by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
The Orion PCP repeater from AirForce International.
This report covers:
- Some facts
- The rifle
- Accuracy
- Portability
- Filling
- Trigger
- Power adjustability
- Summary
Okay! Today we start looking at a precharged pneumatic (PCP) air rifle that I bet not too many of you know about — the AirForce International Orion. First of all — AirForce International? Are they the same as AirForce Airguns? If so, why the International?
Some facts
AirForce International is the division of AirForce Airguns that imports airguns from abroad. They select the guns they feel have the level of quality their company demands, but with features their domestically-made airguns may not offer. The Orion is a 13-shot repeater that comes in a classic wood stock.
I have known about the Orion for several years. You know how some companies tell you that they have worked with the manufacturer to iron out all the details of a product until it was what they wanted to offer their customers? Well, I have witnessed that happening with the Orion. When the project started the rifle had an iffy trigger and was set to retail at a higher price. I watched as the details were ironed out, one by one, until what you are about to see was born.
Let’s face it — anyone bringing out a new PCP in the U.S. today has one rifle to overcome — the Benjamin Marauder. That’s no secret! All airgun companies know it, and, if they want to sell to the U.S. market, they have to keep that fact at the forefront of everything they do. AirForce is very aware of the market, and this Orion is a rifle they believe will sell. I don’t compare airguns very often, and I’m not going to start today, but as this report unfolds, you know what is driving my look at this new air rifle.
The rifle
The Orion is a PCP that is offered in .177, .22 and .25 calibers. I am looking at a .22, because it was the caliber I most wanted to test for you. The max velocity in this caliber is said to be 800 f.p.s., but of course I will test that in detail. Accuracy is said to be quite good, and you know I’m going to test that. In fact, because of what I said at the beginning of the report, I have to test the Orion out to at least 50 yards.
The rifle is made by Cometa of Spain, whose name is on the air gauge in the stock. Cometa also makes the AirForce International 94 spring-piston air rifle. AirForce is pleased with the quality of these Cometa products, which is why they invested the effort to sculpt the Orion into the rifle I am now introducing you to.
Accuracy
The 18.5-inch barrel is hammer-forged, which is the easiest way to get superlative accuracy from a rifled barrel. I can’t wait to see that! The barrel is fully shrouded At the power level, it should be very quiet. I plan to report on that for you.
The stock is an attractive wood that’s checkered at the pistol grip and on both sides of the forearm. The cheekpiece adjusts for height, which is very handy, since the rifle has to have some kind of optical sight mounted. I’m thinking I will install a powerful scope, based on the performance I expect from the rifle.
The stock has one additional feature many will like. It is slim! The forearm cross section is narrow and the pistol grip is very comfortable in my hand. I mention this because I know stock dimensions are very important to a lot of shooters. I really like your this one holds.
Portability
The overall length of the rifle is 41 inches, which makes it comfortably short for hunters, even though it is a full-sized rifle and not a carbine. The unscoped test rifle tips the scale to 7.75 lbs., but that will vary with the weight of the wood. That makes the Orion an all-around comfortable airgun for carrying afield, in my opinion. And it comes with sling swivel anchors attached, so you can install a sling with no hassle.
Filling
The Orion comes with a male Foster quick-disconnect fitting for filling. It’s located at the front of the air reservoir, and the cap just pops on and off — no need to unscrew it. The pressure gauge is located at the bottom of the forearm, just forward of the triggerguard. The rifle operates on 206 bar/3000 psi pressure, thank goodness, so all the standard filling equipment will work. Until I know what sort of shot count you can expect I can’t really say whether I advise you to use a hand pump to fill this rifle, but with the Foster fitting and 3000 psi limit, it is certainly possible. The specs tell us that the air reservoir has a capacity of 225 cc, so I’m hoping there are at least 30 good shots.
Trigger
Of all the design elements I think the trigger was the one AirForce concentrated on the most. I know they actually made modifications that they sent back to the factory for evaluation. I tried the trigger at several times during its development and I can tell you that what’s in the gun today is a vast improvement over what it originally was. It has to be, because look what it’s up against! I will give you a complete report on the pull in Part 2.
