by B.B. Pelletier
How many of you know the significance of today’s date? Here’s a hint – something very important happened a long time ago.
Normally this would be the final report on the Mendoza RM-200, because I’m going to talk about accuracy today, but there needs to be some further testing. I got good results, but they weren’t achieved the way I would like because I tried to test too many things at the same time. I tried to use a new scope to test this rifle and, though the scope worked fine, there were some complications that make it necessary to shoot more. However, I know many of you have been waiting for this, so I’ll tell you what I’ve seen thus far.
Barrel cleaned
The first step was a thorough cleaning of the barrel with JB Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. Even though the rifle is brand new, I know that rust from bluing and dirt and metal burrs left over from the manufacturing process need to be removed to get the best accuracy. If you don’t do this, the barrel will eventually get cleaned by simply shooting 500-1,000 pellets through it. I don’t have the time to wait that long, so I cleaned the bore.
Pellet sensitivity
I set up a target at 18 yards and started shooting with three pellets – Crosman Premiers, JSB Exacts and RWS Hobbys. The Premiers didn’t group at all, but they did teach me something very important about the RM-200. If I did not insert the pellet deep into the breech, it shot very fast and powerfully. If I did insert it deep into the breech, it lost all power. Apparently, the size of the Premier’s skirt is just a few thousandths bigger than this rifle’s breech, because the pellet popped into the bore with slight finger pressure. I had noticed this during chronographing last week, and you may remember that I got varying velocities. Some of that was due to dieseling, but it was also due to how the pellet was seated.
I got 4″ groups with the Premiers! That eliminated them from any further testing. The JSBs grouped about 2″, which also eliminated them. That left only the RWS Hobbys. They fit the breech very tightly, so I thought they might have a chance for accuracy – and they did. However, the scope issue caused me to shoot all my groups with open sights. Though the accuracy was very good, the rifle will do much better when I get a scope mounted on it – so that’s why there has to be another report. The scope issue was not a problem with the rifle, but a mounting problem with the scope I tried to use.
Hobbys did well
With RWS Hobbys, the groups shrank to 0.752, which is just over 3/4″. That’s shooting with open sights. A scope will measurably decrease even that kind of spread. Hobbys also tended to group about the same, time after time, which means they are consistent. That makes me wonder if there is an even better pellet for this rifle. If there is, it will probably be a fat bore-filling pellet that takes the shallow rifling well. That’s another reason for more testing, not just for the RM-200. Because all Mendoza rifles most probably use the same barrels, if you find the right pellet for one and you’ve found it for all.
A good group for open sights at 18 yards. We don’t even know if the Hobby is the best pellet!
There was a clue that the gun was accurate. The factory sent a sample group laminated in a hang tag. Not only is the group a good one (with no indication of what distance it was shot) but the mere fact that Mendoza thinks enough of their guns to SEND a sample group lets me know they are proud of their airgun. So, I must look for the best pellet I can find.
The company sends this hang tag with a test group with every rifle. Impressive!
How did it feel?
I really enjoy the light cocking effort of this rifle. For a .22 with as much power as this one has, it cocks like a dream. It’s definitely an all-day plinking rifle. And, I really like the trigger. The two blades still feel odd, but the positive first stage and light second stage are a delight to use. When the gun fires, it’s pretty stable. There’s a small amount of buzzing from the spring, but it’s over quickly and the overall firing impulse is quite light.
Sights are good and bad
The fiberoptic sights are very clear, crisp and sharply defined. It was dirt-simple to get a good sight picture. The adjustments, on the other hand, are too crude for precision work. I would remove the rear sight and install a Mendoza peep sight in its place, when it becomes available.
A good little R7 substitute
Okay, that might be a little much. But, it’s a nice little rifle that puts me in mind of the classic Beeman R7. Oh, the R7 has the better trigger, but the one on the Mendoza isn’t bad. Many of the innovative features I’ve seen, such as the two-bladed trigger and the oil hole, make me think Mendoza really cares about their product. I’m yet not satisfied that we know the whole accuracy story, so please be patient…but this is a very nice little air rifle.
“How many of you know the significance of today’s date? Here’s a hint – something very important happened a long time ago.”
Paul Revere was pretty busy on April 18th!
Good for you!
B.B.
BB,
I just checked when I woke up and someone broke into my house and stole many many things.The loss goes up to 6,000 dollars.I wanted to buy a pellet gun for safety and for personal defense.I dont want to buy it to do wrong stuff with it.I just dont feel safe and would like your advice.Wich pellet gun is recommended to be used as personal defense gun.I dont want a bb gun a want a pellet gun.Thank you.
