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Accessories Haenel 310 bolt action trainer: Part 1

Haenel 310 bolt action trainer: Part 1

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Haenel 310
Haenel 310 is a different kind of trainer.

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • History — Haenel 33 and 33 Junior
  • Haenel model 49 and 49a
  • Haenel 310
  • Magazine
  • Cocking
  • BB gun action
  • Accuracy

I’m starting this report to address a question from one of our readers. J. Lee asked how well H&N Smart Shot lead BBs would work in a Haenel 310. The 310 is nominally built for 4.4mm lead balls and the Smart Shot BBs are supposed to be 4.35mm. Will a difference of 5 hundredths of a millimeter really matter? That’s just under two one-thousandths of an inch.

Also, I’m calling the 310 a trainer, but it’s different from all the other trainers we have looked at. Those other trainers all copy or attempt to copy certain military models, while the 310 is a copy of nothing. It is simply a straightforward bolt action repeater that fires round lead balls through a rifled barrel. What makes it a trainer is the fact that it was built for target shooting and marksmanship training, rather than as a general-purpose air rifle. It was built to train shooters.

History — Haenel 33 and 33 Junior

Before WW II Haenel made a model 33 and a model 33 Junior bolt action repeater. They were made on a patent held by Schmeisser. They were made from 1933 through the start of the war, and perhaps some were made after the end of the war, but that’s not clear. This bolt action rifle had an 8 or 12-shot magazine (6 or 12-shot for the Junior model) and fed a straight stack of 4.4mm lead balls to the breech. The stock was full and included an upper handguard that was common on most military arms of the time.There was also a Mauser type wing safety at the back of the bolt. This was a true military trainer that resembled a Mauser bolt action rifle.

Haenel model 49 and 49a

In 1949 Haenel brought out a sporter version of the same rifle. They called this one the model 49. It features a one-piece sporter stock that was much slimmer than the stock on the model 33. The 49 had a 16.2-inch sight radius and the 49a had a slightly longer 18.5-inch sight radius. These two guns lasted up to the year 1960.

Haenel 310

The Haenel 310 started production in 1960 and might be seen as a sportier version of the model 49. It features the same bold action repeating mechanism that accepts a 6, 8 and 12-shot magazine. The Blue Book of Airguns also speaks of a 7-shot drum magazine that sits horizontally above the breech, that’s a variation I have never seen. According to the Blue Book, production ran until 1989, which was the same year as the fall of the Berlin Wall.

After the wall fell and East Germany was reunified with the West, a lot of former Stasi equipment was sold on the world market. A pawn shop in South Caroline brought in hundreds of Haenelo targfet rifles for many years and they were available quite cheap. Those supplies were exhausted year ago and the prices have begun to climb back up to where they should be.

This 310 came to me from my late friend, Mac. He and I bought quite a few of them when they were available and when the dust settled, he still had one. He figured I needed it more than he did, so he included it in one of our swaps years ago.

The rifle is nondescript in appearance — a plain-Jane bolt action that’s 40.5 inches long and weighs 5 lbs. 15 oz. The sights are a hooded tapered post in front (the Germans call it a Perlkorn) and a notched rear. The rear is adjustable for elevation but not for windage. And windage adjustment will be made by drifting the front sight sideways in its dovetail.

Haenel 310 front sight
The front sight is a tapered post inside a globe.

Haenel 310 rear sight
The rear sight adjusts for elevation only.

The rifle is blued steel with a solid wood stock. It comes from a time when that kind of construction was considered the norm, but even at that, this model is built more robust than necessary. The bolt action mechanism is a study in rugged construction.

There is a manual safety located back behind the action. Pull back and the trigger is blocked from moving. This safety can be applied at any time.

Haenel 310 bolt
The bolt sticks out to the right when relaxed.

Haenel 310 bolt up
When the bolt is rotated up it aligns with the larger portion that’s inside the action of the gun. Now it can be pulled back to cock the gun.

Magazine

My rifle has a 6-shot magazine. I have owned and used 12-shot magazines before, and found them more difficult to load, so I never used them. The 6-shot mag works fine. But one question will be if the mag will hold the smaller Smart Shot BBs securely, or will they just fall out?

Haenel 310 Mag release
Push the release button back and the magazine drops free of the rifle.

Haenel 310 Magazine
The magazine holds 6 lead balls. Windows on the side show the status of the load.

