AOA Blog

Many AoA customers know Lauren Parsons. Apart from working at the store, she is a familiar figure on the U.S. airgun competition circuit. For benchrest shooting, she uses a customized Daystate Red Wolf HP air rifle in .22 caliber.

Today she’s going to tell us more about it…

This particular Red Wolf is customized specifically for benchrest competition. Lauren has a completely different gun – the Red Wolf LPR for Field Target shooting. You can read all about that one in a previous AoA blog post from 2020. Hey, it’s a tough life…

Lauren shoots benchrest at all ranges from 25 to 100 Yards using this gun. It started-out as a standard Red Wolf HP model with laminated wood stock back in 2018. Now it looks very different and both shooter and gun make a very accurate combination, as was proved when Lauren took sixth place overall in the 2021 Extreme Benchrest competition.

But before we hear all about Lauren’s customized Daystate Red Wolf HP, its surprising to hear what has NOT been customized!

While the gun was tuned to her preferences when new, Lauren explained that – since that time – it has never been re-tuned, Neither has it been re-sealed. It just keeps-on shooting and she shoots it the way it is. It still has the original 480cc carbon fiber HPA bottle. So the basic action is completely un-changed.

Lauren always shoots 25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monster Redesigned pellets through this gun at 950 FPS. It loves them, she says and always shoots these pellets straight from the tin. The results are so good that she doesn’t find the need to sort, weigh, lube or head-size her pellets.

That’s a huge compliment to the quality of both the basic Red Wolf action and the Redesigned Jumbo Monsters!

The main obvious upgrade to this customized Daystate Red Wolf HP is the PRS chassis. Lauren explained that she loves the adaptability this chassis provides. She has it set-up perfectly for her own requirements: pull length, cheek piece, height, cast and so on…

The PRS chassis also provides convenient, waterproof, storage for the battery. The exceptionally-long lower rail provides huge potential to re-position the Accu-Tac FC5 bipod, if required for a specific shooting bench.

Lauren also likes the capability of being add additional weights to the M-LOK slots in the forend. However – it has to be said – that at an all-up weight (including scope) of 15.35 Lbs, this is not exactly a lightweight rig!

So what’s the difference between the Red Wolf with laminated wood stock and the PRS chassis?

Lauren explained that the Aluminum chassis is much stronger than wood. This gives her a more solid and secure feeling when shooting. The strength is also a bonus when traveling as there’s less chance of damage to that customized Daystate Red Wolf HP through airline baggage-handling, for example.

The rubber-bedded PRS chassis has different harmonics from a wood stock. Lauren feels that it makes for a somewhat more “dead feeling” when shooting. Interestingly, she also feels that it’s rather less hold-sensitive than the wood stock. The MDT pistol grip helps with a consistent grip.

That custom red Accu-Tac bipod has a wide body for stability and Lauren has the legs set to a 45-degree angle. She says that it’s easy to adjust for height, pan and can’t when shooting from the bench.

The scope is her favorite Kahles K1050, mounted in Sportsmatch rings. The rings fit onto an Air Superiority Products top rail with built-in 20 MOA droop. These even have matching red scope mount screws for that extra touch of class!

Mounted on the scope itself is a Long Range Arms electronic level. Lauren says “don’t leave home without a scope level”. She feels they are an essential accessory for the competition shooter in just about any discipline.

Up-front this customized Daystate Red Wolf HP air rifle is fitted with a 0dB 110C silencer. Why to a longer model? Lauren says that the gun is quiet enough already and that a longer silencer would require a longer case for travel.

And besides, Lauren is adamant that her Red Wolf shoots more accurately with the 0dB slender in place!

Even the trigger is customized on this gun! There’s a button trigger from Rowan Engineering that Lauren feels gives an even crisper feeling to the trigger release. In fact the button trigger is actually a type of trigger shoe that fits simply onto the factory trigger blade.

Finally, you’ll see that Lauren shoots from a single-shot tray. Again she feels that this improves accuracy and eliminates the possibility of becoming confused about the number of shots remaining in a magazine. But, she tells me that she’s aiming to use magazine-feed more in the coming year.