Robert
Robert,
I cannot recommend any pellet gun for personal defense. Whenever you use a gun for defense you must be prepared to kill the attacker, and airguns are not reliable for this purpose.
I recommend that you visit the NRA website and read the pages on Refuse To Be A Victim. They discuss personal defensive strategies.
http://www.nrahq.org
B.B.
I like that Mendoza has their own designs, like their unique trigger, not just another cheaper copy. I’d like to see a follow up with the RM-2003 describing it’s dual barrel feature.
The best pellet gun for defense is a good security system and a Glock in .40 S&W. Sorry, a pellet gun is not a choice when it comes to life and death. And please don’t say that you don’t want to hurt him, and you just want to scare him away.
sorry if this was harsh but its the truth.
thanks
K. Rihanek,
I will eventually get to the RM-2003, but there are a lot of Mendozas to go through. I think I’ll do the RM-65 next.
B.B.
I agree w/ “Glock in .40” and B.B. … if you just scare the intruder, pretty soon his fright will turn to rage and a desire to avenge himself upon you even more than he may have originally thought when he first entered your property. If the intruder can kill you to keep you quiet about his crime, and you can’t afford to assume he isn’t equipped to do so, neither can you afford to be ill-equipped to do unto him before he does unto you. (The laws in your area might say you have to wait for him to fire at you first … but hopefully just seeing his weapon will be justification enuf for you to use yours while you still can.) Crooks hate noise, unless they are using it to cover their own activities, and an alarm system or loudly-barking dog would slow most of them down and make them think twice before continuing to try to force their way into your house. Once he’s in, tho, you need an automatic strategy since you’ll have precious little time to think about what to do. Instincts can be learned, and the NRA is a good teacher. Good luck !
Robert,
It’s good to hear you’re OK and fortunate the incident uninvolved the typical kind of burglar (or, burglars)… primarily interested in grabbing your stuff and running. Still, you described a very scary incident so I’d urge you not to make rash (or, emotional) decisions.
I suggest you address first things, first. There are many things you can do to make your home/business very unattractive to burglars. In my opinion, that’s very important to do even before you begin replacing the stuff that was stolen. Secure the perimeter, so to speak.
I agree with B.B.’s suggestion regarding the NRA. Learn all you can *before* you purchase any kind of gun… airgun or firearm. With any kind of gun, the consequences of improper handling and insufficient knowledge/experience may be quite tragic.
Cheers,
GH
Hi B.B.,
I’m wondering how that rifle stock feels to you now that you’ve had a chance to shoot it for a while. The rather unusual looking comb/cheek piece is hard to make out in the pictures I’ve seen. The comb sort of looks like it has a little bit of cup to it. Does the comb height feel OK for either open/peep sight use or scope use? Is the stock ambidextrous?
I guess I’m asking, how/where does the Mendoza stock contours fit into your “Rifle stock terms” blog? 😀
/blog/2006/12/rifle-stock-terms/
Cheers,
GH
B.B.
I’m glad to see your report on the Mendoza. I was waiting all last week for it and just could not stand the wait so I ordered my 200 and it came in today. First of all I was surprised that mine came with a composite stock instead of a wood stock. Frankly I’m THRILLED! I completely agree with your opinion on the fixed sights. They suck to adjust. Once dialed in.. they work great. I got the same .75″ grouping with Benjamin dome pellets, but at 10 meters. I haven’t backed up yet.
I have several large springers now and I have to say that I LOVE the size vs. power of this rifle. I want to mount a compact fixed power scope for close range hunting. I’m thinking one of the “bug buster” scopes.
On another front, I’ve started a web site to complement what you’ve got going on here (I’m not sure if you let people post links here but this is my new site: http://www.airgunweb.com). I want to get a Chronograph so that I can measure FPS with different rifles and pellets. I’m not nearly as experienced as you but I want to offer a layman’s opinion to various types of airguns and shooting situations. If you you could recommend a decent Chronograph, please let me know. I’ve got my own range on my property out in the country so I can shoot anytime I want.