Cocking

The bolt lifts up and then rocks back, compressing a mainspring that is located ahead of the bolt and hidden from view. You can see the pivot point of the bolt sticking down below the stock, in the form of a triangular sheet metal cover just in front of the triggerguard. When the handle is lifted it aligns with the long axis of the bolt inside the action, making a longer lever for better leverage. A link on the side of the action pulls the piston backward to cock the gun.

It takes 27 lbs. of effort to cock the bolt. While that sounds light, it it has to be applied through such a short lever than it feels like a lot more. The 310 is definitely for adults, only.

BB gun action

As we have seen recently with other trainers such as the Hammerli trainer for the Swiss Schmidt Rubin K31, the Haenel 310 also has a BB gun action. That means there is an air tube the pushes the BB out of the breech and starts it on its way. Then when it reaches the end of its travel, a blast of compressed air comes through the hollow air tube, accelerating the BB to its top velocity, which for the 310 shown here is around 350 f.p.s. when the piston seal is lubricated. I’ve owned other 310s that topped 400 f.p.s.

This rifle is a lot more powerful than a typical BB gun because it shoots 7.6-grain balls instead of 5.1-grain steel BBs. And the barrel is rifled, which slows the passage of the ball just a little.

Accuracy

I will test the rifle for accuracy in the traditional test, but first I have to see it it works with Smart Shot BBs for J. Lee. I guess he is wondering whether to buy some or not for his 310. These tests should tell us that, plus a lot more about the Haenel 310.

103 thoughts on “Haenel 310 bolt action trainer: Part 1”

  1. Very unusual magazine arrangement.
    Instead if the bb’s being fed in a linear fashion to the barrel, it looks like they are fed laterally out of the magazine before entering the barrel.
    Would you mind describing, or demonstrating how they are fed from the magazine into the barrel?

  2. THANK YOU B.B.! My recent purchase of the Haenel 310 is not my first with the Haenel family. I have tested just about everything I could find to test in the 310 and the other Haenel rifles that? I could find to put in the magazine and thru the barrel! EXCEPT? Smart Shot copper coated lead balls? One of your previous mentions the size of the SS cc lead balls made me think that they may work? I do have a tin of PUNKT-KUGELN 4.4mm lead balls. Also have a source for more! I love shooting this 310 and I do like the accuracy of the lead balls. But? I want to purchase a number of pellets and lead balls of misc. sizes and amounts! I think that I know the answer to the question? Semper fi!

  3. B.B.,

    Only been here a bit over a year, but this is the first time I have heard “sight radius” mentioned, that I recall. What is that? The distance from the rear sight to the front sight perhaps? With a “radius” being half the diameter of a circle, I fail to see how the word radius is applied to an airgun/rifle.

    Thanks, Chris

    • Chris,

      Leave it to the newbie to ask a good question. I have heard both radius and distance used over the years, but never pondered the term.

      Perhaps the term is applied because as you adjust the rear sight up and down along the radius of a circle in relation to the front sight.

      We shall both await the proclamation of the Godfather with anxious glee.

      • R.R.,

        Thanks. I would post a emogi (sp?) of a smiley face with a Halo on top, but no option exist. In truth, the Halo might be propped up with a set of horns though,…… 😉

        I thought the same thing you did on the way home from work, as in how much the shot would move from full up to full down of the rear sight. 16″ and 18″ seemed a bit extreme for that though.

      • B.B.,

        Thank you. I would be interested (very much) on your impression of your Omega pump and your thoughts thus far. I would guess that you have a good # of hours on it by now. Manual? Re-build kits?, Easy to work on?, if you have, etc.

        I am leaning that way and actual use reviews seem to be limited, if not non-existent.

        A quick comment would work. I am sure others are asking themselves the same question. Like you say,….. if 1 ask, there must be a 1000 others that are not asking.

        Thanks, Chris

        • Chris,

          I wrote a feature article on the Omega compressor two years ago for Shotgun News. I said then that I thought it was the best deal in compressors and nothing has changed.

          Rebuild? I don’t work on equipment thgios comp;ex. It should just work.

          The manual is slim. It helps if you know how the compressor works, because the manual doesn’t have much info.

          B.B.

          • B.B.,

            Thank you for the current status update. That gives me some more confidence should I go that route. I will also call them next week and find out some of the other specifics.

            Thanks again, Chris

        • Chris USA,

          Re: Impressions of the Omega Compressor

          I’ve had my Omega Compressor for over a year. Mine is the entry level model and B.B. bought the high end model.

