Airgun World Magazine - 2011 May

What you get:
G Nitro Piston Power system

G Ambidextrous thumbhole stock
G Super-smooth cocking action
G Fully shrouded, silenced barrel
G CenterPoint 3-9x42 scope
G Padded sling and swivels
All for under 300!

If Id cocked and fired the TRAIL
blindfolded, Id have identified it
as a fully-tuned springer!
As quoted by George
Stevens from Airgun World
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FROM THE EDITOR
THE EDITOR SAYS...

3 THE COURTYARD,
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EDITORIAL
Editor Terry Doe
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Technical Editor Phill Price
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Published monthly Archant Specialist 2011

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WorldMags
o, to the shock and surprise of

exactly nobody in airgunning,
Ashley Cole escaped his
misdemeanor of shooting someone
with an air rifle, without legal charge,
caution or comeback. As I say, I only
wish I was surprised by this, but its
exactly what everyone who has been
around our sport expected. I could
waste this editorial, and several
more, explaining why Im so fed-up
with this shamefully missed chance
to set an example to those who
choose to use airguns in a reckless,
wanton and illegal manner, but I
already spend too much of my life
doing just that. Im a positive, proactive person, and this magazine is
the same, so Ill continue the fight
for the correct application of our
strict firearms laws in the
background, and use this space to
highlight the many great things going
on in this months Airgun World.
The sun is shining as I write, my
car is packed with my camping,
fishing and shooting gear, and as
soon as Ive finished this page, Im
off to a remote lake for three days to
do what I love to do, while further
testing a new air rifle - in this case,
the Air Arms S510TC Carbine. Thats
my kind of positive, and theres
plenty more where that came from in
the pages of this magazine.
George Stevens gets his first go of the
latest incarnation of the Diana 52, the
TO6 Carbine, and discovers that first
impressions really do count. Like me,
hes a natural left-hander, and again like
me, he learned to shoot right-handed
because back when we were learning
this game, there were no southpaw
stocks or anything ambidextrous. George
is also an intensely practical man, and
possibly the fastest learner Ive ever
met. Show him something once and
hes got it. Sadly, thats one trait I dont
share with him.
Phill Price has been as busy as ever,
and we both attended the IWA Show in
Nuremberg to bring you our various
reports. Mine can be seen on our
website www.airgunshooting.co.uk and
Phill does his stuff on the news pages,
starting on page 14. Phills also been
testing lamps and scopes, studying
reticles, looking after springers and
sorting out mounts, as well as charting
the changes on his mates Hammerli,

as it morphs into an FT supergun. As I
said, hes been a busy boy and I dont
know what Id do without him.
Another priceless contributor to this
magazine, is our consultant editor,
Jim Tyler. Jims on the Technical
Airgun trail once again, aided and
completely abetted by his partner in
progress, professor Mike Wright. Their
collaboration begins on page 68, and
by the time youve read through to
page 79, youll be a wiser airgunner, I
promise. I know I am.
Im so proud of every one of the
Airgun World team, and youll see why
when you study the contributions of
Steve Newton, Phil Hardman, John
Milewski, Graham Freeman, Paddy
Egan, Gareth Woolven-Brown, Rosie
Barham and Tim Finley. These are the
best in the business, and along with
more priceless input from our readers,
they make this magazine what it is
today. Well done all.
Finally, Id like you all to join me in

giving our resident spring gun world
champion, Paul James, our very best
wishes. Paul has been diagnosed with
bowel cancer and he wanted me to let
everyone know the score. In short,
while Paul has been writing for us, hes
built up a genuine following among the
readership and the fact that he loves
his writing shines through.
Paul is a fighter and he tells me
hes well up for this one, so lets end
this editorial on the most positive note
of all, and wish our Paul a speedy
recovery. Hes one of the very best and
he deserves our support.
See you next month, then, and lets
make the most of this great
weather.
AIRGUN WORLD
CONTENTS
THIS MONTH...
19
3 The Editor Says...
The editor has a mini-rant about our
legal system before getting positive
about whats in this months Airgun
World
11 Points of You
Heres your chance to tell us what you
want to see in your magazine
14 Whats Going On
All the news, products and developments
from the ever-changing airgun scene,
plus our annual visit to the IWA Show in
Nuremberg
19 Taking Care of Business
Heres your first chance to see what the
new Air Arms S510 TC is all about, with
a follow-up test to come
4
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
23 The Art of Benchrest

More precise points from our resident
benchrest maestro, Graham Freeman.
This month, its stocks and scoring
27 Versatile Variable
Phill Price focuses on the Cobalt RediMount from Highland Outdoors - the
flagship of the AGS range
30 Newtons Lore
Our ever-popular gamekeeper, Steve
Newton, has jobs aplenty this month and its all about priorities
35 Top Value Guns
Tim Finleys here with his report on the
break-barrel, spring-piston Hatsan
Striker 1000S
38 Competition
Just 2 puts you in the frame for a
fantastic new S510 TC Carbine combo
40 Its Your Write
The readers write to win a top Bushnell
scope. This month, a born-again hunter
learns some of the fieldcraft essentials
43 Mount Up!
So vital, yet so often overlooked; heres
a guide to mount essentials
45 Double-Handy!
Hand lamp, gun lamp, or both? Phill
Price gives us a couple of Clusons
48 Polski Pistolet
John Milewski handles a most
interesting vintage pistol
51 Short - and To the Point

George Stevens is pleased to renew his
acquaintence with a German sporting
classic - the Diana 52 TO6 Carbine
55 X Marks the Spot
Deben reticles are a product of some
seriously clever thinking - as youll see
for yourself in this report
57 From Gun Rack to
Anorak
Gareth Woolven-Brown has an
incurable case of collectomania. Could
you catch this virulent virus?
61 Dr Finleys Casebook
NEW SERIES Tim Finley is here to help
you with any airgun related problems.
Write in now for a free consultation!
CONTENTS
40
65 DIY Matchwinner?
More modifications and technotreatments are applied to a Hammerli
AR20ft in our quest to create an
affordable winning formula
83 Umarex Boys Club

Paddy Egans back with more UBC
action, and his clubs version of Police
Pistol target shooting
86 Simple Game
This month, Rosie Barham is doing all
sorts of exotic, and extremely tasty,
things with a woodpigeon
70 Benchmark
Jims a great believer in the analytical
powers of shooting off a benchrest
88 Books and DVDs

Discover more about your passion through
our books and DVDs
74 Barrel Tuning Part 2

Professor Mike expands on his thoughts
and findings regarding barrel vibration
90 Springer TLC
Its easier to look after a spring gun than
it is to wreck one. Phill Price shows you
how a little TLC goes a long, long way
78 Worth it or Not?
Is it worth the bother of testing for
the best ballistic coefficient?
81 Subscriptions
Get the greatest possible deal on your
favourite magazine
WorldMags
POLSKI PISTOLET
77
PREDATOR REST
96
MAKING LIGHT WORK!
ITS YOUR WRITE
68 Penetration
Jim Tyler gets to the core of what he
believes to be an airgun hunting myth
77 Predator Rifle Rest

Jim tests a designer rifle rest
48
93 Bullseyes
Your chance to pick up all kinds of
bargains from the Airgun World
readers small ads
96 Making Light Work
Its been a while since Phil Hardman
has been out with a lamp - but he
soon makes up for lost time
AIRGUN WORLD
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YOUR LETTERS
POINTS OF YOU
Something on your mind? Send us your letters and well share your views with the readership.
Write to: Points Of You,AirgunWorld,3 The Courtyard,Denmark Street,Wokingham,Berkshire,RG40 2AZ
Or email:terry.doe@archant.co.uk
JACK PYKE PRYZE LETTER

After the Ashley Cole debacle,
and thats what it was, I truly
despair for the legal system of
this country. What better chance
could the police have had to
really show the power of our
firearms laws, and by so doing,
set up a genuine deterrent for
anyone with a notion to break
the law with an airgun. Instead,
Cole didnt even get charged, let
alone made an example of! What
sort of message does that send
to the morons out there?
Someone once said that the
law is an ass well it was this
time, wasnt it?
It was great to see you and
others on TV putting the record
straight, but your good work could
have been so much more
effective if it hadnt been let
down by our legal system. All

genuine airgunners demonstrate
responsibility, and its about time
our legal system did the same.
Graham Cole
(Definitely no relation!)
Graham, and everyone else
who wrote in with a similar
point, all I can say is, those of
us who represent our sport will
continue to push the message
that the laws we have are
perfectly capable of dealing with
the criminal abuse of airguns
they just need to be applied
properly. Punishing criminals,
rather than restricting the law
abiding is the only way to go,
and yes, it really is that simple.
Ed
GOING U.S.
TURNER PRIZE
I love the new set up of the

magazine, however, I have one
grumble; that is the use of American
words being printed instead of the
correct English equivalent. As we all
know, Americans have trouble
spelling colour and favourite by
missing out the u. They cannot
spell theatre or calibre correctly,
either, and we now have the use of
realize instead of realise.
Can you please ask all your
contributors to amend their spell
checker to UK English not US English
as their default setting. I look forward to
your confirmation that the contributors
have amended their defaults.
Ian Hunter
I was wandering through WH Smith

the other day looking at magazines,
and I came across the shooting
section. This bought back childhood
memories, which would have been
from the late 1970s - God Im
getting old! Anyway, I came across
Airgun World (it was the double
magazine promotion), and I thought
it was a bargain, so I bought it. When
I got home I was amazed how much
air rifles have changed, and I thought
perhaps it was time to relive my
youth. Then I thought I wouldnt
bother, and then I read the article
that Mike Turner did on the Air Arms
Pro Sport.
I was impressed by what Mike had
to say about the gun, so I went to my
local gun shop on New Years eve.
They tried to sell me a more
expensive gun, which I
nearly bought, but I
eventually said no and
bought the Pro Sport,
which I cant wait to
shoot, and to have some
Right, thats me and my team told,

and no mistake. Mind you, getting
most of our lot to stop shooting long
enough to use any form of spell
checker is a bit of a result, so Im not
totally confident theyll make the
switch to UK English, but Ill have a
go, Ian. Watch this space, dude. Ed
WorldMags
WIN THESE FANTASTIC JACK

PYKE BOOTS WORTH 85
Every month, Ill be awarding a pair of superb Jack Pyke Countryman
boots to the sender of the letter or email I regard as the most noteworthy,
so dont forget to include your boot size and address. Be assured, I will
consider everything on its merits, so dont be afraid to criticize or to be
controversial, within the limits of legality and decency of course. So,
theres more reason than ever to get in your thoughts, ideas and
contributions. Its your magazine and now helping to shape it could win
you some seriously good footwear. Get writing now!
These Jack Pyke Countryman boots come complete with waterproof
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N
I
W
fun with in my old age. So I must say
a big thank you to Mike Turner and
Airgun World. Its a great mag which
Ill be buying every month, so keep
up the good work.
Don Leng
FINGER LICKIN BAD?

Every article about hunting
in your magazine
quite properly
includes
something
about respecting
the welfare of the
animals you shoot.
Whilst Im sure that rats
will enjoy KFC, the welfare of
the chickens is at best open to
question!
Andrew McBride
Andrew, the second I bump into
Colonel Sanders Ill tell him what you
said, mate. - Ed
Strictly speaking,
Don, Mike Turner
writes for our sister magazine,
Air Gunner, but Ill accept your
kind words on Mikes behalf. Enjoy
that Pro Sport. Ed
ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE

I have noticed that all bi-pods are
black. Why dont they bring out a
Realtree one, or an all-purpose green,
or some other camo colour instead
AIRGUN WORLD
11
YOUR LETTERS
MISINFORMED?
Can you cammo a bi-pod?

Rob would like to know
of black? I suppose you can do it

yourself but you cant use tape
because of the movement of the legs
and bi-pods are a bit small to use
fabric. Any suggestions?
Rob
Do you know, Rob, Id never
thought of bi-pod colours before,
mainly because theyre used so close
to the ground and pretty much out of
sight of our quarry. But then, we have
to carry them attached to our rifles,
so perhaps a cammo pod wouldnt
be a bad idea. Lets ask the readers if
theyve found a way round this Ed
required, which will vary

Had you gone online and read
according to personal
Section 46 of the Crime &
circumstances, rests solely with the
Security Act 2010, instead of
owner.
virtually copying the Home
Robert Jones
Office press release, you
So, Robert, how would you advise
would have avoided spreading
our readers to carry out the
a lot of misinformation to
requirement of this new law? I
your readership. The
advised them by using the
comments by James
recommendations of the Home
Brokenshaw and Adrian Whiting, as
Office as they were issued to me as
quoted in your article, are merely
editor of this magazine. Before
their personal
publishing these
opinions on the
Home Office
subject and are
recommendations, I
not part of the
consulted various
legislation. For
representatives of
the record, this
our sport, and they
new act doesnt
fully endorsed what
contain any
had been
requirements for
suggested. I ask
non-FAC-rated
again; how would
airguns to be
you advise
locked
airgunners to
up/chained up,
remain safe, and
or hidden away
safely within the
The requirements of the new
anywhere. The
new law? Ed
security measures are simple,
straightforward and already
level of security
practised by most of us.
12
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
Dave Brock wants a Skan chrono.

Good choice, Dave.
SCANNING FOR A SKAN

In an article in Airgun World, a
chronoscope by Skan was
recommended. I would like to get
one, but Im unable to find a
supplier; a Google search for Skan
revealed many things, but not the
company I wanted. Do you know of a
supplier of this excellent instrument?
If so, please share it with me?
Many thanks,
Dave Brock
Skan chronos are, indeed,
excellent items, Dave, and you can
get one by calling Skans main man,
Mike Childs on 01787 227 567.
WorldMags
WHATS GOING ON?

All the latest news, views and product development from the airgun world.
Do you have a news story to share? Email the editor at terry.doe@archant.co.uk
IWAs there...
During our annual trip to
the magnificent IWA show
in Nuremburg, we put our
detective hats on to search
out any new and interesting
guns and equipment and heres this
years crop of goodies.
Lynx on the loose

Cometa was displaying its new range
of Lynx pre-charged rifles, that look
right up to date and feature all the
things that hunters are looking for. Its
a buddy bottle design that uses an
unusual reservoir thats longer and
slimmer that most, feeding the action
through a commercially available
Daystate also displayed its

incredible Wolverine prototype.
ambidextrous stock. The idea for the

Panther is that it makes a top
performing FT or HFT rifle, yet is
still totally practical as a sporter.
Among the interesting features is an
in-built air stripper for maximum
accuracy, which can be swapped for
a silencer for hunting duties. Another
neat trick is an accessory rail built
into the fore end to accept a
hamster for over-the-arm type
shooting positions.
www.daystate.com
Wolverine emerging
regulator chosen for its ease of

servicing. The first ones on sale will
come as single-shot models but a
retro-fit magazine system will be
available soon. Cometas UK importer,
John Rothery Wholesale, is planning to
bring them to Britain later this
summer - and our test request is
already in.
www.bisley-uk.com
Also from Daystate, we got

our hands on the prototype
Wolverine rifle that is still in
development, but already
looks like a highly
desirable airgun.
Designed from the
ground up, and
carrying some cuttingedge thinking in terms
of materials,
production methods
and magazine feeding
system, the Wolverine will
mark a new era for
Daystate, and perhaps even
airguns themselves. More
news as we get it.
Art ...
Dawn of a new Daystate

Daystate were displaying their new
Panther model, which is based on
the MK4 action and wearing a new
Gary Cane
Daystates Panther.
14
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
...from Metisse
Another superstar exhibit was the
long awaited rifle
from Ben Taylor,
codenamed the
Metisse, which is the French word

for hybrid.
The name comes from the rifles
ability to run on compressed air or
CO2, something thats never been
successfully done before. The shot
count with CO2 will be in thousands
not hundreds, and as youd expect
from Ben, the rifle is dripping with
innovative features such as two
regulators, a barrel that can be
zeroed to the scope and ultra-precise
CNC engineering from the highest
quality aircraft spec aluminium
alloys and titanium. Coming soon
exclusively to this magazine!
firing replicas from all around

the world. One of our staffers
was blown away by this welded
steel replica of the British
Army Sten gun and he claims
that the two ladies holding it
had no effect on his interest at
all. The good news is that UK
importers Highland Outdoors are
planning to bring this excellent
model into Britain soon.
www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk
Verminator re-vamp
The ever-popular FX Verminator has
been redesigned and updated for
2011 with a
A sting in the tail

BSA was displaying the updated
sidelever action borrowed from the

Royale and a full-length barrel
shroud, improving the looks and
adding excellent sound
suppression. As ever, the
tiny dimensions, excellent
handling and high shot count
ensure its ongoing popularity.
A.S.I., the UK importer, is
expecting deliveries early in the
summer.
www.a-s-i.co.uk
Desperate Dans gun

version of the
Scorpion precharged pneumatic,
showing a new ambidextrous
stock which will also be available in a
synthetic material. Another interesting
change is that, for the first time, it
will be available in the increasingly
popular .25 calibre making it a ratshooting rifle supreme.
www.bsaguns.co.uk
Sten gun stunna

Soft air specialists ASG had a huge
stand with hundreds of plastic BB-
Theoben Engineerings Dutch

importer was displaying a high-power
pistol based on the English
manufacturers action.
As you might guess, its pretty
huge but looked great and was
getting lots of attention from show
goers. Desperate Dan would love it.
NEWS
The winner of the March competition for an Air Arms S410 Carbine and
scope was Tony Derober from Derbyshire. Tony was unavailable for comment
as we went to press, but his wife assures us that hell think its Christmas all
over again when he finds out hes won! This months competition prize is
another excellent Air Arms in the form of the new S510 TC, plus scope and
mounts, worth 1000 - so get your entry in now.
WIRIN
ARMS
AN A 0 TC
S51 scope and
with
complettes worth 1000.
moun age 38 for
See p details
more
THIS MONTHS
COMPETITION WINNER!
The power output is around 18
ft.lbs., so its unlikely that well ever
see them for sale in the UK, but it
was great to see such an innovative
design.
Bavarian beauty
Another brand new rifle
launched at the show was the
striking Diana P1000 pre-charged
pneumatic. Apart
from its striking
Bavarian styling, it
features some innovative touches
such as the ability to swap from
single to multi-shot without any tools
and a high shot count from its 300
bar reservoir. Unsurprisingly, Diana
have used their well proven TO6
trigger for this one and the stock will
be available as either a
sporter or a
thumbhole. Prices
are to be confirmed and
UK importers RUAG are
expecting deliveries in the late
summer/early autumn.
www.ruag.co.uk
WorldMags
.357 Magnum
Possibly the strangest airgun at the
show was the remarkable pre-charged
Benjamin Rogue in .357 calibre that
fires 175 grain bullets at several
hundred foot-pounds. The power is
controlled by an electronic firing
mechanism with an LCD
display on the
action to
show the many
shooting modes. At time of writing,
ASI have no plans to import it into
the UK, but again it was interesting
to see whats available in the free
world.
Two from Turkey

Hatsan had two new rifles on
display, one being a spring/piston
rifle called the 125 Sniper and the
other, a pre-charged pneumatic
called the BT65 SB. The Sniper
features all of Hatsans signature
best tricks such as the
respected Quattro trigger
unit and the SAS shock
absorption system, along
with a synthetic stock
that has a height-
adjustable cheek piece. The BT65

SB features a stock with many
similar features plus a vertically
adjustable butt pad. Its a boltaction rotary magazine action which
is designed for high power levels, so
when set to run at the UK limit
should offer a large number of shots
per fill. Unusually for a modern
PCP, the SB comes with open
sights and the scope rails are the
increasingly popular
Weaver/Picatinny firearms type.
They will be imported to the UK by
Edgar Brothers during the summer.
www.edgarbrothers.com
Pistol Gala 2011

Redhill Revolvers FPC, will be hosting
their 2nd annual pistol gala on
Saturday 4th of June. For those with a
distance to travel, overnight camping
will be available on site on Friday 3rd
June and theres a Saturday 9.30am
registration for a 10.00am start.
Events for the day will include:
1. A two-tier metal plate shoot
2. 6-yard single-stroke pneumatic
triathlon
3. The Harris Nut Catcher
4. Pistol HFT
Entry price will be 10.00 for
adults and 7.50 for juniors (under

18) and OAPs. All pistols must be
holstered or cased during the days
events and safety glasses must be
worn when in the shooting areas.
Competitions for the day will see
overall trophies for three categories:
Men, Ladies and Junior. Entry
however is optional. The Munch
Box will be on hand for
refreshments and we hope to
attract a couple of sponsors.
For further information and bookings
for camping please contact Steve
Prime on 01162 676252 (office
hours) or 01162 676114 (evenings).
AIRGUN WORLD
15
NEWS
New ownership
Bear necessities
More Help For Heroes
The worst kept secret of the year

was a range of knives and tools
from Gerber tools designed by TV
superstar Bear Grylls. Theyve been
created for survival situations where
having strong, practical tools can
be a matter of life and death. For
the rest of us, theyre comfortable
pieces of practical kit that are
The ongoing success of

Berkhamstead based airgun and
bushcraft shop, Ronnie Sunshines,
will be used to support the Help For
Heroes
charity on
the 15th of
May, when
they will be
holding an
open day. On hand to answer your
questions will be Terry Doe, George
Stevens, Phill Price and Terry Le
Cheminant from Airgun World and
Air Gunner. There will be a
barbecue and drinks available
during the day. All donations to the
event will go directly to Help For
Heroes, a charity the shop owners
support strongly. Early interest has
been so strong that they have now
started a system of pre-registering
for tickets. Visit the website
www.ronniesunshines.com and
press click here to register to
reserve your tickets.
www.ronniesunshines.com
perfect for everyday jobs. The range

includes his signature fixed blade
Ultimate, a selection of folding
knives, a parang, multi-tools, a fire
starter and survival kits.
For the full range, contact
www.bladetech.co.uk
Tel 01492 640664
Kelmarsh Country Fair

The Kelmarsh Country Fair on the
16th and 17th of
April will
welcome
the Hunter
Field
Target
World
Championships
where over 250 of the best
airgun shooters will compete on a
testing course. This will be
alongside the huge Airgun Expo
that has been such a success in
past years. Of course there will
be all the other features and
displays youd expect from a top
country fair including live
demonstrations, gundogs, clay
shooting, falconry, fishing and
plenty of food and drink to keep
the whole family happy for a
great day out in the British
countryside.
For more details go to
www.countrymanfairs.co.uk
WorldMags
A E Clarks gunshop of
Blackwater in Surrey is under
new ownership of father and son
team, Paul and Simon Webb,
following the retirement of its
founder Mike Clark. The shop
has long been a regular part of
the local shooting community,
supplying rifle, shotgun and
airgun products, along with a
large range of accessories and
clothing. Paul has a police
background and is a former top
clay shooting coach, while Simon
is a keen airgunner having a
deep interest in the technical
side of the sport. They have
great plans to develop the shop
further and intend to become an
airgun specialist. Alongside these

changes they have developed
their website which is stylish and
contains a huge amount of
useful information.
Visit www.clarksgunshop.co.uk or
call 01276 35616
Major calibre pellets

Rangefinder rubbers
Bushnells popular
rangefinders have been
field proven in the toughest
conditions so to protect them
further and to aid grip, JJ Vickers,
the UK importer, is offering slipon rubber covers. These will come
in a camouflage finish, not the
blaze orange in the picture. There
are cut-out sections to give access
to the control buttons and you

can find out more by contacting
JJ Vickers on 01634 201284
With the increasing interest in the

largest popular airgun calibre,
RWS have released two of their
most popular models in .25. The
Superdome has been one of their
most successful
designs so
was the
obvious
first choice
and this
was followed
with what must
surely be the ultimate
rat-stopping pellet,
the Super H-Point.
This design has a proven
track record with
professional pest controllers in
.22, so I can only imagine how
devastating it will be in .25.
www.ruag.co.uk tel 0579 3639
WorldMags
H ERTFORDSHIRE S LEADING
CO 2 P ISTOL S HOP
BERETTA ELITE 11
BERETTA CUSTOM NICKLE M92 FS
BERETTA XX-TREME
BERETTA STORM PX4
COLT 1911 A1 DARK OPS
89.00
209.00
279.00
189.00
229.00
COLT GOVERMENT 1911 A1 CUSTOM
COLT DEFENDER 201
H & K KOCH P30
H & K MP5K - PDW
H & K USP .45
239.00
85.00
175.00
199.00
99.00
COLT GOVERNMENT 1911A
BERETTA M92 FS
SMITH & WESSON 586
S&W 586 CUSTOM
199.00
189.00
199.00
238.00
S&W M & P 40
S&W M & P 40 (GREEN)
TANFOGLIO WITNESS 1911
WALTHER CP88
WALTHER CP99 (GREEN)
79.00
69.00
79.00
189.00
179.00
UMAREX CP99 SPORT
WALTHER NIGHT HAWK
WALTHER CP99 TITANIUM BIO
WALTHER CP99
WALTHER PPK
119.00
229.00
189.00
169.00
109.00
WorldMags
We are a
Premier
ARMEX dealer
.
3
5
8
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

EXCLUSIVE: AIR ARMS TC TEST
00
The brand new Air Arms S510 TC gets its premier test
ver on page 51, George
Stevens talks about the
moment in which first impressions
are formed, and no rifle Ive ever
tested is more subject to that
moment than the new Air Arms
TC. Your reactions will range
from, phwoar! to yuk! and
take in very little between those
extremes. The TC may be new,
but this Marmite reaction to
it is anything but.
You see, as this sports old
guard could tell you, we saw
exactly the same thing when
the very first pre-charged
pneumatics were launched
around three decades ago,
and once wed accepted
PCPs, the Theoben Rapid 7
came out and the whole yay!
versus yuk! deal kicked off
again. As one who was right
in the middle of the debate,
I had my own forthright
opinions, and I heard
countless other views from all
angles of the sport.
Personally, I didnt like the
look and amount of messing
about associated with the
first pre-charged rifles and
stuck resolutely to my
Weihrauch HW77 way longer
than most of my fellow FT
competitors. Then, the look
of the Rapid
made me sneer
at it for a couple
of years, until Ben Taylor,
then of Theoben, shouted at
me, called me nasty names,
and made me take a Rapid
and use it for a solid month in
the field, which put a stop to
my nonsense. As we all know,
pre-charged airguns, and the
Rapid 7 in particular, have
been tremendously popular,
so the fact is, being different
is no barrier to success.
Could this fact apply to the
new Air Arms TC? Only time,
and you, will tell, but theres
plenty more to this unique
rifle than meets the eye, thats
for sure.
WorldMags
Why the TC?

Air Arms wanted to produce a highcapacity PCP, but without sticking a
buddy bottle on it. Initially, the
suggestion of a twin tube design
came from a company by the name
of Domino, Air Arms Italian agent. I
saw the computerised mock-up
almost two years ago, so my first
impression period is well and truly
over. I then handled a prototype at
the 2010 S.H.O.T. show in Las
Vegas, followed by a prolonged
fondle at the I.W.A. show in
Nuremberg. During both of those
micro-sessions I was genuinely taken
aback by how well the TC then
called the Twice sat in my
shoulder. I was told by Air Arms to
reserve my judgement until the new
cylinders had been completed, which
they claimed would transform the
handling of the rifle. I then
made sceptical faces at
them before resuming my
search of the show for
attractive models with
impressive contours.
Spool forward to
this years I.W.A., and
my next encounter
with what was now the
TC so named due to its
Twin Cylinders, and because
TC is a much better name than
Twice. The new cylinders had been
finished and fitted, and they did,
indeed, transform the handling of
this remarkable looking sporter. As
someone who has used Air Arms
hunting rifles for many years, I
couldnt quite put my finger on what
had caused the handling change,
until their techno expert, Alan
George, sat me down and explained
things in detail.
tubes? Because theyre made of

steel, and two of them would have
been heavy and would have wrecked
the balance of the rifle. Aluminium
tubes it was, then.
EACH BILLET OF 7075

ALUMINIUM IS
ULTRASONICALLY TESTED
Alans enquiries led him to
Germany and a specialist
manufacturer, where the
collaboration proper began. The
aluminium of choice was 7075,
which will prompt all sorts of headnodding among swarf connoisseurs,
due to the fact that its top grade
stuff. Each billet of 7075 aluminium
used for the construction of the TC
tubes is ultrasonically
tested before the
manufacturing
process begins,
and this test will
be backed by a
series of post
production ones,
including a
fatigue cycle test,
where the tube is
filled and emptied no
fewer than 12,000 times, a
high-pressure test, involving running
the tube way above its designed
working pressure, and finally a burst
test, where the reservoir is
pressurised to many times its
operating pressure. Oh, and the TC
tubes are drawn, rather than
extruded, and their end-plugs, and
the union piece at the rear of the
tubes are also 7075. Not
cheap, these tubes then, and
dont forget there are two of
them per rifle.
FACT
SCARY a new
g
Developinm design to
o
airgun frction costs
produ 100,000 or
around ear offer
very n
Two-tube approach
It was all about those tubes, Alan
told me, and there was plenty to tell,
too. After deciding to go the twin
reservoir route to higher capacity,
rather than fit a buddy bottle, Alan
George needed to commission the
design and construction of some new
air reservoirs. Why not simply
double-up on Air Arms existing
make best use of that generous air

supply. Truth to tell, only the porting
of the air reaching the main firing
valve needed anything major doing to
it, and the valve itself is as close to
Air porting
While the new
reservoirs were
being developed,
Air Arms set
about re-jigging the
TCs internal air flow,
so the rifle could
an S510 model as makes no

difference. Lets not forget that the
S510 became a best-seller, like the
S410 before it, so theres clearly no
need to re-invent any wheels, here.
On the outside, the S510s superpopular sidelever action, the two-stage,
adjustable trigger, 10-shot, removable,
rotary magazine, that sleeved and
threaded barrel, and the back end of
the Super-Lite, ambidextrous stock.
The TC will only be produced in the
Super-Lite stock, although its offered
in .177, .22 and .25 calibres, and in
Carbine or standard rifle format, the
latter being intended mainly for highpower FAC use.
As it stands, from every 200 bar
charge of compressed air, the S510
TC Carbine gives over 110 full-power
shots in .177, and over 160 in .22. At
a robust 28 ft.lbs., the .22
High Power TC Carbine will
give you over 30 shots
at full power, with
the longer version
yielding many
more. How
many
more? I
dont
know,
because Air
Arms are still
testing that
model, but Ill
have the answer next
month when I complete
my handling report. Yes,
due to the constraints of time
and the importance of the
subject, this test has to be a twoparter. This first part covers the
conception, componentry and features
AIRGUN WORLD
19
The TC uses the proven

S510 sidelever.
of the new TC, plus the accuracy and

consistency it produces off a bench,
and next month Ill have lived with it
for a while, got it a bit grubby in the
hunting field, and handled the hell out
of it. Eyes down for a clinical
performance report, then.
Filling, facts and figures

The Air Arms S510 TC Carbine runs
a two-tube, one inlet valve system,
with the non-charging reservoir
finished with a threaded cap, like
the one which covers the charging
point. Bracing both cylinders and the
muzzle end of the sleeved barrel, is
what Air Arms call the tri-lobe
bracket. How very techno. The finish
on the new designer air reservoirs is
a classy satin, rather than shiny
black, and it harmonises perfectly
with the
barrel
shroud.
More visual
harmony is
achieved by having the
reservoir end caps and the
barrels thread protector
fluted in the same way to assist
grip.
All the way back to the breech
block, now, taking a second or two to
notice the exhaust ports at the very
rear of the barrel shroud, and right
into all of that S510 familiarity I
mentioned earlier.
Theres the latest version of the Air
Arms 10-shot autoload magazine,
which is a study in simplicity to load
and use. Simply draw back the
sidelever, pluck out the magazine,
drop pellets, nose first, into the

waiting loading bays while manually
rotating the mags inner wheel, and
returning the magazine to the action
when all 10 pellets are loaded. Close
the cocking lever, and youre the snick
of a safety catch away from firing.
Operating the sidelever
cocking/loading system is effortless
in any real sense so any tragics out
there can hold off on the physics
lectures and the lever itself runs
free of catch or latch, thanks to
proper engineering and over-centre
design. Sidelevers are better than
bolts on PCPs, if ease of use and
refinement are your watchwords,
and its easy to see why Air
Arms chose the S510
platform for the
TC.
20
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
The stock is a variation of the

companys established ambidextrous
Super-Lite series, with a broader fore
end base to accommodate the twin
cylinders. As ever, Ill moan about
the lack of an
adjustable
butt pad, but
at least the
comb height is
designed for scope
use, so there should
be no problems with
eye alignment.
Performance
The trigger
works flawlessly, as it
should, although Im no fan of
that biro spring tensioner at the
back of the blade. Its hardly
noticeable, but when you do notice
it, I think it looks cheap on such an
accomplished piece of kit. Small
detail, yes, but were running at the
highest level with this rifle.
Laser-cut chequering and rosewood grip

cap come as standard ...
Note the scope mount arrestor pin and

barrel sleeve venting port.
Capped and threaded throughout.
... as does the two-stage adjustable

trigger and push-button safety.
How surprised was I that the

S510 TC Carbine shot
groups exactly like a
standard S510?
Not even a
bit;
thats how
much. Of course
it shoots sub-halfinch groups at 45 yards
It is what it says it is only with greater capacity.
Youll need to pay less attention to this

with a TC.
exactly like an S510, because thats

exactly what its been designed to
do. It even sounds
exactly the
same
as an S510, and I tested it without

a silencer. The consistency over 50
shots, using the .22 Diabolo Field
pellets from Air Arms themselves,
averaged 11.8 f.p.s., and would
have been better still with prepared
pellets, Im sure.
WorldMags
The fact is,

although I shot my
way through two
complete charges
and the test rifle
outperforms the
factory claims of
LIKE OR
LOA
So, what THE?
do
ground at all. Ive

been behind too
many S510s in my
time to find
anything new in
shooting another one,
at least off a bench. No,
this rifle is designed for
hunting so a-hunting it shall go,
and as soon as this issue is put to
bed, Im taking a long weekend to
camp out with it, put a lamp on it,
screw a silencer on it, sneak about
the fields with it, and get to know it
properly. Look out for that one,
because, as I write this, I havent a
clue how it will turn out as far as a
long-term handling report goes.
So, thats the new Air Arms S510
TC Carbine ... for now. Its a
remarkable looking sporter, isnt it?
Then again, it comes from a
the TC? L you think of

your tho et me know
u
share thghts and Ill
e
our readm with
ers
160
shots
per 200 bar charge by
quite some margin I
wasnt breaking any new
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Model: S510 TC Carbine
Manufacturer: Air Arms
Country of origin: UK.
Contact: 01323 845 853
Type: Pre-charged, 10-shot sporter
Calibre: .22, .177, .25
Cocking: Sidelever
Loading: Removable rotary magazine
Trigger: 2-stage adjustable
Stock type: Beech, ambidextrous sporter
Weight: 3kg (6.8lb) unscoped
Length: 965mm (37.7in)
Barrel: 494mm (19.5in)
Price: 853. Includes 10-shot magazine

remarkable company, and one that
has an impressive record of producing
world-beaters. Its early days for me
and the TC, but I have to tell you, this
PCP and its visual echoes of a sawnoff shotgun, is growing on me already.
See you next month.
AIRGUN WORLD
21
WorldMags
T
PAR
BENCHREST SHOOTING
THE ART OF
BENCHREST SHOOTING
British benchrest champion, Graham Freeman, sets up and refines your gun.
his month were going to
compare stocks, to see how
different a benchrest stock is from a
standard gun stock. Well also take
a look at basic scoring and tell you
how the British benchrest team got
on at the 2010 European
Championship in Plzen (Pilsen),
Czech Republic.
Stocks:
A. From the side view of a benchrest
stock you can see how flat it is at
the front and also flat at the back. It
has an adjustable cheekpiece which
can be moved up or down, so that
the shooter can find the most
comfortable position when taking a
shot. Remember, if youre relaxed
your heartrate will go down and
youll shoot better. Also, by
adjusting the cheekpiece, you can
get the right height to align your eye
with your scope. You must not fight
the gun - this is most peoples
biggest mistake.
A: See how flat the stocks

resting surfaces are.
B: The underside of the fore end is flat

and its width is 3 (76.2mm) or under
at its widest point.
internet?). So, if youre thinking of

making a stock, or having a stock
made, make sure that it meets the
rules as you wont want to be cutting
bits off afterwards.
Gun Stock Rules for Benchrest:

