Author Archive
Hakim air rifle: Part 3
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Hakim is a large, heavy military trainer made in the 1950s by Anschütz.
This report covers:
• You can never go home
• RWS Superpoint pellets
• Firing cycle
• JSB Exact Jumbo RS pellets
• RWS Hobby pellets
• Eley Wasp pellets
• Evaluation so far
• Tech Force 90 dot sight
You can never go home
Today, I’ll shoot the Hakim trainer for accuracy. This is like returning home for me. Of course, you can never go home, again, because things have changed — and this Hakim is different from all the others I’ve owned and worked on. But just like your old neighborhood, there are always some things that never change. Things that remind you of the good things from the past. This Hakim has those, too.
You saw in the velocity testing that this isn’t a powerful air rifle. And it doesn’t have to be. That’s not its charm. Its charm comes from the rifle’s rugged build and heavy weight of wood and steel. And, in the case of this particular Hakim, the wood is a striking piece of walnut that shows lots of contrasting grain.
Hakim trainers are also quite accurate at short range. Let’s see if this one is, as well.
In the past, I’ve shot only 5-shot groups, but these days I shoot 10-shot groups. So, I expect to see the groups increase in size by about 40 percent. That’s what happens when you shoot those 5 additional shots, and only if you maintain correct shooting discipline.
RWS Superpoint pellets
As I explained in Part 2, I’ve found RWS Superpoint pellets to be the best in this rifle because their thin skirts flare out in the loading tap when hit with the piston’s air blast. At least, that’s always been my theory.
I had no idea where this rifle was sighted, so this was like shooting a new gun right out of the box. The only thing going for it is the excellent condition and the care with which the wood stock parts were fashioned. That tells me the former owner cared about his rifle — so I expected it to be pretty close to the mark from the start. And it was!
The first pellet struck the bullseye a little to the right of center and at about the right elevation at 10 meters. Because I know Hakims are accurate, I stopped looking and just fired the remaining 9 shots. That gave me 10 rounds in a group measuring 0.524 inches between centers. True to expectations, that’s about 30-40 percent larger than my 5-shot groups used to be. This Hakim is exactly like the rest of them!
Yep, RWS Superpoints are as accurate as I remember in Hakims. These 10 shots measure 0.524 inches between centers, where 5 shots would probably be 0.35 inches.
Firing cycle
This rifle really buzzes when it fires. It distracts from an otherwise nice experience. I want to find out what’s causing the buzz and do something about it.
JSB Exact Jumbo RS pellets
Blog reader Kevin suggested I try JSB Exact Jumbo RS pellets and Air Arms Falcons because their skirts are also thin. I don’t have any .22-caliber Falcons on hand, but I did try the JSBs next. Because the rifle was hitting slightly to the right, I adjusted the rear sight notch to the left just a bit.
Same drill this time. One shot to check where it went. This time it was just above the center of the bull, so I stopped looking through the spotting scope and fired the remaining 9 rounds. They gave me a nice 0.495-inch group that also had a bit of verticality to it.
Ten JSB Exact Jumbo RS pellets went into 0.495 inches at 10 meters.
Because the shot group is now relatively centered in the black, I decided not to adjust the sights further. So the next 2 groups were made with this same sight setting. One last note. The RS pellets were so small that they fell to the bottom of the tap. No other pellet did that.
RWS Hobby pellets
The next pellet I tried was the lightweight RWS Hobby wadcutter. These have a thicker skirt than the first two pellets, but their light weight makes them a good match for this low-powered rifle.
Ten Hobbys made a very round 0.426-inch group. Because they’re wadcutters, they make a group appear larger.
Ten RWS Hobbys made this round group, which measures 0.426 inches between centers.
Eley Wasp pellets
The last pellet I tried was the 14.5-grain 5.56mm Eley Wasp. It’s a larger pellet, yet it still enters the loading tap deep enough to be used in this rifle. The Wasp has a thick skirt, so I’m relying on the overall size of the pellet rather than any flaring of the skirt to seal the air. Wasps put 10 into 0.349 inches at 10 meters, which was the best group of the session!
Ten Eley Wasps gave the best group of the session, going into 0.349 inches between centers. This is a wonderful group of 10 shots. If it were just 5, it would be around a quarter-inch.
Eley Wasps are supposedly obsolete, but I laid in a large supply for my Webley Senior pistol many years ago and have enough to use in this Hakim, as well. [Editor's note: Eley Wasps are still being made and sold, but I've been told by at least one UK blog reader that the pellets available today are not of the same quality as those made 20 years ago when I bought mine. If this is incorrect, I apologize. I also see Eley Wasps available on eBay, but those appear to be vintage tins.]
Evaluation so far
This Hakim performs just like all the others, plus it looks much better. I discovered that it’s dirty inside when I adjusted the trigger, so I’ll be taking the rifle apart to clean it and also get rid of some of the vibration upon firing. Before I do that, though, I want to try one thing.
