AOA Blog

A developing trend over the past few years has been toward both firearms and airguns being produced in small and compact sizes and being referred to as “backpack guns.” The obvious advantages of portability and concealability aside, if you just want to take a hike for some plinking fun or small-game pursuit, wouldn’t it be convenient to have everything you need in a single carry bag you can sling on your back?

               If your answer was ‘yes,’ then one of the new Hatsan Jet PCPs might be in your future. Introduced at this year’s SHOT Show, the Jet Series consists of the Jet I, a single 40cc cylinder pistol/carbine; and the Jet II, a dual cylinder model that doubles the capacity to 80cc. Made of black polymer, they have more than a passing resemblance to Olympic target pistols. I refer to them as pistol/carbines because at the press of a button the adjustable ambidextrous thumbhole-style buttstock can be removed, converting the Jet (I or II) into a 15-inch pistol. With the six-position collapsible stock installed and extended, the Jet becomes a 24.6-inch carbine. While Hatsan airguns can be on the heavy side, these Jets are pleasantly light at only two pounds for the Jet I and 2.4 pounds for the Jet II. The stock, which also has an adjustable cheekrest and soft, thick rubber buttpad, adds slightly over one pound to the package. The rifled German steel barrel is the same in both models at 7.9-inches long and the available calibers are .177, .22 and .25. The sample Jet II in .177 I received balanced very nicely in either configuration and the adjustable trigger was very nice out-of-the-box at an average four pounds, six ounces pull weight. By using the included 1.5mm hex key the trigger travel and load can be adjusted to your liking.

               Hatsan packed a bunch of other features into the Jet Series including: a left-side cocking lever, full-length 11mm dovetail top rail, 2.25-inch picatinny side rails for mounting accessories, three integrated flip-up sights, and a hand-filling grip with finger groove molding. Additionally, the muzzle is threaded internally and a double-ended male adapter is included to go with it.

               The sample Jet-II sent to me was a delight to shoot. The spring-loaded rotary magazine holds eight rounds and easily accommodates longer pellets and slugs. Hatsan provides two of these S/Roto Index mags with the kit. I also really liked the safety which is easily engaged/disengaged by the trigger finger. When “off” it lays flat within the trigger guard.

              More experimentation is needed, yet at this point it does appear to be somewhat pellet picky. So far, I’ve had good results with the lead-free pellets I have from the Student Air Rifle program which are 5.5gr. wadcutters and Rifle brand 9.72gr. pointed pellets. Best accuracy so far was with H&N Baracuda Hunter hollow-point domed pellets at 10.34grs. They averaged 734fps and SD of 7.5 and a full mag of eight shots at 25 yards could be covered with a half-dollar. The lead-frees zipped along at an average of 950fps. I’m confident this little powerhouse is capable of much better accuracy by attaching either a red dot or low-power scope, which is my next plan of action.  The flip-up sights with their fiber-optic pipe inserts are functional, but only allow for elevation adjustments. Fine for plinking, however, I am anxious to find out what accuracy can be squeezed out of that German steel barrel by attaching an optic. By the way, the reason for three flip-up sights is that one is the front post and one is for use in the carbine configuration with the rearmost sight for use as a pistol. When using as a pistol the sight radius is a generous 12 inches.

               Other noteworthy items are the air cylinders are swappable and available in red, blue and green if you’d like to make your Jet stand out. NOTE: the Jet-II must be depressurized before attempting to swap cylinders! Hatsan indicates up to 24 full-power shots from a 250 bar fill and double that with the Jet-II. Also included with the package is a single-shot tray, extended QD Foster fill fitting and package of spare ‘O’ rings.

               The only drawback worth mentioning in my short time behind the Jet-II is that this puppy has a loud bark. If planning to shoot it indoors, hearing protection or a moderator of some sort would be a wise choice.

               MSRPs run $289 for the Jet-I and $339 for the Jet-II. They are covered by Hatsan’s one-year warranty. While not listed on AofA’s Hatsan page, I’m sure the folks there can assist in obtaining either of these models for you if you’d like to get your hands on the latest in backpack airguns.

The airgunning community is a diverse lot. Interests run the gamut from collecting antique air-powered arms to Olympic-style shooting, plinking, hunting and pursuit of wringing long-range accuracy out of a pneumatic lead launcher and everything in between. Some folks make their living from being a really good shot with an airgun while others simply enjoy firing at targets set up at a home range. A subset of this group sharing a penchant for pneumatic guns is the replica collector.

