by B.B. Pelletier
Boy, you guys sure didn’t cut me much slack on the scope I selected for the gun! Of course Leapers 6-24×50 costs $20 more than the gun, but I was just trying to have a little fun. A real sniper rifle would have a 10x scope on it, so what I set up was somewhat overpowered.
In this report, we’ll take a look at shooting the UTG Master Sniper. From some of the comments, I know a thorough explanation is in order.
Loading
The gun comes with two magazines and a very nice speedloader. I found it a breeze to load without spillage. Once loaded, the magazine is slipped into its well under that stock. A word to the wise here. You have to deliberately push up the magazine until it clicks into place. If you don’t, it’ll work intermittently and you’ll be removing it all the time to clear a mis-fed BB. So, push it up flush!
Handy speedloader on the right. The Master Sniper comes with two magazines. Each has a capacity of 24 BBs.
Adjustable Hop Up
Hop Up is a feature that puts a backspin on the plastic BB, so it leaves the barrel spinning backwards. That makes it cut through the air and fly straighter longer. You turn those curveballs into fastballs! The Master Sniper has an adjustable Hop Up that lets you tune to the brand and weight of BBs you use. There’s just one drawback – you have to tune the Hop Up to the brand and weight of BB you are shooting!
That lever slides forward and back to adjust the backspin put on the BB. It’s both quick and easy, yet very precise at the same time.
Instead of mounting a scope and adjusting it until the shots go to the point of aim, with adjustable Hop Up you first have to adjust the Hop Up and then the scope! If it sounds confusing, wait till you try it! I selected a target that was very visible (a wooden fence about 17 yards away. Then I found a spot on the fence that was easy to identify with both my naked eye and through the scope. I sighted the scope on this spot, then watched the BB go downrange with my naked eye. That showed me where the BB was hitting relative to the target, and also if it was curving. I made no attempt to hit the spot; just to get the BB going as straight as possible, regardless of how far off it was from the aimpoint.
The Hop Up on the Master Sniper is very sensitive and easy to adjust. You can feel when you’ve moved the lever a small amount. It took about 40 shots to properly adjust it so the BB was flying as straight as I could make it. Then, it was time to adjust the scope.
How does it shoot?
To cock the gun, the bolt is lifted and retracted, then pushed home again – exactly like a bolt-action rifle. Pulling back on the bolt compresses the mainspring, which is light, so the cocking effort is not too heavy. The oversized, rubber-coated bolt handle really helps you hold on.
The trigger is single-stage with a long, light pull. There is no creep – just a long pull. When the gun fires, there’s no noticeable recoil and only a slight noise upon discharge. The bipod really stabilizes the gun when shooting from a rest, and it’s so easy to cock that you can pump out a relatively high volume of fire.
Scope adjustment
After adjusting the Hop Up for the straightest flight, the BB was hitting low and left of the aimpoint by a few inches. It was fairly easy to adjust the scope to bring it back to the intersection of the crosshairs. Another reason I used this scope was that it was already mounted in some Weaver rings, and the Master Sniper has Picatinny bases that work with two-piece Weaver mounts. I didn’t need to adjust the aimpoint that much, so there was no need for adjustable scope mounts. Then, it was on to the the range and some target practice.
Ah, but that’s for another day!
BB—I’m not requesting any info today. You deserve the best of the holiday season. I appreciate all of your excellent reviews and comments on the wonderful world of airguns. I’ve learned a lot, thanks to you. I have many airguns and you touched base on most of them. (In fact, I’m awaiting my latest today, a Tau Silhouette, and I’m as anxious as a kid looking for Santa)! You are the BEST.
Well, I’m not gonna be quite so altruistic as the previous poster…
I do hope you get the MP513 Part 2 up soon, I’m still teetering between the Baikal and the Mendoza RM600 (both in .22 cal).
If you can offer any opinions between the two at this point, I’d sure appreciate it.
Oh, and yes – we do appreciate your reviews and your interaction with all of us out here. I just hope you get paid for this gig!
Vince
Have a good holiday BB
Happy holidays B.B. and the rest of you. And yep, the reviews are always appreciated.
I’m glad you explained the hop up function. I always thought it was either all the way to hop up or all the way to normal. I didn’t realize it was meant to be fine tuned.
Happy holidays to all!!
Thanks to all of you!
I am prepared for a Merry Christmas.
Vince, get the Baikal. Don’t hesitate.
Best holiday wishes to all my readers,
B.B.
BB,
Thanks for everything, your post are most appreciated.