You asked me if this rifle can be scoped. I used to mount a Beeman SS2 scope on my Hakims, and it worked wonderfully. Well, that scope is still available, though no longer made by the same people — but it’s very pricey. I’ve decided to try something different.
TF 90 dot sight
Right now, Pyramyd Air is blowing out an older Tech Force 90 dot sight that I used to use on a lot of airguns years ago. They have a large number of them, and they’re priced to sell at just $19.99. I watched the development of this dot sight by Compasseco in the late 1990s, and I know that it’s extremely good. It was made in a plant that makes sights for the military. And, now, it’s available at a price that can’t be beat. So, I’ll mount one on the Hakim and try the rifle again at 10 meters — and perhaps at 25 yards, as well.
Hatsan AT44-10 Long QE: Part 4
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Hatsan’s AT44S-10 Long QE is packed with features for airgun hunters.
This report covers:
• Fast becoming a favorite
• Accuracy test
• Stunning first group!
• Tried RWS Superdomes
• Finish with JSB pellets
• Overall evaluation
• 100-yard test
Fast becoming a favorite
Today, we’re back at the 50-yard outdoor range with the Hatsan AT44S-10 Long QE rifle — an air rifle that’s fast becoming a favorite of mine. I think you’ll see why in this report.
Last time, I showed you some excellent 10-shot groups from this rifle at 50 yards. That day was perfectly calm, and by chance the second pellet I tried turned out to be the one to shoot. The 16-grain Air Arms Diabolo Field pellet delivered some great groups, including one 10-shot screamer that was just 0.624 inches between centers. I resolved to return to the range another day to see if this was just a one-time thing or if the rifle could deliver such stunning accuracy all the time.
Accuracy test
This day was not perfect. There was a little breeze sometimes, but in the beginning it could be waited out. It was only 1-3 m.p.h. when I began shooting. Last time, I learned that the first 10 shots on a fresh fill weren’t as accurate as the second 10, so I filled the rifle to 200 bar and loaded ten 18.13-grain JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy pellets, thinking that I would save the sure-thing Air Arms pellets for the second 10.
Stunning first group!
But my first group was stunning! Nine of the 10 pellets went into 0.552 inches and only shot 8 strayed from the main group. It enlarged the group to 0.916 inches, which is still commendable for 10 shots.
Nine JSBs in 0.552 inches! Shot 8 opened the group to 0.916 inches, which is still excellent.
Now that the first 10 were shot, I thought the rifle was going to give me a wonderful second group with the Air Arms pellets — but for some reason, it didn’t. Ten went into 1.434 inches, with 5 of them clustered in 0.212 inches. How do I make sense out of that?
Five shots in that tiny (0.212 inches) hole, but the other 5 went everywhere else (1.434 inches)!
The Hatsan is short of breath, and there are only 20 good shots per fill if you’re shooting groups at 50 yards. I filled the rifle, again, and once more I shot the first group of 10 with the JSB Exact Jumbo Heavys. This time, they were a little more open than the first time, but they still managed to all be within 0.676 inches. That’s actually smaller than the first group was, and it’s close to the size of the best group from the previous session (0.624 inches).
The best group of this session! Ten pellets went into this 0.676-inch group.
The second group I shot was 10 Air Arms pellets, and this time they really opened up. Ten went into 1.334 inches, with 8 of them in 0.824 inches. Apparently, Air Arms pellets were not going to do as well on this day as they had during the previous session!
For some reason, the Air Arms pellets didn’t want to group together on this day. Ten in 1.334 inches with 8 in 0.824 inches.
Tried RWS Superdomes
I brought some RWS Superdomes along — just to try one more pellet. But the first shot was 14 inches from the aim point (!!!) and the next shot was 6 inches from that! I ejected the clip and removed all the pellets. That’s just wasting air.
Finish with JSB pellets
I filled the rifle once more and this time decided to just shoot the JSB pellets since they seemed to want to do better. The first group of 10 went into a whopping 1.71 inches, which was surprising. The second group of 10 was 1.351 inches apart, and I was now having to fight a growing breeze. I can’t say how much the wind affected the last 2 groups, but it probably had some impact.
This time the JSBs didn’t stay together too well. Ten went into 1.71 inches. This just shows that sometimes the bear eats you!
The second group on this charge is a little better — at 1.351 inches. It isn’t always sweetness and light!
Overall evaluation
Based on the results of these two days at the range, I have to say the Hatsan AT44-10 Long QE is one of the most accurate precharged pellet rifles I’ve ever shot. It may not be the most accurate, but it has to be in the top 5!
It’s amazing that an air rifle this powerful is also quiet. It sounds about as loud as my vintage Diana model 27 spring rifle, yet I know it’s producing 35-47 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. And the trigger, while not the absolute finest I’ve ever tested, it still right up there in the top 10.
Hatsan has hit the ball out of the park with this rifle! They’re pricing it to compete with the Benjamin Marauder, and it absolutely kills the more expensive European PCPs in all categories except appearance. But I’m the kind of shooter who wants to hit the target. I don’t care that much what my rifle looks like — as long as it can deliver the mail.