OK, lets take a look at the rules of
I FELT REALLY PROUD THE

WHOLE TIME TO BE SHOOTING
FOR MY COUNTRY
B. The bottom view shows more
clearly the maximum 76.2mm (3"),
or under, at its widest point. This
particular stock is made of
coloured wood laminates which
gives it its strength and resistance
to warping, plus a distinctive
pattern and colouration. The
laminates come in a wide range of
colours, so the choice is yours.
Then youll have to get the
inletting done to receive the action
of your gun.
The stock shown in this picture
came from Richards Microfit
Gunstocks Inc. and the inletting was
carried out by Custom Stock, both of
whom can be found on the internet
(what on earth did we do before the
WorldMags
two classes of benchrest, although,

there are many more classes than
just these two, each with their own
variations. The links at the end of
this article will help you find the
class you might like to take part in.
It is important to set your gun up in
accordance with the rules as you
dont want to ruin your chances of
winning a medal before you even
take a shot and clubs and
associations are very hot on rules.
Rules for Light Varmint Air Rifles:

A Light Varmint air rifle is any rifle
having a manually and mechanically
operated firing mechanism
(including electronic triggers),
weighing not more than 10.5
covering Light Varmint,

pounds (4.762 kg),
with the exception that
inclusive of sight.
the maximum weight
The action can be
is not more than 15
either spring or
est
r
h
c
pounds (6.8 kg),
pneumatic; any air
n
e
b
f the
it: inclusive of sight.
is
For all o
v
regulator can be
w
o
n
k
u need to 2.org
used as long as it
rules, yo
e
r
h
c st2
Basic Scoring
is integral within
www.ben
tm
Guide:
the air cylinder. Any
.h
e
m
o
/h
Scoring a benchrest card
modification may be
sounds easy - a 9, a 10 and
made to the rifle and any
so on. Well actually, its a little bit
magnification scope may be
harder than that. Again, we are
used. Factory stocks that meet
governed by rules. All the rules can
Stock Clarification rules may be
be found on the UKBR22 webpage,
used. Return to battery shall NOT
but the basics are as follows:
be permitted. This means batteries
for electronic triggers cannot be
If the ten ring, i.e. the centre
recharged during the competition
ring, is completely removed the
nor can you refill your air reservoir.
score is classed as a 10X.
Muzzle-flip compensators, variable
If some of the ten ring is still
air strippers and custom brakes are
visible, its a 10 and so on.
permitted. There is no restriction on
All scores are taken on best edge
cylinder size or capacity, as long as
counts (meaning the edge closest
15 joules/12 ft.lbs. maximum
to the highest ring counts).
power is retained and it is integral
within the rifle. Separate air
All scores are marked with a .22
cylinders are not allowed, the
plug/gauge. The gauge has a large
cylinder must be part of the rifle
magnifier around it so you can mark
and included in the overall weight.
more accurately.
Rules for Heavy Varmint Air
What you are after is 10x on all
Rifles, Class B:
25 targets. On a benchrest card,
The rules for Heavy Varmint Air Rifles
scoring a maximum of 250 /25 10x
are exactly the same as those
this is the perfect benchrest score.
ITS !
ES
THE RUL
AIRGUN WORLD
23
BENCHREST SHOOTING
From the left - Allen Grayson (AA Captain),Robin Brown, Graham Freeman, Gary Kingaby,
Carl Hanson, and Jake Healey, Scott Grayson. Keep an eye out for Jake and Scott, the
two juniors - youll be seeing a lot of them in the future.
The British benchrest team and

the European Championship held
at Plzen, Czech Republic
The Itinerary:
26th July - Registration & check
air rifles & practice day
27th July - Technical meeting &
check air rifles & practice day
28th July - Air Rifle LV class
29th July - Air Rifle HV A
30th July - Air Rifle HV B,
followed by the award ceremony
All scores are marked with a .22 plug

gauge with a magnifier.
24
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
and decoration of air rifle

winners
The flight to Prague; dep. Sun 25

Jul 18:30; pm
We got to the airport early to
check the guns in and hand over the
paperwork, so the guns could go
through customs, then we were off to
get the guns X-rayed before they
were put onto the plane. Then came
the delays and we found ourselves
sitting in the departure lounge
twiddling our thumbs. We

finally landed at 01:30 am at
Prague airport. The flight was
good, but the landing left
The team got a warm international
something to be desired. It
welcome in Plzen.
was a very heavy landing and
my friend Gary does not fly
well - when the plane hit the ground
finally arriving at the Park Hotel,
for the second time, Gary was at the
Plzen around 03:30. Yawn.
door waiting to get out. We picked
After a few short hours sleep, we
up the guns from customs, dealt
piled into three taxis and had the
with the paperwork and went outside
hairiest drive of our lives. They all
to find the minibus that was waiting,
drive on the wrong side of the road
for a start (or do we?) and they fly
into a rage if you dont move out of
their way. We arrived safe and sound
at the Plzen gun club, and WOW!
what a place that was a shooters
heaven. They shoot everything from
handguns to machine guns, it was
amazing. I wish the UK gun laws
were like theirs.
The first day was to allow the
competitors to set up their guns and
have some practice to make sure they
were still working properly after the
time they spent in transit, as guns get
damp in a cold aeroplane hold.
The weather that first day was
mixed; sunny for a little while, then
rainy, then overcast - just like home.
I set my gun up, front rest, back
bag, pellets weighed and graded,
BENCHREST SHOOTING
Air Rifle Heavy Varmint A:

1st Stepan Morshchagin
2nd Alexey Soldatov
3rd Scott Grayson
4th Ron Harding
5th Graham Freeman
Air Rifle Heavy Varmint B:
1st Carl Boswell
2nd Graham Freeman
3rd Stepan Morshchagin
4th Ron Harding
5th Alan Grayson
At least you get to sit down
for benchrest shooting
turned from Rest and Relaxation into

Rock n Roll).
Highest scores from all 3 days

aggregates:
Carl Boswell Score 736 23 ten x
Graham Freeman Score 736 13
ten x
Stepan Morshchagin Score 731
22 ten x
Wind and winners
UK Team Captain, Carl Boswell and

host Captain, Ladislav Ninger.
wind flags out and boy, did we need

the wind flags! The winds were very
erratic, no patterns and when the sun
came out we got a heat haze from
just under the target.
When setting out your flags, the
first rule of thumb is that you should
be able to see them without moving
your head. Look for a set pattern and
when you are ready, take a sighter.
Remember the pattern of the flags
and where the pellet lands. Aim to
remember at least four wind
patterns, so that when the
competition starts, youll have wind
pattern options. Make sure your flags
are set up in plenty of time by
Each shooter places his

own wind flags.
WorldMags
I arose bright and early after a really

good nights sleep and was up for it.
I put my mind into target mode and
made my way to the gun club to win.
We thought we had it all figured out
as it was sunny and we had sussed
out the wind patterns the
previous day. That was a bit
of a mistake, as the wind
during the following
three days events were
all different and the
shooters had to adapt
to the changing winds
each day and re-adapt
as the conditions
altered. One day the
weather changed from
blazing sun, to torrential rain, to
thunderstorms and back to blazing
sun again. The wind was erratic as
well - not easy target shooting, but it
all came down to training and who
made the first mistake, how the
competitors read the wind flags and
most of all, trusting in your own
abilities and your gun. I felt really
proud the whole time to be shooting
for my country and to be able to
shoot side-by-side with the best
shots from all around the world. And
they know who Graham Freeman
from the UK is now.
RT
THE STA ted in
checking the
shooting details
which tell you
where youre
going to shoot
from. Then
practise. Then
practise some more.
After spending the day finetuning, it was back to the hotel for
some R&R - off to the bar, have
something to eat and a nice swim and
then, somehow or other, I got myself
talked into having a Thai massage.
Phwoar! That was nice! And some of
us ended up at an 18th birthday party
in the hotel with the locals (and R&R
star
UKBR22 lthough
2004, a shooting
t
benchresng history
lo
has a oad
abr
The results of the Air Benchrest

European Championship 2010:
Air Rifle Light Varmint:
1st Niekie van Dyke
2nd Carl Boswell
3rd Scott Grayson
4th Graham Freeman
5th Robin Brown
Junior Air Benchrest European

Championship :
Scott Grayson (1st place), Jake
Healey (2nd place), Elliott Barker
(3rd place).
On the 3rd day of shooting it was
mind draining to have to remain
focused for so long and all the team
did over the five days was sleep,
shoot, party, (but dont tell Sonia, my
girlfriend, about the partying bit).
Next month the benchrest wind
flag - how to make it and how to read
it, plus the UK team at the British
Shooting Show, Newark Showground,
26th/27th February 2011.
Until then, good shooting.
Web pages of interest

www.benchrest22.org/home.htm
www.wrabf.com/
www.erabsf.org/
www.worldrimfire.com/
www.benchrest.com/
PURCHASE THE
LATEST SHOOTING
BOOKS AND DVDS
www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/shooting
AIRGUN WORLD
25
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ON TEST: SCOPE
VERSATILE VARIABLE
Phill Price weighs up the flagship model from the new AGS
range of scopes
ebley seems to be really on the
up these days, having
appointed Highland Outdoors to
become their UK agents. The stream
of exciting new products seems to
bring us something new every week
and their range of AGS scopes is
already going down very well. Weve
had a brief look at some of the
models from this range before, so I
though it was time to study one in
full detail and theres no better
choice than their flagship model, the
Cobalt Redi-Mount Mil-Dot. The
expression fully featured is often
over used, but there can be no
question that this scope has all the
features the modern airgun hunter
could wish for. Theres a long list of
controls and dials on the outside that
need some explanation as they
control technical functions. This
might seem a bit off-putting at first
but once you get to grips with these
controls youll find that in reality
theyre simple and easy to use.
Starting at the rear you see a
knurled ring which is used to focus
the reticle, not the image of your
target. The best way to use this is to
look through the scope at the sky and
rotate the adjuster a bit at a time
until the reticle appears pin-sharp.
Then look away from the scope and
84.
rest your eye for a few

seconds before looking
again at the reticle.
You may well find that
another small
adjustment is needed
because our eyes
are very clever at
adapting to
images that are
out of focus, so
by resting your
eye and coming
back youll see
the error. This
adjuster is the
modern fast-focus
type that makes this
set-up easy and quick.
The next control we come to
is the magnification adjustment ring
which has a ridged surface and also
a raised block that does two things;
first, the raised section helps you
grip the ring with a cold or gloved
hand, and second, it allows you to
know what power setting youre on
without looking at the numbers. The
range of magnification on offer goes
from 4 right up to 14 which is an
exceptionally practical range and
means the owner of this scope will
be ready for every situation, from
close range ratting around the
99
farmyard,
to long
range target
shooting. This is a
truly excellent feature
and one I personally
value highly.
The middle section of the
scope is known as the saddle and on
this model holds four functions. The
clicks
and need no
tools to rotate.
Unusually, the disk
that has the
increments and direction
written on is coloured gold. The
other control on the saddle is a rotary
switch that controls the illuminated
reticle. You can choose from red or
green and its well worth trying both
options in different light conditions.
In the middle of the rotary switch is a
battery compartment that holds a
CR2032 coin-0shaped battery that
powers the system. Forward of the
saddle we come to the huge 50mm
objective lens designed to gather as
much light as possible, acting like a
ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THE

CONTROLS,YOULL FIND
THEYRE EASY TO USE
top and right-hand side dials are
elevation (up and down) and windage
(left to right) zeroing controls
featuring raised, finger-friendly dials
that move with distinct, audible
funnel and capturing every possible

glimmer of usable light to help the
hunter clearly identify his quarry for a
telling shot. Around this lens is the
parallax adjustment ring thats
Large objective lens, complete with flipup cover and focusing facility.
A set of high quality mounts and an

illuminated reticle come as standard.
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD
27
ON TEST: SCOPE
Theres a screw-on sunshade included

in this comprehensive package.
The optical quality of the multicoated lens system outshines

the scopes price by miles.
marked for distance. Its job is to

focus the light from your target
precisely on the reticle, because if
you dont do this it becomes possible
to look through the scope at an angle
and even though it appears that you
are aiming correctly you could still
miss due to parallax error.
The reticle is the super-popular
mil-dot type that offers additional
aiming points along the arms of the
cross-hair. This design has become a
big success with hunter field target
(HFT) competitors who not only use
the dots to help them to aim but also
use them for range finding and many
live quarry hunters have adopted it
too. In fact, the mil-dot is probably
the most popular reticle type on sale
today. In the bad old days, reticles
were fragile and often broke, making
the scope useless, but this AGS has
28
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
its reticle etched into one of the

lenses, making it totally reliable and
well able to take the knocks that are
an inevitable part of hunting.
The scope body is made from one
piece of aluminium, again for
strength, and is part of the reason
that this scope is rated for precharged and spring-piston airguns
as well as high power centrefire
rifles. During development the
Cobalt was shock tested to some
pretty tough standards and passed
with flying colours.
Accessories
Not only do you get all the vital
internal adjustments you could need
with this scope, but you also get a
long list of highly useful accessories.
The first and most important one is a
pair of four-bolt aluminium mounts
that were chosen to allow for the

large diameter of the objective bell
and parallax adjuster. They look neat
and the finish matches the scope
body well. The rear mounts also has
a recoil-arrester pin that can be
wound out to lock into the scope rail
socket on spring-piston rifles, to
ensure that the scope doesnt creep
due to the effects of recoil. Theres
also a pair of flip-up lens covers that
slip onto the front and rear of the
scope and stay on while youre
hunting. When youre ready to take
the shot you simply flip them up out
of the way, exposing clean, dry lenses
for the shot. You also get a 4 long
sunshade extension which does
exactly what the name suggests.
So, as you can see it really is true
to call this scope a fully-featured
model, because you get everything
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Webley (Intl) Ltd
Importer: Highland Outdoors
Tel: 01858410683
Model: AGS Cobalt Redi-Mount
Specification: 4-16 x 50 IR PA
Parallax adjustment: Yes
Reticle type: Mil-dot
Reticle illumination: Yes. Red and green
Accessories included: Four-bolt mounts,
sunshade extension,
flip-up lens covers
Price: 84.99
you could want plus some nice
goodies too, but the shocking thing
about this scope is the price. Would
you believe me if I told you that this
is in your local gun shop for 84.99?
Yes it is and I really dont know how
they do it but Im very sure that lots
of airgunners will be glad they do.
WorldMags
GAMEKEEPERS REPORT
THE
...
REALITYrs life is
NEWTONS LORE
epe
...of a ke d from the
ve
far remo of going
notion ll day
a
shooting
Steve Newton faces all sorts of toil and disruption, but still finds time to dispel
a myth or two
ts the middle of March and my
brief yearly rest is over. So, its
now time once again to start
preparing for the coming shooting
season, and as always there is a hell
of a lot of work to be done.
The pheasant pens need money
spending on them this year; new
posts, new wire, new electric fencing
and soaring wheat prices are only
some of the extra expenses for this
coming season. The traps have
already been taken in and serviced
but the feeders have yet to be
retrieved and repaired as many have
been damaged by deer. Most of
them have been patched up several
times before and this time I think
some of them are finally beyond
repair. Ive no idea how well this
coming season will go as we are
about to have some major work done
to the woods with a lot of cutting
going on and the removal of the
rhododendrons from the estate, and I
must say, I have mixed feelings
about this. Apart from the terrible
disturbance this will cause in the
woods during a vital time of the year
(no such disturbance is going on
30
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
with my neighbour, so where do you

think my birds are going to go?) the
removal of the rhododendrons also
means the removal of cover and
natural food supply, all of which help
to hold the birds in my home woods.
I understand there are economic
and long term reasons for this decision,
but Ill be hard to convince that this is
good, as I, like all keepers, am driven
mainly by the welfare of my birds and
care little for any other point of view.
Also, top of my agenda is an extremely
New posts to be cut and

installed, which is time
consuming and expensive.
aggressive vermin control programme,

because I am dedicated to producing
wild stock to mix with the released
pheasants as these birds add diverse
and testing sport to the drives and help
to keep the Guns happy. To this end,
corvids and foxes will be targeted
heavily and although I take no pleasure
in killing such splendid animals as
foxes, I would rather take the vixens
now then have to deal with cubs in a
few months. It may seem hard for the
sport shooter to understand, but
sometimes after a hard day grafting on

the pens (usually in the pouring rain), I
really dont want to get up and go
shooting all night as well. It can be
extremely difficult to get motivated
when all you want to do is have a pint
in front of the fire and an early night,
but if I dont do it then it doesnt get
done and remember, there is only one
person who is held responsible if not
enough birds are found on a shoot day.
Right, as a departure from my
usual ramblings this month, Im not
going to tell you about a hunting trip
and you will not see pictures of piled
up dead vermin; in fact its safe to
say that no animal was harmed in
the writing of this article at all. You
may recall last month I was telling
you about the airgun hunting days
and courses that I run. No, dont
worry, Im not going to be banging on
about that again, except to say that
one thing Ive noticed with many of
the novice and even intermediate
shooters that have visited me, is that
despite the excellent work this very
informative magazine has been doing
for years, some very common
misconceptions still abound and it
GAMEKEEPERS REPORT
The price of wheat has rocketed with

little sign of things getting better.
seems that some of these come from

a particular source. We all know the
old countryman; you know, the old
bloke that has his own chair in the
village pub, who normally keeps his
own tankard behind the bar and says
stupid things like, Ive caught more
rabbits than youll ever see, boy,
and my personal favorite, If I told
people what I know about untin
then there wouldnt be any game left
in the countryside! This gem of
total nonsense really says it all about
the bloke in the pub. As if that
wasnt bad enough, these old frauds
have the audacity to criticize those
of us who are really out there doing
it. Come to think of it, some of the
crap Ive seen posted on internet
forums leads me to believe that the
net has its fair share as well.
As far as light-gathering goes, bigger

lenses are often better, but not always.
Lens quality plays a major part, too.
enough for a beginner to learn all

thats required for successful
hunting, without being given bum
steers. Now there are many such
First up is hunting on moonlit

nights. A very famous poaching poem
begins, Its my delight on a moonlit
night and this simply tells us the
author has never been poaching in his
life. To go poaching under a full moon
is suicide. Apart from being easily
visible, all sounds you make are
magnified and very directional. Think
about that; youre being hunted by
men like me and trust me, its very
hard to hide from a determined
keeper on his own land that he knows
like the back of his hand. I have also
heard the tales of ferreting in
moonlight. Why? Rabbits are mainly
dusk till dawn feeders, so why the hell
would you want to ferret when the
quarry is out feeding and not at
home? Ok, maybe you will walk about
a bit to put the rabbits underground.
wicket, as pheasants see just as well

as you or I in moonlight and nothing
is going to bring me running quicker
then the deafening sounds of
pheasants leaving their roosts in the
dead of night. Lets forget about
poaching. On land where you have
permission, to go lamping on a still
moonlit night is at best a complete
waste of time, at worst you are merely
educating the quarry to the lamp,
which you will regret when you do get
a decent night. This is how its been
for generations, until fairly recently.
Now we have new technology which
allows us to get on terms with quarry
under any night conditions. I am, of
course, talking about night vision (NV)
where light nights are as good as dark
ones and, as much as I use this
technology myself, its still a worry to
IF I TOLD PEOPLE WHAT I KNOW ABOUT UNTIN,

THERE WOULDNT BE ANY GAME LEFT IN THE
COUNTRYSIDE
misconceptions, far too many to
cover here, but well take a look at
the more common ones. First, I
make no apologies to the more
experienced among you who may
think I am covering old ground, I
am, but bear with me as there are
many new people taking up
airgunning every day and its not old
ground to them.
Thanks, it wont take me so long to

find you! Anyone who has done a
reasonable amount of ferreting will
know what nonsense this is. Even if
you have permission, do you want to
net and dig at night? Although, sadly,
I must admit when I was a kid I did
try it (so whos the stupid one?). As
regards poaching pheasants in
moonlight, you are on an even stickier
keepers as the thieving poachers

seem to have no trouble affording it
as well. The upside is the infra-red
they use is as visible through my NV
scope as it is through theirs, thus
giving away their position.
Before we leave this topic its also
worth mentioning that on land where
you have permission, the light
gathering capabilities of many modern
Git clued-up
Now dont get me wrong there are
some truly incredible old-timers out
there who have forgotten more than
you and I will ever know, but in 49
years of country life, Ive come across
only two and yet every country village
in England has, it seems, at least one.
So how do you tell a truly skilled
artisan from silly old git? Well, its
difficult for the novice, but a good
rule of thumb is that the latter will
always find some excuse to avoid
coming out and demonstrating his
wonderful skills. The experienced
shot can pick these idiots out at
once but to an eager novice this guy
can seem like a rich source of
knowledge that can fast-track them
to success, but beware, the chances
are that the closest this fool has
come to catching a rabbit is when
hes run one over in his car.
None of this would bother me if it
wasnt for the fact that its hard
WorldMags
POWER
Bigger vermin, such as foxes, need

heavier hardware to control them.
Never fa
l
myth tha l for the
outranks t power
acc
Accuracy uracy.
everythin is
g
AIRGUN WORLD
31
GAMEKEEPERS REPORT
High magnification is out for low light

shooting...
...and I like a 3 magnification, rather

than a 6.5 when things get really gloomy..
30 ft.lbs. and sub-12. Both are equally deadly in

the right hands, but no amount of power can
make up for basic accuracy and fieldcraft skills.
scopes has meant that on a moonlit

night on open ground with short grass,
its very possible to shoot rabbits with
no light source at all. I use a Bushnell
Trophy XLT and have shot many
rabbits on grass a few inches high
with only the light of the moon,
although stalking is really challenging
and low magnification is a must.
Power myths and misses

Next, we move onto the very popular
more power equals more kills
misconception. When I was a 10
year-old, I had an old break-barrel
BSA Meteor in .22 with iron sights. I
was a country lad, well known to all
The high-powered Air Arms extends my

range, but not as much as some would think.
32
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
The battle against

vermin will never end.
the local landowners, and back then

the law, and peoples attitudes, were
somewhat different. We didnt have a
deep freeze (few people did) and so
every morning before school I used to
take that old Meteor up into the
fields and shoot the food for my
hawks and ferrets and put welcome
rabbit meat on the table for the
family. I didnt know how powerful
my gun was and I didnt care. All I
knew was, if I got within range of my
target it was coming home in my bag,
and that was the key. I concentrated
on learning how to get within range
for my gun by honing my fieldcraft
and stalking skills. Of course at the
time my old Meteor was the most

powerful gun Id ever owned, but in
retrospect, that old rifle probably
didnt deliver more than 10 ft.lbs.,
but old guns are like old gundogs,
they all seem better when you look
back on them through the rose-tinted
glasses of time. What this little trip
down memory lane is supposed to
illustrate is, I shot a lot of game with
a low-powered rifle. I missed lots of
shots for lots of reasons, but I didnt
miss a single one because my gun
wasnt powerful enough. It doesnt
matter how powerful your gun is if
you have the skills to get within range
and the accuracy to place the pellet
where you want it. These skills cant
be overridden with power, they have
to be learned and practiced. I
frequently use a 30 ft.lb. FAC rifle
now but most of my shots are still no
further than 35-40 yards because I
make sure I get within that distance
by using skills that have nothing to
do with the power of my rifle. Given
the choice I would choose accuracy
over power any day of the week. So
the upshot is, provided your rifle has
a power suitable for hunting, more
power does not automatically mean
more game in the bag, as your
equipment is only half the story when
it comes to a successful shot.

Remember, power without accuracy
is pointless and leads only to wasted
chances, a frustrated shooter and
worst of all, wounded game.
...and finally
I wanted to dispel at least five myths
this month but I only managed to
cover two before running out of space.
Space is always short, but I hope Ive
cleared up one or two points.
So, until next month, enjoy your
sport, have a thought for me being
up to my armpits in rhododendrons,
but most of all, stay safe.
In the meantime, you can visit me
at my website:
www.newtonssportingdays.co.uk.
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The Remington NPSS comes

complete with a quality
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Features:
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Centerpoint 3-9 x 40 scope and
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Specifications:
Calibre: .177 and .22
Ammo type: Pellets
Stock design: Synthetic with adjustable comb
Power source: Nitro Piston
Barrel: Fully shrouded
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TOP VALUE GUNS
HATSAN STRIKER 1000S

Tim Finley continues his series with this unusual looking Hatsan
ou might remember from my article a
while back on the Hatsan 55S air rifle
from Edgar Brothers that I really wanted
the 55S with a plastic stock and in a rat
busting .25 calibre. Well, Edgar Brothers
have played a blinder, not with the 55S,
but with a new model. Heres the Hatsan
Striker 1000S with a synthetic stock and
in .25 calibre; talk about a fantasy league
top pick.
The first thing to mention is where
the rifles name comes from; it derives
from the fact the gun was originally
designed to produce a huge 1000
feet per second in .177
calibre for unrestricted
markets around the world. In
the UK of course, were governed
by the 12-foot pounds rule for
non FAC rated
airguns.
So for the
mass UK market
Edgar Brothers have
had Hatsan modify the
1000S to comply with our
laws. One really pleasing upshot of this
is that the de-rated gun has a very
pleasant firing cycle for a springer,
thats not at all harsh. This is all thanks
to de-rating the power in what basically
is an FAC airgun design. The gun is a
small step down specification wise from
the last Hatsan I tested, namely the
55S, as the Striker isnt fitted with a
Quatro trigger as the 55S is. It does
have a better
stock than
the 55S
though , as
its fitted
with a
synthetic
WorldMags
ambidextrous sporter design into which

are set rubber extra-grip panels. These
are inserts that also come in a choice of
four colours, namely plain grey, dark
grey, yellow or orange. I asked for
orange as I have a fondness for rifles
with orange stocks already.
Action
I digress, back to the Striker; its
break-barrel, spring
powered
slide your thumb up the stock until it

hits the catch. The catch has a
pronounced curve that the thumb sits
nicely into, with the design reminding
me again of the old Webley Omega
safety, which is no bad thing. In the
on position, the safety catch shows a
red mark in a cut-out slot. Being an
ambidextrous model this slot
is on both sides of
the
action. The
safety catch can
be manually reset
too, by pulling it back out
if you need to. Cocking is as
normal with a break-barrel rifle, and
it has an articulated cocking arm
keeping the slot in the bottom of the
synthetic stock down to the bare
minimum length. Oh, did I mention
to always keep hold of the barrel
steel action is robust in typical

Hatsan style. It also has some very
modern design features using the
latest materials, something Ive
begun to notice about Hatsan, and
its true to say theyve come a long
way in a relatively short space of time when cocking the gun? The breech
and are now giving the German and
has a solid lock up, needing a good
UK makers a run for their money.
solid tap with the palm to open it.
This is a real Top Value gun
The front sight moulding extends
coming in at one hundred
down the barrel toward the
and fifty quid, which
breech, giving a
makes this gun a real
convenient section to
bargain. The action
get hold of to the
s
e
p
y
t
has an anti bearcock the rifle. The
w
e
he n
trap system, so it
Despite t me along the Striker is a great
co
cannot be manually
cold weather gun
that have rel rifle is still having
de-cocked, and it
a synthetic
r
break-ba the most
also has an
stock and the
by far
automatic safety
synthetic section on
popular
catch. This pops out of
the barrel for cocking,
the rear of the action smack
which keeps your hands and
in the middle of the centerline of the
fingers away from the cold barrel.
stock. When it sets, the rear of the
Over the chronograph it gave healthy
catch overhangs the profile of
figures with the big .25 heavy 20.1
the stock slightly, so
grain H&N Field Target Trophy pellets
you can just
I tested the rifle with.
It came in at 11
foot pounds, so
any rat hit with
the 6.35mm
diameter pellet
will really know about it. Shot-to-shot
consistency was also good after a bit
of running in.
Fibre optic sights

It has open sights fitted as
standard, which have fibre optic
elements and are called TruGlo. Theres a green
0.95mm
diameter rod
bent into a U-shape
forming the rear sight, which when
viewed in the normal way, gives a
bright green dot on either side of
the open notch. The front sight has
a red 1.5mm diameter fibre optic
rod, which is protected by an opentopped hood. This opening top
ensures that the rod picks up
enough light to make it show up
clearly. I fitted a telescopic sight
right from the start, as I wanted to
get the best out of the gun from the
very beginning.
THE STRIKER IS A GREAT COLD

WEATHER GUN
ARREL
BREAK-B
This is where I found the one and

only fault with the rifle, which is that
it has a scope arrestor block fitted to
the 11mm dove tails, machined into
the top of the action. Having that
block is a very good thing, I just
couldnt figure out why theyve put it
where they have. Theres a big
section of the dovetail behind the
steel plate forming the arrestor block
which is almost an inch of rail, in
fact, that cannot be used. The
arrestor plate itself is held on by a
Posi/Philips headed screw tapped
into the top of the action. I would be
tempted to either cut down the plate
to just in front of the screw or take it
off altogether and use the head of
the screw as the arrestor system. To
do this Id cut off a bit of the length
of the screw to ensure that it didnt
interfere with the action,-- as it will
be screwed in deeper without the
plate in place.
Also make sure the scope mounts
you use do butt up against the screw
and do not ride over the top of it. I
fitted a Barska low mag scope,
which is bang on for short range
AIRGUN WORLD
35
TOP VALUE GUNS
This cut-out allows light

onto the fibre optic element.
Edgar brothers are proud of

their relationship with Hatsan.
With this red dot showing, the

cocked rifle is ready to fire.
ratting. With a test card out at 20m,

which is the longest distance I
intend to use the 1000S at, it gave
me five shot groups averaging
around the 20mm centre-to-centre
mark, one very pleasingly in a T
shape measuring 21.7mm centre-tocentre. I did try to do an F as well
but it didnt come off. I even had
some 3.5 and 5.5mm three shot
groups when I held the rifle
correctly. The first stage pull on the
trigger was a tad long and took a bit
of getting used too. Its adjustable
according to the specification but
the instruction manual which came
with the 1000S did not cover that
model, strange. The trigger guard
has a grippy section on the bottom
of it for use by those like me who go
off the tips of the fingers and thumb
in the standing position sometimes.
As with all good spring designs, the
front Posi/Philips headed screws are
set at 45 degrees to the action. I
found the stock design very
comfortable, the rake on the pistol
grip put my finger in the perfect
position on the pressed steel blade. I
loved the stock in fact, it has quite
raised sides to the cheek piece, on
both sides of the stock, of course, as
it is made for left-handed and
normal shooters. The surface of the
cheek piece has three grooves
moulded into it, each following the
bottom curved profile of the raised
section. These prevent the head
slipping down the cheek piece, or
combined with the grooves on the
back of the rubber butt pad, prevent
the rifle from popping up and out of
the shoulder whilst on aim. Speaking
of good grip, the orange panels have
This compact scope suited the Striker well

in its intended role as a close range hunter.
The chequered area under the trigger guard

suited my off-hand shooting stance well.
a hatched pattern on their surface

and are bonded on around raised
sections of the original moulding of
the stock. The rubber of the coloured
sections is very soft to the touch and
just add another dimension to the
synthetic stock experience.
Ultimate ratter
As a ratter, the 1000S in .25 calibre
is near on perfect. I may even try it
with the open sights and a barrel
mounted lamp to see if its any faster
on the aim. I figure it should be
opposed to using a scope, we will see.

The 1000S also comes in .177 and
.22 calibre for those not into man size
.25 guns. If you dont like the plastic
stock it can also be bought twenty-two
quid cheaper with a wooden stock, but
I would still go for the more durable
synthetic version myself. A rat is not
going to be bothered that the gun after
him has some very tasteful orange
furniture. Hatsan certainly have got a
premier league Striker on their hands
here but with a price that is nowhere
near the silly end of the pay scale.
SPECS
Much of the reason I wanted
this rifle was the .25 calibre.
Manufacturer: Hatsan
Country of Origin: Turkey
Distributor: Edgar Brothers
Contact Tel: 01625 613177
Model: Striker 1000S
Action: Break-barrel
Type: Spring-piston
Length: 43 (1095mm)
Weight: 6.4lb (2.9kg)
Barrel length: 17.7 (450mm)
Pull length:14.4 (367mm)
Calibre: .25 on test, .177 and .22
Stock: Ambidextrous synthetic sporter, with
recoil pad.
Sights: Open with fibre optic elements
The fibre optic inserts
can be clearly seen here.
This dial controls the elevation

adjustment on the all metal rear sight.
Trigger: Two-stage
Price: 150.00 (synthetic stock)
36
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
Highclere Castle
Berkshire
29 & 30 May 2011
8.30am - 6pm
ir
a
F
presents
y
r
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n
u
o
C
e
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le
c
h
Hig
nt
The Complete Country Sports Eve
The Highclere Game and Country Fair attracts a fusion of families and eld sports enthusiasts
who take part in an outstanding range of countryside attractions and family entertainment.
A Prestigious portfolio
of championship events
Plenty of action & entertainment for the whole family
UL7`-ii
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Plus Top-quality trade stands

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Book your tickets in advance
0845 230 5175
*All attractions maybe subject to change
Find us on facebook.com/countryman.fairs
WorldMags
countrymanfairs.co.uk
COMPETITION
WIN!
WIN A BRAND NEW AIR ARMS S510

TC CARBINE COMBO WORTH OVER
0
0
0
1
Scope and mounts may

differ from those shown
YO
HA U COU
TH VE AL LD
FORIS LOT L
JUS
T
Heres your chance to own something truly remarkable. The new Air Arms S510 TC Carbine marks a major departure from the accepted limits
of airgun design, and brings with it increased, guaranteed performance. The TC has a pair of specifically developed, aluminium air
reservoirs, incorporated into the worldbeating S510 multi-shot format, which includes a match grade, fully-sleeved, Lothar Walther barrel, an
easy-cycle, autoload, 10-shot action, a precision, two-stage adjustable trigger and a high quality, ambidextrous stock, complete with
rosewood grip cap and laser-cut chequering. Your prize also includes a scope and mounts - and all for just 2!
WIN THIS FANTASTIC PRIZE PACKAGE!

