split up and walk opposite fields and meet up back in the yard after we were done. I opted to take the southernmost fields, with Leon taking the northern ones. I had only walked maybe 15 yards into the field when I lost my first chance, by spooking an unseen rabbit that ran for the cover of the wood at the edge of the field. Not

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Nice shot, textbook retrieve.

I’ve taken this shot so many times.

disheartened, I continued, but saw very little until I reached the opposite side and came to a small mound where some recent ground works had been done. I spotted the tell-tale flick of two ears in the grass, and paused. I took one more step forward slowly, to bring the rabbit’s head into view and brought the rifle to bear. I didn’t have to remember to flick the camera to record this time, and at 15 yards I knew I wasn’t going to miss as I steadied my breath and squeezed the trigger on my Daystate mk4is. The rifle was built to do this, and its perfect balance and handling make these shots a formality in the right hands.

PIGEON CARTWHEEL The rabbit didn’t know what had hit it as it slumped and rolled over twice, falling down the small bank at the edge of the mound of earth. I picked it up and continued to a small patch of trees in the opposite corner of the field and

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although I was looking for rabbits, when a pigeon swooped in and landed, I didn’t think twice. I dropped to my knees and got steady for the shot. It was sitting side-on to me, 25 yards out, with branches covering its body, and one across its lower head/neck area. I picked the point at the top of its skull and took aim, making sure to give an allowance for the wind, which was cutting across from left to right. The rifle let out its gentle muzzle report, more a slight cough than a bang, and the pellet arced through the sky, in full view through the scope. I lost sight of it as it entered the shade of the trees, but on seeing the pigeon cartwheel backwards out of the tree, wings flapping wildly, I knew it was a headshot. The commotion spooked a previously unseen rabbit that now hopped out from the bushes and paused, fixated on the flapping bird in the undergrowth, I seized my chance, and took it with a shot

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Like me, Leon takes support wherever he finds it.

“When a pigeon swooped in and landed, I didn’t think twice.” to the back of the head, at a few yards under what I had just taken on the pigeon. I collected the kills and headed back to meet up with Leon who had only managed one kill, a carrion crow, which, is worth about three rabbits, in my eyes, simply due to them being more wary and harder to bag. We had a little look around the fields back where he had parked

and we’d made the first couple of kills, but they were empty and with the light fading and the rain becoming even heavier, we decided to head home. Despite the weather, it had been a decent little session, and only made me more eager to get out there again once the wind drops and we get a bit of sunshine. See you all next month! ■

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RIDGELINE BOOTS

Right: Inside, all is warm, waterproof, and comfortable. .

Rugged, self-cleaning sole.

WARRIOR

RACE! The Ridgeline Warriors are a boot worth stepping up to

oots are personal things, especially shooting boots. They connect us to the ground, provide the foundation for our stances, and protect us from the cold, wet, mud and slip-hazards of the outside world. Good ones are among our greatest friends, and bad ones will surely let us down. These Warrior EXP boots from Ridgeline are turning out to just about as friendly as they could be – and there’s a whole lot of reasons for that.

B

FULL OF FEATURES The Warriors are high-cut boots built around a quality leather upper and a ‘Hypergrip’ sole, developed

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especially for Ridgeline. This sole is tagged as ‘self-cleaning’ and in the three months I’ve had these boots, I’ve noticed that the mud does drop from the sole as soon as it even begins to dry out. Between sole and upper there’s an all-round, super-tough rand which acts as a ‘bumper’ to protect the leather in the areas most subject to wear. Kneeling shots on the concrete floor of my club range have been the death of a couple of pairs of otherwise excellent boots, due to the abraision around the toe, but the Warriors seem to be able to shrug that off.

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I particularly like the ribbed ‘hinge’ at the back of the boot, which increases flexibility and comfort, especially on long field trips. The ‘speed’ lacing system is convenient, secure and simple to set to the right amount of ‘tightness’ to keep me secure but comfortable.

INSIDE STORY Inside the boot, the Hydroguard membrane, Thinsulate liner regulates temperature and so far has resisted the ‘pilling’ that often happens after hard use, and these boots have had plenty of that. The leather tongue feels softer than the boot outer, which helps with comfort, and the whole boot is fully waterproof. The full RRP of these boots is £189.99, but there are plenty of places selling them for around £130, so it’s definitely

worth shopping around.

