by B.B. Pelletier
Update on Tom/B.B.: When I visited him Monday afternoon, we discovered that he’d lost 50 lbs. of water in less than a week. All vital signs are stable and things look quite good!
Today’s blog was written by B.B., but we have an announcement first.
Pyramyd AIR is having its 3rd Annual Airgun Garage Sale on June 5. As in previous years, there will be a mountain of guns and accessories with slashed prices and dented pellet tins at huge discounts. Come early, bring cash or credit cards, and shop til you drop!
Now, on to today’s blog.
Here’s another subject I’ve hit before: Darts in airguns. Back in the 1600s, darts were the most accurate ammunition available for airguns. They were considered for target use only, were very low-powered and were shot from smoothbore guns of approximately .40 caliber. When airgunners see these old guns, they imagine things that just aren’t true, such as shooting them with lead balls, bullets or pellets. The truth is that darts were at one time a very popular airgun ammo.
The progression: from then to now
The early darts were very carefully made with metal bodies and animal hair fletching. Accuracy was controlled by removing hairs from the tail of the dart…one at a time. One hair was always a dark one, and that one never got removed. It was the way you oriented the dart in the barrel of the gun each time you loaded (e.g., always put the dark hair at the 12 o’clock position in the breech).
In the 19th century, they started producing darts with machines. This made them cheaper to buy but considerably less precise. They were still the ammunition of favor until the late 1870s.
Henry Marcus Quackenbush
When H.M. Quackenbush brought out his popular line of airguns, he also made darts for them, and that was considered their best ammunition. Later, he brought out several different types of ammo for the same guns. Cat slugs were solid lead cylinders with felt glued to the tail. The felt acted like a modern diabolo waist and flared skirt, creating high drag that kept the slug on track. Later still, some H.M.Q. guns were made to fire modern diabolo pellets and lead balls. Once, again, they were never very fast because of their roots in a dart gun design.
After WWI, the popularity of darts faded quickly. Webley kept them alive for their smoothbore pistols, most notably the Junior model, on which I reported recently. By the 1950s, the concept of the airgun dart was not very well understood in the USA. Benjamin made and sold them for their smoothbore guns that were also BB guns. But, most owners paid no attention and shot the metal body darts in their guns with rifled brass barrels!
You can still buy darts, but not many people do. A good dart gun is very low-powered and a very smooth shooter. Anything else defeats the purpose. They’re not, as some airgunners believe, super-penetration hunting ammunition.
Before I sign off today, I have another announcement.
Oehler 35P now available again
Most of us are more than happy with our Shooting Chronys, but a few of you have asked me for years about getting an Oehler 35P printing chronograph. I’m not here to sell an Oehler to you, but there’s no substitute if that’s what you really want.
The new package includes 3 skyscreens, a skyscreen bar, tripod, chronograph with built-in printer, and diffusers…all packaged in a hard rifle case. The Oehler is the only chronograph I know of that has a second proof channel that constantly compares to the output of the main chronograph channel. Both channels print out on the built-in printer. The price for this package is $575 with shipping (which is an introductory offer). At that price, this product isn’t for everyone. For 95% of my testing for Pyramyd AIR, I use a Shooting Chrony.
Goodmorning B.B. and Edith,
I wonder if people made those darts with different types and/or lenghts of hair the way pellets are made today with different shapes etc? I can see it now, all that advertising touting the advantages of one type over another. Perhaps someone developed a method for adding hair to a dart for additional tuning capabilities.
We have a cock feather on an arrow, so what do we call the dark animal hair that’s used to aline the dart in the bore? Chuck, I need your help–what’s its name?
Mr B.
BB and Edith.
I promise one day when I win the lottery I will be over to PA.
To coin a phrase “I liked it so much I bought the shop”:)
As a naughty kid, I fired a dart from my dads BSA rifle into our solid wood front door from a distance of about 10ft.
It stuck in the door at a sideways angle up to the hairs.
The velocity my dads hand traveled when it hit my backside I am not sure.
