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Which rifle next?


norfolkgoose
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Hi Norfolk Goose; its a never ending conundrum of personal choice, but if you get it wrong it you can loose a bit of dosh.

How far are you going to have to carry this gun?, Are you traversing fences, gates , etc? If you have a Game Bag full of

Rabbits , and a heavy gun. with no sling , and a distance to walk , it can soon become tiring .

How many shots do you anticipate taking on each trip? Day shooting or Lamping? Terrain Flat ? Hilly? Steep?

All these things can affect what you purchase.

Most PCP's are easy to shoot, but without a regulator , they do have "sweet spot", when the pellets trajectory reacts

to the amount of air charge released on the pull of the trigger. So its not only how many shots the thing will do but how

consistently accurate they are. The other thing to consider is the sighting system,(scope), as your weapon will only be

as accurate as your target acquisition.

If you are only shooting 20 rabbits a session , (try carrying 20 rabbits) before going back to base , I would recommend

an Air Arm S410, or Daystate Huntsman . Both excellent quality and aesthetically pleasing.

But that's what I like , get something that makes you smile whenever you pull it out of the bag.!! :good::yes: Good Luck.

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Hello and Welcome Rob to PW.

 

Firstly if you got that amount of cash to spend on a rifle I would certainly advise you to take a closer look at the Daystate Air Ranger,Daystate Regal or Daystate Huntsman Classic rifles.

What you get with Daystate is quality precision Air-Rifles and also a Customer Service that is second to none!!

 

Outstanding UK made rifles!!

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Anyone know much about the fx cutlas or cyclone as a new daystate ranger or most of them r just a little to much money for my buget as most are around 1100- 1300 pounds 1400 is tops got to get the rifle ,moderator ,bottle, bag so only looking at spending 900 on the rifle

if your budget is £1400 then take a good look at bullet boys reply, I agree with him 100% get yourself a Daystate huntsman classic or a Daystate Air Ranger you will then have plenty of money left for all the other bits you need to get you shooting,

 

also don't go stupid on buying a £200+ scope,you don't need it you will only be shooting to 45yrds max so its a total waste of dosh,

 

if you want a rifle that will last ,shoot accurately,and have a fantastic customer service just incase anything did go wrong then its a Daystate all day long

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Unless you really MUST have a brand new gun, have a good browse through here (Gunwatch.co.uk), also guntrader.co.uk and gunstar.co.uk

 

You can do VERY well, and pick up some fantastic kit for a lot less than the new prices.

 

I've just bought an AA S410 carbine, .22, with scope, bag, pellets, etc for £400, great condition ... and it's a leftie !

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I cannot claim to have a huge amount of experience with a wide range of pcp air rifles but must say that my Theoben Rapid .177 pcp MK2 is a wonderful piece of kit. I shoot peanuts off cocktail sticks at 30 yards without any difficulty.

 

Only one previous post mentions a regulator.

 

The Rapid MK2 has a regulator fitted as standard and in practical terms it means that every shot fired follows the same trajectory irrespective of the state of fill of the air cylinder. With other (non regulated) air rifles there seems to be a "sweet spot" where if the cylinder is filled to capacity it does not shoot as accurately and as the cylinder loses pressure it also loses accuracy. The "sweet spot" is when the pressure is just right to give a number of consistent shots. Each side of this "sweet spot" it does not shoot as well.

When I have tried non-regulated rifles and recorded the results with a chronograph it amazed me how the accuracy varied so much depending on the state of fill.

 

As far as shot count is concerned, even when shooting at targets and getting through a lot of pellets the Rapid just does not run out of puff. That is because you can utilise all of the stored air (400cc bottle), it is regulated. I have never bothered to count the number of shots from a single fill but it must be more than 150 and absolutely consistent shot to shot. A superb trigger as well.

 

Do not be put off by the fact that the UK manufacturer has closed. Rapids have a huge following and Ben (of Theo Ben) is very active. Parts and service, if you should ever need it, are just not an issue.

 

For your budget you will easily pick up a Rapid Mk2 and the other bits such as dive bottle (easier than a hand pump). It will last you a lifetime.

 

Despite having Anschutz and CZ firearms in .22 and .177 the Rapid air rifle is the gun I like the most, it just feels and works so well, but these days it is used only for target shooting. The increased range and sheer "hitting power" of my rimfire rifles is, in my opinion, generally more humane when shooting rabbits, I am just not stealthy enough and it is often a case of "pest control".

 

Again, in my opinion, a sensible maximum range for an air rifle against rabbits is about 35 yards with very accurate shot placement (brain).

 

Take your time, you have already learned that it is easy to buy (or "be sold"!!) an inferior rifle but you have learned from that and now have some first hand experience to fall back on. Don't be put off buying second hand provided that it is one of the better rifles that has been well looked after and you try it and test it thoroughly before you part with any money.

