by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Ataman BP17 Soft Touch bullpup PCP air rifle.
This report covers:
- The test — 55 yards
- Wind
- Aeon scope
- Excuses, excuses!
- One pellet — JSB Exact Jumbo
- Trigger
- Group two — JSB Jumbo
- Group three
- Discussion
- Summary
Today I take the Ataman BP17 PCP bullpup air rifle out to 50 yards for the final accuracy test. Instead of shooting many pellets I shot the one it did best with in Part 3. That turned out to be a good decision because there were several other challenges on this day.
The test — 55 yards
I wasn’t at my usual rifle range so I had to set everything up. I paced off the distance to the target, and when I ranged to it I discovered it was actually closer to 55 yards. And, the way the range was set up, I had the sun in my face, so I had to shade my non-sighting eye.
Wind
I got a late start so the wind had picked up, as well. I faced gusts to 10-12 m.p.h which doesn’t sound bad, but when you are shooting to 55 yards with pellets any wind can be difficult. I waited the gusts out and tried to shoot only when the wind was 0 to 5 m.p.h.
Aeon scope
You will remember from Part 3 that the Aeon 8-32X50 SF scope was mounted. That proved to be another challenge on this day because I was outdoors and the bullpup rifle was hard to benchrest. The Aeon scope has a very short distance in which the image is visible through the eyepiece, then it goes dark. Too close is just as bad as too far away. Indoors it is easier to hold the short rifle so the image is visible, but outside it proved difficult.
Excuses, excuses!
It sounds like I’m building up to report a failure, but I’m not. I’m just telling you all I went through to shoot this rifle accurately at 55 yards. I think bullpups are easer to shoot offhand than conventional rifles, like when you are hunting, but harder to benchrest than rifles with conventional stocks.
One pellet — JSB Exact Jumbo
The pellet I selected for today’s test was the .22 caliber JSB Exact Jumbo that did so well in Part 3 at 25 yards. That gave me more time to learn how to shoot the rifle from a rest.
I fiddled around, adjusting the scope’s zero for about 10 rounds and then shot the first serious group. Because there were 4 pellets left in the clip after sighting in, I shot a first group of 11. At 55 yards 11 JSB Exact Jumbo pellets went into 1.223-inches. It’s not that good because I was still learning how to hold the rifle. I allowed the crosshair to move around too much while shooting this group.
Eleven JSB Exact Jumbo pellets went into 1.223-inches at 55 yards. It’s an okay group, but I knew I could do better.
Trigger
The rifle’s trigger is both light and nonspecific. I never knew when it was going off. That sounds better than it is. If it had a definite stage two I would have been able to concentrate more on the release point, but this trigger is like juggling nitroglycerin. You never know when it’s going off!
Group two — JSB Jumbo
On the second serious group I held the rifle much better, though the trigger was still surprising me. This time 6 of the 7 pellets went into 0.78-inches at 55 yards. But one pellet landed way below the group, opening it up to 1.723-inches. I don’t know which of the 7 shots it was because they all looked good through the scope.
Seven JSB Jumbo pellets are in 1.723-inches with 6 in 0.78-inches at 55 yards. So close!
I almost called it quits after this group. I was hot and sweaty and had been shooting for about 90 minutes. But I really wanted to see if I could hold 7 for 7.
Group three
So once more I loaded the clip with 7 Jumbos and tried to shoot to the best of my ability. This time all 7 went where I wanted and produced a group that measures 0.577-inches at 55 yards.
That’s more like it! The Ataman put 7 JSB Exact Jumbo pellets into 0.577-inches at 55 yards.
Discussion
The Ataman functioned well throughout the 4 parts of this test. The clips never failed to feed. And the rifle is accurate without a doubt.
I must comment that outdoors the rifle is a lot less noisy than it seemed indoors. It’s still not ideal for small back yards, but if you have a couple acres it’s fine.
The trigger is light but not positive. That bothered me when I was trying to hold on a small target.
I still am not a fan of bullpups, but this is a very good one. So, if compact size and light weight appeals to you, the Ataman BP17 is a rifle to seriously consider. Mount a lower-powered scope that has a wider field of view and a more forgiving eye-relief. Perhaps a Bug Buster 3-12X32 would be ideal.
