Page 3 - Air Venturi Bronco Reviews

For $126 it's got very good finish and marks of quality. Light trigger, basic but adjustable rear sight, decent accuracy, pretty good power.

when the safety is on, and you forget to take it off until after pulling trigger, the second stage is even lighter than normal. Not sure how this could be changed. Otherwise I'll get used to it and/or learn to take off safety before pulling trigger!

Without being able to try other guns, I rolled the dice on this one and am very pleased. I am not an experienced airgunner, but I am encouraged by this one to get out and shoot at some cardboard boxes with targets glued on plus a pellet trap I bought at the same time. I am an older guy with eyesight issues coming on, so I am happy to see that I can hit the targets from 10+ meters and even an occasional bullseye. I am looking forward to getting a scope for my birthday so I can see what I am aiming at just a little better. Gun is pretty quiet, feels good to hold and is easy to cock and load. Haven't figured out which pellets are best, but it appears to do well with the 3 brands I bought from PA's suggested list (RWS, H&N, Beretta).

I purchased a blemished model after a little internal debate. The cost difference was less than $20 but I figured I could use the money for pellets and take my chances that I didn't get a dog. Well it arrived and I anxiously opened the box expecting the worst. I was pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful rifle with excellent fit and finish. The "blemish" was a little inconsistancy in the stock finish. It would have been just fine to use as is but I tend to like little projects so I used some 600 grit sandpaper and a little rubbing compound then wax and it now looks perfect. Took about 5 mintues total. This gun has an excellent trigger. The two blade design might not be my first choice but it is light and crisp and I'd take it over a single stage trigger. Good open sights. The accuracy is excellent as well. I bought this to use with my children and have fun plinking. It fits this use perfectly. Easy to cock, light and accurate. What more could you ask for less than $110 shipped?

These are really nitpicky but I'll throw them out so you know. There is a slight rattle when you close the action. Its part of the design and not a flaw but I don't get this from my higher priced English and German guns. I bought this with the idea of not scoping it. My other airguns are all scoped and I was feeling like playing with open sights. I also want my kids to learn the fundimentals of shooting with open sights before they move on to a scoped rifle. For this purpose, the comb on the stock is a little high. I read the reviews that stated the stock was good for scoping so I guess I'm not surprised. I may end up re-profiling the stock a bit to get the fit I was hoping for. The great part is not worrying about damaging a high-dollar gun by customizing it.

Just buy one. You won't regret it.

The size of this rifle was perfect for my 10 yr olds first air rifle. When he opened it on his birthday he was the envy of all his friends. I was not a fan of the "blonde" wood but he loves it. Actually its starting to grow on me too.

I was extremely disappointed with the open sites. I have never seen such a worthless site on any gun including rifles in the $50 range. I really wanted to teach my son to shoot with open sites before moving on to a scope. Dont get me wrong, if you want to hit a can you could. We shoot mostly at paper so you can see where each shot lands. Trying to "fine tune" these sights to hit bullseye is next to impossible.. I feel if your going to market this rifle as a "youth" or beginners" air riflle then good open sites should be standard.

I found that RWS Diablo Basics shot the best in this rifle. Which is good news because they are one of the least expensive. I tried several others at twice the price but none out performed them. After putting on a scope and stripping off the factory sites this rifle looks awesome. My soon is consistently grouping 5 shots within a nickel size circle at 10 meters. I couldnt be prouder. The double blade trigger is interesting but seems to work good.

I like this little no frill gun. I really like this stock configuration. It has a good feel. The trigger is very nice. The safty can be worked from either side.

I would like to see this scaled up. It is a good design,and very comfortable. But as it is a youths rifle it has very little power. I think if this were to be scaled up for more power, with this stock configuration, it would be really cool. It tracks well, will stay right on target, Balance and overall feel is just what i like

no power plinks em out there but just for target practice

I bought this for my 11 y.o. who can't cock the bigger springers I have. He has no trouble at all. Once I had it sighted in he was easily hitting 1" wide blocks from 10 meters. He loves it and it fits him well. Great trigger, very light, took some getting used to by me, no problem for the boys.

I added white-out to the front sight so it could be seen better between the rear sight blades.

I really like to shoot this rifle although it is too small for a full size adult. It is the perfect rifle for the beginning shooter and I will be buying at least one more.