 

Good luck.

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I started off with an air arms S400 in .177 and it was a great gun. I saved my pennies and then ramped up to an BSA R10 again in .177 and last year upgraded again to the HW100 yet again in .177. All the guns where used for hunting, all the guns where dealt accurate and worth the money I paid and all served me well.

 

The next gun I will buy will be either an HW100 or a Daystate in you guessed it a .177. HW100 is a heavy guns but has a low shot count. The Daystate Air Ranger has a greater shot count, is as accurate and is lighter than the HW100 but has a huge price tag.

 

Do you have a budget?

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As I have said only want to spend 900 tops on a single rifle I have 1400 to try get as much as I can for my money and does not mean I wish to spend it all in one go so much more I can do with it than get just a rifle and bottle! Daystates are very nice but I will not be buying a ranger as they are in the area of 1100-1200 new gun only does not leave me with a lot to play with once I buy a bottle!

so maybe i will buy second hand or just a cheaper new one say under 800 to 700 hundred pounds i have already got a good scope im happy with but other bits like moderator , bag, (night vision one day) decoys ,flappers, nets so it goes on . But I want a good rifle that will last I also like the rifle to have some weight to it ( don't like light ones) so not looking for light or stupidly heavy most of my shooting is on foot and at around 35 - 45 yards

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As I have said only want to spend 900 tops on a single rifle I have 1400 to try get as much as I can for my money and does not mean I wish to spend it all in one go so much more I can do with it than get just a rifle and bottle! Daystates are very nice but I will not be buying a ranger as they are in the area of 1100-1200 new gun only does not leave me with a lot to play with once I buy a bottle!so maybe i will buy second hand or just a cheaper new one say under 800 to 700 hundred pounds i have already got a good scope im happy with but other bits like moderator , bag, (night vision one day) decoys ,flappers, nets so it goes on . But I want a good rifle that will last I also like the rifle to have some weight to it ( don't like light ones) so not looking for light or stupidly heavy most of my shooting is on foot and at around 35 - 45 yards[/quote

I bought my Air Ranger secondhand for £650 so there are good bargains out there to be had.

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Dear fellow Norfolk Person,

 

I have had an AT44, lovely gun, very accurate, only swapped it with the wife because she did not like her Daystate X2 and I did (superb rifle that). The AT44 is highly accurate, quiet and has an auto safety on feature.

 

If you do not want the gun to be live do not cock it!

 

I have had a plethora of BSA Super 10s, the first was not quite what it was supposed to be (someone had down a home repair and bought a regulator from the USA or somewhere similar), consequently the gun was twice what it should be, hence I got brown underwear and contacted an RFD and sold the gun (luckily for more than I paid for it). I had an Ultra (brand new) mark 1, for three weeks, I hated the cocking action that much! It was then replaced by a secondhand Super 10 rifle length, which was superb, the X2 .177 was traded in for a brand new Super 10 bull barrel carbine .177 (probably the last one sold new in the UK). Then she fell out of love with her HW100 rifle (too long and front heavy) so I swapped the .22 Super 10 Rifle for her HW100 .22 rifle. I loved that gun, first pheasant with it, plenty of pigeons, then she decided she wanted me to have what she replaced her HW100 with, an HW100 KT (sad or what?), so I let her sell the rifle and buy me an HW100 KT, she gave up shooting when her mum got terminal cancer, so I swapped my secondhand HW100 KT for her new one whch still had warranty on it and we sold the old one.

 

I had been interested in Rapids for a while and a right dog of one came up on another forum, I pm'd the seller and made him a reasonable offer and £250 later was the owner of a Theoben Rapid Mark 1 in .22, the gun stock was cracked, the barrel rusty, but I put air in and it held, it was also after anti tamper and set to Theobens usual level of accuracy, ie 14 ft lb, so this meant a trip to a specialist gunsmith (KevG in Doncaster who is a Rapid genius) and all was put right when I used a pan scourer and medical alcohol on the barrel, then loads of gun oil (used it last night another pigeon and rabbit combo).

 

I also got a newer Daystate to replace the one I sold to get the Super 10, the Mark 3. Very reliable gun, just remember to charge the batteries!

 

Now my PCP list is in .22, HW100, Theoben Rapid and an SMK XS78 I tuned using a T R Robb kit, whch has brought power up to 11.3 on a hot summer day. In .177 I have a BSA Super 10 and a Daystate Mark 3. All are keepers and accurate, some have more soul than others (the BSA and the Theoben), some are very clinical (Daystate and HW), but all will outshoot me!

 

Things you will need:

 

1) An air supply. Go to this link and buy one.

 

http://www.underwaterworld.co.uk/acatalog/Airgun_Charging_Systems.html

 

They are about the cheapest in the UK and deliver,

 

Then go to this link and get it filled.

