So now I’ve shot a Daystate Delta Wolf for the first time. In fact, a couple of times!
What do I think of it? In a word, it’s fabulous!!!!!!!
The gun I’m shooting is in .25 caliber. So its electronic brain was already pre-programmed and set for this caliber. It was ready to shoot right out of the box!
Actually, I already had a good idea of the performance of this gun as it was accompanied by no less than two test certificates.
The first is the factory test. This confirms that our gun produced 946.6 FPS and 67.5Ft/lbs of Muzzle Energy when shooting 33.95 Grain Daystate Rangemaster Emperor pellets.
The second is from Airguns of Arizona. This includes a test target and indicates that the same gun shoots 25.39 Grain JSB King pellets at 900 FPS. That calculates out to 45.56 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy with the lighter pellets.
Initial impressions of the Delta Wolf are that it’s somehow smaller than expected. In particular, the photographs I’d previously seen made the buttstock – with LCD display – look rather large. But “in person” it doesn’t look so at all and the design looks very harmonious and balanced.
I tried out the ambidextrous safety. It’s perfectly positioned and engages and disengages with ease and precision. Personal opinion is that this has to be about the best safety that I’ve ever used.
That safety is also the cause of a surprise! When I flicked it off then on to test operation, the LCD display came alive. That was as expected. What I didn’t expect was an unexpected noise from the gun some time later when it wasn’t even being touched. That was the electronics switching off after a set period of inactivity.
Well, it was a surprise the first time…
Then there’s the cocking lever. This slides back and forth with absolutely no effort at all. It’s a beautiful, smooth action with none of the effort normally required to cock an air rifle’s hammer spring.
That’s because there is no hammer spring in the conventional sense!
Then there’s the trigger. This has an incredibly-light first stage, followed by a “glass break” as the gun fires. There’s absolutely zero feeling of the drag and long linkage normally present in bullpup air rifles.
Again, that’s because there is no conventional linkage. The Delta Wolf’s “fly by wire” trigger system is perfect for remote placement!
Most of the publicity photographs for the Delta Wolf show it being used with average-size, or compact, riflescopes. Being impressed with the quality of the Sightron SIII 10-50 x 60 scope, I determined to install this, using Leapers UTG P.O.I. rings. The Sightron is a long scope, but the resulting combination balances and handles well, in my opinion.
Although the gun arrived ready to shoot already, I plan to spend some time reading and understanding the programming options before starting a thorough test.
The Delta Wolf PCP is extremely sophisticated, yet the user interface – both hardware and software – is amazingly streamlined.
In particular, the ability of the LCD to display the specific tune setup, precise HPA pressure and Muzzle Velocity in such a simple, direct manner is clearly something that represents a step change in the way we interface with an air rifle.
Software has changed everyone’s lives in just about everything we do. Now it looks likely to make the set-up and tuning of air rifles much easier and quicker than conventional, mechanical controls.
Here we have comprehensive control over the firing cycle without the need to adjust a series of mechanical controls. So we can shoot different pellets and change calibers with literally a few touches of the LCD screen. (Well, you still have to change the barrel and bolt manually, of course).
Then the results are instantly displayed after the shot , courtesy of the the built-in chronograph that’s enclosed in the barrel shroud.
As expected, there’s a sublime level of finish everywhere on the product. Of course this is expected for a Daystate, but it’s still pleasing to have expectations met when examining a new airgun for the first time.
The only area that hasn’t exceeded my expectations so far was the buttpad. This is a simple plastic molded part and I expected better.
But this is all part of the design philosophy. Daystate is partnering with Precision Rifle Systems – PRS – to provide aftermarket accessories. One of them is this beautiful and functional adjustable monopod.
That’s what I need next…
Yes, previous Daystate air rifles have included electronic controls. But the Delta Wolf takes this to a whole new level. In my opinion, this will lead to a cellphone-like evolution. Once we’re truly familiar and comfortable with electronic controls in airguns, we’ll wonder how we ever lived without them.
It’s clear that the Delta Wolf is a major step forward for airgun technology. Now I just need to get my brain in gear to make the most of it!
