Two versions of the RAW HM-1000X. The top has a laminate stock, and the bottom is the new chassis system.
This report covers:
- RAW?
- Laminate stock or chassis system?
- Barrel
- A word about the purpose
- Is Martin Rutterford still involved?
- My big chance
- Trigger
- Bolt probe
- Silenced
- Scope base
- Regulated
- Adjustable power
- So much more
- Summary
Today we begin looking at a new (for us) precharged pneumatic repeater — the RAW HM-1000X. This rifle exists in .22, .25, .30 and .357 calibers. The .30 and .357 are special order rifles so my advice is to stick to either .22 or .25 caliber. I am testing a .22.
RAW?
RAW stood for Rapid Air Weapons when the company was initially formed. It evolved from the Theoben Rapid 7 and 12 that were big in the United Kingdom. The Theoben company stopped making airguns and their managing director, Martin Rutterford moved to the U.S. to continue to make the air rifles under the name Rapid Air Weapons.
Now, in the United States shooters don’t think of airguns as weapons, so even though the respected name RAW continues, you won’t find the word weapons on the current website. It’s just RapidAir. The word “Works” was kicked around for awhile, but since the name RAW is so recognized in the airgun community, well enough was left alone.
Laminate stock or chassis system?
As you can see in the picture, the rifle comes with either a laminate wood stock or a chassis system that has an extendible buttstock. My advice is to get the chassis system in this rifle because with the chassis you get the flexibility to mount accessories in M-LOK slots (the laminated stock also has these), a buttstock with adjustable length of pull, as well as an adjustable comb, and a lower cost. All the specs on both rifles are identical except for the stock. I am testing a chassis system rifle.
The weight varies a lot, depending on how the rifle is accessorized. The rifle I am testing weighs 8 lbs. 1 oz. with an empty 12-shot rotary magazine.
The overall length varies depending on how the butt is adjusted. I have mine set to just shy of 46 inches.
Barrel
The HM-1000X has a free-floating Lothar Walther polygonal barrel. It’s unchoked, so slugs and diabolo pellets can both be used. It’s 24-inches long to extract all the energy the pellet can give. Of course I will test the velocity for you, but for now know that the .22 is expected to top out around 50 foot-pounds. In 25 it rises to 60 foot-pounds, 80 foot-pounds in .30 and 130 foot-pounds in .357.
A word about the purpose
What is the HM 1000X designed for? Given the power, hunting comes up right away. And with the power and accuracy you can expect from the RAW this make an excellent hunting air rifle, plus a contender in extreme bench rest competition. On windy days the .25 caliber would probably be preferred, though the .22 does give you a lot more pellets to choose from. Naturally I will test the rifle at 50 and 100 yards.
Is Martin Rutterford still involved?
Absolutely. I see him often when he comes to AirForce to consult, because AirForce is in my home town. He was very concerned that the quality would continue after he sold his company, but several years later I think he is satisfied that AirForce has it under control. They will continue to make the best rifles they possibly can. John McCaslin, the owner of AirForce, is extremely concerned with quality, only putting safety ahead!
My big chance
I have waited for several years to test a RAW. I thought I wanted to test a 12 foot-pound rifle, but this HM 1000X became available first. Let me tell you, those guys at AirForce are making these rifles as fast as they possibly can, and yet they still have a rolling backlog. The rifles are not inexpensive — the test rifle retails for around $2,000, but airgunners who want the best have only a few brands to choose from and RAW is right at the top.
Trigger
This rifle is way more representative of what American shooters are buying these days, so serendipity has kept me on the best path. I have pulled the trigger a few times and I can tell you it is the sort of trigger people pay big bucks for. It gives nothing away to a 10-meter target rifle, except that it’s set to break at 6 ounces. I will leave it there, because I’m going to need to look in the thesaurus for adjectives that mean the very best. This will be an air rifle I will be sorry to see leave at the end of testing — and you enablers, please don’t work on me! I now have a new motorcycle to support!
Glass-crisp describes the feel, but there is a little pushback from the 50 foot-pound rifle with each shot. And the trigger is fully adjustable.