 

http://www.eastcoastdiving.co.uk

 

He collects and returns cylinders all over Norfolk, does a 300 bar fill and shoots an AA S410 as well!

 

2) A Chronoscope. Go to this link and buy one

 

http://www.chronoscopes.com/

 

This will keep your backside away from HMP Wayland! If you have a rifle that is over 12 ft lb, it is illegal if you know it is or if you do not know it is unless you have it declared on an FAC and at a guess, you don't have an FAC, Make sure your gun and pellet combo is running at about 11.3 ft lb and all is ok, this device helps you keep your gun legal. If it goes over, I would suggest taking it here in an emergency

 

http://www.philipwebstergunsmith.co.uk/

 

He is at Great Ellingham, is the gunsmith most Norfolk RFDs use and is skilled in repairing airguns!

 

3) A gun. Subject to personal taste but if you are after a large shotcount, avoid guns like the Ultra and Scorpion, stick to BSA Super 10, R10 (if sorted out and working), Theoben Rapid etc. People will tell you this gun is best but guns are like beers, some you love, some are ok and some are quite frankly urine, but it is a matter of personal taste so if you like lager stick to it!

 

4) Scope, see 3) what is right for one is wrong for another, I love Hawke scopes personally and have them on all my rifles!

 

5) Insurance, I recommend SACS (like BASC only more cover for a lot less money, BASC will only insure you for airguns at their £46 air gun member rate, a tenner less sees you insured for all legal firearms, archery, falconry, fishing and loads more with SACS, who apparently have a better legal team as well).

Edited by secretagentmole
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Some guns wot I have owned (to quote Lord Ern of Peterborough)...

 

 

 

HPIM0789.jpg

The FAC gun that was never registered as FAC and is now!

 

Photo0039.jpg

The wife's Super 10 she had at the same time and used to let me borrow when mine was sold and put on ticket.

 

HPIM0876.jpg

The Ultra (nice gun lousy shot count and cocking mechanism)

 

HPIM0833.jpg

The X2!

 

HPIM0879.jpg

The Ultra's replacement! The Super 10 rifle!

 

DSC00347.jpg

The Super 10's replacement!

 

DSC00437.jpg

This replaced the HW100 rifle, the KT!

 

DSC00019.jpg

This replaced the KT, a newer one (stock was not as nice though)....

 

DSC00253_zps6b0736d9.jpg

The latest .22, a 2007 Rapid mark 1.

 

2_zps9b5d2a1d.jpg

The Super 10 in current form with CS stock and Bowkett blueprint!

 

2013-02-09164055_zpsabaf6d4e.jpg

The Daystate Mark 3.

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Hi I would just like to thank everyone for there input and advice so far and for the links given from secretagrntmole have been very useful I am going to look at a daystate and a aa510 tom then I think its time I try and choose one as I have looked at a lot there are to many to choose from so far the r 10 is my favorite one but the hw 100 do a full length barrel with a sporting stock which I would like to try as should be a bit heavier which would be better for me than the carbine . Just to much choice :)

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You're an example to anyone looking to buy a new gun - this is going to be the most researched purchase ever! The guns you've picked out will all be top notch, so now it's finding the one that suits you. enjoy the test tomorrow and let us know what the final decision is! (**cough, cough-DAYSTATE-cough cough** :whistling: )

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Hi all ...I have had a good play ( test ) off alot of rifles :) now the hard bit ...going to buy new this time due to lack off experience with guns in knowing what to look for as bad and good !

The daystates were great but as new to much this time ! Plus a lot more 410,510, .. scorpion, cyclone, rapid 7,......

but the three that stand out are bsa r 10 mk2, hw100 full size + extra moderator ! and thr fx cutlas all for different reasons bar one factor they feel right to use and just handle in general !!!

These are the three that I'am willing to part with my money with this time and for some time too come .this time if I had to choose now it would be the hw100 full size +mod but only just..

Edited by norfolkgoose
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You will not go wrong with the HW100... I am only thinking of a springer now as I can not be faffed or afford the dive bottle and **** that goes with a PCP otherwise I would also get an HW100. Traded my HW100 in for a shotgun and do not regret this as I love pigeon shooting but miss the plinking so tis a springer for me.

 

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

BTW - The HW100 loves virtually any decent pellet while the BSA R10 is a fussy little ****** when it comes to pellets. Both mine loved the JSB Exact 4.52 and both where incredibly consistent.

Edited by NickB65
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Hello every one just to let everyone know that I have ordered my new hw100 with a sporting stock should have it with in the next two weeks i have been told I will have to wait because of the sporting stock !

 

Well done - you will not be disappointed. Cracking gun and the sporter stock is amazing. Yes some guns look nicer, some have bells and whistles but if you want a gun to shoot consistently, accurately and hit what your aiming at then you wont go wrong with the HW100. Did you go for .177 or .22?

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