Denim jeans make for useless body Armour as well by the way.lol
DaveUK,
The velocity my dad’s hand traveled and jeans make for useless body Armour will keep me smiling off and on all day–thank you!
Mr B.
Mr B:
Harsh but fair my Dad.
I should really tell him about the Goldfish I shot in the pond as well as a kid, but I look at them big hands of his and think….Nah forget it!:)
Can you believe me actually asking an airgun question? I have a 2240 that I have procrastinated about putting a steel breech on because I didn’t want to muck up the simple job. Well after about two months I finally did it yesterday and yep I mucked it up. Everything went fine, everything fit perfect, dry fire good pellets would jamb. Have taken it apart twice today, same results. The bolt slides smoothly with no pellet. I’ve tried three different pellet types and they all jam. The pellet seem to turn right at the steel sleeve that breech sets on. I think I may have just thought of somrthing but any help would be appreciated.
rikib
I’m sure the readers of this blog don’t know this, but the comments from the video and podcast pages do not appear on the RSS comments feed for the blog. In fact, you have to log in for each site and download the comments for each one…making it 3 separate feeds. I’m going to ask the programmer to make one feed for all comments.
In the meantime, there’s a single mom who’s written a comment on Episode 4 of the video page, and she’s seeking advice to get her twin 7-year-old boys into shooting airguns. I responded with some help and some links to previous postings, but I’m sure it’s inadequate compared to what many of the blog readers can do. I’ve asked her to post her question on the current day’s blog. Not sure she will, so I was hoping some of you could assist her over on the video page linked above.
Thanks!
Edith
Stupid me. I just found my problem. I was not putting the barrel back into the breech far enough to line up the steel sleeve over both. Pistol firing fine now. Next I have to mount red dot, hopefully I will not muck that up as well.
rikib
rikib:
Good for you mate.
I will mess with my springer but never dared touch my PCP or Co2 guns.
Thanks Mate, well mounting the red dot is on hold wife came home and wants me to assemble Purple Martin Bird House before I mess with the pistol anymore. Oh well, hopefully it will not take too long. Of course she wanted one of the bigger ones (16 rooms). Then I have to lower the old one try and transfer the nests, mount the new house and raise it again. But all I can say at the moment is thank God my 2240 is working again!
rikib
rikiB
Congrats on your airgun mod. Not so bad huh? Now that you have done it once, next time will be easy should you decide to get the longer barrel.
Let us know how you like it with the red dot (after you’re finished with the martin house.)
Hi Edith,
Tom losing 50 pounds of water is good news. I hope he didn’t wet the bed!
I see that Pyramyd has quietly changed the description of the Weihrauch HW30S rifle to just a plain HW30. I guess this means that what I got from Pyramyd was in fact an HW30, despite ordering an HW30S, albeit with the Rekord trigger.
Just for the sake of historical clarity, can you elucidate for me exactly what the differences are today between an HW30S (no longer offered by Pyramyd) and the HW30? If the trigger was the only difference, then what’s left? The stamped model name imprint on the barrel? Or are there other subtle differences?
Thanks,
-AlanL
Edith,
Can you please tell me the difference between the following three rifles:
Weihrauch HW50S
Weihrauch HW50S
Weihrauch HW50S
The first two are particularly confusing. One mentions the Rekord trigger, the other does not, but pictures it.
Given my confusion and my ongoing doubt as to which HW30 I actually received, at this point I do not have a warm fuzzy feeling at this time about ordering any further Weihrauch rifles.
Regards,
-AlanL
The last sentence should have read “Given my confusion and my ongoing doubt as to which HW30 I actually received, I do not have a warm fuzzy feeling at this time about ordering any further Weihrauch rifles.”
I really need that Preview feature back! -AlanL
AlanL,
You have no idea how many emails went back and forth among a good number of Pyramyd AIR employees about the HW30 M/II, HW30 and HW30S. Weihrauch lists only the first and third versions. Pyramyd Air’s guns say only HW30. Weihrauch says the only difference between the HW30 M/II and the HW30S is the Rekord trigger.
