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Accessories 2016 SHOT Show: Day 1

2016 SHOT Show: Day 1

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Shot Show Media Day
Shot Show Day 2
Shot Show Day 3

This report covers:

  • Best SHOT ever!
  • Crosman
  • Maximus
  • AirForce
  • Hatsan
  • Hercules
  • Hatsan regulator

Before we begin, I have a sad announcement. Ron Sauls, whom many readers knew and dealt with at Bryan and Associates, passed away yesterday. Ron will be remembered fondly by the airgun community for all he did to further our hobby.

Best SHOT ever!

Holy cow! I’ve covered SHOT Shows for the past 20 years, but this one tops them all. My day was so fantastic that I will only be able to give you an overview of it. I will return several times and give you more of what’s happening. Today, just the major things I saw on day one, and not all of those!

Crosman

I stopped by Crosman’s booth just to see what they had. It wasn’t on my list of booths to visit today. I stayed close to an hour!

Maximus

Yes, they have the $100 PCP, only it isn’t $100. It’s just under $200, which reads $199.95 in my book. It’s built on the Discovery frame but with fewer frills.

Maximus
The Maximus looks similar to the Benjamin Discovery and will retail for under $200. A complete package with a pump and pellets will retail for about $350.

AirForce

I stopped by the AirForce booth after the show opened and people were packed inside. Two new big bores this year are their .30 caliber and a .357. I have it on good authority the .30 delivers 300 foot-pounds and the .357 breaks 400 foot-pounds. In today’s world those are serious power levels! I might have to take one coyote hunting.

new Texans
AirForce had two new Texans in their booth. A .30 caliber on top and a .357 in the center. Rick Ward, an old Texan, is in the background in the hat.

Hatsan

I thought Hatsan’s big new product was going to be the new breakbarrel .30-caliber big bore. It’s called a Carnivore .30 and it’s built on the 135 frame, so the cocking will be stout. Hatsan’s president, Blaine Manifold, told me it gets 550 f.p.s with a 40-something grain pellet. That’s not bad! I will definitely try it out.

Hatsan 30 springer
Blaine Manifold holds Hatsan’s new .30-caliber big bore springer.

Hercules

Like I said, I thought that breakbarrel big bore was the news, until Manifold showed me the Hercules! Ever hear of a repeating PCP that accepts 6 different calibers? It can be .177, .22, .25, .30, .35 and .45 — you decide. It has a 1000 cc air supply! Think how many shots you’ll get from almost double the air of the next-largest PCP! They are still working on the .45 caliber, so this rifle may take a little longer to hit the streets.

Hatsan Hercules
Blaine Manifold holds Hatsan’s Hercules. This big PCP can be one of 6 different calibers — your choice.

Hercules butt
The Hercules has a 500cc bottle up front and another one tucked in the butt!

Hatsan regulator

So now I think I’m done with Hatsan and they show me one final thing. They are building their own in-house regulator for some of their PCPs! And get this — they will fit existing airguns like the BT65! And they are user tweakable (adjustable). Will wonders never cease? I think that is the biggest news of all from the Hatsan camp.

cutaway regulator
This cutaway shows the new Hatsan reservoir installed in a BT65 reservoir.

Hatsan regulator
Regulator out of the reservoir.

regulator apart
Yes the reg comes apart for OWNER adjustment!

Well, that’s enough sweet things for today. Any more and I’ll ruin your appetites. Plus I’m a diabetic, and this report is giving me a sugar rush.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about some cool new things from Leapers. Otho Henderson — listen up, ’cause you are in this! I’ll also cover those new Rooskie airguns from Pyramyd AIR, and there’s just a lot more stuff from day one to cover!

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

89 thoughts on “2016 SHOT Show: Day 1”

    • I would back that 110%, if Mrod had removable air cylinder for fast easy replacement of a pre-filled cylinder/reservoir, especially when out in the field.

      Actually, in my most very humble opinion, would be nice if all PCP Airguns came with removable, easy to replace air reservoirs!

      Thanks!

  1. Wow that’s some exiting stuff there.

    I really think I’m going to like the Hatsan Hercules.

    And it looks like the new big bore AirForce guns are made on the Texan frame. Don’t guess I’m going to be able to get a .30 caliber barrel for my Talon SS from AirForce yet. Bummer.