The trigger adjusts for what the owner’s manual calls travel, and what I would refine to call the length of the first stage. Stage 2 and the letoff weight are fixed, but light enough that I don’t think anyone will complain. Oh. that’s not true. Some people would complain if they struck oil in their back yard, “The derricks are so unsightly!”
The safety is a bar in front of the trigger. It is 100 percent manual, so hallelujah! Because it runs across the trigger blade and sticks out on either side it is ambidextrous.
Power adjustability
Yes. the power can be adjusted via an Allen screw located at the rear base of the receiver. Turn clockwise to increase and counterclockwise to decrease. I will test it for you in Part 2, but by just looking at it I can tell you it’s not something you are going to do all the time. It’s there to optimize accuracy, pellet by pellet.
Summary
The Orion is a 13-shot .22-caliber air rifle that’s positioned in the lower end of the sporting market. It’s quiet, has a good trigger, and hopefully great accuracy. Settle in and we shall all see together.
B.B.,
Very inviting rifle. Ticks all the boxes for wanted features. Not styled as a black rifle. Made of wood and steel. Of course there will be those buyers looking for open sights. Competitively priced. Not as adjustable as the competition, but what other rifle is? The succeeding parts are going to be eagerly awaited.
Siraniko
Very nice. Many good features. As for any comparison to the M-rod,.. 100 more, 200 less fps, same weight. The biggest thing for me,… no ambi. cheek. I shoot left. None the less,.. this looks to prove very interesting.
Good Day all,.. Chris
Chris,
I am a southpaw, so I always study the photos for that. If you look at the PA pics you’ll quickly see both sides have “cheek swells.”
Michael
Michael,
Not from what I can make out. P.A. is usually pretty good at putting the word “ambi” in their advertising as well. I do not see that either.
Chris,
Yep, I made a mistake. I was looking at a different rifle and remembered incorrectly.
Michael
Michael,
I am a “North ?” paw in everything except rifle. Always have shot rifle left. Left is my dominant eye as well. Can’t explain it,.. that is just the way it is. I guess the reason that you do not see ambi’s more is that it would take a thicker slab of wood,.. or maybe a wedge shaped one. That should be standard and makes the overall rifle look better. With wood however, there will some added ounces. Maybe 8-12 or so.
The International 94 is interesting. Good stats., good price and even comes in .25 cal.. I missed that one. I wonder how that shoots?
BB,
Well, it looks better than the Marauder.
I was wondering if you would ever get around to reviewing this air rifle. With what has happened with the other Cometa air rifles and pistols, it is probably good that AirForce kept working with them to refine things with this one.
That is a good looking rifle. I am sure you will answer this in the next installment. Will the scope clear the magazine in regular rings or does it need high ones? I know the M-rod is a close fit.
Gopher,
We shall see.
B.B.
B.B.
You are getting me interested in the Darkside, please stop it!
Seems there are just a few statistics that are important when looking at PCP’s.
Fill pressure?
Regulated and unregulated?
Caliber?
Barrel length?
I’m sure I am missing a few, but with no recoil and little force the trigger sears are holding back, should be easy?
Why doesn’t an electronics company make a modular electric trigger that could be slid into a standardised slot in all PCP receivers? If they became “the standard” they could produce them cheaply. Are triggers the last area that companies spend money in the RD area?
How about a review of the AirForce International 94 spring-piston air rifle in .25?
-Yogi
Yogi,
Are you asking questions? I can’t tell, because much of what you asked is in the report.
Fill to 3000
Calibers .177. .22 and .25
Barrel length 18.5
Regulated? If I don’t mention regulation, it probably isn’t. This one is not. Regulation is such a big deal that it should always be mentioned, if present.
The standardized trigger would be nice, but don’t hold your breath. The Rekord has existed for 60 years and nobody else has standardized on it yet.
The AirForce International 94 in .25 might get on my list.
B.B.
Sorry,
I was just trying to imply that PCP’s are basically simple creatures…..
Yes B.B. every Gammo owner, every NP owner, most Hatsan owners, some Air Arms owners, some Diana/RWS owners, would all LOVE to have a Rekord trigger in their spingers.