KEEP THIS COPY FOR REFERENCE
May S510 TC
COMPETITION
HOW TO ENTER
There are six differences between the two photos. Simply draw a circle around them as you spot them,
then send your completed Entry Form (photocopies permitted) plus a cheque or Postal Order for 2 made
payable to Airgun World, to the address below. The winning entry will be drawn after the competition
closing date and the winners name will be published in our July issue, on sale in June.
The closing date for entries is 4th June.
ENTRY FORM
Airgun World, 3 The Courtyard,

Denmark St,Wokingham, Berks RG40 2AZ
Name ...................................................................................................................................................
Address................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................
Postcode ....................................................Daytime Tel ........................................................................
Email.................................................................................................................Preferred Calibre.........
Prize to be sent to: (Name and address of your local gunshop)
............................................................................................................................................................
Postcode ..............................................................................................................................................
If you are under 18, an adult must sign on your behalf and give his/her name and address
Name ..................................................................................................................................................
Address................................................................................................................................................
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BASA members
Postcode ..............................................................................................................................................
can enter using
Closing date: 4th June 2011
one of their special

FREE ENTRY tokens
Tick if you have a subscription to Airgun World

Anyone involved in the preparation
COMPETITION RULES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
of this competition may not enter.
What would you like to see in Airgun World? Simply write your suggestions below, or list
your comments on a seperate sheet of paper, and send it with your competition entry.
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38
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
The Trophy Cams

battery life, trigger speed
and dependability are
second to none.
Unbeatable Battery Life
Up to 16GB SD Card
Compatible
LCD Screen Colour
Viewer Optional
High Resolution Colour
Images & Widescreen Video
Day/Night
Autosensor
Rapid Trigger speed

Adjustable PIR sensor
Weatherproof
Adjustable web belt
8.02, 2010 5:37
BUSHNELL
BUSHNELL
7.12, 2010 23:49
The most proven riescope

in history has been made
deadlier
than ever.
From the class-leading 91% light
transmission to the nearly indestructible
one-piece tube, every aspect of the Trophy
XLT is optimised to elevate what has become
the standard for excellence in the eld.
For 2011, weve added several 30mm

oerings. All models feature fully multicoated optics for ultra-bright images at those
precious moments between dark and almost dark.
Rigorous recoil testing proves its one-piece tube
oers utmost dependability in the eld, and the
included Butler Creek ip-up caps shield your
lenses from precipitation and fogging.
Compare and youll see no other riescope in its
class can compete.
For details of your nearest stockist, please contact the UK & Ireland Distributor: J J VICKERS & SONS LTD
TEL: 01634 201284 - EMAIL: sales@jjvickers.co.uk - WEB: www.jjvickers.co.uk
WorldMags
TROPHY XLT
3-9x40
WIN!
A BUSHNELL TROPHY XLT
ITS YOUR WRITE TO WIN

A TROPHY XLT!
WO
RT
H
This month, Steve Barclay discovers that learning

just the basics really makes a difference
The third entry...
Heres the third entry in our
fantastic win a scope competition.
All you do is provide 700 to 1500
words, some good quality photos,
plus your contact details, and if your
storys judged the best, you win this
Bushnell XLT at the end of this year.
Go on - get writing!
y name is Steve and I live and
work in North Essex. I enjoyed
shooting as a teenager in the cadets
and continued with 13 years service
in the Army. I left the Army in 1997
and hadnt done any sort of
shooting until I was introduced to
the world of air rifle hunting by a
friend last summer.
It started as a chance conversation
at work and an offer to have a go on
a nearby permission. A chat with my
wife and trip to the Airgun Centre
later and I was the proud owner of a
.22 BSA Ultra Multishot. Later that
week my mate, Lea, took me to the
permission. The owner of the land
keeps horses and had problems with
rabbits making their homes where
the horses would graze in the
paddock. As holes in the ground and
horses legs dont make a good
combination our mission was simple;
reduce the rabbit
population. A bit of
practice on paper to
get our eyes in and we
were off.
With all my years of
experience of shooting
to fall back on, what
could possibly go
wrong? After all, how
hard could it be to
bag a few bunnies?
Boy, was I in for a
steep learning curve! I
soon learned that the
This works but its
ranges I had been
far from ideal.
used to shooting at
before were incredibly
40
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
reduced. I also learned that, no

matter how softly I tiptoed around
the permission, the rabbits would
give a cheery wave and leg it into the
undergrowth before I could get close
enough to take the shot.
Working shifts doesnt give me
as much time to hunt as I
would like so I have to make
the most of every opportunity. I
had to find a way to make myself
blend in as my first visits had
been enjoyable but frustrating. I
already had some old army
camouflage clothing but was making
the mistake of leaving my hands,
face and rifle uncovered. The
human body is a very distinctive
shape and the rabbits easily
recognised the threat I presented.
The best way I can describe this, is
when I was stalking along a bank on
320
the
permission that
has several warrens in
it, as I crept along, a rabbit
emerged ten feet in front of me,
carried out what I can only describe
as an emergency stop, chucked a uturn and went back underground. So
far, the rabbits were winning, as any
successful shots were more by luck
than good judgement.
I decided that I needed to

experiment. I had a green face veil
from when I was in the army and
found that I was able to get nearer to
the rabbits if I attached this to my
hat in a camouflaged bee-keeper
style. As a birthday treat to myself I
invested in some of the foliage
strips sold by Jack Pyke, as part of
the Light Leaf Concealment System
range, which I attached to my hat
So much better
and so easy to do.
A BUSHNELL TROPHY XLT
Not the biggest bag in the world

but a successful experiment
from my point of view.
and face net as well as using some

more of the net to wrap around my
rifle. I was keen to see what effect it
would have.
Early this January, there was an
ideal Sunday afternoon. The sun was
out, the weather cold but dry. A quick
text to Sue, the landowner, and I was
soon in my kit and driving there. This
day I was using my Air Arms S510.
After a quick chat with Sue, I was on
my way round to the paddock, feeling
somewhat self-conscious in my new
designer scrim. There is an incline up
to the paddock that is bordered by a
hedgerow. As I made my way there I
spied several rabbits making the
most of the sun and having a late
afternoon feed. Keeping to the
hedgerow, I crept along to try to close
the range before I was spotted and
the inevitable happened. A sudden
movement in the hedgerow caught
my eye. A rabbit had emerged again
about ten to fifteen feet away from
me. Instead of the rabbit turning tail
and running for cover it stopped and
for a couple of minutes we had a
I was positioned on the open grassed

area in the centre, which held no cover
but was perfect for my experiment.
WorldMags
Mexican stand-off. The rabbit knew

something was wrong but couldnt
place it, meanwhile I couldnt move
to take the shot without spooking this
rabbit which would then warn its
friends. After a couple of minutes of
contemplation the rabbit decided
discretion was the better part of
valour and went home, as did his
friends in the paddock.
Things were looking up. My
camouflage seemed to be working. I
spent some time patrolling the
perimeter of the shoot before
returning to the grassed area in front
of the bank where I decided to test
my new attire some more. Placing
myself in the middle of the grassed
area around 25 yards from the bank,
I settled down to wait. The sun was
pleasant and 20 minutes or so soon
passed. A rabbit emerged on the
bank to my right, closely followed by
one on my left. I stayed as still as I
could and the rabbit on the left was
joined by another. They sat for a few
minutes before having a run around
the bank and back to where I had
Its important to take

time out to enjoy
scenes like this.
first seen them. I was expecting

them to disappear and held my
breath as they came down the bank
and on to the grass where they
settled down to feed.
Gently, and oh so slowly, I brought
the S510 to bear. Carefully, I placed
the crosshairs on a point between
the ear and the eye. Come on Steve,
you can do this, I thought to myself
as I struggled to get my breathing
under control. It seemed like hours
as I took up the first pressure on the
trigger. Holding my breath, I gently
squeezed the trigger, the report of
the shot sounding loud in my ear,
and the pellet was on its way.
Keeping the rifle on aim, I followed
through the shot as I had been
taught many years before and I was
rewarded with the sight of the rabbit
doing a back-flip and landing still on
the grass. A couple of twitches of the
back legs and the rabbit lay still.
I waited a while to see if any more
rabbits would make an appearance
but none were willing to risk it, and
to be fair it was probably too early in
the afternoon. So, it was with a

feeling of satisfaction that I recovered
my prize, and as the sun was going
down I called it a day. Im looking
forward to the days getting longer so I
can make more use of my time off,
and practise the art of camouflage
and stalking while enjoying the peace
and quiet of the countryside.
So what did I learn? I was lying on
a grassed area with no cover to hide
behind as part of my experiment,
and was relying purely on disguising
the rifle and myself by breaking up
the outline and covering the obvious
parts of my body, such as hands and
face. By doing this, the rabbits were
still cautious but willing to venture
out after waiting to check the area
for danger. Slow movements work
best. Movement catches the eye, so
slow and steady is the way to do it. I
intend to continue with my
experiment and see what effect
using better cover will have, but I
honestly feel that Im literally on the
right track. One things for sure
theres an awful lot to learn!
At the right time of day, this

warren is swarming with rabbits.
AIRGUN WORLD
41
WorldMags
ON TEST: TECHNICAL
MOUNT MATTERS
Phill Price looks at a vital, yet often overlooked, component
ou know the old saying, that a
chain is only as strong as its
weakest link? Well, that was never
more true than with our rifles. The
rifle may be accurate, have a great
trigger and your scope might be clear
and bright, but if the mounts that
join them arent strong and true, that
wont matter at all. Poor mounts can
cause problems in many ways and
its a terrible false economy to buy a
high quality rifle and scope, but
cheapo mounts.
Good mounts are made from high
quality materials but more
importantly than that, they are made
accurately, to exacting tolerances to
precisely fit your scope rail and the
body of the scope. Any inaccuracy
will cause misalignment, making
setting the combinations zero
difficult, if not impossible. For
example, if the front and rear rings
are offset, you might need to use all
of your horizontal adjustment to get
zeroed. This means that, instead of
looking through the optical centre of
the lenses, you look through an area
toward the edge where the lenses are
less efficient, and you wont benefit
from the best performance that scope
can offer.
Take care
But far worse than this can occur
when people mix mounts from
different brands or models
that were never
designed to work
together. The
differences
Rings are available in one inch and

30mm.
between them might be small, but

even they can cause damage to your
precious scopes body tube. This is
made from aluminium and although
its relatively strong, it can be bent
and crushed, with terminal effects on
the scope. If nothing else, any
external damage to a scope will make
it valueless second-hand. Inside the
tube is a large number of delicate
components, such as metal lens
carriers that need to be in precise
alignment for the scope to work and
damaging the tube can displace
them, ruining the scope.
So how should you go about
choosing the right mounts? As ever, I
advise dropping in at your local gun
shop and asking their advice. The
staff there will often have seen the
same combination of rifle and scope
that you have and will be well placed
to offer the right advice. There are
many factors to consider. Firstly, is
your gun a spring/piston type? If so,
youll need to choose a mount
designed to handle the unique recoil
characteristics they generate, and this
often dictates that you choose a onepiece mount.
Theyre also available in a choice of

heights.
These are ultra-strong and have a

large clamping area, giving great grip
against the scope rails. The
alternative is a pair of double-clamp
This ensures that the scope is held

across a wide area of the tube for
best support. If your rifle is a multishot model, you might well need to
allow for the height of the magazine
which will often dictate the height of
the mounts so as to allow sufficient
clearance, plus you need to consider
the objective bell size as mentioned
earlier. In an ideal world you would
take your rifle and scope to the
dealer and hed fit them to see if
theyre what you need, but often that
means destroying the packaging and
shops are understandably not keen to
do that. This is where it can be
I ALWAYS ADVISE DROPPING IN

AT YOUR LOCAL GUN SHOP AND
ASKING THEIR ADVICE
mounts that have a recoil
useful to visit the mount
arrestor pin that locks into
makers website to get
the top of the
more information. For
cylinder, preventing
example,
the dreaded scope
SportsMatchs site
e
s
o
o
h
creep. The next
is a mine of useful
c
o
et
thing to consider is
Take tim selecting the information and
the diameter of the
refully as nts could be youll find that
a
c
scopes front
they offer many
ou
wrong m xpensive
(objective) lens. The
mounts
to fit
an e
larger models need
unusual and even
e
k
a
t
mis
higher mounts to ensure
obsolete rifles, which
that they dont come into
can be a lifesaver if you have
contact with the action.
a beloved rifle you want to scope up.
CARE
Pre-charged problems
Theres always an answer
If your gun is a pre-charged

pneumatic, things can be more
complicated. Single shot models
are more simple to choose
mounts for and typically,
use a pair of mounts that
sit either side of the
loading area in the
action.
There can be different widths of

scope rail, guns whose barrels are
angled down needing mounts that do
likewise and actions that have odd
lengths of rail that need dedicated
mounting systems. The really good
news is that, if you search hard
enough, theres usually a solution to
your problem out there. Always take
the time to select your mounts
carefully - and youll be wellfixed for the future.
Some rifle manufacturers

offer dedicated mounts
such as these Blueprint
models from Daystate.
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD
43
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WorldMags
LAMPING
DOUBLE-HANDY!
Phill Price takes a good look at two very different illumination tools from
British maestros Cluson Engineering
unting with a lamp has shown
itself again and again to be the
most productive way to answer the
problems caused by an excessive
rabbit population. Farmers and
landowners such as golf course
managers, suffer huge financial losses
every year, especially during the
summer and autumn months when the
rabbit population peaks and the
rabbits hunger seems to know no end.
Over the years there have been many
designs for lamps, some successful
and others not so, and theres seldom
a year when new designs arent
offered. But some stalwarts have
proven themselves in the hunting
fields and gained the trust of shooters
who know what they want and dont
accept problems and failures while
theyre hard at work culling pests.
Dual power levels

Just such a lamp is the Cluson Blazer
which is a medium-sized model that
measures 4 x 4 inches and weighs in
at under half a pound. The casing is
made from a tough, impact-resistant
synthetic material that helps to keep
the weight down. It has ventilation
holes in the rear and a ribbed surface
to dissipate the inevitable heat that
builds up from the tungsten filament
bulbs. I say bulbs because the
reflector houses what you might call
one for main beam and another for
dipped, if you see what I mean. These
give two power levels, and for me, this
is a very important function of any
serious lamping system, because, as
The go anywhere ball

joint really does a job.
WorldMags
much as we all enjoy lots of power,

there are many times when thats
simply too much. When searching for
shot rabbits or loading magazines, a
low power setting is just whats
needed. At the back of the casing is a
horizontal rocker switch that goes one
way for high and the other for low, and
is ideal for when the lamp head is
mounted on the hand grip which is
included in the kit, as your thumb is
perfectly placed to operate it. Also
included in the kit is an in-line switch
that can be stuck to the rifles stock in
a place that your leading hand can
operate while on aim. This turns the
kit into a dedicated gun light, and
extension leads can be bought from
Cluson that allow the lamp to be
plugged directly into the cigarette
lighter socket in your car, making the
light ideal for lamping sessions from
your vehicle.
Another feature that very many
experienced lampers use is a red
filter and the one supplied in
that field gear suffers.
this kit is first class. Many
Because its a
cheap systems have
dedicated unit the
filters that fall off far
fit is perfect and
too easily, but the
the filter has a
mount for this one
cut-out in its
t centre that fits
n
u
o
m
is secured with four
a
t
s
y, the lea
screws and the flipthe shape of the
Generall power you can
up coloured lens
front lens of the
le
d
n
a
c
e
f
o
g, th
pivots on a ball and
lamp unit.
for huntin o
e
s
u
d
l
socket joint, that can
l
u
o
y
better
Making contact
be adjusted to get just
The connectors are big
the right amount of friction
and chunky with strong contact
to hold it open or closed and
springs, which are exactly what you
compensate for the inevitable wear
need in the field, as wimpy little ones
get pulled apart accidentally, usually
at the worst possible moment. These
connectors are the universal standard
car-cigarette-lighter type and are well
proven in the real world of hunting.
But despite all this proven
performance, Cluson believed that
even this lamp could be improved
and brought up-to-date with the
inclusion of modern battery
technology, so they now offer a Li-ion
battery pack. This energy storage
technology is common in mobile
phones and other high-tech gear, but
WATT ?
POWER
From gun lamp to hand lamp in minutes.
is less well known in shooting circles.

The battery pack itself is tiny
compared to the old lead-acid packs
many people know so well. At 4 x
4 x 1 it fits easily into any jacket
pocket and, for those who are old
enough to remember the bad old
days, will never leak acid onto your
clothes, burning great big holes in
them. Its also only a fraction of the
weight of old-fashioned packs, which
is very good news when youre
carrying a rifle and a rucksack full of
rabbits. This power pack is supplied
with a leather bum-bag style case that
you wear around your waist when you
dont have a suitable jacket pocket
handy, such as when shooting on
those balmy summer nights.
AIRGUN WORLD
45
LAMPING
The Lithium-ion battery pack is a pocket

powerhouse.
All modern battery types such as

Li-ion and Li-poly are supplied with
a dedicated smart charger and
nows a good time to cover why
these are so important. The charging
unit has sensors that continuously
monitor the charging process to
optimise the full capacity of the
battery pack, but they also have
safety systems that prevent overcharging, which could shorten the
life expectancy of the battery, or in
the worst case sceenario cause the
battery to catch fire. Please only ever
use the charger supplied with your
battery and youll enjoy the best
performance and the fewest hassles.
Youd expect a super high-tech
upgrade to cost more and youd be
right. That figure is 48 on top of
the standard kit, but for the shooter
who hunts on foot, I believe it is well
worth the price. You get all the power
and all the burn time from a much
smaller and hugely lighter battery,
46
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
Another ball joint controls the red filter.
The Clu Briter rechargeable hand-held

unit is a neat, efficient package.
THE UNIT HAS SENSORS THAT

CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR THE
CHARGING PROCESS
which is surely the holy grail of a
high performance lamping kit.
Clu-Briter
The second unit Ive been looking at
is the unusual Cluson Clu-Briter
hand-held lamp. Now before you get
put off by the Star-Trek looks, you
need to understand just what this
small light unit has to offer. Our
beloved editor has probably killed
more rabbits than the rest of the staff
put together, and he preaches that
the ultimate way to go lamping is in a
two-man team, with one man on the
lamp and the other shooting. This
gives two sets of eyes to spot rabbits
and the lampman having the ability to
go out searching and picking up

rabbits with no need whatsoever to
point a gun into the darkness to see
whats happening. You also have two
rucksacks in which to carry the
rabbits home instead of the shooter
becoming the pack donkey as well.
The Clu-Briter is light and
comfortable to use and, when held
in your right hand, your index finger
operates the on/off switch while your
thumb moves the swinging mode
lever. This offers full power, low
power and strobe, the latter being
especially useful in search and
rescue situations. The reflector is
specifically engineered around the
ultra high-tech Cree LED light source
thats the heart of the lamp. This

gives a tight, even centre spot, with
a soft halo output around it, which
works brilliantly (excuse the pun) as
a rabbit lamping tool. The power has
to be seen to be believed and the
low power setting is a positive bonus
as described above. This lamp is a
truly useful tool, so much so that the
editor has invested in one for his
own use and Cluson is selling them
by the truck load. Who knows, it
might just be what you and your
shooting partner need, too.
At-a-glance info ...

Cluson Blazer shooting kit (GL15)
132 +VAT
Cluson Blazer shooting kit with
Li-ion battery 180 + VAT
Clu-Briter 48 + VAT
Contact: www.cluson.co.uk
Tel: 01730 264672
When it comes to
choosing a
pre-charged
sporter why look
elsewhere!
Beautifully designed
and engineered,
the HW100 is
beyond compare
Quick Fill facility standard on all models
New improved stock design choice of:
Walnut Sporting Stock right hand only
Walnut Thumbhole Stock ambidextrous
High Efficiency Silencer standard on all models
Fast-fire Side Lever Action with two 14-shot magazines
Power 11.5 ft. lbs.
Quite simply
GERMANYS FINEST
Precision 2-stage
adjustable trigger
Complete with two

magazines and two
charging options
HULL CARTRIDGE COMPANY LTD.,

BONTOFT AVENUE, NATIONAL
AVENUE, HULL HU5 4HZ
www.hullcartridge.co.uk
WorldMags
Scopes and mounts shown are at extra cost
On-board pressure
gauge
Low-profile totally reliable auto-load system
Model
Calibre
Barrel length
Weight
HW100KT QF
.177 / .22
310mm
3.4kg
HW100T QF
.177 / .22
410mm
3.8kg
HW100KS QF
.177 / .22
310mm
3.4kg
HW100S QF
.177 / .22
410mm
3.8kg
AIRGUN HISTORY
POLSKI PISTOLET
John Milewski looks at a classic Polish handgun
olish manufactured airguns are
not overly common in the UK as
they were never really imported in
any great numbers. One exception to
this is the Predom Lucznik model of
1970. This air pistol is a clone of
the Walther LP53 but was offered for
sale at a fraction of the Walthers
price in the 1970s. Prices today
have caught up however, with good
examples of the Lucznik fetching
over 100.
Poland has traditionally
maintained a fiercely patriotic
national character but owing to
her geographical location,
has suffered many
invasions from her
neighbours. It was
in Poland that the
first major signs
of discontent with
Communism were
seen during the
early 1980s and
after the fall of
Communism, the country
has seen independence once
more. Many products manufactured
in Eastern Europe during the Cold
War were blatant copies of Western
items and the Lucznik is one of
them. It has been said that both the
Walther LP53 and Predom are
designs inspired by the Lincoln air
pistol patented in 1911, but even
with the biggest pinch of salt you
can grab, the Lucznik resembles the
Walther to such an extent that from
a distance, it is a job to tell the
difference. Well look at the Walther
LP53 in more detail in a future
review but concentrate on this
Eastern European copy to see if it is
a cheap imitation or a useful little
pistol in its own right.
decommissioned and is no longer

military property. The original box for
the Predom was a plain item but a
leather case with space for
accessories was also apparently
available during the 1970s and 80s.
If a reader has knowledge of such an
item, perhaps they can get in touch?
Predom is the name of the
Manufacturer, based in Radom and
Lucznik translates to archer or
bowman in English. The pistols
cast frame carries the model
marking of WZ. 1970. WZ or Wzor
translates to model in English,
1970 being the year the
pistol entered
production. The
breech of the pistol
has the year of
manufacture
stamped just above
the barrel pivot
screw. On the pistol
on test, the figures
KG 1669 are stamped
and this presumably is the
serial number. Im not sure
what the KG prefix stands for. From
a collectors point of view, I wish
other manufacturers were as
thoughtful in date stamping their
airguns but then again, the detective
work in trying to date a particular
model provides collectors with lots
of pleasure too.
The rear sight unit is a good one,
providing thumbwheel adjustment for
elevation
and
windage.
Both are
click-adjustable
too, so no need to reach for tools to
adjust your sights and you can rest
assured that when set, the sights will
stay set. The rear sight block
provides the user with a U-shaped
notch to line up against the post
foresight. A good feature is the rear
angle of the unit, which helps to cut
down unwanted reflections when
aiming the pistol. Using a singlehanded stance, I found the U and
post combination a good one but
would have preferred to see a little
more light either side of the notch.
Y
HISTAIR
rs, many
a
e
y
e
h
t
Over s have been
airgun as military
designeds in the UK
trainer broad
and a
Origin
The Lucznik was intended as a
military trainer in Poland and some
can be found with military issue
holsters. These are a quality leather
item and will of course also fit the
Walther. You may see two stamps on
these holsters. The first indicating it
was military property and the second
confirming the item has been
48
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
In other words, a fractionally wider U

would make for an improved sight
picture. If theres too little light
either side, it can be more difficult
to correctly line up the foresight with
your intended aiming mark.
Switching to a two-handed stance
rectified this as the sights are
automatically placed a little nearer
the eyes.
These were my best results at

6 yards with Hobbies. Expect the
odd flyer.
grease and packing one or two

suitable washers between the
mainsprings and the cap in order to
increase preload. Having such a
short piston stroke results in fairly
low power, but as I say, the washers
can increase it a little. Please dont
overdo the preload to avoid
straining the internals.
The trigger is adjustable for length
of pull and one gripe is that the
adjusting screw can protrude from
I FOUND THE PISTOL EASIER

TO SHOOT WITH A TWOHANDED HOLD
Ambidextrous Grips
The plastic grips have no thumb
rests and are not a perfect fit to the
frame, unlike the Walther. The lack
of thumb rests makes the pistol
ambidextrous of course, so from a
left-handers point of view, would be
seen as an advantage over the
Walther. The slight gaps between
grips and frame are a minor niggle
and while the grips do move slightly
when gripped, this does not detract
too much from the pleasure of
shooting the pistol. The cylinder in
the butt profile makes a long barrel a
necessity as the more leverage you
have, the easier the cocking stroke.
Servicing the Lucznik is
simplicity itself as no tools are
required to change mainsprings. All
you need to do is unscrew the
knurled
cap
at the
base of the
pistol grip
and the
mainsprings
(there are two of
them one inside
the other) can be accessed.
The pistol can be tuned by
applying a liberal coat of
Although much of the weight is in the grip,
the long barrel results in a well balanced
pistol when up on aim.
the breech and interfere with your

trigger finger when on aim. If you
can select a suitable trigger length,
which results in the screw sitting
almost flush with the breech, so
much the better. In use, the trigger
can be a little stiff but it is
predictable. I found the pistol easier
to shoot with a two-handed hold as a
result of the stiff pull and obtained
some pleasing results.
Polish Pellets
Ever the anorak, I sourced a box of
Polish diabolo pellets for this test
but owing to their age, most had
oxidised quite badly. Breech fit was
inconsistent, as were the results.
Switching to
RWS Hobby
improved
matters
AIRGUN HISTORY
The Lucznik undoubtedly

has smooth lines.
Once set, these fully-adjustable sights will

stay in place.
Break the barrel to cock the pistol

but remember to keep it under
control during the cocking stroke to
avoid premature discharge.
If your pellet does not fit flush with

the breech, as this Polish pellet
doesnt, it will not land consistently.
The ramped foresight is securely pinned in

place. Note the horizontal serrations used to
cut down light reflection and glare.
Im not sure what these foresight markings

mean, but Ill find out one day.
This old fairground target has seen years of

service and is ideally suited to the Predom.
somewhat but I found I had to

concentrate thoroughly on every shot
on my indoor six-yard range. Flyers
were common, probably down to two
things; one was that stiff trigger pull
and the other was the rather harsh
recoil. Trying other brands of pellet
told me I had a pellet-fussy pistol in
my hands. Many brands did not fit
flush with the breech and the wider
skirt of the Hobby was definitely an
advantage when compared to other

brands. I started to enjoy myself
more when I switched from paper
targets to an old fairground
target indoors, as each
plate fell back with
a resounding clang.
Breech and frame markings on the

Lucznik leave you in no doubt to year of
manufacture. 1974 in this instance.
Outdoors, the pistol mangled a tin

can placed 10 yards away and
knocked over skittle targets at the
same distance. If I aimed carefully for
the top of each skittle, the Lucznik
was capable of occasionally knocking
the skittles over at 15 yards. However,
that stiff trigger pull resulted in more
misses than hits at this increased
distance, so back to 10 yards I went.
I found the Predom Lucznik an
easy pistol to shoot well at up to 10
yards and regret not trying one sooner.

Theyre not all that scarce, although I
am told that good examples are now
difficult to source in Poland.
Apparently some soldiers would use
nails when pellet supplies ran out, no
doubt behind their superiors backs!
Prices are not as high as some other
classic air pistols and if youre offered
a clean one, it would be worth
snapping up.
References
My thanks to Michal S for some of
the background information used in
this article.
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YOURE READING?
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to digital issues
The Lucznik, shown here fully- cocked
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD
49
am-4pm
at our shop on the 15th May 10
The following company reps will be attending to
meet, greet and showcase new stock: BSA Guns, Karesuandu
Knives, Wild Stoves, Woodland Ways Bushcraft, Perry Mcgee We will have a sausage sizzle BBQ, Dutch
Oven delights and refreshments with
Tracking & Survival expert, Will Adams knife maker, David
all donations going to Help For Heroes.
Welham Airmaster 88, 5.11 Tactical Clothing and Terry Doe,
Phill Price and George Stevens from Airgun World magazine.
Throughout the day we will run a timetable of free bushcraft
demonstrations with donations to HFH.
g
Fundraisinw
ra
D
Prize
50
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
ON TEST: DIANA 52 TO6
SHORT AND TO
THE POINT
George Stevens rediscovers the Diana
Model 52 in TO6 Carbine mode
499.
00
heres always a moment when

any test rifle is unveiled, where,
as I lift the lid on the box, the first
impression is formed. This
impression has nothing to do with
any knowledge I may have on the
type of rifle Im looking at, and
everything to do with my gut reaction
to whats in the box. This time
around, my first impression of the
Diana Model 52 Carbine was one of,
What the ?
It was the barrel that did it. The
visible section of barrel on this
Carbine version is just four inches
long, and while the barrel itself is a
fraction over 12 inches, the first
impression is that Diana have lopped
it off just in front of the fore end, and
this made it look stumpy. Truth to
tell, I dont mind stumpy rifles, as
long as they point well and shoot
straight, and the Model 52 has been
around for decades, so its pedigree is
beyond doubt. So was its pointability,
the second I put it to my shoulder.
Just a few seconds later, I knew
Id really enjoy testing this one.
Overview
The Diana
Model 52
WorldMags
TO6 Carbine is a sidelever, sliding

breech, spring-piston sporter that is
built like a tank but weighs
fractionally less. With a scoped-up
weight of 9 pounds 10 ounces and at
just 39 inches long, the 52 Carbine is
a purposeful-looking chunk of
traditional airgun technology. Every
component seems substantial, yet
without looking clumsy. Thats a good
trick if it can be pulled off, and Diana
have done just that.
This rifle comes with a proper set
of open sights, with the foresight
height-adjustable thanks to it sliding
up and down a ramp, where a grub
screw nips it into place. The
rearsight alterations come courtesy of
flat, knurled wheel for height, and a
cylindrical adjuster, also knurled,
with a direction arrow to keep you on
track. As rearsights go, these need
only a set of Tru-Glo elements to
make them perfect, but even without
them, Id be confident of shooting
rats at
ranges up to 10 yards, and feral

pigeons a couple of yards beyond
that.
Between those sights, that tinylooking barrel lives inside a blued
steel shroud, and I know the fulllength Model 52s had something
inside that shroud called a
Harmonic Frequency Damper,
which was a flat steel strip designed
to conduct vibrations away from the
barrel. This HFD deal has been fitted
to these guns for ages, but Id be
amazed if the Carbines barrel has
enough clear length to
accommodate it. Ill do my best to
find out from Ruag Ammotec, the
UK agents for Diana, but I wouldnt
be surprised if that particular gadget
has been left out on this version.
One gadget thats definitely in
there and working as it should, is the
Model 52s latest TO6 trigger unit.
This two-stage, adjustable unit, with
its anodised alloy blade and cleanbreaking action, turns out to be a
pleasure to use and is one of these
set and forget features that just
allow you to concentrate on
your shooting. The TO6
trigger is available as a retro-fit unit,

too, and after using this one Id
definitely pay the 50 required to
own one. More of the Carbines
shooting habits later; for now, well
finish off the action, then do a quick
tour of the stock before setting up
the chrono.
The Model 52s metalwork is
dominated visually by the sidelever.
Again, its a hefty bit of plant, and it
includes a sturdy, well-engineered
cocking strut that can be adjusted
for wear. This sidelever needs no
retaining latch, thanks to the clever
use of over-centre engineering, and
the adjustment option makes sure
that perfect tension is maintained
throughout a lifetime of use.
The scope mounting rail is short
too short by my reckoning and I
had to mount the scope I used in
the test as far forward as I could to
gain the correct eye relief. A rail just
an inch longer would sort this, but of
course any scope must be mounted
so it doesnt foul the sliding breech
area and impede loading.
The stained beech stock is mildly
right-hand dedicated, although
left-handers could use this
rifle without a problem.
AIRGUN WORLD
51
ON TEST: DIANA 52
Supremely pointable. The weight

and balance of the 52 TO6
Carbine puts you in full control.
Frankly, if Diana simply added a

cheekpiece on the right-hand side of
the butt, thats job done and no
moaning from the southpaws. A
rubber butt pad and whiteline spacer
completes the butt section, while a
rounded fore end tip gives you the
perfect hand hold up front. The
Model 52s stock, like its action, is
sturdy, non-flashy, well built and
entirely functional. The comb height
suited me but when the editor tried
it during the photo session he found
it a bit low for his liking. Mind you,
Ive seen him hit his head on more
ACK
N
K
E
H
T
s of good
beams in more
pubs than I care
to remember, so
no average stock is
likely to fit him
perfectly.
I liked the cut
chequering on the grip,
but that on the side panels
was all but redundant, because I
preferred to wrap my fingers around
the bull nose of the fore end. In
fact, most who tried the test rifle did
the same and the Model 52s
designers obviously knew what they
were doing when they created that
hand hold.
Metal finish is excellent and
because of that, the bluing is deep,
dark and consistent. Some I showed
the test gun to didnt like the
synthetic mouldings at the muzzle,
trigger guard, and the union between
barrel shroud and action, but I think
theyre entirely in keeping with using
the best material for the job. Anyway,
its high time I got stuck into the
shooting report.
ction
Many fuonting require
e
sho
ation. Giv
is
r
ia
il
m
o
fa
time t
yourselfp them.
develo
On the range
My cocking and loading

method maintains a grip on
the sidelever at all times.
52
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
automatic safety and

piston-locking device), I
maintain my grip with my
right hand and load the
pellet with my left. This can
seem awkward at first, but thanks to
the 52s protruding breech section I
can load by feel, rather than sight.
After loading the pellet, my thumb
finds the piston-lock disengagement
button, again by feel because it
sticks up quite a bit, and I close the
sidelever. The automatic safety is
now pushed forward to make the rifle
live and I can take the shot.
As always, this process takes far
longer to describe than to do, and I
can load a pellet in around five
seconds, in the dark if need be, so
whichever system you work
out, it wont be an issue.
With the cocking and
loading of the rifle
done and dusted, Im
more than ready to
grind my way
through the first
chrono test, so stand
by for a slew of facts
and figures.
I used Napiers UPH
pellets in the .22 test rifle,
primarily to establish a base energy
figure and to get the Model 52
Carbine run-in and ready for its
accuracy trials. As usual, after this
establishing chrono session, I tried
a selection of trusted pellets, from
which emerged H&N FT Trophy as
The first thing any user of a Diana