Airguns have long been made to appeal to this niche group going back to Luger lookalikes sold over 70 years ago.  Lookalikes were not only fun and inexpensive to plink with, they made great “wall-hangers,” were a whole lot cheaper to purchase than the real counterparts, and less of a danger to have around curious little ones. Being less expensive, generally speaking; as more companies came out with airgun replicas of famous and historical arms, it was possible for an aficionado to amass a collection without mortgaging the homestead.

A few years back, the big airgun gorilla on the block, Umarex, began obtaining license agreements with major firearms manufacturers in order to accurately create CO₂ replicas of famous firearms and be able to mark them with actual logo brands. Their copies of the famous Colt SAA “Peacemaker” and Model 1911 Automatic have been big sellers since being introduced. The natural progression to appeal to those of us afflicted with “collector-itis” was the introduction of their Legends line of historic replicas of arms from the 20^th century in .177 BB and powered by CO₂. While not everyone’s cup of tea, for those of us that wanted to own a fully automatic arm but knew that was a pipe dream, Umarex granted our wish through the Legends offerings.

The latest replica in the lineup is the iconic “Grease Gun” submachine gun developed late in WWII. The allied forces were up against the German firepower of the excellent MP40 and needed a sub-gun that was cheaper and easier to produce than the Thompson “Tommy” gun (both also in the Legends line…). Based on the M3A1 variant from 1944, the M3 Grease Gun is a full-metal construction faithful reproduction. Powered by two 12-gram CO₂ cartridges held in the 60-round drop-free stick magazine, when the “giggle switch” is activated, it can rip at the rate of 1025 rounds per minute! That’s a much higher rate of fire than the original, however, collectors and shooters of this replica won’t complain about that. The M3 Grease Gun is almost 30 inches long and weighs a hefty 7.7 pounds. It features a collapsible wire stock, flip-up dust cover over the bolt and fixed rear peep sight, just like the original. Launching BBs at approximately 450fps out of the smooth-bore 8-inch barrel, it provides a lot of inexpensive plinking fun while allowing the collector to add another authentic reproduction “wall-hanger” to the collection as well. It comes with a one-year warranty and has an MSRP of $249.99.

While not currently listed on the AofA website of Umarex goodies, if you are a collector of replica airguns or just want to enjoy a full-auto blast (pun intended), reach out to the folks there to ask about ordering. These Legends replicas won’t disappoint.

Happy New Year!

Every January the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades show comes to town. That is, if your town is Las Vegas, Nevada. Held at the Venetian Expo and Convention Center attached to the Venetian hotel, the show has expanded since that nasty virus hit and actually spills over into a new convention hall call the Caesar’s Forum. An elevated walkway allows attendees to traverse between the two exhibition halls.

It is a trade show dealing with all things related to shooting and hunting — whether it be firearms, airguns, bows or blowguns, etc. — or anything remotely surrounding those endeavors and includes both the military/law enforcement side as well as the civilian side of the aisle. The show is not open to the public and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to attend the show as media along with over 52,000 of my closest friends from all 50 states and 115 countries. The show boasts over 2500 exhibitors spread over 18+ acres of floor space and this year marked the 45 annual show.

In the airgunning realm, big bore airguns are going strong with a few new items being introduced such as a new Hatsan Pile Driver in .62 caliber, Evanix’s new .50 caliber tactically-styled pistol and one you may have heard about, the AEA Zeus in .72 caliber. Umarex showed off a new .50 Hammer in a carbine configuration and indicated their Primal 20-gauge air shotgun, announced last year, will be shipping in the second quarter after running into supply chain delays.

Pneumatic arrow launchers are still making inroads. Currently only legal for hunting in a handful of states, behind-the-scenes efforts are taking place to get more states to approve them. A good thing since these items are capable hunting tools. Airforce Airguns introduced their TalonBolt that uses proprietary 18-inch, 400-grain reinforced carbon fiber bolts with shatter resistant impact collars at each end and glow-in-the-dark vanes. Sending the bolts at over 400fps, this 5.3-pound PCP utilizes a 2000psi fill and adjustable velocity to accommodate different types of hunting.