100-yard test
The last time I had a PCP that was this accurate was when I tested the AirForce Airguns Condor SS, and that rifle put 10 pellets into one inch (1.003 inches) at 100 yards. This Hatsan isn’t quite as powerful as the Condor SS, but I’m willing to give it a try at that distance. So, there will be a Part 5 to this series!
BSA Scorpion SE: Part 2
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Today’s report is Part 2 of the guest blog from Tyler Patner, a Pyramyd Air customer sales and service representative and enthusiastic field target shooter. He’s finishing his report of a BSA Scorpion SE, and today’s blog is all about accuracy.
If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me.
Over to you, Tyler.
by Tyler Patner
This report covers:
• Accuracy at 20 yards
• Accuracy at 40 yards
• Trigger and safety
• How loud is it?
• Final thoughts
BSA Scorpion with beech stock.
In the first report, we used a chronograph to measure the velocity of the .25-caliber BSA Scorpion SE. Just looking at the chrony numbers, I would guess that .22 caliber is really optimal for the Scorpion SE. I’d bet a rifle in that caliber could put out the same energy as the .25 and maintain the same or better shot count. But don’t discount the .25-caliber Scorpion SE. While clearly underpowered, today’s accuracy testing will show just why the this rifle should be on your short list.
Accuracy testing was done at 20 and 40 yards. Normally, I would do 25 and 50 yards, but my current range has a max of 40 yards. The Bushnell Elite 8-32X40 scope was set on 16X, and the shooting began. I should note, I was using only a front bag rest and shooting off a very wobbly plastic table, but even those hindrances could not keep the Scorpion SE from impressing me! A .25-caliber hole is a bit bigger than I’m used to seeing. I shot 3 groups to warm up and then refilled for the 20-yard test.
Accuracy at 20 yards
The first pellet shot at 20 yards was the JSB King. They stacked 5 into a tight 0.43-inch group, starting things out nicely.
Five JSB Kings went into this 0.43-inch group at 20 yards. This is a good start.
Next was the Benjamin Destroyer pellet at 27.8 grains. This is shaped similarly to their Destroyer in .177 and .22 calibers. Four shots went into a 1.30-inch group, with the fifth shot flying high about 2 inches. The overall size came to 2.60 inches for 5 shots, which is beyond poor. The Benjamins were not included in the 40-yard test for that reason.
Five Benjamin Destroyers went into 2.60 inches at 20 yards, with 4 in 1.30 inches. This isn’t the pellet for this rifle.
The Predator Polymags did surprise me a bit. Not only did they just barely squeeze into the magazine, but they actually grouped pretty well. A 0.54-inch group of 5 at 20 yards made a nice-sized hole that would certainly be adequate for small game. The Polymags have proven, time and time again, that they’re the premier hunting-specific pellet and can smack small game with devastating results.
Five Predator Polymags went into 0.54 inches at 20 yards. This is another good pellet for the Scorpion SE.
The lighter-weight H&N Field Target Trophy grouped decently, with 5 in 0.79 inches. I pulled the fourth shot a bit, as my wobbly table wasn’t quite stable. I did shoot them at 40 yards, as well, but the results were not worthy of showing here.
Five H&N Field Target Trophys went into 0.79 inches at 20 yards. This is another good pellet for the Scorpion SE.
The pellet that surprised me the most was the H&N Baracuda Hunter Extreme. With a cross cut on the head of the pellet, it’s certainly eye-catching, with major accuracy to back it up! A 0.35-inch, 5-shot group (basically one single hole) was more than enough to get my attention. Twenty yards is not a long distance for PCP guns; but when you lace 5 shots in a row through a single hole, it immediately gets your attention!
This is what I wanted to see — 5 H&N Baracuda Hunter Extremes went into 0.30 inches at 20 yards.
Next up were the Beeman Kodiaks. Being made by H&N, I was pretty confident they’d group similarly to the Baracuda Hunter Extremes, and they did. A 0.32-inch group of 5 bettered the mark set by the Hunter Extremes at 20 yards. The two pellets are very similar in terms of shape; and aside from the cut out in the head of the Hunter Extreme, they showed little difference in accuracy at 20 yards.
Beeman Kodiak pellets put 5 into 0.32 inches at 20 yards.
Accuracy at 40 yards
I chose to go with the Kodiaks, Hunter Extremes, Predator Polymags and JSB Kings for 40-yard testing. The results were all very good, which shows the versatility of the BSA barrel. This is something I’ve come to appreciate about the BSA guns I’ve owned. They all seem to be very even-tempered in terms of pellet selection. All too often, I test guns that will shoot only one pellet, and everything else groups horribly. That’s all well and good, but only if the pellet the barrel likes is accessible, consistent from die to die and not too far on either side of the weight spectrum so your trajectory is reasonable. For testing at 40 yards, I shot two groups just to try to remove the potential for human error because we all know the gun is rarely the problem. It’s the jerk behind the trigger!
