Airgun Heresy. Please don't ban me

[Evilv]

I wanted to take my youngest son out with me when I was shooting the TX and not wanting to spend a lot, especially since I didn't know if he'd like shooting, I bought him a £35 Chinese B3 rifle (generous fellow, I hear you say). He did ok with it, knocking over six on his last trip out.

 

Today, he couldn't come with me, so, I took the cheapo rifle out with me, along with the TX. It was windy, strong gusts and showers, a lot different to my outing last Tuesday, and I had to allow quite a lot of windage - as much as 5 inches, which surprised me. Remember, I'm quite a new airgun hunter, a refugee from rimfire and shotties. Anyway, I kept the ranges short, about 60 - 70 feet, and soon had fifteen rabbits with the TX. Some were rather too small to carry about, so I dumped them under rocks and such. The farm is on steep ground in the North Pennines and by 2 o'clock, I was getting a wee bit sick of lugging the TX, so I strolled back to the car, ate an apple pie, had a swig of coffee and drew the Chinese B3 from its box.... It was light, came to the shoulder nicely and felt extremely pointable for offhand shooting... I smiled and strolled to the wood, where I'd seen rabbits earlier.

 

Now, several pounds of TX lighter (i was at least three pounds lighter with the B3 in my hands, or was it just the coffee?) I sliped the gate open and stepped into the lush green of the wood. A steep lope lay ahead of me, strewn with rocks and fallen trees - close quarter stuff this, snap shooting, and plenty of cover for me with all the downed trees and boulders, though little for the quarry in the short, nibbled grass.

 

I moved slowly and listened - felt the wind, sniffed the rotting corpse of some dead cony. I take most of my kills away, but the farmer doesn't. I moved on, felt the sting of a long nettle on my face as I ducked under a fallen trunk, and there he was, nibbling grass twenty yards off. He must be able to see me, surely? If he could, he didn't care. I slowly brought the B3 up - it floated to my cheek and there he was, sitting on the bead at the end of the barrel. I squeezed the heavy trigger - a bad feature of the B3, and squeezed again, staring hard at his head, with the bead just under his eye. A muffled crack, and he sprang into a somersault, and lay twitching on the grass. I reloaded in a trice, a lighter spring than the old TX, and no clackety clack clack clack of anti beartrap mechanism. He was safe, not a runner, so I glanced around. Other eyes were watching, ears alert, one, eminently takeable, further up the bank. I rested on a convenient trunk and rotated towards him slowly. He was sitting bolt upright beside a large rock. A strong gust came across the field of fire, so I waited, holding my breath. He stayed stock still, and when the wind dropped, he jumped as the pellet smashed into his skull, and then he rolled thirty feet down towards me, and lay still.

 

I got three more with the £35 rifle inside half an hour, missing only one when a gust carried the projectile further to the right than I'd allowed for. A puff of dust kicked up an inch from his head and he was gone, but still, I now had twenty - that would do. I paunched the ones I knew I had takers for among my freinds and, burried the smallest that were left.

 

I like that little rifle, I know it's only about 7 ft pounds, I know it has open sights, I know I had to refinish the disgusting stock and oil it, but it bloody well does the job, and it's light, accurate, and predictable. Futhermore, it points like a dream, and stays on the target while I squeeze that bloody trigger until it finally lets go. You can see what I shot with it at the link below. It's the second picture on the page and the B3 rabbits are in the pile under the gun. Thirty five quid delivered to my door - money well spent in my book. See what I mean by heresy?

 

 

A good day out.

 

http://huntingblog.blogspot.com/

Edited July 19, 2005 by Evilv

[Axe]

Sounds like you had a great time and the permission sounds great. The B3 certainly looks alot better after you refinishing it. As for heresey I know exactly what you mean, I have an S16 of which everyone wants to put down, but it certainly performs well for me.

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

[Evilv]

Thanks Axe, it's funny how some types are in the fashion and others not. I know some are things of beauty and triumphs of engineering, and some are NOT mind... I don't know the s16 at all, so I'll look it up after this post and find out about it. I have the feeling it's a Logun, but am probably wrong.

