Posts Tagged ‘pcp’

How do you know if it’s you or the gun?

Monday, September 10, 2012

Wives . . . you gotta look out for them, ‘cause sometimes they will nail you with an insight that is just cosmic in its significance.

Here’s what happened, I was wandering through the house this am when I noticed the book my wife was reading. About two-thirds of the way down the front cover was a cloverleaf which, in this case, was a symbol for the Holy Trinity. For me, though, it brought something else to mind.

“You know,” I said, “just the other day when I was visiting with the airgun benchrest folks, I shot Todd Banks’ air rifle and produced a group just like that – a little tiny cloverleaf. It’s a really, really (I could have added a couple of more reallys) accurate gun.”

“Okay,” she said, “but weren’t you telling someone a story today about a day when you shot two air rifles, got the same crummy results, and concluded that you were the problem?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Well, how do you know that you weren’t shooting extra good when you got that cloverleaf? How do you know if it’s you or the gun?” she asked.

All I could say was: “Wow, sweetie, that is a darn good question . . . a DARN good question . . . how DO you know if it is you or the gun?”

So, in this blog I am going to attempt to make some progress on answering that question, but bear in mind that I don’t claim to have all the answers. So if any of the good readers of this blog have their own methods of sorting out whether it is you or the gun, you are cordially invited to post in the comments section of this blog.

From a theoretical standpoint, I think there are two key concepts in figuring out whether it’s you or the gun: (1) look for common factors and (2) eliminate variables.

Look for common factors. The day on which I shot two guns and got crummy results with both is a classic example of spotting the common factor. I was shooting a springer in the side yard and could not get it to group better than 1.5 inches at 20 yards. I stormed into the house, muttering darkly under my breath: “those darned springers are soooo difficult to shoot well . . .” I then grabbed a precharged rifle which I knew was a tack-driving sonofagun, shot it at 20 yards, and got nearly identical results. What’s the common factor here? The guy behind the trigger.

But if you shoot two different guns and get a good result with one gun and a bad result with the other, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not the cause of the bad result. I had a perfect example of that a few years back at a field target match. One of the fellows was shooting Hunter Division with a springer, and he beat me, fair and square, with a tuned springer. Afterwards, I asked if I could try his gun. I tried six times to drop a large target at close range and failed miserably, so much so that he thought maybe something had broken in his scope. He took the gun from me and promptly dropped the target. The problem was that I wasn’t holding his springer the way that he did. If I wanted to shoot his gun, I would probably have to re-zero it.

Here are some common factors you might look for: are you using the same scope on both guns? (A bad scope can really screw things up.) Are you shooting in conditions that are not typical of what you usually shoot in? (Wind from an unusual direction, even if it isn’t particularly strong, can wreak havoc with accuracy, just ask the benchrest shooters.) Are you using a particular tin of pellets with both guns? (Recently I talked with a shooter who has two “identical” tins of pellets – one shoots true, and the other habitually spirals the shot, and nobody can figure out why.) Have you recently changed your rests or shooting position? (That can mess things up in subtle ways. If you just changed rests and suddenly can’t shoot for beans, try reverting to your old rests and see if that doesn’t cure the problem.) Common factors will, in general, affect all guns that they touch. If it turns out that the common factor is simply that you are having a bad day, there’s hope that on another day things will be better.

The other thing that you have to do if you’re trying to figure out if it is you or the gun is to eliminate variables. With springers, in particular, you have to make sure that your scope mounts and stocks screws are snug. If any of those screws are loose, weird, erratic stuff can happen that can really affect accuracy. It should go without saying that, having made sure that none of the fasteners are rattling, you should test for best pellet by shooting groups off a rest. With precharged pneumatic airguns, make sure that you are charging to the correct pressure for that particular gun. If you are using a scope with a mil-dot reticle or any other reticle with multiple aiming points, make sure that you use those aiming points at the same power every time. If all else fails, try cleaning the barrel.