          Differences are that B.B.’s is a little more compact, his has an hour log service meter and an AUTO bleed system for expelling moisture. Mine costs $400 less. I can manually keep track of my hours of usage and bleed the moisture manually during a fill. I did add the Diablo Dry Air System to my Omega.

          You need to know I’m very frugal with my money. I researched compressors for a long time and even talked face to face with an Omega, Bauer and Alkin distributors. Spoke with Tom Kaye about the shoebox and freedom 8 boosters as well.

          Here are my reasons for choosing the Omega:

          1-I only average needing to fill three 88 cubic foot tanks per month. Not enough to justify a Bauer/Alkin but too many for a shoebox or freedom 8

          2-I wanted an unlimited air supply since many new airgun introductions, like the Huben, Kalibr, etc. require such high fills (300 bar ++) and drain an 88 cu ft carbon fiber tank quickly. In other words, I got tired of driving to a fill station to top off my tanks, got tired of the delay for required inspections of my tanks, got tired of the cost of inspections/certifications/filling and got tired of the time it took to drive to and from to drop off and then pick up my tanks.

          3-I wanted a compressor with a small footprint. B.B.’s is the size of an old computer CPU. Mine isn’t much larger. The shoebox and freedom 8 are small BUT the setup requires hooking to a larger compressor. Bauer/Alkin had too big a footprint.

          4-I wanted something that was quiet. You can have a conversation sitting next to the Omega while it’s filling a tank.

          5-I wanted something that would plug into a 110 volt wall outlet

          6-I wanted something that I didn’t have to baby sit while it worked. I bleed the moisture valve about every 45 minutes. Even my cheap model has an auto shut off when it gets to the pressure you set it for. Very little babysitting compared to others.

          7-I wanted something that could fill an 88 cu ft tank quickly. I can top off my tanks in about 2 hours (2000 psi to 4500 psi). Try that with a shoebox or freedom 8.

          8-I wanted something with minimum maintenance. Mine has about 200 hours on it and all I’ve had to do is top off the antifreeze, add a little water to the cooling system and add a little grease every 10 hours or so. All of these items are included with the Omega. My Omega and operating manual are at my second home or I would tell you about maintenance required in the distant future. All I can remember is that for MY USE it will be years before I have to do anything else and a rebuild kit was also included with my Omega.

          9-I wanted support IN THE USA if something went wrong with my Omega. I haven’t needed support but I’ve read great things about the Omega support in the USA especially for warranty work.

          For all of my needs the Omega is perfect. Your needs may be different.

          kevin

          • Kevin,

            I can not thank you enough for your time and effort in putting that information forth. Thank You.

            We think a lot alike on the wants list. I have “bought up” in the past only to find that I could have “bought right” to begin with,…and spend less overall. You seem to have quite a need for HPA. Not me, as I do not even have a PCP yet. And what if I would get a 4,500 PSI gun? The Shoebox might not seem so attractive then.

            Frugal with money?,…….that is me in “spades”. 😉 One does need to do one’s homework. You,…more than did yours. And, when spending that kind of money, what is an extra 400?

            Thanks again so much, Chris

  4. B.B.,

    My Haenel is exactly like the one pictured above, except mine has an Olympic target style stock, with a bit more of a pistol grip and a square forearm. I don’t believe it’s rare, although I have not seen a picture of another.

    I have a six shot magazine and a twelve shot magazine. They seem about the same to me in terms of loading difficulty, although obviously the twelve shot takes twice as long. Some have cautioned that the 12 shot mags cause jamming or misfeeding problems, but I have never had any issues with mine.

    I have seen pictures of this same exact design but with slightly higher quality all around made by Anschutz.

    Michael

  5. Reb,

    I’ve been just quickly skimming this blog the past few days, so I missed reading of your illness until just now. I’m sorry to hear of it and am thinking of you.

    Mend up soon, buddy!

    Michael

  6. Sorry for the double post, but I wanted this under Reb’s comment so he would get notice of it.

    Reb, I’ve been just quickly skimming this blog the past few days, so I missed reading of your illness until just now. I’m sorry to hear of it and am thinking of you.

    Mend up soon, buddy!

    Michael

      • Reb, sorry to hear about your illness. Try not to be impatient with the recovery process but enjoy it. You can think of this dialogue from the film The Graduate where Benjamin Braddock is whiling away the time in his inflatable raft in the family pool while Mr. Robinson is on the deck.

