Theskyfox

Ben, I'd say it depends on what you need to replace. When you got the gun you should have a schematic with it. If not, this is available on air-arms's website. Look on the schematic and work out which parts you need, then look on "a certain popular auction website"...S410 parts are really easy to get as it such a popular gun. If the parts you need are cheap then I'd say its worth replacing them before selling - otherwise expect a buyer to knock it down a bit. -Andrew

Wonder how this will affect existing scope warranties. I've got two Hawke Sidewinders, and one of them went up the spout last year (There is a thread on here somewhere about it). Hawke deemed it FUBAR, and sent me a new Sidewinder (with the newer reticle) as a replacement . -Andrew

I agree it is a daft and pointless idea. Not entirely convinced it will come to England though - there are a number of laws in Scotland that haven't made it to England. We don't even have the same drink drive blood alcohol limit anymore. Additionally, Northern Ireland has had a different power level for airguns for years. I also don't think there is as strong an "anti-airgun" feeling down here in the South compared to up in Scotland. I'll keep an eye out though. -Andrew

Hi, I've got a Hw45 Air pistol. I found the open sights are ok, but never really grouped particuarly well with them. There is a wide range of red dot sights available specifically for pistols, and they work pretty well. I've got a Hawke RD 25 on mine now and can actually hit things with it consistently. They cost around £30. -Andrew

The Air Arms pro sport is a springer isn't it? For springers I generally prefer one piece mounts as they are specifically designed for rifles with recoil, and are less susceptible to movement. I have been using a single piece mount on my HW95 and not had to alter the zero for a very long time . Just avoid cheap nasty ones off a certain auction site. I'm not going to recommend any specific brand, but do look at different heights too as you can usually get low/medium/high mounts. -Andrew

Make sure you get one with adjustable paralax - being able to accurately rangefind is always a benefit whether you are hunting or doing target practice. I'd consider a reticle with mil-dots (or similar) so you can see where your pellet is at 20,30,40,50 yards. This is more important with a .22 as you have a more loopy trajectory. I've got two Hawke scopes and they are both very good. Their after-sales support is superb too - I had to have one repaired 4 years into warranty and they replaced the scope for a new one since they couldnt fix it. If possible have a look at a few in your local gun shop. They can vary considerably in weight and size, and its nice to be able to look through them to compare the image quality before you buy (even if ultimately you end up buying it online)... -Andrew

£400 can get you a fantastic scope/rifle combi. I'd look for a well looked after secondhand HW95 or HW80 (or in fact, any Weihrauch springer). They are powerful, reliable and shoot very very consistently. They tend to be quite pricey new, but secondhand you can probably pick one up for about £200. You could then use the spare £200 to buy a new high end scope... -Andrew

Couldn't agree more Chris. I've spent a small fortune on different pellets to try but its literally impossible to do - especially when there are so many combinations of copper, zinc-tin alloys, head sizes and varying ballistic coeficcients. My local gunshop told me they test all guns with Bis Mags as thats the pellet they "have to use" for it. Don't know how they came up with that one, but its what they do. -Andrew

Hi Guys, Saw a link to this on the BASC website earlier: http://lawcommission.justice.gov.uk/areas/firearms.htm Quote: "The current law relating to firearms and other offensive weapons is contained in a number of different statutes and statutory instruments, resulting in a confused and confusing picture and creating significant practical difficulties for investigating authorities and prosecutors" They would appear to be an attempt to reform the firearms act and reclassify certain firearms. It seems to be that they are taking technology into account too. Do you think maybe this could include a relook at Airguns? maybe even as far as a standardised power test for airguns? I say this as I realise a number of areas of the legislation are missing for airguns e.g. the definition of what constitutes an air-pistol. -Andrew

Thanks for the inputs so far guys. Has anyone actually seen any 4.51mm size ones for sale in the UK recently? they seem to have vanished from everywhere online. I've seen 4.52mm, but they seem to be import as well. Strange because I can get hold of the 4.50mm by the bucketload....! -Andrew

Hi Guys, I find these pellets absolutely superb in my S410 TDR. I've currently got them in 4.5mm size and seem to get about +0.5 ftlbs out of them too compared to air arms fields 8.4grain. I want to try them in the 4.51mm and 4.52mm head size too for comparison (power + accuracy) as I've been told the air arms barrels tend to like 4.51mm pellets the best - but can't seem to find anywhere online stocking them at the moment. Any ideas where I can get some from? I realise that there are some on a certain auction site..but I don't really want to bulk buy them, and ideally just need a few for testing. I'd also be interested to hear from anyone that has tried the different head sizes... -Andrew

Definately the Weihrauch. Its the quietest I've seen by far. I got an air arms moderator with my S410 TDR...it was ok but was at least double the volume of the Weihrauch. I've now got an adaptor on the S410 to fit the HW and its quiet as a mouse . -Andrew

Hi Guys, Got a query about my HW95. When the gun is cocked (and safety off) the trigger pull is smooth, positive and exactly how you'd expect it to be. As soon as the gun has been fired the trigger pull has a heavy resistance and feels clunky and uneven. Is this just a normal "feature" of a springer? As soon as its cocked again it goes back to normal. I realise that its a bit of a moot point - the trigger either way is useless until the gun is ready to fire, but my PCP doesn't do this, and neither does the Hw45 Pistol. -Andrew

