by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
This report covers:
- Wants what he wants
- So why?
- What happens when a gun doesn’t live up to the hype?
- Not-so-expensive
- Don’t put words into my mouth
- How to read me
Yesterday my brother-in-law, Bob, called me on his way home from buying groceries and told me that yesterday ‘s blog about the Umarex Fusion 2 had convinced him to buy one. He told me I am the Great Enabler.
Wants what he wants
I thought about that. Bob is an airgunner very much like many of you. He doesn’t want just one more airgun, but if he sees a good enough reason to own one, he will spring for it. Like many of you Bob loves to shoot. He shoots firearms almost every week and years ago I coached him into reloading, both to keep the cost of ammunition down and also to have ammo that more flexibly meets his needs. Reloading gives you the control you need over your ammo — both to make it as close to perfect as possible for your guns and also to ensure a supply in those times (like now) when it isn’t generally available. Airguns are like that in many ways.
No, you can’t make your own pellets, though if you own a big bore you can cast bullets for it. But with a pellet gun you can lay in a supply of the pellets your airguns prefer, and you can do it without breaking the bank. I get emails all the time telling my how horrible the selection of pellets is at the big box store where they shop! Well, sure! I can also name several restaurants where I wouldn’t recommend eating — even though they have an unlimited buffet. A lot of bad gets bad very fast. Quantity counts for very little when quality matters.
So why?
Do I sit around and dream up ways to get you all excited about products? No — that’s called marketing and I won’t do it. Why? Because I know that many readers are like I used to be. They maybe have enough money scraped together to buy one airgun this year, and it better be a good one because that’s going to be it for a long time. I understand that.
When the Beeman R1 first came out in about 1982 I was the proud owner of a Feinwerkbau 124 that, until the R1, was fairest in the land. I had purchased my FWB at the Beeman Store in San Rafael, just a few months earlier and here was their latest catalog — rubbing my nose in it!
That was a different time and the power threshold was 800 f.p.s., which turned out to be the place where a pellet rifle can also be highly accurate and the gun that launches it can also be smooth to shoot. My 124 was all those things but when that R1 hit the streets I felt like I had been passed by. I was happily riding a Triumph Speed Triple and the full-bore Suzuki Hayabusa had just come out!
So, when I look at an airgun, it’s through eyes that see it as a possible purchase. And you long-time readers know I have sold myself as many airguns as anyone else! But I don’t always look for the very best. I most often look for good, and there is precious little of it in the ocean of new airgun products. I look for things like accuracy, smoothness, ease of use and so on. I don’t chase after the latest fads, unless there is a compelling reason to do so. I can tell you objectively what each of the things I am looking for means, but often a new airgun has them in spades and I don’t have to.
A huge example of that is the Air Venturi Avenger. It’s powerful, it’s a repeater, accurate, it has a decent trigger and it’s affordable — especially for the features it offers. I’m still testing the Avenger and I have no axe to grind, but it put me in serious consideration of NOT BUYING the Air Arms S510XS! Here is what I wrote.
The unthinkable
“I am about to mount the Meopta scope on the Avenger and run a test at 25 yards to see if just by adding that scope I can get the Avenger to shoot better. I will literally be comparing the Avenger to the S510XS.
I don’t need the Avenger to equal what the Air Arms rifle did two years ago, because I was a little younger then and that could also have been a lucky day for me. However, if I come close enough to show that with the Meopta scope the Avenger does become more accurate — well, Lucy, then I got some serious ‘splainin’ to do!”
What happens when a gun doesn’t live up to the hype?
An example of an airgun that failed to live up to my standards is the FX Dreamlite. An expensive air rifle — it failed to deliver on accuracy — despite six chances to do so. The first “manual” they sent with the gun was a sales brochure (that FX quickly revised and got to me), the power adjustments were confusing, the “Smooth Twist” barrel did not produce the level of accuracy that a $1,200 air rifle should — unless I went to extreme measures and used the magazine in a way no serious shooter ever would.