The only way I knew to clear this up was to ask Tom. So, while I was at the hospital with him last week, he told me exactly how the Rekord trigger looks. I described it to a Pyramyd AIR employee I had on the phone, and she confirmed that the gun in her hand had a trigger that looked exactly the way Tom described. That means the HW30S is not identified as being an “S” model on the breech. Confusing? I think so!
Edith
Weihrauch has a long history of using mismatched parts especially during a models transition. The HW30 is a model in transition. The perfekt trigger is being phased out for the rekord, the stocks are changing (fit, finish, checkering) and the newer models are commonly sporting fiber optic sights and the metal sights are getting harder to find. During this transition I think we’ll see lots of “frankensteins”.
kevin
Kevin,
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head — manufacturers change/share/modify assemblies all the time. The whole thing sounds like a tempest in a teapot to me. HW30 + Rekord trigger = HW30S.
Furthermore, I’ve yet to see proof that there is anything out of the ordinary about an HW30S having only HW30 stamped on it, anyway. Has anyone confirmed that their current production HW30S does have, in fact, “HW30S” on the breech?
As an example, my Savage 111FXCP3 (or something like that) says only “111” on the breech. That doesn’t mean its a 111G, although that model probably has the same markings. They have different triggers, stocks, sights(or not), and different numbers printed on the box:).
AlanL,
I can help. The first one you listed is a discontinued model. Look at the item code (located just to the right of the ACCESSORIES link for each gun). It says BN-1150OG. Now, look at the item code of the one that looks identical to it. It’s HW-403580 (just comparing .177 cals. now).
Pyramyd AIR does not change item codes on models. Instead, they create a new model page when item codes change. There’s a good reason for this.
What if the mfr says there’s no change, and we change the item code? If Pyramyd AIR started to get a lot of returns due to quality or function issues for one of those guns, they’d be able to pinpoint which gun it was by the item code. In fact, this has actually happened. A mfr says nothing has changed except for the item code, yet the new set of guns they were sending were inferior. This is why Pyramyd Air’s tech department gets involved in these matters and tests guns. They want to uncover any possible issues before the first gun is sold.
Edith
BB,
Many people take a probiotics after antibiotic use. Probiotics are the “good bacteria” that the medication killed along with the bad bacteria. Without the good bacteria we sometimes get a secondary infections after antibiotic use. Please talk with your Dr. first. Get well soon.
Gene
AlanL,
The first two HW50S guns appear to the be same. The first was “discontinued” by PA and appears relisted as available in your second link. Not sure if this gun now includes the inserts for the front globe sight since it doesn’t specify now. Call PA and ask if the inserts are included since this is the only difference I can ascertain from your first two links. The third link is the newer version of the HW50S with fiber optic sights.
kevin
Kevin,
AlanL was referencing the HW30/HW30S, not the HW50S.
Glad to see you’re reading and posting!
Edith
Kevin,
Ugh! I’m working backwards to the current comments, and the only comment I saw was the one AlanL made about the HW30/HW30S. I see now that he asked about the HW50/HW50S discrepancy.
Sorry!
Edith
Kevin,
Glad to see you’re here. Thanks for the info.
Edith,
Thanks- your info about the product codes makes a lot of sense. I know from my business that European manufacturers do make changes to part numbers or product codes when something internal changes in the product, or some other subtle difference in the manufacturing process or components used occurs. These are often invisible to the end user (or distributor!), appearance or functionality-wise. Yet we have learned over the years that these little changes, seemingly made for no reason, are always made for a reason, usually insignificant but sometimes very significant! I appreciate your having taken the time to look at these.
-AlanL
Testing if this is working…
In the older days of hand-made, one-hair-at-a-time-tuned airgun darts, was there any special type of target, or style of target shooting, designed to prevent one expensive dart from hitting another expensive dart already lodged in a target? For me, just the thought of ruining one of those painstakingly crafted darts would be enough to induce a flinch as I squeezed the trigger…
I have a question regarding how quiet of the Bronco vs. the RWS 34P(.22). I am considering getting one of these two, but my concern is the noise because I will be using it in my backyard. When I compare Paul C.’s videos on these two guns, it seems like the RWS 34P is quieter with the noise level around 90db and the Bronco is around 102db.