    Then the Maximus. I can say I thought right off the bat that it is still considered a hundred dollar pcp. It is a $199.95 pcp not $200. When Dodge released their little turbo terror SRT4 that was biult on the Neon frame. They advertised it as the fastest factory production car under $20,000 for that year. And it was. It was $19,999. It was labled as going 149mph. If they sold the base car for $1 more then it put it in a catagory of cars that was able to do what it did. Take away $1and it was the champ. Don’t you just love how marketing work’s.

    • GF1,

      If you want to go .30 with your SS, maybe you should hop over to Talon Tunes. They can fix you right up. Anthony’s stuff is top shelf.

      Another alternative is to go over to Lothar Walther USA and get a barrel blank. The issue there is you may have to also make a new breech block and your stock valve may not have enough umph to truly make use of the larger caliber. I am certain you will need a new top hat or at least some type of jerry rig.

      • RR
        I thought about going that route you just explained.

        Just think if they would of used the Escape platform and put a .30 caliber barrel in it. Then we would have the tank with the correct valve available and striker and such. Pyramyd AIR stocks pretty much all the AirForce barrels. I say pretty much all because I haven’t looked lately to see if the Texan barrel is listed. But if they had a 12″ .30 caliber barrel listed I would have a spare sitting around for my Talon SS without a doubt in my mind.

        Anyway just thinking out loud.

    • Gunfun1,

      I have to admit I’m pretty disappointed that the $100 PCP ended up being twice that price. If it ends up being very close to what the Discovery offers, well, then fair enough, as it costs $60 less than the Discovery. But if it skimps on important stuff compared to the Discovery, then why would one not just spend the extra $60?

      The Hercules does look interesting, not so much for me, as I am a plinker and paper-puncher, but i work with a guy who wants to rabbit hunt but wants no part of PCPs for the usual reasons. He has done some rat eradicating with a borrowed Gamo .22 springer, but he wants to shoot large rabbits in his semi-suburban backyard. The Hercules looks to be a 27 – 30 foot-pound springer. If it is accurate up to 25 yards and won’t disintegrate springer-approved scopes, I think this is just the ticket for him,

      Michael

      • Michael
        I think your getting the names mixed up on the Hatsan’s.

        The Hercules is a pcp not a springer.

        The break barrel Hatsan .30 caliber Carnivore is a springer or maybe it’s powered by Hatsan’s Vortek gas ram. I body has mentioned that yet.

        But those are two different guns. The Hercules pcp I have confidence in. The break barrel Carnivore I’m skeptical about.

        And the Crosman Maximus. Well I say it probably is nothing more than a Discovery in a synthetic stock and a cheaper plastic front sight. The synthetic stock guns from different manufacturers tend to have a cheaper sellng price. The fps and fill pressure is right in line with the Discovery. I still say the Maximus is a reclothed Discovery. I may be wrong. But we’ll see.

        I believe somebody here on this blog just decided to knick name it the $100 pcp. And I think that was a good decision. Oh and it wasn’t me. 🙂

        • Gunfun1,

          I could be wrong, but I thought that originally the nickname and idea for a $100 (street price, not MSRP of course) PCP came from B.B./Tom Gaylord and Dennis Quackenbush who converted a Crosman 2100b into a PCP that would perform well at 2000 psi. As inexpensive as the 2100b (an excellent value at its price point) is, the reasoning was that a PCP that would set consumers back just $99.99 might be do-able.

          What would be great about that from an industry standpoint is that for perhaps $249.99 for a gun +pump combo, an airgunner might step his or her toes into the PCP world and might later become a future Marauder or Bulldog purchaser. But $349.99 is a big price point leap from $249.99, especially when one considers what kind of quality one can get in a springer for $349.99.

          For that same amount, one can buy a wood-stocked Diana RWS 34 Striker Combo with TO6 trigger AND an AO scope! For just $10 more, make that a Diana RWS 350 Feuerkraft Pro Compact with scope. Already have a scope or prefer open sights? For just $50 more than a Maximus+pump combo, one can buy a gleaming new Weihrauch HW50S, a true heirloom air gun.