I was all set to purchase that Dreamlite until I discovered how mediocre the accuracy was. I was advised to change barrels and calibers — that .22 was the way to go. Well, sorry, readers, but the guy who lives in Keokuk, Iowa, may not have that same opportunity. When he buys an airgun he gets what comes out of the box. Maybe he really wanted a .177, because that is what I tested. I want the airgun he gets to perform similar to the one I test. I know they won’t always do that and yes, I do a lot of shooting, so I may be able to wring a little more out of a gun than some folks, but when I get an expensive gun that even I can’t make work right — I’m not going to praise it to you — just because the maker is the current rage on the internet!
Not-so-expensive
The Air Arms S510XS and the FX Dreamlite are expensive airguns. But the Avenger isn’t. Now — here is the deal. I will NEVER tell you an airgun is good just because it’s cheap! That’s the All-You-Can-Eat approach and I won’t do it. The gun has to perform, or I don’t get excited. But please understand that it’s easier for me to get excited about a gun that retails for $129 and is accurate than it is about a gun that sells for $1,200 and is no more accurate than the other one.
Sure, I get excited about great triggers. Here is what I said about the FX Dreamlite trigger.
“I will say this — the Dreamlite trigger on the rifle I am testing is two-stage and absolutely delightful. Stage two is relatively crisp and light. I’ll have no problem doing my best with this trigger.”
And the Umarex Fusion 2 that I started reviewing yesterday has a trigger that is not as good as the one on the Dreamlite. But it is perfectly okay for what that rifle is intended to do. The Fusion 2 is a plinking rifle and needs a trigger that works good enough. It certainly has that! If I find a flaw during testing I will point it out to you but I will not go down the road of comparing one airgun to another. I will test them based on their own merits and let the facts stand as they will.
Don’t put words into my mouth
Every week I get emails either using the Blogger address or from my Godfather website. I do not answer the Blogger messages unless they are about writing a guest blog. But the messages that come from my Godfather website go something like this:
“I am writing to you off line so you can speak freely. I know you said the Mashemflat Magnum breakbarrel takes a lot of effort to cock, but my 14-year-old son is big for his age. I want to get him his first air rifle and I really like the idea of a 30 foot-pound spring rifle! His birthday is coming up so please tell me honestly whether a 5-foot 6-inch 150-pound male can operate this rifle reliably”
That’s what the message says. Here is what it means when it’s translated.
“I really want the Mashemflat Magnum, but my wife says I can’t buy any more airguns this year. I want to use my son’s upcoming birthday as an excuse to get one.”
Here is my answer. “Is your son able to curl 75 pounds 10 times with one arm? Because that is what it’s like to cock that air rifle. Gold’s Gym should buy 20 of them for their weight room!”
How to read me
I do get excited about some of the airguns I test. And that does come through my writing. But I don’t get excited about others, no matter what they are or who makes them. When I get excited, pay attention — especially if you see something you like.
Bob likes airguns with magazines because loading individual pellets is not his thing. And he likes airguns he doesn’t have to work to operate. So spring guns aren’t as attractive to him as CO2 guns.
This Fusion 2 has what he wants — we both hope! I have only written Part 1 and there are at least two more reports to come, but if it tests out it will make his day. How about yours?
B.B.,
You really ought to make a seperate category when you step on your soap box. Whenever the high priced item doesn’t perform as it should it is a disappointment. When an item exceeds expectations despite its budgetary nature it is a welcome surprise.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
Yup. Put in the “categories” side bar and call it “BB’s Soapbox”. 😉 We will know what it is.
Chris
B.B.,
I concur with Siraniko and Chris; I believe there should be a “BB’s Soapbox,” and there is precedent; on the North American Arms website, the company president has a link to “Sandy’s Soapbox:”
https://northamericanarms.com/sandys-soapbox/
Hence, I think you should go for it; I think it will prove to be quite popular. =>
Peace & Blessings,
dave
BB,
………. and that is why many of us come back here everyday and is also the first site we visit everyday! 🙂
“passed by”,………. Got a Maximus,… and the Fortitude comes out. Got the Red Wolf HP and the Red Wolf Safari comes out (20% more power),….. etc. Impact comes out and now there is the “power plenum” model. Don’t even get started on FX barrels and the evolution’s there. (I don’t have a FX anything),….. yet. Slugs anyone??? No lack of those if you look around. Well,… you are going to need a new, more powerful gun for that,.. or,.. mod. the one you have with power mods. and a different twist barrel. Talk about a “rabbit hole”! 😉
Oh well,…. shoot what you brought and remember to have fun! 🙂
Chris
Chris,
Last statement. BINGO!
