by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Both side of the Air Arms S410 TDR.
This report covers:
- What is it?
- Description
- Variable power
- Ergonomics
- Mounting the butt
- Loud!
- Additional items that come with the gun
- Trigger
- Scope
- Observations so far
What is it?
TDR stands for Take Down Rifle. That’s what the Air Arms S410 TDR Classic is — a rifle that comes apart for easy transport. Only Air Arms did it the right way — the way take-down rifles were marketed in the early part of the 20th century. They don’t just give you a rifle that comes apart — they also give you the rugged field carrying case to hold it. A case that has straps for carrying the rifle and is fitted, armored and padded inside for a perfect fit.
Description
The TDR is a repeating bolt action PCP that comes in either .177 or .22 caliber. The test gun is a .22 — serial number 144734. You get one 10-shot magazine with the rifle, and there is room to store another 2 loaded magazines beneath the sliding wood cheekpiece on the butt. With 30 rounds a hunter can go to the field without carrying more pellets. Thirty shots are more than enough for most kinds of hunting. When I hunt coyotes I typically carry 10-15 rounds and expect to fire no more than 2. For pests hunters, though, it’s different. A person shooting pigeons or rats in a barn will want to carry a tin of pellets to stop and reload the mags after awhile.
Yes, additional magazines are available. They are pricy, at $50 apiece, but hunters want their setups complete, and more mags are a must. The forearm with pistol grip and the cheekpiece are both made of what looks like walnut to me. The finish is dry and matte — resembling a fine British oil finish. The metal parts are a combination of steel and aluminum. The steel parts are highly polished and have a deep black finish that’s lustrous. The aluminum receiver and butt post are both finished matte and anodized flat black.
Variable power
Very few readers probably remember that I did a 5-part report on the Air Arms S410 sidelever back in 2007. The report format was different than today and I only shot 5-shot groups, but the rifle we are examining today is the same basic design. And I shot that rifle for accuracy at 75 yards — another big departure from the normal way of doing business.
The S410 has variable power. A knurled knob on the right side of the receiver is easily turned by hand and the power indicator is on the opposite side of the receiver. The indicator looks like a slotted screw head and moves smoothly between the symbols “+”, which is high and “-” which is low. There are no detents, so the power can be set anywhere within the range. My advice is to find the one accurate pellet and power setting and then leave it set there. Forget dialing up and down for different situations — it’s too complex. I might have to write a report on that, because a lot of people think they are supposed to determine many power settings and pellets with their airguns.
The power adjustment knob is on the right side of the receiver.
The slot indicates where the power is set. The rifle is set to high power here.
This .22 caliber version is supposed to generate about 31 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. Pyramyd AIR provides some test results with a 15.9-grain pellet on the description page and that string goes from a high of 937 f.p.s. to a low of 894 f.p.s. for a 15.9-grain .22 caliber pellet. Of course that would be the total shot count for the gun at that power, so I will see what I can do when I get out to the range. I will still do velocity testing but it will be accuracy at 50 yards that determines the best pellet and power setting.
The TDR weighs 5.73 pounds, which makes it a lightweight. You’ll want to think about that when you choose a scope for it, because the rifle is perfect for a lighter more compact scope. The magazine sticks up above the receiver, so you will have to use 2-piece scope rings, but I prefer them anyway for their increased positioning flexibility.
Ergonomics
The cheekpiece slides fore and aft on the metal bar it’s mounted to, but there is no up and down adjustment. Air Arms took care of that by making the rubber-coated buttplate slide up and down. So you can mount the butt low on the shoulder and bring the cheekpiece up high to your face. The pistol grip does make the trigger-pull very short. That’s a commion problem with most rifles that have pistol grips, but since many people like them, I guess we can adapt. Actually because the butt removes, this pistol grip is needed to secure the rifle better in your hands. There isn’t a stock wrist to hold onto.
Mounting the butt
To attach the butt all you have to do is align three pins at the front of the butt with their respective holes at the rear of the receiver. Then push the parts together and secure them with a thumbscrew mounted in front of the buttplate. The trigger guide rod in the center of the receiver has spring tension that you must push against when attaching the butt. It’s fast and easy. Air Arms put the assembly (mounting the butt) instructions at the back of their manual, but they are among the first things you’ll need to read and understand.
The three pins go into their respective holes and the spring-loaded central rod from the rifle action goes into a hole in the center of the butt attachment point.
Once the butt is attached the fit is solid. I shook it hard and there was no movement. The manual also warns to not fire the rifle with the butt detached. If you do the power will be very low and you might get a pellet stuck in the barrel.
Loud!