The safety is manual! Thank you, Martin Rutterford!
Bolt probe
You know how repeaters with rotary magazines can feed pellets that are out of alignment with the breech? I have tested several repeaters with that problem. Well, the HM-1000X has a way around it. First, the bolt nose is rounded to fit in the pellet skirt and the probe is also loose, so it automatically aligns with the breech. Instead of pushing the pellet forward no matter what the alignment is, this probe moves around to center the pellet. It’s one of those small, “Why didn’t I think of that?” points. And such little points keep popping up as I look around this rifle. It’s what you want from a rifle at this level.
The RAW bolt probe is rounded and also moves slightly to align with the pellet and breech.
Silenced
Yes, this rifle is silenced and the model I am testing has an older version of the silencer that’s no longer offered. But I checked with AirForce and the one they currently ship is about the same sound level. Of course I will test it for you but I’m telling you now it’s got to be over 100 dB. This is not friendly in a suburban back yard.
Interestingly, the silencer is offset, so it won’t get in the way of a low-mounted scope. Not that anyone is going to mount a scope low. Given what this is they will probably want to mount the Hubble Space Telescope on top!
The barrel sits at the top of the silencer, so the silencer doesn’t get in the way of the scope.
Scope base
Speaking of scoping the rifle, the RAW has 20 minutes of down angle machined into the Picatinny rail on top of the receiver. Don’t gotta shoot it to find out — they knew what to do up front!
Regulated
The rifle is regulated, and from what I have heard so far the reg is extremely stable. That will get tested in the velocity test, of course. The air bottle/tank is carbon-fiber and holds 480cc at 230 bar, which is 3,336 psi. Even at 50 foot-pounds there should be a passel of shots available. Of course we will find out.
Yes, the air tank can be unscrewed. I suppose for someone with whom money is no object it would make sense to get a separate tank.
Adjustable power
The hammer spring can be adjusted to change the power. I will probably do that in an extended velocity test — or two.
So much more
I have only covered some of the introduction. We still have things to cover. I will watch your comment and then try to cover the other things in the Part 2 velocity test. Because the power is adjustable there will have to be several velocity tests.
Summary
This is quite an air rifle we are examining. At the price it certainly should be, and from the little I have seen so far, it lives up to its promise.
B.B.,
Wonderful looking rifle. Maybe they could have gone with Rapid Air Wonders? Where does the point of balance fall in the chassis model?
Siraniko
Siraniko,
It’s at the end of the chassis, which is the forearm. My hand is just behing the manometer.
BB
BB,
Laminate stock looks nice, new stock…. not really my thing ( i’m not a tactical/buffer tube look guy ).
Far out I have been kicking up a wood dust storm in the garage. getting better at visualizing then creating. The drill press as a milling machine is something that you cannot unsee if you are a safety conscious machinist… when the end mill decides to take the unsecured work for a walk, you have to be very diplomatic. Very light cuts are the order. and sharpen that tool! The things I would do with a real mill. Went berserk on one of the FEG telly relums. It’s such a cool little 5m rifle, will be looking at a speed loader for it, some kind of pellet mag with a deep poker. ( it likes about 15mm pellet insertion for max fps. no idea why. ) I am still looking hard for another Dioptre set. I must sit and wait… . : – ) Robert.
Well heck.
I just bought an aperture sight, it’s a Mossberg S331 for 1/3 the cost of a red ryder… looks pretty darn rugged. Will maybe go on the FEG if the aperture is small enough. Looks cool! Robert.
Huh? Help BB!
/blog/2012/08/crosmans-160-part-1/
Crossman S331 sight ??? What the….
Question: So who made them ? Robert.
RobertA,
Probably Williams that has been rebranded.
Siraniko
RobertA,
I would not bet the farm on it, but it is probably a Mossberg. Over the years they have made many fine target sights and target scopes. I used to rebuild the scopes.
Having said all that, they may be a Williams as they have been making these type of sights for a very long time also.
If you really want to know, asking BB is a good first step.