Another trend taking shape is the market for less-lethal means of self-defense against humans or animals. Umarex launched their “Prepared 2 Protect” line of .43 caliber CO₂-powered launchers. Made of polymer in orange and black to help delineate them from actual firearms, they use eight or 12-gram CO₂ cartridges and there is even a tactical looking rifle that uses 88-gram cylinders. The CO₂ cylinders and pepperball, or other rounds, are kept loaded in the P2P device and when needed a quick tap pierces the cylinder. Byrna was at the show and has a couple of new models of their launcher, reviewed here back in August 2022. At least two other companies specializing in this segment were also present at the show this year, so the trend is growing.

Of course, many other new and exciting offerings related to all things airgun were on display throughout the show. Over the course of this year watch for more posts on some of these that airgunners are going to want to know about and then we start all over again at SHOT 2024!

At a gathering during SHOT Week, our friends at AofA teased about announcements coming in March related to Daystate, BRK and their own in-house brand of Western Airguns. Alas, we were sworn to secrecy until the big reveal. However, if you poke around on the website you may find some good info!

The BSA Meteor Super looks beautiful, is superbly-finished and displayed excellent consistency in operation. The trigger is good and the cocking effort smooth and not too heavy.

At 6Lbs 8 Oz “bare” weight, this is also a fairly light air rifle. Even with the Hawke Airmax scope mounted, the all-up weight was just 8 Lbs 9 Oz. So, it’s not heavy to carry and handles and points well in the field.

In addition, hunters will appreciate the fact that the safety is silent in operation. This is rarely achieved in airguns but allows the gun to be kept on safe until the moment of shooting – as it should be – without spooking the prey when disengaging the safety.

The balance is outstanding. It also shot best with alloy pellets. If you want – or need – to shoot alloys, this could be the gun for you.

The most accurate pellets I tested with this gas ram-powered gun were 11.75 Grain Predator GTO alloys – it’s in .22 caliber, but .177 cal is also available, of course. The GTOs gave a maximum of 780.89 FPS, with an associated Muzzle Energy of 15.88 Ft/Lbs.

That’s enough for hunting small critters and birds at fairly close ranges, should you desire. It’s also significantly above AoA’s claim for Muzzle Energy of “up to 13 Ft/Lbs”.

The BSA Meteor Super is an extremely attractive breakbarrel air rifle. At 42.5 Inches overall length, it’s a comfortable and harmonious size. The solid beech stock is ideally-shaped. The patches of checkering are tasteful and sharply applied and the BSA “piled arms” logo prominent on the stock.

And talking of that logo, I’ve always thought the guns look like the Martini Henry. Do you agree?

Metal finish of the sample Meteor Super was also first class, with excellent machining and deep, even bluing.

With an average pull weight of 2 Lb 13.5 Oz, the BSA Meteor Super’s trigger is light for a breakbarrel.

It’s also smooth and predictable in operation.

There’s a very light first stage. Pulling the trigger back through this, the second stage is clear and defined. This is not a “glass break” trigger, however it is one that is consistent and suitable for hunting use. I adapted to it very quickly during the test period.

Second stage trigger engagement is adjustable using a small screw located behind the trigger blade. However – as always – my test review was shot with the trigger in “as received” condition.

Cocking the gun is smooth. There’s no build-up of effort required as is the case with a spring/piston power plant. Rather, there’s a continuous requirement for about 28 Lbs of force throughout the cocking stroke. That’s a reasonable figure for most shooters.

That manual safety is light, easy-to-operate and effective. It falls readily to hand for a right-handed shooter, although left-handers may find it a little less convenient to operate.

The BSA Meteor Super is fitted with fiber optic front and rear open sights. The rear sight is adjustable for elevation and windage, as expected.

The front, post, sight has a red fiber optic element. However it is completely unprotected and care will be needed in use to prevent possible damage.

Of course, most owners will fit a riflescope, as I did for this test review. Traditional 11 mm dovetail rails are machined in the receiver tube for scope mounting. These are combined with a well-sized and positioned scope stop screw hole.

For the shooting tests, I mounted a Hawke Airmax 30 WA SF, 4-16×50 scope. This worked well, gave a sharp image and complimented the size and weight of the air rifle.

If you order the scope and rings at the same time as the gun, AoA specialists will mount and sight it in at no additional charge. That’s one of the “secret” benefits of buying from Airguns of Arizona!