        Mr. Robinson: What are you doing with yourself these days, Ben?
        Ben: Oh, not too much. I’m just taking it easy.
        Mr. Robinson: He he. Nothing wrong with that. That’s what I’d do if I could.

        That is the very thing for the mental strain. But after you get back on your feet you can take B.B. as your model for fitness. After his illness, he has completely transformed himself with biking and yoga. You should have seen the difference in the pictures.

        The fact is that for the first time in my life, I’ve had to think about dropping weight. Unbelievable. I’m active enough but these big late night dinners have got to go. I finally bought a scale from Amazon after a certain amount of avoidance. After some weeks of healthier food, the scale records just about no progress at all. But the measuring device will help. And I try to attribute the lack of progress to some muscle I’m building up.

        Matt61

        • Matt61,

          It takes awhile for it to fall off. Your body will fight it and go into “preservation” mode at the onset. I have done it before (45 in 2 months) and could stand to do it again. Easier said than done. Hang in there.

        • Matt61
          Staying fit is a hard thing to do. It’s actually a lot of work.

          And I mean that by you really have to stay on yourself to exercise and stick with it everyday. You can’t blow it off for a day. You have to do it no matter what you feel like.

          I use to race moto cross and scramble track as a kid growing up. Talk about a work out. Try some dirt bike riding.

          Throughout time we had 4 wheeler’s and in my later years I more or less joy road them. Well now since we moved out to this house in the country we ride as we please like when I was a kid. Actually pretty hard at times. Again my teenage daughters keep me motivated.

          But I’ll say this. I ached pretty good after a weekend of riding out here. Now it doesn’t even bother me to ride half the day away out on the trails and creek. Matter of fact the daughters are ready to call it quits when I say you ready to hang it up for the day.

          So the best I can say from what I have seen is to keep pressing on everyday and don’t slack off. You will be glad you did at some point in time.

  7. Hello there bb Pelletier. My name is Justina Lopez. I’m new to the airgun excitement that I can see I was surely missing out on for a long while . Well my husband has been teaching me as much as he could about it and I’ve been doing a lot of research on different air guns but the both of us are lost on witch air gun would be the best to start off as a beginners gun.I’m a small petite woman so I’m trying to find one that I would be able to hold correctly and wouldn’t be to big for me. My husband pointed me in your direction as he has been following you for years so he figured that you would be a good person to ask. I’m looking for something that is a pump or break barrel can’t really afford a pcp at the moment and not wanting to get a co2 neither. Something to basically go rabbit hunting with my husband. Thank you for taking the time to read this and your feedback would be great. Have a good day.

    Justina.

    • Justina,

      Welcome to the blog.

      I have two recommendations for you. First, the HW30S is a small breakbarrel that I think is light enough and small enough for you. It’s just powerful enough to take rabbits and the trigger is a real joy. I think you would like it.

      The other recommendation is a Benjamin Discovery. It is even lighter than the HW30S and much more powerful. I think your husband might have to fill it for you, but then you would have 20-25 powerful accurate shots. I think you would enjoy the Discovery even more than the HW30S, after you get used to it.

      Either way, these are both good air rifles for you.

      B.B.

    • Welcome, Justina. You remind me of an exchange on the blog a long time ago that got a little heated in a polite sort of way. Finally, one person made some kind of reference to the other person’s male character and the other person who went by “Chris” said: “What makes you think I’m a man lol.” Ha ha. Hard to respond to that.

      Anyway, B.B. could not have said it better. I personally love the HW30S, and if you buy one I would envy you. If you’re new to airgunning, you may not know that B.B. had a hand in designing the Discovery as an affordable pcp. You can read in the comments how successful it is.

      I would just suggest you consider one other model, the Benjamin 392 series rifles. They are multi-pump guns which can be a bit of a hassle. But they’re fine weapons. It’s another one that I would have bought if I didn’t already have too many guns anyway. I mention it because I believe it was B.B. himself who mentioned hunting rabbits with it. Otherwise, another blog reader told me that he liked to shoot ice cubes with his which sounds like a lot of fun.

      Matt61

  8. I finally found my discharge folder and it looks like I’ve been diagnosed with PAD.
    Now that I know what to look for I’ve been suffering symptoms since the stroke back in April of ’14.
    Had to spend the day yesterday getting the power back on instead of setting up appointments so that’ll have to wait till Monday.