Every airgun sold by www.airgunsofarizona.com comes with a small pamphlet that I wrote on airgun maintenance. If you ask nicely, I bet they will send you a copy. The tips in there should prove pretty useful.

Okay, now, dear reader, it’s your turn: how do you tell if it is you or the gun?

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 2 Comments »

The handsome – and accurate – FX T12 FT – Part II

Monday, April 23, 2012

 

I find the FX FT very pleasing to the eye.

To ready the FX T12 FT for shooting, attach the filling probe to your high pressure pump or SCUBA tank and charge the reservoir to 200 BAR.

To load the magazine, begin by turning the transparent lid to the magazine counterclockwise until it stops. Put one pellet in the open slot on the rear (black) side of the magazine so that the tip of the pellet is pointing out of the hole. This locks the magazine spring in place.

Next, turn the magazine so that the transparent lid is facing you. Turn the lid clockwise one slot at a time and fill the slots with pellets with the tip of the pellets facing into the hole. When all the slots have been filled, slide the lid back into its starting position.

Pull the bolt lever all the way back and insert the magazine, black side toward the muzzle, into the breech from the right side. When setting up the FX T12 FT, make sure the scope mounts are high enough that no part of the scope interferes with the magazine sliding fully into place. If you are purchasing an FX T12 FT and scope from Airguns of Arizona, the good folks there can make sure you have the proper height scope rings.

 

The trigger is light and crisp.

Now you are ready to shoot. Push the bolt forward, flick off the safety, and squeeze the trigger. The first stage required only 10.4 ounces of pressure on the sample that I tested. At 1 lb. 4.4 oz., the shot went down range. This is an excellent trigger that is a pleasure to shoot, and while it is adjustable, I really can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t be delighted with the trigger just as it comes from the factory.

The built-in moderator subdues the report of the FX FT.

The FX T12 FT launches 18.2. JSB pellets at average of 836 fps, or 28.1 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle  and delivers 50 shots per fill with a 35 fps spread. Even with the built-in barrel, there is a significant POP when the shot goes off, but it is not nearly as raucous as one would typically expect from a .22 caliber PCP generating this kind of power. Still, this is not the air rifle you want to be shooting in the back yard while your neighbor is catching up on his sleep from the night shift. But this a hunting gun and out in the field the report should be just fine.

I have yet to test an FX rifle that was anything but a tackdriver, and the FX T12 FT is no exception. At 13 yards, from a casual rest, the FX T12 FT will put pellet after pellet through the same hole. At 30 yards with JSB pellets and fitful winds, I put 5 shots into a group that measured just .625 inch edge to edge. That works out to well under half an inch center to center.

The FX T12 FT is a handsome air rifle that shoots as good as it looks. It should put a smile on the face of any air rifle enthusiast.

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

– Jock Elliott

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 2 Comments »

A Conversation with Fredrik Axelsson, Owner of FX Airguns – Part II

Monday, March 12, 2012

Recently I had the opportunity to speak at length by telephone with Fredrik Axelsson, owner of FX Airguns. This is the second part of that conversation.

JE: So what happened next?

FA: In 2001, I called Ingvar Alm and asked him who should I deal with in America? He said try Airguns of Arizona. Robert Buchanan agreed to have one or two samples of the FX2000 and the Excalibur, and he was over the moon about them. The accuracy is fantastic, he said.

JE: How do you achieve that accuracy?

FA: When I set out to design an airgun or something for an airgun, I don’t look at other people’s stuff at all. When I made my PCP rifle, all the ideas came from myself, and what I came up with was a very small valve and very small striker. That makes a difference. When you pull the trigger, you have very little mass moving inside the gun, compared to other designs. Some of the others have very heavy hammers and valves, and they are almost as bad as a springer when you pull the trigger. As a result, you need to build a heavy gun to compensate for all the mass moving inside it. An FX gun can be relatively lighter because you don’t need to compensate for a heavy valve and striker.

JE: What are some of the other things that have happened during the evolution of FX as a company?