This looks like a fun gun, can’t wait for part 3.
Merry C’mas and best to you and all over the New Year!
dsw
bb
are .22 kodiaks good for killing squirls?
also what kind of power do you need to kill seagulls?
Kodiaks are excellent for squirrels. I believe seagulls are protected, despite being pests. A bird that size would need at least 12-15 foot-pounds on target.
B.B.
While were on pests. I shot a crow today, and it didn’t die. This is with my condor shooting eun jins. I know good and well there was enough power. Does it have to be a head shot? Is the condor good enough (accuracy wise) to do that out to 50-100 yards?
I’m still figuring this gun out. At 50 yards I used to (cf-x) have to hold over about 3 mil dots. Now, I just leave the croshairs on it. It’ll take some adjusting, but I love it anyway.
Thanks,
lama
lama,
You probably drilled the crow. Did he fly away slowly? That’s one sign of a mortally wounded bird.
The Condor is too powerful to shoot crows on high power at ranges much less than 100 yards. It’s like a .22 short high speed. Try a lighter accurate pellet going about 800 f.p.s. at the point of impact. Try JSB Exact Jumbo domes.
A head shot will nearly always either work or miss completely. You might push that shot out to 75 yards with the right pellet.
B.B.
Speaking of varmints, I have to boast of the shot I took yesterday with my Diana 54. I spotted a squirrels nest about 50 feet up in a big tree with no leaves about 90 – 100 yards away. I was sitting in my truck aiming 90 degrees out the drivers window. I was using a 1 inch nylon sling to steady myself and launched a Crossman Premium .22 at it. I aimed a good six inches above the nest not knowing how far it would drop at that distance. KAPOW!!! A squirrel came flying out of the nest and almost didn’t catch himself on the landing. While he was freaking out trying to figure out what happend, I reloaded and took another shot. All I heard was a resounding THWAP, and the next thing I knew, that squirrel was falling and hit every branch on the way down. But he was definately gone because he didn’t try to grab a one. I was stunned… and quite proud of my shot. I LOVE MY 54!!!
Nuglor
BB, thanks for the tip.
I imagine you’ll be offline fer a while… have a good Christmas and we’ll talk to you whenever you get back.
Ha, nice nuglor. My best shot ever was a squirrel at 60 yards running with my cf-x. 😀
How can the condor be too powerful? I would think more power the better. He did fly away slowly, so he might have died later. I have some jsb exacts and I’ll use them for crows for now on. So should I aim for the head only?
The squirrel was running, not me. Just figured I’d clear that up. 😀
About how much pellets per co2 cartridge do I get from a 2240?
Mr. Lama,
When a pellet hits a flesh target at extremely high speed, it blows straight through with a smaller hole doing less damage than if it is hit with a slower moving pellet that tears stuff up as it slows down and stops in the target. That’s kind of a basic explanation, but I hope it helps.
Nuglor
lama, nuglor and gang,
nice shootin’
my best shot was a mocking bird at 95yds out with a CFX and no scope.
No kidding. Obviously the bird flew away (not enough energy at impact) but two people verified the shot.
I had to wait for my AO scope to arrive to measure the distance a week later!
My worst shot is the same CFx with a 4-12×33 AO scope I missed a raven at 18yds argh!
Mry C’mas you guys
dsw
Are the Daisy 853 prone to air leakage?
Reason why I am asking is that im part of my high schools NJROTC’s Rifle team and in this month alone we have 3 rifles (853s) break on us, the one assigned to me leaked during our “postal” (mail in to CMP) and killed my prone score.
Now what power plant (Springer, Single/Multi Pump Pneumatic, or C02) is most reliable? (If the user takes care of the rifle)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!, B.B.,
And a most bright and happy New Year! Thank you for all the information. When I take up a new sport I usually buy a magazine or three on it. Reading even the ads gives me a lot of info. But with airgunning, I go straight to your BLOG. May all your fondest wishes come true this Christmas season.
-Joe
ive been thinking about an rws 350 magnum for hunting small game. i was going to go with sling mounts such as these- https://www.pyramydair.com/product/barrel-swivels-for-beeman-and-rws-585-to-635-diam?a=1058
part of the sling mount goes on the barrel and looks like it will get in the way of the scope. can anyone put some light on this? i cant have the sling if it gets in the way of my scope but id like to have a sling…
Bryan,
From a 2240 you’ll get at least 40 and possibly up to 50 shots per powerlet.
B.B.