The modularity of PCP’s make this conceivable. Hospital visits, car accidents, bad triggers all ruin my day!
Too much coffee this morning, or is it not enough?
Yogi
Yogi,
Pay no attention to that Chris USA behind the curtain! :^)
If the Gauntlet is as good (great, frankly) as advertised, only with its emergence will there be some light in the Dark Side.
I’m sorry, but I have to get this off my chest. :^( I went to the dark side years ago and have long regretted it. If there were an airgun show within 300 miles of me, I would have unloaded all my PCP (in my opinion) junk at one and then spent the money on a really nice vintage Webley or Walther springer if there were one there. I spent over $1K on two Marauders and a Hill pump, and I have put only a handful of shots through each rifle, definitely fewer than 50 shots total.
PCPs are a b***h to pump to 3000 psi, and the lowest price all-in-one compressor is still a coupon-ineligible $1300, if it ever reaches the market. A Maximus (a hand-pump friendly 2000 psi) and a Hill pump will run you $510. For less than that you could buy a Diana 48, Diana 52, Weihrauch HW35, HW57, HW95 LUXUS, Beeman R9, or a Beeman R7 (with AO Scope!). All except the first two have the Rekord trigger. The Diana triggers are much better than the Maximus one. Every one of those rifles will, if maintained properly, outlast every person on this board and the vast majority of PCPs under $1500.
I apologize if I stepped on anybody’s toes, but the state-of-the-art springers of 2017 are better than any PCP that does not have a high pressure compressor or dive shop included in the price.
Michael
Michael,
No offense taken. Hand pump for the 2000 crowd and an auto for the 3000 crowd ( or a dive shop). At the time you went to the “darkside”, maybe the facts were not discussed as much? Anyone that has spent awhile here pretty well knows that (hand pump + 3000 = not much fun).
You bring up many good points and is something that each consumer needs to weigh before taking the “leap”. Me? No regrets.
B.B. is the “guy behind the curtain”. 🙂 I am just one of his loyal minions.
Chris,
I researched it thoroughly. The Hill pump was to be a short term stop-gap until Crosman came out with the butterfly pump. And we all know how that didn’t turn out.
Michael
Michael,
Do not worry, the “DarkSide” is still pretty dim. I think I have more fun shooting a springer at 25 yards than I do shooting a PCP at 100 yards. Any PCP shot less than 50 yards should be a “slam dunk”. I do not see the challenge in shooting something that is easy to do and frankly “boring”.
Unless you have a convenient 100 yard range why bother….
I can shoot my springers inside or in the yard in my PJ’s if I want.
-Y
Yogi,
You shoot in your PJs? How much distance do you get? 😉
B.B.
He can rip a pellet right through a fly!
Michael
Yogi,
At least we have you “thinking” about a PCP. 🙂 They are nice. Get past that first “plunge” and it is all good. Lot’s to choose from too. It took me awhile to get “sold” too. Gunfun1, Vana2 and the Buldawg pushed me “over the edge”,…… darn them anyways! 😉
Looks, price and the quality implicit with the Airforce name.
Interested to see how the accuracy stacks up against the Talon.
BB, Thanks for the report.My favorite look for a gun is solid wood and a blued finish.I still have much to learn about air gun components to justify a smart opinion at times.I know how important quality and function are,I like the adjustable comb?I broke both clavicle’s years ago and the way I shoulder and align a gun is different than most.Better I listen w/my ears instead of my mouth!
Speaking of wood and blued Steel is there any difference accuracy potential between the Maximus and discovery?
It is my understanding that the Maximus is more accurate than the Discovery.
Belgrath04,
The Maximus is said to have reamed barrel, prior to rifling. All reports I have seen says the Maximus wins out. Of course,… some of that has to do with who is shooting it too. For me,.. the Maximus gets a 10 for 10 on appearance. I have one and love it.
I wish that regulators were available for all PCPs so that, like with cars, the purchaser has the choice between and automatic or a manual transmission.
Accuracy is consistency – consistency of the shooter, the pellet and the rifle.
IMHO, a regulator is critical to managing the consistency of the PCP power plant – without one the valve has to deal with a constantly changing air pressure which affects the point of impact.