FA: One key event was that I got fed up with the Italian company that was supplying us with stocks, so we started making our own synthetic stocks. That was very hard; we had to select a material that would do the job and build the machines that would make the stocks. At the beginning, that was a big negative, because nobody wanted synthetic stocks, but I didn’t care because at last I had a reliable supply of stocks.

JE: What else?

FA: Later we came up with the power adjuster and interchangeable air tubes. I made the power adjuster for hunting. I wanted to do the ultimate hunting rifle, one that would be quick for reloading and that you didn’t have to shoot at the same power all the time. Here’s the basic idea: at 50-60 meters, you shoot high power; at 30 meters or so, medium power; and if you are shooting pigeons inside a barn at 15 meters and don’t want the pellet to go all the way through, you use low power. Because you’re simply changing the orifice that the air flows through with the rotation of a wheel, you don’t have to fiddle with all the adjustments that you do with some other guns.

JE: How important is the US market to you?

FA: The US market is getting more and more important for us. We look to that more than anything else right now. I think the attitude toward airguns in the US is changing, and the market is growing quite dramatically. I love America because you don’t have restrictions on airguns at all. That’s not the case in Sweden where we are based.

JE: What is your philosophy when it comes to designing airguns?

FA: I do things that appeal to myself, and they seem to appeal to Americans as well. I love to build guns that a harmonious. They are light, quick, and everything works together well. The guns you love are the guns that deliver great accuracy and handle well. If you turn up the power too much, it’s a completely different feeling when you fire it. If you aren’t happy with the power of a .22, you should go to a .25. If you’re not happy with the energy of a .25, you need to go to an even bigger caliber. If you go too fast, you ruin accuracy. I refuse to do bad rifles.

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 5 Comments »

A Conversation with Fredrik Axelsson, Owner of FX Airguns – Part I

Monday, March 5, 2012

Recently I had the opportunity to speak at length by telephone with Fredrik Axelsson, owner of FX Airguns.

JE: How did you get involved with airguns?

FA: I had my first airgun when I was five years old. I have been told that I had problems operating that rifle because I was a little too weak, but about a year later, I was an expert and a good shot.

JE: So how was it that you got into the airgun business?

FA: I started making things for the airguns at the end of 1989. I had purchased a .22 caliber English air rifle that was supposed to be a very good one, and I was very disappointed. I wanted to use it for shooting pigeons in a tree (I use a shotgun for flying pigeons but didn’t want to use it for sitting birds). After a couple of months of hunting, the spring broke, and I had done very little actually shooting – a lot of the time you spend sitting and waiting.

So I had the idea of making my own gas ram. I made it, and it was working quite well, but I didn’t like the recoil. So I started thinking about other kinds of air rifles. I did a lot of experiments with CO2 rifles that I made myself, including a 9mm rifle and a 20 gauge air shotgun with replaceable chokes. I also started doing pump-up rifles, then I moved to PCP rifles. I was very interested in air rifles, and it was a natural progression. I’m not Einstein, but I am very interested.  Now I work with airguns every day, and I don’t get bored with it; every day that I get to work with airguns is a good day!

JE: So then what happened?

FA: In 1994, I made the original design for the Independence rifle. I made five of them, I think, and Ingvar Alm had one of them. One of the first problems that I addressed was that with PCP air rifles, you need a diving bottle. Here in Sweden, there isn’t a lot of SCUBA diving. I came up with a three-stage hand pump that opened the door for everyone here to enjoy PCP airguns.

In 1995, I took my ideas to a company in the area where I live, and we started production of the hand pump. Then I took the pump off the Independence, and it became the Axsor rifle, and we sold it to Webley & Scott, and we also made the Timberwolf.

In 1999, I was so fed up with that company that one morning in May, I told the owner “I quit!” and I just walked away, leaving all my patents and everything . . . but I was convinced that air rifles were what I wanted to work on.

JE: Was starting FX Airguns the next chapter in the story?