 

That permission is shooters heaven. The woman who owns it said yesterday, 'Come every day if you like.' when I checked it wasn't too much if I came once a week. 'Bring a tent and stay here - sleep in the barn' she added, as two rabbit kittens waltzed around the yard ten feet from her front door. While I was doing my hens this morning, I was fantasising about living up there in a caravan - utter bliss mate - a solar panel for the tele, a full gas bottle and I'd be made... LOL.

 

Did you notice the crack in the B3 stock Axe... It was filled with some kind of **** filler. I just dug that out and stuffed it with hard wax. It looks kind of 'lived in' that rifle, and I don't care if it gets wet or scratched, I'll just oil it up when I get home and stand it in a corner. It's rough and agricultural - but what else is pest control mate? I'm all the time trying to protect the blueing and my oiled stock on the TX, as I crawl through woods, and sneak over walls, or rest on them for those longer shots - which I wouldn't take with the B3, because its trajectory is 7 ft pound howitzer style - 20 yards tops, and aim right at the b*gger.

[Axe]

I was fantasising about living up there in a caravan - utter bliss mate - a solar panel for the tele, a full gas bottle and I'd be made... LOL.

Wouldnt that be a little expensive though? I here Real Tree and Mossy Oak caravans are really costly!

 

Shoot sounds fantastic, you lucky wotsit you.

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

 

PS No, I didnt notice the crack

[Evilv]

I checked out the s16 - wow - it's a rather futuristic looking assassin rifle, isn't it...

 

I'm more of a traditional sort myself, but I can see that it's eminently practical and modern. Sounds accurate too, from what it says on the site. What do people have against them - apart from the looks which I can see might put some off - it's a bit like the stealth from a layman's point of view, but probably more expensive.

[Axe]

Well, and before I start "Touch Wood" people have complained about a number of different problems. I think the main snag was the tendency to leak, in the earlier models. My S16 is a couple of upgrades down the line and im pretty sure all the probs have been ironed out. It has been recommended that I shouldnt fill the bottle over 200bar, this helps to stop any O rings failing.

 

The second gripe is the bolt action which is clunky and doesnt show if a round is loaded in the breech. So there is the remote chance that you could put a second pellet into the breech and subsequently jam the gun. However, I find that if you follow a simple routine such as loading directly after shot, you can over come this. Infact I have never doubled the breech in the tins of pellets i've put throught it. If ever get a moment where I am unsure I can drop the Magazine to see if the pellet has been removed from the magazine, or at the very least, aim at the ground and pull the trigger. Safety comes first!

 

Others would be the weight of the gun. Its quite heavy and you need a good reach to comfortably hold the rifle. It has also been mentioned about the rubber sgroud that covers the bottle and doubles as a rest pad. It has a tendency to get caught on your clothes.

 

However, for me at least, the gun with its Bi-pods and laser, performs extremely well and has not let me down. I prefer using the Bi-pods and I mange to ge some fantastic groups with it.

 

Unfortunately, the S16 has had such a rough ride that, although Logun have rectified most of the nasty points, it will never recover from its dark past. Still on the upside, you can get them very cheap on the new and second hand markets.

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

Edited July 20, 2005 by Axe

[Evilv]

That's quite a catalogue of woe there Axe, but if it's all been sorted - why worry. Rome wasn't built in a day, was it? I read about the bolt and double loading thing this morning. The blurb on the site talks about shooting them off at a hell of a rate, and then swopping magazines in a trice. I think they were saying 16 shots in 15 seconds or something - I'd like to see that done - bet they'd be grouping worse than a 12 bore at that fire rate. (was that comment on the Logun site, or somewhere else - not sure?)