Model 52 needs to get sorted, is the
rifles cocking and loading sequence,
and first, Ill tell you how I do it.
With the rifle braced in my hip, I
hold the fore end tip firmly in my left
hand and sweep down the sidelever
with my right, preferably in one
smooth movement. Then, rather than
let go of the sidelever (I just cant let
myself do this, despite the rifles
done after the test rifle had

fired a couple of hundred
shots, which is how it
should be with a springer.
The reason I do my
chrono testing
early in
the piece is
because thats
how a new buyer
will gain their
first impressions of
the rifle, and also because
I want to get the boring bits out
of the way so I can crack on with the
proper shooting. I always re-test the
rifles over the chrono before I send
them back, and if there was any
worthwhile change in output Id
report it. As it was, apart from
slightly better consistency figures, I
noticed no significant change in
performance so it was all systems go
for the accuracy phase.
Off the bench

Shooting a full-power springer off a
bench takes a bit of thought and
application. Take a look at some of our
consultant editor, Jim Tylers, articles
and study his bench rest set-up. In
fact, Im told hes in the Technical
Airgun section of this issue with some
sound advice on that very subject, but
the essence of it is, allowing the rifle
to recoil in a controlled, consistent
manner. This takes soft hands,
relaxed muscles and a grip that isnt
I CAN LOAD A PELLET IN

AROUND FIVE SECONDS, IN THE
DARK IF NEED BE
the best candidate, albeit only just
ahead of the Napier UPH, RWS
Superdome, Falcon Accuracy Plus
and some JSBs I have in an
unmarked tin. Practically, all of
these pellets produced sufficient
energy and accuracy to do anything
Id ever ask of them in the hunting
field, but the FT Trophy grouped
very slightly tighter at 40 yards, so I
stuck with those.
The 52 TO6s muzzle energy
readout varied between 11.2 and
11.5 when tested with all of the
pellets listed, and settled at 11.35
with the Trophy, plus or minus just 7
f.p.s. over the final 20-shot string.
That final series over the chrono was
actually a grip, its just support and

guidance. Jim goes for cushions and
padded rifle rests, while I prefer
turning my hands and arms into recoilabsorbing cradles that move when
the rifle moves.
The Diana Model 52 TO6 can
print half-inch groups at 40 yards,
although I have to admit that time,
talent and a ratbag of a crosswind
limited me to just two groups that
good at that range. At 30 yards,
which is a far more realistic range
to be hunting with a punchy
springer, most of my groups stayed
under that size, and Id be happy to
put my faith in the test rifle under
any field conditions.
ON TEST: DIANA 52
The 52 TO6 Carbine isnt pellet-fussy,

but H&N FT Trophy just about took
the honours.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Model: 52 TO6 Carbine
Manufacturer: Mayer & Grammelspacher
Country of Origin: Germany
Right off the bench

With my bench time complete, I
was more than happy to leave the
rest for a while and head off around
my nearest shoot for an informal
plinking session. With the usual array
of rural targets old conker shells, oak
galls, dandelion flowers and the odd
sneaky cut off the cow parsley stem
group I knew Id have a proper feel
for the 52 within an hour or so.
As already stated, this is a hefty bit
of tackle, but it only feels like that
when carried between shots. On aim,
the weight is a stabilising influence
which raises confidence and aids
expectation of success, which is the
same thing, really. This is a sporter
that sits four-square in the shoulder
U.K. agent: Ruag Ammotec

Type: Spring-piston, sidelever,
single-shot sporter
and seems less willing to

twitch off the point of aim, like
lightweight rifles can. Consequently,
those informal targets I hunted were
splattered without mercy, and on an
entirely worthy note, had they been
any type of airgun quarry, Id have
had a bagful.
The recoil isnt as snappy as Id
thought it would be when I first saw
the rifle, and again that has to be
down to the weight, in part at least.
This rifle recoils quickly and its over
with just as fast, but if you try to
subdue it in any way at all, youll
mess up everything youve invested

in the shot. Thats true of all
springers, of course, but this one
seems to make that fact more plain
because of its on-aim stability. When
the shot looks so certain at the point
of slipping the trigger, a miss
becomes stark and makes you think
about what went wrong. If youve
tested the rifle and you know your
pellets can do what you want, that
leaves just you as the cause. The
Diana Model 52 TO6 Carbine is a
great leveller, and it could make a
very honest shooter out of anyone.
Muzzle noise is a factor, but then
again not as much of one as youd
think. Slide-on silencers are available
for around 50, although Id be
prepared to do without one so I
could retain the open sights.
Verdict
The protruding breech makes loading so
easy. Note the serrated piston lock.
The latest TO6 trigger and auto-safety

make a great combination.
The ramped foresight works well with ...
... the fully-adjustable rearsight.
WorldMags
At 500 or very near offer, the

Diana Model 52 TO6 Carbine
represents a serious investment in
some substantial hardware. This rifle
will, however, last for the rest of
your life, and very probably beyond.
It shoots straight, it helps you get
results and its pedigree is right up
there with the very best in the world.
You wont outshoot it, or outlive it,
and for those reasons alone, the
Model 52 TO6 Carbine is the rifle of
a lifetime.
Calibre: .177 or .22.

Cocking: Sidelever
Loading: Manual, direct to barrel via
sliding breech
Trigger: Two-stage, adjustable
Sights: Scope rail and adjustable open sights
Stock Type: Beech, right-hand sporter
Weight: 9.7lbs (4.4k) inc. scope and mounts
Length: 39 ins (990 mm)
Barrel: 12 ins (304 mm)
Power: 11-plus ft.lbs.
Price: 499.00
Out of Harmony
I never did find out if the Model 52
TO6 Carbines barrel shroud contains
a Harmonic Frequency Damper but
what ever the answer, my accuracy
tests proved it doesnt need one. Im
no expert youd have to ask our
own Professor Mike about this stuff
but Im thinking that the 52s 12inch barrel may be a tad short to be
afflicted by harmonic frequency,
whatever that is.
Its one of the very many
advantages of being a totally practical
sort of bloke, that I dont have to
concern myself with the higher
functions of airgun science. I just
shoot, test, and see how things work
in the real world and Im certain
thats what most of you do, too.
AIRGUN WORLD
53
WorldMags
TECHNICAL
X MARKS THE SPOT

Phill Price literally looks at the modern cross hair
here was a time not so long ago
when the cross hair (reticle) was
just that; two thin, crossed lines that
converged to give your aiming mark,
and for many decades people were
happy with that, but with the
widespread acceptance of the military
mil-dot reticle, fertile minds got
together to work on something better.
These new designs are known by many
names such as multiple-aimpoint or
even Christmas tree designs but they
all have one thing in common; they
have additional markings that the
smart shooter can relate to the
trajectory of his rifle and these make
aiming-off far more precise. The most
obvious use for this is when taking a
target goes up correspondingly. The

picture of the Map 6A, and the
Deben Group has been very active in
description I gave above will make
this market with the Hawke
more sense, as the distances
Sport Optics range and
that each aimpoint relates
has a selection of
to is written on, and for
reticles to choose
a hunter field target
m
o
from, but the really
(HFT) competitor in
r
f
d
ar
Weve he yll soon the .22 class this
interesting part is
he
that they offer free
en that t s for the set-up would be
b
e
D
software which
ideal. If you then
le app
have App hat supports look at the half milallows you to see
t
on screen just how
dot reticle you can
software reticles
e
these will work with
see
the same
s
e
th
your scope before you
information but note that
even fire a shot. In theory,
the information relates to a
providing you know the velocity of
higher magnification setting. People
your pellet, you could print out
have noted that this is a very fine
exactly what every aimpoint means to
reticle and they worry about being
PT
MOST A
Map 6a .22
shot thats beyond your zero range.

Youll need to aim high to compensate
for the drop, but the real question is
how much? With your laser rangefinder
youve seen that the target is at 35
yards and your gun is zeroed at 27
yards and in your practice sessions
youve learned that you need to aim
just under an inch high to
compensate. This is where the reticle
can help.
Pellet-saving technology
aimpoints to bracket the kill zone of

the knock down target, the wellprepared competitor can judge with
some precision just how far away that
target is. For example if you know
that two aiming marks sit exactly top
and bottom of the kill zone at 30
yards, youll quickly know that the
target is further away if the kill zone
is inside the marks. Theres loads of
information on the internet that
people have spent time producing
that will help you. A very important
fact to remember is that the spacing
of the aimpoints is affected by the
magnification you choose, so once
you have decided which mag you
like best, you need to stick to it or
Half mil-dot .177
your rifle, without firing a single shot

and many shooters do just that. Then
they tape that information to a flipup lens cover so that all the trajectory
and aimpoint information is right in
front of their eye before each shot.
A range of rets
Of the huge range Deben offers, my
favourites are the Map 6A and the
half mil-dot. Have a look at the
able to see it in bad light conditions

but many of the models that feature
this design have reticle illumination,
so that problem is answered already.
Plus a fine reticle allows ultraprecise aiming which is what you
really need.
The second use of these clever
reticles is in range estimation and
this technique has become a vital
part of the sport of HFT. By using two
your range finding and aim

corrections will be wrong. This article
only scratches the surface of these
useful designs and more come to the
market all the time. Take the time to
learn how they benefit you and I
promise that youll never shoot an
old-fashioned
cross hair
again.
The Hawke Nite-Eye Digi is available with

Map 6a, Half mil-dot, SR6 and SR12 reticles
When youre practising, you use

the additional aimpoints while
shooting at long range and
youve learned which point
corresponds to 35 yards, so
you simply adjust your hold
to that mark and shoot. No
guessing, no eyeball
estimation, just a precise
aim and of course, your
likelihood of hitting your
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD
55
WorldMags
CONFESSIONS OF AN INCURABLE COLLECTOR
FROM GUN RACK TO ANORAK

Gareth Woolven-Brown confesses his airgun collecting addiction
ll right, so I do airguns. Big
deal. Im not hooked you
cautionary tale of poverty

deceit and betrayal. Heed well the
know. I could give up any time
warnings within it, my friends, as in
I wanted, honest. Its just
the words of he who crafted the
that I dont want to, thats all,
motto for the National Lottery, if you
okay? The following is a
are not careful, it could be you!
WorldMags
As a lad, my pride and joy was the

BSA Super Meteor that I received for
my 13th birthday, which ensured my
passion for airguns remained
undiminished until the allure of girls,
cider and motorcycles turned my
head for a decade or two.
During the school holidays in the
1970s, teams of us would grab our
beloved airguns (a motley collection
of Meteors, Cadets, Relum Jellys,
and old Gems), and head off to the
local farm where we were allowed to
shoot. In fact, on one occasion, I can
remember a half dozen of us all
traipsing through the village towards
the farm in question one warm and
sunny summer morning, our rifles in
hand, when the local policeman,
Constable Cartwright, pulled up
Airguns dont have

to be expensive to
be collectable.
alongside us in his
Panda car (a
turquoise and white Austin Allegro),
to say, Be careful with those rifles
boys, before driving off, his job of
stewardship duly done. Cant imagine
that happening today, can you?
Fast-forward to 1999. Getting
increasingly irritated by the pigeons
feeding off his cabbages, during one
of my visits, my brother-in-law dusted
off his old Milbro Diana G79 air rifle
and set to despatching a couple of
the culprits, which in turn, we
cooked and ate. That was it, the
genie was back out the bottle, and
the very next day I equipped myself
with an air rifle from our local fishing
tackle shop, an Edgar Bros Model
60S, and the seeds of airgunning
were re-sown.
Airgun fever
Within weeks, I could not move in my
dining room for back issues of Airgun
World, and before that first month
was out, a brand new Webley
Stingray replaced the E-B 60S. By
the end of month two, I had entered
58
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
the world of pre-charged

pneumatic ownership via a Logun
You can happily mix and match
Axsor to sit alongside my Stingray
guns of different eras.
springer, and thus multi-gun
ownership was upon me.
Frankly, I was doomed from
that moment on.
I started scouring the shelves
of the shooting and fishing shops in
pursuit of an early BSA Super Meteor
like the one Id had as a boy, and
BSA Meteor,
when I found one I went in search of
charting the 50
the air rifles my Dad had owned
years of changes in all
when I was a lad in the 1970s,
British manufactured examples, and I
namely a Webley Hawk Mk.II with
had six different examples of HW35
BSA and Lincoln Jefferies underlever
interchangeable .177 and .22
to demonstrate the organic ongoing
air rifles, a couple who specialise in
barrels, and a Webley Osprey in .22.
manufacturing differences associated
collecting the military style models of
With a Super Meteor, Hawk Mk.II,
with that marque and model, too.
the 1970s/1980s from companies
and an Osprey sourced, I now owned
Soon, though, through airgun club
such as Sussex Armoury, Air Arms,
five airguns, and my mind started
contacts, attending the various
and ASI, and one collector (just one),
revisiting my
airgun and military fairs around, and
who only collects examples of the
youth, as my
haunting on-line internet forums, I
Hungarian rifles from the company of
interest in the
found that my thirst for collecting
Relum, but he is truly an oddball.
airguns of
all things historically airgun was far
The vast majority of collectors I
those halcyon
from unique, and in fact, was
encounter are what I would
days consumed
widespread. I discovered that
call all-rounders,
me. I picked up
auction houses regularly
much like myself,
a book called Air Rifles at a boot
hosted auctions of
who have in the
sale, written by someone called
airguns and memorabilia,
main, a broadDennis Hiller, to help feed my
found a whole host of
based
emerging habit, thinking the books
ing collecting
r
b
o
t
books on the subject,
pictures and information would
e
p
th, I ho
recognised that the
quench my thirst. But, no sooner had
Next mon rt on an auction remit.
o
regular collecting
I opened this compendium of
you a rep olts, and show Although
articles in the airgun
always
information, than the lusty images it
y
held b H can take learning, as in
press were obviously
contained consumed me, and I knew
u
o
y
how
catering for an established
the airgun world
I had to have more.
part
readership, and as such, felt
every day is a school
That was it. There was no turning
brave enough to come out, and
day, I do consider myself one
back, and the ensuing ten years
declare I am a collector!
level up from the layman in the
would prove to be very special
Many of the collectors Ive
sphere of airgun collecting,
indeed. How special you ask? Well at
although still miles away from
the height of my fever, I had no fewer encountered since I emerged from
being an expert, and as such, I
than 68 air rifles, although to achieve the shadows came to the hobby via a
finally feel comfortable enough
that number, over 200 airguns had to similar set of circumstances to
myself; namely, the wish to gather
with the subject of how to start an
pass through my hands.
the airguns of their youth, which
airgun collection, to offer an
acted as a springboard to specific
informed response.
Here, there and everywhere
areas, such as two chaps I know who
I had airguns in gun cabinets, in
only collect BSA Airsporter
Getting into it
boxes in the loft, in locked racks, in
There are no hard and fast rules
gunslips
under beds,
to collecting, and neither should
and in
there be. Ultimately, a
speciallycollection should be whatever a
built
collector may wish it to be.
wardrobes.
Unless a specifically-themed
There was a
collection is wanted, broadly
Senior moments. Many
method to my collectors specialise in these.
speaking, I believe that the
collection
nucleus of a coherent general
madness, however. For instance, I
air gun collection can best be
had 12 different examples of Webley
variants, and the many I
achieved, by the acquisition
& Scott over-lever air pistols, tracing
know who only collect
of just five exhibits to
their historical development from the
Webley & Scott air pistols.
build on. The five air
1920s through to 2006. I had a
I also know of several
guns I suggest then, are
Mk.I, Mk.II, Mk.III, Mk.IV and Mk.V
collectors who only collect pre-war
as follows:
AIRGUON
NS
AUCTI
Some collectable airguns

are still in production.
1) A Lincoln Jefferies/BSA Pre-War

Under-lever rifle.
2) An example of a Weihrauch
HW35 air rifle.
3) A Webley & Scott Vulcan.
4) A good quality, preferably walnutstocked, example of a PCP rifle, and
5) A Webley & Scott over-lever
air pistol.
Although once a collection is up
and running, a collector may steer
away from some of the above, these
guns are a great starting point, are
not too difficult to obtain (especially
given some of the most excellent
internet air gun forums at the
disposal of those who can surf the
wibbly-wobbly interweb these days),
and similarly, these models represent
milestones in airgun history.
In short (and I do mean short),
these historical milestones are as
follows:
The Lincoln Jefferies/BSA Pre-War
underlever rifles represent the first
readily available, mass produced air
rifles of a certain quality and style
above that of toy, to capture the
imagination of a nation. Examples
here can date back as early as 1906,
and in my experience, these can be
bought in working order, such as an
early 1930s BSA Standard for
instance, for as little as 125.
A truly classic collectors item - the

Webley Mark 3.
WorldMags
stocked example of a
pre-charged
pneumatic rifle is
simple. Although I
am personally a
springer fanatic, I am
the first to
The second rifle I have
acknowledge that the
highlighted, is the
PCP is the driving force behind
legendary
modern airgunning, that PCPs
Weihrauch
are incredibly accurate, and
HW35.
(providing you choose your
These were
marque correctly), are very well
introduced to
made, and as such, not
the U.K.
to have an example of
officially in
at least one in a
1955, although
general collection,
they had been
would be pointless.
available via a
I cannot give any
network of nondirection to which
official
make or model to go
importers
Its not just airguns. The
for regarding a PCP, as
as early
accessories can take over your
the vast majority of them
as 1953.
life, too.
are splendid, and choice
The
can be emotive, although
Weihrauch HW35 was the first truly
personally I think you should really
powerful springer air rifle, and when
err towards something in walnut if
the legal limit of 12 ft.lbs. was
you can, and for what its worth,
introduced in the 1960s, the
Weihrauch HW35 was the only mass
produced rifle that could seriously
approach that level of power. Further,
the HW35 was spectacularly wellbuilt finished.
So popular, back then and now,
was the Weihrauch HW35, that a
version is still available to this day.
my current PCP holdings come
Good condition examples of the
from Air Arms and Theoben.
different specification HW35 models
Lastly, I list a Webley & Scott
that have been offered over the years,
overlever air pistol. The reasoning for
can also be found from around the
this is like me; simple. Webley &
125 mark and up, although this is
Scott overlever air pistols have been
very dependant on specification and
synonymous with the world of
finish, as mint conditioned, walnut
airgunning since the 1920s. They are
stocked Export examples obviously
a known style and brand about which
achieve a premium.
many a shooter can wax lyrically, they
The Webley & Scott Vulcan
are in the most part particularly well
detailed above, as introduced with
made, and above all, they are great
the Mk.I in 1979, was the first mass
fun to shoot. There are many
produced British made air rifle which
different models to choose from and
could seriously rival the power of the
range in age from the most recent,
HW35, and as such, the Vulcan, was
the Tempest, as first introduced in
guaranteed complete market success
the very late 1970s, all the way back
throughout its various incarnations
to the earliest example, the straight(Mk.I, Mk.II and Mk.III). Prices here
grip Mk.I of the 1920s.
seem stable at the present, and I
Rare examples such as the
have noted recently many fine walnut
straight-grip Senior for example
stocked examples exchanging hands
for the thick end of 200, with
achieve a premium price here
beech stocked versions in good
however, with some nudging the
collectable condition, again starting
500 mark, although the magic
at around the 125 mark.
recurring figure of 125 will get you
The reason for the inclusion in my
a nice Tempest or Hurricane if you
collectors starting list above, of a
favour a later Birmingham built
good quality, preferably walnut
model, although for a bit less, say
around 75, you will find a nice

1950s/1960s slant-grip Mk.I. I
currently hold a mid-1960s slant-grip
Senior, and a Tempest from 2001 in
my collection, as for me, these two
tick all the right boxes.
Collecting is both eclectic and
organic in my experience, and a
collection can be as small or as
large as your urge (and finances)
fancy. I say organic, as I am forever
moving pieces on to upgrade
examples or move away from a
totally justifiable duplication of a
AT THE HEIGHT OF MY
COLLECTING FEVER, I HAD NO
FEWER THAN 68 AIR RIFLES
particular model in favour of my
most recent obsession. For instance,
I once moved on all but one of my
BSA Meteor variants to finance my
Theoben Rapid rig. Remember,
though, no choice is the wrong
choice, because its your collection,
and yours alone.
And finally
As stated, I have owned over 200
airguns since my return to the fold,
plus a random selection of bolt-on,
related collectable items I have
accrued over the years. Beware these
collectable airguns and their related
minutiae, or like me, you may end up
with an ever-increasing array of
airgun related ephemera scattered
around your house, with scarcely a
drawer or a cabinet free from
contamination. For me however it is
too late, so please heed my warnings
well, and if you can spare me a
sympathetic thought from time to
time, it will be greatly appreciated, as
I am beyond both help and hope.
Ha ha - viva collecting!
AIRGUN WORLD
59
WorldMags
Available through your local gun shop. Distributed to the trade by ASI.
Tel: 01728 688555 Web: www.a-s-i.co.uk
OUR AIRGUN CLINIC
DR FINLEYS AIRGUN
CASEBOOK
NEW
s
erie
s
Tim Finley uses his huge experience to help a shooter whos new to the sport
t may be a bit of a corny title (blame
what magnification you have the
my esteemed editor for that one) but
scope set to. Its just that the lower
Im serious about helping with shooters
the mag, the less it appears youre
problems, be it solving technical
moving, which is an optical illusion
conundrums to getting the basics right. A
of sorts, but a useful one in
certain Mr Steve Watson is the subject of
shooting. I use it when Im under
this first case. Hes a 55 year-old guy who
pressure, to make a standing shot,
always wanted to get into shooting. He
where I wind the mag down as low
may have left it a bit late, but I can only
as I can. I would never normally take
commend him for getting on with it and
a standing shot on anything under
buying a gun. I know him from where I
ten times magnification, but in the
work and while talking to him about
heat of a competition to win a
shooting one day, it was clear he needed
championship, when I know I have
a bit of help and steering in the correct
to hit the standers to win, I wind
direction. We met up at my shooting club
down every time. Steve did get
so I could spend as long as possible with
advice from the gun shop owner
him. Steve bought an SMK model 19
when buying his new rifle
rifle and scope as a package from a shop
combination, and I can only
while he was on holiday. I can relate to
commend that particular shop owner
that as my first bb pistol, a G10, was
and say, well done, matey. It shows
bought by my parents for me while on
that buying from a gunshop is always
holiday in Wales.
a good idea.
Steve liked the look of the SMK
Practice Targets
Model 19 and bought it, as its a
Getting back to
light rifle and is more suited
Steve and his
to a beginner, a feature
shooting, I set
he wasnt aware of at
out some
the time. As a
h
it
ringer w s targets,
p
beginner, the last
s
a
g
in
icate namely metal
Carry
thing you
oken ind
r
b
l
e
r
r
a
rabbit field
want to
its b
that it is
target (FT)
do is buy a megato others and
d
practice targets.
heavy underlever
uncocke
These simply
spring-piston rifle if
d
e
d
a
unlo
stick into the
youre just starting out
ground on a single
airgun shooting. The Model
spike and dont need a re19 only weighs 2.7kg (6lbs) with a
setting string as a normal FT target
scope fitted. Another good move on
would. Theres an extended arm on
Steves part was getting the gun with
the bottom of the disc strut on to
an SMK 4 x 32 mil-dot scope, a gun
which weights are added. This has
bag and some SMK pellets. Fitting
the effect that when you hit the disc
such a small scope also kept the
with a pellet, it goes back as normal
weight down to the aforementioned
but the target doesnt fall over, and
6lbs, and the low magnification is
the disc then swings back up to
again ideal for a novice shooter. The
cover the hole in the faceplate.
last thing you need when youre
Theyre very useful for practising and
learning to shoot is a 20-power
testing. I set out targets at 10, 20
scope, or a fixed magnification one
and 30 yards, and I also had some
with larger than ten times
blank cards for zeroing. I put the
magnification. Youll feel like you
first card out at 15 yards to begin
cant hold the gun steady at all, but
with. Initially, I just wanted to see
this is not the case as the amount
how Steve shot, so I placed him
you wobble is the same, no matter
FE
LOOK SA
Steve Watson needs some

help from the doctor
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD
61
OUR AIRGUN CLINIC
Now thats the way

to hold a rfile.
before the metal targets and asked

him to hit the middle one so I could
stand back and watch. I could tell he
was nervous with someone
scrutinising his shooting, but I needed
to see exactly how he approached
hitting a target, from taking aim to a
pellet hitting home. Hed never had
any formal training at all, so I wanted
to see if he was safe as a lot of
unacceptable things can be done just
in loading a rifle as well as the
shooting process itself. I stopped him
after a few shots as I could see a
potentially major problem.
Sight picture
The scope was just too close to his
eye, so I asked him what his sight
picture was like. Its very easy for
me to analyse a sight picture but
as this was Steves first ever gun
and scope, he had no idea what
the sight picture was supposed to
look like. I did manage to glean
from him that he had a black ring
around the edge of the sight
picture, which was caused by the
scope being too close to his eye.
Thankfully, it was not so close as to
have the back of the scope hit his
glasses when he fired and the
spring-powered rifle recoiled. I had
some hex keys in my shooting bag
and in a few minutes I had
adjusted the scope to the correct
stand-off distance or eye relief.
Thats better, he said, as soon as
he put the rifle to his shoulder.
62
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
Moving the scope also improved his

shooting position. Before this, his
neck was craned back a little with
his face pressed down on to the
rifles cheek piece in the correct
position. Hed just looked awkward
and uncomfortable. Now he looked
relaxed and more in control. He
takes all of his shots from the
standing position, so I concentrated
on getting him more confident with
those. Getting right back to basics,
he had developed a very weird way
of loading his SMK. He started off
holding the rifle in his left hand with

the butt tucked under his left arm
(he is a right-handed shooter) he
into the normal standing shooting

position, with the butt into his right
shoulder. In all my years of shooting,
THE HAND MUST NEVER LET

GO OF THE BARREL DURING
COCKING AND LOADING
then cocked the rifle and loaded a
pellet into the breech with his right
hand before swapping the loaded
rifle over to his right hand to get
It is always wise to keep

hold of the barrel or cocking
lever when loading a springer.
I had never ever seen this done

before. I began by explaining that
what he was doing was potentially
dangerous, not only for him but for
others around him.
Safety First
First, he was not applying the rifles
manual safety catch. Then, when he
was cocking the rifle, he was letting
go of the barrel. Im sure youll be
getting bored hearing it by now, and
I never tire of mentioning during all
my testing of break-barrel rifles, that
the hand must never, ever let go of
the barrel during the cocking and
loading process. One of the most
worrying things about Steves
loading technique was when he
swapped the rifle over from his right
to his left hand, he waved it about
in the air. Steves mad loading
process is not his fault; hes just
never been shown or seen the
correct way of doing it. It seemed
right in his own mind, as if you
think of it, a right-handed person
would cock and load with their
dominant hand. In practice, as we
OUR AIRGUN CLINIC
After learning to shoot

well with the Doc, Steve
went away a happy man.
Dead-on shooting, the best cure ever!
This rabbit turned a lighter shade of pale

when it saw what happened to its mate.
Steve learns aim points

at different ranges.
know, a right-handed shooter cocks

the barrel with the left and that
stays on the barrel, the pellet is
then loaded with the right hand. I
showed him the correct way to do it
for a right-handed shooter but he
had a lot of trouble getting used to
it, because the butt of the rifle kept
going under his left arm. I then
came up with a variation on his own
method. Still holding it in his
favoured left hand and under his left
arm, he applied the manual safety
catch, then, tapping the barrel took
it off the breech lock enough to let
the barrel drop down to give
adequate access to the breech. He
could then load a pellet and transfer
it to his correct side, where he
cocked and closed the rifle in one
sequence, never taking his hand off
the barrel. Remember, the pellet
was already loaded before he moved
the rifle from one side of his body to
the other and the safety was already
on. Now he was comfortable
loading, and much more importantly
he was safe. Sorted!
Hitting Targets
Now it came to actually hitting
targets. I asked Steve just where he
would aim at the discs on the
variously ranged targets I had set
out. This is a bit fundamental, I
know, but unless someone has
taught you about the trajectory of an
WorldMags
airgun pellet, you wouldnt know

where to aim at differing distances.
This was particularly true of Steve,
and all he did to zero his rifle was
pace out 30 steps, put a cereal box
out and shot at Mr. Kelloggs writing
until he got somewhere near. He
then aimed straight at everything, no
matter what the distance to the
target. He was then wondering why
he was missing short range rats on
his allotment. While the curved
trajectory of the pellet has to be
explained, its much easier to prove
it for real, as it were. To save a bit of
time Id zeroed Steves rifle for him
again, as I had taken the scope off
and re-set it to the correct cant and
eye relief for him. I asked Steve to
then aim dead centre on the disc of
the 10-yard target. His pellet struck
smack-on at six oclock under the
disc causing him much mirth as he
said Ow the bl**dy ell did I miss
that! I told him then to aim at the
top of the disc, and lo and behold,
his pellet struck dead centre; not
merely somewhere near the middle,
but a perfect centre shot.
Steve couldnt believe it, that he
was that good a shot, I mean. You can
see from the picture that his pellet
strike couldnt have been any better. I
explained then the reason that you
have to aim high at short ranges due
to the scopes height above the
barrels bore. I then went on to
explain where to aim at longer ranges

of 30 and 35 yards, i.e. higher to
compensate for the drop of the pellet
as it slows down. It also has a lot to
do with the force of gravity and air
density but I did not want to blow his
mind with all that stuff.
I told Steve to limit his long shots
to 30 yards with the.22 calibre
Model 19, and only then when he
was having a good day at holding his
rifle steady. He then tried some
shots on the 20 and 30-yard targets,
and found he could hit the 20-yarder
consistently, but struggled on the
30-yarder. Very sensibly, he
suggested he should limit his shots
to 20 yards to begin with, and thats
a credit to him as I didnt want to
dishearten him by telling him
straight away that he was only good
enough to shoot out to 20 yards.
hit zones. I had an SMK TH208

with me on the day and he tried it,
but that was just too heavy for him.
It does weigh in at a hefty 4.25kg
(9lb 5oz), so it proved to him that
the light Model 19 was the right gun
for him.
The main purpose of the meeting
was to make sure Steve was safe and
that he now understood about
trajectory and where to aim at
different distances. He went away a
happy man, determined to come
back to the club to learn a bit more.
He even bought a copy of Airgun
World and was amazed at how much
useful stuff there is printed in its
hallowed pages.
The next week he went out and got
two rats, both at close range. Overall,
Id say that was a great result.
Range
Have you got an airgun problem?
Each individuals maximum hunting

range should be the range at which
they can hit a 30mm disc 100 % of
the time, better still a 25mm
diameter disc, as this is more
realistic when it comes to both fur
and feathered quarry. By this time,
Steves arms were getting tired, as
hed never shot continuously for so
long before. The wind at the range
was getting up too, causing him to
now hit at nine oclock and three
oclock on either side of the targets
Then Doctor Finleys here to help

Simply write or email the editor terry.doe@archant.co.uk - and well
book you an appointment.
Photos would help Doctor Finleys
diagnosis and treatment, and please
include as much detail as possible.
If you highlight the problem, the
good doctor will have you cured in
no time. Remember, a problem
shared is a problem aired!
AIRGUN WORLD
63
Combo deal of the month:
BERETTA M92 FS SPORT MODEL
Beretta M92 FS Sport
Webley pellet trap

Model (Nickel with
Targets
black grips)
Tin of pellets
OUR SPECIAL PRICE TO YOU 209.95
Dive
bottles filled
FREE OF CHARGE
to all our
customers
PISTOLS FOR SALE FROM STOCK OVER 60 DIFFERENT PISTOLS IN STOCK

Beeman ..........................................................................69.95
Beretta M92 FS XX-Treme............................................289.95
Walther Blowback PPK ................................................109.95
Beretta M92 FS Sport model ........................................209.95
Walther PPK Silver ........................................................119.95
Colt Govenment Dark Ops NEW Model Bio..................249.95
Walther CP88 4 Action model, black............................169.95
Smith & Weston 586 Model 4, black ............................199.95
Walther CP88 4 Satin nickel ........................................199.95
Smith & Weston 586 6, black ......................................199.95
Walther CP99 black ......................................................159.95
Smith & Weston 686 6, nickel ......................................249.95
Walther Night Hawk ......................................................229.95
Hammerli P26 Dark Ops version ..................................199.95
Walther CP99 Compact B10 ........................................139.95
Makarov CO2 ................................................................119.95
Baby Desert Eagle, silver................................................69.95
Anics Berkut A2002 NEW Model ..................................169.95
Beretta Elite II..................................................................89.95
Sig Sauer SP2022 Bio ....................................................59.95
Beretta Px4 Storm ........................................................159.95
Sig Sauer SP2022 Metal slide version............................69.95
Beretta Px4 Storm Recon ............................................219.95
Jericho 941......................................................................79.95
WE ARE HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT PRICES SEEN ELSE WHERE
Opening times 9am till 5:30pm every day.
WorldMags
PROJECT FT RIFLE
AFFORDABLE
MATCHWINNER?
T
R
A
P
In the second part of this series, Phill Price looks at the ongoing development
of a truly affordable FT set-up
ast month, I showed you the rifle,
scope and mounts set-up that my
best friend and shooting partner,
Nige, is developing, based around the
idea of a relatively inexpensive rifle
that would be competitive in a full-on
field target (FT) competition.
The Hammerli AR20ft started the whole thing off, as its a truly
accurate and regulated rifle that also
has a great trigger. So we began
thinking about how to develop it into
a winning rig and the obvious choice
of optic was the big Nikko Stirling
Diamond Sportsman, which offers
everything you could want in terms of
specification and also has Japanese
lenses. Its performance is quite
remarkable, especially when you
consider that it costs less than half
what most top flight competition
scopes do. This pairing was joined by
SportsMatch mounts and capped off
with an oversize sidewheel and
pointer from Rowan Engineering.
From there, Nige, machined
up some additional
spacers for the stock
to get the fit
where he
needed it, so
now it was time
to face the big
challenge. Everybody who
has fired this rifle has commented
that, although they really like it, its
not the nicest rifle to cock. The Tshaped bolt handle is quite stiff
to pull and theres some
noticeable roughness in the
mechanism, so Nige did what any
engineer would do, which was to have
a look inside. Before he did, I rang
the gunsmith at UK importers Armex,
who explained what was needed. You

dont need to be a Formula One race
technician to strip one, but there are
plenty of small parts and springs to
lose or misplace, so think twice
before you tinker. I was also reassured
that we wouldnt need to go near the
anti-tamper devices, so the power
would stay as set by the factory.
Whats inside?
Once the action was opened, we
could see how it all worked and
perhaps understand the problem. The
T bolt serves two purposes; one is to
cock the hammer spring and the
other is to push the pellet probe into
the breech. Where we suspected the
roughness was coming from was the
alloy shuttle that connects the bolt to
the hammer, and the hammer itself.
All the components run in tracks cast
into the action housing which
appears to be bead blasted and
painted, which isnt really the ideal
bearing surface in a high load
mechanism. There was also plenty of
light oil inside the action which
wasnt the ideal lubricant for this
application. One by one,
we removed each
internal part to
see how it
was
bearing
against its
track,
looking for
signs of friction
or binding and there
THERE ARE PLENTY OF SMALL

PARTS AND SPRINGS TO LOSE
OR MISPLACE
WorldMags
was clear evidence that some places

were getting polished, which could
explain why, the rifle felt less rough
the more it was used. These were
then individually hand polished and
checked for fit until things felt much
smoother. We also noticed that the
hammer had marks around the
circumference from where it had
been machined, and these were
polished out, with great care being
taken to avoid the notch where the
trigger sear engages. If this was
polished too much, it could change
the engagement and make the gun
unsafe, so be warned.
Light lube
Then we came to the subject of
lubrication during reassembly.
I was in favour of
lubricants that are
designed to bear high
loads, but Nige was
convinced that only
the very minimum of
lube should be used.
The reason he feels so
strongly about this is
that all lubricants are
affected by temperature and
because of this they can affect the
rifles output. So, the hammer and
spring assembly were sprayed
with furniture polish which
was buffed in and wiped
off, leaving only the
smallest film on the
surfaces. Away
from here,
molybdenum
disulphide dry
lube was
applied, but again, only sparingly.