Does it matter that Lauren’s gun is beautiful as well as functional? “Absolutely!” she says. “I have so much confidence in this beautiful gun and that undoubtedly makes me shoot better too!”

As you may expect, just about all of the accessories on this customized Daystate Red Wolf HP air rifle are available from Airguns of Arizona. Maybe there’s something there that will appeal to you, too!

The latest Daystate air rifle is arriving at Airguns of Arizona! The Alpha Wolf Safari Edition is everything that you would expect from the name. It is designed to combine superior performance with beauty and quality.

Daystate says that – with the Alpha Wolf Safari Edition – the world’s most advanced air rifle line just got even better. There’s new software and class- leading power up to 105 Ft/Lbs in .30 caliber.

The addition of a textured wood stock and bronze-anodized action match jaw- dropping performance with mouth-watering aesthetics, the company says.

Extending the appeal of the world’s most advanced PCP air rifle to serious hunters and extreme range target shooters alike, the new Safari sports a high-grip, practical and ambidextrous textured wood stock, matched to a very classy bronze-anodized monocoque frame for maximum rigidity.

Of course, the Safari Edition model still boasts Alpha Wolf’s vast array of ground breaking, high-tech features. These include a computerized and programmable operating system.

U.S. market specs are for up to 80 shots per fill from the .30 caliber version. The .25 model gives up to 165 shots at up to 75 Ft/Lbs. In .22 caliber, the numbers are 71 Ft/Lbs and 165 shots.

The AVT (Advanced Velocity Technology) touchscreen display allows users to fine-tune and customize their rifle, while the fast-swap interchangeable A.R.T barrel system to suit caliber and pellet/slug type.

The digitally-controlled HUMA-Air regulator aids consistent muzzle velocity, while the onboard chronograph monitors velocity throughout the rifle’s air charge.

Thanks to its modular design, components like cheek rest and butt pad are fully customizable and compatible with aftermarket alternatives.

Internally, the latest Alpha fast-flow valve has been married to new software profiles, resulting in even greater shot- to-shot consistency and significant increases in the maximum powers available – up to a massive 105 ft/lbs in .30 caliber.

In keeping with Daystate’s core philosophy to customer commitment, the company is making the Safari’s latest software available on a free-to-download basis for existing Alpha and Delta Wolf owners.

All the firmware upgrades can easily be carried out by Alpha/Delta Wolf owners via the rifle’s DTD interface and home PC. The new valve system is also retro-fittable into existing FAC Delta/Alpha Wolf models.

The official unveiling of the Alpha Wolf Safari Edition to the shooting public took place at The British Shooting Show (February 17-19). However the new model will be available very soon at Airguns of Arizona. They’re on their way already!

Summary of Alpha Wolf Safari Edition Features:

• Textured Safari wood stock
• Exclusive bronze-anodised action
• Latest firmware (downloadable free for existing Alpha/Delta Wolf owners)
• Improved consistency and ~ 15% increase in maximum power (up to 105 Ft/Lbs in .30 cal.)
• Latest Alpha balanced fast-flow valve (retrofittable to older Delta/Alpha models)
• Customised fine-tuning via Advanced Velocity Technology (AVT) display touch screen
• Future proofed – upgradable as software as features develop
• Multi caliber options (.177, .22, .25, .30) with fast-change barrel system
• Factory-set power profiles for each caliber
• Match grade A.R.T barrel for the best accuracy with a variety of ammunition (pellets and slugs)
• Bult-in power correcting chronograph
• OEM Huma-Air regulated
• Large capacity and ‘twinnable’ magazine
• Fully ambidextrous design – change cocking/loading bias in minutes
• Compact ‘monocoque’ alloy chassis for consistent accuracy
• Modular design accepts a range of official accessories
• 3-year warranty
• Supplied with custom fit hard case

For all those of you who have been asking for a high capacity magazine to fit Daystate air rifles, here’s the answer…

Airguns of Arizona is now stocking Midwest Elite Airgun high capacity magazines. These fit the Daystate Red Wolf, Pulsar, Renegade and Wolverine 2 air rifles. And they’ve been field-tested in action at the 2022 Speed Silhouette competition at Extreme Benchrest and passed with flying colors

True, high capacity magazines can be bulky add-ons. But for specialist applications – for example Speed Silhouette competition – they can be a life-saver!