A comment to Robert.. I agree with the comments so far. A pellet gun is NOT the way to go. My only suggestion besides the NRA website would be to find a local gun shop that offers training. Here in South Carolina, many offer Concealed Weapons Classes (CWP) that outline the local laws, shooting situations, and basic handgun use. Frankly it is a bit elementary, but is a good start. Our local shop also offers basic and advanced handgun training in both indoor defense and outdoor defense. They may be the exception to the rule, but do some research and find a place that you can get training so that you will know how to respond. Also determine if you are personally able to take a life. If you are not reasonably confident of your ability to do so, then please do NOT get a handgun as you will only be putting yourself and your family in danger.
B.B., let us know how it goes with the new scope! I’ll share what I find as well.
Rick in SC
GH,
The stock is a right-hand Monte Carlo with a low cheekpiece. It can easily be ambidextrous, because the right side is flat for your face. The safety is ambidextrous, too.
B.B.
AirHead (Rick in SC),
I went to your site. Good luck with it.
Try some good fat pellets in your RM-200. And a Bug Buster might be a great scope for this rifle.
B.B.
To Robert,
Very glad to hear you are ok, even if your stuff isn’t. I agree with many of the others that a security system or barking dog is better than having to confront someone with a gun. Most professional systems are expensive but K-mart, Home Depot, and other places have little battery powered devices you attach to each window or door that scream loudly if the window or door is opened. They are only about $7 each, are easy to install, and definitely work. They might prevent you from being forced to face a life or death situation.
Pestbgone
B.B.
I have just a quick update from what I posted earlier. I thought the RM200 that I got today had a composite stock because it is black. Now that I look closely, it may be painted wood. In either case I like it, but wanted to be accurate.
Also, the LOGUN .22 Penetrator (light version) gave me the best groups today. Actually I had my sister in law do the shooting as I wanted to get a “newbie” perspective seeing this gun may be good for younger shooters and first time shooters.
I installed a BSA 4×33 AO scope and let her shoot from 10 meters. She is very new to shooting in general and this is only her second attempt with a springer air gun. She managed a .5″ group (it may be smaller, but I did not measure it. I’ll be posting all photos on my site) it easily fits inside my wedding ring.
Have a great week. Can’t wait to see what you find with yours.
Rick in SC
(AirHead)
Rick,
Thanks for the pellet info. That may save me some time.
B.B.
If the RM-200 is good, what can we expect from say, a RM-600 or a RM-2000? I am now looking into both rifles as a possible next buy.
Also would a “Low-Profile Dragon Claw Clamp-on Barrel Bi-pod” on a under lever rifle (B3-1 I have been working on, re-finished stock, spring work, muzzle break added, ect…) work?
hi bb
today 52 years ago alert einstien died
Field Targetier
BB,
What would be the differences between a stock Talon SS and a Condor converted to use 12″ barrel? Thanks.
bb,
this page tells you all about what happened on this date in history. There are about a couple hundreds of them 🙂
http://www.scopesys.com/cgi-bin/today2.cgi
hi all.Thanks for the tips.Ill surely check that website.
The velocity difference between a .22 Talon SS and a .22 Condor with a 12-inch barrel is 75-100 f.p.s. with Crosman Premiers.
B.B.
Field Targetier,
You’re right! Also, the San Francisco fire happened on April 18 in 1906. I was going for Paul Revere’s ride, however.
B.B.
Just my 2 cents for the guy wanting a pellet gun for self defense. You would be much better of with a pump shotgun, a nice 20 gage is perfect. Just the sound of chambering a round is often all it takes. You have a much better chance of hitting what your shooting at if you do not have any experience with guns at all. B.B. I am eagerly awaiting your report on the other Mendoza rifles. Keep up the good work, Steve
BB, I have owned a Mendoza Rm 600 22cal for a couple of months now and have not yet experimented with different pellets yet. The gun shoots really well and have ordered a leapers 4x9x50 for it with a one piece mount. I have noticed that it still continues to diesel with about 1500 shots through it and have experienced “detonation” on at least three occasions. Could you please advise on how to solve this problem? Thanx.
Ria,
The only positive way I know to stop the dieseling is to disassemble the gun and wipe it dry. Then relubricate with moly grease.
Sometimes, introducing regular silicone chamber oil will reduce the doeseling, but not entirely eliminate it. The thing is, these guns seem to be over-oiled at the factory. What you want to do is dilute the oil they use with a high-flashpoint oil of your own. One drop is all I recommend.
B.B.
hello b.b. and anyone can help me
can anyone tell me if the mendoza rm-2003 is any good and if there are any problems with it
thank you
I haven’t tested the RM-2003 yet, but because it’s a Mendoza, I suspect it’s good.
Maybe someone who owns one will tell us?
B.B.