One last consideration — since this rifle needs a 300 bar fill, consider either a carbon fiber air tank or a Nomad II air compressor. Either one will do the job.
Summary
That’s our last look at the Ataman BP17. I hope this series has helped some of you make a decision.
B.B.
Other than as a close quarter ratter, I don’t GET Bullpups.
How do you sight in for a 55 yard shot?
That scope seems problematic on everything that you mount it on…
-Y
Yogi,
Pups have two advantages. Being short, they handle better in thick woods. Also, because the action is set further back, a longer barrel can be used to give more power.
I am also not a fan of bullpups they remind me of the 1980 hatchback cars.
However I have never shot one so cannot comment on handling
B.B.,
Glad you got it shoot well at 55 yards. My first thought at the benching issues was to improvise a solid, standing position front rest. Easier said than done,… but that was my first thought.
Is there any rest setup for bull pups that would work at the bench?
Good Day to you and to all,……… Chris
Chris,
Many of the pups I have seen on the bench were using bipods. Many benchers have gone to those extra wide pods.
This little bugger is not really meant for bench shooting. It is most definitely a short range hunter. Although it can probably do well a good ways out, it will shine at 50 yards or less in the thick woods and brush.
I would like to see a skeletonized version of this like what LCS did with the Huben K1.
BB,
I know you are finished with this pup, but do you think if you were to adjust the trigger so that it was heavier it might be easier to work with? A more definite break, even if it is heavier is better than not knowing.
RR,
It isn’t the weight but the lack of a second stage that makes this trigger hard to work with.
B.B.
Ata Boy BB you shoot excellent with the Ataman lol
BB,
I understand what you were saying. I recall having some sproinger triggers that you could adjust relatively light, but lose stage definition. Maybe if the pull is increased the definition will be felt.
BB
Good shooting no doubt. I like it.
Hi BB,
Thinking about your vintage Walther LGV… the barrel on my LG-53 might have been produced on the same machines by the same team, maybe even to the same quality standards. The best pellet in my LG-53 has been the RWS Superdome. The next two most accurate in my testing were H&N Finale Match Rifle 8.18 with 4.5 head size, and the RWS Meisterkugeln Pistol 7.0 grain. While it isn’t pellet fussy, it is interesting that 4.48 head size Finale Match Rifle pellets were among the worst, while 4.5 head size were among the best.
Andy
Andy,
Great timing, as I’m about to test the LGV at 10 meters!
B.B.
B.B.,
Nice shooting at 55 yards, in the wind, with the Sun in your eyes and no good place to properly bench the gun!
But…
Back in Part 2, “Why it’s a clip and not a magazine” has been almost making me have nightmares! So I have got to post this thought: you are impeccable in your logic on explaining the difference between an ammo Clip and a Magazine but for one thing; the BP17 is a Revolver Action. It looks like a duck, it walks like a duck, it swims like a duck; therefore it must be…_________.
really a revolver.
shootski
Yep, it doesn’t take much wind to carry a pellet an inch off at 50 yards.
B.B. and readership,
Ever want to make your own?
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2019/08/13/make-a-factory-quality-9mm-rifled-barrel-in-your-kitchen-using-salt-water-and-electricity-ecm/
Before you laugh this off remember what the Wright Brother’s first few aeroplanes looked like and how few years it took to get to a Fokker Triplane or Sopwith Camel with blazing machine guns!
shootski
shootski,
I have been aware of EDM machining rifled barrels for a couple years. This isn’t new, but it is a lot simpler than the ones I have seen.
B.B.
B.B.,
Yes, so had I but not on a DIY budget. The price drop in 3D printers is at the heart of making DIY level participation possible. The comments section after the piece is also informative on other potential uses of home EDM Machining. Especially experimentaion with/on gain twist, or variable depth grooves and more. Anything that allows more bicycle shop tinkerers to try stuff often has shown the way ;^)
shootski
The Gen 1 Marauder trigger on my Maximus-what a perfect trigger! You bring it up to the second stage-hold it. A little more pressure and the shots gone.