          Michael

          • Michael
            BB did originally name the $10 pcp back when Dennis modded the 2100. But around a week ago or maybe less. BB mentioned the ShotShow and a $100 pcp. I said wouldn’t that be cool if it was from a reputable company like Crosman. So kind of think that’s how the Maximus fits in. And if you remember there was a big debate that some people thought that a true $100 pcp should include the pump back when we was discussing the 2100 conversion. And the way I see it if it say’s one hundred and something dollars for the cost. To me that means its a hundred dollars. Not two hundred dollars and something. So to me I will still call the Maximus a hundred dollar pcp. Not a $99 pcp.

            And all true about a quality springer verses a pcp. But you know how that goes. Different strokes for different folks.

            But I still would like to see some side by side friendly competition shooting of a .25 pcp verses a spring gun in .25 caliber. Bet that would be a eye opener.

            • My thing is if I take a$100 Bill to buy something that is priced $100 I’ve still got to pay the tax so even though something may only be slightly over projected price point it can get outta hand real quick and the more we give the more they’ll take.
              GF1 sounds like they’ve already got him brainwashed but I’m offended by this type of bait and switch policy.

              • Reb
                Well that’s been going on forever.

                Look at how that state gas prices for a gallon of gas. Examle: $2.49 9/10 of a cent.

                Wonder why they do that? Search it and see.

                • GF1,

                  Ok,….I’ll weigh in on the topic. I never expected to see a 100$ PCP. And if they ever did, I would have to ask myself,… what was given up to get the price point there? Same for a combo w/pump. Even at 199$,…..same questions. Like many that go through endless springers and end up with something like a TX200,……add it all up over the years and maybe you could have bought 2-3 TX’s or the like. Still, it is progress, at least from the $ end of things.

                  I will sit back and watch the “show” for now.

                  • Chris USA
                    The whole idea behind a $100 pcp was to give a base mode that could be possibly sold at Wally world or similar stores.

                    The idea is it could compete with the other air guns sitting on the shelf. Another source in other words for a beginner to get into pcp’s and possibly have a better shooting gun that is on them shelf’s now. Then move up as they advance. And have the gun made on a reliable platform that would accept mods.

                    The debate that kept comming up was that the gun should also come with a pump if it was at one of those type of stores so it could be a one stop package. I agree with that. But as you say what would need to be done to keep cost down.

                    What I believe is it should of never been called a $100 pcp. I think that we should of knicknamed it the reasonably priced bargain pcp. A $100 pcp was the wrong wording to use.

                    So tell me if you was able to get a base pcp with a pump for under $200. And it was biult by a reputable air gun maker. And could be modded later on when you advanced your shooting skills.

                    Would you then by that pcp and cross over to the darkside? Well?

                    • GF1,

                      Simple answer. No. I have learned too much here to take half steps. I would consider the M-rod more of my entry level. As for hand pumps, the re-build factor seems to be considered a desired attribute + 3 stage.

                      Now,… you did touch on a couple of good points…….A more accurate option and an all-in-one package. For a kid or an adult willing to do it, it would almost certainly be a better option.

                      Just my 2 cents, Chris

                  • Chris USA
                    One day I will get you to try a pcp.

                    And here is something that may make the Discovery or Maximus more appealing than the Marauder. They operate in the 2000 psi down to 1000 psi range. Much easier to hand pump than a Marauder. Plus the resivoir on the Maximus/Discovery is smaller than the Marauder. So two benefits. Les pressure and less volume.

                    The Discovery line is a nice little package. But not as back yard friendly as the Marauders. The Discovery tends to be pretty noisy actually. For sure louder than your spring guns. So if that’s a concern I would check out the Marauder then.

                    Makes ng you think more about getting a pcp yet? 😉

                    • GF1,

                      Noise is not an issue. Yes, smaller tanks would be good for a hand pump. I like the idea of spare/screw in reservoirs, but not an option on the Discovery, I believe?

                      I just never gave the Discovery any real thought. I always tried to think a step or 2 above that. The Maximus is new…..so we will see. Plus fit,….I want something that will adjust to fit me. Comb and LOP is pretty big for me.

                      Yea, I know,….I am a pretty hard “sell”,..huh? 😉

                  • Chris USA
                    Go to the Pyramyd AIR home page.

                    Type “pcp rifles” in to the search bar at the top of the page.

