by Tom Gaylord, the Godfather of Airguns™
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Hakim is a large, heavy military trainer made in the 1950s by Anschütz.
This report covers:
• TF90 dot sight
• Accuracy test
• RWS Hobby pellets
• RWS Superpoint pelelts
• Eley Wasp pellets
• JSB Exact RS pellets
• Evaluation so far
• Talk to me on Facebook this Thursday
This is a report that addresses 2 different items. Today, we’ll look at the accuracy of the Hakim air rifle trainer at 25 yards, and we’ll also be seeing the results of the Tech Force TF90 dot sight mounted on that rifle. I think you’ll be surprised at what can be done with a dot sight.
TF90 dot sight
As you know, I mounted the Tech Force TF90 on the Hakim for the second accuracy test at 10 meters and found the rifle was easier to shoot with the dot sight than with the open sights that came standard on the rifle. It wasn’t more accurate — just easier to aim with the dot sight.
Today, I backed up to 25 yards to test the rifle again with the dot sight. These will be 10-shot groups, as always. Though the TF90 is an optical sight, 25 yards, or 75 feet, is too far to see most pellet holes — especially those in the black — so I won’t be destroying my aim point as I shoot. It’s more like shooting with a peep sight than an optical sight.
I noted that I was able to put the brightness switch on the lowest setting and still see the dot clearly. It did cover nearly all of the bull at 25 yards, even though it’s a 3-minute dot that should look smaller at that distance. I was shooting at 10-meter pistol targets that have a bull measuring 2.33 inches across, and I estimate I covered 75 percent of it. What I’m saying is that this dot is very bright and was flaring just a bit in this situation.
Accuracy test
I’ve done nothing to this rifle so far, other than adjust the trigger-pull. It still buzzes when it fires, which I’ll address next. But that doesn’t affect accuracy, which is pretty good, as you’ll now see.
I shot the rifle off a sandbag rest with my hand under the forearm, but not in the conventional artillery hold. The Hakim recoils so softly that it’s possible to grasp the stock and still get decent accuracy, so that’s what I did.
RWS Hobby pellets
The first group was shot with RWS Hobby wadcutters. I looked after the first shot and saw the pellet had struck near the center of the bull, so the remaining 9 shots were fired without looking again. When I changed targets I found a neat 1.084-inch group in the center of the bull. This group was fired immediately following the BSA Stutzen test, so it looked pretty good by comparison.
This group of 10 Hobbys is well-centered at 25 yards. It measures 1.084 inches between centers.
I felt pretty confident after the first group. Because this Hakim is new to me, I really didn’t know what to expect at 25 yards. In the past, all my shooting has been at 10 meters with only 5 shots per group. So, it was nice to see the rifle pile them into the same place every time.
RWS Superpoint pellets
Following Hobbys, the next pellet I tested was the RWS Superpoint that has always done the best for me in this rifle. When I say this rifle, I mean this type, for this is the first time I’ve shot this particular Hakim at 25 yards.
Ten Superpoints went into a tight 0.673-inch group. I didn’t see it until I walked down to the trap to change targets; and when I saw this one, I was amazed! This is really good accuracy, and it was done with a dot sight. I don’t see how a scope could have done much netter.
Ten RWS Superpoints made this stunning 0.673-inch group at 25 yards. This is the best of the session.
Eley Wasp pellets
Next up were the 5.56mm Eley Wasps, which are now obsolete. I laid in a supply for my Webley pistols. At 10 meters, this Hakim seems to like them, too. But at 25 yards, these pellets opened up to make a 10-shot 1.506-inch group that was the largest of this test. This is a good illustration of why we want to test air rifles at distances greater than 10 meters when possible.
Ten Eley Wasps opened up at 25 yards. They looked good at 10 meters, but opened to 1.506 inches at 25 yards, which was the largest group of the session.
JSB Exact Jumbo RS pellets
The final pellet I tested was the JSB Exact Jumbo RS. Its thin skirt and lighter weight makes it a good choice for the Hakim. In this test, 10 of them went into 0.985 inches between centers. And see how well-centered they are! This is another good choice for the Hakim, though the Superpoint is still the pellet to beat.
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Ten JSB Exact RS pellets went into 0.985 inches at 25 yards. This was the second-best group.