The gunsmith at Armex uses a
product called Power Glide, which is
powdered graphite, for the same
reasons. After reassembly, the
cocking process was noticeably
smoother and perhaps a touch lighter
too, but ultimately the force needed
to overcome the hammer spring is
fixed. There are possible options for
reducing the strength of the hammer
spring but these will need to be
developed carefully and are not
within the scope of this article.
The next job was to apply the
Range Sport sticker kit to the sidewheel to show the range distances.
Nige had already marked the wheel
with a pen so he checked,
double- checked and
triple-checked the
ranges, and then
applied the neat
little stickers
precisely. Now
the wheel was
correctly marked,
Nige put a pencil
line on the edge
and then, one by one,
removed the pen mark
with solvent and placed the
sticker precisely with the tip of a
scalpel, in line with the pencil mark.
If you try to peel and place the
stickers with your nails, youll
damage them and youll never place
them precisely. The fine point of a
scalpel is the way to do it. The
stickers are made from outdoor grade
vinyl, so can withstand rain and cold
without breaking down and also look
smart and professional, which is just
how a gun like this should look. The
print on the stickers is large and
bold, making it easy to read.
TOUGH
e
e is mad
l
f
i
r
s
i
h
t
As
y and
from allo terials it
ma
synthetic off bad
shrugs r
weathe
Potential
The rifle is pretty much ready to shoot,
but we want to try one small
experiment first. The barrel sits
AIRGUN WORLD
65
PROJECT FT RIFLE
With the scope and shroud removed

the action is exposed.
Once the right side of the action is separated,

the internal components are revealed.
The hammer was carefuly

polished to aid smoothness.
The Redbeck silencer

adaptor is simple to fit.
Once inserted, the knurled

ring locks it into place.
The ranges were first marked

on the wheel with a pen.
inside the long aluminium shroud and

is centred by an O ring at the
muzzle. Many people believe that for
ultimate accuracy the barrel should be
free floating, i.e. touch nothing after it
leaves the breech, so were going to try
removing the O ring and testing the
accuracy just to see what happens. If
the barrel should touch the shroud
with the O ring removed, the
accuracy could be worse, but if it sits
perfectly centred with no contact, it
could improve. Well see.
Another improvement was to fit a
silencer. All FT guns are loud and if
you want to practise at home youll
drive your neighbours crazy, so
fitting a silencer makes great sense.
Weve received a silencer adaptor
from Redbeck
(www.theairrifleshop.co.uk)
(34.99) that accepts any half-inch
UNF female thread silencer and
accuracy tested to see if it makes a
difference. Its a steel part that has
66
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
Now any half-inch UNF

silencer can be fitted.
Once he was sure they were correct, the pen marks

were removed and the stickers applied using a scalpel.
a series of brass rings spaced with

O rings in between. The assembly
slips into the barrel shroud and as
you tighten the lock ring, the O
rings expand and grip the shroud.
The pictures explain it better.
Accuracy
Theres a theory that a silencer acts
much like an air-stripper and could
even improve accuracy by diverting
the turbulent air that surrounds the
pellet as it leaves the muzzle. A
silencer traps and decelerates this
air, whereas the stripper diverts it;
either way the pellet flies straighter
because of it. As long as theres no
decrease in accuracy, the ability to
practice at home would make fitting
a silencer well worth the effort as
practise is vitally important to top
performance. Even if your garden is
quite small, you could easily practise
the dreaded standing shots and
perhaps your kneelers too. To keep
things quiet, you could choose paper

targets with sand as a backstop, as
pellets hitting steel knockdowns
would make as much noise as an unsilenced rifle being fired.
We waited for a night when there
was little wind and set about
accuracy testing with the silencer in
place and were very pleased with
what we saw. There was absolutely
no deterioration at all in the fine
accuracy this rifle offers. In fact the
groups were so small when shot from
the bench, that it was only the skill
of the shooter that was on test. We
tried the inevitable Weihrauch
moderator and the sound with it
fitted was as quiet as any gun Ive
ever tested. Im not suggesting that
youd want to compete with it fitted,
but it literally takes one minute to
install the adaptor and screw the
silencer on, so home practice
becomes a real possibility and
practising is vital to success.
Im really happy with the

improvements weve made this
month. None has been expensive
in keeping with the original idea
of an affordable set-up, but each
one has tuned the rifle toward
Niges needs just that bit more.
Hes still working with the stock
adjustments and also the fore and
aft position of the scope on the
rail to get the perfect fit, which is
so important in FT. Unless you can
get totally comfortable, you simply
cannot relax and shoot to the best
of your abilities.
Next month well look at marking
up the elevation turret and perhaps
get time to test the
floating barrel idea.
See you then!
ARE YOU INSURED?

BASA SHOOTING
MEMBERSHIP FROM 16.95
DRAPERS AIRGUN CENTRE
LTD
NOTTINGHAM
Tel: 0115 9702525
124-128 Hartley Road, Radford, Nottingham NG7 3AJ
www.drapers-airguns.co.uk
Prestige Rifles
All genuine imports from hull cartridge

At time of going to press all in stock
HW25 .177 inc 4*32 scope mts starter kit...
.......................................................179.95
HW80K with silencer .22 .177........373.00
HW90K .22 .177 inc silencer .........439.95
HW95K .177 or .22 inc silencer .....345.00
HW95 Black tactical stock T/H .......409.95
NEW HW97K thumbhole .177/.22 ...501.95
HW97K .22 .177 best seller at just...379.00
HW98S Target rifle adjustable stock
.22-.177 ..........................................399.00
HW99S .22 .177 choice of .............219.00
HW100 .177 .22 Sporter or Thumbhole
ambi ...............................................779.00
Prestige RB Thumhole .177 / .22 ...

............................................569.00
Prestige Kub Sporter .177 / .22
Multi shot .............................599.00
Prestige Kub SL Thumhole .177 /
.22 Multi shot .......................629.00
Prestige Kub SB Thumhole .177 /
.22 Multi shot .......................639.00
Latest Compact Deciblocker
silencer .................add just 40.00
Quality illuminated scope and Mts....
.............................. Add just 55.00
F.A.C.
Twinmaster Top Pistol ............. 529.95
Twinmaster Competitior Pistol ...419.95

Twinmaster Sport Pistol ..............609.95
Twinmaster Match Pistol .............719.95
We are main Daystate stockists and

often have stocks when other shops
havnt making the journey much more
worth while.
Long distant travellers phone and have a
gun held for you whilst you travel, no
obligation to buy.
Limited Stock
the new
WINGMASTER
1200 in .177 .20 .22
BSA Ultra Packages............from 349.95

BSA Scorpion
Packages
from 399.95
Call for details

NEW!
We always keep 20+ FAC air rifles in

stock for immediate delivery
Hunter .22 superior stock,

scope, mounts, silencer. STILL ON OFFER,
all at just..................................................359
AimX Grand Prix
Pistol PCP .177 .22 ... 275.00
Latest multi reticle pistol sight 59.00
AimX Atomic
.22 .177 with open sights ................259.95
New SUPER SIX

Coming soon...429.95
1260
AIR WOLF TACTICAL

1260
Contour .22 Profile beech stock .......375.00

As above walnut stock.......................399.00
AIR WOLF MTC
BSA R10 Packages .............from 649.95
Mk4 iS SPORTS
999
Crosman Benjamin new Nitro Kit. Wood

only, scope, mounts and sling .........301.95
Benjamin Marauder, M/S, bull barrel, ambi
stock............................................NEW 595
Discovery ....................TO CLEAR 199.95
EB 22 Pro Hunter CO2 Pistol.........139.95
392 CO2 Rifle..................................169.95
AIR RANGER
707
WE KEEP THE FULL RANGE OF

CO2 PISTOLS
UMAREX CX4 Storm kit includes silencer,
bipod, Beretta scope, hard case.
Original kit price 399.............Now only 299
AIR ARMS S400 MPR FT RIFLE .177 .

..................................................669.00
Latest S200 1pc stock Sil Zoom
Scope .......................................469.00
MATCH PISTOL
529.95
AlfAproi .177
Pre charged Limited quantity
Alfa Discovery.........................529.95
HUNTSMAN CLASSIC
.177 .22 in most models available
F.A.C in Stock
King Ratcatcher
199.95
DAYSTATE
HARDCASES 99
Crosman Raven............................104.95
SPARE MAGAZINES 45
SILENCERS 55
Umarex S&W pistols

Black and Silver
4 and 6 available starting
from ..................... 199.95
SG9000 6mm BB ............... 109.95

SG9000 4.5mm BB ............................125.00
NEW PRAIRIE CLASSICS
Walther CP88 ...........................from 169.95

Walther CP99
Black.... 159.00
Walther CP99
Chrome and Black
175.00
.177/.22 carbine 18 actions
Prairie Walnut
Profile Multi shot .177 Gauge.......
.............. from 379.00 to 604.95
Single and Multi Shot in stock
Pistols from
300
1377 Pistol 95.00

2240 Pistol 85.00
ORDER HOTLINES
Telephone Adrian Karl Bex
Email: sales@drapers-airguns.co.uk
0115 970 2525

0115 978 4953
OPEN 5 DAYS
8.45am to 5.30pm Thur, Fri, Sat
8.45am to 6.00pm Tue, Wed. Closed Sun, Mon
WorldMags
S510 package inc Zoom

scope from................................649.00
S400 .177 / .22 Std or Carb ..................
................................now from 429.00
S410 .177 / .22 Std or Carb
................................now from 579.95
Concept .177 .22 ......................from 369.00

Concept Multishot.............from 369 - 420
1036
Crosman Nightstalker..................158.00
Crosman Phantom Kit .................180.00
Crosman Tactical .........................379.95
760 Pump Master Brown................61.95
760 Pump Master Pink ...................61.95
1077 Multi Shot..............................95 .00
Rabbit Stopper .............................146.95
SUPERLITEs
FROM 450
1120
Mk4 iS SPORTS
THUMBHOLE
Crosman Ratcatcher ...................129.95
Daystate Air Ranger 40 ft lbs...............1075

Daystate Air Ranger L/H......................1115
Theoben MkII .22 40 ft lbs......................887
Air Arms S410 Extra 30 ft lbs ................649
Air Arms S410 extra 30 ft lbs Walnut.....719
S/h Theoben Rapid .20 28 ft lbs 12 sh ..599
S/h Webley Patriot .22 ...........................249
S/h Theoben Eliminator .22...................399
BSA R-10 20 ft lbs...................................689
Air Wolf MCT.........................................1280
Air Wolf MVT .........................................1366
Daystate MK4 IS thumbhole.................1148
Theoben Rapid MKII .........................954.75
PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Beretta PX4 Storm

Recon kit 209.00
FULL NEW RANGE
NOW IN STOCK
Beretta PX4 Blowback multi shot.......169.95
Beretta Black 2x8-shot mags, case ...189.95
Hamerelli AR20 including scope ...699.95
Hamerelli CR20 including scope...479.95
850 Air Magnum Magazines ..........24.95
Pack of three Mags for pistols ......24.95
CP88......................................from 179.95
CP99......................................from 159.95
HK P30 ..................................from 189.95
Hammerelli P26 ....................from 194.95
Colt Government..................from 199.95
Desert Eagle Blow Back......from 179.95
Beretta ..................................from 189.95
Walther Lever Action 88G ...........354.95
Walther Lever Action Wells Fargo 374.95
P99 ..........................................from 89.95
SECOND
HAND
Theoben Evolution R/H walnut, 10.5

barrel, Evo silencer ..............from 472.50
Theoben Evolution Thumbhole walnut,

10.5 barrel, Evo silencer..............534.00
Evolution ambi walnut stock, .22/.177 .....
.............................................from 433.75
Theoben Evolution R/H walnut, 10.5
barrel, Evo silencer ..................... 496.00
Theoben Evolution Profile..........496.00
Theoben Rapid MkI, latest model

Prices from....................................769.50
Theoben Rapid Mk II, .22 ...from 898.75

Chrony F1 ......................................94.95
Chrony Alpha...............................114.95
WE STOCK GOOD SUPPLY OF

MOST THEOBENS
SPARES SERVICE IN STORE
FAC ALWAYS IN STOCK
Please visit our website for all our second hand listings as this is always up to date Otherwise please call our store (our second hand list can be faxed or posted to you)
www.drapers-airguns.co.uk
0115 9702525
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
PENETRATION HIT OR MYTH?

Is there a link between the penetrative abilities of a pellet,
and its suitability for airgun hunting? Jim Tyler thinks not.
here was a time when the most
common measurement of an
airguns power was the number of
pages that a pellet penetrated either
an old telephone directory, or mail
order shopping catalogue. It was also
a time when airgun hunters were
tempted by a wide range of pellets,
which included pointed designs that
were claimed to have enhanced
penetration and, when these pellets
were shot into what instantly turned
into the highly compressed paper of
said directory or catalogue, they did
indeed penetrate further than the
more common dome head pellet.
Happy that their rifle/pellet
combination penetrated X pages of
last years Grattons catalogue,
people were convinced that they had
the ideal set-up for airgun hunting.
In reality, they couldnt have been
much further from the mark.
Its important to recognise that the
amount by which a pellet penetrates
depends as much on the medium
concerned as it does with any aspect
of the pellets
design. Shoot a
pellet into a
thick stack
of paper,
and the
paper becomes so highly compressed

ahead of the pellet that the pellet
head is greatly deformed, and the
deformity depends on the shape of
the pellets head. Roundhead pellets
tend to flatten, so that they present
a greater frontal area to the paper
and meet more resistance, which
restricts their penetration. Pointed
pellets tend to retain a vestige of
their point, so that they present a
smaller frontal area to the paper and
hence penetrate further.
All well and good, except that
airgun hunting quarry isnt highly
compressed paper, its a mixture of
fur or feather, flesh and bone. It
doesnt deform pellets in the same
way as paper, and so the domed
pellet retains its dome, and can
actually penetrate further than a
pointed pellet in mediums that
simulate flesh.
In these more enlightened times,
we use chronoscopes to tell us the
velocity and kinetic energy of pellets,
and in the study of terminal ballistics
we replace the unrepresentative stack
of paper with visco-plastic
(ballistic putty) or elastic
(ballistic gels) media. Of the
two, its elastic media that
most closely resemble brain
tissue, both in terms of the
resistance they present to
the penetrating pellet, and
also in their behaviour,
meaning that the pellet
creates a cavity as it passes
into the medium, and the
cavity closes up behind it,
leaving a narrow hole much
like the bleed channel left
by a low velocity projectile
in flesh.
Which to use?
The penetration depth at 30 yards (right) is

94% of that at the muzzle (left), but the tissue
damage is a fraction as much.
68
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
When testing terminal

ballistic characteristics to
find the most humane
hunting pellet, the choice
between an elastic
medium (ballistic gel)
that behaves like brain
tissue, or a viscoplastic medium
that doesnt, seems like a no-brainer

surely its the one that behaves like
brain tissue? Actually, it isnt, and its
very simple to see why. Elastic media
tell us only how far the pellet
penetrated into a medium with the
approximate consistency of brain
tissue, but nothing else of any
consequence. Visco-plastic media give
us only comparative penetration values
because they dont simulate brain
tissue, but they give us a lot extra to
more than compensate, because they
leave a persisting record of the
size of cavity that was created
by the pellet. Now, heres
the kicker pellets
usually pass straight
through the head of
the quarry, so the
distance to which
they penetrate, no
matter what the test
medium, is immaterial.
Whats the point in
measuring the penetration
potential of a pellet, when some of
that would occur after the pellet had
passed through the quarry? None.
What counts is what the pellet
does while its inside the brain,
and to see that, you need a
visco-plastic medium.
Pointed pellets (RWS Superpoint, left)

penetrate very dense mediums such as
reams of paper far more than round heads
(right) because they retain something of
their point as they distort.
very soft on a hot day, so for this

reason, I use it for
comparative
measurements,
measuring the
cavity of
whatever pellet
Im testing
against a pellet
of known
characteristics.
Having created
cavities in the
modelling clay, its an
easy matter to mix up equal
quantities of plaster of Paris and
water, pour it into the cavities, wait
for it to harden and then cut out
plugs that show you exactly
what the pellet did to the
modelling clay.
As Mike Wright explained
in his articles in January and
February Airgun World, the
volume of the cavity
depends on the kinetic energy
of the pellet, but the shape of
the cavity depends on the
velocity, the calibre, the
head shape and ballistic
coefficient, the
hardness of the pellet
and the degree of
fragility of its design,
and its consequent
distortion.
The ideal cavity
comprises a short,
wide section, followed
by a rapidly tapering
section, and the pellet
GO
E
COMPAR is
ing
This testve rather
ti
comparasolute, but
than ab l all the
usefu e
sam
Cavity
The size and shape of the
cavity left in a visco-plastic
medium tells us how much
material the pellet displaced,
and how quickly, respectively,
and thats the best indication
of the amount of tissue
damage it can do, and
tissue damage is what kills
humanely.
The visco-plastic medium
I use is a non-drying
modelling clay very similar
to Plasticine. Its main
drawback for ballistics
purposes is that its
plasticity alters alarmingly
with temperature,
varying from
seemingly rock hard
in cold conditions to
Into the less dense medium of

modelling clay, the pointed and
domed pellets penetrated equally.
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
Penetration testing using modelling clay.

The rag behind the clay is there to catch
the pellet if it passes straight through.
The two tracks through this elastic medium

are from the muzzle (lower) and 30 yards,
but the difference is not easy to see, and
almost impossible to measure.
that produces it will displace a lot of

tissue as it passes through the quarrys
brain. A cavity that is narrower and
longer (from a pellet that penetrates
the erroneous impression that the

pellet is capable of killing cleanly at
those longer ranges, because the
degree of penetration can, in some
instances, be almost as much as the
pellet achieves at the muzzle. Again,
using a visco-plastic rather than
THE IDEAL CAVITY COMPRISES

A SHORT,WIDE SECTION,
FOLLOWED BY A RAPIDLY
TAPERING SECTION
further) will displace less material
during its passage through the brain if
it exits the far side. Both can kill
cleanly, but the former is the more
reliable of the two.
Range
Testing for penetration into an elastic
medium at longer ranges can give
Roundhead pellets tend to flatten

and cut a neat round hole in a
stack of compressed paper.
WorldMags
elastic medium shows whats really

happening, by revealing the very
different amounts of material that
are displaced at the two distances.
Look at the two plaster casts in
the picture, one shot taken at the
muzzle, the other at 30 yards. The
penetration is almost identical, the
30-yard cast being 94% the length
of the muzzle cast, but

theres a world of
difference in the
amount of tissue
damage the two
pellets would have
caused, apparent
from the size and
shape of the cavities.
Had the pellets been shot into an
elastic medium that only revealed
penetration, the tester would have
been none the wiser to this, and
might have drawn totally
erroneous conclusions.
The ability of a pellet
to penetrate has gone
from being something that
was thought to be the most
important characteristic of a
hunting pellet to little more than
an irrelevance, and the idea that
penetration really matters is one of
the great airgun myths best
consigned to the history books.
The best pointed pellets, the RWS

Superpoint (left) and H&N Pointed have
been around a long time, so plenty of people
must like them.
The H&N Pointed pellet (right) penetrated

293 pages of a telephone directory against
the H&N Field Target Trophys 125 pages
(both .20).
Pointed pellets penetrate more,

splitting the paper as they go.
AIRGUN WORLD
69
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
TIP:well if youre
Even from a bench, getting the very best out

of a springer is a challenge, because it will
punish the tiniest flaw in your technique.
BENCHMARK
shoot
Youll only possible, so take
d as
ble
as relaxe e most comforta
th
d
r
n
a
fi
le
c
to
then
time
position,
g
a
n
g
ti
n
o
ti
o
r
h
s
sta
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your min
t sessio
benchres
Paper punching isnt everyones cup of tea, but Jim Tyler reckons theres a
strong case for swapping live quarry for paper and shooting from a bench
o those whove never tried it,
benchrest shooting might seem
a fairly pedestrian pursuit that
takes much of the skill out of
shooting, yet it could equally be
argued that its rather like the
Formula One of airgun sports,
because, in pursuing the ultimate
in accuracy, some improvements in
the equipment used in benchrest
will filter down to other forms of
airgun sport, just as the latest
technological advances in motor
racing can eventually find their way
onto the humble family saloon.
Take barrel tuning, which Mike
Wright and I wrote about last month.
The concept of hanging a weight on
the muzzle so that the pellet
70
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
emerges at the most favourable point

in the vibration cycle, might have
been news to a lot of people, but not
to benchrest shooters, who have long
been aware of the effects of barrel
vibration on accuracy.
Benchrest shooting doesnt have a
monopoly on driving developments in
airguns and associated equipment,
as anyone who followed the genesis
of field target (FT) shooting and
witnessed the advances in springer
tuning that resulted will testify, but
because the accuracy in benchrest is
so clinical, because it is not affected
by wind or rain, and because it does
not require many of the techniques
essential in other forms of shooting,
its more of a test of rifle, scope and
pellet that highlights minute factors

of which hunters and FT shooters
can be blissfully unaware.
Thats all well and good, but begs
the question of why the rest of us
should shoot occasionally from the
bench, and the answer is that it will
reveal causes of minor inaccuracy of
which you could otherwise be
unware, and because those minor
factors will sometimes work in
concert with other causes of
inaccuracy, and exacerbate them.
Its quite possible to be unaware
of causes of minor inaccuracy,
because some are random in their
effect on the pellet. One shot might
go a little right, the next high, low or
left, and the reason we can be
unaware of them is that the minor

inaccuracy that pushes one shot to
the right might occur when your
technique, the wind or another factor
pushes the pellet slightly left, and
the pellet ends up on target. Its only
when the minor inaccuracy pushes
the pellet in the same direction as
other factors that the inaccuracy is
marked, and when that happens, we
usually dismiss the shot as an
unexplained flier. When you shoot
from the bench, you minimise the
chances of your technique causing
inaccuracy, and your groups should
tighten up considerably as a result,
which highlights other minor
inaccuracy that can be masked in
normal shooting.
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
Weight is good. The top of my

new bench was a pallet used
to transport marine diesel
engines, the legs 4x4.
Bench and kit in place

ready for a target session
Benchrest shooting thus emerges

as a powerful aid in diagnosing faults
with equipment and technique.
Diagnostics - Equipment
Benchrest shooting can reveal
hidden parallax error. However
carefully you focus the objective lens
or side wheel to get the sharpest
image, there is still the potential for
parallax error if the ocular lens is not
focused at the plane of the reticle.
Thats because, when you focus the
objective or side wheel to get the
sharpest image, youre not focusing
it at the plane of the reticle (at
which there can be no parallax error)

but at the point at which the ocular
lens is focused. Unless your scope
has a positive lock mechanism for
the ocular focus, the focus is easily
accidentally shifted, and while the
resultant amount of potential
parallax shift will be small, it will
be there. Parallax error can be
random in direction and
magnitude, depending on the
placement of your eye behind the
scope, and benchrest shooting can
bring it to your attention.
Benchrest shooting can also reveal
pellet problems. Were positively
spoiled today with a choice of high

quality pellets, and although it is far
from common to get a batch that
differs significantly from previous
runs, it isnt unknown, and even a
small change in the pellet can
impact on accuracy. Variations in
pellets from the same tin or minor
pellet damage can both cause
inaccuracy, and that will again be
random in its effect in POI, and best
found by benchrest shooting.
Barrel fouling affects some rifles,
in conjunction with some pellets,
more than others, and is a build up
of lead within the grooves in the
rifling, which can alter the shape of

pellets as they emerge from the
muzzle. Some people clean their
barrels at regular intervals as a
precautionary measure, others never
clean barrels, suggesting their
rifle/pellet combination is unaffected
by lead build-up. Of course, its
entirely possible that their accuracy
is suffering from lead build-up, but
to too small an extent to have a
serious affect on accuracy. Unless
they test their rifles from the bench,
they might never know.
Minor variations in shot-to-shot
velocity cause variations in pellet
point of impact (POI), though in
normal circumstances, small velocity
variations can have so little effect
they can be considered negligible. If
variations in shot-to-shot consistency
are caused by the point at which the
pellet starts moving (probably more
likely with springers than PCPs),
however, that has a greater effect on
the timing of the pellet reaching the
muzzle which, as we found from last
months articles on barrel vibration,
can have a marked effect on
accuracy. Yet again, shooting from
the bench can reveal whether theres
a problem.
Diagnostics Technique
I gently support the toe of the

butt on my fingertips to allow
the rifle to recoil freely.
WorldMags
If you think that benchrest shooting

must be easy, then you need to rethink in benchrest accuracy terms.
Achieving benchrested accuracy
sufficient to gain a clean kill in
hunting or a clear round in HFT is
indeed relatively easy, but benchrest
accuracy is in a different league to
hitting the brain of a rabbit or even a
reducer in HFT, and to achieve it,
your technique must be flawless.
AIRGUN WORLD
71
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
Coach bolts and large washers are better

than wood screws when you want the bench
to remain rigid.
the wind can and often does vary in

strength and direction at different
points, which will give you a very
accurate idea of what the wind is
actually doing, and to note the effect
of the wind on nearby foliage and
branches, so that you learn to
equate visual clues in the
field to actual wind
direction and strength.
G
TESoToItN
ing is all
You can take your trigger pull out

of the equation by not wrapping
your thumb around the pistol grip.
PCP owners have a far easier time

of it than springer users, because
they could rest both the front and
rear of their rifle, so the only
obstacle to accuracy would be their
trigger pull and, if the object is to
diagnose a suspected equipment
fault, thats the way to go. To be
honest, even if you support just the
fore end of a PCP, the only aspect of
technique you can go far wrong with
is trigger pull. If you suspect that
your trigger pull technique may be
wanting, shooting from a bench
allows you to concentrate fully on the
act of pulling the trigger blade
without any other aspect of
technique to distract you, and you
can see the results of your technique
in the pellet POI. Bench rest
shooting can only go so far in

helping to diagnose technique
faults with PCPs, but springers are
another matter.
Even when shooting from a bench,
a springer will punish the smallest
errors in your hold, trigger pull or
follow-through, because the
movement of the springer during the
Bench shooting good

about sh rather than
groups to hit the
trying of the
centre t
targe
strengths
and directions
on your air rifle
and pellet.
In the field, clues to the strength
and direction of the wind are usually
in the movement of plants; often
blades of grass and the leaves and
branches of trees. When shooting
Pellet Selection
When youre trying to

decide which is the best
pellet for your air rifle, a
benchrest can save a huge
amount of time, as well as saving
you from potentially making the
wrong decision, because you are
testing the pellet and rifle, with
minimal interference from your own
marksmanship.
A SPRINGER WILL PUNISH THE SMALLEST

ERRORS IN YOUR HOLD, TRIGGER PULL OR
FOLLOW-THROUGH
firing cycle magnifies the effect, so
a fault that would cause only minor
pellet shift with a PCP, produces a
flier with a springer.
from the bench, its a good idea to

put wind socks (sticks with strips of
lightweight material tied to the top)
at intervals down the range, because
Range
The relationship between
deterioration in accuracy and range
is not linear (doubling the range
Learning Wind Effect
100% reliable wind strength and direction

at a glance and for no cost. Place these
along the range and youll see what the
wind is really doing.
72
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
When Mike Wright and I wanted to

test Mikes Wind Susceptibility
Factor idea by shooting in the wind
and getting accurate measurements
of the pellet deflection attributable
to that wind, we had to shoot from
the bench, because in normal
shooting there are too many other
causes of potential inaccuracy that
mask wind drift. For the same
reason, the bench is the best place
to learn how to read the wind, and
the effect of winds of varying
If you dont have a benchrest bag,

support your leading arm on
cushions, and dont grip the fore end.
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
Benchrest shooting can be an aid to

diagnsoing problems with technique or
which pellet to use.
does not double the inaccuracy) but,

according to Mike Wright, inaccuracy
increases with the square of the ratio
of the ranges, so that doubling the
range increases group size by a
factor of four. The minimum range at
which you need to test will vary
according to the rifle and pellet, and
what youre trying to achieve. The
more accurate the rifle/pellet
combination, the greater the range
needed to highlight inaccurate shots.
For most springers, 30 yards may
be sufficient to discern the more
accurate of two pellets or to diagnose
faults with equipment or technique,
and 35 yards should suffice for all
bar the most accurate PCP/pellet
combinations. These ranges might
seem on the short side to some, but
remember that were shooting groups
at paper or card targets, and even
slight inaccuracy will be not only
measurable but visible.
In truth, you could make the ranges
as long as you liked, though it is best
not to exceed the maximum range of
your usual form of shooting, because
factors can come into play at longer
range that have little or no effect at
normal maximum range. The best
example I can give comes, like so
many revelations, from Mike Wright,
and that is pellet spin stabilisation
The ears of a bench rest bag help prevent

the rifle moving sideways when shot.
WorldMags
With a PCP, you can support both

the front and rear of the rifle.
over-stabilising some pellets at long

range, so that they are no longer
pointing in the direction of their
travel, but shift to travelling side-on,
increasingly with range. You dont
need to be expert in physics to realise
that a pellet travelling sideways is
going to be dreadfully inaccurate!
The Bench
The bench obviously needs to be
rigid enough not to move if anyone
touches it while youre shooting,
and heavy enough not to be moved
by the wind. The ideal is very robust
and hence heavy construction, with
the legs set into the ground, though
that is a problem if you wish to
shoot from a different location to
measure wind deflection at a
particular angle to the sight line,

and its often not possible to make
a bench a permanent fixture, so
what are the alternatives?
Lightweight folding tables are
better than nothing, but tend to
move in response to your own
movements, which makes the kind
of precision we look for in benchrest
shooting difficult to achieve. With
suitable padding, the bonnet, boot or
roof of a car is far more stable and
can serve as a reasonable benchrest,
depending on the type of car and the
height of those surfaces.
The most stable position seems to
be when the shooter is sitting, which
means that the benchrest need not
be very high, which is good for the
stability of the bench. However,
users of springers might find that
reloading becomes awkward when
shooting from the bench and chair,
and be better served by a taller
bench that can be used with the
shooter standing.
With the rifle rest, PCP owners
again have an easier time of it than
users of springers, and can rest the
rifle against practically any surface
without affecting pellet POI or, if
their rifle has one fitted, use the
bipod. With a springer, the rifle has
to be free to recoil in exactly the
same way shot after shot, or youre
wasting your time. Most people use

shaped benchrest bags filled with
beads, sawdust or dry sand to
support the rifles fore end, but
with a springer its better if the
support has a bit of give, which
placing the benchrest bag on a
cushion achieves.
Again, especially with springers,
its a great help if the benchrest bag
is shaped so that the fore end sits
inside and is gently restrained in the
horizontal plane by it, because that
inhibits the fore end from jumping to
one side when the springer
discharges. It also helps damp out
any small sideways movement thats
imparted as you pull the trigger.
I hope this article has convinced
you that benchrest shooting, far from
being a minority pursuit, is a
powerful diagnostics aid for
equipment and shooting technique
problems, a very useful means of
finding the right pellet for your air
rifle, an excellent tool for learning
about wind drift,
and something that
we should all try,
and on a regular
basis.
Subscribers receive free
access to digital issues
AIRGUN WORLD
73
BARREL TUNING
Professor Mike Wright concludes (for now) his findings on this
absorbing topic
art One of this article took a look
at barrel vibration and the key
role that it plays in rifle accuracy.
This second part deals with the
actual process of tuning a barrel for
minimum group size. Both Jim Tyler
and I have used the technique to
good effect, with some impressive
improvements to group size, but it
should be borne in mind that it is
not a panacea for turning a bad rifle
into a good one. Barrel tuning is a
method for extracting the latent
accuracy of a rifle pellet
combination, but the accuracy
potential has to be there to begin
with. The essential idea is illustrated
in Figure 1, which shows a cantilever
(or floating) barrel vibrating about its
breech fixing. In the diagram, the
barrel motion has been grossly
exaggerated to illustrate the
principles involved.
barrel carries it on to Point C,

where the kinetic energy is once
more converted into strain energy.
This interchange of energy carries on
for many cycles, until internal
friction damping causes the
oscillations to die away. The time
taken from releasing the trigger to
the instant when the pellet exits the
muzzle (the so-called action time)
is usually with a cycle or so of the
muzzle oscillation, so the damping
effect can be happily neglected.
As I explained in Part One, the
ideal condition is for the pellet to
exit the barrel muzzle at either Point
A or Point C, when the deflection
is a maximum and the muzzle is
stationary. If the pellet exits at Point
B, it does so when the muzzle is
moving at maximum velocity, where
small variations in action time can
induce significant variations in pellet
the lower-frequency tuned barrel.
This example shows how reducing
Superimposed on the waveforms are
the oscillation frequency of the
three pellet exit zones, coloured red,
barrel has the potential to
green and amber, for high, medium
dramatically improve the accuracy of
and low speed pellets. The width of
a rifle with a given pellet. On the
each exit zone accounts for the fact
other hand, we can also see how the
that the rifles action time will vary
performance of an alternative pellet,
from shot to shot.
with a different muzzle velocity
In the example shown,
can be degraded; whilst
the accuracy of the
with a third pellet, it
rifle with the highmakes no difference
speed (green)
at all. So, how can
ights arent
e
pellet has been
we go about
w
l
e
r
r
a
B
ona
s
e
r
much improved
deciding how to
e
h
t
o
addded t barrel, allowing tune a barrel and
because the
e
pellet exit zone
exactly how is it
part of threquency to be
f
for this pellet now
done?
the
e
h
to t
sits over the peak
matched ition
n
Changing the
of the deflection
ammu
Frequency with a
cycle. In the case of the
Tuning Weight
medium-speed (red) pellet,
There are obviously two forms of
however, the accuracy has been
energy at play in barrel vibration:
degraded from the original barrel
kinetic energy associated with the
arrangement, since the exit zone no
barrel motion and strain energy due
longer spans a peak displacement
to bending. By equating the strain
time. For the low-speed (amber)
energy at Point B in the vibration
pellet, the tuning process has made
cycle to the kinetic energy at Point
no difference whatsoever to
A, we can find the vibration
accuracy, since the exit zone sits
frequency and the appropriate
over a stationary deflection point for
formulae are summarised in the box
both frequencies of vibration.
T
VIBRAN
Physically, the muzzle deflects

from its initial position to Point A,
where all of the motional energy has
been transferred to strain energy
through bending the barrel. At this
point, the barrel is stationary for an
instant in time. Like a spring, the
barrel then releases its stored energy
to drive the barrel back to the
neutral position at Point B, where
the barrel has given up all its strain
energy to kinetic energy. At this
point, the vibrational velocity of the
barrel and its momentum are at a
maximum. The momentum of the
74
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
T
R
A
P
JIM AND PROFESSOR MIKE GET INTO SOME MORE
placement and, hence, larger group

sizes. In order to match the vibration
of the barrel to the pellet exit time, it
is necessary to alter the frequency at
which the barrel oscillates. But
there are some potential pitfalls,
which need to be avoided.
Vibration Matching
Figure 2 shows a before and after
situation, with the rifle barrel tuned
to a lower frequency to enhance the
accuracy of a high-speed, lightweight pellet. The original barrel
oscillation is shown alongside that of
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
Formulae for an Uncompensated