I have dug into the Fortitude. I will take the Maximus.
You have the Red Wolf. I looked at one Saturday up close and personal. That thing is awesome! I prefer the Safari stock, but why do you need more power?
Forget the FX Impact. They are nice if you do not mind spending the time learning it inside and out to tune and tweak it to get it to shoot like they can. Just because FX makes it does not mean it is the best. The RTI Arms Prophet is much simpler, easier to change calibers, costs less and performs just as well. The prototype beat out several Impacts at EBR last year. I handled the Prophet also. Oh yeah.
RR,
Why do I need/want more power?,………. well,…. if I have to explain THAT to ya’,…………. 😉
No,.. really,…. just a better chance to do better with slugs,… maybe. No worries though,… a Safari is not in my “stars” nor do I really have the (actual) need for one.
Chris
RR,
Been shooting my .22/700 mm Impact for a while now (8 – 9 tins or so) with the as received factory tune so I thought I would chime in with my first impressions.
No complaints, no problems – 32 fpe, 200+ shots per fill, extremely accurate, loading has been very smooth and flawless, firing cycle calm and the noise level is as expected for the caliber and power level.
Ergonomics is good, as is the fit and finish – I did find one screw that tightened a bit when I did my checking.
All of guys I have talked to have had similar “straight out of the box” experiences with their Impacts. I have heard of issues (loose hardware, air leaks and such) but every high production item has some of those. I know that my dealer – Air Gun Source – checks every rifle the sell before shipping, guess that not all do.
Seems that most of the problems I read about are from guys messing with things they don’t understand and trying to get rimfire power levels out of an airgun.
Agreed, the Impact is more complicated than a typical bullpen design but it is also versatile and adjustable.
Just saying, you don’t have to be an expert to shoot an Impact.
Cheers,
Hank
Hank
Sometimes some people shouldn’t even go there if you know what I mean.
I was going to bring this up at some point in time. But I wanted to see more of what the gun was about this time around. I think I gave up to early the first time around because I compared it to similar airguns that I had. I didn’t give it a fair chance.
I got another Air Ordinance SMG about a month ago. This time I dug down into it and said I was going to figure it out. And I did. I now have a very reliable pellet gun that is shooting at a good velocity and very controllable on shots fired in full auto.
As it goes. And I said this before. “Simple but effective”. Sometimes to much adjustment isn’t a good thing. And not enough either as well. The SMG needed more adjustment. But as usual I tuned it with the bottle regulated pressure and the striker spring. I even made the barrel floating.
I get more than 50 shots out of a 13 cubic inch regulated HPA bottle. And the gun is shooting at a higher velocity and is more accurate. I’m happy.
GF1,
Yeah, lots of tuning and fine tuning possible on the Impacts – that’s not a problem if you take some measurements and record them in the place provided in the back of the manual so you can return to factory tune if needed.
Funny about the Impact, as complex and expensive as it is I think it would be a good choice for someone with airgun basics who wanted to get into PCPs and just wanted to buy one gun. You can do most anything with it (change calibers, shoot pellets and slugs), tune it to what ever power you want and tinker to your hearts content.
Hank
Hank,
Glad to hear that you and the Impact are getting along well. Caliber swaps and probes are not cheap,… but they are cheaper than another quality airgun,… or the same one in a different caliber.
Thanks for the update,………… Chris
Chris,
Agreed, caliber swaps are not cheap but if you had a major change in requirements – say from backyard plinking & pesting sparrows to hunting hogs – the option to go from .177 to .30 is there.
