Airguns – Airguns of Arizona Blog

The Diana Outlaw - A Great Value PCP Air Rifle

The Diana Outlaw is a sophisticated entrant in the mid range PCP air rifle market. Its good regulated shot count, pleasant side lever cocking and consistent trigger make the gun a strong performer. It looks good and feels good in the hand too.

At $499.99, the Diana Outlaw is priced between the rash of $300 PCPs and the more traditional $1,000-ish starting point for the premium brands. It’s available in .177, .22 and .25 calibers.

Probably the Benjamin Marauder is the gun to beat at the price. Compared to the Outlaw, the Marauder has a better trigger, is quieter and can’t be blank-fired with a magazine in place. But the Diana has a far more consistent regulated shot count, side lever action and more sophisticated looks.

This comparison to the Marauder means that the Diana Outlaw offers very good value for money. That’s always been the Marauder’s strong suit and the Outlaw clearly trades punches with the long-established champion in performance, value and quality. Here they are together.

The Diana Outlaw I tested was in .22 caliber. It achieved a maximum Muzzle Energy of 31.11 Ft/Lbs with the heavy, 21.14 Grain H&N Baracuda Match pellets.

The Baracudas also delivered excellent accuracy. At 25 Yards, the 10-shot test group was very respectable at about 0.3-Inches center-to-center using a scope at 9X magnification.

The Outlaw has a two-stage trigger. However, the first stage is considerably heavier than is normal and it feels rather more like a single stage trigger with a degree of creep. Sear release is predictable, however, and the overall effect quite pleasant. Pull weight averaged a comfortable 1 Lb 11 Oz.

It’s quite possible that the trigger would respond well to a little careful tuning. It is adjustable for pull length and sear engagement. Both adjustments are achieved by using hex wrenches inserted through appropriate holes in the trigger guard.

The Diana Outlaw has a manual trigger block safety. It’s actually in the trigger blade and has a side-to-side action. This safety has a red indicator for “off safe”. When engaged, the other side of the safety projects and prevents movement of the trigger by striking against the trigger guard itself.

This safety is simple to operate for a right-handed shooter. It’s less convenient for a left-hander, however, as a change of hold is required to operate by left-handers. It’s also too small for effective use in cold weather when wearing gloves.

The cocking lever works well and easily. It’s less slick than that of more expensive PCPs, but it’s definitely better than any bolt action I can think of.

The Outlaw has a regulated action. This produces a good, consistent Muzzle Velocity for 49 shots, as you can see from the graph below. From shot 50, pressure had fallen sufficiently that the regulator was no longer activated. The FPS then dropped steadily from shot-to-shot, as is expected.

This test was made using JSB-manufactured Daystate Rangemaster, 15.9 Grain pellets.

The cocking lever works well and easily. It’s less slick than that of more expensive PCPs, but it’s definitely better than any bolt action I can think of.

The Outlaw is supplied with a fully-shrouded barrel. This gives a fairly quiet report. It’s not “Marauder quiet”, however, it’s certainly backyard-friendly.

An interesting design feature is the series of tiny holes drilled in the rear of the shroud. Air can be felt exhausting from these holes whenever a shot is taken. It’s not a strong rush of air, but you can detect it with a hand in the right place.

As expected, the Outlaw is not fitted with any iron sights. In common with most higher-end air rifles, it’s not bundled with a scope either, thus leaving the choice of optics to the owner. I found the Aztec Emerald scopes to be a good partner for the Outlaw.

The top of the breech is grooved with standard airgun dovetails. The magazine does protrude above the top of the breech. However, there’s still sufficient clearance for the scope above the clip, even when using medium height rings.

One issue is that the magazine is loaded from the left side of the gun. This may cause issues with large diameter scope sidewheels, so the new owner should check this aspect before selecting a scope.

The magazine is of an interesting, quite complex design. Capacity is 13 pellets in .177 cal, 11 in .22 and 9 pellets in .25 caliber.

It’s easy to load without the need to hold back a sprung cover plate, as is often the case with other rotary magazines, due to an internal ratcheting system.

However, it does not block the action when all pellets are used and there’s no pellet counter. This means that it’s necessary to keep count of the shots fired to avoid a blank discharge.

The magazine slides easily and slickly into the breech, being retained in place by a magnet. There are flats on the side of the rotating pellet holder in the magazine. When a flat is in the vertical position for the second time, it’s a visual indication that the magazine is empty.

The Diana Outlaw is also fairly light. The weight of the sample I tested was 6 Lbs 10 Oz without scope. This compares to the 7 Lbs 5 Oz of a synthetic Marauder.

Machining finish is very good, with most metal parts having a uniform, black matt finish.

The stock has a simple design with no unnecessary curves or shaping. Wood finish is generally good and smooth, with areas of machine-made “checkering” on the forend and pistol grip to aid a good grip. The expected rubber buttpad seemed well-shaped and comfortable against the shoulder.

I found the Diana Outlaw very easy and comfortable to shoot. The stock design worked well for me, even though there is no adjustable buttpad or cheekpiece, as is common in more expensive PCP air rifles.

The Diana Outlaw uses a probe filling system to charge it with High Pressure Air. This probe has a standard “Foster” quick disconnect on the other end.

This design enables it to be connected directly to the standard female quick disconnect fitting found on HPA tanks and pumps without the usual, annoying need for an additional adapter. This makes it quick and easy to use, particularly for owners with other PCPs having a standard male fill nipple.

The cover for the fill port is spring-loaded. It’s pulled forward to insert the fill probe, then released back after filling. This is a far better solution than the more common separate screw-thread or push-in cover for the fill port.

Now there’s no chance of losing or dropping the cover and the fill port itself is automatically protected from the possible ingress of dirt. This is a first-rate feature that we have not seen on other PCP air rifles.

As you can tell, I liked the Diana Outlaw a lot. I think you will too!

Because airguns fall into a subjective area of the law when it comes to detachable suppressors, we airgunners can currently take advantage of the availability of quality items in the marketplace without jumping through bureaucratic hoops. Keep in mind this information is just that, informational only, and never to be construed as legal advice related to the ownership and use of suppressors designed solely for use with airguns.

Airguns are not firearms, obviously, and it is this distinction that creates the “gray area” being capitalized on by airgun manufacturers and accessory makers. Some manufacturers are fine with permanently attached suppressors on their air rifles because their legal teams interpret the law as allowing it. However, they will not even consider models with removeable suppressors for the American market. Others interpret it to mean that airgun suppressors do not fall under the National Firearms Act whether or not they are permanently attached. To attempt to stay within the current understanding of the law, airgun suppressors are clearly marked “For Airgun Use Only”, have different threads than what is standard on a firearm (1/2 inch by 20 TPI vs 1/2 inch by 28 TPI; there can be variations), and usually have internal components that are not able to withstand even one discharge of a firearm round.

Two of the newer suppressor offerings from AofA.

AofA stocks multiple suppressor brands and this article highlights two of the newest offerings; the 0dB (zero decibel) and the Ramus Technologies Trident. The 0dB sports an aggressive name as no suppressor can really bring a gunshot down to zero decibels except maybe in the vacuum of space or a Hollywood movie. Made in Great Britain by Daystate using Italian components, the 0dB is available in two lengths and five colors. The Cerakote tan runs an additional cost and all have a matte finish to avoid glare. The short can is 110 millimeters long (4.3 inches) and the long can is 160 millimeters (6.3 inches). They are sleek with a diamond groove pattern around the circumference and angled open channels allowing mesh to show through for an aesthetically pleasing look. The internal design lowers turbulence and the exit orifice design helps eliminate “clipping” of the pellet skirt as it leaves the can. Calibers available for this suppressor are denoted by asterisks on the muzzle end with one asterisk representing .177 and .22 caliber combined, two represents .25, and three represents .30. MSRPs on the 0dB in black run $119.99 for the 110C and $189.99 for the 160S model. The Cerakote version runs $139.99 and $209.99 respectively. The website does not list the availability of other colors at this time.

The Ramus Technologies Trident with Flip Compensator is an American made suppressor that is exclusively available from AofA. It utilizes a 3D printed proprietary monocore internal component which is user replaceable in case of damage or a different caliber option is desired. Extremely light thanks to the outer can being of aircraft grade alloy, the unit is pleasing to the eye with six flats and multiple small ports drilled around the circumference that add to its effectiveness. The black finish is a bit shiny, but even and well done. The compensator, as its name implies, is designed to improve accuracy and control by reducing muzzle flip. Available in calibers from .177 up to .30, there is an option for 20mm metric threads as well. The MSRP is $249.99.