Evaluation so far
This Hakim is just as accurate as the others I’ve shot. It’s still quite buzzy, though, so the next step will be to open it up and quiet the powerplant. Hopefully, I won’t sacrifice much velocity when I do this.
I’ll show you the teardown and what the insides look like, plus I’ll share how I tune the rifle. So, there are one or two more reports yet to come.
Talk to me on Facebook this Thursday
I’ll be answering questions on The Pursuit Channel’s Facebook page during their weeklong Facebook Takeover event. From 7:00 to 7:30 PM Eastern, I’ll be connecting with The Pursuit Channel’s American Airgunner fans and other interested shooters. Click here to go to the page. See you then!
Wow, those RWS superpoints turned in a pretty impressive group. I’ve never had them shoot exceptionally well out of anything I own, but theres always a first I suppose. I’ve heard others report that they do well in a handful of rifles though. Getting to see the inside of a Hakim should be pretty neat. Also, sorry I haven’t been commenting much lately, I’m certainly lurking on every new blog post though like I always have. Have a good one folks! -Mitchell
Mitchell,
Unlike most of our readers, you have seen this rifle in person, when you were at the Ohio airgun show. The show I drove to from Texas, by the way. And Larry Hannusch drove there from Texas, too.
B.B.
I guess that does make me kind of lucky! I remember when you pulled it out to give us a sneak peak when us blog readers were gathered around your table, and I said oh hey, its a Hakim. You kind of looked surprised and said “you really do know alot about airguns don’t you?” As I recall I followed up with something to the effect of “Its only from reading your blog all these years!” Anyways, I’m still excited to see the finale (No, not the H&N kind!) report on this really interesting rifle. I just knew these rifles had to be capable of shooting some nice groups, with their german Anschutz heritage and all. I wonder if these groups don’t tighten up some yet after you get it apart and calm the firing cycle down a bit.
Oh one more thing, I sure do appreciate you taking the time and effort to come up to Ohio this year for the show all the way from Texas. Getting to meet you is still one of the biggest highlights of this year for me. Also anyone who has had the pleasure of driving across just the state of Texas alone knows what an arduous journey it can be, let alone continuing north towards the great lakes. Maybe I’ll get to see you and some other blog readers at some shows next year?
My RWS Diana 34 in .22 cal. shoots best with Superpoints too. At least they are the best so far which is very good. I just bought some Superdomes in my last order so they are next.
Mike
Mike,
I have found that Superdomes usually don’t shoot well in airguns that shoot well with Superpoints. I think the reason is the Superdomes have much tougher and thicker skirts.
B.B.
Thanks BB. I be trying them in the Diana 52 as well. It currently likes Crosman Premiers.
Mike
The RWS 34 in .22 I used to own loved RWS Super fields as I recall. Super points were probably its second favorite pellet. I really should get another one come to think of it.
Nice shoot’n at the 25 yard mark. And it seems that you had your dot sized to the target pretty good.
And I will be waiting for the tear down.
Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! A tear down! Go for it! Take us inside!
I second that emotion
Nothing better than a good overhaul.
It’s quiet today. Where is everybody? Thanks for sharing this fine training rifle with us again B.B.! It’s a big heavy booger eh?I’m surprised that on it’s lowest setting the TF-90 covers so much of the target.Were you in the shade or in the sun? I couldn’t blame you for seeking shelter from this August heat here in Texas,I’ve hardly been able to get outside this week for more than an hour at a time, but I think it could use some adjustment to it’s rheostat or maybe just run low batteries in it or even full sun on the sight itself, of course then it would be too dim for some people. But you got some nice groups outta this rig!Especially those Power Points with the Exact RS not far behind. Have you ever experimented with flaring the skirts of some of your favorite pellets after dropping them into the tap? That would probably slow the gun down but give you a larger variety of pellets to shoot in a taploader.I guess I got impatient on it’s teardown. I was going to hold off on my QB-36 so we could do them together. It turned out well so I guess I didn’t foul it up too bad,thanks to Buldawg for sending the spring I needed, but I still wanna see inside this gun.Who knows? Maybe it’s got some cool secrets that’ll give someone an idea or 2.
Take care Ya’ll!
Reb
B.B.,
I have to ask; How is this Facebook thing supposed to work tomorrow? The Pursuit channel is already one of my Likes so I’m in but will it be video or as I assume, text?