Very good trigger, has a similar feel to my centerfire savage accu-trigger. Cocking was reasonable as advertised. Overall fit, finish and quality of materials is good for the price point (with exception of front sight) High comb stock is definitely set up for scope use. Accuracy was consistently 1/2" groups at 50' with the irons (that is my backyard max range).

Front sight blade was mounted with a approx 1 degree cant, off-line of center vertical, just enough to notice. In order to get the iron sights to zero at 50ft. for elevation, I had to pull out the rear sight elevation ramp, remove the leaf spring rear sight and bend it a little to get it to sit low approx 2mm off the barrel. The stock comb is very high and makes it difficult to use the iron sights.

I highly recommend you paint the front sight blade with white, orange or red to aid in finding it and tracking with it. The black is not acceptable for contrasting most natural targets (backyard safari's)

Exactly as advertised! I love it! Easy to cock, accurate to shoot, and quality made. The trigger is a joy to use. Mine came in at 1.78 lb. trigger pull. A laminated tag tied at the trigger guard indicates speed of 468 fps. and trigger pull numbers 1.78lb from the factory and paper of grouped shots. I enjoy shooting this all day at the backyard. At 15 yards shooting at a cone Gamo Pellet trap using .177 Crosman Hollow Point 7.9g pellets, I was able to group shots at a hole no bigger than a dime using a bench rest. It shoots good groups when using: Beeman Hollow Point Pellets or Wad Cutters; Crosman Premier HP 7.9g; RWS Meisterklugen (sp?) Wad Cutters 7.0g; and other German made pellets. But if you're on a budget the Crosman Premiers 7.9g Hollow Point and Beeman standard 7.0 hollow point will do. Very accurate shooting open sight at 15-25 yards. I'm having fun with spinners, pellet trap targets while using 2x6 pinewood boards infront of masonite as backstop. Excellent plinker. Very quiet and quality made. No spring "twang" whatsoever. The Bronco has controlled accurate shots! Bullseye! I love the trigger! Very light.

Although intended as a youth rifle, the Bronco, in my opinion can be improved by making it capable of 600 - 650 fps using 7.9g - 8.4g . lead .177 pellets. (The Crosman Raven Youth Break Barrel Rifle has 650fps for example) This slight increase in power will allow pellets to penetrate and become trapped inside the 2x6 pinewood board backstop 1/4 in deep. The pellets ricochets making it less safe as a backyard plinker -- Than a Crosman Raven with a hard to pull trigger that I own.

The Bronco, when scoped 4x32, and zeroed in, makes it much more fun to shoot. You can shoot with confidence knowing you are going to hit the target from which you aimed - and nothing else (within 25 yards). I am so impressed by Air Venturi and this Bronco Model, that today, I decided to buy the Air Venturi Avenger 1100 as well. This time in .22 cal. We'll see how the Bronco's big brother, the Avenger really is.

Everything. Light, accurate, easy to shoot for an old poot like me. Good looking. Mine has a great fit and finish. Wood and metal.

Supply screws to fill in the holes if you remove the sights and add a scope. Wish I knew what size to buy.

This rifle is worthy of a small lightweight scope. I put a 4X AO Bugbuster on mine. Perfect balance. Shooting 503 fps with Crosman Destroyer pellets.

Excellent shooter, very accurate, crisp second stage trigger, easy to cock, ambidextrous. And of course, all for a very good price. You hear negative comments about springers because they need the "artillery hold" but this gun gives springers the good name they deserve. I would recommend this gun to anyone, not only young shooters, but especially them.

Different wood type choices for the stock. Not that I hate the blond stock, just that other guns have that choice and I tend toward the darker wood.

Pretty much likes anything in the 7-8 gr pellet range. Some better than others. Right now Hobbys seem to be better but try H&N Match, JSB Exact, R-10, and Meisterkugeln. My gun is still breaking in so one of these others may end up better.

Low price. Wood and metal construction with very little plastic. Beautiful blueing on the receiver. Very nicely contoured rubber buttpad (with white spacer). Crisp two-stage trigger. Nice muzzlebreak, will maintain finish on barrel. Stock feel/gun balance is excellent. Accuracy. Accuracy. Accuracy. No fiber optic sights, they have their place-- but not on this rifle.