For myself, I don’t plan on changing calibers. Thought about selling the .25 Royale and getting a .22 and a .25 kit for the Impact but decided against that. Don’t use the .25 too often but when I do it is usually on short notice – caught a raccoon in the strawberry garden a couple of weeks ago …double tap and now have some more fly tying material 🙂
That guy Yo on the AGN bought Impacts in all the calibers so he doesn’t have to retune if he wants a to shoot a different caliber, each to their own (budget ) eh?
Hank
Hank
I thought about getting a Impact. But I think it will be a RAW in .357 caliber. That’s if I ever decide to go big bore. Maybe one day.
GF1,
Big bore is interesting from the power and range perspective (to say nothing about the major cool factor ) but I can’t see getting one myself. I don’t have a specific (hunting ) application for one and they are too expensive to target shoot with.
I bought the Impact as a long range 40 – 50 fpe pellet / slug gun. Opted for. 22 for best all around versitilly for the kind of shooting I do.
You are into some interesting guns GF1, buying, trying and trading all kinds of them. Given a large budget (not likely to happen ) I might consider a big bore or some of the newer designs available. I am pretty well set up air gun wise for the foreseeable future, my next air gun will likely be a HW30.
Hank
Hank
I have been that way all through time. Done it with race cars. Done it with RC planes and guns.
What can I say. I like to get in deep in different things.
I keep thinking one day I might settle down a bit. But it never happens. I think you know what I mean. 🙂
Hank,
Pooky, my earlier post did not take.
There have been problems with some of them. BB’s and my experience with the Dreamlites have totally turned me off of FX. They are too rich for my blood to take the chance.
For less money I can buy a Prophet that shoots with the best and is sooo much simpler to work on, change calibers, etc. and cost less to do such.
I really am well pleased that you are having a wonderful experience with your Impact. If you have not had any troubles yet, you probably will not. I do know that FX is high on quality. I have handled several and they do not lack in that respect. I guess sometimes they are not put together quite right and there are issues. I am quite confident that with my experience I could overcome those issues. I guess my beef is if I pay that much, it had better be right.
BB,
Your opinion, because of your experience is very valued, even by those who have been around long enough to smell the hype. You have developed a testing technique that allows you to show newbie and old hat alike what a particular airgun is capable of and what to expect.
This is not advisable for the newbie, but sometimes the old hat will buy a particular airgun for other than the “standard” test reasons. As an example, my first air pistol was my Izzy. What a mistake that was. I really like the looks, the feel, the quality, the operation, a trigger to die for and my Izzy will always shoot better than I can. If I miss, it is me.
So what is wrong with that? After that, every air pistol I looked at or acquired was compared to my Izzy. I have had a Daisy 717, a UK Webley Tempest, etc. come to visit a while at RRHFWA, but I would not let them stay. Why? They were not my Izzy. They were being compared with something they were not designed to be compared with. Fortunately I figured that out and have some very nice air pistols.
It is easy to get caught up in the hype. I have been many times. Fortunately, I cannot afford every new toy that comes along, so I stop and take a good look. The FX Dreamlite was at the very top of my short list and now it is not. What am I going to do with it? What features are important and which are not? Does it actually do what I want?
Cut to a commercial.
B.B.
Triumph Speed Triple or Suzuki Hayabusa? lol….will will all be riding electric within 10 years.
Most of the Price Point PCP’s and guns like the Umarex Fusion 2 will end up in the land fill within 5 years.
What a waste of resources! How about a blog on the recyclability of cheap airguns?
-Y
ps More more more, just means more waste…
Yogi,
Maybe, maybe not, on both points.
All the bells and whistles remind me of the auto industry. I once drove one of those little Chevy economy thingys for a few days. It was OK I guess, but it had more bells and whistles in it than you can shake a stick at. All I could think of was are all of these gadgets reliable? I saw most of them as something to fix. Is the car itself reliable? I don’t know. But it has power windows, anti-fog mirrors, passenger eject seat…
RR
All cars have that stuff now…….
-Y
Yogi,
Yeah, and I don’t buy them.
