Daystate Aftercare (well chuffed)

[evo]

ok I already own the Daystate Huntsman Classic (bought new) and after having a faultless 1st year with it (except for being set at 10ftlb when bought new) decided to buy a Daystate Airwolf,(second hand and 3 years old)

 

After 3 months I put the airwolf on my chrono and notice it was also low on power so decided to send an email to Tony at Daystate,

 

I booked the rifle in with them for today on Tony,s request, so off I set on the 3hour round trip with the wife,

 

Arrived at daystate to be met by Angie,They took the rifle off me and took it away into the back, 5 mins later one of the daystate engineers popped out to see me and asked what readings I was getting off my chrono , so I told him 10.4ftlb max and he said your chrono must be reading wrong,

 

Bare with me he said , another 5mins later he called me in and there on the table was my airwolf with a printout all the shots where reading 11.8ftlb except for one which was 11.7ftlb,

 

"its done",,he said ," how much do I owe you I replied"

 

£15 I nearly fell over ,

 

that was cheap I thought,

 

he then replied this will go on the guns history," is there anything else we can do" " no I replied "

 

I got home and put it on my chronograph and yes it was reading exactly 1 ftlb lower than the Daystate chrono , put my huntsman on and again that was reading 1ftlb lower than what it is,

 

so after the journey I had my airwolf tuned to 11.8ftlb (well happy) and I have now found that my chronograph is reading 1ftlb lower than what it should

 

I will be now sending the chronograph back to be checked thus keeping me and the guns legal,

 

Thankyou Daystate for excellent aftersales care as usual

 

cheers Evo

[malkiserow]

It is great to have great customer service. I am starting to get the feeling owners need it with Daystate. This maybe a strange PW bandwagon that I've picked upon reading airgun stuff. I've a HW100 and it has not needed any repairs,nor has my Feinwerkbau of 35 years of ownership.

 

I Liked the idea of a daystate (fab design, superb to shoot, great accuracy, yada yada) but have an uneasy feeling about reliability from nothing but posts on PW. Have I got the wrong end of the stick?

[evo]

you have definitely got the wrong end of the stick as you quoted,

 

i bought my huntsman new 14 months ago and it was set at 10.6ftlb from the factory, they immediately tuned it to 11.6ftl, that as said was 14 months ago,since then I take the huntsman out shooting at least 4 times a week

 

in 14 months I have only changed one thing on my huntsman and that was the chrome bolt, I changed it to a black one because whilst out shooting I did not want the sun reflecting off the chrome bolt,

 

in 14 months my huntsman has been totally faultless yes not one single problem at all, it has been a fantastic rifle , accurate, light, and a top bunny basher, it has NEVER let me down once,

 

I re zero before I go out hunting just to be on the safe side but it is nearly always spot on, it might be one or two clicks out,

 

I spend one morning a week out in the field practising on targets set at all distances out to 45 yrds and change these at times so as the wind is coming from different directions and I also spend one night a week practising on targets during the night with my night vision kit again changing the targets to shoot in different wind conditions,

 

Has the huntsman ever let me down NO NOT ONCE

 

I have put over 8,000 pellets through it in 14 months and it works like a well oiled machine in all weathers though I do prefer to shoot when its dry,

 

yes all makes of rifles have problems but the Two Daystates I own have been nothing short of superb, don't forget I bought the Airwolf second hand and even that was shooting 11.4ftlb so just needed a tweak, nothing has happened to either rifle they have both been excellent tools for the job,

 

Now I own Two Daystates I certainly will not look at any other make of rifle because for me they have been brilliant in the field and also on targets,

 

Oh Just whilst im waffling on I also own the AA s410, that's 7 years old and has only had its seals changed in that time and has been a great gun, but when it comes to quality and feel its like putting a reliant robin next to a merc,

 

atb Evo

[timmytree]

Evo, you forgot one very big point, the Merc may be lovely but if you eat roadkill the Reliant Robin will take out 50% more hedgehogs because of the wheel in the middle.

I bet you never thought of that!

[karpman]

Heard nothing but good things generally about Daystates customer service, there's always one who didn't get on too well but by en large very good.

 

Rare in this day and age I seem to be finding out.

 

There does appear to be a fair few customers who do require there customer service department mind lol.

 

Karpman

[turbo33]

I wouldn't like to **** on your parade Evo.................but, don't get too excited until you've tried someone elses chrono. My Airwolf was run over three different chrono's, two different makes, all producing exactly the same figure of 36 ft/lbs. It went back to Daystate. Their chrono read 7% more at 38.5 ft/lbs. The same formula applied to yours would make it 11.12 ft/lbs which isn't that far away from what you have. Did they use the same pellets as you do? If they used a heavier pellet, that would take it up to the mark. And the £15 you were charged was for 5 pellets shot through their chrono, that was all I expect.