First up were the Beeman Kodiaks, and they did not disappoint — giving a 0.50-inch group. Bear in mind the pellet is half the size of the group, so you are looking at two holes at the end of the day.
At 40 yards, 5 Beeman Kodiaks went into 0.50 inches.
The Predator Polymags at 26 grains grouped very well at 40 yards, making a 5-shot group that measured 0.65 inches. I would be very confident with a magazine of these in the Scorpion SE if I was going out after squirrels or pest birds. Raccoons and opossums would also be well within the Scorpion SE’s game menu. Accuracy like this will pretty much assure you of a clean head shot or vital organ shot if you do your part. The extra bit of expansion the Predators offer would also come in handy.
Five Predator Polymags went into 0.65 inches at 40 yards.
The overall best group of the day (and not just at 40 yards) was made with JSB Kings. After looking like the H&N/Beeman pellets would run away with the accuracy testing, the Kings came back in a big way. I managed to put 5 shots into a single hole measuring 0.27 inches. Basically, that’s the size of the pellet. The next group opened up ever so slightly, but it was clear that the Kings are the way to go.
JSB Exact Kings made the best group of the day, with 5 in just 0.27 inches! This is great for 40-yard accuracy.
The Baracuda Hunter Extreme was the last pellet tested at 40 yards, and they grouped well also at 0.42 inches for 5. That was the best I could manage; and if the expansion of the Hunter Extremes is better than the average domed pellet, then I would say they’re the most accurate hollowpoint I’ve ever shot in any gun past 10 yards. Generally, hollowpoints suffer a bit in the accuracy department; but I think that because the Hunter Extremes are not a complete hollowpoint, they fly just a bit better. Either way, these pellets work well, so H&N has a definite winner with them.
Five H&N Baracuda Hunter Extremes made the best group of the day for hollowpoints, with 5 in just 0.42 inches!
Trigger and safety
The trigger on the BSA Scorpion SE was unadjusted since it came out of the box crisp and relatively light for a hunting trigger. It measures an average of 2 lbs., 2 oz. over five pulls. I know the trigger can be adjusted much lighter than this; but for the hunting crowd, that won’t be necessary.
The manual hunter-style safety is located on the left side of the action. I’ve seen the triggers adjusted so light that an engaged safety won’t stop the gun from firing when the trigger’s pulled. So, be careful when adjusting this trigger — or any trigger for that matter. Test it before you load the gun and make sure the safety still stops the gun from firing after adjustments are made.
Manual safety
How loud is it?
On the subject of noise, the Scorpion SE is pretty loud. It’s not backyard friendly, and I would rate it a 7 out of 10 (10 being the loudest). If this were a 45-50 foot-pound gun, then the noise would be up in the 9-10 range; but at 30 foot-pounds, it’s fairly tame for an unshrouded gun. That said, the air stripper on the muzzle also doubles as a thread protector covering the 1/2-inch UNF threading that could accept a more useful air stripper or muzzlebrake if you choose to add one. [Editor's note: Silencers are subject to federal legislation. If an airgun silencer can be attached to a firearm and quiet the report, it must be licensed.]
The air stripper/muzzlebrake covers 1/2X20 threads.
Final Thoughts
The Scorpion SE represents a step forward for BSA airguns. The new features like the redesigned magazine and gauge show that they’re listening to what their customers want and need. All the while, they’re not changing the things they know are proven to work. Their barrels are still some of the best out there, and their overall quality and precision shines through.
There are a lot of options in the mid-priced PCP realm, and the BSA may be overlooked because of its relatively low power level; but if you’re looking for a precision shooter with adequate power for small game, then I would highly recommend taking a look at the BSA Scorpion SE. My experience with BSA products has been stellar over the course of many years, and I’m confident you’ll come to the same conclusion after just a few shots behind the trigger of their PCP works of art!
Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston 2: Part 6
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
This report covers:
• Rifle was set up
• The hold
• Accuracy
• A hunter’s rifle
• Comparison with the first rifle
Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston 2
This is accuracy day with the second Benjamin Trail Nitro Piston 2 rifle — the one Crosman sent especially for this test. We’ve already seen how this second rifle exceeds the power of the first one, so today we’ll see what impact that has on accuracy. As with the first rifle, I’ll shoot 14.3-grain Crosman Premier pellets exclusively in this test.
Rifle was set up
When I unboxed the scope, I found the rings already installed in the correct location, meaning I could install them directly on the rifle. That proves this rifle has been tested and set up before I received it. The scope went on quickly, and I found it was very close to being sighted-in; but the inability to focus the target as close as 25 yards was a hinderance to aiming. I estimate my groups were a quarter-inch larger than they needed to be because I couldn’t see well enough to put the crosshairs on an exact spot. The scope arrived set at 4X, which indicates the rifle was tested at 10 meters or yards before it was sent. At 25 yards, I wanted to see the bull more clearly, so I adjusted it to 9X. But as I said, the focus was off because the scope is parallax-adjusted for a longer distance.