Cantilever Barrel. These equations
are accurate for cantilevered steel
barrels, but dont use them for any
other arrangement. Essentially, the
formulae show us how to estimate
the mass, stiffness and first mode
vibration frequency of any size of
barrel, which are the starting points
for the tuning process. All the terms
are pretty self-explanatory except for
Effective Mass, which needs a bit
of clarification.
Figure 4 illustrates the effect of

now adding a barrel tuning weight of
mass, mT , to the muzzle. If the
weight is added so that its centre is
at the end of the barrel, then we can
add this mass to the effective mass
of the barrel to find the total
effective mass.
If, however, the tuning weight is
situated part way along the barrel,
it will have less effect on the
motion of the muzzle. This
reduction in effectiveness is
It is very useful to consider the

idea of a fictitious Effective Mass
concentrated at the end of the
barrel, which has the same effect
on vibration frequency as the
actual barrel mass, which is
distributed along the barrels
length.. This effective mass is
slightly less than one quarter
(24%) of the actual mass of the
barrel. The idea is illustrated in
Figure 3.
accounted for by the correction

factor C, as shown in Figure 4. We
can get an idea of how this works
by imagining the tuning weight
fixed hard up against the breach
end of the barrel: in this position,
the weight will have no effect at all
and the value of the correction
factor will be zero. Now consider
the weight moved to the muzzle
end: in this position the weight will
have maximum effect and the
From the point of view of muzzle

vibration, the barrel behaves as if
it had no mass along its length,
but carried an effective mass (of
0.24 x actual mass) fixed on the
muzzle end. The advantage of this
approach is that it enables the
distributed weight of the barrel to
be taken into account when
considering the addition of barrel
tuning weights.
correction factor will have a value

of one. At any intermediate position
it will have some value between
zero and one. Rather than being a
complication, it is this property of
the tuning weight position that
actually allows straightforward
barrel tuning. It is not necessary to
experiment with different barrel
weights, only with different
positions of a single weight.
WorldMags
Figure 5 shows a graph of the

value of the correction factor versus
the position of the tuning mass. The
graph is based on a well-accepted
approximation for the barrel
deflection shape. What the graph
tells us, for example, is that a tuning
mass positioned halfway along the
barrel (at the 50% position) has the
same effect as a mass positioned at
the muzzle with about one third the
weight of the tuning mass
By moving the tuning mass along
the barrel, we are changing the
frequency at which the barrel
vibrates and, as Figure 2
illustrates, there will be one
position for the weight which
locates the peak deflection of the
muzzle within the zone of pellet
exit times. This is the position
which gives highest accuracy.
Whatever the optimum weight and
position turn out to be, the correct
muzzle end mass can be read off
Figure 5. So, if we find that a mass
of 100 grams positioned halfway
along the barrel gives the sweet
spot for a particular pellet, we
know that a mass of about 33
grams anchored at the muzzle will

do the same job.
Practical Aspects of Barrel

Tuning
The most extreme case of a
mismatched action time and barrel
vibration frequency would require
that the frequency be halved to
move the peak barrel deflection into
the pellet exit zone. From the
formulae box we can see that this
would require a fourfold increase in
effective barrel mass, or a muzzle
weight equal to the original weight
of the barrel. This is, however, an
extreme situation which I have only
encountered once (on a 177 gas
ram rifle with an ultra-short barrel).
We are more concerned with
making improvements to the
behaviour of an air gun which is
capable of shooting accurately out
of the box, but which may respond
to tuning for a particular pellet. So
how do we choose the right size of
barrel weight to start?
In reality, it is not that critical
because different weights will simply
give optimum accuracy at different
Barrel weight
AIRGUN WORLD
75
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
Figure 6: Accurarcy with and

without tuning weight
positions along the barrel. A

reasonable weight to choose is in the
region of the effective barrel weight,
say one quarter of the actual barrel
weight, which will provide a
frequency reduction of about 30%
with the weight fixed at the muzzle.
This rule of thumb works okay for
vibration frequencies up to about
300 Hz (cycles per second) or so.
(Jim Tyler and I may do more on this
limit in a future article).
As an example of how you can go
about tuning your own rifle barrel,
lets take a look at the process
involved. The example that I have
chosen is an accurate .177 (4.5
mm) break-barrel spring rifle that I
wanted to try to improve further. I
first calculated the mass of the 14
mm diameter, 380 mm long barrel.
This worked out to be 0.41 kg,

giving an effective mass of
approximately 0.1 kg. The calculated
stiffness is 20.4 N per mm, which
yields a first mode vibration
frequency of 71.4 Hz, well within a
tuneable range.
0.1 kg (100 gm) was duly chosen
as the tuning mass. I made up the
tuner by coiling strips of lead flashing
(8 mm wide by 2 mm thick) into an 8
mm wide Jubilee clip and slipped this
over the barrel. I then spent an
afternoon shooting groups on an
indoor range, moving the tuner
backwards and forwards until I found
the sweet spot. This turned out to be
when the centre of the tuner was
between 115 and 120 mm from the
muzzle (say 117 mm). This
corresponds to a position of 263 mm
from the breech block, which is at

70% of the barrel length. So the
correction factor from Figure 5 is
0.56. Consequently, the correct weight
to hang at the muzzle is 0.56 x 100
gm (= 56 gm). This does not seem to
be very much, but, in fact, it alters the
effective mass by about 50% and the
frequency by approximately 20%.
I had a sleeved barrel weight
made up and then shot indoor
groups at 32 yards (the maximum on
the range) with and without the
56gm weight. I used Webley
Mosquito pellets for the tests
because I knew that the test gun
shot them well. When the weight was
fitted, I was careful to ensure that
the centre of its mass coincided with
the end of the barrel. The results are
shown in Figure 6. The group sizes
are approximately 0.8 inches without
the weight and 0.4 inches with the
weight. A superior shot could
probably better those figures, but the
improvement is dramatic,
nonetheless. But bear in mind that a
different pellet may have produced
different results.
Figure 6: Accuracy With and
Without Tuning Weight
.22 calibres prove the point pretty

conclusively for both recoiling and
recoilless rifles. The key points to
understand are:
Best accuracy is achieved when
the pellet exits the barrel at a
point of maximum deflection.
In order to achieve this it is
necessary to alter the vibration
frequency of the barrel.
The barrel frequency can be
tuned by adding an auxiliary
weight barrel.
The initial test weight should be
approximately a quarter of the
weight of the barrel.
The final weight should be
found from the tuning mass
correction curve.
If you follow the steps outlined in
this article, you may well be
surprised at the difference barrel
tuning can make. I am convinced it
is worth the effort.
Summary
Tuning weight
76
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
There is no doubt that barrel tuning

can be very successful in matching a
pellet to a rifle for maximum
accuracy, or even in turning an
indifferent gun into a very accurate
one. My own tests and those carried
out by Jim Tyler in .177, .20 and
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The rear section is adjustable for length, and

can pivot so that the two rear feet sit firmly
even if the surface of the bench isnt flat.
These two nuts secure the rear section.
PREDATOR RIFLE REST

Jim Tyler reviews an accessory that helps take you out of the equation
hile writing my article on
benchrest testing this month, I
became aware that, even when
shooting a rifle rested on my beloved
cushions, I was pulling some shots;
not by much, but enough to make a
difference to group size.
Our notion of what constitutes
acceptable accuracy varies according
to the type of shooting we do; for the
field target (FT) and hunter field
target (HFT) shooter, acceptable
accuracy means being able to knock
down every target on the course,
whereas for the hunter, its being able
consistently to place the pellet in the
kill zone. Benchrest competition
shooting, however, is in a different
league, because its all about precise
pellet placement, rather than near
enough to do the job. That was the
accuracy I was striving for, and I
wasnt getting it. I needed a better

rifle support, and Norwich-based
Uttings came to the rescue with the
loan of an MTM Predator.
The Predator is supplied as a kit
of parts for self-assembly, for which
you need a cross-head screwdriver,
and about five minutes if youre a
slow worker. Full assembly
instructions are provided, but its
obvious where everything fits. The
one important point is not to overtighten any of the four fixing screws,
and the instructions tell you how far
to screw them in.
A key issue for benchrest testing is
the stability of the rifle support, and
most rests achieve that at least
partially through their weight, but the
Predator weighs just 1.5Kg (3.3 lbs),
and achieves stability by the spacing
of the four feet, and the rigidity of
the body. The light weight is due to

the Predator being made from a
dense moulded plastic that seems
pretty resilient, with the rigidity
provided by internal webbing.
Although the Predator has four feet,
theyre in an essentially triangular
arrangement that allows it to sit on
surfaces that arent level. The two
front feet are 450mm (18) apart, the
rear pair much closer together. The
rest is in two parts, with the rear end
being adjustable fore and aft, as well
as being able to rotate so that the rear
feet can sit on a surface that doesnt
line up perfectly with that under the
front feet.
Using the Predator

First, adjust the rear section so that
the rests support the rifle clear of
sling swivels, and tighten up the two
locking screws. Then simply put the

rifle on the rest, slacken the front rest
pillar-locking screw, turn the large
plastic nut until the rifle is at the
correct elevation, and lock the pillar
using the screw.
It may be possible to line up a
PCP, then squeeze the trigger
without touching any other part of
the rifle, though I find it better to
shoot the rifle in the conventional
manner as I would were the rifle
sitting on cushions, because that
allows me to watch the target
through the scope and be certain
that the rifle is not being pulled off
target as the trigger is pulled.
The Predator retails at 45.99 and
for that, you get a lightweight, highly
portable, stable rifle rest that allows
you to see exactly how accurate your
rifle/pellet combination is, with no
chance of the user accidentally
contributing to fliers. Its also
invaluable for sighting in a PCP, and
holds the rifle steady enough to check
for parallax shift. I think its going to
come in very handy for my rifle,
scope and pellet tests.
TO ORDER
The elevation adjuster
is within easy reach.
WorldMags
The thread is coarse, but nonetheless allows

very precise adjustment.
To order an MTM Predator call Uttings

on: 01693 619 811 or visit:
www.uttingsoutdoors.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
77
7
WORTHWHILE, OR NOT?
Is it worth trying to measure the ballistic coefficient of pellets through your air
rifle? Jim Tyler investigates
or the benefit of anyone who
missed my and Mike Wrights
articles on Ballistic Coefficient (BC)
in the November 2010 issue of
Airgun World, the BC, in a nutshell,
is a measure of how well a pellet
maintains its velocity in flight. The
BC can be measured by taking
chronoscope readings of velocity at
two distances from the muzzle, and
is usually presented as a three
point decimal figure.
You can calculate BC by entering
the velocities, and the distance
between the two points that the
velocity was measured, into a simple
formula, which is the distance
between the two chronoscopes (in
yards), divided by 8,000 multiplied by
the natural logarithm of the ratio of
the two velocity readings. If a pellets
velocity was measured at two points
20 yards apart and the velocity
readings were 600fps and 500fps, the
BC would be 20, divided by 8,000
multiplied by the natural logarithm of
1.2 (600/500), or 0.0137. If you
have a phobia of maths, you can
download Hawke Chairgun Pro
(http://www.chairgun.com) and simply
enter the velocity and distance figures
into the BC calculator.
Published BC values.
Figures for the BC of all popular pellets
are widely available on the Internet, so
why go to the trouble of measuring it
for yourself? The answer is that the BC
of a pellet varies, amongst other things,
according to the barrel it is shot
Light can affect chrono readings, so

position the chrono out of direct
sunlight, and use the diffuser screens.
78
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
through, and in some cases by a

significant amount. Mike and I
started measuring BC while testing
Mikes Wind Susceptibility Factor
(WSF a measure of the degree to
which pellets are susceptible to
wind drift), and we did it because
the results we were getting by using
published BC figures showed a weak
correlation to the amount of wind
drift we measured. When we used
our measured BC figures, the results
showed a very strong correlation,
and so our BC measurements were
more accurate than the published
figures, and the difference was
simply the barrels of the rifles we
used in the tests, and the depth of
the indentations they made in the
pellets skirt and head.
Since then, a couple of people
have questioned the accuracy of our
BC measurements, and with good
reason, because to get very accurate
figures you need to measure
velocities under laboratory
conditions, which we did not have.
The chronoscopes we used were
fairly accurate, but the readings
were not exact. The air in which we
tested was not perfectly still, which
can affect results. The pellets were
not precisely weighed and
measured, at least not to the
standard of a forensics laboratory. The
questioning of our results was, of
course, perfectly valid, but rather
missed the point of us taking them,
which was to get comparative, rather
than absolute, figures.
Chairgun 2. The same error has a marked effect on windage; a pellet with a BC of 0.02 drifts half
as far again as 0.03. This is when our measured BC proves more accurate than published values.
Absolute.
There is no absolute BC for any
pellet, because the resistance
offered by air varies according to the
velocity of the pellet, the relationship
is non-linear, and the velocity of the

pellet is constantly changing
throughout its trajectory. Therefore,
the BC we measure and calculate for
a pellet will vary slightly if we vary
To measure velocity for BC, you

obviously need a chronoscope,
and also a method of accurately
measuring distance and something
to jot down readings.
TECHNICAL AIRGUN
the ranges at which we

sample the velocity.
So why do we
bother?
The answer is
that, while BC
values are not
absolute, and our
measurements less
than perfect, they
are accurate enough for
the purposes for which we
measure them, which are
comparative susceptibility to wind
drift, and comparative BC of a pellet
through different barrels. In the
former, if the WSF derived from our
measured BC of one pellet suggests
it is twice as susceptible to wind
drift as another, then thats the
result we get when we test the
pellets in the wind, and the same
goes for WSF derived from the
calculated BC of a pellet through
different barrels. For these
comparative purposes, our measured
BC figures stand up to empirical
testing, in which they appear to be
more accurate than published BC
values (when they differ significantly
very often, they agree).
BC is most commonly
used, though, for
predicting pellet
drop and trajectory,
for which it would
appear that
absolute accuracy
is essential, and
our imperfect
testing woefully
inadequate. In fact, if
inaccuracy in our velocity
measurements results in a 10%
error in calculated BC, the difference
that makes in pellet drop is so small
that you probably wouldnt see it
reflected in pellet point of impact
(POI). A .177 pellet near the legal
limit and with a BC of 0.020 that
was wrongly measured as 0.022
would fall by in the order of 0.14
below the calculated POI at 45
yards, so that the 10% inaccuracy in
BC results in less than a 0.2%
variation in pellet drop.
BCoffers a
A high BC ory, less

aject
flatter tr and and
t
wind drif rgy on
e
more en
target
How we test.
Because our chronoscopes and test
conditions are not quite as
conducive to accurate measurements
as we would like, we average velocity
Put something level with the muzzle,

so you know where to measure from
to take distance readings.
readings out over a number of shots

usually ten at each distance. Mike
uses two chronoscopes that he often
checks to ensure theyre in
agreement with each other, I use
one, and take shots alternately at the
muzzle and at distance. Most of the
results are actually fairly close to the
published BC figures, but if a result
differs to any great degree, I re-test.
I use a Shooting Chrony, for which
the manufacturers claim an accuracy
of plus or minus 0.5%, and Mike
uses a Skan chronoscope, running
off a regulated supply for greater
accuracy. In the worst case scenario,
if two pellets were tested, and the
measurements differed by 0.5%
under and the other 0.5% over at
each of the two test ranges, that
gives a potential error in BC of 15%,
which might seem hopelessly
inaccurate. In fact, a .177 pellet at
near the legal limit might typically
drop at 45 yards by around one
tenth of an inch more or less than
amount and in the same direction

diminish. We can also ignore any
wildly out of range velocity figures,
which could be caused by factors
such as muzzle blast tripping the
chrono, lighting, a damaged pellet,
and many more. Again, the close
correlation we found between
measured wind drift and the wind
drift calculated from measured BC
(whether we calculate them or enter
the figures into Chairgun Pro) shows
that our methods are accurate
enough for purpose.
Should you?
Given the difficulties of setting up a
range on which you stand a chance
of getting reasonably accurate
velocity readings, firing ten shots
each at the muzzle and at range,
then working out the averages, then
doing the maths, seems a lot of
trouble to go to, so is there any
compelling reason why you should
measure the BC of your airgun and
THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE BC
FOR ANY PELLET
Errors in measuring BC result in relatively small variations in trajectory. The top trajectory BC is
0.02, the bottom 0.03. (Courtesy Chairgun Pro).
WorldMags
would be suggested by calculated

figures that were 15% out, for a
total inaccuracy of 0.2 (around
3%), so even a seemingly horrific BC
inaccuracy provides a good guide to
trajectory at airgun ranges.
The same 15% error would have
a far greater effect on the WSF,
with one being some 35% more
than the other, and thats why we
dont test just two pellets, we take
ten readings at each range, and
with each reading, the chances of
the readings being out by the same
pellet? Actually, there isnt, because

the widely published figures for
pellet BC are quite accurate enough
for most practical purposes.
If, however, you really want to
know why pellet X doesnt behave
quite as predicted through your air
rifle, if you want to know which
pellet takes the wind best through
your air rifle, or if you simply
enjoy the technical aspects of our
sport, then measuring and
calculating BC might provide some
of the answers.
AIRGUN WORLD
79
C:L
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NEW
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THE
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32/34 Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1RT
Phone: 020 8304 9922 or 020 8303 5221
Situated on main A207 just off junction 2, only 5 miles from M25 and Bluewater
Plenty of parking right outside. Open 9am-5.30pm, closed Weds and Sun
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Website:
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AIRGUN WORLD
81
82
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
UBC
THE UMAREX BOYS CLUB

POLICE STYLE COMPETITIONS
Jim McArthur says ...
Just like our other UBC

competitions, we have entries from
competitors all over the world. In
fact, this competition is run by our
American management team
member, Jim McArthur, and really
lets multi-shot CO2 and airsoft guns
come into their own, with plenty of
added fun factor!
Targets have to be either six

or ten metres away, depending
on the competition.
T
PAR
Paddys back with Part 1 of a great pistol shooting competition format
The Concept
... I got the idea for the UBCs

Police Pistol Competition after
learning about the UKs cartridge
pistol ban. Many shooters on the
Airgun BBS Forum expressed a
nostalgic regret for those bygone
days when they could hone their
shooting skills using centrefire
revolvers and autoloading pistols
on silhouette targets.
Being Yanks (well, Rebs, actually!),
my wife Jan and I were able to own
cartridge pistols and to enjoy
shooting them at a local pistol
range. We also were having great fun
shooting our air pistols in the UBCs
bullseye-style competitions, so I
thought, why not combine the two,
and we can all enjoy shooting multishot air pistols at silhouette targets,
and with rapid-fire time limits? After
all, we are the Umarex Boys Club,
and isnt that what Umarex pistols
are all about? As my grandfather
from Lanarkshire would have said,
Ye cannae beat it! So, why not join
in the fun?
his month Ill be showing you
one of the Police style online
competitions that we hold as part of
the Umarex Boys Club competition
programme. Like our six-yard
competition, its free to enter - you
just need to become a UBC member
by sending a request via email to
umarexboysclub@googlemail.com
and well do the rest. Youll also
need a safe place to shoot.
To mimic Police style scenarios which

law enforcement officers might train
for under timed conditions, there are
set targets and rules for each stage
depending on what competition you
are doing, as currently there are
several themes and we even have
Police Rifle competitions. All are to
be shot and your scores emailed to
the competition manager, where your
scores will be entered onto separate
results tables and leader boards from
which you can track your progress.
So, just like our six-yard competition,

anyone can take part even children
under supervision, as this competition
is more appealing to the younger ones
with its fast-fire style of shooting.
The Police style competition is

held generally on the third week of
every month, starting on Saturday
and finishing the following Sunday.
As there are several themes to this
TO MIMIC POLICE STYLE

SCENARIOS...THERE ARE
SET TARGETS AND RULES
FOR EACH STAGE
WorldMags
The shooter here is adopting the

guard position where the pistol is
at 45 degrees to the shooters body.
AIRGUN WORLD
83
UBC
Want to join UBC?

All you need to do to join the U.B.C. is to
send a request to join by email to
umarexboysclub@googlemail.com and
well do the rest - its free to join.
Police Pistol Set-Up requires a

multi-shot pistol, either CO2 or
airsoft, a shot timer or stop watch,
and maybe a friend to time you. One
of our UBC members has come up
with a brilliantly simple,
downloadable sound card for each
stage and for the two types of targets,
which gives you start and stop
beeps for each of the stages, so you
can compete alone if you want to.
Targets
competition, it pays to spread them
over the week, or youll be putting a
lot of lead down range in one go.
However, its entirely up to you how
many themes you want to take part
in. There are competitors who take
part in one theme and others who
take part in all six themes. All
details of the competitions,
competition calendar and all results
can be found on:
www.ubccompetition.btck.co.uk.
The Categories
There are six themes within this
competition; three pistol and three
rifle scenarios.
Police Pistol: is set at six yards
with two categories, these being
Open Sights and Optical Sights. Ill
be going in-depth with this
competition within this article.
Pocket Pistol: involves using two
pistols, one service and one pocket
pistol as your back-up.
Sniper Rifle: has two categories:
Open Sights at six yards and Optical
at 10 metres, where you use any air
rifle, as long as you can get all your
shots on target within one minute
with a single shot, or 45 seconds
with a multi-shot.
Assault Rifle is where you use a
multi-shot rifle and double-tap into
the target.
There are two types of targets for this

theme; the Fedora for stage 1 and 2
and Paddys Angels for stage 3.
These can be downloaded from our
competition website as a PDF
format and printed out on
A4 paper or card.
Stages
-TAP
DOUBLE ble-tap
Each stage has its

own set of rules,
and at first it may
sound daunting,
however, youll soon
get the hang of it.
Stage one: 12
rounds. Begin with pistol
in both hands, pointed downward.
GO! Raise pistol, fire 6 rounds. Stop
firing. Either reload same cylinder or
insert a fresh pre-loaded one. Fire 6
more rounds. The clock is running
the whole time.
There is a 1 minute time limit on
this stage.
Stage two: 12 rounds. Part 1,
pistol in lowered position. Raise and
fire one shot in 2 seconds. Lower
pistol for five seconds. Raise, fire,
the same way for six rounds.
Part 2, using the same target,
exactly the same as you did in Part 1.
42 seconds elapsed time limit for
each Part.
Stage three: 6 rounds, 2 rounds
in left target, 2 rounds in right
target and then one round back in
dou
The term
firing two
o
t
s
r
e
f
e
r
uick
shots in q
n
successio
left and right target.

Dont be tempted to
rush this stage, and
remember that you
have two seconds per
shot, so theres still time
to be reasonably accurate.
12 seconds elapsed time limit for
this stage. 30 rounds total in match,
all double-action, all two-hands. All
firing is done from six yards.
Maximum score is 300.
When scoring the target you score

inwards, so that means if the
pellet breaks into two sectors (i.e.
8 and 9), you score the highest
number. Tears in the target paper
dont count, just the pellet-sized
hole the shot made. Its a good
idea to back paper targets with
cardboard using Pritt Stick type
glue sticks youll find that doing
so produces crisp, clean holes
instead of tearing the paper.
The scoring of these targets is on
an honesty basis. If you cheat you
are only cheating yourself and with
each round and with practice, you
will hopefully see
improvements in your
shooting.
AN ISSUE!
Subscribe today!
84
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
Send your score to Jim via

capnwilliam@yahoo.com with your
details:
Username:
Type of Pistol:
Sights: Open or Optical
Stage 1 score:
Stage 2 score:
Stage 3 score:
Total:
Viewing your scores

Scoring the target
DONT MISS
The competition mimics police style
scenarios, hence the silhouette targets.
Submitting Your Score.
Once all scores are in and the

competition is closed, the scores
will be uploaded to the competition
website. They will also be linked to,
and announced, on our forum:
www.umarexboysclubforum.myfinefo
rum.org where we give
congratulations or make up our
excuses. Most of all, good luck
and have fun!
Meanwhile, Ill be back next time
with part 2 of this look at what the
Umarex Boys Club get up to. As
ever, if you like what youve seen so
far, or you want to know more, get
online and all will be revealed!
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD
85
ROSIES RECIPE
JERK PIGEON
PASTIES
Fry onions, garlic, potato, and pepper in

a little oil until onions are tender.
YOU WILL NEED
Add pigeon meat, 2 teaspoonsful

spice mix, tomatoes and peas.
Ingredients: pigeon, green pepper, onion,

potato, pastry, tomatoes, stock, garlic,
jerk mix and peas.
Rosie Barham gathers inspiration from

friends and a dim and distant party to
present a West Indian woodie dish
am often asked how I come up
with recipe ideas month after
month. I tell everyone that Im just
so talented they fall out of my brain
on a regular basis, but the
reality is that Im always
on the lookout. I
study menus if Im
out for dinner in
restaurants, leaf
through cookery
books in shops,
jot down ideas
from TV
programmes and
listen to my culinary
friends as they speak
about which ingredients they
put with what to make something
delicious.
it, but it turned out so well that I

shall do it again and inflict it upon
family and friends.
As we sat and discussed the finer
points, I was reminded of a
West Indian party Id
attended when I was
a teenager. It was
the first time Id
sampled anything
curried wrapped
in pastry and I
was so excited
that I demanded
the recipe from the
hosts mother who
had done all the catering
herself there and then,
much to the bewilderment of the
bloke I was with at the time. He was
Pigeon meat, cut into very small pieces,
or minced
One onion, two cloves of garlic
A large, cooked potato and a couple of
G
SERVINONS?
TI
SUGGESe got any
If youv d like to
ou
recipes ylease get in
share, p t the usual
touch a ress
add
tomatoes, diced
One green pepper, chopped into small
pieces
Schwartz Jerk Chicken Mix. Ive used two
Add two tablespoons of water and stock

pod (or cube dissolved). Cook gently
until gloopy.
THE METHOD
ITS AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN

CREATE WITH A LITTLE
IMAGINATION
A few weeks ago, I was sitting
with a friend having a cuppa and we
came up with this months idea. I
cant take much credit for it, really,
because the Airgun World editor was
the initial inspiration and my friend
Michelle suggested some of the finetuning. All I did was cook it and eat
Eat them before anyone else does!
86
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
amazed that I could be interested in

anything other than him and
dumped me shortly after that. I
didnt mind too much; Id learned
how to cook genuine Jamaican
curried mutton pasties and it was a
matter of priorities.
Anyway, back to the plot. I
decided that the mutton could
be replaced with pigeon, a pack
of Schwartz Jerk Chicken Mix
would substitute for the myriad
spices that I really should grind
and roast, and Id add
potatoes for a bit of padding.
Its amazing what you can
create with a little
imagination, and this is so
simple to do, and takes so
little time, that it as to be
worth making a few when you
have the oven on, if only to
freeze for summer picnics.
teaspoonsful, but its a matter of taste

and depends on how hot you want it to be
A handful of frozen peas
Half a slab of packet puff pastry
Oil for frying, beaten egg for eggwashing
1 Try to chop all the ingredients to
Cut pastry into four equal squares.

Spread filling over each square and
brush edges with beaten egg.
Fold over and seal with a fork; egg wash

the tops.
roughly the same size. This will

ensure even cooking.
2 Place the onion, garlic, potato, and
green pepper into a pan and fry
gently for a few minutes, until the
onions are softened.
3 Add the pigeon meat, spice mix,
tomatoes, and peas.
4 Add two tablespoons of water, a
chicken stock cube, and then cook
for a further five minutes, stirring
every now and then. The mixture
should be gloopy.
5 Season with salt to taste.
6 Remove from the heat and allow to
cool to room temperature.
7 Roll the half slab of pastry into a
square. Then cut this into four equal
squares.
8 Spread the filling over the base of
each square, brush the edges with
beaten egg, fold over and seal with
a fork.
9 Egg wash the tops and bake for
about 20 minutes at 180 - thats a
moderate to hot oven. Then enjoy,
hot or cold!
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MAINTENANCE
SPRING GUN TLC

What do you really need to do to keep your spring piston gun in top condition?
odern airguns are strong and
reliable devices that mostly
only need some simple care between
annual services to ensure top
performance, but what does that
entail? Spring-piston guns are the
first choice for many airgunners who
want simple, tough rifles that dont
cost too much, so thats what well
cover this month. The first and most
often required practice is keeping
the rifle clean and dry. Every time
you handle the airgun it should be
wiped down to remove water, dirt
and the oil from your skin thats
transferred onto the stock and
metalwork by your touch. It seems
almost impossible that your own skin
could be damaging to cold, hard
steel, but trust me it is. Blued or
blacked steel rusts very easily and
the oil that keeps your skin supple
contains salts that become attached
to the metal, where it corrodes the
surface which then damages the
bluing. You often see that over time
break-barrel rifles tend to lose the
bluing around the muzzle through
this process and general friction from
your hand.
The way to
minimise this is
always to wipe the
metal parts over with
either an oily rag or
perhaps better still, a
silicone impregnated
cloth. This does two
things for your gun;
first, the
A modern silicone cloth is

ideal for keeping metal
surfaces in top condition.
90
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
oiled cloth lifts the salt and dirt off

the metal finish, and second, it
leaves behind a thin film that
protects the surface. This protects it
in the gunsafe from condensation
which can form on cold metal
surfaces, again causing rust.
Modern silicone cloths are
excellent, building up layers of
silicone, over time, thats clear and
dry, yet protects the metalwork very
well indeed. Its far less likely to
attract dust or grit than wet oil
which could act as an
abrasive, scratching the
surface away. These
covered by the
cloths can be used
is the
n
scope mounts. This
over the scope and
e
t
f
o
d
Little an to apply
is because once
mounts, cleaning
theyve been
and protecting
right way . Overs
t
installed its
those parts as well.
n
a
ic
r
b
lu
ot difficult to clean
Dont be tempted
n does n
io
t
a
ic
r
b
lu
and dry underneath
to use it on the
help
them and water left
lenses though; that job
there could well cause
needs a different type of
cloth.
TLC
Top Tip
A good tip when scoping-up a new
rifle is to apply a
light coating of
oil on the area
that will be
If your gun has been soaked,

remove the stock and dry any
moisture with kitchen paper.
be greased when the rifle was built

but if you remove them at any time,
check that theyre coated before
reinstalling them.
Wet Trip
If you take your gun out in wet
weather, getting it dry is vital to its
long term protection. The first thing
WATER CAN CREEP IN HERE

AND IF ITS NOT REMOVED, CAN
CAUSE RUST LATER.
rust. Its also a good idea to put a
thin smear of grease on the
threads of the silencer
or on the barrel if
your silencer has
a slip on
adaptor. The
bolts that
hold the
stock on
should
to think about is getting the worst of

the water off before putting it into
the gun slip, so a clean dry rag
stored in the car is ideal. When you
get home, use another dry rag to dry
it further and then stand it in a
warm room (not a hot airing
cupboard), where residual moisture
can evaporate. However, if its been
soaked, its well worth removing the
stock so that you can dry the area
where the action sits. Water can
creep in here and if its
MAINTENANCE
Slippery stuff
A drop of light oil between services helps

keep pivots moving freely.
A drop of oil in the palm of your hand...
not removed, can cause rust later.