 

10.4ftlbs is a bunny killer all day long, the loss of 1 ftlb is nothing in power or trajectory. However, I'm still cross with them for not responding to my querying the output of their chrono, and other matters. So I would be very interested to see what readings you get from another one.

I will donate £5 to help the hero's if you get a reading of 11.4+ from another chrono that's known to be accurate

Edited October 30, 2013 by turbo33

[bullet boy]

Well done mate,glad you got it sorted.

As you've said Daystate Customer Service is Awesome and I would definately agree.

I lucky to have 4 Daystate rifles myself and love each one but it does make a difference when you not only get a quality rifle from them but quality Customer Service to go with it!

Well done Daystate!!

[Salop Matt]

I wouldn't like to **** on your parade Evo.................but, don't get too excited until you've tried someone elses chrono. My Airwolf was run over three different chrono's, two different makes, all producing exactly the same figure of 36 ft/lbs. It went back to Daystate. Their chrono read 7% more at 38.5 ft/lbs. The same formula applied to yours would make it 11.12 ft/lbs which isn't that far away from what you have. Did they use the same pellets as you do? If they used a heavier pellet, that would take it up to the mark. And the £15 you were charged was for 5 pellets shot through their chrono, that was all I expect.

 

10.4ftlbs is a bunny killer all day long, the loss of 1 ftlb is nothing in power or trajectory. However, I'm still cross with them for not responding to my querying the output of their chrono, and other matters. So I would be very interested to see what readings you get from another one.

I will donate £5 to help the hero's if you get a reading of 11.4+ from another chrono that's known to be accurate

 

The Chrono at Daystate cant be that bad as the police use it for testing and its used for the testing of S1 firearms. Its a big propper machine and is calibrated, it isnt one of the little things you stick on the end of the barrel and line up and it isnt one of the £100 F1 type chrono`s bought from a catalog or little airgun shop either.

I would put money on the other chronos were 7% to low and not calibrated proven devices.

I would also say that the £15 will of cost that to cover the engineers labour time plus the loss from his time not spent on other higher paid jobs, plus the pellets plus the admin side.

 

 

It is great to have great customer service. I am starting to get the feeling owners need it with Daystate. This maybe a strange PW bandwagon that I've picked upon reading airgun stuff. I've a HW100 and it has not needed any repairs,nor has my Feinwerkbau of 35 years of ownership.

 

I Liked the idea of a daystate (fab design, superb to shoot, great accuracy, yada yada) but have an uneasy feeling about reliability from nothing but posts on PW. Have I got the wrong end of the stick?

 

Google HW100 problems, theres plenty of reports of them leaking and other problems. As with anything man made there are going to be mistakes and failures but its how its put right when / if they occur at the end of the day which Daystate excell at.

 

I have two Daystates and neither have ever missed a beat and the MK4 is 2 years over due its service but running faultlessly still.

 

My Dad bought a HW100........It lasted 3 days with him and neither of us could get on with it and it was taken back and exchanged for an AAS410 carbine which was then sent to Ben Taylor for a reg and it hasnt missed a beat. As much as he loves the AA S410 he even admitts he thinks both my Huntsman and MK4 are better rifles still.

 

IMO the HW100 is over rated and uggly, But its horses for courses. There is a real tendancy for folk to jump all over any praise of Daystates and I dont understand why, folk dont do it with the other brnds that are 90% of the time cheaper, is it jelousy or insecurity?

[Salop Matt]

Very nice Evo lets seem some pictures then B) And some info on scopes and silencer choices !

 

ATB

 

Matt

[golfshot]

Are you using the wolf tonight

[evo]

Are you using the wolf tonight

yes mate, I,ve put the hawke panorama Ev 3x9x50 AO IR on it today and spent an hour getting it spot on at 40 yrds so its the Evolution20 and the Airwolf tonight, the Huntsman is staying in the cabinet Rog

Very nice Evo lets seem some pictures then B) And some info on scopes and silencer choices !

 

ATB

 

Matt

hi matt I,ll pop a couple on later when photo bucket is not being serviced

 

cheers Bob

[evo]

well as promised here he is , my daystate airwolf with the hawke panorama EV 3x9x50 AO IR , with the mk 5 silencer, bipod and also fitted with the EVO20 nightvision kit ready for some bunny bashing tonight,

 

 

have to say this rifle is awesomely accurate

 

atb Evo

[Salop Matt]

Evo, What pellets is he being fed ?

 

Very nice by the way and thats a fair but if addition kit there that NV ! What did it cost you to make up ?