FA: Yes. In 1999, I started FX Airguns, and I’m very happy about that, because I am in total control. I contacted Webley & Scott, and they said “We have 3,000 Axsor stocks, so whatever you make must fit into that stock. I made the FX2000, and it fit into that stock. In a sense, it wasn’t the rifle I wanted to make then, but it was the rifle I was forced to make by the opportunity that was at hand.

In 2000, I came up with a patent on a new pump and an electrical compressor that year as well. In 2001, we developed the Cyclone.

Next time: FX Airguns coming to America.

Til then, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 1 Comment »

FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber – Part II

Monday, January 23, 2012

The left side of the FX Royale 200 .25 caliber

To ready the FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber for shooting, attach the filling probe to your high pressure pump or SCUBA tank and charge the reservoir to 200 BAR.

Now it’s time to load the magazine. Begin by turning the transparent lid to the magazine counterclockwise until it stops. Put one pellet in the open slot on the rear (black) side of the magazine so that the tip of the pellet is pointing out of the hole. This locks the magazine spring in place.

Next, turn the magazine so that the transparent lid is facing you. Turn the lid clockwise one slot at a time and fill the slots with pellets with the tip of the pellets facing into the hole. When all the slots have been filled, slide the lid back into its starting position.

The left side of the receiver.

Pull the bolt lever all the way back and insert the magazine, black side toward the muzzle, into the breech from the right side. Helpful hint: make sure the scope mounts are high enough that no part of the scope interferes with the magazine sliding fully into place. If you are purchasing a FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber and scope from Airguns of Arizona, they can recommend the proper height scope rings.

Now you are ready to go. Push the bolt forward, flick off the safety, and squeeze the trigger. The first stage required only 11.1 ounces of pressure on the sample that I tested. At 1 lb. 5.3 oz., the shot went down range. This is an excellent trigger that is a pleasure to shoot.

NOTE: The section below has been corrected. I had the wrong shot string. JE

FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber launches 31.1 gr. H&N Barracuda pellets at average of  800fps, or 44.20  foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle and will deliver 35 usable shots from a fill. Even with the shrouded barrel, there is a significant POP when the shot goes off, but it is not nearly as raucous as one would typically expect from a .25 caliber PCP generating this kind of power. This is clearly not the best choice for stealthy plinking in the back yard without disturbing the neighbors, but for a hunting gun it is just fine.

 

One other thing I notice while shooting the FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber is that this air rifle is generating enough power that you can actually start to feel some recoil when the shot goes off. Not some heavy-handed slam in the shoulder, but a gentle push that reminds you that Sir Isaac Newton was right: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. You don’t put .25 caliber pellets down range with the kind of power that this rifle generates without getting some push in the opposite direction.

Like all FX air rifles that I have tested, the FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber delivers the goods when it comes to accuracy. At 30 yards from a casual rest with JSB Jumbo pellets, I put 5 shots into a group that measured just .625 inch edge to edge. That works out to well under half an inch center to center.

The FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber is a powerful, handsome air rifle that does everything well. I think any air rifle hunter would be pleased to own one.

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 5 Comments »

FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber – Part I

Monday, January 16, 2012

The FX Royale 200 Synthetic .25 caliber is handsome and powerful.

FX airguns enjoy a well-deserved reputation for excellence and accuracy, and the FX Royale 200 Synthetic in .25 caliber is no exception. It is a big airgun – 45.5 inches from end to end – that weighs just 6.7 lbs. and delivers a tremendous wallop, nearly 44 foot-pounds at the muzzle.

The butt pad is adjustable vertically.

Starting at the extreme aft end of the .25 Royale, you’ll find a black rubber butt pad that is adjustable vertically. Just loosen a screw and slide the butt pad up or down to meet your need. The butt pad is attached to an ambidextrous matte black synthetic stock that has a raised comb, cheek piece on either side, and a pronounced thumb notch.

Here's the trigger, breech, and magazine.