                    Look through all the different pcp rifles they have listed. Pick out a few and write down what they are. Or book mark them. Then holler at me. I like to see what you pick out.

                    Maybe, just maybe there will be than one pcp you can get. Kind of like how you did with the Tx.

                    I got one more recommendation though. Check out the Crosman Challenger. It’s based on the Discovery power plant but with a lot of additional goodies. Better trigger, Lothar Walther barrel. And the stock and velocity can be adjusted. So in other words it’s like a high end Discovery. And if the fps is on the low side for you. It can be tuned up.

                    Let me know what you think.

                    • GF1,

                      Note made and will do. Challenger huh? Not bad. Peepers,…I like, Power a bit low. Comb and butt,…..nice! .177 only,….. 🙁 Tuned to (what) with the 10.34’s? I was looking to do a .177…….Mmmmmm?

                      Thanks,…..a bit of homework!,……Chris

                  • Chris USA
                    I bet the Challenger could get about the same fps the Discover does by changing or drilling out the transfer port orifice.

                    Haven’t done it myself on a Challenger. But knowing how Crosman’s pcp design is. I would say it would be pretty easy to boost the power.

                    • I second that!

                      Some may find the Bulldog to be not so appealing to the eye, but it does what a big-bore pcp should…at the very least…be able to do performance wise. A few tweaks here and there, and you can get even more from the Bulldog.

                      Yes, would be nice to see Crosman keep up the pace with other companies, keeping “proper” performance in mind, especially with big-bore segment.

                      Thanks!

  2. BB and Fellow Airgunners
    This Hatsan .30 cal. Carnivore has defiantly caught my attention. Hasan has never shied away from building large calibre springers. I believe most of their spring piston line of airguns has been offered in .177- .22 and .25 calibre’s for a while now. Could it be we are witnessing a new trend in spring piston air guns from fps, to ever larger calibre’s?
    The six different calibre’s for their new Hercules, plus a 1000cc regulated air supply should make for an interesting blog, BB. Keep bringing us all the latest offerings from the wonderful world of air-gunning circa 2016. I look forward to Shot Show each year as someone is always pushing the boundaries of what is possible in our lowly air-gun. It’s interesting to see a crowd of powder burners jaw’s drop at the local range when someone shows what his large calibre airgun can achieve at 100 meters and more.
    I would invite you to check out a guy called Tofazfou, In this video, he is shooting pop cans with his own custom madeTalandor .257 cal at ranges up to 440 yards. He also showcases a number of his large calibre air guns in other videos too.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV1caY8myfs
    Ciao
    Titus

    • CT
      I left a reply to you on yesterday’s ShotShow media day.

      You were talking about how it looks like the new Maximus could be of the Challenger decent. Think more like the Discovery than the Challenger. I noted some things about the Challenger that most people don’t notice right of the bat or at all until you look close. If be is the adastable hammer stroke and a separate adjustable hamer spring tensioner. The Discovery doesn’t have that.

      But dig a little more into the Challenger and you will find it has some key components changed. Either way I think the Maximus is a good idea.

      • Gunfun1
        My mistake. I was thinking Discovery, but Challenger was the airgun on my mind, and the one included in my comment. On further investigation, I find the Challenger to be a purposed built Sporter Class target rifle that retails for about $800.00 way up here north of the 49th. It boasts an adjustable match grade trigger, and Lothar Walther barrel. I believe it is the same trigger as the much lauded Marauder trigger. It also has a fully adjustable ambidextrous stock. In conclusion, I really got my air guns mixed up. Thanks for setting the record strait, my friend. And you are correct when you say the Maximus is a great idea.
        Ciao
        Titus

        • CT
          I was hopping you didn’t take it as hounding you. But Buldawg pointed out the internal striker assembly to me on the Challenger. We was just talking about it last week. He bought a used Discovery and is modding it up. So we both talked back and forth about some of the things the Challenger came with. They are actually cool guns.

          And if I didn’t have all my other guns I think I would get one of these Maximus’. They look like a nice base gun for a good price that could be modded up nice to personalize the gun more as time goes. I say great for Crosman on bringing it out.

    • Titus,

      First, VERY cool video! Thanks much for that.

