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Results of a Nitrous oxide bottle explosion - air will achieve a similar level of devastation. NOT AN AREA FOR EXPERIMENTATION

The Varmint 2 is one of the few Hawke products that're any good. The scope is more important than the gun. Almost all pcps will put the pellet near enough to the spot to do the job. Some are "nicer" than others but not necessarily more accurate. With scopes there's a vast difference between a poor one and a good one and not necessarily in price either. I've looked through £80 piles of **** and £50 great scopes. I've looked through a scope at £280 that could only be used as a hammer yet own a scope that cost £220 that can hold it's own with the likes of Zeiss etc. For most hunters low light performance is crucial and this is where decent optics come into their own. I'm constantly amazed at the price some folk will lash out on a gun only to stick less than £100 worth of scope on top of it. Problems that can occur on poor scopes Loss of zero - cheaply made turrets that won't stay put internally. Fogging in rain - try a Bushnell as they never fog up due to lens coating Zero moving with change of mag - poor manufacturing tolerances Yellowing of lenses with age - poor coatings not lightfast.

YOU CAN NOT USE A PUB CO2 BOTTLE FOR AIR. Co2 runs at various pressures entirely dependany upon temperature. 800-1200 psi is quite normal. Most guns require air at around the 3000 psi mark to fill them meaning you need more than that in the bottle. No dive shop in their right mind will think of filling a co2 bottle with air and even if they will the fittings are completely diffferent so a. they can't fill it and b. you can't attatch your hose and guage to it. Don't even contemplate sticking co2 in a pcp.

For the £300 mark you could get:- PCP - Spitfire carbine HF combo and pump from JSR - £308 Springer - AA TX200 combo again from JSR - £299 The lightning is a basic gun compared to the TX and is simply not in the same league. The only downside to the TX is it's fairly heavy. The Spitfire is a cracking little pcp for the money and would probably make the better hunter of the two due to ease of cocking in the field. Best bet though as always is to go along to a local club and try a few guns before buying anything. Have a look here for a club near you. http://www.bfta.org/MAINPAGE.html and click CLUBS/REGIONS

To kill anything first you must hit it. Being accurate with a pistol over 10 yards is way harder than achieving the same level of accuracy with a rifle at 30yds.

The Hornet is the better gun of the two, having more shots per fill, a true two stage trigger not the pseudo two stage of the S200, a threaded adapter for a 1/2 inch UNF silencer, a reg, and blueing that's way above AAs efforts, not to mention the absence of plastic parts in important areas. If he's big enough to handle the extra size then the Hornet will be a better bet.

Silencer - AAs own works perfectly well. No need for anything better. Pump - forget it and buy a scuba tank. LOTS of folk buy a pump and then buy a bottle shortly after - never the other way round though. FAR better air quality on tanked air. Sight and mounts depends entirely on your budget and the intended use of the gun. Assuming hunting rather than targets you'll want a scope around 3-9 mag or 4-12 mag or similar. Mildots in the scope are a good idea. Buy the best you can afford. Many of the Hawke range are garbage and I wouldn't use them as a fencepost - others will tell you differently. A Bushnell will ALWAYS give a decent picture quality compared to many of the competitors. I've yet to look through a bad Bushnell (even the cheaper ones). Don't be fooled into thinking the bigger the objective the better. This is total garbage until you get into big ££££££. A decent 40mm will always outperform a poor or average 50mm one and is far easier to manufacture well. Also a 40mm will give a deeper field of view than a comparable 50mm one. If you have £370 to spend then a Meopta 3-12x50 is all but unbeatable as a hunting scope untill you get to the £1000 mark. By far the best advise you'll get is to join a club. You'll get quality advise and a good environment to learn to use the equipment to it's potential.

Scorpion is no longer made. It was no lightweight either so is no good for the lady. The only pistols upto the job power wise are the HW45 (heavy) Crosman 2240 and sherridan EB20 or EB22. Pistols are very hard to shoot accurately compared to a rifle. If you want cheap and light then get a Crosman 2250 ratcatcher. It runs on co2 powerlets so isn't cheap to run compared to a spring gun but for the odd bit of work the cost is insignificant. It makes about 8 ft/lb which is ideal for barn work and saves holes in the barn through overpenetration. The ratcatcher weighs about 3.5 lb unscoped and will cost you £100 if you shop around.