Thanks.
tdung
Regarding whether a Bronco is quieter than the RWS 34, this is a question for BB but I would guess the Bronco is quieter as it’s not as powerful as the 34. Keep in mind that the 34 will be harder to cock and is not an all day plinker the way the Bronco was designed to be. You can use the 34 for hunting but it will get tiring if you want to target shoot or plink with it for several hours. However Tdung, be careful with your neighbors and make sure they have no problem seeing you with a rifle. I remember one fellow on this Blog who lives in Maine. He was paid a visit by the local law who pulled a gun on him and ordered him to drop his rifle, even though he was hunting on his own property and had called the police earlier to advise them of this. He had a problem with his neighbor.
Fred PRoNJ
Anonymous,
PA has the Bronco listed at a loudness level of 2 and the RWS 34P at a loudness level of 3. If I was making the choice, I’d say that the noise is essentially the same between the two guns and base my purchase on other reasons.
Mr B.
Mrs. Gaylord,
Stick with me. We’ll get through this together. 😉
kevin
Today’s post makes me wonder whatever happened to flechettes. I believe this was a steel dart designed by the military that was supposed to replace bullets. You can get them cheap online as curiosities. They don’t seem to have really taken off.
On the subject of military technology, I read the other day about a new trial for the XM-25 grenade launcher. It is a “smart” gun which uses a laser designator to time when the grenade will explode; it’s an outgrowth of the failed Objective Individual Combat Weapon OICW. At $25,000 it’s only twice the cost of the current sniper rifle. 🙂 Anyway, with this in play, we surely can look forward to when laser technology can not only regulate the timing of a detonation but can guide where the projectile will land. With such a gun, I’ll be able to challenge Mark Wall in FT. 🙂
Duskwight, I wouldn’t know about Russian sources for Vladimir’s history. He himself does not say much claiming that it is secret. He does acknowledge Mikhail Ryabko as his teacher and they often teach seminars together. I’ve seen Alexander Kodochnikov on YouTube (where he is called the “cool white-haired dude” :-)) Ryabko claims a separate lineage from Stalin’s personal bodyguards which is hard to verify.
Anyway, what I can say is that I was intrigued enough by Vladimir to travel to his Toronto school and ask to spar with him. I made clear that this was not a serious challenge(!) but more of a learning experience. His response was interesting. He didn’t exactly agree but in the course of playing around, he hit me with this incredible punch to the body. I have been sucker-punched by overly zealous and sometimes malicious students and roughed up by martial arts masters, but never in my life have I felt anything like this impact. It seemed to remove all interest in life and leave me bent over in a kind of stupor–although I did not hit the floor. Then, things got interesting. Vladimir made me straighten up saying that doubling over and conforming to the strike “locks it in.” This is not unlike the boxing advice that when hit you should not lay down for the duration of a 10 count to rest up but should get on your feet as soon as possible to reactivate your systems. I did feel better. Then, he told me to use special Russian breathing methods by taking a “cleansing” breath through the nose. With one of these I was as good as new again as if I had never been hit. Whoa! I felt like a puppet.
Then, he let me wrestle him. I essayed a sweeping technique to flip him over for which his body language expressed total contempt. After going with it, he somehow worked his way up to stand over me. Then, I did manage to flip him onto the ground–a feat that I will remember fondly to my dying day. But here is where the flight of glory ended. As I assumed what is called in Mixed Martial Arts, the mount position, which is one of total superiority, I was hit with two locking techniques that in real life would have been fatal. In this case, they were applied gently but with such speed and precision that I was completely immobilized and there was no question of getting away. At the time, I didn’t even know what hit me.
Anyway, wherever he learned his knowledge, it is some powerful stuff. I see some people on YouTube making fun of him. One in particular wishes to meet Vladimir to “really hurt him” and, presumably, expose his fraudulence. All I can say is that person had better hope his dreams don’t come true.