The Ramus Technologies Trident with Flip Compensator model opened to show the monocore insert.

Either model would be an excellent addition to rifles in your collection that are not quite backyard friendly. Even models already having shrouded barrels will benefit as long as the muzzle is threaded and the additional length isn’t a problem for you. These are quality items that are very effective without adding a bunch of weight to the end of your barrel and won’t change the point of impact when installed. Our friends are currently running a sale on all of the suppressors they stock and could answer any questions you may have.

Power Tuning The Nova Freedom Multi Pump PCP Air Rifle

The American Tactical Nova Freedom is a sophisticated, unusual airgun, and it’s clear that it offers plenty of opportunities for power tuning. We’ll look at some of them in this article.

Note that I used a .22 caliber gun for this work.

Pumping and Fill Pressure

The Nova Freedom has a maximum fill pressure specification of 3,600 PSI. However, in testing it’s clear that the first shot was always slower than subsequent shots.

This is an indication that 3,600 PSI is really slightly too high a fill pressure for consistent shots. Filling to 3,400 or 3,500 PSI will actually give a faster first shot, even though it’s at a lower pressure.

This is important to understand because the Nova Freedom is – of course – a multi-pump air rifle. Just about everyone assumes that they will achieve higher FPS from any multi-pump airgun if they just pump it more.

It’s rarely true and it’s definitely NOT true with the Nova Freedom.

In fact it’s the reverse. Filling the Nova Freedom to above about 3,500 PSI, either by pumping or from a tank, will actually reduce the FPS for the first shots. Over-pumping is not a way of power tuning the Nova Freedom air rifle!

Power Adjustment Knob

The Nova Freedom is fitted with a power adjustment knob on the left side of the breech. With two settings – High and Low – and no intermediate setting possible, this is almost certainly a transfer port changer. (I promised not to take the gun apart and don’t have a parts diagram).

What we have here are two alternative transfer ports which regulate the air supply between the valve and pellet. The larger port allows the air through faster and gives the highest FPS – High Power.

A smaller port restricts the airflow somewhat and gives lower FPS.

It’s clear that this power adjustment knob works and that it provides an easy, simple way of power tuning the Nova Freedom.

Hammer Spring Tension

However there’s a third method of power tuning the Nova Freedom using the built-in controls.

This is actually found on page 11 of the user’s manual, described as a maintenance adjustment.

For there is a built-in hammer spring tensioner available at the rear of the Freedom’s breech. It’s obviously not designed for regular use, requiring the 2.5mm Allen (hex) wrench supplied with the gun to operate.

The manual explains that it may need to be turned after about 3,000 shots to maintain factory FPS. “One turn equals to 100 FPS”, it says.

Now here’s something really interesting, with real potential for power tuning the Nova Freedom air rifle! In other airguns it would be called a power adjuster. Let’s investigate what it can do…

Power Tuning By Adjusting The Hammer Spring

To gain some idea of the potential for power tuning the Nova Freedom by adjusting the hammer spring tension, I ran a series of tests.

Firstly I decided to use 14.35 Grain JSB Jumbo Express pellets for all tests as we had already used them for the shootdown test in the full HAM review.

I ran the same test with the hammer spring adjuster one turn back out. Then I did the same with the adjuster one turn in from the factory setting and two turns in.

This gave eight sets of data, four on High power and four on Low. The expectation was that the “one turn out” setting would give more, slower shots. The other settings would give less shots but with more power.

Did it work out like that? The answer is “yes-ish”.

Please note that these results are based on the sample gun I tested. In these charts, the factory setting is shown in green. One turn more on the power adjuster is shown in orange, two turns more in red. One turn less than the factory setting is blue.

As always, your mileage may vary with another individual Nova Freedom.

Power Tuning on High Power Setting

Most people will probably want to gain more power from their Nova Freedom. As you can see, one turn more on the hammer spring gave slower FPS for the first 4 shots. After that, the FPS increased for shots 5 – 8, before falling again. All in all, this setting gave similar results to the factory hammer spring setting but with the addition of 3 additional usable shots per fill.

Setting the power adjuster two turns in gave a notably slower first shot. However this was followed by a series of significantly more powerful shots, particularly the second, third and fourth.

The greatest increase in FPS achieved was on shot 2, where we gained 22.3 FPS from the adjustment. That way of power tuning the Nova Freedom increased the Muzzle Energy from 30.59 Ft/Lbs to 32.00 Ft/Lbs, a very significant increase of nearly 1.5 Ft/Lbs.

Some shooters value a larger number of more consistent shots over sheer power, however. As the blue line shows, power tuning the Nova Freedom by reducing the hammer spring tension one turn gives a much flatter shot curve. It also gives 18 usable shots on one fill at High power, compared to 12 shots at the factory setting.

Power Tuning on Low Power Setting

By selecting Low power, it’s clear that a user values more shots per fill rather than higher FPS for a few shots.

Here the results of our tests are quite different. As you can see, cranking in the hammer spring screw does no good for either FPS or shot count. In fact, you actually get less shots of, generally, less FPS.

Reducing spring tension by one turn gave the possibility of two additional usable shots. However, the real benefit here was the considerably flatter (blue) shot curve. Yes, the FPS is less than at the factory hammer spring setting, but it gives you 25 or 26 shots with a surprisingly tight extreme spread. This is the setting to use for consistent accuracy in target shooting with the Nova Freedom!

Power Tuning And Air Efficiency

We can obtain a good indication of the air efficiency of the Nova Freedom in these various hammer spring settings by comparing the TOTAL Muzzle Energy of the “good” shots at each setting.

To do this, we simply add the Ft/Lbs figure for each shot in the string and make a total. Comparing these totals at each setting gives us the following chart. Here High power settings are in blue, Low power in green. The numbers in each column indicate the sum total Ft/Lbs at that setting.

There are some very obvious conclusions to be drawn from this analysis…

Clearly, the Nova Freedom has considerably greater air efficiency on Low power setting than on High power. Also, it is much more efficient with the hammer spring adjusted one turn back out.

Maximum air efficiency is obtained on Low power with the power adjuster one turn out. That gives, by far, the most total Muzzle Energy for your pumping effort.

Setting the power adjuster two turns in on High power gives not only the highest FPS, it also gives 16% more total Ft/Lbs than the factory setting.

Power Tuning The Nova Freedom Conclusions

Based on the American Tactical Nova Freedom I tested, we can make the following simple power tuning conclusions:

Don’t over pump the gun. In fact, best FPS for the first shot will always be achieved with sightly less than a maximum pressure fill, or if the gun is filled full and then the first shot taken as a blank.

The built-in power adjustment knob works well. High power setting gives higher FPS but less shots per fill. Low power gives many more, somewhat slower shots per fill.

For maximum power, set the hammer spring adjuster one turn in. Either slightly underfill the pressure or fire the first shot as a blank. Pump up to 3,400 – 3,500 PSI after every 3 or 4 shots for maximum consistency at full power.

For the flattest shot curve when target shooting, set the hammer spring adjuster one turn out on Low power. Pump up again after 25 – 26 shots.

This is a very versatile air rifle. Have fun!

Crosman has been a fixture of the Rochester, New York, area for nearly 180 years – although at first not as an airgun company. Back in 1838, when Rochester was still on the wild frontier of New York State, and 23 years before the start of the American Civil War, a certain Fred Crosman founded a seed company in the city. Amazingly, the Crosman Seed Company is still alive and well, operating successfully in the area.

However, in 1923, Bertram Fenner, then the Operations Manager of the Crosman Brothers Seed Company, reached an agreement with one William McLean to produce pellets and an air rifle based on McLean’s designs. In 1924 the Crosman Rifle Company was formed and, with several changes of name and ownership since, has become the company we know today as Crosman Corporation.

Over the course of time, Crosman has grown from a 6-person company in 1940, to the large corporation we see today. In 1992, Crosman acquired Benjamin Sheridan – another major US airgun manufacturer and cemented its position as by far the largest American manufacturer of airguns. Of course, the Benjamin name is now used as the brand for Crosman’s adult hunting and high performance models.

Below. Versions of the 392 and 397 air rifles are still made today, using traditional brass tubes.

From the early days, Crosman specialised in multi-pump and CO2-powered airguns. This line of development has been pretty well unbroken to the current day, with the addition of PCP models and breakbarrel air rifles.