True that there is a bit of magic where the pressure and the valve balance and the POI remains relatively consistent but there is a considerable portion of the air fill that is off of the bell curve and the usable shot-count is reduced.
If you have access to a chrony the sweet spot of the fill can be determined and a diligent shooter can manage the pressures to suit. My discussions with springer and powder-burner shooters considering PCPs is that this is another complexity that they don’t want/need – they expect a PCP to be consistent the way their other rifles are.
Regulators are not that complex and, in volume, should not be too expensive to fabricate that they couldn’t be standard equipment on all but the cheapest rifles. A fixed output “in the reservoir” design could be and optional after market add-in.
I don’t know, but I think that the gains in accuracy and shot count over the life of the rifle are worth a bit of an increase cost. Each to their own.
Sorry to whine, I’ll just get down off of my soap-box and get back to work. 🙂
Hank
If the tube size is a standard one their are likely after market regulators that fit
I predict the gauntlet is going to sell like hot cakes and from there soon enough on regulators are going to be another must have to keep any small bore pcp from being an also ran.
StevenG,
I totally agree with your predictions about the Gauntlet.
/product/umarex-gauntlet-pcp-air-rifle-synthetic-stock?m=4311#8328
That is the rifle that started my rant – if they can sell a REGULATED PCP that will shoot 60 .22 caliber pellets at 900 fps for $300 my question is why can’t the other manufacturers include regulators?
The gauntlet to me takes it one further. It is a bottle gun for $300. The demo videos show a Ninja regulated bottle. I want to know if the production units will be the same or not.
I am a bit shocked the industry has not done more standardization. So many different tubes, air fill types, bottles. Standardization would do wonders to drive the prices down. I hope the gauntlet does that.
The other niceties of the Gauntlet is that it uses the “standard” foster fitting for filling, it is a 10 shot repeater that includes the single-shot tray.
Bonus is that spare magazines are only $13 – about 1/4 the cost of those for the high-end PCPs.
Think that Umarex did their homework on the Gauntlet – hope they do well with it.
So, the rifle manufactures have cut the prices to bring PCPs to the general market, now we need the HPA compressors to do the same.
Standardization would be nice – bet it would save the manufacturers more money than they could hope to gain with propriety parts. Labour and materials are a lot more expensive now than when custom parts brought more revenue.
I’m a designer by trade and use off the shelf parts when ever I can… amazing as to what you can find in the plumbing department 🙂
I totally agree.
I hope others convert to using those magazines. I would hope Uramex would sell all the parts as well. I think the lower to this gun could be a big deal for many users. I already know of folks planning and building extensions for the plenum to support larger calibers.
I do some hobby design, and have worked on projects in a professional capacity with the designers. Nothing worse than a management team that thinks 3 cents a part is a great cost, but fails to understand that is after you pay for the custom dies. Which with their planned 1000 part run will never happen.
If only plumbing parts were rated for 6k psi 🙂
Hank,
(Many good points). Your comments make me wish I had considered regulators more at the onset. I am happy with what I have,… but darn it,…. you got me thinking again. 😉 Not a bad thing mind you,… only that it usually ends up with some more missing “moo-la” from the Ol’ wallet. New offerings are interesting and points to a good trend. You got me past the “sold” point on regulation. No need for an apology for the “whine and soap”,…. though down South of you,.. we prefer the “wine and cheese”. 😉
I have not really paid much attention to PCP’s because I live nowhere near a dive shop. I would have to use a hand pump. This may be a “dumb” question but can a PCP be stored for weeks or months fully charged or close to fully charged without damage to the rifle? Or is it best to either drain / shoot it down to a certain level to be stored?
Ken
Ideally they are kept charged at all times. It does not much matter if fully or partially charged so long as they are holding pressure.
The less times a pressure vessel is cycled, meaning emptied and filled the better. With proper safety margins and material selection cycle life is not a limitation that will come up frequently with pcp vessels/tubes, bit all things being equal less stress is less stress.
I have left a PCP charged and unused for many months. I am sure people who have used them longer can beat that.