VERDICT I’m hard on boots and these Ridgeline Warriors are responding perfectly to whatever I do to them. I’ve walked nine miles in them in a day, and I’ve tried them over just about every type of terrain I’m ever likely to encounter. Our airgun student also has a pair on his size 13 feet, and he’s even worn them on training runs. This is a full-on, full-specification boot, without being heavy, stiff or a nightmare to get on and off. I let mine dry thoroughly but naturally – no baking them in airing cupboards – and I’ll give them a buff with dubbin when they need it, but otherwise they’re on their own. Great boots – highly recommended. ■ Contact: www.highlandoutdoors. co.uk

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TECHNIQUE

THE EYES HAVE IT! ere’s a technique that almost anyone can do, and everyone who does it will benefit instantly. It costs nothing, improves safety, increases awareness, helps with accuracy and puts more vermin in the game bag. What a deal, eh? You bet it is. All I’m talking about is shooting with both eyes open, but after a lifetime devoted to the art, science, skill and application of air rifle shooting, I’m still amazed at how many of us don’t do it. I say ‘us’, but I don’t mean me, of course. Oh no, I learned 40 years ago that scrunching up my non-sighting eye was a silly and unproductive thing to do, so I stopped doing it – and I’ve never looked back.

H

TWO BEATS ONE Why keep both eyes open? Loads Both eyes open - all systems go!

of reasons, so let’s list them. You see more. A bit obvious but valid nonetheless. Increasing your field of vision by 100% can never be a bad thing, surely? If you’re a hunter, opening that other eye may just reveal a better target, too. You’re more relaxed. Keeping one eye closed takes effort, especially when you lob in a bit of facial contortion, so opening both eyes, fully relaxing your face, and then letting that relaxation spread as far as possible really will help your shooting. In our sport, a calmer shooter is a better shooter. Open those eyes … and relax. You judge windage better. True, and it works in two ways. Your exposed eyeball is incredibly sensitive to any wind, so that helps determine where the breeze is coming from. Also, with a whole

The editor has a plea to airgunners of all kinds One eye closed - there goes a major advantage.

*

*

*

”I learned 40 years ago that scrunching up my non-sighting eye was a silly thing to do” extra eyeball on duty, you’re far more likely to see the grass bend, or a leafy branch begin to tremble, as a sidewind begins to gather momentum. Once you see the effect of the wind, you can either re-compose the shot, or compensate better for it. Either way you stand more chance of hitting the target. It’s safer. Seeing more means spotting potential hazards faster. That cat straying into your garden, or even someone walking too close to your arc of fire – you’ll see them far better and much quicker if you have both eyes open.

*

KEEP TRYING Try it, and keep trying it until it becomes natural. It may well feel odd at first, but just ‘channel your mind’ as well as your sighting eye down that scope or through those open sights, and all will become clear, I promise. ■

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PULLED ORF PHEASANT

ROSIE’S RECIPE Serve with something cold and fizzy.

PULLED ORF (WALDORF) PHEASANT Rosie Barham spreads her culinary wings with a quick game bird dish ccasionally, I’m given a brace or two of pheasants to play with and I don’t always have the time to deal with them straight away, so they get prepped and frozen ‘for later’; sometimes they’re in the freezer for months because I tend to forget that

O

food, I’ve already published my game pie recipe, and I had to come up with something else for you lot, anyway, so I looked in the fridge for inspiration. I found it in the form of half a head of celery and just a germ of an idea festering in the ancient brain while

“He told me it was the best salad he’d ever had in his life” they’re in there and I only defrost my freezer once in a blue moon. I was asked to make a couple of game pies for a function recently, so I had a rake through to see what was lurking in the icy depths and found venison, rabbit, pigeon and the pheasants, and because I always overestimate everything, I ended up with far too much pheasant meat in balance with the other ingredients. I hate wasting

