by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Air Venturi’s V10 Match pistol.
This report covers:
- The test
- The trigger
- Sight-in
- RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets
- Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets
- Strange sound
- RWS Meisterkugeln
- H&N Finale Match Light
- Qiang Yuan pellet
- Summary
Today I shoot the Air Venturi V10 Match pistol for accuracy. Let’s get started.
The test
I shot from 10 meters off a sandbag rest that has no influence over this pistol because it is a pneumatic. I shot 5-shot groups because a target gun usually puts them so close together that 10 are hard to see.
The trigger
In Part 3 I tuned and adjusted the trigger on this pistol and I nailed it! This is the nicest Gamo Compact (the base gun) trigger I have ever used and I think my trick with relieving the wood around the adjustment screw is the difference. I could shoot a trigger like this in competition!
Sight-in
I sighted-in with RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets for no special reason. The first shot hit the target low but the shot sounded weak. I should have fired a second round. Instead I adjusted the rear sight up considerably to compensate. Shots 2 and 3 did not print on the paper, though my ear told me they went into the pellet trap. I knew I must have gone too high, so for shot 4 I dialed the rear sight back down and still hit high.
More down elevation and shot 5 was almost a pinwheel! Good enough; I will count that as the first shot of the group.
RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets
Four more shots completed the first group that measures 0.476-inches between centers. This group is slightly low and to the left of center, and if I was to choose this pellet, the sight would have to be adjusted for it.
The V10 pistol put 5 RWS R10 Pistol pellets into 0.476-inches at 10 meters. This is a very good group for this pistol!
I never adjusted the sights again, after this group. I just wanted to see the accuracy potential. If one pellet stands out, that is the one worth spending the time to adjust the sights.
Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets
Next up were some of the pure tin Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets. Usually these are among the best, if not the absolute best (most accurate) pellets in any airgun. But not in this one! Five Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets went into a 0.957-inch group at 10 meters. It’s the largest group of the test.
Five Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets went into 0.957-inches at 10 meters. This is not the pellet for this pistol.
Strange sound
I will say this about the Sig pellets. I detected a strange sound every time the gun fired them. It was almost as though the gun was opening the valve late or something. That could have a lot to do with the group size. I kept my eye on it for the remainder of this test, though it never happened again.
RWS Meisterkugeln
I tried RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets next for no particular reason. They are probably too heavy for this pistol, but I was curious. The group dropped significantly and shifted slightly to the right. Five Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets went into 0.646-inches at 10 meters — BUT! On shot 4 the gun fired before I was ready. I didn’t have the sights aligned to my eye so I couldn’t tell if it was thrown or not. And I notice that one pellet is apart from the other 4 that are in just 0.366-inches. This would be a pellet to test further if the pistol was mine.
Five RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets made this 0.646-inch group at 10 meters.
H&N Finale Match Light
I tried 5 H&N Finale Match Light pellets next. I expected them to shoot about as good as the R10s but they didn’t. Five landed in a vertical group that measures 0.762-inches between centers at 10 meters. It’s the second-largest group of the test. I see no reason to pursue this pellet any farther.
H&N Finale Match Light pellets are not for this pistol.
I was going to stop at 4 pellets, but I was curious, so I tried one more — the Chinese Qiang Yaun Olympic pellet. These are even more expensive ($42.48/500) than the Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets, but they sometimes are the best in a particular airgun.
Qiang Yuan pellet
This pellet put 5 in 0.545-inches at 10 meters. That was the second best of this test and certainly worth further investigation. Look at how round this group is.
Five Qiang Yuan Olympic pellets went into 0.545-inches at 10 meters.
Summary
The V10 pistol is a great replacement for the IZH-46M we can’t get. After tuning the trigger on this one I have to say that it is almost the equal of that venerated Russian pistol, plus the gun is a lot lighter, so more people can shoot it.
If you wondered, wonder no longer. The Air Venturi V10 target pistol is a good one.
B.B.,
For the price range of this pistol, that is impressive accuracy!
It costs a lot less than I spent to turn my PA Crosman 1377 into a super shooter.
I should have just waited for this gun…but patience has never been my strong suit (just ask my wife! =>).