The Company Today

In 1971, Crosman moved to a large new, purpose-built location in the rural village of East Bloomfield. This has been the company’s headquarters and manufacturing centre ever since.

And if you think Crosman’s 250,000 Square Foot headquarters is big – it really is!

You also then need to add a huge, separate Finished Goods warehouse a few miles away that itself is certainly as large as any other in the airgun industry. Well over 200 people work at Crosman. Like many companies with seasonal swings in manufacturing, the number varies with manufacturing demand.

Both Crosman, as a corporation, and its employees are very proud of the fact that the majority of its products are actually manufactured in the USA. You can read that as “not manufactured in China”.

Like any large manufacturing operation, Crosman sources products from multiple different suppliers in different countries. For example, it makes no sense for it to manufacture the screws and O rings used in its guns (no-one else does, either). But it designs most products in-house and manufactures many parts, too, including barrels, breeches and pressure tubes.

Here’s another part of the assembly floor…

Yes, there are Chinese-manufactured Crosman (and Benjamin) airguns, these are mainly the spring/piston and gas ram breakbarrel models. But even here, the company has been steadily bringing assembly back to the USA over recent years, on a model-by model basis.

Below, huge numbers of 760 barrels line up awaiting assembly.

Crosman’s longest-running model – the 760 multi-pump air rifle – has always been manufactured in-house. Since 1966, 17 Million 760s have been sold in the USA and – incredibly – every one is test-fired before shipping to ensure quality control. There’s not many airgunners in the US who have not owned a 760 in their youth and had their enthusiasm for airguns fired by it

The Benjamin Marauder – long the most popular PCP air rifle in the US – is also manufactured in the East Bloomfield factory. And again, every one is tested for accuracy and muzzle velocity before it’s shipped out on the test fixture below.

All-in-all, Crosman produces about 1.1 Million airguns every year and claims to be the US market leader in numbers of airguns sold. With numbers like that, I’m ready to believe it…

There’s Much More Than Airguns

Although airguns are the sexy products in our world, there’s lots more going on at Crosman’s factory than that.

The company is a major manufacturer of airgun pellets. And when we say “major”, we actually mean “MAJOR!” as the Bloomfield factory pumps out around 3 Million pellets every day – seven days a week. That’s over a BILLION pellets a year and explains why Crosman pellets are found at just about every shop across the USA where you can buy airguns and in many other countries around the world.

Don’t forget that the Crosman factory also bangs-out a massive number of BBs a day, too. In fact, you can make that ten times more BBs than pellets. I lost count of the number of zeroes involved at that point…

Crosman introduced the now-ubiquitous 12 Gram CO2 capsule in 1954. They’ve been making them ever since and currently produce around 140,000 CO2 “Powerlets” every day. That’s a lot of gas!

Quality And Efficiency

Crosman is also focussing hard on quality. The company’s Manufacturing Engineer Nic Hargarther took me through many of the improvements Crosman is making to barrels and pellet quality, in particular. That’s part of their barrel inspection system seen above.

The culture of continuous improvement is very striking on the production floor, with great emphasis on parts quality and efficient manufacturing practices.

Although Crosman uses many automated manufacturing systems – how else could they make so many pellets, BBs and Powerlets? – it’s interesting to see that the airguns themselves are all still assembled by hand. The factory is full of multiple small production cells, each one focussed on a specific product (or range of products), with dedicated operators who take pride in their work yet still made time to good-naturedly tease me for “speaking funny”!

Back To The Future

Looking back over nearly 100 years of airgun history, it’s clear that, although Crosman has successfully stuck to its knitting over the years, the company has not been afraid to innovate and enter new markets. Walking around the company’s airgun museum at the factory makes that clear.

Below, there’s a substantial museum at the plant containing examples of just about every model the manufacturer has produced.

Crosman was involved in paintball when that was hot and has been a large player in the airsoft market for years. It also produced an early, electronically-controlled big bore airgun – the Benjamin Rogue – that was arguably ahead its time.

More recently, the Benjamin Airbow is an innovative PCP “airgun” that shoots arrows with the power of a crossbow – make that a cool 168 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy – and opens-up a whole new field of hunting large game with air power.

Thanks, Crosman

Last, but not least, I’d like to thank everyone at Crosman for their help in compiling this story. They were all very generous with their time and information. And they gave me access to every part of the company I wanted to look at – and more…

Those familiar with airguns probably already know something about the Swiss-German-American conglomerate SIG SAUER coming to the table in a big way just three short years ago with their Advanced Sport Pellet (ASP) line. SIG made a full commitment to produce high quality, fully functioning replicas of their world-famous firearms. That commitment hasn’t waned and they have gone whole hog by introducing their SIGAIR division and are now bringing all airgun production in-house to their New Hampshire plant.

If you are familiar with SIGAIR products, you may know about the ASP20 break-barrel rifle, SIG’s first foray into the break-barrel realm. As usual with a new product introduction, there is a lot of build-up and hype and this air rifle really lives up to the hype. Purpose built from the ground up, being designed and built entirely in the U.S., engineers from SIG’s firearms division helped on it and the final product utilizes a trigger that came out of SIG firearm technology. It is a magnum class air rifle generating 23 foot-pounds of energy and one parameter the engineers were tasked with was making the cocking force more like a non-magnum break-barrel. The goal was accomplished with their proprietary GuideLight mechanism. The cocking force averages about 33 pounds as opposed to 40 or more in other magnums. Another unique feature came out of the mandate to make the lockup more solid and prevent barrel droop – an inherent break-barrel problem. The result was a keystone shaped design to the breech with tapered wings on each side of the receiver. They come together to form a solid lock-up like no other. To further aid accuracy, both parts are drilled for the pivot pin as one unit. SIG still wasn’t done. The MatchLite trigger used in the ASP20 is optimized at the factory to a three to four-pound pull. My sample averaged slightly under that at two pounds, 11.9 ounces out of the box. It is still user-adjustable and the tools are provided with the rifle. The trigger is straight with a smooth face, reminiscent of the trend in modern long-range precision rifles.

On top of all this, the finish on the ASP20 is the same matte-back Nitron as used on SIG firearms. The wood stocked model tested would best be described as striking; finished in a grey color that compliments the matte-black. The fit and finish were some of the best you’ll find with laser stippling in all the right places. The ambidextrous stock also features a straight pistol grip. It is a bit heavy at nine pounds without optics, but balances so well it doesn’t feel that heavy in the hands.

SIG is striving to be a “complete solution provider”, that is, supply the marketplace with the entire package from ammunition to training (through the SIG SAUER Academy) and everything in between. If their name is on it, then they control the quality all the way through. To this end, SIG sells their own branded pellets and CO₂, targets, safety gear and the Whiskey3 ASP 4-12x44mm airgun scope. This gun is meant to be scoped as it only comes with a section of picatinny rail and no iron sights.

It performed as expected with excellent accuracy using everything from lightweight alloys to pellets weighing 34 grains, only requiring adjustment to holdunder or holdover. Of course, SIG pellets are recommended and the rifle liked their Wraith Pb pellets the best.

Being a magnum springer, the kick was strong and it is somewhat loud even with a suppressor permanently mounted on the muzzle. It was not obnoxious, nor does it require hearing protection if shooting outdoors.

Warranted for five years, the ASP20 carries an MSRP of $429.99 in wood. Check it out over at the AofA website.

Big news from Extreme Benchrest 2019 is that Airguns of Arizona will be selling the American Air Arms range of PCPs!

Available Now At Airguns Of Arizona - The EVOL 22 PCP Air Rifle

American Air Arms is a relatively new company that has been steadily growing its range of PCP air rifles. As is implied by the company name, these are completely designed and manufactured in the USA. Precision CNC manufacturing systems are used to create most parts and US-produced materials are utilized wherever possible.

For example, the receivers are made from 7075 high strength Aluminum. The HPA tubes (max fill pressure 4,000 PSI) are manufactured from Titanium.

The aim is to produce a durable, high quality product that really performs and which really is Made in America!

At this year’s Extreme Benchrest competition, a number of American Air Arms EVOL 22 air rifles were to be found down the firing line.

For example, last year’s Extreme Benchrest Pro Class winner Claudio Flores was shooting one. That’s Claudio, above.

AAA’s President, Tom Costan was out there too, making holes in paper at long range and scoring well (below).

I spoke to Tom and he explained that his idea for AAA airguns is to make a really solid, heavy duty product that’s able to take a huge amount of use – both for competition and hunting.