I got on with the major job in hand. I’d chosen to have the oven at full blast on the hottest day of the year, so far, although I didn’t know that when I started baking, and by the time I’d made the game pies I was pretty much all cooked out, still struggling a bit for inspiration for the leftover pheasant breasts, and then I had a brainwave. I’d enjoyed a Waldorf salad at a local

restaurant a few days before; I could knock up a Waldorf pheasant! I had the pheasant legs, which I poached for half an hour, a head of celery, a crisp eating apple, a handful of grapes, and I had walnuts in the cake-making cupboard. The other ingredients are staples in my larder, so what could possibly go wrong? Nothing, actually, I served it to a visiting friend who had only popped in for coffee and found Poach pheasant legs with sliced onion and thyme until tender.

himself on the receiving end of a culinary experiment. He’s a fussy eater; doesn’t like onions, garlic, any kind of spice – tolerates herbs He only eats to survive, not to enjoy food – don’t know why we’re friends, really. He said it was the best salad he’d ever had, though. The game pies went down a storm, too. Recipe for that, and many others, are in my book, Delicious Vermin!, from Calm Productions. Google is your friend, forgive the shameless plug. ■ Remove from the cooking liquid …

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AIRGUN WORLD

101

»

ROSIE’S RECIPE: PULLED ORF PHEASANT

… and pull meat from the bones, with a fork.

INGREDIENTS: SERVES TWO Four pheasant legs Salad leaves A couple of sticks of celery, chopped One crisp, green apple, diced Handful of walnuts, slightly crushed A few red grapes, cut in half Dressing: A heaped tablespoon of good-quality mayonnaise Juice from half a lemon Sprinkling of white pepper Pinch of salt Drizzle of walnut oil (optional)

METHOD: Place all dressing ingredients into a large bowl and combine thoroughly. Add diced apple, chopped celery, walnuts and sliced grapes to the dressing. Poach the pheasant legs for about half an hour, along with some sliced onion and a handful of fresh thyme for about 30 mins. Leave to rest while you assemble the salad. Arrange salad leaves on a plate. Pile the vegetable mixture on top. Pull the meat from the pheasant legs and place on top of the salad. Serve on a very hot day, to a reluctant friend. Top tip: Use the juice from the other half of the lemon to sprinkle over the apple, to stop it from going brown.

Dressing: Mayo, lemon, walnut oil, pepper.

Salad: Celery, grapes, apple walnuts.

Prep salad ingredients and make dressing.

Mix salad and dressing in a large bowl.

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AIRGUN WORLD

www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Pour salad mixture on top of leaves …

… and place pulled pheasant on top.

DEALERS DIRECTORY PICKERING GUNS Large display of new and second hand shotguns, rifles, air weapons, and general shooting accessories. Part exchange welcome. Guns bought for cash. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9-5pm. Closed Wed. 8 Birdgate, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7AL Tel: 01751 476904, Tel/fax: 01751 477773 Email: [email protected] www.pickeringairguns.co.uk

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WIGHILL PARK GUNS www.wighillparkguns.co.uk Visit one of Britain‘s best stocked Airgun Shops in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside TRY BEFORE YOU BUY ON OUR INDOOR RANGE Part exchange a specialty Wighill Park, Nr Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 8BW Tel: 01937 833757 Fax: 01937 530563

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Stockists of Weihrauch, Webley, BSA, Norica, Gamo, Hammerli, scopes, lamps, pellets and accessories. Airsoft guns stocked, crossbows & archery available. Guns serviced and repaired. Airgun and cylinder refills to 300 bar. 4A Atkinsons Buildings, Trimdon Street Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR4 6AH Tel: 01915 670147, [email protected]

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DAVEY AND SON NORTH YORKSHIRE

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Supplying all types of Air Rifles and Pistols. PCP/Spring/Gas Ram/CO2. Optics and Nightvision. All associated accessories. Clothing and Footwear.