With the stock removed, use dry
cloths to soak up the rain and after
it is fully dried, give the metal work
a good wipe down with the silicone
cloth before re-fitting the stock. A
clean dry gun will work better and
look good longer.
Stocks
The stock is another high-wear area
on your rifle and the type of finish
dictates the maintenance needed.
Less expensive guns that have
varnished stocks are impervious to
water and can be wiped down with
...should be worked into the stock until

your hand gets warm.
the same silicone cloth that was

used for the metalwork. This protects
it and also adds a satin sheen to the
gun. If you have an oiled walnut
stock you need to buy some walnut
oil to apply which is best done when
the stock is clean and dry. Take a
small drop of the oil in the palm of
one hand and rub it into the stock
vigorously in circles and keep going
until you feel your hand becoming
warm. This technique spreads the oil
evenly and the heat helps the
bonding process. The great
advantage of oiled stocks is that any
small scratches tend to be filled and
disguised by successive layers. The

secret is to apply a small amount
and to allow it to dry fully after the
application before you touch it again.
Over time, it forms a weather
resistant, durable and handsome
finish that brings out the best of the
figuring and grain.
The lubricants needed on a regular
basis are some light oil and proper
load-bearing grease, not silicone
grease. The latter is used as a
protector and must never be used in
high load areas, as damage will be
caused. As with the stock oil, only a
small amount of lubricant is needed
and care needs to be taken to apply
the right lube to each specific area.
For example, pivot pins carry high
loads and the best way to care for
them is to remove them completely
and coat them lightly with a high
quality grease containing molydinium
disulphide, which is a job normally
done during annual servicing. This is
a very durable lubricant and will
usually last the whole year but if you
sense extra friction developing in the
movement, a few drops of light oil
can be applied to ease it. This also
helps to keep rain water out. This
technique can be applied to the
main pivot of break-barrel rifles, and
the pivot points of side and underlever models.
Barrel Cleaning
Dry any water on the underside of the action
with a soft cloth to prevent rust.
WorldMags
The inside of your guns barrel needs

infrequent cleaning, especially if you
choose to lubricate your pellets. With
a spring/piston rifle, its important to
Lubrication is important to the

performance and longevity of your
airgun, but please dont fall into the
trap of thinking that if a little bit is
good, then loads must be better. Only
a drop or two is usually needed and
excessive lubrication often causes
problems. For example, applying
grease to a new mainspring makes
the gun smooth and helps to reduce
vibration, but spooning lots of it
through the cocking slot will make it
inconsistent and can cause dieseling.
This is when lubricant gets in front of
the piston seal and can burn under
compression which is then often seen
as blue smoke coming from the
barrel or transfer port after firing.
This causes big changes in velocity
and firing cycle, ruining accuracy. For
this same reason never pour oil
through the transfer port. Dieseling
is very violent and in the worst
possible case, the piston seal can be
burned and the mainspring can be
broken as the piston is driven
backward suddenly
The trigger mechanism seldom
needs re-lubrication between
services, but if it does, only a tiny
amount of very light oil is needed
and any excess should be wiped off.
Never be tempted to drown the
mechanism with oil or grease as this
could attract dust and grit, ruining
the smooth pull we all want. This
also applies to metal safety buttons
such as those seen on Weihrauch
and Air Arms spring guns.
choose a dedicated pellet lube or

wax based type. If you use mineral
oil, you could very well end up with
the dieseling problem described
above. Also regularly lubing your
pellets ensures that the inside of the
bore wont rust and the oil can
reduce the accumulation of lead in
the rifling.
PURCHASE
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AIRGUN WORLD
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SMloAokLinLg to sell your guthna?t
For only 4 your advert will appear in the next issue of Airgun World
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Post your ad to, Airgun World Bullseyes, 3 The Courtyard, Denmark Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 2AZ
or email bullseyes@airgunworld.com FAX to 0118 9772 903 Please include your name, address, telephone number and a
maximum of 40 words and we will contact you for payment if necessary. Please make cheques or POs payable to Airgun World. Get
your information to us by the end of April for the chance to be in our June issue. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee which issue your
ad will appear in. Please note that we cannot take your advert over the phone. For further information call 0118 9897 233
FEINWERKBAU 127 .22 vgc. Original sights,
bluing excellent, stock has a small repair to
right fore end where grain lifted. The top break
barrel sporter of all time. 220 posted.
Tel 01689 852862. (Kent)
AIR ARMS .22 S410 CLASSIC bipod legs.
Hawke pro scope 3-9 x50 +slip 350. 3 Ltr
200 bar bottle gauge/fittings 60. Email:
robriches@btinternet.com. Tel 07944 299160
(North East)
BSA SUPER TEN + 3X MAGS. Tasco Varmint
scope 6-24x42 300. Plus slip 6ltr 300 bar
bottle 80. Email: robriches@btinternet.com.
Tel 07944 299160 (North East)
WEBLEY VULCAN .22 vgc sling swivels open
sights, gunslip, pellets, gas strut fitted superb
for hunting 140 ovno. Collection only. Tel Jim
07954 601222 (Beds)
RIPLEY XL9 .22 (FAC) 30FT.LBS. In good
condition, complete with a bushnell
buckmaster scope. This rifle is deadly accurate
& is high on the list for collectors. Face to
face sale, no time wasters please, could
arrange to meet buyer half way. 850 ono. Tel:
07763 089512 (Somerset)
BERETTA 92FS MATCH NICKEL/WOOD 160,
WALTHER CP99 Nickel/Black 100, Walther
CP88 Nickel/Black/Silencer (slight marks on
trigger guard from laser) 85. No Offers. Tel
David 07792 970245 (Preston,Lancs)
WANTED: .177 AND OR .22 (if compatible) Complete
barrel for Weihrauch HW95. Must be mint or very
good condition. Tel 07773 127603 (Fife)
DAYSTATE MK4IS .22, silencer, sling, quality
slip fitted with Hawke SW6-24 Mil-dot
sidewinder scope in pristine cond. Incl 3ltr air
canister and valve plus other extras. Cost in
excess 1600, for sale 900 no offers. Tel
07735 087031 (E. Yorks)
AIR ARMS TX200, L/H walnut stock, Optima 3-9
x 45 scope and bag excellent, 180. also Sharp
Innova, Whitetail Classic scope, fair 60 also
Webley MK 3 good. 90. All .22 Will take 300
for all three Tel.01484 715292 (West Yorks)
RIFLES: - EARLY BSA AIRSPORTER .22
Immaculate, Webley MK3 .177, Webley
Supertarget .177. Pistols:- Webley Senior
.177, Webley Senior .177 with .22 Barrel BSA
Scorpion .22, BSF .177 (unused), Original
MOD.6 Target .177, Crosman Pump .177.
Many tins of pellets. 450 the lot. Tel Mr

Warren . 0208 440 4942 (Herts)
AIRSPORTER .22 air rifle with scope, circa
1965 150. Webley Tempest.22 air pistol
100. Walther CP88 CO2 pistol + 4
magazines, laser sights cased 120. Hawk
Niteye telescopic sight A0 4-16x50 IR and
mounts 120. Tel 01267 275766 (Wales)
WANTED AIR ARMS PRO-ELITE. Tel 01843
603533 (Broadstairs, Kent)
AIR ARMS TX200 MK3 .22 Hawke pred 3-9x50
scope sling gunslip thumbhole & standard
stock spotless 350. Tel Glenn 07973
792639 (Romford, Essex)
AIR ARMS S410K .22 2 mags AA silencer Hawke
3-9x50 scope sling gunslip spotless 495. Tel
Glenn 07973 792639 (Romford, Essex)
GUNPOWER STEALTH 2000 .22 Bushnell
Banner 4-14x40 scope bipod Stealth
gunbag/mat very rare spotless 450. Tel Glenn
07973 792639 (Romford, Essex)
CARREER 707K MK2 .22 2 mags silencer Hawke
3-9x50 scope 2 gunbags spotless 495. Tel
BENJAMIN SHERIDAN EB22 .22 pistol boxed
with holster as new 80. Tel Glenn 07973
792639 (Romford, Essex)
SMITH & WESSON 586 6in .177, 7 mags.
silencer, pellets in case as new 130. Tel
FEINWERKBAU 300S target rifle complete with
custom made case 275. Tel 01933 665201,
or 01536 416616(office hours)(Northants)
RWS RL20 .22 Walnut stock, Nikko Stirling
scope 3-9x50 laserlight Parker Hale moderator
2 mags, all in original boxes. Only used twice
fired 60 shots. Tel 01295 251240 / 07894
760064 (Banbury)
FOUR FAC RIFLES, GOOD WORKING ORDER 1) 20 cal
Rapid air rifle 350, 2) 25 cal Rapid air rifle 12
shot 400, 3) .22 cal Rapid air rifle 350, 4) .22
cal Air Arms large cylinder 300 full regulated.
Retiring. Tel 01656 738252. (Mid Glam)
.22 CROSSMAN C02 (88GS) rifle, scope,
bipod, tin pellets, spare 88G bottle. 140. Tel
01494 459306. (High Wycombe)
.22 MOD 60 EDGAR BROS with scope and case
almost new and unused 120 ono. Tel 01790
752707 (Lincs)
HW80K .22 SILENCER MODEL 4-12x50 mil-dot

scope Dampa mount Cobra sling gun bag, Ox
tuned to 12ft.lbs. plus 65 worth new spares
genuine A1 condition throughout 300. Tel
07508 668776 (N.E.Northumberland)
WANTED. WALTHER CPM-1 TARGET PISTOL .177.
In good condition. Tel 01353 860922 (Cambs)
RIPLEY HOGAN ELITE .22 Sporter rifle, unwanted
prize also excellent BSA Super Ten .22 and
Weihrauch HW100 .22. Lovely condition, but
needs very slight attention. Sensible offers or
swap for .177 air rifle of similar quality, Tel Tony
0155 984 4761 (Nottingham)
HW95 .22. Tuned, new custom Walnut
ambidextrous stock, sling swivels, Simmons 39x40 pro point scope. Sportsmatch mounts
330 ono. Collectors Original 50E.22,(1960?)
pre scope rail, fixed rear sight, tunnel foresight.
pressed checkering on pistol grip, orange recoil
pad. RH stock. shoots well. 120 ono. Tel
01978 840343, 07742577753. (N. Wales)
AIR ARMS S310 .177 air rifle, left hand stock
in excellent condition. Recently serviced by Air
Arms Service Department. Complete with
Tasco Customshop 8-40x56mm Target
Riflescope. Portable air cylinder with gauge
and connections in carrying sling 400. Can
be seen and tested in Maidenhead. email
derekhaylesmilitarybooks@msn.com Tel 01628
639535 (Berkshire)
BSA AIRSPORTER MK1. 1956/58 GB serial no.
nice condition good working order. M42
Junction 10. 180. Tel 07754 253264
(Staffordshire)
LOGAN AXSOR 2.2 . 2 times 8 shot magazine,
9 times magnification. Weihrauch silencer,
Logun pump. Complete with bag and strap.
Good condition 375 ono. Tel 07952 707122
(W. Midlands)
THEOBEN RAPID 7 MK1 .22 AIR RIFLE. Original
mint condition as new. Hawke Nite-eye 3-9x50.
Crosman laser. Gun slip,12 shot magazine.
Bought brand new. Not used since 2004.
Original documents. 700 Tel. 07565 349999
for info/photo. Collect only (Nottingham)
WEIHRAUCH HW40 .177 PISTOL in box hardly
used 4 months old as brand new 105. Tel
0114 2280806/07783530637 (Sheffield)
DAYSTATE AIRWOLF 7.77 cal c/w 1-10 shot
mag. 1 single shot tray, air charging adaptor,
r
Are you
looking fo
collector of dedicated
a
u
o
y
Are
nds
? Thousa
World
rare gem sts read Airgun
ia
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u
th
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no fu he
gun e
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o
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and sell!
battery charger. Set of keys, bottle cover.

silencer adaptor, manual CD instructions. All
in excellent condition 675. Collect or post
extra. Tel 01749 823075 (Somerset)
BSA ULTRA TACTICAL MULTISHOT .22 air rifle
(rrp 467) as new with Hawke Eclipse IR scope,
Brocock pump(100) and gun bag, all in for
400 ono. Tel Owen 01702 291232 /
07909844993 (Essex)
REPLICAS COLT 45 ARMY COLT, NAVY COLT.
WINCHESTER RIFLE, HOLSTER AND BELT.
Ladies cowgirl boots size 7 250. Tel 01638
751936 (Suffolk).
WEIHRAUCH HW100T. Very quiet, powerful and
accurate little used in excellent condition, fitted
with Hawke scope 4-16x50 Nite Eye mill dot
illuminated, plus FX foot pump, plus hard case.
700. Tel 01984 640184 (Somerset)
WEBLEY SERVICE MK2 .22 vgc 650. Haenel
pre-war rifle .177 100 ono. Webley Mk 1
pistol .177 vgc 175. Record jumbo deluxe
boxed 45. Email najhb@hotmail.co.uk
(Newport Pagnell)
AIR ARMS 410 .22 walnut stock with AA
moderator brass trigger guard and bolt, soft
case in mint condition 1 year old on the
25/02/11 575 ono. Brand new AA TX585
Moderator in box never used 30. Tel 0208
6515652 (Surrey)
BSA AIRSPORTER MI .22 cal, 1954
manufacture August 150. Buyer collects
must be over 18 years . Walther LP53 .177
cal, with spare sights etc. Boxed 175. Buyer
collects must be over 18 years. Tel 01740
655136 (Co. Durham)
FALCON FN8 .22 PISTOL. With falcon
silencer/quick-fill adapter, Harris tilt bipo.
Marchwood red dot sight, six magazines with
custom made leather magazine case and
custom made pistol case. As new condition,
recently serviced 250 ono. Tel Leon 07791
095527 (Cornwall)
DAYSTATE SABLE 12 FT.LBS .22 cal limited
edition No 28. Outstanding walnut thumbhole
stock. Hardly used, absolutely immaculate
750. Tel 01492 533213 (North Wales)
THEOBEN SLR .88 UNDERLEVER .22 cal Air/Ram
walnut stock with Hawke scope and C/bag. No
F.A.C needed full power. Rifle in vgc 580 or
near offer. Tel 01945 440028 (S. Lincs)
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HARDMAN ON HUNTING
MAKING LIGHT WORK

Phil Hardman finds himself right back in the lamping groove
havent done a great deal of
lamping this winter, compared to
most years at least. The reasons are
two-fold; first, I had somehow
managed to snap the wires on my
lamp and hadnt got round to
repairing them, despite constantly
telling myself, Id do it tomorrow
and second, Ive been fortunate
enough to enjoy some reasonably
good daytime sport this year. That all
changed when, at the British shooting
Show, I happened to wander past the
Cluson Engineering stand. I could see
96
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
one of the staff demonstrating a small with it. Despite its small size and
mere 265g weight, Cluson claim a
torch to the punters and I couldnt
200-metre beam which would be
quite believe how bright it
way more than Id really need,
looked, even in daylight.
but as I opened the box
That piqued my
and looked at the tiny
interest no-end so
LED I must admit I was
after quick chat
t
h
t nig
and a good look
hooting ara practice sceptical. Im used to
S
conventional lamps,
at the full range,
ext
requiresge estimation, where bigger is often
I came away with
in ran l training and better, and I really
a Clulite
couldnt see how this
Masterlite
positionaeral safety
Supreme gunlight,
little torch would give
gen
s
s anywhere near the
plus the filter kit to go
awarene
G
TRAININ
performance that was being claimed.

Mounting it up to the MTC Mamba
Lite scope I had fitted to the Daystate
Wingmaster couldnt have been
easier, thanks to the ingenious scope
mounting system that comes with the
lamp. A few simple turns of the fixing
thumb screw sees it secured with very
little fuss and it comes with a small
adaptor so itll go on both 25mm or
30mm tubed scopes without the
need for a different mount. Lining it
up with your scopes reticle is just as
simple and once done its very solid
HARDMAN ON HUNTING
The Clulite Masterlite Supreme

outfit got me right back into lamping.
and would take a fair old whack to

move it. The filter kit comes with
three colours, red, amber and yellow.
I opted for amber simply because I
hadnt tried that particular colour
before, but there was something in
the back of my mind that told me the
orange light would blend nicely with
the glow of the street lights that
border my permission and any rabbits
seeing the lamp would already be
used to seeing that colour light.
I waited until as late as possible
before I set off for the farm; when
Im lamping I prefer to do it in the
early hours of the morning as
opposed to just after dark. This gives
the rabbits a chance to get out and
start feeding and the longer they are
out, the further they tend to venture.
Hopefully, by the time I arrive they
are out in the middle of the fields
and all I have to do is stalk silently
SAFETY
Before g
do a tou oing lamping,
ro
in daylig f the ground
ht,
along,
potentia noting all
positioning
l hazard
myself between
p
oints
them and their
warrens, to block
their escape routes, and with
nowhere left to run, they often just
dont bother, flattening themselves
down instead, in the hope that I
havent seen them.
It was just after 3am by the time I
reached the farmyard. I stopped to
double-check the zero on the
Wingmaster using some 25mm
ZeroNite reflective targets that I
ordered from www.gr8fun.net.
Basically, they are basically small
stickers that can be placed anywhere
and being reflective, they stand out
a mile under lamplight, ensuring you
can see exactly where youre hitting.
With that done, I crossed the yard
and quietly opened the gate that led
As the rucksack fills, I realise

what Ive been missing during
my break from lamping.
to the first paddock. This field

doesnt usually have any great
numbers of rabbits in it, but it
always has at least one so it
generally makes for a reliable
starting place. I reached forward with
my leading hand and thumbed the
remote switch to activate the lamp.
more and steathily closed the final

30 yards until I was nicely within
range of its last position. I got into
the kneeling position for the shot
and hit the switch on the lamp. The
rabbit was still there, with its back to
me, and at no more than 20 yards it
was a bit of an easy shot but I was
CLUSON CLAIM A 200 METRE

BEAM,WHICH IS WAY MORE
THAN ID NEED
That tiny spot of light to my right is a

rabbits eyes. At 25 yards, with me
resting on the fence, it was a formality.
WorldMags
An orange beam of light pierced the

darkness as I began scanning from
the hedge outwards and into the
middle of the field. Immediately, I
picked up the twinkle of a set of
eyes at the far side. It was a bunny
all right, so I turned the lamp off
and slowly made my way straight
towards it. Upon reaching the halfway mark I paused and flicked the
lamp on again. It was still there,
head down and feeding, with not the
slightest hint of it being bothered by
the light. I clicked the lamp off once
still relieved to have my first of the

night tucked away safely in my
backpack. With the pressure off
slightly, I continued in search of
bunny number two.
Despite a week of sunny weather,
my shoot was still very wet in places
so I had to be careful to dodge the
odd swampy area as I went, especially
in areas where the livestock liked to
congregate. With this in my mind, I
decided to stay clear of the gates and
instead climb over the fences at less
used parts of the fields.
AIRGUN WORLD
97
HARDMAN ON HUNTING
the lamp, not perfect conditions by

any means and I didnt feel as
hidden from view as Id have liked
but it made the trek across rough
terrain and areas of thick cover a
little easier. I made my way through a
gap in the gorse bushes and headed
toward a small patch of oak trees in
the far corner of the field. I could see
a pair of eyes in the distance which
held my attention for some time until
I worked out that they belonged to an
owl that was sitting on a low fence
post. Cutting through the patch of
trees, I headed through a small gate
and hit the lamp. The beam
immediately illuminated a couple of
rabbits feeding out in the field, some
45 yards away. Neither really reacted
so I decided to close the distance a
little more before I went for the shot,
and what a mistake that turned out
to be. No sooner had I taken my next
step than I found myself ankle deep
in mud, and sinking fast. My Jack
Pyke boots may well be waterproof
but when the mud simply comes
over the top, that counts for very
little and to make matters worse I
was well and truly stuck! Its funny
what you think about in these
moments, I thought about the
Wingmaster and how well its
butt would do as a shovel if I
needed to dig myself out.
Luckily, it didnt come to that
and after a bit of a struggle I
managed to free myself.
Kneeling shots improve stability,

control, and of course, accuracy.
I clambered over into the second

paddock as silently as I could, being
very careful not to get snagged on the
barbed wire as I went. The warren in
this field sits on high ground at the
northern edge while the centre of the
field dips away in a sort of bowl
shape before rising again at the far
side. The centre is flooded for most
of the year and this usually blocks
the escape of any rabbits that might
try to head that way, although over
the years Ive witnessed the odd one
make its getaway by simply
swimming across.
I paused as soon as I entered the
field and made a sweep with the
lamp. Instantly, I caught sight of two
sets of glowing eyes in the beam at
about 70 yards. Id managed to catch
two rabbits unawares but they both
reacted to the light and began to run
toward me. It was obvious the first of
the pair had no intention of stopping
so I concentrated all of my efforts on
98
AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
the second, which was moving at a

much more leisurely pace. I opened
the filter on the Masterlite and
positioned the super- bright white
beam ahead of the rabbit, meaning it
would have to run through the light
in order to reach safety, something
which rabbits arent usually keen to
do. This one was no different and it
paused just long enough for me to
get a shot off, which was a nice 20yard stander that found its mark
perfectly and flipped the rabbit a
good foot into the air before it
slumped lifelessly in the damp grass.
With a smile on my face I made the
retrieve and continued along the
fence line, making a point to doublecheck the bordering field as I went,
just in case they were all out on the
other side.
It was a moonless night but the
clouds had begun to roll in, which
meant the sky was pretty light and I
could navigate without the need for
Wrong! Prop the unloaded and uncocked rifle safely against the
fence, climb over, stepping only on the rails not the wire, then
reach over and collect the rifle.
HARDMAN ON HUNTING
Its always satisfying to get

the first one in the bag.
My legs and trousers were cold,

filthy and wet but at least my feet
had remained dry, a small mercy I
know.
Unremarkable success
I continued on my way, although now
at a slightly slower and more
thoughtful pace than before, and
headed to higher ground in an effort
to avoid a similar fate. I managed to
bag another couple of bunnies as I
went. Both were pretty unremarkable
kills, just a walk up and shoot sort
of deal but things were looking up at
least. On reaching the top end of the
NO WAS
TE
Always
and squeezing off

ma
shot rab ke use of your
another shot. The
b
fantastic its. They make
crack of the pellet
e
making contact
be much ating and will
appr
seemed to echo far
by your lo eciated
and wide and sent
pensione cal
most of the others
rs!
running for cover. Again,
a few paused as if they hadnt
a clue why the others were
scampering, so I educated them with
another couple of well-placed shots
to bring the total so far to six in the
bag. Over the next couple of hours I
worked another four or five fields,
having some success but also
I WAS GREETED BY A DOZEN

OR SO RABBITS SITTING OUT IN
THE ROUGH
shoot, I was greeted by a dozen or so
rabbits sitting out in the rough,
wasteland-type area around the
hawthorn bushes that grew out in
the middle of the paddock. I
knocked the lamp off and moved
closer, being extra careful not to
make any noise. Once again, none of
the rabbits really reacted to that
lamp, a couple sat up and one made
its way closer to the hedge but I had
the choice of any number of targets
that seemed oblivious to my
approach. I closed to within 25
yards of the closest pair and decided
it was time for the shot. Dropping
slowly to my knees, I had already
decided on which one I was going
for, so it was a simple case of getting
the shot right, which I did. The other
bolted for a few yards before
pausing. Gingerly, I worked the bolt
on the Wingmaster and slid it home
as quietly as I could before lining up
the Mamba Lite on the rabbits head
WorldMags
missing a couple due to bad range

estimation on my part. At least they
were clean misses, though. By now it
was getting light but with rabbits still
out in the fields, I decided to press
on and see how many more I could
manage before they all went back to
their warrens.
My next chance came at the edge
of a small wood. Two rabbits were
hopping in and out of the tree line
which made the first part of the stalk
relatively easy, I simply waited until
they were in the trees and couldnt
see me before I moved closer. This
of course, had the disadvantage that
once I got within firing range I
couldnt see exactly where the
rabbits were until they came out
again, and there was the risk that I
had either moved too close, or not
close enough. I neednt have worried
though, because about 30 seconds
after Id reached what I thought was
the perfect firing point, both hopped
out from under the hawthorn and

into the field about 25 yards in front
of me. The lead bunny froze as if it
had seen me, but I was already up
on aim and squeezing the trigger so
it made no difference to the
outcome; the bunny simply rolled
over and expired, while his mate ran
off, sharpish.
even notice its on the rifle.

On my way back through the yard, I
bumped into the farmer who came
rushing out to ask me to take care of
the rats that were plaguing the
feeders in the yard on an evening, so
it looks like the Cluson and I are in
for a busy few weeks!
Until next time, take care and
happy hunting.
Backpack packed!
The sun was now up and that meant
I had a chance to warm up after a
pretty cold night. The rabbits, too,
were taking advantage of this and
could be seen basking in the first of
the suns warming rays. I managed to
pick off another few on my way back
to the farmyard, bringing the total
haul for the night to a backpackstretching 16. It had been a great
night and the Cluson Masterlite had
really impressed me. It throws a beam
out to well over 100 yards, even with
a filter, yet it is so small you barely
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INDEPENDANCE
ROYAL
T12
PRESTIGE AIRGUNS
BLACKCAT
KUB S/L
KUB R/B
KUB S/B
117-119 BRIDGEND ROAD, ABERKENFIG, NR. BRIDGEND

CF32 9AP 3mins Junct 36 M4 (McArthur Glen)
POA
POA
POA
POA
849
849
999
849
479
WE STOCK A LARGE
SELECTION OF
PELLETS, CAMO
CLOTHING,
ACCESSORIES,
BOTTLE REFILLING
AND GUN REPAIRS
CLASSIC AIR WEAPONS
NEW & USED PISTOLS
BSA Superstar .22 with 4x40 period scope and silencer. VGC ....................279
Webley Tracker .22 with 4x40 Whitetail Classic scope. VGC .......................269
Gem Junior Pattern .177. GC .........................................................................89
Baikal Model LJ22 .177. GC............................................................................69
Webley Vulcan .22. GC ..................................................................................149
BSA Mercury .22. GC.......................................................................................79
RWS 45 .22. GC..............................................................................................198
Weihrauch HW77 .22. GC..............................................................................279
BSA Airsporter .22. GC .................................................................................198
BSA Model D .177 approx 1908/09. GC........................................................285
Webley Junior .177 ..........................................................................................49
Diana Model 22 .177........................................................................................49
Diana Model 79 .22..........................................................................................69
Cadet Delta .177 ..............................................................................................69
ASI Sniper .22...................................................................................................49
BSA Airsporter S .22 with original box. VGC ................................................349
Diana Model 48 (Firebird) .22. VGC..............................................................289
Theoben E-type Multi-shot .22 (rare), 3-9x50 scope. VGC..........................498
Webley Osprey .22 with original open sights.................................................199
Webley Tracker .22 with period scope. VGC.................................................198
NEW Dan Wesson 6 or 8 Revolver .........................................................108

NEW Cometa Indian .177............................................................................142
NEW Umarex Walther CP88 Black .177 .....................................................142
NEW Umarex Walther CP88 Nickel .177 ....................................................172
NEW Umarex Walther CP99 .177 ...............................................................154
NEW Weihrauch HW45 .177 .22..................................................................POA
NEW Weihrauch HW45 Silver Star .177 .22................................................270
NEW Weihrauch HW75 .177 .22 .................................................................274
NEW Beretta 9000S .177.............................................................................125
NEW Heckler & Koch BB .177....................................................................109
NEW Beretta 92FS Black .177.....................................................................151
NEW Beretta 92FS Nickel .177....................................................................173
NEW Makarov CO2 .177 ...............................................................................98
NEW Crosman 2240 Ratbuster .22 .........................................................69.99
NEW Crosman 1377 pump-up .177 ........................................................77.90
NEW Webley Typhoon semi-recoilless .177 .22.......................................49.99
NEW Webley Electo .177 ............................................................................186
NEW Crosman Benjamin EB22 CO2 .22....................................................112
NEW Smith & Wesson 4 Black .177 ..........................................................172
NEW Smith & Wesson 6 Black .177 ..........................................................176
NEW Smith & Wesson 6 Nickel .177 .........................................................199
NEW Walther PPK/S Black CO2 BBs .177 ...................................................94
NEW Walther PPK/S Nickel CO2 BBs .177 ................................................107
NEW Brocock Atomic .177 pre-charged ....................................................284
NEW Colt Government Black .177 .............................................................151
NEW Colt Government Black/Nickel .177 ..................................................199
USED Weihrauch HW45 .177. VGC ............................................................150
USED Gamo Compact .177. GC.................................................................135
USED Benjamin EB22 .22 in box. VGC ........................................................98
USED Benjamin EB22 .22 in box. GC ..........................................................89
USED Walther CP88 .177. VGC ....................................................................79
USED Smith & Wesson .177 with 4 6 & 8 barrels, nickel finish in box. VGC......249
CLASSIC PISTOLS
BSA Magnum 240 .177 with box. GC............................................................189

BSA Magnum 240 .22 with box. GC..............................................................189
Gamo Mk II Compact .177. GC ......................................................................98
Slavia .177 ........................................................................................................69
Gat .177 ............................................................................................................39
BSA Magnum .177. GC..................................................................................179
Webley Junior .177 ..........................................................................................89
Original Model 6 .177 target pistol. GC.........................................................225
Webley Premier .22. GC ................................................................................159
Webley Hurricane .177. GC...........................................................................115
Webley Tempest .177.......................................................................................69
Webley Junior Mk II .177 with box. GC ........................................................129
Predom .177 with box. GC.............................................................................155
Webley Junior Series I .177 ............................................................................98
Crosman 1300 Medalist .22 pump-up with box. VGC....................................95
BENJAMIN TRAIL
.22 Nitro-Piston thumbhole walnut stock with 3-9x40 P/A scope,
full length silencer and sling.
POWERFUL AS THE LAW ALLOWS 269.00
USED AIR RIFLES

Axsor Gemini .22 with 4x40 scope. GC ...............................................................239
Webley 2-shot Raider .22 (Birmham) with 4x32 scope, sling and bipod. VGC..299
Air Arms S410 .22 with 3-9x40 scope..................................................................479
Webley Stingray .22. GC ......................................................................................139
Theoben Evolution .177, gas ram with Hawke 3-9x50 scope. As new...............299
Logun S16 Mk II .22 with 3-9x40 scope. GC .......................................................425
Air Arms S410 .22 with 3-9x40 scope. GC ..........................................................299
Webley Xocet .22 (Birmingham made) with 4x32 scope. GC ..............................139
BSA Scorpion .177 (single shot) with 4x40 scope. GC........................................299
BSA Lightning .22 with 4x40 scope .....................................................................149
BSA Superten .22 with Hawke 3-9x40 scope. GC...............................................299
Alros Trailsman .177 takedown rifle with 3-9x40 scope. VGC ............................479
Air Arms S400 .177, L/H walnut stock with 4-12x40 scope and silencer. VGC ..425
Diana model 280 .177 with box, as new ..............................................................198
Gamo Socam .22 ....................................................................................................89
Bam .22 (copy of HW80) with 4x40 scope............................................................125
SMK B40 .22 with 4x40 scope (copy of TX200) ...................................................199
Theoben E-type multi-shot .22 (rare) with 3-9x50 scope. VGC..........................498
Theoben Rapid MK1 .22 with 12 shot mag, 3-9x50 White Tail classic scope, sling
and vortex silencer VGC ........................................................................................675
Theoben Rapid MK1 .22 with gauge and 12 shot mag, with custom made sporter
stock (similar to MK2 ) with 3-9x50 Nikko Sterling scope and vortex silencer.....695
PELLETS at SPECIAL PRICES
POSTAGE
CUSTOMERS ARE WELCOME TO ASK FOR ADVICE FOR THE BEST PELLET FOR THEIR GUN WHEN ORDERING
from 11.99
PELLETS AND QUANTITY DISCOUNTS ON OUR VAST RANGE OF PELLETS NOT ADVERTISED
.22 PELLETS
.177 PELLETS (Continued)
Exact .22 15.9 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 88.13
Crosman Accupell .177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 63.00
Air Arms Field Domed 5.51/5.52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 88.13
Crosman Matchpell .177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 70.37
Air Arms .22 18 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 56.27
H&N Field Target Trophy .177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 62.38
Crosman Accupell .22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 73.52
Wasp .177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 29.02
RWS Superdome .22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 61.10
DEFIANT PELLETS (trial pack) 3 different head sizes
H&N Field Target Trophy .22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 77.49
.177 7.5 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.35 (600) + p&p
Daystate .22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 55.40
.22 14 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.35 (450) + p&p
Bisley Magnum .22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 34.85
DEFIANT FAC PELLETS
Wasp .22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 47.26
.177 15 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16.45 (600) + p&p
.20 PELLETS - now back in stock
.22 18 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16.45 (500) + p&p
Exact .20 13.73 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 88.13
Defiant Pellets are extremely accurate, have a flatter trajectory than
Daystate .20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 61.48
a conventional waisted lead pellets, are lubricated and have been
.177 PELLETS
outstanding when tested see May edition of Airgun World
Air Arms Field Domed 4.51/4.52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 68.32
DAYSTATE RANGEMASTER PELLETS Very High Quality
Bisley Magnum .177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 69.94
.177 Trial Pack 4.50 & 4.53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18.45
Exact .177 8.4 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 68.32
.22 15 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18.45
Exact .177 Heavy 10.6 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 74.31
.177 4.50 .177 4.53 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18.45
Daystate .177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 70.63
.F.A.C. .22 28 grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16.45
Daystate Heavy .177 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 tins 82.26
FURTHER REDUCED PRICES ON 50 TINS OR MORE
TEL:
www.keenstackleandguns.co.uk
SOUTH WALES LARGEST GUNSHOP
SPECIAL OFFER
NEW AIR RIFLES
GUN ONLY PRICES (a massive saving)
Air Arms S510 Beech .177 .22.........................................................593.00
Air Arms S510 Walnut .177 .22........................................................657.00
Air Arms S510 Walnut L/H .177 .22 .................................................671.00
Air Arms S410 .177 .22.....................................................................537.00
Air Arms S410 L/H walnut .177 .22 ..................................................622.00
Air Arms S400 .177 .22.....................................................................386.00
Air Arms S200 Mk 3 .177 .22 ...........................................................343.00
Air Arms TX200 (beech) .177 .22......................................................343.00
Air Arms TX200 Walnut .177 .22 ......................................................401.00
Air Arms S400 Superlite .177 .22 .........................................................414
Air Arms S410 Superlite .177 .22 ....................................................565.00
Air Arms S510 Superlite .177 .22 ....................................................623.00
BSA Lightning .177 .22.....................................................................215.25
BSA Lightning XL ............................................................................256.25
BSA Lightning Tactical .177 .22 ......................................................247.00
BSA Ultra Multi-shot .177 .22..........................................................378.99
BSA Ultra Single Shot......................................................................285.99
BSA Scorpion T10 Multi-shot .177 .22 ...........................................443.89
BSA Scorpion Beech stock .177 .22...............................................475.60
BSA Scorpion Single Shot .177 .22.................................................340.30
BSA R10 .177 .22 ..............................................................................578.39
Brocock Concept Beech .177 .22....................................................337.00
Daystate Huntsman .177 .22 ...........................................................685.75
Weihrauch HW100 .177 .22..............................................................755.45
Weihrauch HW97K ...........................................................................364.90
Weihrauch HW90 ..............................................................................424.35
Weihrauch HW90K with silencer ......................................................418.20
Weihrauch HW80K or Rifle with silencer.........................................359.75
Weihrauch HW80K or Rifle without silencer....................................321.85
Webley Raider 2-shot .177 .22 ........................................................214.25
Webley Raider 10-shot .22 ..............................................................296.25
Webley Stingray MkII .177 .22 .........................................................183.45
Webley Stingray XS .22....................................................................193.75
Webley Longbow SE .22 .177 ..........................................................296.65
Webley Venom Cobra .177 .22 ........................................................541.20
Theoben Rapid Mk II .177 .20 .22 including Combo.......................897.00
Theoben Rapid Mk I .177 .22 including Combo..............................744.00
Theoben MFR .177 .22 including Combo ........................................897.00
Theoben SLR98 .177 .22 including Combo .....................................708.00
Theoben Evolution Beech including Combo ...................................419.00
Theoben Evolution Walnut including Combo ..................................481.00
COMBOS AVAILABLE ON NEW RIFLES 49 EXTRA