Tom also confirmed to me that Airguns of Arizona is carrying the EVOL Line, with the Slayer planned to be added in future. At first both companies will concentrate their efforts on the EVOL 22 mini and TAC 30 models, he said, to avoid being spread too thin by demand.

Here’s Tom with his creations…

AoA received their first shipment of EVOL air rifles in September and they should be shown on the web site very soon, Tom continued.

In the meantime, you can phone AoA to find out more information about their new EVOL line. The number’s 480-461-1113, if it’s not already memorized on your phone for some reason!

Tom also explained that he designed the EVOL with a robust, regulated sidelever repeater action in .22, .25 and .30 calibers. He has matched this with a high precision, hammer forged chrome moly tensioned barrel system. The whole gun is perfectly matched, he said, providing the most consistent velocities required for extreme accuracy.

Tom is particularly proud that the EVOL’s barrel is firmly threaded into the receiver for maximum rigidity. Unlike other designs that use set-screws for barrel location, the EVOL’s threaded barrel can’t be knocked out of alignment during demanding field use, he says.

American Air Arms also had a demo range slot at EBR. This gave any shooter the opportunity to examine and try out the EVOL 22 and TAC 30 models. I tried one myself and found it very pleasant to shoot.

These EVOL guns certainly gave me a feeling of durability. They’re lighter than they look. I particularly liked the way that the HPA pressure gauge at the end of the tube is faced to one side. (The left, actually). Now you can check the pressure on an end gauge without having to “look down the barrel”!

The AAA Slayer big bore guns were also performing well in the Production Big Bore Class. Terry Eanetta placed second using one, while Stephen Marsh (below) secured third place.

So – with this development – we can expect to see EVOL air rifles become much more common among shooters. Look out for them at Extreme Benchrest 2020!

SIGAIR continues to bring items to the marketplace not expected from this relatively new player to the airgun space. One such item is their new Super Target ASP Precision Line .177 air pistol, an all metal match-grade single-shot pneumatic that is designed to be highly accurate. Made in Italy for SIG AIR, the Super Target will make an excellent entry-level air pistol for 10-meter competitions and is solidly built so that it is equally at home in the backyard plinking away at cans or other targets. It’s a large pistol sporting a 7.5-inch rifled barrel and classically styled black walnut grips, with an overall length of 11 inches and weighing in at 48 ounces. The overall look will seem familiar to SIG fans as it resembles the well-known P210 firearm. A fully adjustable two-stage trigger offers multiple options to customize the pull weight and length. Out of the box the trigger broke at the featherweight of 2pounds 5.3 ounces. Rated muzzle velocity is up to 330fps. Being an adult Match Precision Airgun as defined by the U.S. ASTM standards (F589) it is exempt from the 3-pound minimum trigger pull and drop test requirements.

To ready for firing, the exposed hammer-style catch is pulled back and the top of the receiver pulled up an over until it is fully extended. A quality pellet such as the SIG branded Match Ballistic Alloy Flat Head is inserted directly into the breech. The manual suggests best results will be with flathead pellets under 8 grains. With only about 7/8ths inch space between the breech face and the back end of the receiver, a ham-fist like me has to have patience when getting that .177 pellet started. Younger shooters or those with small fingers will definitely have an advantage when loading. Once the pellet is placed, the top of the receiver is brought back to its original position being mindful of pinch points. Similar to other fine air pistols designed for indoor precision shooting, the Super Target has no safeties of any kind. So, keep those fingers out of the trigger guard until you are up to the shooting line and ready to fire! I realize this is standard advice for anything that is capable of launching a projectile; it cannot be stressed enough.

The Super Target comes in a premium hard-plastic pistol case with an egg crate foam lining. Along with the gun is a hex wrench used for making the trigger adjustments, an extra O-ring breech seal and the Operator’s Manual. The manual is printed in English, French, Spanish and German and contains excellent color images depicting loading, firing and sight adjustment. When storing the Super Target for any length of time it is recommended that the receiver top be left slightly open to protect the seals. The provided pistol case allows ample room for this method. The pistol comes with a 5-year warranty and in my experience, SIG’s support has been outstanding. The list price comes in at $359.99 and AofA has them on their website at $349. As always, they can also assist with any accessories you may need so if you’d like to get into 10-meter shooting and on the path to the Olympics, or just have a high-quality plinker that you can shoot off your back porch, reach out to AofA. Next post will contain feedback on how it performed.

For some time, there’s been a move towards the use of slugs for long-range airgun shooting. Now that’s gathering momentum, with more manufacturers entering the arena and more shooters discovering their benefits.

But what do we mean by slugs?

Simply put, they are solid, un-waisted airgun projectiles. Unlike the traditional diabolo pellets which we know and love, slugs are shaped something like firearm bullets. They’re basically cylindrical, with a pointed nose, parallel sides and a flat (-ish) base.

In fact, there has been some confusion about what to call them. Sometimes they’ve been called bullets, but slugs – not to be confused with shotgun slugs, of course – has now become the standard name.

So slugs it is. But what is leading to their popularity and why now?

Basically the cause is the rapid development of technology and capability in PCP air rifles and their support systems. We’re experiencing significant increases in air rifle power as designers perfect valve and regulator systems. High Pressure Air brings the potential for power and that potential is being used more efficiently than ever before in new air rifle designs.

As the power potential of PCP air rifles has increased, so has the caliber. Larger calibers are essential to transmit the power inherent in large volumes of High Pressure Air, so no longer is .22 – or even .25 caliber seen as a “large” bore diameter for air rifles. Now we have .30 cal, .375, .45 caliber and above.

Of course it’s true that big bore – say about .30 caliber like the Benjamin Bulldog above – airguns have a long and honorable history. But in the past they were generally hand-built, custom pieces built in vanishingly small numbers for specialist, enthusiast users. Now that’s changed.

These big bore calibers are available as standard product from multiple manufacturers in mass-production build quantities. Customer demand has expanded to match supply. Although few PCPs – let alone big bore PCPs – have yet penetrated the “big box” chain sporting goods stores, they are increasingly strong in specialist online stores – like AoA, of course – where most knowledgeable airgunners make their purchases.

Below, the Huben K1 works well with slugs.

This means that .177 PCP air rifle sales are in relative decline. Let’s think about that for a moment…

Apart from specific target shooting disciplines, the fact is that less and less people are buying .177 caliber PCPs! Even .22 cal. is threatened as more and more airgun shooters consider .25 caliber and above to be the “new normal” for PCPs.

Large caliber PCPs use vast amounts of High Pressure Air. So – guess what? – this demand has been met by a growing number of HPA compressors at ever-lower prices. Think Omega Trail Charger, for example. Lower-priced, more available compressor technology encourages more shooters to move to PCPs.

What we have here is a technology-driven “virtuous cycle” of improvement in airgun performance, price and power. With this technology shift has come the desire to use the capability of increasingly-capable PCP air rifles to shoot at ever-increasing distances.

So we see more and more interest in competitions such as Extreme Benchrest, with airgun target shooting out to 100 Yards.

Such long range shooting blows the capabilities of .177 caliber completely out of the water. Ditto for springers, of course.

All of which focuses attention on the projectile…

As high power, long-range, HPA-powered airgun performance becomes ever better, there’s a natural demand for improved ammunition to maximize the capabilities of the hardware. Basically, the need is for heavier projectiles that can absorb the increasing power available in larger caliber PCPs at velocities that – preferably – remain subsonic (less than say 1,100 FPS).

With this comes demand for a Ballistic Coefficient that’s superior to anything that can be achieved with the traditional wasp-waisted diabolo pellet for long-range accuracy.

That is leading to experimentation with non-traditional airgun pellet designs and a move towards cylindrical, non-waisted airgun ammunition. Yes, we’re back to slugs!

So should I shoot pellets or slugs? That’s a question being asked by many owners of high power PCP air rifles right now. Airguns of Arizona gives you a choice because they carry both pellets and slugs – with a steadily-increasing range of the latter.

As with many things in life, the answer is not always clear, however…

One thing that’s apparent is that slugs can be appreciably more accurate at long ranges than diabolo pellets. This is confirmed by the rules for Extreme Benchrest, for example. Slugs are not permitted to be used.

The accuracy benefit of slugs is found particularly in their resistance to changing wind conditions. At least compared to a traditional diabolo airgun pellet.

But this improved long-range accuracy potential is not a given for any air rifle. Firstly, you need a powerful air rifle: say 40 Ft/Lbs muzzle energy for a minimum. This – in itself – rules-out .177 caliber as a viable slug caliber and further drives the move to .22 caliber and above.