There’s no doubting the capabilities of Midwest Elite Airgun’s high capacity magazine for Daystate air rifles as John Bagakis placed second in the Open Class for Speed Silhouette at Extreme Benchrest in 2022 using one. That’s John with Red Wolf and magazine in our heading photograph above.

Indeed, there were several others using Midwest’s mags in their guns at EBR 2022, including Lauren Parsons (below).

This high capacity magazine has been expertly designed provide you with the highest quality possible, while still fitting perfectly in your gun when using high scope mounts.

It’s a tight fit under the scope, but it DOES fit, so long as the scope turret is avoided.

So let’s have a closer look at Midwest Elite Airgun’s high capacity Daystate magazines…

These mags hold a total of 34 shots in .22 caliber. In .25 cal it’s 29 shots and – even in .30 caliber – it’s 22 shots. That’s a lot of lead!

Midwest’s magazine use a high-tech additive manufacturing process for the main parts. Additive manufacturing is also known as 3D printing and it’s a great way to manufacture precise, robust parts using a variety of raw materials.

The magazine works by using a flexible belt to hold the pellets. This is pre-tensioned using a knob. The knob is locked into position for loading, so that you don’t need three hands!

After the belt is loaded, the lid is flipped down again and you’re ready to load it into the air rifle.

One of the many outstanding capabilities of Midwest Elite Airgun’s high capacity magazine for Daystate air rifles is that it can be mounted on either side of the gun. Installing from the left would be a big advantage for left-handed shooters, although it would obviously not be compatible with a big scope wheel!

Midwest Elite Airgun has produced an excellent instructional video for these magazines. In it you will see an explanation of the system, together with a demonstration of functionality.

Plus you get to hear about all the extremely clever extra features that have been designed-into it by the inventor Chris Smith.

You can buy these high capacity magazines directly from Airguns of Arizona, so you can order one with your next Daystate air rifle!

They’re available in .22 caliber and .25 cal as well.

One of the few disadvantages of Daystate and Brocock (make that BRK) airguns is the relatively limited mag capacity. However that has now been addressed by this high capacity magazine for Daystate air rifles from Midwest Elite Airgun.

The latest model from Daystate is not another electronic marvel – it’s an updated version of the company’s longest-running model, the Huntsman! You see, the new Huntsman Revere Safari Edition incorporates Daystate’s tactile, raised-grain stock with height adjustable cheekpiece, increasing this classic model’s appeal both to hunters and target shooters.

Safari Editions have become an attractive option for a number of Daystate and Brocock air rifles. If you haven’t handled a Safari stock, you really should. It’s an interesting feel that grows on you with time and use . At least it did on me!

And now there’s a Safari Edition of Daystate’s most popular model of all – the regulated Huntsman Revere.

Combining classic sporter looks with sleek design and a lineage tracing back to the company’s inception over 40 years ago. The Huntsman series has remained a firm favorite with field shooters the world over.

The Safari Edition features Daystate’s tactile, raised-grain wood stock. The boldly-textured Safari stock is further enhanced by stippled panels to the grip and forend. This provides significant handling benefits in inclement weather.

Combined with its natural camouflage look, the Huntsman Revere Safari Edition has all the perfect attributes for the field, Daystate explains.

The ambidextrous stock incorporates the lower-seated action that’s been a hallmark of the Huntsman’s design for some years years. However, the Safari Edition’s stock has been subtly tweaked to also accommodate the needs of target shooters, without compromising the Revere’s inherent sporter feel.

A vertically-adjustable cheekpiece allows perfect eye alignment for both varmint and target-styled scopes. In addition, the comb is finished in a soft-feel rubber for comfort in all conditions and shooting disciplines.