With a power capability of approaching 16 Ft/Lbs and no built-in silencer, the BSA Meteor Super is fairly quiet, but probably not quite a backyard gun for most people.

However, remove the muzzle cap and you’ll find that the muzzle is threaded. This is to allow for the fitment of a dedicated airgun silencer, like a 0dB model – if required and where legal. However, the result will definitely be a longer and less elegant air rifle – at least in my opinion.

If you have questions, the friendly AoA staff will be able to answer them by phone. They can also help you decide if the Super Meteor would be best for you or – possibly a Diana or Weihrauch model.

It’s tough to have choices, but AoA will help you make them!

The intro in Part I gave the nuts and bolts about the EVOL .30. As mentioned, the company behind it, American Air Arms, is dedicated to providing serious airguns that meet specific performance goals and is built in the U.S.A. It is a powerful, yet lightweight contender and with its Magpul furniture, it lends itself to easy modding should an owner decide to get creative.

            Part II will cover my results with the sample rifle loaned by Airguns of Arizona so let’s get started. First, a shout-out to my good friend Travis at Airguns Outdoors in Parker, Colorado, for providing some JSB Hades pellets and NSA slugs in .30 to go along with the JSB Exacts provided by AofA. Knowing the EVOL .30 was built around a 44-grain wasp-waisted diabolo pellet, it was going to be interesting to see how it handled slugs.

The EVOL was topped with the MTC Optics King Cobra 6-24x50mm, a first focal plane scope also loaned from AofA. The King Cobra comes with side parallax adjustment down to 15 yards, locking turrets with resettable verniers, glass-etched crosshair, multi-coated lenses and is built in a 30mm body tube. It is nitrogen purged and fully water, fog, and shock proof. An excellent pairing for the long-range capability of the EVOL and worked equally as well at short ranges. Utilizing a second-generation reticle called the Small Caliber Ballistic (SCB2), the multi-stadia reticle design can be used in range finding and the center crosshair offers six brightness levels of red illumination.

Shooting from a bench at 25 yards using JSB Exact 44.75 grainers, the chrome-moly barrel and extremely light, crisp trigger made me look like a better shooter than I am by yielding monotonously consistent ragged single-hole groups. I did not adjust the regulator from its setting as it arrived (2200psi) and the Exacts were Chronographing at 825fps with a Standard Deviation of 5.3, translating to around 68 foot-pounds of energy.

The JSB Hades, also 44.75 grains, but sporting the 3-section hollow point, provided similar results with the pellets travelling at an average of 815fps and SD of 5.4, yielding 65fpe. Accuracy, as could be expected, was spot on as the results with the Exacts. The difference will be realized by hunters wanting to make ethical shots as the Hades design has a proven track record of excellent expansion and weight retention in tissue.

I realize slugs are designed for longer ranges and the ability to bring more terminal energy, but I was set up to chronograph at my 25-yard range so I ran a string to find what they would do. Nielson Specialty Ammo has built an excellent reputation with their airgun ammo and the EVOL seemed to like these 43.8-grain hollow points very much. Average velocity ran 829fps with an SD of10.9 for an fpe result of 67. Tweaking the regulator should provide even higher velocities and foot-pounds of energy should your type of hunting and quarry require it. Even so, at 25 yards the 43.8 grainers went 1.25 inches into a 2×4 board. Accuracy, again, was excellent at that short range. However, would this combination of barrel and slug hold that accuracy potential at 50 or 100 yards? Unfortunately, that is a question for another time as the weather in my area has not been cooperative.

Final thoughts:  The EVOL .30 Magnon Tactical is a smooth shooting air rifle that really delivers on the promise of American Air Arms. Its barrel shroud and air stripper were extremely effective at taming the bark of this powerhouse. The reservoir gauge starts to red-line at 4000psi and I was able to get around 25 shots before a top-off was required. My only issue with the rifle was that the foster fitting was a little too deeply set into the air cylinder, making connecting the refill hose a little challenging. I did appreciate that the EVOL can be de-cocked by holding back the cocking lever, pulling the trigger, and easing the lever forward. AofA has this particular model listed on their website at $2695. Extra magazines run $98. The King Cobra scope can be found here and lists for $629. They make a fine combination so please reach out to these fine folks to get your hands on your very own EVOL and I’m sure you’ll LOVE it.