Then you need a barrel that works well with slugs.

Being designed for the ballistic characteristics of traditional waisted pellets, it’s hardly surprising to discover that many airgun barrels do not give good performance with the completely different ballistic characteristics of slugs. This means that airgun manufacturers are working on the development of barrel profiles optimized for slug use.

Here we have another technology cycle in the making, based around barrel and slug design. Daystate is one company leading the charge towards new barrel designs, as we’ve discussed on a previous occasion.

So far, we’ve talked about slugs in the context of accurate – primarily target – shooting. But realistically, it needs to be recognized that competitive airgun target shooting in any form – benchrest, Field Target, 10 Meter etc – involves a relatively small number of airgun shooters, compared to the number who hunt.

For hunters, the overwhelming requirement is to deliver the maximum amount of kinetic energy downrange for an ethical, single-shot knockdown. Pinpoint accuracy, while important, is (just) the secondary requirement, particularly if you’re aiming to take down a bear or buffalo – as is now becoming possible with the most powerful big bore air rifles, like the Western Big Bore Bushbuck, for example.

In this case, there’s no competition! The Ballistic Coefficient of slugs is far superior to anything that can be achieved with diabolo pellets. That means more energy further downrange, combined with less susceptibility to wind. Providing practical accuracy is acceptable, slugs are the obvious answer.

So, while long range competitive shooting is the headline-grabbing area of slug development and shooting right now, in the long run, it’s the capabilities of slugs for hunting that will drive their broader adoption across the country.

Slugs? They’re here to stay!

The Benjamin Pioneer Airbow is the airgun that made arrow-firing PCPs a big deal. Having no personal backround in archery – I’ve never even fired a bow! – it was interesting for me to try shooting an Airbow and, in particular, to discover how it performs downrange.

Let's Look At The Benjamin Pioneer Airbow

The Airbow is a very close relative of the Benjamin Bulldog .357 caliber air rifle that we mentioned in the previous post. Apart from the fact that it shoots arrows instead of slugs, the main differences are that the Airbow has a vertical cocking lever…

… and the pressure gauge is at the front of the HPA tube, being filled by a probe – very unusual for a Crosman/Benjamin product.

Over time, the Benjamin Pioneer Airbow has become legal for use in a number of states for a variety of game. The Crosman website gives an interactive map showing the species that it’s legal to harvest in each state. Here’s how it looks for Coyotes and predators, for example.

But how does the Airbow perform downrange? To answer this question, I recently shot a well-used airbow in a cold (35 degrees F), snowy upstate New York day. It was typical deer hunting weather, but I was shooting targets.

Using a Labradar doppler radar system, I measured not only the muzzle velocity, but also the velocity of the arrow downrange. The target was set at 40 Yards – representing typical deer hunting range – and Labradar measured the velocity every 10 Yards downrange.

Here’s the result…

This graph shows the average reading from nine shots. Crosman says to expect eight consistent shots from an Airbow, but this one gave nine! As we can see, the muzzle velocity averaged 446 FPS and dropped to 405 FPS out at 40 Yards downrange.

More important is what happened to the kinetic energy of the arrows. The average arrow weight in this test was 373.7 Grains (Crosman specs are for 375 Grains, so that’s pretty close).

As we can see, the muzzle energy of the test Airbow was 165.1 Ft/Lbs. It fell to a 152 Ft/Lbs at 20 yards but still gave a whopping 136.1 Ft/Lbs at our 40 yard target. That’s plenty powerful for a wide variety of large game.

Accuracy? Well, as mentioned, I’ve never shot anything like the Airbow before. But every shot I took – including the first – hit within a 6-inch radius of the aim point. That’s clearly good enough to bring home the venison!

Airguns of Arizona stocks the Benjamin Pioneer Airbow. If you’re interested, they’d love to tell you more about it!

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup was first shown at the 2019 IWA OutdoorClasics trade show in Germany. Now it’s arrived in the USA and we are looking at one of the first guns received by Airguns of Arizona.

The Weihrauch HW100 BP - It's An Absolute Gem!

Perhaps surprisingly, the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup is a version of the HW100, with its metal receiver. It’s not based on the more recent HW110 which has a synthetic receiver. It’s available in both .177 and .22 calibers and also in short and long versions.

The carbine version features a shorter barrel, together with a smaller HPA cylinder. This will mean less power and a lower number of shots. However the upside is to be found in the outstanding handling available in this compact package.

For testing, we mounted an MTC Viper Pro 3-18 x 50 scope using Leapers UTG Pro rings. There’s a choice of scope-mounting options. Regular airgun grooves are machined in the top of the receiver. However a separate Picatinny rail is screwed screwed onto it by default. We chose to use this for our scope mounting.

We also attached an UTG TBNR bipod to the short, removable Picatinny rail under the forend.

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup has a mid-mounted sidelever action. It’s located – as expected – on the right side of the gun and is conveniently located near to the trigger blade.

The HW100 Bullpup is supplied with a Weihrauch-manufactured silencer permanently-attached to the barrel. It also comes complete with two magazines, a fill probe and degassing tools. The HPA tank is removable – it unscrews like that of other Weihrauch PCPs. The front lower Picatinny rail is also supplied separately, with its fixing screws.

The trigger of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine is a two-stage design. The pull weight averaged just 14.7 Oz in the sample we tested. The first stage was very light. However – despite the light pull weight – the “stop” for the second stage was very easy to feel. Release was then clean and precise.

All bullpup air rifles with a mechanical trigger separate the trigger and sear assemblies with a long rod. This is seen in the photograph below for the Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine with the HPA tank removed.

Overall, the short length (23 Inches) and compact design make this new air rifle a delight to handle. The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine shoulders well and is fast and easy to bring onto aim.

This is enhanced by the molded pistol grip which – like that on other Weihrauch PCPs – is outstandingly comfortable and obviously designed with considerable care. The trigger guard has cut outs on either side. These position the user’s trigger finger safely away from contact with the trigger, yet leave it as close as possible for rapid access when ever a shot need to be taken.

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine is an individualist’s air rifle. It’s not trying to offer the most power, highest shot count or maximum versatility. What it does offer, however, is superlative quality of manufacture, outstanding handling and huge practicality. It combines this with excellent accuracy and enough power for most users. And it does it with great style!

If you’re looking for a light, quiet, compact PCP air rifle that’s “out of the box ready” with the minimum of fuss, the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine definitely fits the bill. And it’s available at Airguns of Arizona now!

Coming Soon At AoA - The Umarex AirSaber

Just last month, we covered the Benjamin Pioneer AirBow. For some years this has been the primary arrow-shooting PCP airgun in the market. But now it’s being joined by the Airbow from Umarex – it will be shown to the airgun industry at the 2020 SHOT Show in Las Vegas next week!

AoA has their AirSaber delivery “en route” as this is being written. So give them a call to find out more and be in line for one as soon as they are available. They’ll be on this page if you prefer online ordering.

The AirSaber is somewhat less powerful than the Airbow. Also it is not regulated like its competitor. However it’s definitely powerful enough and it combines this with a higher shot count, lighter weight and better handling than the Airbow.

Oh, and it’s also less expensive. A lot less expensive…

The AirSaber is a bolt-action, arrow-firing PCP “arrow rifle” that will be available with a bundled Axeon Optics archery scope at a MSRP of $369.99. That includes three 350 Grain carbon fiber arrows with field points. It will also be available without the scope at an MSRP of $319.99.

Six-packs of Umarex Straight Flight Technology arrows will be available at a MSRP of $39.99.

The Umarex AirSaber PCP Arrow Rifle can be filled with High Pressure Air to a maximum of 3,625 PSI fill pressure. The company claims that will result in up to 25 effective shots per fill.

Maximum Muzzle Energy is specified as being up to 177.5 Ft/Lbs – that’s 478 FPS. As the AirSaber is not regulated, we’ll look at some power/shot count testing below. This information should help new owners understand the impact of falling pressure as successive arrows are fired.

There’s a two-stage trigger, manual safety and olive green synthetic thumbhole stock. Picatinny rails are provided on top of the breech for scope mounting. There are three further short rails around the forend as accessory mounting points.

Filling with air is facilitated by a fill probe with built-in male quick disconnect. The pressure gauge is sensibly located in the underside of the stock, ahead of the trigger. This is one of the best locations for a pressure gauge on any PCP air rifle as it avoids the necessity to “look down the barrel” to check pressure, as it the case with end-mounted gauges.