  9. Been busy with some stuff going on so been tied up on time.

    First glad your ok Reb. And did Andy get to shoot it today?

    And got the scope mounted bi-pod testing done. Probably the most interesting result was front the spring gun. The Tx to be exact. It definatly confirmed some things that have been talked about. I will say what the Tx done first.

    And remember my Tx shoots pretty smooth compared to other spring and nitro piston guns I have had. And if you remember I tryed shooting the Tx from a rest with my hand held on the front objective bell. I felt a pretty good bump with my hand on the scope despite how smooth the gun feels with out placing my hand on the scope. Well here it goes. The bi-pod legs were bumping just a hair off the table. And I could even feel the stock bump my shoulder. My groups were terrible too.

    So that does conform that a loose hold on a spring gun does work. Well I guess on some spring guns. AkA…BB’s artilary hold. So that makes me think that the scope on the rope trick is another option for a spring gun or a firarm with a high recoil. And probably why spring guns tend to be hard on scopes and why a good scope stop is needed.

    Then came the Talon SS and the .25 Mrod and my Savage .22 rimfire test with the scope mounted bi-pod. Excellent results is the best I can say. The guns held in place like they had a big ole rock or something holding the guns down. No movement, no cant. Just very stable to control the gun.

    And one thing that is worth mentioning is I left the two ring screws loose on the tri-mount ring that the bi-pods were mounted too. Set the gun in place on the bench then shouldered the gun. I then locked down the ring screws. So what that did was allow me to get my retical level. Then I locked the screws down. I had a target mounted with a horizontal and vertical black line on my back stop. The guns would consistently reproduce the hold everytime as to where my reticle would line up cant wise.

    So all in all it was easier for me to shoot good groups with the scope mounted bi-pod with guns that have zero to very minimal recoil. Spring guns or high recoil guns seem to me would be better off with the artillery hold or the scope on a rope.

    Well that’s that if anybody is interested. and back to shooting. It’s 76 degrees and calm and sun shinny here in the middle of February in Illinois. Yep love’n it. Out here.

      • Reb
        Thanks and talk about a headache. That’s some of what’s been going on with me. I broke my back upper wisdom tooth in half at work yesterday. Or I should say broke half of it off. Crazy pain us all I can say.

        Not as bad today. Good old ibuprofen to the rescue and this stuff called RedCross that’s a liquid that comes in a little brown bottle. Bad stuff is all I can say. It kills everything after a couple doses of it on the toith..

        And it’s just to darn nice to stay inside no matter how much it hurts.

        • Ow, sorry to hear about that. Well, maybe you can take comfort in comparison with another case. There was a famous martial artist awhile ago named Don Draeger. He was a U.S. Marine in WWII who participated in the occupation of Japan and went native so to speak. As a professional warrior, he fell in love with Japanese martial arts along with a small number of other like-minded Westerners. Things got a little bizarre. They all roomed in a single rather grungy house and decided to make it a 24 hour training laboratory. So, they not only trained but also tried ambushing each other. One guy remembers waking up to a smiling Draeger holding a wooden sword under his nose. Sounds like something out of the old Pinker Panther movies. Anyway, he finally settled on becoming a disciple of Otake Risuke Minamoto, a living national treasure of Japan for his knowledge of swordfighting and a lineal descendent of the first ever shogun of Japan in the 14th century whose techniques he continues to practice.

          I’m studying them now by way of YouTube and my Cold Steel samurai sword which is why Draeger’s name came to mind. Anyway, both of them visited my house when I was a kid. Unfortunately, Draeger was in the final stages of a terminal illness. In his quest for martial arts knowledge, he had parachuted into the depths of the New Guinea jungle to research new techniques. The natives liked him. Trouble was to get his “mana” or spiritual energy with which they were greatly impressed, they poisoned him with a very obscure poison. When Draeger got back to Tripler military hospital in Hawaii, the doctors had never seen this poison and could not find an antidote, and Draeger finally succumbed. So, he did encounter new martial arts after all.

          Anyway, the relevance of all this has to do with the fact that at some point in his life Draeger had a serious tooth ailment that required a root canal. Trouble was that he also had some kind of extremely rare allergy to anaesthetic. So, he got another chance to play the role of a samurai warrior. And darn it if he didn’t pull through. Yeow. Was that guy tough or what. So, hang in there until you can see the dentist.

          Matt61

        • GF1,

          Get ‘er fixed/pulled. A guy at work had his brother die from a tooth infection that went/settled in the brain. Found him 2 days later. Teeth health actually affects quite a lot of other things within the body as crazy as that sounds.