The Safari stock’s forend has been shaped to suit all holds and disciplines, too. There’s a broader shape and flatter base to assist those preferring to shoot from a bench.

The weight-relieved construction will appeal to hunters with large permissions to trek across. The scalloped butt is both practical and good-looking. Daystate says that it provides good balance in the shoulder for hunters, yet also the ideal anchor if shooting off a bench or bean bag.

For further versatility, stud-points have been incorporated for those who want to fit a sling, bipod or other shooting aid.

Action-wise, the Safari Edition keeps all the attributes that have made the Huntsman Revere Daystate’s biggest-selling rifle. These include a factory-installed Huma-Air regulator and sidelever cocking – user swappable for right- or left-hand use. Cocking effort is minimal even on the 40Ft/Lb model, the company explains.

The Huntsman Revere’s self-indexing magazine has a new loading gate, while there’s also a single-shot loading tray supplied for those who prefer to manually load their pellets.

HPA charging is via the probe system with integral rotary dust cover. The shrouded, match-grade barrel is fitted with a threaded muzzle. Finally, the adjustable two-stage trigger with manual safety catch has a tough, anti-glare metal finish.

And guess what! You can pre-order the regulated Huntsman Revere Safari from Airguns of Arizona right now…

The Alpha Wolf is the second ‘future-proof’ PCP that Daystate has developed. Its launch places it alongside the Delta Wolf in their current line-up of world-leading, user-programable electronic air rifles.

And it’s beautiful!!!

The new Daystate Alpha Wolf sits alongside the Delta Wolf as a more sporter-orientated electronic PCP. It uses a state-of-the-art computerized and programable action, high-end appointments and power levels up to 95 Ft/Lbs. It also brings new options to Daystate’s catalog of hi-tech electronic rifles.

The British company’s investment into computerized airguns means its rolling development program can easily incorporate today’s latest performance improvements as well as tomorrow’s. The Alpha Wolf takes things a step further by offering all this in a stylish, new sporter package.

In short, the world’s most advanced air rifle is still the most advanced air rifle… and it’s now available in two formats!

While still complementing its Delta Wolf bullpup sibling, the Alpha Wolf’s individuality is immediately obvious courtesy of a beautifully sculpted, red laminate skeleton stock. This features an extended forend lip and new-look Picatinny optic rail – still movable fore-and-aft to cater for any day and night vision scope configuration – that is fitted with an anti-cant bubble.

Elsewhere, the Alpha Wolf maintains the high-end features first seen on the Delta Wolf: on-board chronograph, quick-and-easy barrel changes and touch-screen programming. There’s now Windows platform synchronization courtesy of an optional plug-in ‘dongle’, electronic air regulation, double-magazine system and A.R.T barrel.

In addition to the adjustable cheekpiece and butt pad, there’s a fully-adjustable trigger and blade, carbon-fibre bottle and multiple accessory rails.

The Alpha Wolf has also been designed to accept a host third-party options and upgrades, such as those from Precision Rifle Systems.

The company says that – as testament to Daystate’s future-proof rifle mantra – the new computerized technology built into Alpha Wolf can also be retro-fitted into its slightly older Delta Wolf sibling.

Indeed, Daystate is offering existing Delta Wolf owners upgrade kits at introductory prices for a limited period. These kits include the sleek laminate thumbhole stock, optic rail and DTD pen drive that allows users to program many elements of the rifle’s firing cycle (such as regulator pressure, power adjustment and caliber selection).

Ask AoA for details on this…

Airguns of Arizona has released a Daystate Alpha Wolf video. It shows unboxing the product and gives a great overview of this beautiful new air rifle.

As usual, Jared Clark makes the presentation. As always, he makes a great job of it.

The Alpha Wolf increases the Daystate “Wolf” series of products to three. There’s the Red Wolf, Delta Wolf and now the Alpha Wolf.

In this video, Jared takes us through the range of caliber and barrel length options. He also explains the 20 MOA compensation scope rail with built-in bubble level that’s a change from the Delta Wolf’s optics mount.