      Second, I think there is a definite niche for a .30 magnum springer such as the Carnivore. Elsewhere here I mentioned my co-worker who wants a rabbit hunting springer (and doesn’t see a .25 that has caught his fancy as of the last time we spoke). And how many suburbanites a) sometimes have a racoon problem around their trashcans but b) simply are not .22LR owners, or c) are not able to discreetly shoot a firearm in their backyard?

      I would like to see someone produce a couple different .30 pellets in the 30 – 35 grain range, more appropriate for a springer powerplant than 40-50 grains, I suspect.

      Michael

  3. LOL! A no frills Discovery? That is pretty bare bones. It is about time they put it in a synthetic stock though. Who knows, this may be what I have been waiting for from Crosman.

    I have always been impressed with how Hatsan has been paying real close attention to the U.S. market. They have come a long way in just a short time. It looks as though they are positioning themselves to be the mid range air gun manufacturers. I am a bit skeptical of that .30 break barrel though. We will have to see how it performs out to 50 yards.

    In 2012 John McCaslin of AirForce told me the big bores were coming. It took them a while, but they are finally here. From what I have been hearing they have it right. Very likely you can swap barrels, but you may have to also swap out tank/valve assemblies also. They just might entice me into big bore. 😉

    New toys, new toys, new toys! (insert grunting noises here)

    • RR
      If you look at the new Hatsan pcp’s comming out they resemble some of the FX guns.

      I have been keeping the Hatsan pcp’s on my radar for some time now. I think they are going to be a force to be recond with. My 44 QE model I had was a powerful quiet gun.

      And oh my gosh. A synthetic stock dual resivoir interchangeable caliber pcp. Cool stuff. If its quiet. I want one. Not that it matters where I live. But sorry. Now days if a air gun ain’t shrouded and quiet any other thing they think of designing goes by the way side. The whole package has to be there to be ahead of the other manufacturers ball game. And by the way it does look like its shrouded. I think they have a winner. Of course we have to see how it performs first.

        • Hank
          I still have to go with the Marauder over the Hatsan 44 QE.

          The way the Marauder is designed it is a very easy gun to work on. I know some people don’t get inside their guns much or mod them. But if o-rings and such need changed at some point in the life of the gun. The Marauder is the the one I would rather have to work on.

          Plus if you are the type that likes modding or working on a gun. The Marauder has so much aftermarket stuff available. That’s just something I look for when I buy a gun. Not that I’m going to do everything in the world to it. But I know its available.

          It’s kind of like this. Go buy you a Yugo and then try to find parts to hotrod it. Bet you wont get far. It just ain’t know fun having something and you can’t do anything with it.

          Oh and I’m not putting Hatsan down. I do like their pcp’s. But I just know what can be done to a Marauder. Just saying it the way I see it. Again just my opinion.

              • GF1,

                What is your opinion of a full-on tactical mod. on a M-rod? What would it hurt?,…What would it help? If I could get max. power (read,.. mods.), with adj. comb, adj. L.O.P., adj. butt pad, I just might go PCP with a M-rod. I can not believe I just said that! 😉 Your thoughts?

                  • GF1,

                    Ha-ha,….., that is close. Not real crazy at all metal upfront. You got me thinking though. I’ll have to explore options. I would like to reduce weight, not up it. I may have to re-visit BB’s latest project for some ideas.

                    My main question to you was,.. do you think a tact. mod. would hurt accuracy at all? Though I did not phrase it that way.

                    • Chris
                      Why would you think it would hurt accuracy?

                      In my opinion it should help. The gun should be more ergonomic for the shooter. The adjustments of the package should help.

                      And yes I’m with you. A little to much of that stuff up front on the Armada for me too.

      • GF1,

        That Hercules looks kind of clunky to me. I will bet you will not want to carry it around all day either.

        Now that Maximus kind of has my attention. Crosman just might end up winning me over yet. We will see.

        • RR
          This is just a prediction. But I think that Hercules is going to be a heck of a bench rest gun. From in close 10-50 yard small bore all the way out to the longer 100 yard and out bigger bore calibers. I think they have a winner

          But just have to wait and see how the design pans out on the barrel changeability and accuracy. Bet it’s going to have a flat velocity curve with all that air resivoir supply it has though. That should help make it a accurate rifle too. We’ll see hopefully soon.

            • RR
              Very good point. And maybe some aftermarket barrels would even show up for it.