          • Chris USA
            I hate going to the dentist and getting teeth work done.

            Ain’t going to tell you the whole story. But from what your saying about that guy. Well I guess I got some cat blood in me. And maybe more than nine lives in more ways than you can imagine.

            Yep I’m still liv’n and kick’n and mean as ever. Well that’s what my kids tell me when I tell them no. 🙂

    • GF1,

      When re-sighting the TX .22 yesterday at 34 yds.,… I did the hand on scope trick. Since I usually shoot targets at 25 yds, with the TX, things were a bit different, plus, that was the first time outside again since fall.

      At any rate, I shot 2 ten shot groups. 1 with hand on scope and the other normal. The hand on scope produced a very notably tighter group of shots. Both groups were about the same, but the hand on scope had 7 or so clustered real close while the normal had an even scatter. POI was the same, or very near, which surprised me a bit since I figured that with the different pressures applied, it would have changed the POI at least some.

      So the best I can say at this point is (that it works) and is an easy modification to make. Another “trick” in the ol’ bag of tricks! I will continue to play with this technique.

      Thanks, Chris

  10. Edible “Chucks” ?…. Update,

    I asked the question the other day if anyone had heard of eating Ground Hogs, (the larger Northern variety). No one had heard of anyone trying them. Well, this week at work I found a guy who has,.. and said they were quite good. Back legs were what he ate and said that they were tuff to skin. The ones around here can go 10# easy and the really big ones I bet would push 20#. Mom and Dad had a 18# cat, so I have a pretty good idea on what weight might be. You needed 4 hands to hold that fat thing! 😉

    Anyways,…. just passing it along for anyone interested. Chili? BBQ Shredded Chuck? 🙂

        • TT
          The bacon wrap sounds like it might add some good flavor to it.

          Does ground hog have that wild meat kind of taste to it? That’s why we always boil rabbit or sqerrial with garlic cloves and onions and salt and pepper. It mellows put the wild taste. And of course the beer batter and Andy’s breading and deep frying helps too.

          Wonder if ground hog would be good that way?

          • GF1

            Tried a back leg of a big one one time that was roasted . Fat cooked out of it . Seems to me that it tasted somewhere between steak and a pork chop .
            Extra stuff added like you would do with a roast would probably be good . But I would still stick with the young ones .
            Think of them like you would fish….the smaller ones are good to eat, but the oil in the big ones is strong and nasty.

            twotalon

            • TT
              I could probably deal with a roast made that way.

              And yes I know what you mean about the fish with the bigger ones. Don’t like that taste at all. I like all kinds of fish but not that oily fishy taste.

              Maybe I’ll try my deep fried sqerrial and rabbit recipe on a small chuck. Might just be good.

              • GF1

                The little ones are a lot easier to kill than the big ones . Not too bright either .
                Find a nest and sit on it . Shoot them as they come out .
                Really best if you can bag “big momma” first so she can’t give them any warning .

                twotalon

                • TT
                  Yea I know. Use to hunt them as a kid.

                  You ever see one climb up in a tree from a low hanging branch on the ground. I never would of believed it till I seen it. Then it was barking or something. We were usually about 75 yards or farther away when we hunted them as kids with firearms. But that one I think we startled it and it was away from its hole. Was definitely out of the norm from what I seen them act like.

                  • GF1

                    Yeah, seen them low in trees and on top of fence posts of their own accord . High spot for a vantage point.

                    When I was a kid, the neighbor’s beagle would run them up trees . They can climb when they want to .

                    Got a new gun to work on today . Air cylinder and pump gages are a long way from matching at full fill . Have to switch the fill adapter to my Hill pump and see how that compares .

                    twotalon

                • Twotalon,

                  Well,..it seems we have some “chuck” eaters after all. Hunting tips, recipe tips, selection tips,…..thanks for all the input on the topic. (Gunfun1 and Reb too!)

                  • Chris
                    I have tried it , but really ate a lot of tree rat .
                    Tips ..
                    Keep the sun at your back, wind in your face, avoid sudden movement, do not wear clothing that is very light or dark, use as much concealment as possible . Avoid solid clothing colors . Be patient . Stay hidden in the shadows .

                    twotalon

  11. GF1

    It starts with “FWB” and ends with “800” . The 25 m test target was quite impressive .
    Have initial sight in done in the basement . No point in shooting more than once with each scope adjustment .
    FT gun .

    twotalon

      • GF1

        Shooting 8.4 exacts so far . Need some distance and good weather for testing . Have all kinds of pellets to try . Won’t bother with the trick or junk stuff, other than maybe the polymags .