The Umarex AirSaber PCP Arrow Rifle is loaded by inserting an arrow from the “muzzle” end of the gun – while the safety is on “safe”, of course. The Umarex arrows are supplied with field points, but broadheads can easily be fitted , if preferred.

Using the Labradar doppler radar system, we fired the AirSaber and recorded the velocities downrange.

That enabled us to calculate the Muzzle Energy developed by the Umarex AirSaber, together with the remaining Kinetic Energy downrange. We took 10 shots…

In the chart below, the Muzzle Energy is shown by the blue line. The green line indicates the energy at 10 Yards, orange shows the power at 20 Yards and the red line the remaining energy at 30 yards.

So we see that that first shot produced no less than 184 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy. At 30 Yards, 164.8 Ft/Lbs of energy was still possessed by the flying arrow!

To give a guide to the range of game that can be harvested – where legal – by the AirSaber, Umarex has produced the graphic below. This indicates that this arrow-firing PCP is capable of dealing with even with the toughest game – especially when firing at a high fill pressure.

Accuracy was very good. Every shot we made at 40 yards would have been a one-shot kill on an animal the size of a White Tail deer (with a 6 – 7 Inch kill zone). However, the constantly-falling Muzzle Velocity meant that the shooter needed to adjust the point of aim as the shot count built up.

This means that practice will be needed to obtain consistent accuracy in the field – particularly if firing many shots. Fortunately, most hunters are unlikely to take many shots at one time, so this ever-falling point of impact is less likely to be an issue.

Overall, the Umarex AirSaber is a capable arrow-firing PCP airgun that’s great value for money. Call your buddies at AoA to reserve yours!

The Brocock XR series is a new range of airguns from the British manufacturer. They’re being launched today!

Brocock XR
Brocock Sniper XR
Brocock Commander XR
Brocock Concept HR

The obvious change to current Brocock models is that there’s a sidelever action to replace the traditional bolt action. However, there’s many other subtle changes “under the hood”, as we’ll find out.

Below. We mounted a MTC Viper Pro 3-18 x 50 AO scope to a Brocock XR Sniper using UTG Pro rings.

I first saw a prototype of the new Brocock sidelever breech assembly at the Extreme Benchrest competition in October 2019, but was sworn to secrecy about it.

Now we can reveal that this new sidelever action has extremely smooth operating characteristics. It certainly gives a sophisticated, quality feel to the cocking action pellet loading in the new Brocock XR series air rifles.

The tactical-style sidelever operating handle is “grippy” and easy to use. It’s also attractive and sits in an ergonomically-convenient position relative to the trigger.

However, the new sidelever action is not the only improvement incorporated in the new XR series. Brocock says that there’s a number of technical improvements, including a revised hammer and valve assembly which increase power output and the number of consistent shots per fill.

In addition, the firing system has been refined with ultra-fine tolerances. There’s an improved trigger set-up from the factory, too.

Brocock says that the barrel now has an even higher level of finish to the bore.

Brocock XR series air rifles, save for the base XR model, include a HUMA regulator system. This system has been developed by the Dutch regulator specialists in conjunction with the Brocock team.

All models in the new XR series include an on-the-fly power adjuster, 10-shot magazine, single shot tray, choked barrel, integral shrouded silencer and a match-feel adjustable trigger.

If you want to add a 0dB second stage silencer, that works, too…

For more details on these new Brocock air rifles, contact AoA. They’ll be more than happy to tell you all about them!

Coming Soon At AoA - The New Daystate Delta Wolf

That fuzzy photograph above is all we’re allowed to see of the forthcoming Daystate Delta Wolf!

Yes it’s SHOT Show time, but Daystate is teasing us with a major forthcoming product announcement. The Delta Wolf is going to be announced at the IWA Outdoor Classics show in Germany in March 2020.

Daystate says that the Delta Wolf represents over two years of design, planning and testing. It will introduce the company to the “Tactical” segment of the airgun market and is – Daystate assures us – destined to become the standard against which all others will be judged.

The Delta Wolf has been designed from the ground up to be the genesis of a new evolution for the PCP air rifle, says Daystate. The company also released a summary of some key features as follows:

Multi-caliber capabilities (.177, .22 cal., .25 cal and .30 caliber). Pre-set factory tunes for each caliber makes changing calibers easier than ever.

Customer tuning customization included without the need for a separate tool.

Huma regulated with computer interface and control for maximum power and shot count.

Newly-designed high capacity magazine system.

Daystate A.R.T. barrels. Two lengths available plus dedicated slug barrels. AoA experts have been involved in the development of this, as we’ve covered in this blog previously

Higher power output than previous Daystate models.

AR-15 compatible components.

Patent protected technology.

That’s all we know about the Daystate Delta Wolf right now. There’s obviously a lot more news to come at the full launch in Germany in March.

But one thing’s for certain. The team at AoA will have all of the information for you as soon as it’s available. They’ll have the product too asap. My advice is to start saying! The Daystate Delta Wolf is most unlikely to be cheap – but it’s certainly going to be an outstanding air rifle.

As soon as it arrives, you’ll find it here!

You Need To Check Your Pellets With A PelletGage!

The PelletGage is a simple-to-use device that is able to to determine the head size of pellets in 0.01 mm (ten micron) increments. Actually, it’s an extremely precise “go – no go” gauge

It is currently available in five common airgun calibers. There’s .177 and .22 calibers, of course, together with.20 cal, .25 and .30 caliber

Most air rifle shooters are interested in accuracy. They know know that their guns “like” – that is, shoot most accurately with – a particular pellet or pellets. In many cases, this may be due to the head size of that particular pellet. Pellet dimensions actually vary significantly between different designs and the head diameter is a particularly critical measurement.

That may not be too surprising, but it’s more surprising to discover that head size can vary significantly between the “same” pellets from one tin!

Testing has shown significant size variation in tins of quality pellets, and differences of mean diameter between tins of the same size and weight. This may be a key to finding that next tin of pellets that shoots so well.

Here’s an example of this variation in head diameter for JSB Redesigned Monster pellets. These are a high quality pellet, of course. But even so, you’ll see that there are two “fliers” with head diameters slightly outside the 5.56 mm aim from the 50 pellets that were measured.

If we look at a lower-quality, anonymous pellet, we can see a much wider spread of head sizes. It’s not difficult to see that these pellets are likely to be less accurate than the JSBs…

The PelletGage allows us to know the diameter of the pellet’s head, and to make that determination quickly. It allows us to check the pellets in one tin for consistency.

Each PelletGage has ten round apertures precisely cut into a thin metal sheet. These apertures allow a range of head sizes to be measured for each caliber.

To use a PelletGage, roll or drop the head of the pellet into the smallest expected aperture.

If the pellet head is larger than the selected hole, it will not drop into the opening. Move up to the next larger size(s) – diameters are etched in the metal – and the pellet will drop partially through aperture, caught by the skirt.

This establishes the size range of the pellet head as being between the largest aperture it won’t clear, and the smallest that it will. That’s why this type of gauge is commonly called a “go no-go”.

With a PelletGage, you can rapidly sort pellets by size, or simply to give you an accurate measure of the head diameter of that new tin of pellets you just received.

Once you know what diameter your gun “likes”, you can take steps to get that same diameter for better shooting results. You’ll be confident of consistent accuracy, whether you’re hunting with your air rifle, or shooting field target competition – so long as you and the gun do your part, that is.

Note that the PelletGage is a measuring tool. It’s not intended to “size” or change the diameter of any pellet.

Measuring the diameter of a round object isn’t easily done. Normal micrometers and calipers can measure one chord or section across the object only.

PelletGage is more accurate, repeatable, and faster than using calipers or micrometers. Also, it doesn’t demand the skill of using those devices. Lead pellets are very easily damaged and you could damage the very pellets you are measuring by incorrect use of calipers or a “mike”.

So why does the PelletGage measure head diameters in mm (millimeters)?

This is because many high quality .177 caliber pellets used for precision field target shooting are manufactured in Europe where they use metric units, such as mm. So, the head diameters of these pellets are designed to be 4.51/4.52/4.53 mm, etc. rather than .177/.178 inches etc.

You’ll often find this manufacturing aim diameter printed on a sticker on the bottom of H&N pellet tins. It’s 5.53mm in this example, below.