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TRACKSIDE GUNS AND ARCHERY LTD Trackside Guns and Archery Ltd is a retail shop with an indoor and outdoor Archery Range and an indoor Airgun shooting range based in Lincolnshire. At our shop we sell Airguns, pellets, shotgun cartridges, live rounds and everything you need for Shooting Sports. We also stock a large range of Archery Equipment. Open Mon 9am - 8pm, Wed 9am - 10pm, Tues, Fri, Sat 9am - 5pm. Thursday and Sunday Closed. Trackside Guns and Archery Ltd, Station Yard, Station Road, North Kelsey Moor, Caistor, Lincolnshire LN7 6HD Tel: 01652 678895 www.tracksidegunsandarchery.com Email: [email protected]

WARRINGTON GUNS Selection of air rifles including BSA, Air Arms, Daystate, Cometa, Brocock, Webley, Weihrauch, FX, Walther, Edgar and more. Rimfire and centre fire rifles, shotguns, ammunition and cartridges available here. Open 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Mon - Fri, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Sat 53 Norris Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 7RJ Tel: 01925 415901 Email: [email protected] Web: www.warringtonguns.com

Wykeham, Scarborough, Yorkshire, YO13 9QP 01723 865039 [email protected]

MANCHESTER AIR GUNS

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Open 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Tues - Sat, Closed Sundays

We stock Air Arms, BSA, Weihrauch, Hatsan, Walther, Gamo, Crosman and Umarex air guns both new and second hand.

Tony's Camo & Airgun Centre, Chesterbank Business Park, River Lane, Saltney, Chester CH4 8SL Tel: 01244 681191 Email: [email protected] www.tonyscamo.co.uk

Extensive range of all leading airguns, scopes and accessories.

Extensive range of antique air guns also in stock.

Mail order available.

Visit our shop at: 100-104 Lowtown, Pudsey, W.Yorkshire, LS28 9AY Call us on: 01132 569163 or 01132 565167 Email us: [email protected]

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Tel: 01205 311246 / 01205 369470 Email: [email protected] Web: www.countrysportingguns.co.uk Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9am - 5.30pm We supply airguns and shooting accessories, stocking all major air rifle brands, optics and silencers. Setup and tuning service. We are selected BSA area dealers. Sporting rifles and shotguns including ammo. New and secondhand rifles and shotguns. SHOOTING RANGE. We buy airguns. This is the home of the Grand European 80 Varmint air rifle.

To advertise here phone Ryan Coupland: 01189 742525 T.R. ROBB AIRGUN SPECIALIST

PORTSMOUTH GUN CENTRE

316 High Road, South Benfleet, Essex SS7 5HB

We stock rifles, pistols, shotguns, airguns and black powder weapons.

Tel: 01268 752888 Website: trrobb.com Information: www.trrobb.com

Keeping the leading brands in stock, the business can accommodate all enquiries from customers and shooters alike. Complimenting the vast range of firearms, Portsmouth Gun Centre also carries a large amount of accessories, ammunition, clothing and miscellaneous shooting equipment.

Full range of Air Rifles, Pistols and Telescopic Sights. Tuning Servicing Kits.

MAY OF LONDON LTD Air rifle and pistol sales. Gunsmith on-site. Dive cylinders and filling station on-site. Indoor range. Vast range of goods and accessories. Expert and friendly advice always given. We also sell Shotguns, Rifles, Cartridges, Ammunition, Cabinets and Clothing. Open: Tues-Fri 9.30am-6pm & Sat 9.30am-5.30pm 21-23 Cherry Tree Rise, Buckhurst Hill, Essex IG9 6EU Tel: 0208 504 5946, Fax: 0208 505 6664. [email protected] | www.mayoflondon.com

Airguns Bought and Sold

Tel: 02392 660 574 email: [email protected]

BORDERS GUNROOM

RIFLE SPORTS

C&H WESTON

New & S/H Air Rifles bought and sold Repairs carried out on the premises Full range of accessories

Airguns, Rimfire ammunition and accessories including:

12 East Street, Brighton, Sussex BN1 1HP Tel: 01273 326338 Email: [email protected] Web: www.chweston.co.uk

Delivery service available for air weapons

Scopes, Bi-pods, Lamps, Night Vision, Airgun Pellets & much more. Scopes by Bushnell, Nikko, Sabre, SMK and Nikon

South of Scotlands largest retailer of Shooting and Fly Fishing equipment

Unit 59 Globe Industrial Estate Grays, Essex RM176ST

Main St, St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0AA Tel: 01835 822844