        This gun has the wood stock . Not a fan of the aluminum erector set guns .
        The bugs had better watch out now . They had a bad enough time with the HWs .

        twotalon

          • GF1

            No chrono test or shot count test yet . PA rates it at 800+ a bit . FT gun . 12 ft-lb.
            Preliminary setup loaded to chairgun .

            So not going to be as fast as my R9, but will still put some hurt out there .

            Will need a different scope . Have a Leapers mil dot 3-9 on it right now . Crosshairs are a bit thick for my taste .

            twotalon

            • TT
              Yep I like the thin cross hairs too.

              Your not having a warm spell there this weekend? We made almost 80 yesterday.

              Maybe you can sneak outside today and get you some shots in. I just have a funny feeling your going to like the outside shooting results.

              • GF1

                It got warm enough, but it was brutally windy . I hate that .

                Wish I knew what kind of test pellets that FWB uses . Then again, this thing might do very good with a lot of different pellets . Their test target looked like one of my .048 ” basement groups, but they tested at 25m .

                twotalon

                • TT
                  It has been windy here during the week but got real nice out yesterday and today. For sure happy about that.

                  And you say .048″ group. You mean center to center right? And not .480″. Either way. Impressive groups. I would be happy.

                  • GF1

                    I put the decimal point in the right place . Hard to measure groups like that .
                    When in doubt, round it up a bit (not down) .
                    At 25-35 yds or so, a tape measure is good enough.

                    twotalon

                    • TT,

                      Very nice on the 800. Had to look it up to be sure what it was. The front sights are very interesting,….is that some sort of plastic or glass type of insert?

                      Best of wishes with it and much success. Chris

      • Jan

        Going to need more comfortable weather .A long time ago I would be out shooting or hunting in some pretty bad stuff, but I am too old and tired for that .
        I have to dig through my pellet supply to find what I want to test with . Have so many all over the place that it could take a while to find what I want . I have at least 10 kinds in mind already .
        Will want a better scope eventually, but will do for right now .
        Have to get the chrono set back up to get some shot count and MV figures for 2 or 3 different pellet weights and fill start/end pressures . Can get some of this “homework” done while I wait for conditions outside to become more suitable to my disposition .

        twotalon

    • TT
      Got tied up with things going on at home.

      But yes I heard those FWB 800’s are the stuff.

      And you know I’ll be waiting to hear if the starlings like it or not.
      🙂

  12. Some Newbie (ish) observations:

    -Got outside today. 5-10 mph. steady wind. Got to practice some hold-off. Did ok at 50 yds.
    -Set out a steel 15oz. can at 70yds,….first time. Did ok. Shot some 15.89’s and some 18gr. HN Sniper Magnums at it. Hit it several times with the 15’s with dents. The one 18 that hit put a hole clean through. Extra weight at a distance, makes a difference.
    -As mentioned, tried the HN Sniper 18’s at 50 and 70yds.. As with all HN products, they fit very tight and are a real bear to get started into the breech. (TX and LGU) You can do it,…but it takes some effort.
    -The 70 can looked like it was 10ft. behind the 50 can through the scope,…it was 60ft. behind. Practice distance. It can be very deceiving.

    In other words,….learned a few things.

    • Chris

      That distance thing can really fool you .
      Shooting out in the wide open spaces with nothing of known distance for a reference point is rough . You can guess wrong by an incredible amount . Shooting in the woods can do the same thing to you .
      At least in the woods, you can range a few trees with a rangefinder to get a fair idea how far targets will be .

      twotalon

      • TT,

        Yup,…a learning curve, like anything else. The targets were (almost) one behind the other, in line, so that did not help. I do not have a range finder, yet. The only problem I have is in the summer,…..outside the woods is 30yds. Beyond that, it gets very dark, very quick. Inside the woods, the eyes adjust to the difference in light. One way or the other, I will work it out. I figure measured paces in the woods will work when setting up on a ground hog hole. That, and a cheat sheet for hold over.