On a more positive note, I was greatly taken with Russian breathing. It’s quite profound but the basics are simple enough. Breath in through the nose, out through the mouth, and coordinate the process with body movement. Using this technique and without any other serious physical training, I shoveled 2000 cubic feet of snow in an afternoon without undue effort. Maybe you tapped into the same method when you moved 20 tons. B.B. should try this in the hospital, and I bet it will help.
Matt61,
a breathing technique shown to me by my old college fencing coach/ pro motorcycle cinder track racer / fire arms guru (he was quite an interesting guy, Wally was), is to inhale through your nose, as your were shown and blow out hard through your mouth as kevin says below. The inhale serves to filter the air your breathe while the forced exhale blows as much CO2 out of your lungs allowing a deeper breath for the next inhale. It’s particularly effective when doing heavy exercise, such as long distance running.
Fred PRoNJ
Matt61,
Man, you make me so jealous! If I had life to live over again, I would discipline myself to be the martial artist triathlete that you obviously are. I’m a fairly athletic 6′ 170 lb 33 year old, so maybe there’s still hope, but the amount of conditioning time that I will never recover leaves me feeling slightly melancholy. Consequently, my mom, dad, brother, and sister are all black belts in Tae Kwon Do. Talk about salt in the wounds. They all started at the same time after I’d joined the Air Force. In high school, I was a CIF swimmer and water polo player, but something about the grace, balance, and discipline associated with martial arts has always enticed me. So, until I can convince my wife and kids that it’s acceptable for me to forego my husbandly and fatherly duties in lieu of some hard-core training, I’ll have to live vicariously through you. Keep the stories coming!
– Orin
Orin,
You’re complaining because you’re 33 years old and have lost all that conditioning time you’ll never get back? I’ll be 62 this year and have seriously thought about taking up martial arts simply for the conditioning it offers and because more knowledge about self-defense is a good thing. It’s never too late!
Anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly. Read it again. And again.
Just because perfection can’t be achieved, doesn’t mean something wonderful won’t happen. And, since none of us can predict the future, you just might be surprised at what you can achieve at your advanced age 🙂
If you don’t have the time you believe is required to devote to martial arts, then do as much as you can. Anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly.
Just do it…and I mean that in the nicest way possible 🙂
Edith
Edith,
That has to be the best mottos ever! I never heard it before, but it is now a foreever with me.
It perfectly fits one of my recent passions – playing adult hockey. I never got to play a kid, but took the opportunity to start learning how when I turned 40. I’ll never be very good at it, but I love it and work hard at it, and it motivates me to keep working out and stay in shape so that I can do it to the best of my limited abilities. Anything worth doing well IS worth doing poorly!
Glad to hear Tom is doing so much better, too!
Orin – if you want to do it, get going at it! I play a lot of hockey with guys that all started as adults around the same time I did, and even though we will never be great, there is one common thing I can tell you – the younger they were when they started, the better they are in our group. You won’t get any better by waiting till you are 10 years older to start.
Alan in MI
. . . I sure miss that preview function . . . .
Edith,
Yeah, you’re totally right. It occurred to me how silly it sounded, even as I was typing it. Plus, the fact that certain other individuals are only recently off of life support equipment really puts my whining in perspective. 🙂
I think part of the problem is that my life has become a little stagnant lately. It’s nobody’s fault but my own, and it’s certainly something I need to overcome. Maybe some martial arts training is just the ticket. A couple of years ago (6 months after the birth of our first son), my wife convinced me to quit my job and become a stay-home dad. Before too long, I had run out of things that needed fixing and finished all the projects we could afford on (now) one income, and I started falling into a mundane routine involving house chores, meal planning, and activities with the kids. Other than walking – and sometimes running – the dogs each day, I haven’t done anything that physically challenged me in months and months.
I actually spoke to my wife tonight at dinner about the possibility of taking up martial arts, and she was all for the idea. Maybe all I needed was for somebody to tell me to quit feeling sorry for myself. Thanks Edith, and everyone else who chimed in.
– Orin
Orin,
I don’t think anyone could say it better than Edith has said. You are only 33, you can do whatever you set your mind to. Before I became a disabled vet one of my additional duties in the Navy was command physical fitness coordinator. I loved training and training others. Once you are into it you find it hard to stop. It’s just getting started.
rikib
Once you are into it you find it hard to stop.