Well BB,
You certainly have made up my mind about getting a few airguns in the last 10 years or so, The Umarex Legends Cowboy Lever Action is one that immediately comes to mind. But mostly you informed me about ones I already owned.
For some reason I get the feeling airguns are more than a job for you. Might be why they call you the Godfather of Airguns?
A while back I suggested P/A inform us of possible options that may be in the works for any given airgun and they actually added that information in the form of notes or actual options. Really helps.
B.B.
This blog is among the first things I read each day. The uber-expensive air guns are interesting in the same way that a Bugatti Veyron is interesting. I’m probably the guy that has a number if airguns because he’s exploring power plants and learning by experience. Now I have to recoup some of my learning money and sell several airguns.
So far the most successful airgun is my Sheridan 2260MB. With a 3×9 scope on low power it’s accurate enough to reduce the chipmunk population. I would like a repeater but the budget won’t allow and even if the money were available, I still don’t know enough to successfully evaluate a purchase. An aside; a feral cat that has taken up residence has been far more effective than I in reducing the chipmunk population. 😀
I’m about to resume wrestling with a Maximus and air pump. So far no success in getting air into the Maximus. It’s a character failing, but I don’t deal with frustration very well. So several months ago I set the whole business aside and moved on to a Nitro piston a couple of tuned springers and a P17 SSP pistol that you reviewed in this blog. I’ve learned from each purchase have come to know that there is no “perfect” airgun, just a best fit for me. Still working on that.
The pistol is for training purposes. In my case the shooting skill level has to move up several notches. That requires practice, practice, practice. Just now the P17 is far more accurate than I.
Finally, at least for me, you aren’t so much an enabler as a long-distance mentor helping me to learn an evaluation skill. For that I thank you.
Dan
Here’s a link to a good “How To” video on assembling a springer without a compressor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AnqTtVZ_O0&feature=youtu.be
Kevin,
That’s a really good one for Tom Thumb!
Siraniko
Hey BB,
Big, big fan here!
I wonder your opinion on this insignificant – but might be quite the finger saving – method…
Is this gentleman the smartest of us all? 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNUEyLyTQGo?t=31
Is it possible to do this on an R7/9 or a Diana 34?
Thanks!
Diana grl,
Not really possible with those air rifles. The cocking linkage allows for this wi5th this rifle, but those only open a little, so loading is impossible.
B.B.
Yeah, I used to have an old Diana 27, which I should’ve never given it away, and was not able to do the trick. I think the spring coil on this gentleman’s prewar 27 is the original; it must’ve lost its firmness in time. Despite these clear facts, I still think this technique might be possible with an R7 or even a HW35. If you place the rifle underarm and pull the barrel down tad bit with your other hand, this could be done. I don’t have those rifles though, so we need a ‘hero’ to give it a try and let us know the outcome. 😉
On second thought, I don’t think it is quite possible. I’ve just watched the video again, and it has got nothing to do with the coil spring strenght; yeah, it is all about the coil linkage. You are right BB; it is impossible with the listed rifles. In this case, I have to ask; do you know anyone who is selling a prewar Diana 27?! 😀
Diana Grl,
If I did you would read about it here — after I bought it 😉
B.B.
😀
One day, my dear friend… One day…
We’ll both have a prewar 27.
Diana Grl
It can be done on my R7s and R9s, but it is not as easy as the guy in the video. Just not much room to work with.
Quite some time ago I checked all my break barrels to see how many could be loaded with a broken breach. About half of them could be.
tt
It’s so cool that you made time to let me know this, thanks.
It makes me wonder about hw35 then…
Hmm…?
BB, me again 🙂 Forgot to tell that you rock!
I’ve just read your blog on R10 with 12 ft. lbs. Vortek. In my humble opinion, no spring air gun should be more powerful than 12 foot-pound. That being said, I am wondering if you think you – for being the Great Enabler you are – can convince the gods of airguns to sell Diana 280 classic in the USA? 😉 Just imagine a premium version of it with similar iron sights on R7. Wouldn’t it be the perfect spring air rifle?