Forward of the butt stock, the pistol grip is flared at the end and has ribbing on either side. Moving forward again, the matte black synthetic material of the stock forms a trigger guard that surrounds a black metal trigger. The trigger is adjustable for first stage length of pull, second stage weight of pull, and, if you have tinkered with the trigger adjustments, the safety catch adjustment. The manual warns that “Failure to adjust this screw (the safety catch adjustment) after altering the trigger can result in a non-functioning safety.”

Just ahead of the trigger guard is an allen head bolt that holds the receiver in the stock, and forward of that is a black and white air pressure gauge that is about 7/8 of an inch in diameter. Beyond that, the forestock is relatively unadorned, except for ribbing molded into the polymer on either side.

The air reservoir protrudes nearly a foot beyond the end of the forestock. At the end of air reservoir is a port into which a filling probe is inserted for charging the reservoir. This is the only thing about the .25 Royale that I didn’t like. I personally prefer that air reservoirs be equipped with male Foster fittings. In my experience, they work pretty well, providing a quick and secure connection for filling PCP airguns. I don’t understand why a special filling probe was required but then again I am not an airgun engineer, just an airgun shooter.

Above the reservoir is the fully shrouded barrel. The shroud stretches 25.5 inches from muzzle to where it meets the receiver, but the specifications say that the .25 caliber barrel itself, which is inside the shroud, measures 23.6 inches.

At the aft end of the shroud is the receiver, finished in shiny black with white lettering. On top of the receiver, forward and aft of the breech, are dovetails for mounting a scope. In the middle of the receiver is the breech, which is just barely deep enough to allow loading single pellets by hand and which allows the 11-shot self-indexing .25 caliber rotary magazine to be slid into place.

On the right hand side of the receiver, you’ll find the toggle-action bolt. You cock the action and ready it for the next shot by pulling it full back and then sliding it fully forward again. It’s smooth and easy. Just below the aft end of the cocking lever is the safety.

That’s all there is to the FX Royale 200 Synthetic in .25 caliber. It’s a handsome air rifle with a utilitarian and purposeful look about it. As a .25 caliber, it is most likely to be used as a hunting rifle, and I like that there is no wood to worry about scratching or damaging with moisture. This is a serious tool designed to withstand inclement conditions without serious concern.

Next time, we’ll take a look at how the FX Royale 200 Synthetic in .25 caliber shoots.

Til then, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 3 Comments »

Daystate Huntsman Classic XL – Part II

Monday, January 2, 2012

It shoots as good as it looks!

To get the Daystate Huntsman Classic XL ready to shoot, remove the cap at the end of the air reservoir, attach a high pressure pump or SCUBA tank, and charge the reservoir up to 230 BAR maximum.

To remove the 10-shot magazine from the breech, first apply the safety catch. Next, lift the bolt handle at the rear of the breech block and pull it all the way back until fully cocked. Next move the bolt forward just a little bit until you feel a click. Now the magazine can be removed. (If you attempt to remove the magazine before you feel the click, it won’t work.)

There is a lot to like about the Huntsman Classic, but one of the things that I particularly like is the 10-shot rotary magazine. It is, hands down, the easiest to load magazine currently available. There is no twisting of top plates, no dropping in pellets to lock the top plate in place, no clicking your heels and saying “there’s no place like home.”

The magazine is super easy to load.

Instead, all you have to do is drop a pellet head-first into the large hole at the bottom of the backside of the magazine. You have to make sure that the pellet head slips past the o-ring that circles the perimeter of the pellet ring, and sometimes I use the tip of a ballpoint pen to give the pellet a quick poke to do that. Next rotate the pellet ring counter-clockwise to bring the next empty bay in line with the loading port and drop in another pellet. Frankly, it takes longer to describe the procedure than to do it. Continue this one click at a time until all 10 pellets has been loaded. When the magazine is full, slide it back into position in the breech block and return the bolt forward to the closed and locked position. Now you’re good to go.

Take aim at the target, flick the safety off, and start to squeeze the trigger. On the sample that I tested, the first stage required only 9.6 ounces of pressure. At about 1 pound 4.4 ounces, the shot goes off.