The hold
I refined the sight setting and proceeded to test the hold I thought would do best — based on results from the first rifle’s test. I also tried several other holds and hand placements, establishing one thing for certain. The NP2 wants to be held firmly. Do not use the artillery hold. Instead, I found it best to slide my off hand out to almost the end of the stock and grip the forearm firmly. I can feel the forearm screw holds on the tips of my thumb and fingers, so I know my hand is in the same place every time. Any hold that wasn’t firm allowed pellets to rise vertically. I fired probably 30 shots testing just the different holds and pressures.
When I used the classic artillery hold, this is what I got at 25 yards — every time! They’re all in line but off vertically. The NP2 wants to be held firmly.
Accuracy
I then shot three 10-shot groups using the factory scope. The best of them measures 1.104 inches between centers, and the worst measures 1.168 inches. I really tried to do well, but the blurriness of the target did cause my aim to be off.
The best 25-yard group using the factory scope and the best hold measures 1.104 inches between centers. No, I didn’t get the images mixed up. This group is slightly smaller than the one below.
The worst group with the factory scope isn’t much different than the best. Ten Premiers went into 1.168 inches at 25 yards.
I felt the factory scope was hindering my best efforts, so I swapped it for an older CenterPoint 3-9X40 with an adjustable objective. This scope is one CenterPoint no longer carries. It’s a simple scope without an illuminated reticle; and other than the larger objective lens and the AO, it’s close to the scope that came with the rifle.
I allowed a day to pass between the first shooting session and the second because too much concentration makes me lose my edge. The next day, I shot another four 10-shot groups, plus some more sighters to get the scope shooting where I wanted. On this second day, my groups ranged from 0.895 inches between centers to 1.483 inches. I learned as I went, refining the hold that seems to be critical with the NP2. The worst group, for example, came when I experimented with the firmness of the offhand grip.
By the end of the session, I knew what this rifle wants — a firm hold of the off hand as far out on the forearm as you can comfortably hold and a firm hold of the pistol grip. Pull the butt into your shoulder firmly. This is not a death grip — just a firm hold, and it seems to be what the NP2 wants.
The best group with the second scope measures 0.895 inches between centers at 25 yards. The second-best group was almost the same size as this.
The worst group with the second scope measures 1.483 inches between centers at 25 yards. I was experimenting with the firmness of my grasp during this group.
I’m not through with this rifle, yet. Each one of my second-session groups contains a large cluster of shots that are very close, then some strays that wander off — usually down, but not always. I think I’m close to understanding what this rifle wants, but I’m not there yet. I think it needs a very repeatable offhand grasping pressure. I’ll give it one more session and also shoot some different pellets next time — to see if I have been missing anything by shooting Crosman Premiers exclusively.
A hunter’s rifle
I have seen rifles like the NP2 before. They take some getting used to, but they reward the shooter with incredible accuracy once their secrets are learned. They’re rifles for hunters who use only a single rifle for all their needs. For the price this air rifle costs, I don’t think you can get one that’s any better.
Comparison with the first rifle
The first NP2 also took getting used to; but when I did, it gave me a best 25-yard group of 0.704 inches at 25 yards. So far, this rifle has given a best of 0.895 inches. Both rifles seem to want to do better, but I haven’t discovered quite how, just yet.
Gamo P900 IGT pellet pistol: Part 1
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Gamo P900 IGT air pistol
This report covers:
• Description of the gun
• Trigger
• Ambidextrous
• Power
• Overall evaluation
This report on the Gamo P900 IGT air pistol was requested by blog reader RidgeRunner, who became suddenly enthused by gas-spring technology a few weeks back. I saw this pistol in the Gamo booth at the 2014 SHOT Show; but since there was nobody there to tell me about the gun, I only knew what I could read in their static display.
The P900 isn’t the first pellet pistol to use a gas spring. That honor goes to the Benjamin Trail NP pistol I tested for you last year. Before testing that pistol, I wouldn’t have thought I could like an air pistol with a gas spring; but that one showed me there was a lot to like.
RidgeRunner asked me to test this pistol partly because of the relatively light 30-lb. cocking effort. Gamo is usually pretty correct when it comes to measuring the cocking effort of their airguns, and 30 lbs. is still within the capability of most adult men. This is not a youth airgun, though.
Description
The P900 has an auto-pistol profile, but a size that exceeds any firearm short of a Desert Eagle Magnum. It’s entirely synthetic on the outside, and that makes it a very light 19 oz., so almost anyone can shoot it one-handed without a strain. Besides the Inert Gas Technology (Gamo’s trade name for their gas spring), this gun also features their two-stage Smooth Action Trigger (SAT), which they say is smooth and crisp. I’ll test the trigger for you in the next report, but for now I can tell you they’re not exaggerating. It is two-stage and there is no creep. I can feel the trigger move through stage two, but there’s absolutely no creep.