Thanks!
Yes, the Diana 280 is a modern classic air rifle and its a pity that it isnt available to you folks in the US. Ive always assumed this was down to its relative lack of power.
Its size, handling and firing cycle is similar to the old 35 which is a great compliment. It makes 11+ ft/lb easily in .22 on its 28x70mm internals. But as stated, it needs good quality open sights rather than the fibre optics. Great looking rifle otherwise.
On this part of the world, many think more and more power is the way to go, and they are likely utterly wrong for spring rifles considering today’s pellet technology. Anyone who’s looking for something wilder than 12 ft lbs should turn to PCPs in my opinion – No scientific proof of my wisdom though, just past experience. I think R7 is a full size air rifle, and hw50 is a magnum…
If they ever introduced 280 to the US market with its fibre optic sights, I would probably pass. Sometimes, Diana offers some premium models with top notch iron sights; I’d only buy such.
Weihrauch has the right idea about the iron sights; they sell – very good quality – fibre optic sights that you can buy from Pyramyd AIR and replace the OEM ones in a matter of minutes if you cannot do without them. R7 is slowly becoming my favorite – well balanced, accurate, amazing iron sights… It might end up being my second and last rifle. Although with my luck, it’ll definately come with a galling issue.
Ya know, Dianagrl, that may be a smarter way/ safer way to do it, but I have never loaded a break barrel that way.
BB, the airgun we want costs about $700, it’s made of wood and metal, has allot of nice features. (SA Marauder?) The AVAvenger gun with a plastic stock, will cost $300. Put a nice wood stock on it, it would then cost about $700.
Would the Benjamin cost the same as the Avenger with a plastic stock on it? Not sure, since neither can purchased at any price right now. Oh no! Vaporguns!
Rob
Yeah, if the rifle lets you do it, then it’s the way to go.
WOW, I need to be careful what I talk about when I check in with you. Here is my current airgun “collection:
* Hakim to which I added a scope
* Polish copy of the famous (infamous) airgun used in the James Bond “From Russia with Love” poster.
* Umarex Synergyn with an UTG scope.
So now do I add another airgun that uses CO2 cartridges(s) instead of muscle power? Does one ever have enough airguns and firearms? As a radio announcer once asked, “can you have too much beer, money, or horsepower?” I guess you can add too many airguns and pellets?
While I have a number of airguns and firearms, I do regularly use them on an almost weekly basis. Actually, going to the range is almost my secondary hobby as reloading on the weekends is my primary hobby that gives me a lot of personal pleasure. Plus, I never have a shortage of ammunition as I usually come home from the range with more spent brass than I actually shot. A firearm/airgun without bullets/ammo/pellets is nothing but a very expensive club.
After I went to the PA website, I saw the Umarex Fusion 2 is on backorder, but I believe it will slip past the expected September delivery. I’m more looking forward to a Christmas present for myself.
Stay safe
Bob
BB…just a curious thought…
While an inexpensive airgun and a premium airgun may perform very similarly when new out of the box or fairly new, do you ever revisit airguns after 1000, 5000 or 10000 pellets to see how they have held up…one of the reasons I prefer premium is my perception that the quality will last a lifetime…my concern is that the less expensive airguns will degrade more over time and usage necessitating another purchase…not always a bad thing…but…
Any comments?
Note that I don’t shoot enough to really worry about wearing any airgun out…but it’s just as much an intellectual curiosity
Alongship,
I successfully did that a couple times. I fired a .25 caliber Beeman Crow Magnum 1,000 times because people said it would get smoother to cock and more accurate. It never did. Then I changed it from .25 caliber to .20 caliber because peoiple said it would be more accurate. It wasn’t.
I broke in a Beeman R1 with 1,000 shots for the R1 book.
Nobody really cared.
It sounds like something intersting, but after people take 10 seconds to read about it they forget and move on to the next thing.
B.B.
Alongship,
In general,.. I would have to agree with your theory. The first things that come to mind are:
– Fit of materials
– Quality of materials (mostly metal)
– Design quality (Is it engineered well? Is the valve balanced? How much R+D was done on “getting it right”
the first time?)