Rangefinding by parralax correction can be accurate out to a couple of yards to 60 yds or so with a BIG mag scope (50x magnification). I've used one myself when sniping from a position that'll give me all the time in the world to do so. The system isn't ideal for the majority of hunting situations due to the amount of scope fiddling required and the type of scope required for the job. A typical hunting scope requires a large depth of field whereas to rangefind by parralax requires a shallow one.

As easy as drilling the correct sized hole for the tap (bench drill is adviseable rather than a black and decker) and twisting a thread cutter in by hand (a fair bit of manual effort). Costs nothing if you have the drill and tap. Probably buy both for tenner or so at a decent ironmongers or a couple of pints for your local "home engineer type person" if one's availiable.

Alas that it was so simple. Having shot in this years HFT series I've watched many of the country's best shots shooting 8-45 yds in .177 with bracketing to help rangefind taking all the time in the world to get comfy still miss more than an odd target out of 30 (myself included). True, not all misses are down to rangefinding errors but then again it's so much more important to be accurate with your rangefinding in .22 which the original poster is using. Also rangefinding at night is a swine whether using a lamp or NV. I honestly defy anyone to rangefind to the same accuracy at night that they can in the day. Whether using a lamp or sticking one of the Soviet Bazaar XVD units at the back of your scope the laser gives sufficient accuracy for rangefinding not to be an issue.

Below the silencer is a good place and offers accurate rangefinding - what it does not offer is an aimpoint solution that the high laser offers which is point the dot at the target (if beyond your zero) and fire.

As per pont 2 in my last post. You'll need a M10 tap to thread the hole you need to drill. Not sure what more I can add to that to describe it.

And the momentum of a pellet is diddly squat. It's enough to send a spinner round a few times. So what I can acheive that with a swat of my hand which certainly won't kill.

http://www.sovietbazaar.co.uk/laser_sight_...t_hth-210ap.htm This is the laser to go for. It's a Corsak unit thats just been renamed. If you use NV such as the new XVD units it'll wind down in power to use with that too. 1. I have a JSR GDF bag which has two zips (one from each end) and the laser pokes out at the top in the middle. 2. The mount at the top has the scope part cut off just leaving the body and dovetail and both mounts are then drilled and tapped to take the M10 The laser is usually zeroed to the scope crosshairs just infront of the scope zero. If scope is zeroed at 30 yds then the laser should be zeroed to the crosshairs at around 31-32. This way the laser line will follow the arc of the pellet for 10-15 yds before the pellet eventually arcs away from the laser.

And a catapult uses ammo often weighing hundreds of grains NOT 8-20 ish. There is a VASTLY improved transfer of MOMENTUM at such missile masses and with the type of ammo used there is usually no distortion of the ammo meaning ALL the momentum is transfered to the quarry. To demonstrate this difference on a much smaller scale shoot a spinner with a .177 and then again with a .22. The .22 will knock the spinner substantially further round despite having only an extra ft/lb or so energy at the target than the .177. The reason for this is not transfer of energy but conservation of momentum. A slow moving heavy projectile has SUBSTANTIALLY more momentum than a fast light one. In the case of a catapult it is the conservation of momentum acting on a very small area of the skull that causes death.

From 9 to 35 yds the pellet is always within 0.5 inch of the scopes crosshairs, above at some distances and below at other distances (on my particular set-up). From 26 to 45 yds the pellet would always land within a half inch of the lasers dot as the laser creates a tangent to the pellets arc as it falls away from the crosshairs due to the height of the laser (see the trajectory graph above). This gave me an aimpoint out to 45 yds that I knew would be accurate to 0.5 inch. Simple to show you if you were looking through my gun but hard to explain using the constaraints of language. Chairgun will paint a better picture than words.

That much is obvious based on everything written after it! I'll tell you a story. I've shot many rabbits at around the 50 yd mark. All in .177. All have died instantly IF I've hit the killzone. Once I took a shot at a fairly large rabbit head on. It didn't die but ran around in a circle and came back to it's original place in apparent reasonable health. A second shot polished it off. I'm not proud of this story but it happens to all of us occasionally. The reason the first shot failed to kill or even seriously wound it is the strength of the skull in the forhead. The rabbit took the full force of the pellet which broke only the skin and didn't penetrate the skull although it did fracture it. ENERGY TRANSFER was TOTAL. a kill was not obtained from that shot. I no longer take head on shots as a result.