Actually, each 0.01 mm step is actually 10 microns, or 0.0004 inches. That’s four tenths of a thou – about the width of a human hair. The accuracy of the holes in a PelletGage is assured by a state of the art laser cutting technique, combined with special alloy sheet steel. The tolerance is +/- 0.0025 mm of indicated inside diameter. That’s precision!

The Pelletgage is available from your friends at Airguns of Arizona. If you’re interested in shooting accurately – and who isn’t? – you need one for each caliber of pellets you shoot.

We’ve begun a new decade and another SHOT Show is in the history books. The venue where manufacturers display their new creations coming to market, it attracts approximately 60,000 buyers and media folks. We truly live in great times technologically-speaking and that bodes well for airgunners because the manufacturers just keep turning out advancements, making our hobby more exciting. I’m extremely fortunate that I am able to attend this trade-only annual love-fest for everything outdoors. Here are a few things seen that you can look forward to this coming year.

New .50 calibers were on display and expanding on a theme this year came several arrow-firing airguns utilizing PCP or CO₂. Also of interest were the number of pellet makers coming out with airgun slugs.

Starting with Umarex, they announced their Airsaber and Airjavelin. The Airsaber is a PCP arrow-firing rifle using full-length carbon-fiber arrows. It runs off a 240cc/3625psi cylinder and is reportedly capable of 25 shots on a fill. Suitable for big-game hunting it launches arrows up to 450fps and can produce 160+ fpe. A kit form includes an Axeon 4x32mm scope with special archery reticle. Umarex was not the first company with an arrow launcher, but they are the first at a price-point under $375.

The Airjavelin, is a smaller, lighter version suitable for small-game or plinking activities. Using an 88-gram CO₂ tank it will send arrows downrange at 300fps with a muzzle energy of 34fpe. Its price is very attractive as well at under $175.

HatsanUSA unveiled the Harpoon, a dedicated PCP platform using crossbow bolts that can get them going an astounding 600+ fps and yields 325fpe! An onboard 500cc/3625psi reservoir gives 10 full-power shots. A bit pricier at $850, it will appeal to serious big-game archery hunters. Their other arrow-gun is actually a module that is interchangeable with pellet-firing barrels as part of their Hydra Versa Cal Technology system. A single thumb-screw at the back of the receiver is turned to release one module from the beautiful Turkish hardwood stock and replaced by another in seconds. The arrow module also uses crossbow bolts but the shorter barrel tube and 165cc air reservoir make this one more suitable for medium-sized game. Other calibers available for the Hydra are: .177, .22 or .25 and it is a slick system. MSRP to get started with a single module is $450.

Hatsan introduced the Harpoon arrow airgun

Hatsan was also one of the companies introducing a .50 this year. Called the Piledriver, it can send a lead slug downrange at 850fps for a whopping 800fpe. Five full-power shots are possible from its 500cc/4350psi tank. A bullpup with easy side-lever action, its unsuppressed 33-inch barrel accommodates sabot ammo but certainly isn’t backyard friendly!

Airforce introduced the Texan 50-CF. This new .50 can also exceed a muzzle energy of 800fpe using their new TX2 valve system coupled with a 3625psi carbon-fiber tank. Sporting a Lothar-Walther barrel, it should be well received as the newest member of the Texan lineup.

Pellet manufacturers typically announce new designs/weights in their lines and it seemed that all of them now offer lead slugs for airguns. Designed for airgun barrels and twist rates, they provide maximum knockdown power for hunting applications and potential for longer range shooting.

While not yet listed on the AofA website, the guys can certainly fix you up with these new items as soon as they are available. Reach out to them to indicate your interest in these shiny new toys.

Of course, there were many other new items to see at this year’s show, including a revamped lineup of Brococks and an intriguing teaser about the new Daystate Delta Wolf, a tactical bullpup Daystate designed that won’t be released until March at the IWA show in Germany. Stay tuned.

The SIG MCX Virtus PCP air rifle is the latest offering from SIG Air. Externally, it’s a close copy of the MCX Virtus battle rifle. It’s also significant for SIG Air as it’s the company’s first PCP-powered airgun.

The Virtus PCP is – with the exception of the regulated HPA tank that substitutes for the buttstock – a very realistic representation of the MCX Virtus firearm. Weight, length and looks are all very close to the powder-burner version.

Size and weight are very similar to the Patrol version of the Virtus, the company seeming having spared no detail, even the gas block adjuster being visible under the hand guard.

Likewise, the flash hider is well represented…

The SIG MCX Virtus PCP air rifle is supplied with a very nice, functional set of iron sights. The rear sight has windage adjustment capability, together with a choice of two peep apertures. The front sight is a post that’s adjustable for elevation.

Of course, most users will prefer to mount a scope on the long Picatinny rail. The SIG Air 1-4×20 scope is a good match, for example.

If you wish to fit a larger or more powerful scope, you may find it necessary to use either very high rings. Alternatively a Picatinny rail riser can come-in useful, as we can see below.

The SIG MCX Virtus PCP air rifle arrives very well packaged, a very important consideration given the “love” shown to many packages by delivery companies. However, AoA’s packaging is always exemplary in my experience, so they’ll pack your new airgun better than anyone else in the business.

A little assembly is required to get your new Virtus shooting. But it’s nothing that can’t easily be managed.

Then, all you need to do is fill the HPA tank with 3,000 PSI of air, fill the mag with 30 pellets and start shooting!

Now it’s best to remember that the SIG MCX Virtus is a battle rifle. So don’t expect to find Daystate accuracy and trigger feel – it’s not going to happen, especially at $299.99.

This is a fun plinking rifle, ideal for toppling cans and backyard fun at 10 yards or so…

Actually, the SIG MCX Virtus PCP air rifle does provide a large number of fairly-consistent shots – well over 150 in my testing. It combines this with the ability to fire as fast as you can pull the trigger.

Just be aware that the trigger pull first stage advances the pellet into battery, the second stage actually releases the sear. This means that trigger pull weight is heavy. 10 Lbs is average. Add this to the 12 Ft/Lbs power level and you’re probably not likely to win Extreme Benchrest with a SIG MCX Virtus PCP air rifle.

But, of course, that’s not what it is for!

The Virtus is a fun gun for great backyard plinking enjoyment. Treated in that sense, it will give many people a great deal of enjoyment.

Your friends at Airguns of Arizona will have the SIG MCX Virtus PCP air rifle available very soon. Pick up a couple of spare magazines, too. You’ll probably be needing them Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Daystate Delta Wolf Air Rifle

The new Daystate Delta Wolf was mysteriously “trailed” at the 2020 SHOT Show, as we shared in a previous post. Now we can finally share some details about this exciting new air rifle. And – hey – that photograph above looks just like Jared from AoA shooting a pre-production Delta Wolf…

Before we go any further, there’s a word of caution. This is so exciting that if you want to be one of the first to own a Delta Wolf, you will probably want to phone AoA on 480-461-1113 and pre-order right now!

The Delta Wolf will be available from Airguns of Arizona in late Spring/early Summer. Prices are TBD.

Daystate says that the new Delta Wolf heralds the birth of a new family of electronic PCP airguns for the forthcoming decade. Nothing like Delta Wolf has been attempted in either the airgun – or firearm – worlds before, the company tells us.

It’s claimed to be an ongoing extension of the company’s position as the maker of the world’s most advanced airguns.

The Delta Wolf is the first Daystate to adopt the popular tactical, “black gun” form factor. It represents two years of development and investments, with a number of newly-filed patents. That – says Daystate – will make the Delta Wolf a very hard act to follow, let alone beat!

There’s a huge range of features, so hold tight…

Delta Wolf Full Feature List:

New Advanced Velocity Technology (AVT) electronic management system.

Available in all popular calibers, .177, .22, are available with a 16.9-inch barrel. Alternatively a 23.6-inch barrel is available for .177, .22, .25 and .30 calibers.

Barrels and/or calibers can be switched by the shooter without special tools.

Electronically pre-programmed for quick power and caliber changes.

With its unique built-in chronograph, the Delta Wolf corrects velocity while also allowing the shooter to dial in their preferred Muzzle Velocity. This is the Chronograph unit below.

Adjustable 22mm picatinny scope rail and cheek-piece for different scope type/eye relief.

Picatinny under and side rails for a range of accessories.

AR style switchable pistol grip, familiar AR style safety.

A newly developed magazine system with a larger capacity from 8 – 13 shots (according to caliber).

Magazines can be paired in the breech – to double shot count to 16-26 shots.

User-tuneable for different velocity and power levels with different ammunition types.