Edited October 31, 2013 by salop sniper

[evo]

the most accurate pellets I,ve found with the airwolf are the jsb exact 15.89g followed by rws superfields 15.9g, then closely behind the H&N field target trophy14.66g

 

I only use the jsb,s when hunting as they are certainly the most accurate I have used in the wolf and huntsman, so its not worth me changing something that works and they also give me confidence when using them which improves the mind when out shooting,

 

atb Evo

 

ps off out after the bunnies now, catch ya all later

Edited October 31, 2013 by evo

[turbo33]

 

The Chrono at Daystate cant be that bad as the police use it for testing and its used for the testing of S1 firearms. Its a big propper machine and is calibrated, it isnt one of the little things you stick on the end of the barrel and line up and it isnt one of the £100 F1 type chrono`s bought from a catalog or little airgun shop either.

I would put money on the other chronos were 7% to low and not calibrated proven devices.

I would also say that the £15 will of cost that to cover the engineers labour time plus the loss from his time not spent on other higher paid jobs, plus the pellets plus the admin side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the Police do indeed use the Daystate chrono, that's no proof it is accurate at all. And the little stick on the end of the barrel things you refer to is, I presume the Combro. Guaranteed by the manufacturer to be within 1%. F1 chronoscopes have a very good reputation too, and I have yet to hear of anyone who has had either that has been in accurate. Respectfully SS, the catalogue/little airgun shop quip implies they are inadequate toys. I am fairly confident that 75+% of air rifle/pistol enthusiasts that own a chrono would own either one of these. So at 11.5ftbs, adding the +7% error would make their rifle an FAC. Bit of a dangerous situation for the chrono manufacturers to put their customers in don't you think? My gunsmith doesn't use a combro. He had exactly the same reading as me. So on the basis of your analysis, I had better inform him it is highly possible he is selling air rifles at fac level.

 

The engineer disappeared with Evo's rifle and presumable ran it over the chrono, as he then informed Evo HIS chrono was wrong too. Bit of a coincidence don't you think? Then they produced a printout. If its the same as mine, 5 shots over 33 seconds. Hardly a huge amount of time to be kept away from "other higher paid jobs"! There is the huge expense of the pellets though

 

I'm not knocking Daystate for the rifles at all. I have all sorts in the cabinet, shotguns, rimfires etc. If I had to keep only one, without hesitation, it would be my FAC Airwolf. Its quite simply the most stunning piece of equipment I have ever purchased.

 

I just don't support the same view, based on my experience, of the wonderful customer service that Daystate allegedly provides. Yes people have returned their rifles to them for repair/service, the work has been done and the customer charged, sometimes a large sum of money. Where's the outstanding customer service there? They do the job and take the money.

 

Good customer service to me is about resolving issues swiftly and politely, good communication, sometimes an apology, occasionally a gesture of goodwill if appropriate. Sadly, not my experience

[retromlc]

I'd love a Daystate and i could easily go and buy which ever one i fancied,BUT the HW I have is not pretty I admit,although i have smoothed out the stock and it looks better for it,it's just so sodding accurate,I see daystates and think yup I'll have it,then think about the 40 yrd groups on the HW and think why bother?And mine chrono's at 11.85 BTW

Edited October 31, 2013 by retromlc

[turbo33]

I'd love a Daystate and i could easily go and buy which ever one i fancied,BUT the HW I have is not pretty I admit,although i have smoothed out the stock and it looks better for it,it's just so sodding accurate,I see daystates and think yup I'll have it,then think about the 40 yrd groups on the HW and think why bother?And mine chrono's at 11.85 BTW

 

Mick, have you tried bisley magnums through it? Mine, like yours, is stupidly accurate, but with Bis mags it will hold that accuracy way out further than any other pellet I've tried. Just check on the mv though

[retromlc]

I tried a selection of pellets and the Diablo files in 5.52 were the best.the bisley mag dropped too much but were just as accurate,mine is zero'd at 35 yards.i get bored of plinking the the back garden because its so good,I got a picture somewhere of 8 pellets stuck on top of each other.mine looks better since I smoothed out the stock angle too

[Deano 1]

Calibration of a chronograph, how do they do it? To be done properly they have to be compared to a master chronograph. There isn't a copper on this land that can prove the chrono he uses is perfect. Just a little comment about the discussion a few posts up.

[bruno22rf]

Turbo33-whilst fully understanding your point of view concerning Daystates customer service might I add that I bought a MK3, about 6 years old, and rang Daystate when I could not find the serial number on their database. I must admit to having never received so much help and advice from any company before and the engineer I spoke to was happy to chat "till the cows came home". By contrast, I contacted Air Arms a short while back with a design idea for locking the bolt down on their guns (that would have cost pennies to produce and been unique) and never even received a reply. .