Sitting a laser close to the scope centreline will negate most of the point of a laser. You need the laser as far away from the scope as possible to give the biggest divergence of laser/scope. You'll be able to tell if on zero or nearer/further but that'll be about all. Another idea would be to mount it under the silencer. Some silencers are 30mm and will therefore accept a 30mm scope mount on which to hang a laser. This gives a decent gap between the laser and scope for rangefinding but because the laser is below the scope the dot will appear above the crosshairs at distances above your zero so can't be used as an aimpoint but just a rangefinder. Download Chairgun and plat with it to best see what can be achieved. http://www.fotosoft.co.uk/chairgun/index.html To more specifically answer your question. I used a 30 yd zero on a S16 and a laser at 6.75inch above the scope. The gun ran on accupells and the pellet never left either the scope centreline or (moving downrange) the laser by more than 0.5 inch out to 45 yds.

Point 1. Not necessarily. A pellet that passes through causes damage all the way through and not just (potentially) near the surface. The optimum is if the pellet almost passes all the way through. A neat .177 hole all the way through a rabbits brain always equals a dead rabbit. Point 2. I already stated that at firearm MEs energy transfer IS imortant due to systolic shock as much as anything. One of the biggest factors in the extra killing power of the 44 magnum is that the larger calibre does more damage than the smaller one. ie tissue damage Point 3. Yes some hollowpoints are accurate to 30 yds in some rifles. They also loose energy FAST downrange due to their poor BC thus negating your whole point in using them! A .22 Field will arrive at 30 yds at about 9 ft/lb whereas a RWS hollowpoint will arrive there at about 6 ft/lb due entirely to their awful ballistics. If energy transfer is important why use them! A .22 Field will not pass through most rabbits at 30 yds from a 12 ft/lb gun. Who was talking 30yds max though?

This is an airgun section not a rimmy section. As you go (vastly) up in ME, energy counts for sure (systolic shock is one of the killers). Almost all books on the subject refer to powder burners. At airgun energies energy transfer is all but negligable. To prove this point lay a rabbit carcass on the floor. Now shoot it from floor level and see how much it moves (energy transfer) - it doesn't. Now kick the carcass - you can move it several yards indicating a substantial energy transfer. You expect the pellet to kill but not the boot. The difference between a good BC pellet and a bad one arriving at the quarry is about 2-3 ft/lb max and is not the difference between a kill and a wound. Assuming one kills and one wounds the difference is one hit VITAL tissue and destroyed it and one did not. Hollow points and flat heads do expand to a degree thus causing more VITAL tissue damage than a roundhead (but are way less accurate meaning of limited use). Again it's the VITAL tissue damage that is the killer. It's no use missing the VITALS with a hollowpoint when a roundhead will land where you want it to. ACCURACY IS WHAT KILLS AT AIRGUN ENERGIES. Miss that killzone and you'll wound - simple as that. Your analogy "Would you rather a pea pass straight through your body or a golf ball lodged in your heart. I think the golf ball will cause far more damage !!!" is apt as you demonstrate my point. One hits a VITAL area and one does not. The energy transfer thing is total baloney at airgun power levels. The physics just doesn't add up.

Energy transfer does not kill. It's VITAL tissue damage that kills. The energy delivered by a 12 ft/lb airgun is well below a decent kick with a booted foot. You don't expect a kick to kill so why should less energy do thejob. The reason the gun kills is VITAL tissue damage. Heart and lung shots are usually more difficult than head shots. For a start the head is higher up and usually out of concealment of any grass. The brain is easily locateable at any head angle. The heart and lungs are often protected by the foreleg. I've taken just a handful of shots at the heart and lung area and not had a runner yet but the shots were difficult and only taken as the head was in constant motion due to the lamp. I would never recommend a heart/lung shot to anyone less than fully experienced and competent in their marksmanship.

Anyone shooting a fox with an airgun (bar possibly a Career on full chat at very close range) is a first rate ***** and does airgunning no favours at all.

The best pellet for hunting is the one that groups best in your gun. The quarry won't give a stuff what brand it is.