Reb
Reb,
It’ll be text. Tom will be signed in under the American Airgunner FB identity, but each of his posts will have his name attached to the end of it so you know he’s answering/posting.
Edith
Thank you Edith! If I’m around the computer I’ll log on and try to wing it from there.
Reb
This makes me really wish I had a Facebook account. I just refuse to put my life on there like everyone else my age just so they can sell all our demographics and preferences info to 3rd parties. I think I might quit being a crybaby and just make an empty account so I can participate tomorrow.
Mitchell,
I know exactly how you feel. However, I created a Facebook account for myself and use it to comment on chat forums that are of interest to me. My account is private, and I don’t LIKE everyone’s page. I don’t accept LIKE requests anymore and have actually UNLIKED people whom I originally LIKED because I was inundated with LIKE requests. I know it sounds anti-social, but I don’t have much time for online socialization. I had to LIKE the Pursuit Channel and American Airgunner in order to do this chat evening for Tom.
So, create an account, LIKE the Pursuit Channel and participate. When you’re done, you can UNLIKE them. That’s one way to do it.
Edith
Thanks for the tips Edith. I too have been called anti-social (and possibly other various things that do not bear repeating! haha) quite a few times both online and offline so I can certainly relate. I just like to choose my friends very carefully, as I’ve always believed in quality friends rather than quantity like so many do today, thats all. Anyhow, look forward to catching Tom on The Pursuit Channel tomorrow. Should be interesting to hear everyones burning questions. I might even be able to come up with a few of my own that I haven’t already had answered here. In the meantime, have a good evening! -Mitchell
Mitchell,
I log on maybe twice per week anymore.When they started their new ad campaign it really slowed things down but since almost everything is video now,it’s gotten so bogged down that I’m off again within 10 minutes tops.I have friends that share some interesting stuff so I feel like i’d miss a lot if I never looked but it can be a very dramatic site(or is that melodrama?).I don’t get caught up in the pucky. Just close out & move on!I don’t care how many times I get asked how I’m feeling right now!
Reb
Oh I know, online ads are the worst aren’t they. Anymore it seems that web sites have ended up as fully interactive billboards these days. Giant windows pop up that you can’t close, etc. And then you end up sitting through 30+ seconds of video ads to try and watch something someone sent you and then the actual video you wanted to watch never even loads and the ad just keeps repeating. Yep, just close it down and move on… -Mitchell
BB, My first TF90 sight had to be exchanged because of dirty lenses ( inside the lenses). While waiting for the replacement, I put it on my 1077 ( no barrel droop). It did not have enough elevation (4″@ low at 10M). The second TF90 is perfect, and I compared the groups to the ones previously shot with scopes on that rifle. There is no difference . However, this is my plinking rifle, and it makes it easier and faster to find the targets ( small feral plastic bottles). Have other blog members reported problems with the elevation? Ed
Zed,
I just checked this product’s reviews on the PA site and it appears there are some with glitches but rapid replacement is only a phone call away. Just let ’em know and they’ll send another one.
Reb
The red dot sight continues to impress, and those are good groups. Bear, is your handle related to the famous Bear archery line? Their Montana longbow is an item on my wish list. Traditional archery instinct shooting is interesting to me. But how exactly is it defined since traditional bows don’t really have a sight? Surely not all traditional archery is instinct shooting. Maybe you should try instinct shooting with airguns. There are some great blog posts on this from awhile back. Supposedly, heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson took up instinct shooting and was able to hit a thrown bb with another bb.
I’ve discovered a new sport. Cross-country skiing. I’ve done it before but I’ve let it languish since there is no snow in the drought-stricken Central Valley of California. But I’ve always wanted to try skate skiing. At one place, I was using the traditional method and this person came whizzing past with the skating style and I was instantly smitten. Then, recently, it hit me. Skate skiing! There’s plenty of pavement, so I can do this all I want. It should certainly get me in shape for shooting, and it does raise the question of the biathlon. I very much like those cool biathlon rifles with the action that is almost like a semiauto. But no way will I pursue the sport which I think is crazy. Some sports like the triathlon, combine similar sports together, but this is the only one I know that combines two opposites. It must be positively bad for you to raise your heart-rate with the sport that has the highest VO2 consumption of any and then stop cold and try to shoot. I’ve never been able to feel my heart-rate for shooting, but I guess it would be there banging away in the biathlon. I could probably rig up a sling for my Crosman 1077 and go whizzing around with it, but there would be no point.