I also have the same exact speed loader for my for my R8, i also have a CYMA G3 SAS, but its a Hi cap gear driven magazine, so no need for loader… but that speed loader is a very usefull tool, i recommend them for many people… CHEAP TOO! got mine for around 6 bucks!
Bryan,
Daisy 853s are very robust if they are properly maintained. They have to be oiled periodically with either 20-weight non-detergent motor oil of some kind of silicone oil (I use Crosman Pellgunoil). The oil goes on the felt wiper behind the pump head.
I know 20 year-old 853s that have shot over 100K shots, but they do have to be overhauled about every 5K-8K shots. The O-ring seals are replaced. Daisy even made an informal video to show team coaches how this is done.
Now for your next question about reliability, I guess you are really asking which powerplant works the longest before requiring maintenance, because they all need it. It’s a tossup between the spirng-piston and PCP powerplant.
B.B.
350 Magnum sling,
The barrel clamp hangs down, so the sling is attached underneath the barrel. The other clamp attaches underneath the buttstock. The sling, therefore, hangs under the gun. I does not hinder scope use.
With a breakbarrel gun like the 350 magnum you can use a barrel-mounted sling for carrying, but not for shooting (i.e. you cannot use a hasty sling support when you shoot).
B.B.
The funny thing is our 853s are not that old, we only had 2 rifle teams, I am on the second team from our school to touch them. Maybe they were sold to us used?
I meant we had a rifle team only 2 years, I am on Alpha team.
help!!!!!
i was just shootin my new 392 in very humid weather and every time i shot a puff of something came out of the barrel. could this possibly be all the moisture in the air condencing under pressure in the compression chamber and then beeing blown out the barrell?
i havent oiled it yet so i know therre was nothing already in the barrel
if so will this mess up the valves?
Was it cold? Every time I shoot my guns I get a puff that comes out. I’m pretty sure it’s the same thing as when you breath and the puff comes out. That might be it, B.B. will probably know though.
it was acually quite warm but bb will know
Bryan,
I bet the sponge seal is not getting oiled every 1000 shot. My 853c is one of my most reliable plinker. I like it even better than my low powered springers.
BB,
Is the hunter field target not popular in the US? How come I don’t hear about it as much?
i’ll bet it was factory oil being blown out.
I think I had that when I first got my IZH 61
what ever happend to the 357GW kit? I tried to order one then I got a message saying my order could not be done and they still apparently are not stocked anymore, whats up with that?
sorry to bother you so close to christmaas but i was wondering if this mount
https://www.pyramydair.com/product/b-square-17010-benjamin-sheridan-scope-base-weaver-picatinny-rail?a=431
could be used with the 392 as well
Anonymous,
That Chinese rifle at airgundepot.com is an “Industry” brand “B3” rifle. It’s got a reputation as a decent little plinker for the money, but you should be able to get it at cumminstools.com for about $20. SouthSummit has the similar B4-2 for about $29, as I recall… which is more powerful and generally thought to be a better rifle.
Vince
392,
You saw the condensation of moisture vapor as the air expanded outside the muzzle and cooled.
This is a normal reaction that PCPs see all the time. It’s not as common in multi-pumps because they don’t use air at the same pressure, but it does happen.
Just keep shooting.
B.B.
Hunter field target,
The Hunter class is VERY popular in the U.S. Some clubs shoot that way exclusively, and the name, Hunter Class, was actually assigned by a U.S. FT club.
However, AAFTA rules (which copy BAFTA rules) still prevail.
B.B.
357GW,
My information is that this gun has been discontinued by Crosman. So if you want one, buy it wherever you see it.
B.B.
Benjamin scope mount,
It says it works with Benjamin Sheridan guns, so it should work. I would call Pyramyd and ask the customer representative if it does. She will know for sure.
B.B.
Does anyone know anything about the XS-B3 .22? it is copied from a Ak-47
Hey, can you tell me if the Leapers 3-9×50 Red/Green Mil-Dot Scope has a regular(black) non-illuminated ritcle that you can choose to use instead of the illuminated red/green ritucle. In other words, can u turn off the red/green riticle to use a black non-illuminated one?
Yes, you don’t have to have an illuminated reticle. In fact, I generally don’t. I use the black reticle most of the time.
B.B.
somehow lost the pins that allows the bolt handle to cock. Any idea where i can get a replacement set of pins?
Anonymous,
If you purchased it from PyramydAir within the last 30 days, then they should take care of things for you. Otherwise, try Leapers' customer service directly. They might have replacement parts available.
Bobby
Where can I get extra mags for this gun?
Have you contacted Pyramyd Air?
B.B.