 

The bipod would certainly be a nice idea, kind of like resting on a sand bag when prone without the weight. I could do with one of those maybe. I try to rest on posts, or walls or steady the rifle on tree trunks when I'm out on my two places, but when I'm standing up, there's always that slight sway of the body to contend with -prone is a different matter - it's good to see the crosshairs absolutely steady on the target. Shot one yesterday like that, lying in a small steep sided gully and aiming uphill. He was sitting outside a burrow on the hillside. Thirty yards and the first shot bounced off the dirt five inches downwind of where I'd aimed. He looked startled, but settled down, while I reloaded and tried again. Same aiming point, same result, I'd never thought I'd have to allow five inches windage. Next time, I fired at him, he tumbled, kicking down the hill with a shot in the neck. I quickly recovered him and finished the job, but he wasn't going anywhere. That's the problem with wind on a day like yesterday, the gusts can vary so much, moment to moment. It was bending the trees at times.

 

As for the S16 being cheap on the second hand market - I hope you didn't buy it new, or if you did, I hope you're keeping it. Sounds as if you are.

 

I just checked the Logun pricelist £495, but Ramsbottom has it for £345.

Edited July 20, 2005 by Evilv

[Evilv]

Cheapo home made target shot with a five shot group with the open sights £35 rifle from China at 60 feet. There's a 50p piece there for scale. Maybe it's just the magical AA hunter pellets that do the trick, but I kind of think the rifle has a bit to do with it too.

 

[Axe]

Thats pretty nive Evilv.

 

And no, i didnt buy the rifle new and paid 300 tokens for it mate. It came with Logun Silencer, Walther 3-9x40 PA Illuminated scopes, Logun Swivel Bi-Pods, Laser and Logun TDR Bag, all fully serviced and ready to go, Bargain!

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

[Evilv]

Bargain's the word for sure Axe, and like somebody said somewhere, if it ain't broke - don't fix it. From what you've said, I'm sure you'll be having many a happy session out around those hedge lines with it. Good shooting!

 

Do you charge it from a bottle, or a hand pump? I'd be interested to know how much work is involved in hand pumping a PCP rifle - say, in comparison to pumping a car tyre with a stirup pump whoch I've done.

[Axe]

Well I thought so and let me assure you that it does work. 10 shots last night over a period of 3 wonderfully lazy hours, held up over certain hot spots and some over "you must get them out there area's". Suffice to say, 10 in the bag!!!

 

I charge the buddy bottle via a styrup pump and isn't a real problem. I must admit though, if I owned a 500 shot bottle, I would definately consider filling from a divers tank etc. But no, it doesnt take too long and though you may want to stop for the odd breather or two. If your a couch potato you might suffer but for the average stalking hunter it shouldnt be a problem at all.

 

I think someone said somewhere it takes two strokes of the pump for every shot. I don't give my bottle a full charge i.e.232 bar I go to 210. I loose the 10 when disconnecting so by the time the bottle is on the rifle I have around 200bar or 4/5th's of a charge. (This protects the O rings). I mi9ght also add that I also refil when the gauge gets to around 3/10ths empty. This also helps to save the arms.

 

With this in mind, I have refilled only twice since owning the gun, the second being last Friday. So, I have used 2 botlles of around 3/5th's and had over 500 shots. Now when you consider a styrup charge takes me about 5-10 mins and the charge lasts about 1-2 months or so, I dont think thats bad at all. Of course, if you find that using a high pressure styrup is too much, you can always take it to your local gunshop. My local shop charges just £2 for a refill!!!

 

I wont even think about a divers bottle until I get a Rapid or other high shot rifle.

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

Edited July 22, 2005 by Axe

[Evilv]

I had no idea it would take so little in the pumping department. That's outstanding economy. The pumps aren't cheap mind, but still, it means that you're independent of outside assistance.

 

How do you get rid of the rabbit corpses Axe? I give mine away when I can, and I've had rabbit stew for lunch three days in a row, but at the moment, can't use them all or give them away. I'm going to the less good of my places on Saturday, but that will bring me at least another couple - it's far from as good a place as the one I told you about, but I can't afford to let them feel neglected - places aren't as easy to get as that.

[Axe]

Yeah its a damn good return, I have to be honest, the pump I use belongs to my mate. Yes they are quite expensive but you dont need a test every 5 years and you can throw it in the boot!