[turbo33]

Turbo33-whilst fully understanding your point of view concerning Daystates customer service might I add that I bought a MK3, about 6 years old, and rang Daystate when I could not find the serial number on their database. I must admit to having never received so much help and advice from any company before and the engineer I spoke to was happy to chat "till the cows came home". By contrast, I contacted Air Arms a short while back with a design idea for locking the bolt down on their guns (that would have cost pennies to produce and been unique) and never even received a reply. .

Yup, I remember you saying that Bruno. But there is a difference to telling someone about a good idea, and them not replying ( that they may well use and pretend its their own :o ) and spending fourteen hundred quid and them not replying,

Edited November 2, 2013 by turbo33

[Salop Matt]

If the Police do indeed use the Daystate chrono, that's no proof it is accurate at all. And the little stick on the end of the barrel things you refer to is, I presume the Combro. Guaranteed by the manufacturer to be within 1%. F1 chronoscopes have a very good reputation too, and I have yet to hear of anyone who has had either that has been in accurate. Respectfully SS, the catalogue/little airgun shop quip implies they are inadequate toys. I am fairly confident that 75+% of air rifle/pistol enthusiasts that own a chrono would own either one of these. So at 11.5ftbs, adding the +7% error would make their rifle an FAC. Bit of a dangerous situation for the chrono manufacturers to put their customers in don't you think? My gunsmith doesn't use a combro. He had exactly the same reading as me. So on the basis of your analysis, I had better inform him it is highly possible he is selling air rifles at fac level.

 

The engineer disappeared with Evo's rifle and presumable ran it over the chrono, as he then informed Evo HIS chrono was wrong too. Bit of a coincidence don't you think? Then they produced a printout. If its the same as mine, 5 shots over 33 seconds. Hardly a huge amount of time to be kept away from "other higher paid jobs"! There is the huge expense of the pellets though

 

I'm not knocking Daystate for the rifles at all. I have all sorts in the cabinet, shotguns, rimfires etc. If I had to keep only one, without hesitation, it would be my FAC Airwolf. Its quite simply the most stunning piece of equipment I have ever purchased.

 

I just don't support the same view, based on my experience, of the wonderful customer service that Daystate allegedly provides. Yes people have returned their rifles to them for repair/service, the work has been done and the customer charged, sometimes a large sum of money. Where's the outstanding customer service there? They do the job and take the money.

 

Good customer service to me is about resolving issues swiftly and politely, good communication, sometimes an apology, occasionally a gesture of goodwill if appropriate. Sadly, not my experience

Neither of us can prove either way but I just don't see a big company like Daystate investing in Chrono for all there production rifles that isn't accurate. And then If it was of dubious quality I can't see the police using it!

 

We will have to agree to disagree in this case !

 

ATB

 

Matt

[turbo33]

Neither of us can prove either way but I just don't see a big company like Daystate investing in Chrono for all there production rifles that isn't accurate. And then If it was of dubious quality I can't see the police using it!

 

We will have to agree to disagree in this case !

 

ATB

 

Matt

 

It will be interesting to see what the output is On Evo's rifle when his chrono comes back from checking, if he's happy to post the result on here.

Another aspect of interest is, the readings I have matched both the Hawke BRC and Strelok. If I put in the output Daystate say my rifle is doing, then it doesn't match the BRC's, so how would you explain that?

Edited November 2, 2013 by turbo33

[varmintexpress]

i'm sure the daystate crono is spot on.

 

but my experience of daystates customer service is not that great in terms of getting something sorted effectively. They gernally wanted to help on all occations but still I had to send the thing back 4 times in all to deal with two major problems that you would not have expected from a 1300 air gun.

 

after 3 trips to the factory (and one currier) and two independent gun smith repairs nearer the end of the warranty period which have cost me to sort a faulty gun which was thrown together.

 

and before anyone says its my fault an independent smith proved it to daystate and one of the problems is a common problem on the model.

 

do I question daystates attitude toward 'customer service' no they have a good proactive customer service ethos generally.

do I think 'some guns are thrown together and have poor quality control during manufacture. yes.

 

would I buy another daystate in a hurry no. (to much time, frustration and money cost on my side) to sort a gun which cost well over 1000.

 

saying that many of their guns will be faultless i'm sure. but for the ones that are not faultless means frustration, time and money for the unlucky buyer.

[evo]

right guys, put new battery in my chrono today and how weird, the print off daystate was showing 11.8ftlb and 11.7ftlb

 

my chrono today was reading 11.89ftlb to 11.97ftlb, so although its still below I think my chrono has a mind of its own,

 

whilst talking to the engineer who tuned my rifle he said the daystates chrono cost £700 and is calibrated if that means anything,one thing I will say is the airwolf is defo performing better so at least I,m a happy chappie

 

cheers evo