But the main thing is the sheer beauty of this air rifle. That fantastic Italian Minelli stock makes it definitely the most beautiful airgun I have seen for a very long time!

Airguns of Arizona has supplies of the Alpha Wolf in stock, but they’re likely to sell fast. When you phone to order yours, tell them that you read about it in this blog post!!!

The Daystate Red Wolf in .22 caliber is already well-known as one of the most accurate air rifles available for long-distance benchrest shooting, out-of-the-box.

But a special ART Tuning service from Airguns of Arizona can improve even on that, should the customer wish.

In this post, we’ll find out how…

ART stands for Accuracy Research Team. It’s the name of a Daystate philosophy for ensuring that their products are developed to achieve outstanding outstanding accuracy. You can read more about it in this story.

But even with such dedication, skill and technology, it’s still possible to improve individual examples of a product and take it to even greater heights.

“Blueprinting” the engine for a race car is one example of this type of work. ART Tuning is another – it’s a service offered by Airguns of Arizona, specifically for the Red Wolf.

The way that AoA undertakes their ART service is to break it into two parts…

First, there’s a workshop part. Secondly, there’s long-range test-firing to prove the effectiveness of the tune.

Importantly, the two stages of this process are undertaken by two different people. This is deliberate as it provides an un-biased approach, combining outstanding workshop skills with world-class testing on the range used for the annual Extreme Benchrest competition.

Let’s Start With The Workshop Side.

A key part of the ART Tuning service is mapping and re-programming the Red Wolf’s electronic “brain”. In this way, the gun’s electronics is individually set-up to provide best performance when using one specific, great-performing pellet: normally this is the 25.39 Grain JSB Monster Redesigned.

Then the AoA specialist installs a new bolt probe that’s specially-optimized to provide best performance with this pellet.

Steve Buchanan is the “wizard” tuner. He also has several other specialist “magic” tricks that are incorporated into the tune…

If the customer has any other specific requirements, these will be incorporated while the Red Wolf is on Steve’s workshop bench.

After a lot of painstaking work, the results of this tune are documented and will be presented to the customer as proof of the exact set-up of his or her individual gun.

Then To The Range.

After this extensive set-up process, the gun is taken to the Rio Salado range and test fired.

I joined Jared Clark one evening and watched him test a batch of guns that had passed through the ART tuning process.

Jared explained that his shooting test typically takes around 100 shots. He’ll normally shoot 20, 5-shot groups with each gun. As you can see, he shoots from bags. This is to prevent any possibility of jump when shooting from a bipod and is another part of removing variables from the testing.

What he’s looking for is a “good feel” with multiple, consistently-excellent groups of around 1-Inch Center-to-Center at 78 Yards from the same gun.

If a customer orders a Red Wolf with a scope, that scope will be mounted, sighted-in and used for the test. Likewise, if the customer orders a dedicated airgun silencer at the same time, the whole ART Tune process will be undertaken specifically to include that configuration.

Let’s be clear, this is a customized process that provides the customer with an unique air rifle that’s dedicated to its new owner!

Normally, the ART-tuned gun will pass Jared’s testing first time. But if he’s not satisfied with the accuracy – it will go back for the tune to be double-checked, then tested again.

It has to be right!

The customer will also receive a test target illustrating the Red Wolf’s performance.

Note that Jared shoots the Monster Redesigned pellets “straight from the tin”. So there’s still additional accuracy improvement potential should the customer be willing to sort pellets by weight and head size for competition at EBR…

So why isn’t ART Tuning included with every Daystate Red Wolf? In a word – cost!

Like “blueprinting” an engine, this is a specialist tuning process that goes waaay above and beyond even the best that can be achieved with volume manufacturing in a factory environment. As you can tell, it takes knowledgeable, highly-skilled people a lot of time to achieve.

That’s why it’s an additional-cost option for those customers lucky enough to buy a Red Wolf from Airguns of Arizona.

If you’re interested in an ART tune for your new air rifle, the best way is to order by phone from AoA and discuss any specific requirements. They’ll be pleased to help you!

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!