Ken,
How about decades? I keep my AirForce guns charged all the time and my Disco Double has been charged since I last wrote about it in 2014.
B.B.
Thanks for your comment B.B.
Now I will have to start paying more attention to PCP’s. Especially ones that a hand pump can be used without too much trouble.
Ken
Love to see a cometa rifle getting featured. This airgun maker from Spain always stood in the shadow of Gamo, but makes really nice airguns.
Mel,
Yes, they do. Their quality is very high. The ones I have tested, though, have not been that accurate. That was probably because they were chasing power and went too far.
B.B.
I live in Germany, and our 7.5 joule legal limit has the definite upside of getting smooth shooting airguns. They often have more power than they can handle in the US market spec.
Mel,
You are absolutely right! That’s why I like rifles like the Diana 240 Classic. It’s right where it needs to be to shoot well.
IWA is happing in Nürenberg right now. Any chance you will attend?
B.B.
Maybe you remember, I did a report about the IWA in 2009 on your blog. But no chance this year, we can try 2018 if you are interested.
Mel,
I do remember — now that you have reminded me! 😉
I hope to be there next year, too, so perhaps we can meet.
B.B.
Wow, you will visit Germany! You won’t be disappointed by the IWA. And it is in Nuremberg, you may see the barracks you have been stationed..hope we can meet at the IWA!
Mel,
I was there in 2006, and I enjoyed it very much.
B.B.
B.B.,
I bought an import Beeman off gunbroker because it was very cheap, in unfired condition, and looked too stunningly gorgeous not to be an OK shooter. It’s a GS1000, I think. (It’s in the basement at the moment, and my knees are at the end of a long day.) The thing turned out to be accurate and a reasonably smooth shooter. And the trigger was nice when I got it, and became downright excellent with just 1/4 or 1/2 turn of an adjustment screw, right up there with the three-ball-bearing trigger on my Diana Model 50 (Winchester 450 labeled). I haven’t chronied it, but I think it is medium powered. I highly recommend this model to anyone who sees one out there for cheap.
Was that manufactured by Cometa? Thanks for any information you can provide on it.
Michael
Michael,
The Blue Book gives a rather detailed history of Beeman and who manufactured their rifles over the years. No mention is made of Cometa. The Blue Book also recommends 3W, Beemans, dot, net for further info.
It is made by Norica, a factory that is also located in Spain.
Mel83,
Thanks very much for the information on my GS1000. I have heard of Norica but know next to nothing about them. The wood, metal, and trigger are exceptional.
Michael
B.B.,
This looks to be a very nice rifle. However, at $100 more than the Marauder it will need something really special to be picked from the litter.
~ken
BB,
There is a post on the Yellow talking about Kral rifles that look too similar to AirForce airguns. Do you know if AirForce is involved with Kral or being ripped off?
Thanks,
David Enoch
David,
I’m sure there is no involvement.I imagine the Kral folks will get jacked up when John McCaslin meets them at IWA in Nuremberg today or tomorrow!
B.B.
As promised but really off topic!
BB et al..
This afternoon I was able to get the Daisy 450 lever action pellet rifle sighted in a bit better. Shooting 7gn RWS Hobby’s and and 7gn Meisterkugeln’s at 10 meters I was surprised to see best group sizes of only 1.25″ to 1.5″. Not good!!
I tried a few more shots – about 15 each pellet with no more improvement.
Now I was stumped…. I knew it had a short barrel – about 11.5″ which should not be a problem and the MV at 10 meters sounded good for a 450fps to 500fps gun. I then realized I had never cleaned the barrel and one quick look down the barrel showed me what most of the problem was. No, not dirty, just no rifling – this ‘rifle’ was a smooth bore – even though it’s called a Pellet Rifle which is stamped on the the receiver – it isn’t.
I know there are smooth bore pellet guns that are very accurate so further testing with different pellets is the next order of business. Will try tomorrow or on the weekend to see if I can get the gun shooting better with different pellets.
Will let you know how it turns out.
Cheers
Dave
Dave
Try some wadcutters in it. I have had good luck with wadcutters in smooth bore air guns.