The TDR comes with a muzzle brake that in the United Kingdom would be a silencer. But in the U.S., silencers must be licensed by the ATF&E under the provisions of the National Firearms Act. That will cost you $200, and you must have the license with the silencer at all times. The muzzle brake that comes with the TDR has no technology inside to reduce the gun’s report, which is considerable. It rates a 5 on the Pyramyd AIR scale. For hunters it shouldn’t be a problem, but understand that this is not a quiet indoor plinker.
Muzzle brake slips over the barrel and attaches with a single Allen screw. The fill adapter and wrenches are also shown.
Additional items that come with the gun
Included with the gun are the brass Air Arms fill adapter. It has 1/8 BSP thrteads, so it attaches to an air hose coupling that has female threads of the same number, size and count. There are also 3 Allen wrenches for making various adjustments to the gun. And in the package with the test gun there was also a sample bottle of Napier Power Airgun Oil.
Trigger
The 2-stage trigger is adjustable for pull weight, length of stage one and location of stage 2. The stage 1 and stage 2 adjustments affect each other, so you have to pay attention when adjusting them. I will adjust the trigger in Part 2 for you. Because of the noise, I’m going to do both Parts 2 and 3 at the range.
Scope
There are no sights on this rifle, so some kind of optical sight has to be mounted. A scope makes the most sense, and, as I have already noted, that scope should be compact and light. Fortunately Air Arms thought it through and provided a space for the scope inside the gun case, so that space will help you define the scope as well. The space is 17 inches long and has cutouts for both an illuminated reticle control switch and for the vertical turret knob. It’s as if the designers actually thought this through!
Air Arms provided plenty of space for a scope inside the case.
I’m kidding, of course. Air Arms designers are airgunners themselves. They don’t just build airguns — they build the kind of airguns they would like to own. You can count on their guns being well thought-out.
Observations so far
The S410 TRD seems like a very well designed package. I have tested a .177 S410 in the past, but that was 8 years ago and this rifle is a .22. It’s the only S410 still in Pyramyd Air’s lineup, and I think it will be fun to put it through its paces.
The “take down” aspect is a handy feature. As well for FT shooters who have to travel great distances as well for hunters: you can go hunting using your motorcycle as a way of transport….. without having to carry that big full sized rifle case strapped around your body. When Im asked by a farmer to do some pidgeon/dove/crow/rabbit pest control, I usually bring 2 airguns. The hw80/r1 and my 10m fwb target rifle. Try taking those with you without a car.
Forget about that powersetting. Once you determined what power suits your needs….. then leave it there and never think about it ever again. Between the lowest and highest power settings, your trajectory changes dramatically. And you probably need two different pellets for each powersetting. The pellet that does well on the low setting will most probably be a poor choice a the full powersetting.
If I ever become a covert varmint assassin gone rogue, I am going to get one of these rifles. It helps with the quick get-away.
B.B.,
Interesting rifle in many ways,..one that I over looked. Not a PCP user, but when I see a rifle I am not familiar with, I pick up the P.A. catalog for a quick reference. The catalog list the fps at 581 in both the Vol. 6 and 7 issues. The page on the site has all the correct info.
Chris,
This is the FAC (firearms certificate) version. It is full-powered.
B.B.
In the the UK the TDR will put out 6 ft/lb without the stock on, this being the legal limit for pistols over here. Shame the power appears to be so low on this version as it would have been good to see some groupings as a pistol, but hey, we don’t get the power adjustment knob. Such is life, i will just have to make do with my .22 410 carbine..
TTFN
Best wishes, Wing Commander Sir Nigel Tetlington-Smythe.
B.B.
This is going to be a “ten-shooter” . Extra clips won’t be much good unless your clip craps out and has to be replaced .
One clip per fill .
twotalon
TT,
Good observation. I filled the S410 sidelever that I tested in 2007 with a Hill pump. It took 50-64 strokes to go from 2000 to 2900 psi.
B.B.
B.B.
This one should fill much faster , particularly if you use a microbore hose .
The one that PA tested shows a straight down hill curve . If you are testing a different one, will be interesting to compare .
twotalon
Hey BB,
the third picture on the blog showing the power adjustment screw also seems to have a scribed line that matches the slot in the adjustment screw. Is that something you’ve marked yourself as a reference line or is it on the rifle from the manufacturer?
Fred DPRoNJ
Fred,
That’s a cat hair that lazy BB didn’t remove before he took the photo. And thank YOU so much for drawing everyone’s attention to it! 😉
B.B.
LOL
B.B.
Looks more like lint . I am an expert on what cat hair looks like .
twotalon
And thank you for the forced hyper-speed re-scroll to verify the observation. You might consider terriers like ours. Lakeland terriers don’t shed, (well not hardly much,) however, having hair much like we, they morph slowly from sleek hunters to something in 9 or 10 weeks or so resembling a quadapedal dandilion with big brown eyes. And then they do have the universal on-going project to move the “outside” to the “inside.”