On the other hand, the Olympic biathlon is certainly fun to watch. We once lamented the fact that shooting sports don’t lend themselves to spectating and to the popularization which would follow. Well, the biathlon seems to have solved that problem. The targets are black bulls against a white background, and when the target is hit, it swivels around somehow, I guess like field target, and gets replaced with white. One woman was firing her rifle and the crowd whooped as she hit each shot. On top of this, the next person was pulling into position right next to her, and the leader knew that a missed shot would mean a lung-busting penalty lap. How’s that for messing with your concentration. I checked, and the biathlon shooters shoot at 50 meters, and as far as I can tell, their targets are about the same size as the official 50 yard NRA targets that I shoot with the Anschutz. So, like me, they are just trying to hold the black. But there all similarities end.
Matt61
Spectators like Cowboy Action events for some of the same reasons. The targets either “Clang”, Break, or Fall when hit. Every knows right away if you missed or not. Of course, everyone dresses the part too which helps. The youtube link below is a shoot-off at our year end match. It’s a target rich environment! You start with pistols, go to your shotgun, and finish with the rifle. The last shot at the last target has to be single loaded since you will be out of ammo even if you don’t miss.
The guy on the right is me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A830zYiYkjU
Mike
Matt61, Bear is my nickname and is what my real name means in an old north German dialect that most people can not seem to pronounce. I have been casting arrows since I was a wee lad of 9 and have used Bear bows since about 14 years of age.To me traditional bows refer to bows with out wheels as we say and instinctive archery can only be achieved with lots of time and practice and no sighting and one can say no aiming. It’s all about Focus, Form and Attitude. My primary Bow is a Bear Montana @ 50# that I have tuned primarily for stealth. I also craft my own from Yew wood, arrows too. My first air gun was a Benjamin 600 22 cal. And from then on 22 cal. Has been it for me. I may not be able to go instinctive with air guns but another reason for my interest in the Diana 430 Stutzen is to go with no glad to keep it more simple. By the way your commentary is always appreciated by me. Thanks for your interest and may all your arrows fly free at least for a moment in time. Bear
Glad is supposed to say glass
Can I find 881 parts on pyramyd? Can you still get parts? Would 880 pump seal parts fit? Its not the piston head but the second seal that looks like a tire.
RifleDNA,
I heard about this gun’s existence a couple years ago but could find NO information about it.I figured it was either a typo or a Red Herring so I gave up Does it have a metal receiver? What color is the receiver if it is metal? How much does it resemble a 880?
Reb
I’m liking the looks of this gun, but it’s a bit pricy for me and I’m finding it a bit hard to get. So for now the sweetheart of my gun rack is my MP-61 with target sights. It took a long time to do but I got it hitting the bullseye. My gun rack pariah is now the Airforce Condor. It got banished to the closet of purgatory until I need a project. Then I’ll rip it’s guts out and build something else since I can’t beg anybody to take it much less sell it.
Reb, I did and they did. And they did it promptly. Matt61, I like Howard Hill bows. I have 2, one made for me and a used bow that I got at an archery store– range. My next favorite bows (3) , were custom made for me by an almost local bowyer. They are English longbows with horn tips. When I first read about the biathalon (50@ years ago), they used centerfire rifles (usually modified military rifles, like the Swiss straight pull rifle, with folding stocks). They shot the course at ranges much longer than 50 yds. I am not sure why they watered down the event -women, lack of safe ranges, etc? Ed
Matt61, I just went to wikipeadia. This event had targets as far away as 250M. The article does not say why the rules were changed and only .22 rifles are now used. Ed
B.B.,
I’m wondering if you have ever reviewed a Diana model 50? I searched but could not find a review.
I just purchased a Winchester 450 and was looking around for info.
Thanks,
Mark N
Mark,
I did own a Diana model 50 for awhile in the 1990s. As I recall it was a nice rifle, but it buzzed a bit. I don’t think I even reviewed it, but if so it would have been for The Airgun Letter.
B.B.
BB, nice shooting, I had super points in my hand the other day and opted for another tin of barracudas, new I should have tried the super points!. I can’t wait for the disassembly and lots of good pictures please.Rocks.