Hi Gunfun1
Both the 7gn Hobby’s and the 7gn Meisterkugeln’s are waddcutters!
Next I will be trying heavier 7.9gn and 8.1gn pellets. Domes and hollow points, Crosman and etc. – I have quite a few different brands and weights.
Cheers
Dave
Dave
Oh never looked to see. Thought they were round nose.
And your not going to believe this. The very cheap Daisy wadcutters have done good in a smooth bore 760 I have. Fairly decent results out at 30 yards with a red dot sight.
Dave
Here these.
Daisy_Precision_Max_177_Cal_7_8_Grains_Wadcutter_500ct/405
Here I’ll try again. Link didn’t work for some reason.
/product/daisy-precision-max-177-cal-7-8-grains-wadcutter-500ct?p=405
Hi Gunfun1
The Daisy waddcutters as well as the Crosman Milk Container wadcutters will be the first pellets I will try. I have serious doubts that they will be of any use. The quality is just not there for either of those wadcutters. I have tried them in many pellet guns with nothing but poor results!
But we shall see!
Will let you know.
Dave
.
Dave
Yes do let me know. Hope they surprise you.
I have tryed them in several guns. Matter of fact they shot real good in my smooth bore Brodax with the steel Python clips. Good out to 20 yards at that.
Will be waiting to hear.
BB and Gunfun1
This morning I did the final pellet testing with the Daisy 450 Pellet Rifle. I shot only 5 shot groups for most of the pellets tested. A few only made it to 2 shots they were so bad.
In general the wadcutters – Meisterkugeln’s, Hobby’s, Crosman, JSB Match and Daisy were all close to 1.25″ to 1.5″. Like I said nothing to get excited about!
I thought the 7.9gn. Pointed Crosman Hunting Pellet that comes 1250 count in the little milk carton would do well because it’s the main pellet I use in most of my Chinese guns but not so – off the paper – it was one of the 2 shot groups greater than 4″ along with Gamo Perfect Rounds.
The pellet that did the best was the JSB Exact Diabolo Dome at 7.8gn. The first 5 shot group was a nice .51″. After that I did 4 -10 shot groups with the smallest being .62″ and the largest and last group being .85″. Not too shabby for a smooth bore! I
All the pellets tested this afternoon were shot using the artillery hold with my elbow supported on a sand bag. The range was 10 meters.
It seems I now have a gun that I can use on my indoor range when I feel like taking just a few shots or spending a fun hour. I have other more accurate guns but they require time to set up with heavier traps or 12 gram cartridges or bulk CO2. Sometimes I don’t really feel like having to do 100 or more shots just to use up the CO2!!
Next I will try the Daisy 450 at 15 yards. This is the maximum comfortable shooting distance on my indoor range. Probably sometime next week.
All for today guys..
Cheers
Dave
Dave
Well it did like those JSB’s didn’t it.
And when you do the 15 yards you should still try the other pellets again. And just maybe 20 yards if you get a chance outside. Remember BB did that test pretty recently and some pellets did better at longer distances than they did in at closer distances.
Keep us updated.
GF1,
Better further, than closer? Really? I think the test was to see if the “conventional” close range pellets (pointed, wad cutter, hollow point) could hold their own against the “conventional” longer range pellets (domes).
If something is 1″ at 25 yards,… it will not be 1/2″ at 50 yards. Now with that said,.. you may get (lucky) with the landing, given the many other factors involved.
Chris U
You just might get surprised if you try some other pellets than JSB’s. Yes I have had better groups at a longer distance than what a pellet shot at closer distances.
Why do you think that’s not possible?
Dave,
You did better that I ever did with one of these strange airguns. Of course JSBs weren’t available when I had one.
B.,B.
BB
Yes, you’re right, pellet choice was not great back then and I think was the main reason this gun was not so popular and only made for about a year-1972 to 1973. Also could be the reason so many are available today in such excellent shape.
It’s amazing how much pellet technology has improved in the last almost 50 years.
Cheers
Dave
Redrafter,
“Daisy 450 lever action pellet rifle”? Might that be a Winchester/Daisy Model 450? If so, that is one very special air rifle, a rebranded Diana Model 50. Is it a taploading underlever?