I shot my friend’s IZH-46M a lot; it was cool, but this looks to have similar accuracy in a more stylish pistol
(…please don’t flame me; that’s just my personal taste; I realize accuracy counts over style).
Thanking you for all you do to keep us all informed,
dave
Dave,
FLAME!!!!
No, really I understand. I personally have always liked the looks of my Izzy. To me it is almost pure form follows function. No consideration for aesthetics has been given to the design. That is true of many of the air rifles I have collected. Their beauty lies in their simplicity and functionality.
RR,
“…form follow function.” I totally get that.
And especially this, “Their beauty lies in their simplicity and functionality.”
And I’ll be the first to say those Izzys are scary accurate.
We shot my friend’s Izzy on an indoor range (i.e. no wind)
and it as impressive…more so in his hand than in mine. =>
May RRHFWA be blessed with many more beauties,
dave
Dave,
In truth, not much of this pistol was given over to aesthetics, far less than many. As I have said below and elsewhere, I myself would really like to have one of these and I would seriously recommend that anyone who takes their plinking seriously to add one of these to their collection. They would probably find that their other air pistols would start collecting dust.
There is a serious risk involved in doing such. I own only one air pistol. The reason for this is I cannot afford better. I have owned a Webley Tempest, a Daisy 717 and a Crosman CO2 pistol in the past, but none have measured up to my Izzy.
I hope to add one or two antique air pistols to my meager collection and I am talking to a friend about his FWB 100, but my Izzy is going nowhere, except maybe to my grandson.
That looks ok. My Izzy will outshoot it all day long from those results. But with no more coming in…it might be a good substitute.
Edw,
That’s my opinion, as well.
B.B.
BB,
So it’s no Izzy. But can it be held with a two hand combat grip? I use the Izzy Olympic style. But if I can get get a good 2 hander on this that would be an additional selling point.
Edw,
I suppose it is possible, but I wouldn’t do it. The target grip does make that difficult.
B.B.
B.B.,
Since you didn’t mention any strange vibration with the Sig Alloy pellets can you discount the slamming of the piston as the source of the sound? Or the Sig pellets might be a tight fit in the barrel causing a delay of the piston to reach the end of the chamber?
Siraniko
Siraniko,
Look up the gun. It has a piston,…. but not that type of piston. 😉 Not being a pistol guy,.. I had to look it up too.
Chris
(Good Day to one and all,…. Chris)
Siraniko,
Yes, these pellets do fit the bore tight and that may cause this phenomenon.
B.B.
B.B.,
Not being familiar with Tin (alloy pellets) could they be deforming (folding) in the chamber to Leade jump and then rattling down the barrel?
shootski
shootski,
No. Tin is harder than lead.
B.B.
BB,
If I did not have my Izzy I would pick one of these up. I may do it anyway. It would be nice to have a second air pistol at RRHFWA.
This would most definitely be a great plinking pistol. I personally would recommend this pistol to anyone who desires to hit what they are shooting at.
The V10 is 3rd on my short list. It would be first if I didn’t have a nice target pistol.
I am a plinker – love shooting spinners and cans – and (casually) punching paper indoors over the long Canadian winter.
The V10 may not shoot the same sized groups as my FWB 100 when benched but for the off-hand shooting that I like to do I would never see the difference anyway 🙂
IMHO, an excellent offering at a reasonable price.
Hank
Hank,
Have you ever considered owning an Edge? 😉
RR,
An Edge is a fine target rifle! I tested one many years ago when they first came out and I have had a hankering for one ever since. I think they are now quite refined, though I haven’t had a chance to shoot one in years.
B.B.
BB,
Right now mine is a little bit more refined than stock. You may remember pulling the trigger on it a while back at the Roanoke Airgun Show. I have also added some baffles to the end tube and it is super quiet. Another little addition I have done is Lloyd made me a piece to add between the valve and the regulator, increasing the volume of the regulated air. It is shooting close to 12 FPE right now.
What is really neat is all of these modifications can be removed and return it to stock if I desire.
R.R.,
Did Lloyd base the volume of the Plenum Chamber on the basis of total valve (if NOT part of the total regulated pressurized Mass of air/gas) TP and barrel volume? Hope that makes sense!