I'm not sure this is entirely true. You need the pellet to deform to transfer energy to the quarry...otherwise you'll just punch through. The copper pellets and pointed pellets aren't particuarly good for hunting for this very reason. If you just aim to "break bones" all you will do is leave the quarry on the floor in pain and hopping around alive with an exit wound on the other side. Its a shock to the nervous system that is required, providing a rapid and clean kill. I do agree Daystate FT heavies will do a good job though. -Andrew

Thank you for the offer clubshot. This weekend I'm already up at the Southend on sea gunclub, otherwise I'd probably take you up on that. I'll consider dropping by sometime in the future though...its a bit far to go for me just to try a tin of pellets . -Andrew

Can't see why it wouldn't work. Very Call-of-duty-ish lol. I'd also recommend considering looking for an adaptor to a weaver rail (30mm) then you could look at things like ACOG style/red dot sights. -Andrew

Hi Guys, Has anyone tried these or used these in .177? The manufacturers seem to make some dubious claims on their website...(as do they all). Are they just meant to be a FAC pellet? 21 grains in .177 seems like it would get lodged in the barrel rather than go anywhere... -Andrew

Erm just one thing you might want to beware of. If its a Business or trade selling the rifle to you then the sale has to be "face to face" thanks to the Violent Crime Reduction Act. I.e. you can't just mail order it. However, if its a non-business transaction (e.g. off one of the air rifles for sale facebook groups second hand) then its fine..and you can just use Royal Mail as described above. More info here: http://www.airgunbuyer.com/page.asp?pg=19 Nearly forgot...if you do find that there is a rifle you really want to buy from a business thats for sale the other end of the country then you can buy it over the phone and get them to post it to your local gunshop (providing they are happy to do this) and pick it up from there. It usually adds a bit of a cost to do this though. -Andrew

The hills pump is pretty good. I used it for a number of years (and still have it) but I've since switched to a dive bottle. The hills pump has a filter unit you can get for the side with a bag of moisture remover which needs replacing every year or so. Pumps work fine, but be aware that they tend to put dirt and moisture into the gun over time. Just make sure you get your gun serviced each year or so and you should be fine. -Andrew

Hi, it won't be a problem at all. You can leave it cocked all day whilst you are out on the shoot and it will have no impact on your spring. However, you should obviously take into consideration the safety aspects and remember to de-cock it at the end of the day. The the technical people out there..... http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1328879812/How+long+can+you+leave+a+springer+cocked- Scroll up to the third post from the bottom, there is a chart with the results of leaving various guns cocked over various amounts of time and the affect on performance of the gun. As an addition, if you need to get a springers power reduced its best to get it done properly by taking coils off the main spring. -Andrew

Looks a lovely rifle. I was breifly considering getting a Steyr Hunting 5 with the Biathlon mechanism, but the sheer size of it (and £2000 price tag) put me off. Would it be legal in the UK as a semi auto? I've understood that its a bit of a "grey area". -Andrew

Hi, I've got a Hawke LRF600. They are handy bits of kit and work pretty well. Its a good "toy" to have if you've got the spare cash, but I wouldn't spend a huge amount of money on one. They certainly aren't a necessity though - a scope with adjustable parallax will let you accurately find the distance of anything you are looking at. The good points are the fact that you can look at pretty much any object and find out its exact distance from you (usually with the option to switch between Yards/Metres).This is useful because you can use items around you as points of reference. For this to work properly in your favour ideally you need to spend an hour or two at a range and put some targets out at each distance whilst noting your Point of impact at each. The only downsides really are the price (most LRFs seem to be £120+) and the fact that rangefinding small items (e.g. a rabbit) at over 30 yards is going to be difficult. Your hand shake and any objects that block the line of sight will make you to struggle to get a reading at times. In conclusion...I'd recommend getting one, but try and get a discounted one (or Xmas/Birthday pressie!). -Andrew

Hi, Just my two cents....I've got a 300bar 12 litre bottle. All cylinders need to be "in test" for them to be filled. I understand that the test is the same for both regardless of actual real world use. The biggest variable is the type of valve you have fitted - Surface only valves require the cylinder to be inspected and tested once every 5 years, the underwater ones every 2 years. My local dive shop (where I get mine filled) charges about £50 for testing and sends it off to a separate test facility (which takes about a week). Simply put if it passes you get the bottle back. If it doesn't...they can't give it back to you and scrap it. Personally I wouldn't buy a tank that is out of test because if it fails the test you could end up parted from your money and the test cost! -Andrew

As above. I've also got the Hawke sidewinder 3-12x50. (I've also got a Hawke Sidewinder 8-32x56 on the other gun). Great glass, good reticles and top notch customer service. Recently had one replaced for free after the illuminated reticule failed! -Andrew

As above. Weihrauch springers are world class, and a good second hand one would fit into your budget. Trust me, even if in future you decide to upgrade to a PCP, you will find your Weihrauch still there in your collection many years later lol. -Andrew