– WHAT is the likely parts to wear out? Why?
– Cast metal vs machined metal?
– O-rings, cheap? or better material?
Just to name a few. Do I expect my Red Wolf to out perform my Maximus and M-rod? I do. Do the M-rod and Maximus shoot fine and with no issues? They do. Will one break before the other? I do not know. I do however suspect that if something does break,.. it will involve one of the reasons I mentioned above. More $ in general will usually get you better fit, finish and ergonomics,…. in general.
My 2 cents,….. Chris 😉
Alongship,
I would add,… let’s say an O-ring cost 0.03 for the cheap O-ring. Now,… let’s say there is a super premium O-ring that cost .0389. Spread that over 10,000 units. That is a $89.00 difference. Is it really worth it to save $89.00 on a part that is critical to operation?,… and I would argue “reputation”? Return shipping, labor, refunds, etc.. One small example,… that the cheap Chinese guns might employ. American build? Not so sure I would let them off the hook so quick either.
Chris
Accuracy is the main point, and the rest is nothing but a bunch of insignificant details. And to achieve precise accuracy in an air rifle, barrel has to be perfect, trigger has to be a mechanical marvel, stock has to be ergonomic, sights have to be fantastic, power has to be well balanced, and the list goes on and on. In the end, every component on the rifle has to be engineered flawlessly, or not engineered at all. The engineer shouldn’t have to think about what the ‘geniuses’ in the marketing department would say while creating an air rifle; she should be able to freely and boundlessly design considering only the princibles of Physics. Next time, when we read a review that says ‘for the price, this is a great rifle,’ let’s please keep in mind that it means the well priced shiny looking rifle is not that great at all. With those reasonably priced air rifles, there is always something wrong with something, like barrel, sights, trigger or whatever, which will be the weakest link of the whole package and reflect as poor accuracy at the end of the day – and if you cannot hit the target then why even bother. Now, let’s be a little bit more dramatic… Why do the air gun manufacturers listen to the marketing departments this much any how? Have you guys watched any apocalyptic disaster movies where the marketing folks are allowed in the arcs?! In the brave new real world of essentials, marketing is pretty much proven to be useless!? Even in Hollywood movies, arcs are portrayed to be full of engineers and scientists, my friends – not MBAs. Sometimes, the inventors of great air rifles shouldn’t listen to the customers, take market trends into consideration, or worry about pricing strategies and such, sometimes they should be bold enough to simply tell their customers what it is supposed to be and how it has to be done… Well, I guess, what I’ve just written has probably nothing to do with your inquiry, but what the h..k, I said it anyway!? 😀
I’m not one for really buying new air guns from a dedicated airgun store. What really flips my switch is looking for them in unexpected places. In the south, many pawn shops are also gun shops so owners will take in miscellaneous air rifles for pawn. My latest acquisition, a Crossman 700 CO2 air rifle, was found in a local pawn shop after a field target match. I also found my Beeman R1 in a pawn shop for a ridiculously low price. I think the owner thought that it was a Walmart special but if he had looked closer, he would’ve seen the made in Germany engraving on it. I am still debating on whether to pick up a synthetic stock Diana 34 that I saw last weekend (if it’s still there) but I’m probably gonna let it go so somebody else can enjoy a quality air gun since I already have my R1.
Yes you are the enabler.
Sorry I haven’t been on here much, been having a lot of things going on.
While you are covering the fusion 2, can you give us a run down on the piercing cap, hopefully they fixed the complexity of the old one into something more user friendly, and better o rings that don’t swell.
Also, can you see if the 88gram cartridges impinge on the mlock accessories?
I have heard that the large cartridge makes it so you can’t use them at the same time.
Thanks.
Ian..
B.B.,
Yes sir, you are definitely The Great Enabler! Thanks to you I am now committed to driving across two states to meet someone I don”t know, to buy two airguns that weren’t even on my wish list a week ago. Sounds like your brother-in-law and I could swap stories about your enabling. (smile!)
Jim M.