A.R.T-developed barrels are compatible with the latest generation of airgun ‘slug’ ammunition.

A Bluetooth module allows the airgun to connect in the future to other accessories and apps.

Superior ergonomics with fast-switching side lever action – conversion from left to right in around a minute.

Large, 30mm diameter, carbon fibre shroud the DeltaWolf is a rifle to be seen but not heard and optional 0db silencer for backyard-friendly report.

Removable bottle – carry extra lightweight carbon fibre bottles with you while also being able to fill through a connector on the rifle.

New fast flow valve system.

Exclusive factory-fit Huma Air Regulator.

Huge – biggest in class (34cc) – plenum chamber for more power.

Onboard high capacity Li-Po battery with charging port on rifle (charges via USB-C connector).

Weight (approx.) 6.84 Lbs for 23.6-inch barrel model.

Overall length 34-inches for the long-barreled model.

Electronic match trigger and multi adjustable blade positions.

Despite being the most technologically advanced airgun of all time, Daystate says that the Delta Wolf has been designed and built to be simpler to use, easier to tune and faster to service.

I can’t wait to try one! How about you???

55 years ago, Bill Ruger collaborated with Harry Siefried and Doug McClenahan to develop what has become unquestionably one of the most popular .22 rifles of all time. At the 2019 SHOT Show, UmarexUSA announced the licensed copy of this famous firearm as a CO₂ pellet rifle.

A soft and very pleasant shooter, it is powered by two CO₂ cartridges installed into the stock via an ingenious arrangement. To prepare this little carbine for a shooting session the buttplate is removed by pressing in on a button in the center and rotating it counter-clockwise one-quarter of a turn. The buttplate can now be removed, exposing the piercing screw and the built-in allen wrench. The CO₂ cartridges are loaded butt-to-butt and the piercing screw turned very snugly to make certain both cartridges are pierced.

Using the built-in wrench to tighten the piercing screw

The magazine is made to exactly resemble the rotary magazine used in the firearm and is actually a housing, referred to as a “clip” in the User’s Guide. It holds the red 10-round rotary pellet magazine and is removed from the air carbine in the same fashion as the real .22. The rotary magazine can be loaded in place or removed to load and two magazines are included with the gun. Extras are available for order to facilitate quicker loading while at the firing line. It is so much fun to shoot, just like its powder-burning big brother, that 10 rounds fly downrange pretty darn quick, so having extra rotary mags loaded gets you back to shooting almost as fast.

The curved metal trigger is non-adjustable and works as both double-action and single-action. The bolt is non-reciprocating, so it must be retracted to cock the internal hammer for each single-action shot. In single-action mode the trigger pull was light and crisp at slightly less than four pounds. In double-action mode the pull weight increased to approximately ten pounds and stacked toward the end of travel, so it might be tougher for young shooters without a lot of hand strength. Possibly, it will break-in with use and may alleviate much of the problem.

The dimensions closely mimic the actual 10/22 with the exception of weight. Housed in a polymer stock, it tips the scales at only 4.5 pounds. The light weight, plus the fact that dry-firing is perfectly acceptable for this little carbine, make it ideal for training youth or introducing someone unfamiliar with firearms to the shooting sports. After mastering the necessary safety and shooting skills with the 10/22 Air, it is an easy transition to the actual firearm. As a bonus, the receiver is drilled and tapped for after-market scope rails, adding another possible training dimension by installing a scope.

Umarex even drilled and tapped the receiver for scope mounts!

The 10/22 Air did well with a varied selection of pellets and seemed to really like the light alloy pellets such as the Predator GTOs and SIG Ballistic Match. The 18.75-inch rifled steel barrel provided excellent accuracy at plinking ranges and the use of two cartridges gives this carbine a bit more punch. Testing at a mile above sea level showed velocities of 660fps for alloys and 575fps for lead pellets. The average number of shots was between 70 and 80 before gas pressure dropped and the cartridges needed replacing.

I’m a fan of both the firearm and this accurate replica, and believe you may be as well once you’ve shot it. UmarexUSA is able to offer this little gem at an MSRP of $140 with a one-year limited warranty. While not currently listed under the Umarex brands on the AofA website, contact them if you’d like to own this bit of 10/22 history.

Shooting The New Brocock Sniper XR Air Rifle

The Brocock XR series of air rifles were launched in late January 2020. Now, after of plenty of practice, it’s time to report on how the Sniper XR actually shoots!

As expected, it’s all good news.

Performance is excellent, consistency is outstanding and its fit and finish is top quality. Yet there’s something more to this air rifle. The overall experience of handling and firing it is something special. It’s tough to describe in words, but I’ll try…

For this test, I mounted a MTC Viper Pro 3-18 x 50 AO scope to a .22 caliber Brocock XR Sniper using UTG Pro rings. I also installed a odB silencer – another product from the Brocock/Daystate/MTC family.

The resulting rig was not a light airgun. In fact, the all-up weight totalled 10 Lbs 8 Oz. But it certainly did NOT feel that heavy!

The key to this is that the balance and handling of the Brocock XR Sniper is outstanding. Obviously the adjustable cheek piece and buttpad play their part, however the architecture of the design means that it “just feels right” to shoot. In this respect, it’s among the best air rifles I’ve ever tested.

The semi-bullpup design clearly works well in creating such comfortable and pleasant handling. The overall handling feel is nowhere like the rather cramped feel of some conventional bullpups.

In fact, the XR Sniper feels more like a conventional “full length” air rifle. The saving of a crucial couple of inches in receiver position due to the semi-bullpup configuration clearly has a huge effect on the overall balance and feel when shooting.

The 10-shot rotary magazine works well and predictably, as always with Brocock and Daystate air rifles. I also particularly liked the single shot tray. This was easy to use, providing a convenient, high wall on the “non-loading” side.

The single shot tray also has another benefit. It can be installed from either side. This unusual feature will particularly be appreciated by left-handers.

The new sidelever cocking action is a delight to use! The side lever itself is well positioned and delightfully weighted.

The cocking effort was just around 9 Lbs. It felt light and easy, helped – no doubt – by the oversize cocking lever handle. This has tactical looks and tactile feeling – it’s an efficient and enjoyable way to cock the air rifle. Very nice!

The MTC scope balanced well on the gun and gave a high quality image for our testing.

There’s a pair of Picatinny rails clamped to the top of the breech. These provide the Brocock Sniper XR with plenty of real estate for scope mounting.

These rails can also be removed if required, revealing a set of regular airgun dovetail rails underneath. This provides another mounting option for short eye relief or low-mounted scopes, such as the MTC Viper Connect models.

Trigger pull weight for this Brocock Sniper XR averaged 3 Lbs 2 Oz. That was with the factory trigger setting and obviously could be adjusted as required.

This pull weight indicates that the Sniper XL is intended by the manufacturer mainly as a hunting air rifle. It’s perfect for that use, although somewhat heavy for target shooting.

On pulling the trigger, the first stage is light but distinctly-felt. Then there’s absolutely no doubt when you’ve reached the second stage! There’s a distinct “wall” that lets you know precisely that the gun is ready to fire.

A little more effort and the trigger breaks sharply and predictably. There’s no creep, doubt or fuss, just a clean release that removes any hint of surprise. Very nice!

The manual safety has a push-across paddle inside the trigger guard, just ahead of the trigger blade itself. It’s easy to use and positive in application.

The test results definitely intended for use with heavy, domed lead pellets.
25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monster proved to be the most accurate pellet in this .22 caliber Brocock Sniper XR. They were closely followed by the next heaviest pellet, the 21.14 Grain Baracuda Match.

As well as being the most accurate, these heavy pellets also provided the most power. Shooting the Jumbo Monsters, the Brocock Sniper XR I tested reached a maximum Muzzle Energy of 43 Ft/lbs. That’s a very good power level for any .22 caliber air rifle.

As a powerful, flat-shooting .22 caliber PCP, it demonstrated great accuracy with heavy lead pellets. This would be an outstanding gun for hunting. It could also double as a long range Benchrest rifle.

(Remember that Claudio Flores won the 2018 Extreme Benchrest competition with a very similar Brocock Sniper HP model).

The Brocock Sniper XR looks good, but it really has to be handled and shot to appreciate the full benefits it offers.

There’s no question that offers excellent all-round performance and value for money. If you want a quality PCP that’s “hunting ready” straight out of the box, the Sniper XL would be a great choice.

Don’t just take my word for it. Call the guys at AoA and ask for their opinion, too. You’ll be glad you did!

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!

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