The Huntsman Classic XL launches JSB .177 Heavy 10.3 grain pellets at an average of 904 fps, making average energy 18.77 foot pounds. In addition, because of the extra large (that’s what the XL stands for) air reservoir, it delivers over 55 shots on a fill (see the curve below.)  Peak velocity is 918 fps, for 19.35 foot pounds of energy.

The XL produces a surprisingly subdued report. It is by no means completely silent, but it is not nearly as loud as I expected. There is some shrouding in the barrel, which helps to quiet the XL, but the main reason for the relatively quiet report is the Steve Harper designed “slingshot” valve. This patented valve design eliminates the hammer bounce that plagues so many other pre-charged, CO2, and multi-stroke air rifles and air pistols that store gas under pressure and employ a knock-open valve.

Here’s how hammer bounce happens.  When the airgunner triggers the shot, the hammer hits the valve and knocks it open. The very next thing that happens is that the compressed gas inside the reservoir acts like a spring and pushes the valve shut, often with enough force to drive the hammer back off the valve. The hammer then slams back down on the valve and pops the valve open again. When this happens, the gun wastes air (or CO2) and makes a louder report than necessary. Even worse, hammer bounce does absolutely nothing useful, since the pellet has already left the barrel when the hammer bounce occurs.

Because Harper slingshot valve prevents hammer bounce, it produces performance comparable to a computerized Daystate air rifle – including efficient use of air, a very high number of shots per charge, a flat power curve, an ultra-fast firing cycle and a relatively quiet muzzle discharge. As effective as the slingshot system is, it’s also remarkably simple and, therefore is backed by a three-year warranty.

The Huntsman delivers the kind of accuracy that I have come to expect from Daystate air rifles. At 30 yards, under far less than ideal conditions, the XL put five shots into a group you could easily cover with a dime. I expect that, under ideal conditions, it will deliver similar sized groups at 50 yards.

The Daystate Huntsman Classic XL has just about everything any serious airgunner would want: excellent accuracy, high efficiency, a very nice trigger, and a reasonable report . . .  and those good looks don’t hurt either. Who wouldn’t be pleased with an air rifle like that?

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

– Jock Elliott

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 4 Comments »

The Daystate Huntsman Classic XL in .177 – Part I

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Daystate Huntsman Classic XL

Some years ago, very early in my career as an airgun writer, I was taught an important and harsh lesson: when it comes to airgun performance, looks don’t matter. The gun in question was a Beeman Crow Magnum. It had been loaned to me, and when I pulled it from the box, I fell instantly in love. The exotic hardwood stock was a thing of beauty, and the bluing on the metal work looked like it was a foot deep. After just one look, I was already making plans to justify purchasing such an expensive springer.

As soon I shot the Crow Magnum, I rapidly changed my mind. I couldn’t adapt to the recoil of the powerful Theoben gas-ram powerplant, and I was unable to shoot better than 1.5 inch groups at 10 yards. Beautiful or not, I couldn’t wait to send that gun back to its owner. (Eventually I asked another airgunner who had mastered the Crow Magnum how he did it, and he said that the secret was to “apprentice yourself to the Crow Magnum and don’t shoot anything else. When you do that, the Crow Magnum shoots as good as it looks.”)

Having said all that, I would be less than forthright if I didn’t admit that I was taken with the looks of the Daystate Huntsman Classic XL in .177. It is a beautiful air rifle that stretches 38 inches from end to and weighs just a bit over six pounds.  The version that I tested was designated “XL,” which means that it has an extra-large air reservoir to extend the shot count per fill, although the folks at Airguns of Arizona tell me that the short air tube version actually out-sells the XL. Go figure.

The ventilated butt pad and other goodies.

At the extreme aft end of the XL is a ventilated rubber butt plate attached to a Walnut stock with a black spacer. The stock is right-handed and has a distinct cheek piece on the left hand side of the stock. Forward of the buttstock is the pistol grip, which is checkered on both sides and is fitted with the rosewood cap and a lighter colored spacer.