The sights, on the other hand, are not easy to use. The rear sight is a light yellow piece of plastic that’s so bright that it makes the front bead difficult to see. The target will have to be lit brightly and the firing point will have to be dark. Otherwise, that yellow rear sight will make aiming difficult.
The rear sight adjusts for windage, only. A screw on the right side of the sight is turned to move the notch left and right. The manual shows this being done by hand without the use of a screwdriver, and I found that it’s possible to do. No tools are needed for sight adjustments. The adjustments are smooth and without clicks. There’s no scale on the sight to reference when adjusting, so you watch the rear notch. Move it in the direction you want the pellet to move.
The rear sight is yellow and so bright that the front bead is difficult to see. It adjusts for windage, only, with a screw on the right side.
The front sight is a red fiberoptic bead housed in a wide plastic globe that protects your hand when cocking. The globe is handy for protecting the hand when cocking, but it stops a lot of light from reaching the fiberoptic element.
The front sight is a red bead under a wide plastic globe. The globe protects your hand when cocking, but it also shades the bead from a lot of light. In bright indoor light, the front bead is difficult to pick up; but in direct sunlight, it glows bright red.
What may appear to be an 11mm scope dovetail on top of the barrel really is just decorative. This pistol is not suitable for optical sights.
The cocking linkage is a two-piece articulated arm. It probably has to be to provide the length needed to cock the gun at a reasonable effort. When the pistol is cocked, the barrel is broken beyond 90 degrees.
The barrel comes down past 90 degrees when the pistol is cocked.
The cocking linkage is in two pieces that articulate in the middle.
Trigger
I see the customer reviews are rating the P900′s trigger as not good, but they fail to elaborate. Sure, it isn’t as nice as the trigger on a Beeman P1, but this pistol sells for a lot less. For the price, I don’t see how this trigger could be much better. And, to their great credit, Gamo did not make the safety automatic. When the gun’s cocked, it’s ready to fire.
However, there is some confusion about this trigger. Gamo says it is a Smooth Action Trigger (SAT), but this one is not adjustable. On other Gamo airguns, the SAT is adjustable, so that adds some confusion to this pistol’s description.
Ambidextrous
The P900 is 99 percent ambidextrous. Only the safety button favors right-handed shooters more.
Power
Gamo says the velocity is 345 f.p.s. with lead pellets and up to 400 f.p.s. with their PBA ammo. We’ll test that in Part 2, but for now I’ll say this is a smooth and gentle pellet pistol. It’s going to be fun to shoot. The impulse upon firing is a solid thunk with no vibration. I had to tune my P1 to get it as good.
I also read some reviews that suggest the P900 is hard to cock, and the barrel should be longer. I don’t agree. Yes, it’s harder to cock than some other pellet pistols, but 30 lbs. or whatever it turns out to be is hardly debilitating. I wonder if these critics have ever tried to cock a Webley Hurricane?
Overall evaluation
I really like this air pistol so far. I had no preconceptions coming into this test, other than the gun might be hard to cock because it has a gas spring, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.
Hakim air rifle: Part 2
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Happy birthday, America! The United States is celebrating it’s 238th anniversary of independence from England.
Hakim is a large, heavy military trainer made in the 1950s by Anschütz.
This report covers:
• Trigger adjustment
• Cocking effort
• Best pellet
• Velocity
• Performance?
• Oil
• The Arabic writing
Today, we’ll test the velocity of the Hakim underlever air rifle. You’ll remember that this rifle was made by German maker Anschütz, using a sporting air rifle they were making as their starting point. They’d copied the 1948 BSA Airsporter. I happened to obtain a more modern BSA Airsporter last week at a gun show, and a review of that will be coming up some time in the future. But, today, we’re looking at the Hakim.
Trigger adjustment
Before I get to the velocity, though, I noticed that the 2-stage trigger in my rifle was breaking at more than 10 lbs. That’s too heavy, and the Hakim trigger is adjustable for pull weight, but the action has to be removed from the stock to make the adjustment. So, the first thing I did was take the action out of the stock.
The Hakim doesn’t come out of its stock as handily as most spring rifles. A lot more than just the normal 3 stock screws have to be removed. If I decide to clean and tune this rifle, I’ll show the disassembly in a future report. For now, let me tell you that it takes about three times as long to get a Hakim action out of its stock.
This is the Hakim air rifle trigger. The gun is cocked in this photo. The one adjustment controls the amount of sear contact area (parts in contact inside the circle). The screw is turned in to reduce the contact area, and the nut locks it in place.
I adjusted the sear to about half the contact area that was there previously, then I cleaned the contact surfaces and lubed both surfaces with moly grease. After all of this, and after breaking in the adjustment and the new lube, the trigger now breaks at just under 5 lbs. While I can get it down even lower, this is a trigger that uses sear contact area, and I would rather err on the side of safety more than I would like a light pull.