 

All of our rabbits find a home, either on our plates or someone elses. We do have a shoot that feeds the local fox, beleive it or not. They hate the Rabbits and try to encourage the Fox. Though, our numbers are begining to climb quite steadily and im sure i'll need to find a game dealer fairly soon.

 

All of the permission we have at the moment is riddled and I do mean riddled with rabbits. Its becoming quite hard to keep up with the demand from landowners. And to make it even worse, I found out yesterday that i've just got another 137 acres! This adds to the 80 I got last week and the 75 we already have.

 

Gonna be busy for a while I guess. And to think that 4 monthgs ago, we were sweating about getting land. Just goes to show, a little patience and above all, word of mouth, goes along way. Mind you, we are quite lucky to live so close to the South Downs which is absolutely infested.

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

[Evilv]

Its becoming quite hard to keep up with the demand from landowners. And to make it even worse, I found out yesterday that i've just got another 137 acres! This adds to the 80 I got last week and the 75 we already have.

Oh poor you.... LOL. It makes me sad to see you so overburdened.

 

:(

 

 

Point taken about the pump vs diver's bottle.

 

On the rabbit numbers thing - there's a new rabbit killer disease about, though I don't know if it's in Britain yet. If we don't keep on top of this population explosion, it'll be like my childhood in the 1950s when you only saw wild rabbits in books (myxi). Some ****** will bring it in and spread it - you watch.

Edited July 22, 2005 by Evilv

[dunganick]

i heard about it from a friend in australia, cant recal name (im useless :( )

 

apparently it litterally destroyed the population, and they have just started to get back into semi large numbers again.

[Evilv]

i heard about it from a friend in australia, cant recal name (im useless :( )

 

apparently it litterally destroyed the population, and they have just started to get back into semi large numbers again.

I know. When I was a kid the only rabbits I saw were the ones in cages. See how much of our shooting permission evaporates if there are no bunnies...

 

:thumbs:

[Axe]

Is there any more news on this new disease, symptons, visual signs etc and above all, does affect humans?

 

Regards,

 

Axe.

Edited July 25, 2005 by Axe

[SNAKEBITE]

On the rabbit numbers thing - there's a new rabbit killer disease about, though I don't know if it's in Britain yet. If we don't keep on top of this population explosion, it'll be like my childhood in the 1950s when you only saw wild rabbits in books (myxi). Some ****** will bring it in and spread it - you watch.

It is a heamorattic (Spelling!?!) type of disese on par with ebola.

It kills within 24 hours but luckily because the rabbits cannot move far once they have it it does not spread very far.

 

Warrens as close as 100yds apart are not cross contaminated. It Kills off one but leaves the other untouched! Why? Who knows?

 

This is a far worse disease than mixy BUT seems to be limited and controled at the moment.

 

(can I point out that I am not an expert on this but read it somewhere!!)

[Devilishdave]

This disease VHD hit the UK about 8-10 years ago and because the incubation period is so quick it killed its self off but it was not wide spread. not to say we wont have a reoccurance!

 

Dave

[SNAKEBITE]

This disease VHD hit the UK about 8-10 years ago

What does the VHD stand for?

 

If I am correct is it not Viral Heamoralgic disease?

 

How did it get into the population?

[Devilishdave]

yes correct accronym but not sure how it got here

 

Dave

[Evilv]

Probably Viral Haemporrhagic Disease, but I'm guessing.

 

Shot another twenty rabbits today. I stop at twenty because it seems enough. Thirteen of them died of TX haemorrhagic disease and another eight of a Chinese fever, we'll just call B3, that started to effect them when my arms got tired.

 

Edited July 26, 2005 by Evilv

[SNAKEBITE]

I hope you either "quarantined" the bodies or better still burnt them.

If not you could risk spreading it. Not really a problem as such, unless you want to decimate your shoots!

 

Might seem a little over the top but better safe than sorry.

[ernyha]

SNAKEBITE I think you haven't quite understood the post by Evilv, he is describing the 2 guns used to shoot the rabbits.

 

Perhaps if he had just said that they died from lead poisoning you would have got the joke.

[SNAKEBITE]

:*) Yeah I knew that really........... honestly!

 

 

Ok i'm lying.