              Maybe even a smooth bore barrel that would accept one of those AirVenturi shot shells that the Wing shot pcp uses. How about that. 😉

  4. I like the Carnivore. A nice looking package. Open sights. Adjustable comb and an adjustable butt pad, nice features that should be seen more across the board. It’s going to be an interesting year if this first report is any indication.

      • RR,

        Just a nice option, if you want it. Scopes do have me spoiled though. So yes, removable is something that I would add to my “wish list” for features. Peep/globe options would be good as well, but not sure how far out that is effective. The 499 is a real blast each time,….and that is a cheap, (but effective), set-up.

        • Chris,

          IMHO peep and open sights work pretty well out to about 25 yards. That is for small targets such as a squirrel’s head. That is also about where glowy thingy sights become totally worthless. Out past that you are going to have to have great eyes and lots of practice or a scope.

          I also find it difficult to imagine using this big honker for close in work. The advantage of the larger caliber is more energy and wind resistance at longer ranges. If this sproinger does not perform well out to around 50 yards or more, it becomes relegated to the collectable oddity pile.

    • Chris USA
      If that Hatsan .30 caliber break barrel performs with some good groups out past 30 yards. And it don’t knock my shoulder off when it shoots I’m sure interested in it then. Oh and if they put the quattro trigger on it then its got a chance.

      But I’ll tell you I had some of their .25 caliber spring and gas ram guns and I just did not like the way they shot. Grouping and shot cycle wise. And cocking them was ridiculous too.

      But maybe they got some where with the new .30 break barrel. I’m all ears that’s for sure. We’ll see.

        • Brent
          One was a break barrel Hatsan 95 .25 caliber Vortex gas spring. And the other was a underlever Hatsan Dominator 200S carbine .25 caliber spring rifle.

          /product/hatsan-95-air-rifle-combo-vortex-gas-spring?m=3411

          /product/hatsan-dominator-200s-carbine?m=2702

          You may have to click on the description for the .25 caliber. I think it may reset back to .177 caliber when the links post.

      • GF1,

        Yes, you are right. The wood, comb and butt pad caught my attention. I’ll bet it is a bear to cock. And yea, I do not want something that will slap me up side the head and is super hold sensitive. I’ll go PCP 1st.

        As we discussed, I am looking for a .177 thumper. Wally’s had the .177/.22 Silver Kodiak for 99$. Thought that might be a good thing to play with and maybe mod.? After the 2 finer ones I have now, I would probably hate it.

    • A break barrel bigbore!
      Now they’ve gone and done it!
      I’ll be keeping an eye on that one, I don’t care if it takes standing it on the ground and using Both hands to cock it as long as it’s accurate!

  5. In the pictures of the .30 sproinger and the Hercules I see an air rifle that looks real interesting to me. It is the bottled PCP to the right, second one up. It looks to be built on the Hercules action, but with a nice wood stock. Yep, Hatsan is becoming a major player.

  6. B.B.,

    Sorry I wrote too soon yesterday. I didn’t realize (even though you made it pretty clear) it was coverage of just the range. This is pretty cool stuff!

    Michael

  7. It seems that the airgun industry has abandoned FPS and gone to FPE for claiming bragging rights.

    A .30 calibre springer is defiantly a novelty but at 550 fps is it practical? What would you use it for?

    I don’t know the cocking force, expect it would be substantial for the energy levels we are talking about.

    Not really suitable for target shooting or plinking – especially at $0.11 per shot.

    Would probably get adequate penetration on soft-skinned game like rabbits but I’d be curious on how well it would do on woodchucks and racoon sized animals.

    If it did ok on woodchucks and racoons it might be useful for pest control in urban areas where you would be concerned noise.

    It is a good looking rifle, couldn’t see buying one though.

      • B.B

        I can appreciate what has been achieved with this rifle and I am all for technological advancement.

        I have air rifles/pistols for specific uses, plinking, sniping, target, field target, pest control and hunting (though the categories are not rigidly defined – my FWB300 is great for pest control 🙂 ).

        I am (with limited information) trying to understand what market/purpose the Carnivore was design for. I’m hoping that you will be doing a review soon because I am curious about it. I just can’t see where the Carnivore would fit.