LOL. Don’t I know that well. Right now, it seems to be my problem with airguns. Anyone know of a way to kick the habit? 🙂
Matt61
“Separate lineage from Stalin’s personal bodyguards” – I laughed at it really loud. Every second or third martial artist in 90’s claimed to learn from some mystical “Uncle Joe’s bodiguard”, and it seems that Stalin was all day long surrounded by at least a batallion of personal bodiguards 🙂
Ryabko started in early 80-s in “style-less” kung-fu. Then he became a pupil of Alexey Kadochnikov and learned something from his style. I told you what was next. So that is just a good mythos, to make his style more popular. Still, if it’s effective and easy-to-learn – why not. One must just remember that 2 hours a week don’t make supermen.
That punch in a gut is a signature Soviet hand-to-hand school: one uses a system of leverages to speed up mass into a short, low inertia punch. It’s like cutting with a katana – every leverage increases tip’s speed by a multiplier, so it moves even as fast as supersonic, but the movement itself starts from the hips. “Cut with your hips! With your hips, do not fall onto your target! Turn, not fall!” – that’s what my sensei put into my head like doornails 🙂
Locking and counterlocking is a Soviet SamBO forte, so he seemed to use some tricks from that system.
That breathing techique – my Grandpa told me about it. During the war he served and later commanded a scout/saboteur unit. This trick was used to give or restore strength for long-distance running, hand-to-hand or in cold.
Well, I’m not much in martial arts – my stupid retina doesn’t like much blood pressure buildup, so I prefer some technical disciplines. No kung-fu beats two loads of 00 from 12 gauge if you are alert and you know how to keep a distance 😉
duskwight
Matt61,
There are a lot of tricks to make the body work more efficiently. At our elevations, especially hiking the 54 peaks in Colorado that exceed 14,000 feet, you learn lots of them. Locking your knees while hiking to give your legs a rest momentarily is a good one. The key to efficient breathing is to emphasize your exhale. When you’re fighting for oxygen it’s common to take in large breaths and exhale shallowly. The opposite works best. Emphasize your exhale and all your intake is new, oxygen rich air. Works.
kevin
Got the .20 pellets and ran the old Sheridan over the crono.
Starting out with 3 pumps, I got constantly diminishing returns with additional pumps. Looks like 6 pumps will be about it. Not worth the extra work and noise to go higher.
This is a lot different from my 397. It has the largest velocity increase by far with pump #5. Returns greatly diminish after that.
twotalon
Hi
Dose anyone know where I can get a replacement bolt for a marauder .177? The one on my rifle fell apart. Thank you
Mike,
Contact Crosman. Broken bolts were common on the early Marauder’s and Crosman has been shipping out replacements to everyone that requests them. They know about the problem and have been very good about addressing it.
kevin
My bolt fell apart last fall. I beat it back together with a hammer and two blocks of wood. I haven’t had any problems with it since then. I did get the replacement bolt from Crosman, just in case. It was a quick phone call.
By Talon SS stuff I meant the HPA tank $170 :
/product/airforce-extra-air-tank-air-or-nitrogen-fits-talon-talon-ss?a=102
the AirForce 1/8″ and 1/4″ BSPP Refill Adapter set $21.80 :
/product/airforce-1-8-and-1-4-bspp-refill-adapter-set?a=303
And the Quick-Disconnect Male Adapter $12 :
/product/quick-disconnect-male-adapter?a=596
The last two items allow me to use the Marauder’s Foster quick disconnect fitting to connect to the Talon SS HPA tank for filling from my scuba tank.
I don’t know anything about hammer weights. I’m assuming (hoping) they’re the same.
Re: Dart hair
How about calling it the 12 o’clock shadow.
Chuck,
Thanks. I’d forgottten about the adapter to charge the tank with. Then the hammer weights and the springs are the same. With 2800 PSI in the tank and power wheel on 8 shooting JBS Extra Heavy pellets, the HPA shoots exactly one mill dot highern than on CO2. The windage is exactly the same. Hope you’ll find the same sweet spot with your .177.