For education of fellow readers who might not be familiar with the term Plenum Chamber:
A Plenum Chamber is a pressurised vessel containing a gas (typically air) at positive pressure (pressure higher than surroundings). One function of the plenum is to equalise pressure for more even distribution, because of irregular supply (Regulator creep) or demand (Valve instability.)
A Plenum Chamber can also work as an acoustic silencer device.
shootski
Shootski,
I do not remember exactly what he based the volume on. If I am not mistaken it was to increase the power from around 5-6 FPE to around 12 FPE with the standard 12 inch barrel. It is quite successful at that. The down side is the shot count went from over 100 down to about 25 before it comes off of the regulator.
I have been wanting to get an 18 inch barrel to see if the performance rises more.
RR,
I never considered an Edge, had to look one up to remember it. I have my FWB 300 and FWB 603 for target shooting – very happy with them.
If I won a lottery I wouldn’t mind a FWB 800 FT rifle ( https://www.feinwerkbau.de/en/Sporting-Weapons/Air-Rifles/Model-800-Field-Target ) and while I am dreaming, maybe a FWB P 8X PCP pistol ( https://www.feinwerkbau.de/en/Sporting-Weapons/Air-Rifles/Model-800-Field-Target ) … but I am not holding my breath. Still, window-shopping is fun 🙂
I keep on looking at the AirForce products and am sort of half watching for a second-hand deal for a Condor in .22 or .25 caliber. I like that they are light weight, tuneable and powerful. I could get used to the design but the main deal-breaker is that it is not regulated. The line of sight over the bore is it higher than I prefer and they are single shots. I have the .22 and .25 bases well covered so it would have to be an exceptional deal before I would get a Condor.
Cheers!
Hank
BB, I was wondering how the Air Venturi Match Pistol compares in accuracy with the P2 and P3.
David Enoch
David,
I would say the P2 is more accurate and many P3’s are, as well.
B.B.
Another point regarding the P2 (to me the HW75) is that it is slightly more pleasant to cock – the overlever doesn’t snap shut at the end of the compression stroke anywhere near as much as the P2 (HW40) or the Gamo overlever pistols.
I’m assuming of course that this is inherent to the gun – the position of the three pivot points – and not just a matter of tolerances.
Iain
B.B.,
Seems like I recall Sig showing a single pump pistol a while back. Any more word on it? The way their last rifle is turning out, I am holding hope for the pistol as well.
Doc
Doc,
I am Number One on their list for that one. It’s made in Italy, so they are going back and forth over the pond about the features. It is supposed to be out about now.
B.B.
B.B.,
The Air Force line has had my interest from the start. Is there a (reason) that they have not made a repeater model in the Edge, Talon and Condor lines? Is the single shot method something you see them staying with?
I know the pros and cons with regards to single shot trays VS magazines. There is proponents in both camps, with the majority landing in the tray camp (for accuracy sakes) and a majority also landing in the magazine camp (for convenience sakes).
At any rate,…. just curious.
Chris
Chris,
They have labored for many years to come up with a repeating version of their rifles that works, and they haven’t found it. They have done it but each mod was full of kluges. They aren’t going to do that.
I sense they have a repeater behind the curtain, but we will have to wait and see.
B.B.
B.B.,
You know me and words and you just had to throw in “kluge”,… ehh? You done and gone made me look something up! 😉
Per Wikipedia,….
‘An ill-assorted collection of poorly-matching parts, forming a distressing whole’
I hope I got that right? There was some other odd choices, but this seemed to fit the best.
Thanks,…. Chris
fyi, just got Pyramyd email that SIG Sauer 22cal w/ wood stock is in stock. Website quotes both wood and synth as weighing 8.5lbs. No scope bundled currently. 200count tins of SIG pellets in 10.03grain & 12.35grain are in stock. I’m inclined to wait on the synthetic stock in hopes it will be a pound or so lighter. Later a wood stock should be available if i want to try that out. Waiting for a bundled scope…that’s going to require some intestinal fortitude. 🙂
John,
The synthetic stocked rifle is 6 ounces lighter than the wood.
B.B.
Oh well, that’s better than nothing. 😉