Cocking effort
It’s harder to measure the cocking effort of an underlever air rifle than to measure the effort of a breakbarrel, but it’s still possible. My bathroom scale says this rifle cocks with 18 lbs. of effort, which is pretty easy. The cocking linkage is designed to maximize the force you apply. Of course, the size and weight of the rifle prevents it from being used by young people, but this light cocking does make it enjoyable to shoot.
Best pellet
There’s one pellet I like in a Hakim above all others, and that’s the RWS Superpoint because they have the thinnest skirts I can find in .22 caliber — and in a taploader, you want a thin skirt. The tap has to be large enough for all pellets to fall into its chamber; yet, when the gun fires, you want the pellet skirt to flare out and seal the air behind it. The Superpoint does this better than any pellet I’ve ever found. I won’t stop looking, but until I find something better, the RWS Superpoint is the one pellet of choice for all my Hakims.
Velocity
I had no idea how this particular rifle was going to perform, so this test was a diagnostic one for me. The first pellet I tried was the 5.6mm Eley Wasp that’s now obsolete. I bought several tins of them years ago before they stopped making them, so I can use them in my Webley Senior, whose bore is quite large. They weigh 14.5 grains and resemble a Benjamin High Compression pellet from the 1960s.
Eley Wasps averaged 454 f.p.s. and ranged from 450 up to 466 f.p.s. So, a 16 f.p.s. spread in total. At the average velocity, Wasps generate 6.64 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.
Next up were the RWS Superpoints. They also weigh 14.5 grains — the same as the Wasps — but their average velocity was 498 f.p.s., which is an increase of 47 f.p.s. over the Wasps. That’s due to the thin skirt being more effective in a taploader, I believe. The velocity ranged from 489 to 509 f.p.s., which is a 20 f.p.s. spread. At the average velocity, Superpoints developed 7.99 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.
The last pellet I tried was the RWS Hobby, which also performs well in Hakims. This 11.9-grain .22-caliber pellet averaged 554 f.p.s. in this rifle, with a range from 543 to 566 f.p.s. So the spread was 23 f.p.s. At the average velocity, Hobbys produced 8.11 foot-pounds at the muzzle.
Performance?
These velocities place this particular Hakim at the upper side of average for this model. I’ve see enough of them to know what they should do, and this one is okay — but not spectacular. I’m satisfied with it where it is.
When I disassembled the rifle to adjust the trigger, I noticed that it’s quite dirty inside. It could benefit from a thorough cleaning of all parts, inside and out. Therefore, I believe I’ll at least disassemble and clean the rifle for you, and, yes, I’ll take pictures.
I also noticed that the mainspring is very buzzy. That means there are either sloppy tolerances inside, or the mainspring may be canted. It’s probably sloppy tolerances, though, because the buzz is long and sustained. A canted spring will buzz sharply, but the buzz will also stop quick.
The buzz is disturbing, so I’ll look at ways of reducing it. If that slows down the rifle, I may need to tune it just a little to get it back to where it is now.
Oil
I oiled the rifle, to see what effect that might have. These taploaders do need more oil than conventional breakbarrels because the loading tap uses a film of oil to seal itself. To oil the rifle, I filled the tap with Crosman Pellgunoil and then cocked the rifle. The suction of air through the tap immediately sucked the oil into the compression chamber. After oiling, the velocity dropped by 100 f.p.s. for a couple shots, then climbed up to more than 50 f.p.s. above where it had been for around a dozen more shots. Then, it settled back to where it had been in the test. That tells me the tap was already oiled when I started the test. I was able to use Pellgunoil even though the Hakim does have a synthetic piston seal because the compression is so low.
The Arabic writing
I know that most of you have never see a Hakim up close, so I’m going to show you all the Arabic markings on the gun. There are no English characters anywhere. I don’t read Arabic, so I apologize if any of these characters are upside-down.
The rifle’s end cap has writing on both sides and on the top. Notice, also, that the cap has dovetail grooves. These can be used for short scopes, dot sights or peep sights.
The left side of the end cap.
The top of the end cap. If you mount anything to these dovetails, take the arch in the center into account.
The right side of the end cap.
Left side of the gun, just forward of the tap lever.
The rear sight is also graduated in Arabic numerals, which are unreadable — despite what they told us in school. That doesn’t really matter because you can guesstimate where to put the elevation slider from the results on the target, but it does illustrate that there isn’t a word of English anywhere on the airgun.
Evaluation so far
When I bought this rifle, I did so based on the stock. It’s well-made, beautiful and uncharacteristic of a standard Hakim stock, and free from cracks.
I tested the action at the time of purchase, which, with a Hakim, is possible without firing the rifle. I won’t bother to explain right now the how and why of that because I doubt many people will ever need to do it, but I did know from my test that this rifle was probably going to be average as far as performance goes. And it is.
Next, I think I’ll move on to accuracy testing at 10 meters with the installed sights. After that, I’ll decide where to go for the next report.
Leapers UTG Accushot 2-7X44 Scout scope: Part 3
by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Leapers UTG Accushot 2-7X44 Scout Scope is a remarkable sight!