The trigger group, bolt, and magazine.

Ahead of the pistol grip is a metal trigger guard with a silver-colored metal trigger inside. The two-stage trigger is adjustable for second stage weight, trigger blade angle, and first stage travel. Above the trigger guard, on either side of the stock, the Daystate name and emblem are incised into the stock. Ahead of the trigger assembly is an allen screw for holding the action in the stock, and just ahead of that is an air gauge that reads in bar.

Moving toward the muzzle again, the forestock is checkered on either side. At the end of the forestock are a barrel band and a black metal cap, which when removed, reveals a foster fitting for filling the air reservoir. Above the air reservoir is the matte black finished barrel which is shrouded to reduce the report of the XL. At the end of the barrel is a cap that can be unscrewed for fitting a silencer where legal.

Traveling back along the barrel, you’ll find the receiver, which has dovetails for fitting a scope, the breech – where the ten-shot rotary magazine can be inserted – and the silver-finished bolt handle. Below the bolt handle on the left side of the receiver is the rotary safety. Flick the red anodized tab UP for fire and DOWN for safe.

Next time, we’ll see how the Daystate Huntsman Classic XL shoots.

Til then, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 3 Comments »

The FX Gladiator Mk II – Part II

Monday, November 14, 2011

The left side of the Gladiator Mk II

To ready the Gladiator Mk II for shooting, attach the filling probe to a SCUBA tank or high pressure pump, slide it into the filling port at the end of the forward air tube, and slowly fill the Mk II to 220 bar.

The spring-loaded 12-shot magazine is self-indexing.

Next, load the rotary magazine. You’ll notice that the Gladiator now uses the same magazines as the FX Royale. Start by turning the transparent lid to the magazine counterclockwise until it stops. Put one pellet in the open slot on the rear side of the magazine so that the tip of the pellet is pointing out of the hole. This locks the magazine spring in place.

Turn the magazine so that the transparent lid is facing you. Turn the lid clockwise one slot at a time and fill the slots with pellets with the tip of the pellets facing into the hole. Lock the lid in its starting position.

When selecting scope mounts, make sure they are high enough to provide clearance for the magazine.

Next, pull the bolt lever all the way back and insert the magazine, black side toward the muzzle, into the breech from the right side. Now, this is where life got interesting for me while testing the Gladiator Mk II. When I mounted the first scope, the magazine hit the “saddle” of the scope (the bulge where the elevation and windage knobs are mounted) when I tried to slide the magazine into the breech. So, down into the workshop again and I mounted another scope. This one slide into the breech slot, but I couldn’t get the bolt to work properly. I called Airguns of Arizona, and Kip helpfully walked me through the process until I could finally figure out that the magazine was hitting the tube of the scope so that it couldn’t be seated all the way home (almost, but not quite). Finally, a third scope with higher mounts fit properly, and the magazine slid into place.

Push the bolt forward, flick off the safety, and squeeze the trigger. The first stage required only 9 ounces on the sample that I tested. At 1 lb. 2.2 oz., the shot went down range. This a phenomenal trigger, light and crisp, that feels a lot like a match trigger.

On high power, the Mk II launches 18.1 gr. JSB pellets at average of 855 fps, or 29.38 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle; medium power, 655 fps and 17.24 fp, and low power, 499 fps and 14.42 fp. The good folks at Airguns of Arizona tell me that the Mk II will deliver 95 shots per fill on high power and an astonishing 190 shots on lower power.

At 30 yards, shooting from a casual rest, the Mk II delivered this nice group.

And the accuracy? Well, the accuracy is just fine. At 30 yards with JSB Jumbo pellets, I put 5 shots into a group that measured just .625 inch edge to edge. That works out to well under half an inch center to center.

Yup, if I were in the vermin control business and needed an air rifle that required a minimum of ancillary equipment for a day’s shooting, I think the FX Gladiator Mk II would be number one on my list.