That means mud in the winter and fox-tails in the summer. This is not to mention the occasional gopher reserved especially for new (read “expensive”) furniture.
BB– I agree with 2talon. I am also an expert re cat hair . I have had @ 20 cats for pets in the last 50 years. I am also a cat whisker collector. I have a cigar tube full of whiskers. Its my only collection that cost me o$. I even got the cigar tube free! Yes, I am a dumpster diver and plastic and aluminium cigar tubes male great torpedo tubes and stacks for my model ships.
make, not male
BB:
Thank you for the review. I’ve been wanting more information on this rifle since I saw a couple of you tube videos on it, which were about the UK non FAC version that included a moderator. The non FAC version appeared to get many more shots and, of course, was much quieter.
How does the loudness of this air rifle compare to a non shrouded AirForce Talon?
Thanks,
Jim
I just went back and checked the review for the UK non FAC version. It was listing 55 to 70 shots on a fill.
Jim
Jim,
This is about as loud as a Talon. Not a Talon SS, which everyone thinks the Talon is. The Talon has an 18-inch barrel that hangs out in the breeze — hence the noise.
B.B.
BB:
Thank you. I had a chance to shoot the regular AirForce Condor (the non SS version) at the Texas Airgun Show. I didn’t find the Condor excessively loud. However, I was next to an AirForce Texan so that may have colored my judgement (and deafened me, LOL).
Jim
Jim
I have owned a old Talon SS before the sound lock kit and now a new one that does include the sound lock kit.
The Talon SS is way louder than any Marauder I have owned. I can only imagine how loud a regular Condor is. Probably pretty loud I’m betting. And the new AirForce Texan I bet is way loud.
Oh and just to throw it in. I don’t like loud air guns. The only reason I’m considering the AirVenturi wing shot air shot gun is because BB mentioned it was quieter than a .410. To me that’s a big deal. Always best to try not to disturb the surroundings.
Yes the Texans are LOUD,
It sounded like a range full of1 2ga shotguns when we arrived at the show.
Reb
Yep I could only imagine how much noise was going on.
Air guns shrouded or unshrouded still make that distinct air gun sound that sets them apart from a firearm.
Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to get to try one of them Texans out. Wish there was air gun store around that is like a car dealership. Go in pick a model you want and go give it a test drive on the range.
Probably not a realistic idea but would be cool if it happened.
GF1,
The Texas airgun show is designed for just what you want. You can test-drive any of the guns the biggest manufacturers and importers have.
B.B.
BB
Kind of thought it was like that.
Just wish there was a store front that you could visit any day of the week at your choice of time .
Gunfun1:
I’m not particularly noise sensitive, but I would definitely were hearing protections with a Texan.
I don’t have enough experience with PCP’s to compare the noise level of the Condor to other PCP’s. I didn’t feel that I needed hearing protection with the Condor. Part of my perception may be because I was wearing hearing protection because of the Texan at the next station. I did shoot the Condor without hearing protect when the Texan wasn’t in use to see how loud it was. It was considerably louder than any of the air rifles that I own but to me not excessively loud.
Jim
Jim
I guess I should of added a few more words.
I bet the Texan and the Condor are loud for air guns. But compared to a fire arm I guess they are quieter.
And thanks for the on the spot info of how loud they where. All in all still way cool guns.
GF1
A Condor is not very loud at all from behind the gun if you shoot it out in the wide open spaces . The thing is that most of the noise is projected forward . If there are hard objects in front of you, the reflected sound lets you know that it is much worse out in front .
twotalon.
TT
Yep that’s true. And I got probably 40 acres now in the back yard that’s got a tree line that runs around it. Then another feild and tree line and so on.
Pretty quiet out there. No neighbor’s and only noise from a occasional car going by. In other words I can hear things real good out there.
But that Talon SS still makes a finger snap kind of sound that does echo of the tree line. My other air guns don’t do that. But on the other hand if I shoot low velocity heavy grain .22 long rifle rounds I can hear that echo a bit. But the regular velocity and high velocity rounds sound like a wars going on when it echoes. You can hear 3 echoes to every shot fired with that high velocity round.
So yep surroundings and what your accustomed to hearing can make that difference in what a person thinks a gun sounds like for sure.
Noise. Like the gun but wish it was shrouded.
A permanent(nonremovable shroud) gives us a little flexibility but here in the US our hands are kinda tied when it comes to muffling reports. I received a email about this gun a couple weeks ago and liked it but it’s way outta my price range I’ll have to do the best I can with my 2400
Reb
They don’t have to be permanent and none removable. Look at the Marauder rifle and pistols and the Crosman 1720T. They all have removable shrouds. If it comes from the factory and still can be removed its most likely ok then.