The Twelve O’Clock Shadow will do, I guess.
Mr B.
Chuck,
I’ve been meaning to ask you another question about the Ematches. Should I get the .177 barrel for the Talon SS or a Bronco to shoot in it?
Mr B.
I think you should get the Air Arms EV2 for the eMatches. Seriously…well, that was serious…but really the, Bronco is about $25 cheaper (than the Talon 18″ barrel not the EV2). I didn’t see a 12″ barrel on the PA site. I can’t really answer your question until I’ve had time to shoot my SS on air. My stuff is supposed to be delivered tomorrow.
I really like the Bronco. The Bronco has been very accurate for me using the RWS Hobby 7.9gr pellets. The Talon on CO2 has been accurate using Crosman Premiers 10.5gr boxed. Right now I have shot the Bronco better than the Talon but they’re too close to call yet. The 953 has been accurate also, with JSB Exacts. The Bronco needs some artillery hold (but not as sensitive as my IZH-61) whereas the Talon and 953 don’t any. How are you with that artillery hold?
I have not yet been able to break the 270 out of 300 point barrier with any of my guns. My goal right now is to shoot all 9s which would give me 270. Hopefully, in the process, I’d get some fortuitous 10s, too. Now I get a couple 10s per session but also get some 8s to cancel them out. I’m working on it.
If you plan on shooting farther than 10m someday that could influence your choice. I haven’t been able to shoot any of mine farther than 10m except for the Marauder which I took to the range one day last year.
I know, I haven’t been any help at all with helping you choose so get the EV2.
Alan,
I can understand your concern on the HW30S, but as Bg Farmer suggests the markings don’t make the rifle. The only difference is the trigger along with the corresponding safety. Keep in mind these rifles are also sold as Beeman R7’s, which only show the caliber, no “S”. You own an HW30S, the proof is in the trigger and safety. I could link a picture of the trigger, but…
Don’t hesitate to invest in an HW50S if you desire one.
Tdung,
The RWS34 is very different from the Bronco, what are you shooting at in your yard? How big is your yard, how close are the neighbors?
Your comparing a long range hunter to a plinker.
Volvo,
I will be plinking, shooting paper targets (really care about accuracy). The back yard is small but I can manage to set up a 20 yard range. Based on many reviews, I really like the accuracy of these two guns. I like the 34P because it has .22 cal. for easy handling (and the look too). Their prices are within my range. Also, they are springers, so I don’t have to worry about power plant, like pcp and co2. (Not really like the multi-pump either). I live in urban area surrounded by neighbors about 15 yards away from both sides and 25 yards away from the back. So noise is my top concern. I seem to have conflicting info. From Pyramydair, like Mr B mentioned, Bronco’s loudness level is 2 while 34P is 3. But from Paul Capello’s Airgun Reporter videos, 34P has noise level around 90db and the Bronco is around 102db (while the Marauder is around 85db). That’s why I am confused.
Thanks all for your helps.
tdung
I have a very off topic question regarding Mr. Tom/BB. I read that he was once in the Army as an officer. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but to anyone that served, I want to first say thank you; my question is, can you please tell me about your experience being an Officer/being in the Army? This might not be the place to ask, so sorry if I bother anyone, but I do want to become an Officer one day! Thanks
Tdung,
What you describe really calls for a rifle more in line with the Bronco’s performance. I know from experience a 34 is not that quiet and .22 cal is usually louder than .177. I think what may have occurred during the sound testing is called dieseling and is very common in new air guns. These miniature explosions go away as excess lubrication is burnt off.
As a rule of thumb more power equals more noise, unless you are talking PCP’s with shrouds.
Where can one purchace .22 cal airgun flechettes? I have one of these old pistols but can’t find ammo for it anymore
Jim,
You have asked a question on an old blog that few people ever read. Why not ask your question on the current blog at
/blog//
Also, there is no ammo called a flechette for an airgun. Flechettes are a military ammunition. Do you mean darts?
B.B.