Til Next time, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 4 Comments »

The FX Gladiator Mk II – Part I

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Gladiator Mk II is a tackdriver and, thanks to two air reservoirs, delivers an enormous number of shots.

If I were a professional pest controller who needed an airgun to do his job, I think I have just found the air rifle that would be Numero Uno on my list: the FX Gladiator Mk II.

Before we take a look at the Mk II, a couple of items. First, I reviewed the FX Gladiator Tactical a while back, and if you want to check out those blogs for comparison, you can find them here http://198.154.244.69/blog/2010/10/the-outstanding-gladiator-tactical-%e2%80%93-part-i.html and here http://198.154.244.69/blog/2010/10/the-outstanding-gladiator-tactical-%e2%80%93-part-ii.html.

Second, I love shooting precharged pneumatic (PCP) air rifles. They have, as a group, a bunch of admirable qualities. Most will shoot one inch edge-to-edge groups at 50 yards with the right pellet, and often they will do substantial better than that. They have no nasty whiplash recoil to deal with, as do springers and gas-piston guns. Many offer a very neighbor-friendly report, and they are just plain easy to shoot well. Buuut, most require the shooter to have a SCUBA tank or a high-pressure hand pump handy to refill the air reservoir when all the usuable shots have been consumed. For me, that diminishes the pleasure of shooting a PCP air rifle; the less ancillary gear I have to drag out the door when I got shooting, the better.

The new FX Gladiator Mk II gets around the ancillary gear problem with a couple of slick tricks: a very easy-to-use power adjustor and two – count ‘em! – air reservoirs. As a result, the Mk II delivers a shot count that should allow the overwhelming majority of shooters to go out the door with the Mk II and a tin of pellets and not have to worry about refilling the Gladiator until they get back home from a day’s shooting. We’ll talk about that some more in a while, but first let’s take a walk around the Gladiator Mk II.

The Gladiator Mk II stretches 44.25 inches from end to end. With the rear air reservoir/buttstock unscrewed, the receiver and barrel assembly measure about 34 inches. Without a scope or rings attached, the Mk II weighs 8.5 lbs, and it looks – to my eye, anyway – just great. With the exception of a couple of teensy spots where dots of red paint appear, the Mk II is a symphony of matte black metal and matte black engineering polymer.

The rear air reservoir angles downward and makes for a comfortable shooting position.

At the extreme aft end of the Mk II, you’ll find a soft rubber butt pad (which can be adjusted vertically) attached to a polymer cheek piece assembly that slides over the rear air reservoir. The good folks from FX have wisely designed the Gladiator so that the rear air reservoir angles down slightly from the line of the receiver. This allows for a comfortable shooting position.

Just ahead of the trigger guard is an easy-to-read air gauge.

Moving forward, most of the rear half of the receiver and barrel assembly is swaddled in another engineering polymer molding that provides a pistol grip, trigger guard, and forestock all in one piece. This assembly secures to the receiver with a single allen bolt. The pistol grip has grooves on either side for better gripping and so does the forestock. Inside the trigger guard is a black metal two-stage trigger that can be adjusted for first stage length of pull and second stage weight of pull. Forward of that, you’ll find an easy-to-read air gauge on the underside of the forestock.

The power adjustor on the lowest setting.

At the end of the forestock is the forward air reservoir with a filling port at the end. Above that is a fully shrouded .22 caliber barrel. At the rear end of the barrel is the breech assembly, which is the same breech assembly used in the FX Royale air rifle. On the left hand side of the breech is a black metal wheel which is the power adjustor. Turn it to change the power setting: one red dot means low power, two dots means medium power, and three dots is high power.

In in the middle of the breech is a slot for receiving the 12-shot rotary magazine, and on the right side of the breech, you’ll find the breech lever and a lever style safety. That’s all there is to it.

Next time, we’ll take a look at how the Gladiator Mk II shoots.

Til then, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 4 Comments »

« Older Entries

Newer Entries »