Using a Laser with an Airgun Much has been written about lasers, a lot of it by folk who've not persevered enough with the system to fully understand it. I hope that this review will clarify some of the murky areas. Laser type You need a laser that has a good bright dot. To achieve brightness that means a tight dot at distance. The poorer lasers have a beam that diverges at distance and thus the available light is diffused over a larger area. As ALL lasers are limited by international agreements in terms of the power output you are not looking for a more powerful unit but a better-made unit. As well as of a good bright small dot you want a unit that is easy to mount (more of which later) and easy to aim in the required direction. Ignoring the cheap Asian units (these are simply awful with dot sizes of 2 inches or so at 10 yards) there are three main players in the airgun laser department:- Crosman Claim to be the world’s most powerful etc etc... As I said they are all the same power. The Crosman unit is one of the worst for dot size so leave them alone. Beamshot Make a range of different models and prices. They are similar looking to the Crosman but much better in terms of dot size. As a rule, the more you pay the better they are. Like the Crosman unit they have a simply awful zeroing system so unless you enjoy hours of frustration attempting to zero the thing you'd do well to leave these too. If money is tight then the basic Beamshot will do but be prepared for the zeroing problems and bright sunlight will prevent you seeing the dot! Corsak By far the best of the bunch for both dot size / brightness and a zeroing system that makes the other two obsolete. There are two types of zeroing systems on offer from Corsak and both are easy to use when compared with the competition. This unit has a dovetail for mounting. These are available at £68 from Soviet Bazaar and are far and away the best bet unless you've got £500 for a green laser! (I'll ignore the mega expensive units for this review.) Where to mount it Now the bad news. There are no commercially available mounts that I consider to be worth a monkeys! Why? Well to be of most use to an airgunner the laser should ideally be mounted at least 4 inches above the scope. There are differences of opinion here as to what's the best height but the experts’ opinions all fall somewhere between 4 and 7 inches. See my home brewed mount as to how to construct one. A pair of high mounts and some M10 threaded bar are all you need. Why so high? If you get one of the pellet trajectory programs such as Ian Pellant’s Airgun 7.5 or Chairgun (they are free to download so you have no excuse) you will see that by putting the laser up high and with careful choosing of the zero for the laser (not necessarily the zero of the scope) you can create an additional tangent to the pellet’s flight-path. In other words as your pellet falls away from your crosshairs beyond your chosen zero the laser can pick up the flight-path for another 20 yards or so (dependant upon many factors) giving you an aim-point accurate to half an inch or less if required out beyond 55 yards in .177 or approx 45 yards in .22 at 12 ft/lbs. It is useful to have a multi-aim-point reticle so you can dab the laser on the target to see where the dot intersects the reticle, then use that part of the reticle to aim at the target. A zoom scope is useful too. At some point the pellet is going to arc away from the laser beam (around 58 yards for my set-up) so I set the scope magnification so that the laser coincides with a certain point on the reticle at 55 yds - this then tells me when I am out of range as the laser will appear below this mark to indicate this. If you want to mount your laser elsewhere (under the barrel for instance) you need to create the maximum distance from the scope centreline to the laser centreline as with a laser below the scope you are going to use the laser as a rangefinder rather than an aim-point. This is because with a laser lower than the scope the dot is going to appear above the crosshairs at distances above the zero. You should zero the laser at the scopes zero and then spend time on the range working out what the different divergences of crosshair-to-laser mean in terms of pellet drop to work out your holdovers. As you can see this system is of less use but does have the advantage that the combo will still fit in your gun bag. A larger version may be needed for the high laser. Anywhere offset to the side of the vertical from the crosshairs is a compromise and should really be avoided if at all possible. When you have got your laser set up as you want it you'll find that it's every bit as accurate as a big mag. FT scope for telling you the distance to your target but is MUCH faster and cheaper than that system. I can range-find and aim at any target within 8-58 yards in the time it takes just to aim. This is invaluable out in the field whilst hunting rabbits. A rabbit will happily sit there and have a laser pointed at it without running whereas birds will usually fly off at the first sight of the dot so you have to range-find quickly behind them. I can honestly say that the high laser has NEVER been a problem in the field for me in terms of catching the unit. I think this covers most aspects of laser use for those likely to be interested enough to have got this far. There are other ways such as high scope / low laser for a bullpup or laser on top of barrel for ratting but what's written will cover the majority of users. So to summarise, get a Corsak, download a trajectory program and spend a few minutes playing around with different heights of laser and different zero ranges then make yourself a mount and hit what you aim at more often.