I live in one of the worst states for silenced guns. The guns above are acceptable where I live. It’s when you add them on and they don’t come from the factory that way is when you run into problems.
That’ justthe way they say it, doesn’t mean it’s impossible I’d say you’re probably alright with an aftermarket shroud if it looked stockbut screw on SILENCERS are a no-no. Just clarifying for our European friends.
Reb
Just figured I would mention that the Marauder rifles and pistols and the 1720T shroud does screw on.
But as you say there not silencers. And from what I understand that air guns that have just a barrel and a threaded end have different threads than a firearm. That way a they can not be interchanged.
So yes all that silencer, shroud and muzzle brakes details can get tricky. Supposedly that’s why some air gun muzzle brakes and air strippers are held on by set screws. If they were tryed on a firearm it would just blow the muzzle brake or silencer right off the barrel.
Agian kind of a tricky subject.
Reb
Well maybe shrouds are silencers.
See I told you that’s a tricky subject.
Guys,
There is nothing tricky about it. A silencer is anything that attaches to a gun or is mounted on a gun that reduces the report by one decibel or more. Anything.
A shroud is a silencer.
B.B.
BB
True. But I guess the tricky part is what the state you live in calls legal for the gun.
If you wanna play with ’em get a permit or risk jai time I have considered popping off the front sight of myI Impact with a hot blade but if I don’t get it right it’ll cost me the whole barrel, it steals too much light from my sight picture.
B.B.
Now that’s the gun made the way I like these days – pure function, no decoration, no “design”, well at least minimum of it. And i like their approach – a good airgun designer must be an airgun shooter, otherwise he can not build a good airgun. See HW97 for example and their TX200.
AA knows their business – I just love their system for attaching the stock – that must solve one of my biggest concerns about such designs and give enough stiffness. As usual, the paper will show what can do what. And I believe it can be made into a good sporting rifle – with decent pressure regulator, bigger reservoid and one-piece stock in FWB style.
last month I’m trying hard to make things Japanese way – make maximum out of minimum. Last-moment improvements alowed me to remove at least 80 grams from my project, at the cost of 3 extra operations. I feel that in the end, when everything’s going to be assembled it will be lots of work with files, removing anything that machines could not. I hope it’s not going to be like that thrifty farmer, buying a $100 tractor and receiving a package with tractor-sized steel slab, 4 tires, set of files and thick book “How to hand-file the slab into tractor” 🙂
News is that my main coupling is being EDM-machined now and soon, after lathing, drilling and tapping on CNC I hope I’ll be able to show you some pics of it. It will be as much lacework as possible, and as little weight as it could be done (without some hand filing).
duskwight
duskwight,
It’s good to hear from you again. And I’m glad your next airgun is keeping you out of trouble — no time, no money, and so on? 😉
B.B.
Thanks for the update!
I really like this gun too and if firearms weren’t an option I’d probably start saving for one but the biggest and pretty much only game I can legally take(with an airgun)is squirrel and there are some nice Rimfire takedowns out there that would be almost as flexible, more effective and cost less to buy. I’d really like to stumble onto a nice breaktop rimfire and looked for one at the Texas show and B.B’s Thunderbird was the only rimfire I saw. Yes I did consider that gun!
Duskwight
How many times has the wire broke on that EDM while the part was being made. We use to have one at work. Use to cut out the shave tools and form tools with it. We had dove tail tool holders. Was a little tricky when the dovetails were being done.
But can’t wait to see the pictures of your gun parts.
Why would an airgun need a muzzle brake? Is it just to imitate the looks of the silencer? If so that hardly seems worth it. But the noise could be remedied with the old tape ploy…
I’m a believer in not adjusting powder after my reloading trials. Once you find a good combo, stick with it. Speaking of reloading thanks to TPC for showing me that Matt61 ammunition was not perfect after all. I had no idea that the tips of bullets, especially hollowpoints vary much more than the rest of the bullet. So, by measuring overall cartridge length to .001 inch., I was actually introducing new variability into cartridge length measured from the ogive which is the part that contacts the rifling and is the more crucial measurement. I got a bullet comparator that measures from the ogive, and now I get perfect length with a single stroke of the die! Enough experimenting. Now I will just mass-produce.
Matt61
Have you checked to see how much the older technique was throwing off your measurements yet?
That’s still valuable information.
Matt,
Praise the Lord! I remember when I said that to you the first time.
You are on the learning path, young Padawan! 😉
B.B.
Hi BB,
I was wondering, do you know if the Weihrauch HW50S typically has barrel droop?
Thank you,
Doug
Doug,
Nearly all breakbarrels have some droop. The HW50S is a design that I never tested. I tested them years ago, but the name was given to a different model a few years ago and I haven’t tested those guns.
I would say to expect some droop. I would.
B.B.