This report covers:
• What is a scout scope?
• Magnification
• Bright!
• The test
It’s been a long time since we looked at this UTG 2-7X44 Scout SWAT scope, and I want you to know that it isn’t because the scope isn’t interesting. It’s very interesting. But other questions and products always seemed to get in the way of this third report. Today that ends, as we’ll take another look at this great scout scope.
What is a scout scope?
Scout scopes are scopes that have very long eye relief. Where a normal long eye relief scope might allow you to position the eyepiece 4-5 inches from your eye, a scout scope lets you get back 9-11 inches. This scope we’re looking at today has an eye relief of 9.5 to 11 inches, so it spans almost the entire length that all scout scopes provide.
You use scout scopes when there’s a reason. Either the rifle’s action has parts that get in the way of a scope being mounted in the normal place — such as the Mosin Nagant bolt-action rifle family whose straight bolt handles rise 90 degrees when the bolt is opened, or there needs to be some clearance for cartridge ejection — such as with the M1 Garand and Winchester model 94 rifles. While there are other ways of mounting scopes on these guns, with the left side mounts being the most popular, a scout scope allows you to look straight ahead, so there will never be a problem adjusting the side angle of the scope’s optical axis to coincide with the bore.
If the scope can’t be mounted above the receiver, such as on this Winchester model 94 lever-action rifle that ejects straight up, a side-mounted scope has been the traditional solution. The scout scope puts the scope above and in line with the bore, making alignment issues less critical.
Magnification
Scout scopes typically don’t have much magnification. That’s their weak spot. I guess it’s technically difficult to provide such a long eye relief and also magnify the target image, or perhaps they don’t do it because of how much the field of view diminishes as the scope goes out farther from the eye. What I do know is that Leapers gives us 2-7 magnifications with this UTG scope, which puts it at the top end of today’s scout scopes.
Bright!
A second big plus with this scope is its brightness. I was able to see the target clearly and make fine aiming adjustments at 7-power. That comes in very handy when you’re putting the thin mil-dot reticle on the target. This Leapers scope has reticle lines fine enough to shave with.
On top of that, this reticle is illuminated; so if the black lines are hidden by the target, they can be lit. All things considered, this is one fine hunting scope. I’ll say more about that in a bit, but let’s now test it at 25 yards.
The test
The scope is mounted on a Crosman MK-177 Tactical multi-pump pneumatic rifle. While that rifle doesn’t need a scout scope, it’s one of the few airguns that has a Picatinny rail long enough to mount such a scope at the correct distance from the eye.
I learned in the last test at 10 meters that this rifle does well with Air Arms Falcon pellets, so I used them exclusively in this test. Since I was shooting from 25 yards, I decided to begin with 6 pumps per shot. That should give a muzzle velocity of about 600 f.p.s. With multi-pumps, I’ve found that 5 or 6 pumps are sufficient for good accuracy at 25 yards indoors.
The first group was shot with the scope as it was left adjusted after the 10-meter test in April. The pellets landed high and to the right, with the group’s center being 2 inches high and .75 inches to the right. The first 10 pellets went into a group that measures 0.837 inches between centers. While that isn’t a wonderful group for most air rifles, it’s pretty good for an inexpensive multi-pump like the MK-177.
The first group of 10 Falcons went into 0.837 inches at 25 yards.
Following this group, I adjusted the scope 6 clicks to the left 6 and 14 clicks down for the second group. This was also shot with 6 pump strokes per shot. Ten pellets went into 1.063 inches. Again, not the best group but still pretty good for one of these rifles. Note that the pellets did hit lower on the target following the adjustment.
Following a scope adjustment, group 2 put 10 Falcon pellets into 1.063 inches at 25 yards.
I adjusted the scope down 6 more clicks and shot the next and final group. This time, I decided to pump the rifle 8 times for each shot — just to see what difference it might make, if any. Ten more shots went into 0.958 inches. The group was lower but also moved to the left. I must not have the scope leveled on the rifle. And that also makes me wonder if a scope level would help decrease the size of the groups. Several times, I found myself wondering if the gun was canted. The MK-177 doesn’t have the clues that a conventional rifle stock would have. It’s like holding a plank in your arms.
For the third group, I adjusted the scope again and also pumped the rifle 8 times for each shot. It put 10 into 0.958 inches at 25 yards.
Okay, that’s today’s test. Remember, I was really testing the scope and not the rifle. I found it to be clear, sharp and very easy to use. The adjustments moved the reticle positively every time. Maybe a scope level could help accuracy, but that remains to be seen. I don’t think I’ve done this wonderful scope justice, yet.
I will now look into mounting this same scope on one of my firearms, so we can continue to look at it. This scope can take some of the budget-priced firearms like the Mosins and SKS/AKs and turn them into useful hunting arms for a fraction of the cost of a new rifle. If you’re in the market for a good scout scope, I think you better look at this one!