Combos consist of 3-9x40 Hawke or Nikko Stirling Scope
(upgrades available), Quality Mounts, Gun Bag & Pellets
UPGRADE SPECIAL OFFER
Nikko Sterling 3-9x50 Mil-Dot P/A scope .. Combo price
59.99
F.A.C. RIFLES
NEW Daystate Air Ranger .22, 40 ft.lb. .....................................................1090

NEW Daystate Midas .22, 25 ft.lb. with 3-9x50 scope ................................799
NEW Theoben Rapid 12 Mk II .25, 50 ft.lb. .................................................943
NEW Air Arms S410 .22 high power adj from 6-32 ft.lb. (new side lever loading)
multi-shot ........................................................................................................621
NEW Theoben Eliminator .22.......................................................................683

NEW Webley Tomahawk (Birmingham) walnut stock .22, 18/20 ft.lb. .......398
USED Theoben Rapid 12 Mk I .25, 65 ft.lb. with quick fill adaptor and power
adjuster............................................................................................................699
USED Air Arms S410 .177, extra high power ...............................................425
USED Theoben Eliminator .22 with 3-9x40 scope and silencer .................399
USED Theoben Eliminator .25 25 ft.lb. with 3-9x50 Hawke scope. VGC
.22 25 ft.lb. ......................................................................................................299
USED Theoben Rapid Mk I .22 with 4-12x40 scope. GC............................559
USED Webley Patriot .22. GC ......................................................................195
USED Theoben Rapid 12 Mk II .20, 28 ft.lb. walnut t/hole stock. VGC ......789
USED Daystate X2 .22 with Hawke 6x42 scope, sling, 3ltr 300bar bottle,
recently tested. VGC .......................................................................................475
NEW BSA ND3 LASER converts scope into night vision SPECIAL OFFER 279
NEW BSA ND5 LONG DISTANCE NIGHT VISION TORCH SPECIAL OFFER 269
PULSAR DIGISIGHT NIGHT VISION KIT with Illuminator 1099.00
Oh Yes!
a huge choice and good old

fashioned service can still be found at
WOODYS OF WEMBLEY
565 HIGH ROAD, WEMBLEY, MIDDX HA0 2DW TEL: 0208 902 7217
Lamping equipment
Nightvision
Deerhunter clothing
Pumps, Filling Kits
Chronos, Sound Mods
Security cabinets
Double gun covers +
Soft and Hard cases
Rangefinders
Lasers, Red Dot
and lots more
Comprehensive
range of accessories.
Repairs and spares
available.
GUNS include:
Air Arms, Brocock,
BSA, Crosman, Gamo
Daystate, Falcon
Phoenix Fast Fire 10
Theoben, SMK
Umarex, Weihrauch
SCOPES include:
Hawke, MTC
BSA, Nikko
OPENING TIMES: Tuesday Friday 9am 6pm
Saturday 9am 5.30pm
Please visit our website to view our comprehensive
stock list, location map and specials page at:
www.woodysofwembley.co.uk
Established 1963
THE BIGGEST BUYER OF PRE-OWNED AIR RIFLES

AND PISTOLS IN THE COUNTRY . . .
. . . ALL TYPES, ALL BORE SIZES, WITH IMMEDIATE PAYMENT GIVEN
We do not sell footballs cricket bats croquet mallets
ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS
ACCEPTED
WE URGENTLY
REQUIRE COMPLETE
HUNTING OUTFITS
PRE-CHARGED,
SPRING & RAM AIR IN
ALL CALIBRES. ALSO
MODERN FIELD
TARGET RIFLES AND
QUALITY CO2 PISTOLS
ANTIQUE &
COLLECTABLE
RIFLES, PISTOLS
AND ACCESSORIES
... ALWAYS OF
INTEREST
WE ARE A PROPER GUNSHOP

ESTABLISHED 55 YEARS.
All leading makes stocked, New and Used.
MAIL ORDER A SPECIALITY

WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR QUALITY AIR WEAPONS TO SATISFY
DEMANDS. IF YOU HAVE THE GOODS WE HAVE THE CASH!
QUESTION WANT TO SELL YOUR AIR WEAPON AT THE BEST

POSSIBLE PRICE, WITH AN IMMEDIATE DECISION?
ANSWER CONTACT ALLSPORTS OF GLOUCESTER
(A PROFESSIONAL AND HELPFUL COMPANY EST. 55 YEARS), JUST A
PHONE CALL AWAY. WE WILL PAY TOP CASH PRICES IMMEDIATELY
FOR YOUR AIR WEAPONS AND ACCESSORIES.
QUESTION WANT TO BUY A FULLY GUARANTEED, PRE-OWNED
AIR WEAPON AT A MASSIVE SAVING FROM NEW FOLLOWING AN
HONEST AND ACCURATE TELEPHONE DESCRIPTION?
ANSWER CONTACT ALLSPORTS OF GLOUCESTER.
REPAIRS:
WE HAVE A FACTORYTRAINED RESIDENT

GUNSMITH AND CAN
OFFER AN IMMEDIATE
REPAIR SERVICE.
PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS
GOT A COLLECTION OF
WEAPONS TO SELL?
CONTACT
ALLSPORTS
FOR A ONE-STOP CASH
DISPOSAL
CANT BRING YOUR
WEAPON IN FOR
VALUATION?
NO PROBLEM.
SEND THEM ON TO US
PARCEL POST FOR OUR
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
Contact us today RON MEADOWS or JOHN DEMPSTER on GLOS (01452) 522756

Visit our website www.allsportsguns.co.uk
ALLSPORTS 126/128 Eastgate St, Gloucester GL1 1QT
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD
101
Super Stroke Pumps

The Super Stroke Pump
series has the best
reputation for quality and
reliability as a precharged
pneumatic fill device.
Available in the classic 4-stage version
which utilizes a manual control stage
switch which reduces the high pressure
effort by adding another stage to the
process and the 3-stage version which
maximises efficiency while minimising
effort for filling.
3-stage Pump
Both versions feature:

Easy-to-read pressure gauge
Dual moisture trap
Replaceable particle filter and
bleed valve
4-stage Pump
The easiest, most

convenient and
affordable way to
charge your
airguns
Available through your local gun shop. Distributed to the trade by ASI
Tel: 01728 688555 Email: info@.a-s-i.co.uk
ULTIMATE SHOOTING HOLIDAYS

NEW FOR SPRING 2011 ON SITE CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING
Situated in sunny southwest France this really is the Ultimate shooting holiday
Full hunter field target course

Plinking range Archery
Air pistols
Clay pigeon shooting
Full tuition included in all above sports
100 discount per person

for Airgun world readers
Only 299 per person

Based on 4 people sharing this superb farmhouse
with 4 double bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Pick up
and drop off included from Limoges or Poitiers
airports. Also included: meals and soft drinks, use
of all equipment, guns, bows, pistols etc
Self catering also available, why not visit www.holidaylettings.co.uk Id no 137686 for
photos and information on the area. Early booking essential call or email for enquiries
Tel: 07801382022 or email: colinburdon@btinternet.com
102 AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
NEW NEW NEW NEW

SKAN PRO1S3
34th Anniversary Model
5 YEAR WARRANTY
MAINS ADAPTOR INCL.
DISPLAYS FT/SEC FT/LBS
PATENT SELF/CHECK
MEMORY & AVERAGES
189 incl p&p

Next day delivery
SKAN chronos have been used by UK Police

& Airgun Makers for the last 25 years
01787 227567 www.skanar.co.uk
SPECIALIST IN PRECISION CUSTOMISED SPORTING AIRWEAPONS & EQUIPMENT (SCOPES, TARGETS ETC)
The
all new
ANSCHUTZ 8002
The ultimate Field Target Rifle from Airmasters
PRECISION REGULATORS
Now available for all the following Rifles: Logun, all types Air Arms,
100 series, Shamal 300/310, 400/410, Daystate, Huntsman MkI & II, Harrier,
Midas, CR94/97, CRX, LR90, Falcon, FN19, FN12.
All models Ripley all models 12ft lbs or F.A.C.
Specialists in All Types Of Pneumatic Mod & Reps
MARCHMONT FARMS WORKSHOPS, LINK ROAD, PICCOTTS END,
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD HERTS HP2 6JH TEL/FAX: 01442 266831
Cylinders
Valves & Hoses
Gauges
Accessories
FREEPHONE: 0800 7834804

Recession Beating Prices & Service
AM Custom Gunsmiths
Let us build the gun of your dreams, just let your
imagination run wild!
AIR FILLS TO 310 BAR 30 CFM
Manufacturer of the TWINK SILENCER

Stock work Anodising Cylinders
Cylinder Testing
Visit our website: www.amcustomgunsmiths.com
IDEST STATION 3J visit www.sita.org.uk

CYLINDER HYDRO TEST 21.50 1 Week Turn Around
FOR ALL YOUR ADAPTORS AND HOSES
Call : CYLINDER FOR SALE NEW AND USED
Visit: www.guncellar.co.uk/cylinders
Open 2pm-7pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

9am-4pm Saturday and Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday
Tel: 01623 861 308

Mobile: 0774 999 3196
Bridge Farm, Sinfin Lane, Barrow on Trent, Derby, DE73 7HH
AIRGUN HEAVEN IN DEVON

ON A SMALL NORTH DEVON ESTATE,
WALK OUT WITH GUN AND DOG AT
ANY TIME
Ideal for families (4 adults, 2 children)
NEW FOR 2011 Rabbit Warren in a vineyard
www.beaplesbarton.co.uk
or telephone 01398 341535
Prices
start
from
490
ARE NOW OFFERING

GUIDED AIRGUN
HUNTING DAYS ON A
PRIVATE ESTATE IN EAST
SUSSEX FOR BEGINNER
AND EXPERIENCED
AIRGUNNERS.
Stalking in woodland and pasture

with abundant rabbit, squirrel,
pigeon and all airgun quarry.
Two-day hunting courses
covering a wide range of topics
including two days of hunting
and a night shooting trip.
Night Shooting Trips:

Either with lamp or Night Vision,
all equipment can be hired.
Reader Store stocks products from home and

lifestyle items to nifty gadgets and gorgeous
gifts. Some items have huge discounts on retail
prices, while others are buy one get one free.
Go to www.readerstore.co.uk to see the
full range of products on sale.
WorldMags
Airgun Hunting Days:
Airgun Academy:
Now open for business
Whats more, for a limited period you can

SAVE 10% on all prices by adding the
code RSL2010 at check-out.
There are plenty of local B&Bs

and there is even a well-stocked
gunshop available for your
convenience. All equipment can
be hired if necessary and all
days can be tailored to
your requirements.
Falconry:
Fly a bird yourself for the day
or take one hunting.
Opening
offer
SAV E
10%
Situated only 3 miles from historic

Battle and only 7 miles from the
seaside means there is plenty to
keep the family occupied while
you are out shooting.
Some of the other

services on offer are:
Walked up game shooting,
rough shooting, driven game
shooting and gundog training.
For more details call: 07922 548609

Email: info@newtonssportingdays.co.uk
Web: www.newtonssportingdays.co.uk
AIRGUN WORLD
103
DEALERS DIRECTORY
TO ADVERTISE ON THESE PAGES CONTACT DAN CHART:
01189 897211
dan.chart@archant.co.uk
MOOREDGES
AIRGUNS
WIGHILL PARK GUNS
The Chantreys, Mooredges Road,

Thorne, Doncaster DN8 5RY
Tel:01405 741706
Fax: 01405 740936
Extensive range of all leading airguns,
scopes and accessories.
Mail order available.
Open 7 days a week inc. Bank Holidays
Late nights Thursday / Friday
www.wighillparkguns.co.uk
Visit one of Britains best stocked
Airgun Shops in the heart of the
Yorkshire countryside
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY ON OUR
INDOOR RANGE
Part exchange a specialty
Wighill Park, Nr Tadcaster,
North Yorkshire LS24 8BW
Tel: 01937 833757 Fax: 01937 530563
See our main ad on page 87
TILLEYS TACKLE
& AIRGUN CENTRE
HENRY KRANK
AND CO
100-104 Lowtown, Pudsey,
W. Yorkshire LS28 9AY
Tel: 0113 256 9163 / 5167
Fax: 0113 257 4962
www.henrykrank.com
sales@henrykrank.com
We stock Air Arms, Falcon, BSA,
Theoben, Weihrauch, Webley, Logun
and Cometa
111 Nantwich Road, Crewe CW2 6BA

Tel: 01270 255277
We stock BSA, Falcon, Webley,
Daystate, Weihrauch, Simmons,
1000s of pellets and
accessories
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
North
WARRINGTON
GUNS
53 Norris Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 7RJ
Tel: 01925 415901
Email: sales@warringtonguns.com
Web: www.warringtonguns.com
Opening hours:
Mon - Fri 9am - 5.30pm. Sat 9am - 4.30pm
Selection of air rifles including BSA, Air Arms,
Falcon, Cometa, Webley, Edgar.
Scopes, mounts, slings, pellets etc.
CZ and Ruger rimfire rifles and ammunition.
Also cycles and fishing tackle.
MANCHESTER
AIR GUNS
470 Oldham Road, Failsworth,
Manchester M35 0FH
Tel: 0161 681 7947
Central
Wales
East
DAVEY & SON

East Coast Field and Stream
The old Post Office, Wykeham
Scarborough YO13 9QP
Tel: 01723 865039
Email: info@daveyandson.co.uk
www.daveyandson.co.uk
We provide a wide range of new and used
air rifles and scopes from most leading
manufacturers as well as accessories,
pellets, quality clothing and footwear
South West
London &
South East
Isle of Wight
BEDFORD COUNTRY
PURSUITS LTD
CHURCHILLS
OF DEREHAM
316 High Road, South Benfleet,

Essex SS7 5HB
Tel: 01268 752888
Website: trobb.f9.co.uk
Information: www.trrobb.co.uk
Full range of Air Rifles, Pistols
and Telescopic Sights.
Tuning Servicing Kits.
Airguns Bought and Sold
111 Castle Road, Bedford

Bedfordshire, MK40 3QX
Tel: 01234 346648 Fax: 01234 346648
Email: info@bedfordcountrypursuits.com
www.bedfordcountrypursuits.com
Selection of Air Rifles / Firearms and
Shotguns all leading makes
Compressor for cylinder filling and rifles
Large Stock of New & Used Guns

Full Gun Repair Service On Site
Clay Shoots/Lessons Arranged
12 Union Street, Dundee DD1 4BH

Tel: 01382 225427
www.scotland-airguns.co.uk
Scotlands premier airgun centre
Widest range of new and
second-hand guns and accessories.
Full range ofammunition.
Full repair service
Deal with the best, deal with Gows
104 AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
REDBECK
SHOOTING SUPPLIES
Yorkshire's Airgun Specialists
Try before you buy from our huge range of rifles
and scopes from all leading manufacturers.
Always a large selection of clothing and
accessories on display.
Visit: www.airrifleshop.co.uk
Tel: 01924 862037
Redbeck Shooting Supplies
Doncaster Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF4 1RT
Opening times: Mon/Tues 9-5pm, Wed 9-1pm,
Thu/Fri/Sat 9-5pm
T.R. ROBB
AIRGUN SPECIALIST
JOHN R. GOW
Large stocks of
guns, scopes, pellets.
Servicing & repairs
Open: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat 8am - 5.30pm

Wed 8am - 7.30pm. Closed Sun
BORDERS
GUNROOM
New & S/H Air Rifles bought and sold
Repairs carried out on the premises
Full range of accessories
Delivery service available for air weapons
South of Scotlands largest retailer
of Shooting and Fly Fishing equipment
Main St, St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0AA
Tel: 01835 822844
GUNS WANTED CASH PAID

FREE
POSTAGE
ONLINE
01362 696926
Visit our online shop
MAP (UK)
Unit 12, Lakes Farm, Rayne, Essex CM77 6TE
Tel: 01376 339670 Fax: 01376 347800
Email: info@airshooting.co.uk
Web: www.airshooting.co.uk
Airguns, shotguns, rifles and ammunition
available in store
SECONDHAND GUNS WANTED AND SOLD
Part exchange welcome on all firearms
Bottle charging available
www.onlinegunshop.co.uk
We are hard to find so give us a call for directions

Open: Mon-Fri 9.00-5.30. Sat 9.00-4.00
LIVELINES
TACKLE & GUNS
WONDERLAND
MODELS
41 West Main Street

Armadale, West Lothian EH48 3PZ
Tel: 01501 733150
www.airgundealerscotland.co.uk
Full range of all leading brands including Daystate,
BSA, Air Arms, Weihrauch, Hawke, Sabre Optics
plus many more in stock at all times.
SECONDHAND TRADE-INS WELCOME
Family run business with a genuine interest in airguns.
Also a range of fishing tackle and pet supplies available.
Opening hours:
9.30 - 5.00 Mon - Sat. Closed Wed and Sun
EDINBURGH
Edinburghs leading air rifle, air pistol, air gun

pellet and accessories supplier.
We are dealers for Air Arms, Anics, BSA,
Crosman, Gamo, Sportsmarketing, Umarex,
Webley and Weihrauch
www.wonderlandmodels.com
Tel: 0131 229 6428
97 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AN
Members of the Gun Trade Association
Dealer Registration Number 191
COUNTRY SPORTS
OF ASHBY LTD.
20 The Green, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 1JU
Telephone: 01530 415074
Email: sales@countrysportsonline.co.uk
www.countrysportsonline.co.uk
Open: Mon - Sat 0900 - 1730
WALKERS
OF TROWELL
NORTHAMPTON
GUN CO
BROMYARD SPORTS
HEREFORDS AIRGUN SPECIALIST
Nottingham Road, Trowell,

Nottingham NO9 3PA
Tel: 0115 930 7798
136 St James Road,

Northampton, Northants NN5 5LQ
Tel: 01604 751206
Full range of airguns and accessories stocked including:

Air Arms, BSA, Webley, Theoben, Crosman, AGS,
Weihrauch, SMK, Brocock, Cometa, Norica,
Beretta, Colt, Walther, Anics etc.
Also: Bottle Charging, Archery,
Crossbows, Camo Clothing
Bromyard Sports
66 Widemarsh Street, Hereford HR4 9HG
Tel: 01432 344610 www.bromsports.co.uk
Open 9 till 5 Tuesday to Saturday
We currently stock air rifles by

Air Arms, Cometa, Weihrauch, Prestige, Umarex,
Benjamin, SMK and many others.
We are also able to offer
Theoben and Daystate rifles to order.
Our aim is to offer the best service possible at
competitive prices.
Daystate, Theoben, Falcon,

BSA, Weihrauch, Tasco and a
large range of pellets and
accessories
Wide selection of air rifles,

air pistols, scopes and kit
KIBWORTH GUNSHOP &

SHOOTING GROUND
MELBOURNE
TACKLE & GUNS
SUTTON MODELS
& HOBBIES
STAFFORDSHIRE
CUSTOM RIFLES
On main A6 1/2 mile south

Kibworth, Leics, LE8 0RB
Tel: 0116 279 6001
64 Church Street, Melbourne, Derbyshire

Tel: 01332 862091
Large selection of new and second hand
Sporting Rifles, Shotguns and Air Rifles.
Outdoor, Waterproof Clothing &
Footwear.
Barbour, Aigle & Seeland stockist.
Visit our website:
www.melbournegun.com
135 Outram Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield

Nottinghamshire NG17 4FU
Tel: 01623 557812
Studio 12, Townhouse Farm, Alsager Road,

Audley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST7 8JQ
Tel/Fax: 01782 720250 Email: scr@fsmail.net
www.scr-airguns.co.uk
Stockists of
Theoben, SMK, BSA, Weihrauch
and Air Arms
Large range of pellets and accessories
Sales and modifications to all types of

Spring & Pre-Charged Airguns, Repairs,
Servicing & Custom Parts made to
order. Air cylinder filling
OTMOORS AIRGUNS
BARRETTS
GET AIR GUN
www.Ibstocktackle.co.uk
Hudson Street, Deddington, Oxon OX15 0SW

Tel: 01869 338558
Email: otmoors@hotmail.co.uk
Web: www.otmoors.co.uk
Opening hours: 0900 - 1700 Mon - Sat
High Street, Caterham, Surrey CR3 5UA

Tel: 01883 330110
Mob: 07956 187459
Web: www.shootingstore.co.uk
Wide range of air rifles, scopes and

accessories at discount prices
ALL REPAIRS UNDERTAKEN
Guns always wanted - Cash paid
Oxfordshires leading airgun specialist for new

and used airguns, rifles, pistols, scopes,
accessories and charging equipment.
In-house servicing and repairs.
Power testing and bottle filling facilities available.
GUNS AMMUNITION
COUNTRY CLOTHING SPORTING GOODS
Fabarm Elite dealer
BSA, GAMO, ND LIGHTING,
NIKKO STIRLING
CH WESTON
GUNSMITHS
GREENFIELDS
AIRGUN CENTRE
PARK STREET GUNS
The Shooting Grounds, Sturry Hill,

Sturry, Canterbury CT2 0NG
Registered Firearm Dealer
Extensive range of airguns

& accessories
Try before you buy!
Repairs, tuning, customising
IBSTOCK
GUN & TACKLE
61-63 Chapel St, Ibstock
Leic, LE67 6HF
Tel: 01530 260901
12 East Street, Brighton, Sussex BN1 1HP

Tel: 01273 326338/733832 Fax: 01273 720107
Website: www.chweston.co.uk
Email: sales@chweston.co.uk
All the top names in Air Rifles,
Pistols and CO2
Scopes, Accessories
Express Mail Order Service
Stockists of BSA, Webley, Air Arms, Logun,

Weihrauch, Gamo and many more.
Helpful Friendly Advice Always Available
Open Tues-Sat 8.30-5.30. Sun 9-1. Closed Mon
Tel: 01227 713222 Fax: 01227 710611
Website: www.greenfieldsshooting.co.uk
Email: sales@greenfieldsshooting.co.uk
OF CATERHAM
1-2 Park Street Lane, Park Street,

St. Albans AL2 2NE
Tel: 01727 872646/872669
Fax: 01727 875449
Email: parkstreetguns@talk21.com
Website: www.gunshot.co.uk
(inside pet shop)
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

Comprehensive range of
Air Rifles, Pistols and Scopes
plus many accessories
5 West Way, Hove, East Sussex
BN3 8LD
TEL: 01273 884949
RONNIE SUNSHINES
See our main ads on pages 18 and 42
4 Canalside, Northbridge Road, Berkhamsted,
Herts HP4 1EG. Tel/Fax: 01442 872829
Email: info@ronniesunshines.com
Web: www.ronniesunshines.com
Opening hours: Mon - Sat 9 - 5
Hertfordshires leading Airgun Specialists we stock
Weihrauch, Daystate, Air Arms, BSA, FX, Webley, SMK, and
many more. Plus a large range of CO2 pistols, scopes, clothing
and a comprehensive stock of airgun accessories. We are also
a Bushcraft and Survival specialists supplying all the kit you
need to survive. Come and visit our shop and
Try before you buy on our purpose built indoor range
Or visit our website www.ronniesunshines.com
THE AIRGUN
CENTRE
THE OXFORD
GUN CO
107 London Rd, Rayleigh,

Essex SS6 9AY
Tel: 01268 780730
Jericho Farm, Oxford Road, Oakley,

Bucks HP18 9RG Tel: 01844 238308
Wide choice of Air and CO2
Rifles and Pistols
Pellets, Scopes and loads of kit!
Mon/Tues/Thur: 10-5
Fri: 10-7 Sat: 9-5.30
PROTEK SUPPLIES
FREDERICK BEESLEY
(Gunmaker)
94-102 Chichester Road (A259)

Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 5AA
Tel: 01243 824284 or 827500
Email: proteksupplies@btconnect.com
Web: proteksupplies.co.uk
We stock all major airgun brands.
Specialists in junior rifles, air pistols and
collectable airguns.
Massive selection of ammo and shooting
accessories, clothing, footwear, knives etc.
We are open Tues to Sat 10.30 to 5.30
132 White Lion Road, Little Chalfont,

Amersham, Bucks HP7 9NQ
Tel: 01494 762370
Stockists of most leading makes of
Air Weapons, new and secondhand
Plus a full range of Scopes
& Accessories
Closed Mondays
Ample free parking
See our main ads on pages 8 and 9
VANDEN BURGERS
EXCHANGE CENTRE
R&K
STOCKCRAFT
CHICHESTER
ARMOURY
53 St Leonards Road,
Bexhill-on-Sea TN40 1JA
Tel: 01424 730079
FOR SALE
New Secondhand Ex-Display
Air Rifles Pistols Swords Knives
Scopes Silencers Pellets
Were Kash buyers of all re-saleale articles
Shop and Mail Order
19 Vicarage Road, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes,

Bucks MK11 1BN Tel: 01908 561298
rkstockcraft@btconnect.com www.rkstockcraft.co.uk
The biggest and best choice

of airguns in Essex
Easy to find, easy to park, easy to deal with
MFC SUPPLIES
9 Station Road, Hailsham, East Sussex
Tel: 01323 846883
New and Secondhand Airguns Bought and Sold
Pneumatic Service Centre
Also spares, repairs, scopes, Soft Air, Sling Shots,
Decoys, Cartridges, Huge Stocks of Army Surplus,
Camo Clothing & Gortex,
Invisible Clothing, Combat Boots,
Ammo Boxes, Camo Netting
plus lots more
Full range of Air rifles including Weihrauch /

Air Arms / Daystate / BSA / Theoben and Logun.
Scopes from Nightforce / Doctor / Burris / Leupold/
Schmidt & Bender / MTC and Hawke.
43 West Street, Chichester,

Sussex PO19 1RP
Tel: 01243 774687
www.chiarm.co.uk
First floor country clothing department, including a room

dedicated to Realtree camo clothing and a whole host of
other shooting accessories.
Please visit for quality friendly advice and
a service second to none.
Wide choice of air rifles,

pistols and accessories
THOMAS TURNER
GUNMAKER
ADENBOURNE
FIELD SPORTS
Incorporating READING AIRGUN CENTRE

Berkshires Premier Airgun Retailer
208 Gosbrook Road, Caversham, Reading,
Berkshire RG4 8BL
Tel: 0118 948 1699
Good range of quality
air rifles and pistols, scopes,
accessories, charging equipment.
REPAIRS AND SERVICES UNDERTAKEN.
Air cylinders charged on premises.
Major stockist of all leading makes of

New and Used Shotguns and Rifles.
Vast selection of New and Used Airguns
Large Country Clothing Department.
Guns Serviced & Repaired
We also buy Old & Antique Guns.
Over 1/2 million Shotgun Cartridges
Tel: 01993 701122 Fax: 01993 776841
www.adenbournefieldsports.com
Station Lane, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 4BW
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm
Sat 9.00am-5.00pm
PAX GUNS
166 Archway Road, Highgate, London N6 5BB
Tel: 020 8340 3039
Open: 10am to 5.30pm Tues to Sat. Closed Sun & Mon
Award winning airgun shop

Makers of the
Prometheus, Dynamic and
Defiant pellets
Power and accuracy testing
Professional friendly advice
BOTTLES FILLED TO 300 BAR
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
North
Central
Wales
East
South West
London &
South East
Isle of Wight
WorldMags
AIRGUN WORLD 105
DEALERS
DIRECTORY
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
North
Central
Wales
East
South West
London &
South East
Isle of Wight
COUNTRY PURSUITS
GLOUCESTER
AIRGUN CENTRE
36 High Street, Cricklade, Wiltshire SN6 6AY

Tel: 01793 751946
Wide selection of new and
second-hand airguns.
We stock: Falcon, Weihrauch, BSA
and many more!
Dovecot Workshops, Barnsley Park,

Barnsley, Cirencester, Glos. GL7 5EG
Tel: 01285 740898 Fax: 01285 740420
Email: sales@glos-airgun-company.co.uk
Web: www.glosguncompany.co.uk
Leading suppliers of all the top makers
With our full range of pellets and

accessories we can see to
all your airgun
needs!
On-site workshop for spares and repairs.

PCP charging. Experienced, knowledgeable and
friendly advice always delivered free of charge!
THE GUN ROOM

IVYBRIDGE
A.1. GUNS (THE BARN)
4 Western Road, Devon

Tel/Fax: 01752 893344
www.thegunroom.co.uk
gun.room@virgin.net
Probably the best selection of Airguns
in the South West
DAYSTATE, WEIHRAUCH, BSA, AIR ARMS,
WEBLEY, LOGUN
New and Secondhand Quality Service
GWYNEDD FIREARMS
99 High St, Bangor
Gwynedd LL57 1NS
Tel: 01248 351641
For friendly, helpful & courteous
service, visit us for everything
the field & target shooter
could possibly need
Opening hours: 9.00 am - 5.30 pm Monday - Saturday
RFD 117
Pantyffynon House, Graig Fawr, Pontarddulais,

Swansea, Glam SA4 8QN
Tel: 01792 885892 and Gunsmiths (Noel) 07964 862719
Email: ken.haynes@totalfloodsolutions.com
Website: www.a1gunswales.co.uk
Open: 8am to 8pm 7 days
Full service. Items ordered for customers if not in stock.
Full customising service. All items at shooters pocket cost.
30m outdoor range, test before you purchase.
Have a cuppa and browse, no pressure sales.
See the customised stocks made, mind-blowing!
DRAGON
FIELD SPORTS
WREXHAM
Full range of air rifles and pistols:
Webley, Weihrauch, BSA, Crosman, Logun,
Air Arms, Brocock etc
+ Scopes, Lamps, Archery
8 Egerton St, Wrexham town centre

Tel: 01978 290990
NORTH WALES
SHOOTING SCHOOL
VALLEY ARMS
Sealand Manor, Nr. Chester

Tel: 01244 812219
www.valleyarms.co.uk
01824 704438
55 yard Air Rifle Range 5 for two hours

Air Rifles, Accessories,
Chronograph, Gunsmith
Tuesday Saturday
Ring for availability
106 AIRGUN WORLD
WorldMags
Largest selection of new & used guns in

North Wales
All accessories including scopes, bipods and
clothing
On-site work shop and indoor range
Bolero Camp, Park Road, Ruthin
Denbighshire, LL15 1NB
WorldMags
.177 cal.
4. 5 mm
NEW CZ75 P-07 DUTY
> New blowback or non blowback

> Adjustable rear sight
> Barrel thread for silencer
> Available in 4.5mm in black or dual tone
> Metal slide
NEW STI DUTY ONE
> New blowback or non blowback

> Adjustable rear sight
> Barrel thread for silencer
> Available in 4.5mm in black
> Metal slide
8 in 4.5mm & 6mm

6 in 6mm
> Full Metal

> Adjustable rear sight 64inin4.5mm
6mm
> Speedloader included
> Available in 4.5mm and 6mm
asg range of air pistols available from all good gun shops
HIGHLAND
WorldMags
OUTDOORS
new website now live!

www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk
6mm Models are for use with Nylon BBs
For Trade enquiries contact:

Highland Outdoors
Ph: 01858 410 683
Fax: 01857 341 111
sales@highlandoutdoors.co.uk

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What you get:

G Nitro Piston Power system

All for under 300!

Distributed to the trade by:

Fax: 01728 688950

FROM THE EDITOR

THE EDITOR SAYS...

To buy a back issue of

Published monthly Archant Specialist 2011

o, to the shock and surprise of

the changes on his mates Hammerli,

Finally, Id like you all to join me in

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

23 The Art of Benchrest

51 Short - and To the Point

83 Umarex Boys Club

88 Books and DVDs

74 Barrel Tuning Part 2

MAKING LIGHT WORK!

ITS YOUR WRITE

77 Predator Rifle Rest

WorldMags OVER 10,000 PRODUCTS ON OUR WEBSITE

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Tel: 01268 780730 / 784469

JUST LOOK WHATS INCLUDED IN OUR SELECT COMBO PACKAGES...

5 THE PELLETS... included are 500 pellets which will be

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9.30am - 6.00pm (Closed Wed)

10.00am - 4.00pm Sunday

NEXT DAY NATIONWIDE DELIVERY

Tel: 01268 780730 / 784469

Tel: 01268 780730 / 784469

FOR PACKAGE DETAILS SEE THE PAGE OPPOSITE

Daystate Air Ranger Package

Daystate Air Wolf MCT iS Package

The Air Wolf MCT (info screen)

Daystate Huntsman Classic Package

Daystate Mk4 iS Thumbhole Package

The Huntsman Classic All the features you would expect in a

The Mk4 IS (info screen) the most

Daystate Air Ranger 40ft.lbs Package

Daystate Mk4 iS Sport Package

The Air Ranger 40ft.lb. simply the

The Mk4 IS (info screen) the most

Airwolf Tactical Package

Daystate Air Wolf MVT 40ft.lbs Package

The Air Wolf MVT the electronics makes

COMBO SCOPE UPGRADES

Hawke Nite-Eye Digi IR S/F H/M/Dot . . . . . . . . . .add 134