Michael
Hi Michael
No Winchester in the lineage of this gun! It’s very similar to the Red Ryder, shoots pellets from a little red clip about 10 or 11 inches behind the muzzle and the wood furniture is much much nicer. It originally came in two versions, one with the basic Red Ryder style rear sight and one with a primitive rear Peep sight and hooded fine post Front sight. Mine is the Peep sight model. Although Daisy calls it a rifle on the stamped breech of the gun it is, in fact, a smooth bore gun.
Search Google for “Daisy 450 Pellet Rifle” to find lots of pictures. I see them sold for about $30 in gun auctions all the time.
Hi Michael
Check my reply above to Gunfun1 for more on the Daisy 250.
Redrafter/Dave,
By the way, if your rifle IS a Daisy/Winchester Model 450 THE pellet that model tends to love (in .177 only) is the RWS Superdome: /product/rws-superdome-177-cal-8-3-grains-domed-300ct?p=227
Michael
BB,
On triggers. I keep reading about adjusting the length of the second stage. Would anyone actually want to adjust more length in the second stage of a trigger? I thought any length at all in the second stage would be called creep!? Can you give me some insight into this? I have several air guns and those with long creepy triggers are the most difficult to shoot. The few that let off as soon as the first stage ends are a love go shoot.
Ton,
I love long soft first stages followed by crisp light second stages. Therefore, I do not know if my suggestion might be helpful or a load of dung. With that disclaimer, if one wanted to adjust a two-stage trigger to one stage, the trrick might be to eliminate the first stage by adjusting it to zero travel. Try, in other words, to make that second stage, even if it is as creepy as Carrot Top at a county fair, be the one and only stage.
Michael
B.B.,
Both the PA description and you say the Orion has adjustable power, but the PA Specs tab says fixed. I presume the description and you are correct and the specs tab is in error. By the way, GREAT name — Orion, the hunter — can’t believe that hadn’t been snapped up before now.
I agree with many of the above commentors. Because of The Gauntlet, the Orion might be doomed right at the gate. The Gauntlet is half the price, regulated, and 4.5 foot pounds harder-hitting. Unless the Gauntlet is innaccurate and/or far overrated power-wise, well, things look kinda grim for this one.
For that matter, unless a reduced priced and regulated Marauder MK III comes out soon, that is on borrowed time, too. Well, at least Crosman still has the excellent Maximus (which I just might get, if they’ll sell me a Euro version; last time they wouldn’t answer my e-mail). And they might sell the Wildfire someday, although that one begs for a regulator more than any other PCP I know of. I hope if the Wildfire ever hits the market, aftermarket types will make an add-on regulator for it, because its shot velocity drops faster than a cornered opossum!
Michael
Michael,
The site shows 2 Maximus Euros. One in .177 and one in .22. Not sure why you would not be able to get one if that is what you have your heart set on.
Michael,
I just remembered,… Vana2 bought a .177 Maximus for his Granddaughter and put in a lighter hammer spring to make it easier for her to cock the bolt. That may be an option for you. Get a full power model and put in a new spring. I have not done it on a Maximus, I have on an M-rod, but I am sure it would be a 1/2 hr. job max. or even less. Just trying to “encourage” you a bit. Not “enable”. That is B.B.’s forte. 😉
B.B.,
After all of my wild ranting above about PCPs (except for the Maximus and Gauntlet), all of that steam blowing out of my head, I suddenly remembered the Talon SS. Tiny, quiet, adjustable power, awesome trigger, first-rate build-quality, time-proven design, accurate as anyone could ask for. It’s pricey, but given what it is, I get that. The TX200 is pricey, too. With those rifles, you get what you pay for.
The Talon does have that whole 3000 psi thing, however. What has me really salivating over the Gauntlet is its regulator. Fill it to 2000 or so, refill more often no doubt, but the pumping is still much easier than the pumping from 2000-3000 psi. I’ll be curious about shot count below 2000 psi with the Gauntlet.
By any chance is the Talon SS regulated? If so, to what pressure? If not, are the velocities (in .177) reasonable stable from 2000 down to, say 1300 psi, or is that just not possible?
Michael