        Hank

    • Vana2,

      While still new. I have noticed the FPS -VS- FPE “war” as well. It would seem that PCP’s are the only ones to do that in a smooth shooting package. The “Dark Side” beckons more,… everyday I spend here…… 😉

      • Chris USA
        It will get you and there’s nothing you can do about it. You may try to resist. It won’t work.

        You should be scared. When the dark side gets you it grabs hard. But you will like it.

        It is a powerful force to reckon with. But I KNOW you will like it once you made the choice. I did. 😉

  8. I think my Impact may have finally ate it’s scope.
    I pulled it out and took a couple shots with the pellets seated because the first one was tight and I don’t think it liked that, that’s the first time I’ve heard this gun Buzz.
    Stopped the session to be sure everything was tight starting with the scope because it was so outta focus I had to adjust the eye relief and still wasn’t on paper.
    Further inspection indicated my shots were hitting low(in the form of a pellet with a tufts of carpet nap imbedded in it corresponding with a half hole on the bottom of the box.
    Okay, I’m flexible! I rotated the box 90° and stood it on it’s side giving me about 6″ more backer down low and found I was hitting a little over an inch low @ 5:00, I continued to 5 shots and noticed the reticle seemed to be rotating and decided to keep the horizontal level in my sight picture.
    The result was a beautiful 3/4 semi-circle about 3/4″ across, this is at half my normal distance due to the weather disallowing the back door to be open.
    The gun seems to be doing better on pellets that are only flush seated so I’ll keep shooting it for a bit more but if I hear that Buzz again it’ll be time to setup the spring compressor.

  9. B.B.

    Help me understand this. Is Hatsan saying that the new Hercules will be available in all of six different calibers? Or are they saying one Hercules rifle can shoot any of six different calibers? I’m have a difficult time understanding how a Hercules rifle can shoot six different calibers without having to swap out the barrel for each caliber.

    • Cstoehr,

      While no expert on PCP’s…..I would imagine that you would have your option to chose your caliber and then have the option of screwing in different barrels @ added cost. The power plant would be the same with the exception of some “tuning” for the different calibers. With this, the .177 barrel would be thicker walled and the bigger one’s smaller walled, with the same thread to screw it in, with the same O.D..

      Just a guess,…if I was to do this. .177 and .22 in the same gun is becoming more common. Different barrels of course. Yes, you would have to swap the barrels for different calibers.

  10. I really want to like the Maximus, but it all depends on price. The Discovery has a wood stock and a much better looking front site. The Maximus has a Crosman 760 pressed/glued on looking front sight. Unless the actual selling price is less than $199, I can see buying it myself. I’ll pay $60 for a wood stock and a better front sight. But that just me.

    Doc

  11. Was one of those a Hatsan 125? I’ve read of muzzle velocities in the 710’s with 25 grain pellets in the 125. Seems like that would be flatter shooting than a 30 in the 500’s.

    • Guess that depends on how many different ranges you’d use it for.
      I believe I read it was built on the 135 platform(no idea what the differences are!) But it’s gotta still be packin’ a thump out for a ways!

    • Jim,

      That’s a great question that I don’t have clue about the right answer!

      Seems “dark side” refers to the “other side” of more common air guns, I.e., pcp vs springers/pumpers/co2

      I would also speculate that dark side refers to the black hole that you encounter when you travel the monetary path of pcp’s that inevitably leads to tanks, gauges, compressors,etc.

      Kevin

  12. I agree with you, Tom. That regulator is great news! Am I correct that it must be installed in the removable cylinders for the guns that it fits? If so, then I would be able to send out the cylinders from my BT 65 SB Elite, Galatian II, Big Bore Carnivore .30 cal., Big Bore Carnivore .357 cal., and will still be able to shoot my guns by using my spare cylinder to swap between all of them, while the retrofit is being done?
    OR
    Is the installation such a no brainer that a gun owner can easily do it himself?

  13. One other thought.
    Must the regulator be tuned to the gun in which it will be used and thus cannot be swapped between guns that take the same cylinders?
    That would necessitate that an owner somehow tag the cylinder to a specific gun and not switch or use spare cylinders between guns, wouldn’t it?
    OR
    Would setting the regulator generically be out of the question?
    I have four Hatsans that take the same cylinder?
    A regulator makes perfect sense for hunting guns.

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