01375 658000 www.riflesports.co.uk

WONDERLAND MODELS

RONNIE SUNSHINES

EDINBURGH Edinburgh’s leading air rifle, air pistol, air gun pellet and accessories supplier. We are dealers for Air Arms, Anics, BSA, Crosman, Gamo, Sportsmarketing, Umarex, Webley and Weihrauch www.wonderlandmodels.com Tel: 0131 229 6428 97 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AN Members of the Gun Trade Association Dealer Registration Number 191

PARK STREET GUNS REGISTERED FIREARM DEALER

4 Canalside, Northbridge Road, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 1EG. Tel/Fax: 01442 872829 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ronniesunshines.com Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9 - 5 HERTFORDSHIRE’S LEADING AIRGUN SPECIALISTS we stock Weihrauch, Daystate, Air Arms, BSA, FX, Webley, SMK, and many more. Plus a large range of CO2 pistols, scopes, clothing and a comprehensive stock of airgun accessories. We are also a Bushcraft and Survival specialists supplying all the kit you need to survive. Come and visit our shop and Try before you buy on our purpose built indoor range Or visit our website www.ronniesunshines.com

GREENFIELDS AIRGUN CENTRE

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9-5.30. Sun & Bank Hol 10.30-4.30 Established 1819, C&H Weston offer a friendly service. We stock all good brands such as Air Arms, BSA, Daystate, Brocock, Weihrauch, Gamo, ASG, Crossman, SMK. We stock a massive range of pellets and other shooting accessorises. Scopes by Lightstream, Hawke, Nikko, BSA, MTC. PX a pleasure. Second hand guns also stocked.

New and Secondhand Airguns Bought and Sold, Pneumatic Service Centre Also spares, repairs, scopes, Soft Air, Sling Shots, Decoys, Cartridges, Huge Stocks ofArmy Surplus, Camo Clothing & Gortex, Invisible Clothing, Combat Boots, Ammo Boxes, Camo Netting plus lots more

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NORTH WALES SHOOTING SCHOOL

HEREFORD’S AIRGUN SPECIALIST

43 West Street, Chichester, Sussex PO19 1RP

Nottingham Road, Trowell, Nottingham NG9 3PA

Tel: 01243 774687

Tel: 0115 930 7798

Wide choice of Air and CO2 Rifles and Pistols, Pellets, Scopes and loads of kit!

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Mon/Tues/Thur: 10-5 Fri: 10-7 Sat: 9-5.30

Wide choice of air rifles, pistols and accessories

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EXPERT ADVICE WITH A COMPETITIVE PRICE? CALL NOW 01908 561298

On main A6 1/2 mile south Kibworth, Leicestershire, LE8 0RB. Tel: 0116 279 6001 ext 2. Extensive range of airguns & accessories. Try before you buy! Repairs, tuning, customising www.kibworthshootingground.co.uk [email protected] "Official Daystate Dealer & Repair Centre"

Friendly Family Run Business in Wellington Market Town. New and used air rifles bought and sold. We also sell a range of air pistols, pellets and accessories. Open Monday - Saturday from 9am Find us at 41, Market Street, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 1DT | 01952 257400 www.jaynesfishingtackle.co.uk

19 Vicarage Road, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK11 1BN Tel: 01908 561298 or 01908 568493 Email: [email protected] Web: www.rkstockcraft.com

[email protected] Probably the best selection of Airguns in the South West

Offers a great selection of new & used air guns. Stockists of Weirauch, BSA, Air Arms, Daystate, Gamo, Umarex, SMK and Crosman. Gun repair on site. Good selection of scopes on site.