Rear sight is a compromise to save money. Mine would not adjust low enough to zero at 10 yards without slight modification. A wheel adjustable sight would be nice. The stock was a nice piece of wood, but I am not fond of the light color. A good candidate for a sand/stain-oil/repeat. How about some nice, western style checkering? My rifle gets a might slippery when I'm heardin' them doggies!

Use a very light hold with this rifle. Watch the "Artillery Hold" video by Tom Gaylord on the Tips and Tricks page. You will be rewarded with amazing accuracy if your technique is good. I eventually mounted a Leapers 3-9x32 scope with low rings to the rifle to get the most accuracy out of it. My Bronco likes Crosman Premiers 7.9gr pellets in the cardboard box the best among the pellets I tried.

It looks nice, handles well, not too heavy and very easy to cock. Oh and very accurate too !

I don't really like how the sights look, especially the front one ahead of the barrel shroud BUT once scoped it's really easy to remove and only leaves 2 small screw holes and looks much nicer.

Really worth scoping

I was looking for an airgun I could use to practice offhand shooting. I wanted a rifle that fit well, was accurate, quiet, and most important, had a light trigger pull. When I read the description of the Bronco i figured this would fit the bill and I was right. I didn't try the open sights, but removed them and put on a Leapers Golden Image 4x32 mini scope. I tried several pellets but was able to shoot a one whole group off a rest at 10 meters using RWS Super Points and Gamo Master Points. At 20 meters (the length of my backyard) I had a group the size of a quarter. I noticed in several reviews this rifle was refered to as a youth rifle and gave the impression it is for kids. While I'm sure they would enjoy it, it works well for me at 5'8 and 175 lbs. Length of pull is fine and weight is only about one pound less than the rifle I normally shoot.

Nothing.

I don't think you can go wrong with this rifle. A lot of fun if you want to plink or target shoot and hard to beat the price of $125.

WOW! I took this gun out of the box and on the first shot at 30 yards, hit a small tin can. This without a scope and without adjusting the sight. It is also very quiet. Easy to cock and load.

To also use BB's.

NIce design and very well finished - all wood/steel except for endcap. Trigger is very useable - fairly crisp, well regulated, and decently light. Short, EASY stroke - kids can do it. Very accurate - not a total tac driver, but very good with a variety of pellets - eats cheap ones well - Crossman Premiers. Sights are very useable, and can give decent accuracy - but not precision some may want. You can STILL drive all rounds into the black at 5m with these sights if you do your part. Excellent for a basement plinker and for young shooters. It IS addictive - easy to cock accurate, nice stock, good looking - overall a superb deal and well designed. It WILL perform out of the box. I had no dieseling.

Provide a peep rear sight to bring out all the potential. While you're at it, provide a globe front with swappable inserts.

Crosman Premiers (HPs) work well. Because you are at 500 fps or less, you will need substantial target backing and fire HPs or domes. Wadcutters at these speeds will tear a big hole in the paper. I DID have to slightly adjust the rear sights. Notch ONE is good for 10m, notch 2 for 5m.

I bought this gun for my 11 year old who is shorter then most. He has no trouble with it. I on the other hand had the time of my life while helping to break it in. So much more fun then my magnums! I had forgotten what air gunning was all about. In no time at all you get used to the funky two bladded trigger and fall in love with it. At first I thought I wouldn't like the primative but rugged rear sight but after adjusting the windage, I was able to set a soda can out on the snowey up hill slope outside the house at my 25 yard marker and push it up hill, inch by inch, to my 40 yard marker. I could have gotten it to the 50 bit their was just nothing left of the can and I was cold. So the sights work great and they will last through the next generation of users of this gun. Cocking is very easy. The blond stock is great. No need to tune this solid little gun. It has impressive accuracy. What would a scope do?

My sight will not give me a POI closer then 25 yards (using 7.0 gr. RWS Basics) but some minor surgery on it will fix that if I get around to it.

After 250 rounds through it a string of 20 shots yielded 593 FPS using RWS Basics. After 400 rounds a 20 shot string yielded 599.5 FPS (so close!). I have not tested any other pellets yet. When and if the big brother version to this rifle comes out I will be the first in line. Oh yes, It will shoot clean through a soup can.

Ease of cocking, light weight, nice trigger - especially in this price point, blond finish. Our 10 year old son loves it. Will buy one for his 12 year old sister and refinish the stock to pink.