        • Chris

          Yup, cheat sheets are good .
          Helps to work as close as you can without being detected . It’s a balancing act, because the closer you are, the easier they can spot you or at least be suspicious .
          Try waiting out a spooky chuck some time . They will peek at you through the weeds, but you can’t see them . They also move very slowly and smoothly . Makes it hard to catch the motion . They often materialize out of nowhere, and you never see it happen.

          twotalon

          • TT,

            🙂 ,……Thanks for the tips. I look forward to trying it. Sounds like you have had just a “weee” bit of experience with “chucks”. Still need to get the .25 M-rod,….and related “accruements”,….so that I can “do ’em in” proper.

            • Chris

              You want to hit them with as much power as possible . They don’t die easy .

              Rabbits are opposite.. I think if you pass gas loud enough, they will keel over from shock .

              twotalon

              • TT,

                Chucks plenty. Rabbits,…not so much. In Ohio,…coyotes are on the rise. I can often hear the howls as I leave for work early in the AM. A lady at work has feral cats that she feeds, in the country. Let’s just say,…the population is pretty well controlled without any “obvious” explanation.

                Coyotes are super hard to spot,…or so I have heard.

                • Chris

                  Yeah, the yotes have pretty well beat up the rabbits around here too .Can hear them at night . Only see one once in a while in the daytime . They don’t seem to bother the chuck and coon populations . Tough on cats out in the country . Getting to be a lot of eagles around here too .

                  twotalon

                  • Reb,

                    Set up right, it could be a good side business. Depending on local laws. A guy at work used to hire himself for 6-8 hrs. for (chucks) to farmers. 50$ if I remember,…just to cover cost ya know. Firearms and some really, really long shots. He was very good. Other guys at work went with him sometimes. Hunts verified, pics and all.

                  • Reb
                    Do you know anybody that works with the city you live in? Even maybe the local fire department.

                    That’s how I got to doing the pesting for the city.

                    But I volunteer. I don’t get paid. I do it to help them and I get to hone my air gun skills. Plus you kind of get a name for your self and people do recognize you for helping.

                    Ask and see. They might just need something like that where you live.

                • Chris USA
                  I see one or two coyotes a week.

                  And how many more do you think there is if you only see two in the day light.

                  If you here them howling then there is more than one pack. It’s very rare for then to run by theirselfs.

                  And don’t get yourself or a pet in the wrong place at the wrong time. The coyotes are not afraid.

  13. Another military trainer. This brings to mind my utter naivete at the start of my shooting career in high school. I’m not sure what I was expecting. Maybe M1 rifles at 600 yards. When I heard at the orientation meeting that we would be shooting .22 LR at 50 feet, I felt quite let down. But that turned out to be plenty for me at that stage.

    The bolt-action on this trainer reminds me of my airsoft sniper rifle with which I began my shooting renaissance in airguns. Working the bolt was a lot of fun. I remember reading a comment about the gun where a guy said he didn’t care about shooting the gun. He just enjoyed working the bolt all by itself, and I could almost see that.

    Matt61

  14. I mentioned the NERF guns my nephew got for his birthday so I would remember to bring up the weird, hybrid design.
    There’s no way I can pull it off in one post on this tiny screen so someone help me remember.

  15. Fortunately, I had the Daisy120 completely stripped down to bare wood including last wood glue repair and it was clamped in my gun vise with a pair of vise grip C-
    Clamp holding the cracks tight with well cured Gorilla glue, it’s getting there.

  16. Thank you very much for this review of a wonderful rifle! Just allow me one remark: the Haenel 310 and its precedessors 49 and 49a had nothing to do with the “Stasi”, .e. the Eastern German secret service. While they were always freely available to the Eastern German civilian market, their main purpose was rifle training in GST clubs. The GST (Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik, “Society for Sports and Technology”) may be thought of as a Communist YMCA. Following its dissolution in 1990, the inventory of their local club houses was sold to the public, including thousands of these rifles. The GST examples are easily dentified by inventory numbers stamped into the side of the stock. By the way, you will find the individual manufacturing date (month and year) stamped at the rear part of the stock. Before leaving the factory, each breech was individually tested for accuracy and stamped, accordingly. In Germany, the top quality examples (marked with an “1Q” symbol) are highly sought after, while standard quality examples (indicated by “1” or “2” in a triangle) are much more common.

    • Accursius,

      Welcome to the blog.

      The part about the Stasi was told to me by the man who purchased the guns from Germany.

      This is just Part 1 of the report. You need to read Parts 2 and 3. Look here:

      /blog/2016/03/haenel-310-bolt-action-trainer-part-3/

      B.B.

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