WALKERS OF TROWELL

Opening Hours Mon - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm Sat - 8:30am - 3:15pm Closed on Sunday

www.thegunroom.co.uk

9 Station Road, Hailsham, East Sussex Tel: 01323 846883

CHICHESTER ARMOURY

Jericho Farm, Oxford Road, Oakley, Bucks HP18 9RG Tel: 01844 238308

4 Western Road, Devon Tel/Fax: 01752 893344

COUNTRYWIDE

THE OXFORD GUN CO

Email: [email protected]

THE GUN ROOM IVYBRIDGE

MFC SUPPLIES

Website: www.gunshot.co.uk

Tel: 01727 872646/872669 Fax: 01727 875449

64 Church Street, Melbourne, Derbyshire Tel: 01332 862091 Large selection of new and second hand Sporting Rifles, Shotguns and Air Rifles. Outdoor, Waterproof Clothing & Footwear. Barbour, Aigle & Seeland stockist. Visit our website: www.melbournegun.com

New and Secondhand – Quality Service

Credit cards:

The Shooting Grounds, Sturry Hill, Sturry, Canterbury CT2 0NG Stockists of BSA, Webley, Air Arms, Daystate, SMK, Hawke, Weihrauch, Gamo and many more. Helpful Friendly Advice Always Available Tel: 01227 713222 Fax: 01227 710611 Website: www.greenfieldsshooting.co.uk Email: [email protected] Open Tues-Sat 8.30-5.00. Sun 9-1. Closed Mon CANTERBURY AIRGUN CLUB ON SITE

1-2 Park Street Lane, Park Street, St. Albans AL2 2NE

MELBOURNE TACKLE & GUNS

A large range of Air guns and accessories available including: Air Arms, BSA, Daystate, Webley, Crossman, SMK, Hawke and many more. Also available: air cylinder charging, archery, crossbows, soft air, repairs & servicing and much more. A family friendly outlet, with help and advice always available. Bromyard Sports 66 Widemarsh Street, Hereford HR4 9HG. Tel: 01432 344610 www.bromsports.co.uk Email: [email protected] Open 9 ’till 5 Tuesday to Saturday Bank Holiday Mondays 10am - 3pm

Air Rifles, Accessories, Chronograph, Gunsmith

DRAGON FIELD SPORTS

Sealand Manor, Nr. Chester Tel: 01244 812219 55 yard Air Rifle Range £5 for two hours

Tuesday – Saturday Ring for availability

WREXHAM Full range of air rifles and pistols: Webley, Weihrauch, BSA, Crosman, Logun, Air Arms, Brocock etc + Scopes, Lamps, Archery 8 Egerton St, Wrexham town centre Tel: 01978 290990

VALLEY ARMS DENBIGHSHIRE Largest selection of new and used guns in North Wales. On-site indoor range. On-site workshop. Full range of accessories. 90 years of shooting experience at your disposal. Part exchange welcome Bolero Camp, Park Road, Ruthin, Denbighshire LL15 1NB Tel:01824 704438 Email: [email protected] Web: www.valleyarms.co.uk

AIRGUN WORLD 105

Shooting Books & DVD’s A SELECTION OF BOOKS AND DVD’S FROM

Total Airgun Hunting II DVD

Total Airgun Hunting II DVD

Total Airgun Hunting II DVD

See the experts in action as they once again take to the countryside to bag some squirrels and rats

See the experts in action as they once again take to the countryside to bag some pigeons and crows

See the experts in action as they once again take to the countryside to bag some rabbits

ONLY £15.95

ONLY £14.95

ONLY £14.95

BOOKS

Airgun World Buyers Guide 2015

WHAT to buy WHERE to get WHAT to do with it

ONLY £7.95

The moment you've been waiting for has arrived because the Airgun World Buyers Guide 2015 is on sale now. Containing the most comprehensive list of airguns available in the UK, this booklet will enable you to make an informed choice when it comes to buying a new air pistol or rifle. Even better, the Buyers Guide includes features on how to get the best from your sport and raise the standard of your shooting.

DON’T MISS OUT Order your copy today!

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TIME TO GET TACTICAL

Extended fore-end Stylish Muzzle brake Lightweight synthetic tactical stock Automatic in-guard safety catch Complete with CenterPoint 4x32 scope Ergonomic fit including straightline butt and dropdown pistol grip

THE TR77 RIFLE FROM CROSMAN

RRP £165 Distributed to the trade by: ASI, Alliance House, Snape, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1SW

Tel: 01728 688555 Fax: 01728 688950 E: [email protected] W: www.a-s-i.co.uk

GM03.15/167/aa