Nothing at this time.

Exactly as advertised. Very good value!

Overall great rifle for an older - but first time - springer shooter. The Bronco is light, easy to cock, accurate, and good looking too. The moderate power is perfect for a basement range. And the trigger action is smooth and crisp. If only my old eyes were as accurate as this rifle.

I don't think the iron sights are all that bad. The rifle was shooting high at first, probably due to the nearness of my target, but a index card-stock shim beneath the bolt-on front sight cured the problem. That said, fiber option sights would make low-light, indoor shooting easier. Since Mendoza makes fiber optic sights, perhaps they could be offered as a low-cost option.

The trigger, smooth and light cocking, accuracy, size, weight and stock.

Nothing.

This rifle does exactly what it was designed to do. It is not a powerhouse but it is accurate with the right pellet. I got lucky, mine likes Crossman premiere hollowpoints and RWS Diablo basics (inexpensive). I tried a dozen different types. Most of them would group within a dime at 10 meters, the two favorites did a little better. (open sights were used, a scope would almost be cheating) I also own a Beeman R7. The Bronco does not have the fit and finish of the R7 but for slightly less than one third the price, it comes close in performance. I really like the Bronco and I am picky. I won't keep a gun that turns out to be poorly built or inaccurate. This one is a keeper.

this gun is everything that tom gaylord says it is. i am very happy with this gun it is very accurate and i am glad i didnt waste more money to buy the rws 240. i would bet this gun can do anything the rws can do for 70 dollars less. you can put pellets on top of each other at 10 meters even off hand the trigger is amazing. i am not the steadiest off hand shooter in the world but this gun makes me feel like i am. i owe a big thank you to tom gaylord i am new to pyramydair but toms blogs really helped me make a good decision.

the only thing i could find that was wrong was the ramp for the rear sight wont let it go low enough for 10 meter sight in. but all you have to do is remove the ramp which is easy it comes right out and push the bottom sight down a little. i took the rear sight off by unscrewing the two screws and bent it by hand very slightly so the bottom of the sight sat about 1/16 to 1/8" off the barrel and that put me dead on for height.

one thing i think is important to note that the stock around the trigger hand is pretty thick im a good size guy and it is fat for my hands even. other than that there is absolutely nothing bad about this gun i love it and i am sure i will for years to come

Easy to cock is an understatement! Great job on the design of this starter gun for kids... or plinker for adults. I just got a 1/2" 10 shot group with it on a make shift bench rest at 19 yards indoors with sorted 8.2 gr. JSB exacts. These are the 15th thru 25th shots right from the box after mounting a leapers 3-9x32AO golden image. 1st shot at 10 yards after mounting only 2" right and low. Soon on the bull at 19 yards. (no barrel droop!). Very smooth shooting! Light , but safe trigger! I'm a firm believer in low power in spring guns, this is why! this gun shoots like a much more expensive 10 meter gun. Don't ever ask a spring gun to shoot faster than 700fps with a 8.4 grain pellet. .. really 600fps is much better. You can almost never get accuracy with more power. Go PCP after 600 fps. low cost.. Marauder, then Air Arms if you can afford... but I digress.. I like the steel and wood. I'm getting use to the blond stock.. I like the full rubber butt pad, and it looks like one could add to the butt if they need more length to trigger. but it's fine for my average size as is. The metal adjustable sights have good spacing and focus well for my old eyes... but I scoped it quick. I like the sleek win 30-30 style stock, it shoulder nice and gives me eye relief quickly. What else can I say.. buy it for your kid.. and two more for you and your friends. You could shoot this baby for days on end and never get a sore arm.. but still be bragging on the great groups!

The price! ...its way too Cheap! How can I make any money on such a low priced gun! Wayne Burns, Match Director, Ashland Air Rifle Range :-)

It's such a sleek gun that eye relief is very tight on the open sights. It works for me right on, with my cheek pressed tight to the cheekrest... If your eyeball is lower than mine by much.. (again, I'm average size old guy), you might have an issue.. but I don't have any idea if it would be an issue. That's the only thing possibly, partial negative about the fine work from mendoza. I will post again after 3,000 shots and see how she holds up, but I think it will be good since she feels built tough, and the power plant is so low.. she is not over working at all. AGAIN, GREAT DESIGN TOM GAYLORD!