P.S. Who really cares? It is top shelf, whoever made it.
Robert,
It was either Williams or Mossberg.
BB
RobertA,
That peep sight you found is meant to be attached to the side. Is there enough metal on the tube for you to attach a mounting block? The stock looks the business.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
The sight will be attached to the stock. However I could weld a bracket onto the spring tube, which would be very easy and possibly mod the sight to fit. The biggest issue is getting the sight height right as the gun fires up a tad . Stock is really comfortable, even with a short LoP. I see a lot of sanding in my future. : – ) Robert.
Well, today I am a true airgunner! Hooray! No, indeed . . . ouch! This afternoon as I was at our range, I allowed the beartrap release to slip, and the breach caught my index finger (fortunately not my trigger finger). Pain. . . Blood . . . Language I hadn’t used since my military days. No, nothing broken, just a small crushing slice and a badly contused index finger. Does this indeed make me a real airgunner? I’d been fairly warned that letting go of the cocking handle on my new TX200 would bite, but I guess that I had to find out for my self. Well . . . I did, lesson learned. Now on to the next lesson, hopefully, a less painful one. Although I’ve been shooting air guns compulsively for a couple of years now this Air Arms TX200 is the first one to truly test my shooting prowess. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be begging for this blogs’ members assistance as I move along. Right now I’m shooting at 10m and getting 1 1/2″ on the target. Not great I realize, but this is the 1st time out after a couple of afternoons trying to zero the scope. Finally got that figured, for now anyway. I also shot a few targets out to 85yards. I think I’m going to love this gun. Tomorrow I’ll go for bigger game than my finger. By the by, my other toys include a Sheridan MB2260, a Colt 1911 M1, and a Sig Saur P320. All great toys, but my new one is the best yet. . . and a challenge. Thanks for listening, Orv
Orv.
We all do silly things at times, I stabbed through my thumbnail with a rat tail round file the other month, blood, swearing, cold running water etc, the trick is to no do them again.
I would seriously suggest you work on a fool proof way of handling your gun. That is what makes you a “real air gunner” imho, springers have levers and pinch dangers. Keeping digits out of danger IF you happen to slip up is very similar to considering all guns are loaded. If you are really interested in keeping your finger tips you can block the sliding spring piston with something incompressible while you load your pellet. I have seen a picture of this once, it even had a loading ramp to ease the pellet loading. If the device has a little handle on it you can put it into breech area without putting your fingers in there.
and here we are:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124367996513
Look at that. A safety thing!
Something i worked out yesterday on my breakbarrel is: load the pellet first, then cock it. So you are not fiddling around near the pinch danger. Seems so logical now. Happy being safe! Robert.
Thanks for your input, Robert. I’m visualizing a round dowl to block the breach as I load. Unfortunately, don’t know of a way to open the breach for loading without cocking it. I love my new toy and am almost obsessed with learning how to safely shoot it and enjoy its accuracy.
Orv,
Yes that is the idea, with some kind of handle sticking out so you don’t have to put your fingers in the breech to put the dowel in.
Also you could design a loading ramp into it, maybe with the pellet in place, with a tiny rammer that you push to seat the pellet? Sounds like a product! I am looking at a BAM copy that would need the same thing. I do not want to lose my finger tips ! Good luck with learning. Experimenting with loading procedures is cool and being open to finding the best way. My Gamo cf-s is a tricky customer and I have only fouled up a few times. The lever slipping while cocking and the lever dropping out of the clip when firing. Both were issues with procedure. If the lever does not CLICK when locking it back into place it has not locked in and needs a special nudge. So this means I did not take all due care when charging! :- ) Robert.
Orv,
I had a .22. Sub 1″ at 50 yards should be doable. I went full cocking and held on before sticking my fingers in there. Enjoy. Very nice rifles.
Chris
Chris: I definitely hang on to the cocking lever while I’m loading the pellet, but this one time my grip slipped. The proper reply on the range was always “Sir, no excuse, Sir”. Thanks, I look forward to hitting the bullseye at 50 yards and beyond soon. Orv
Hoppy,
Ouch! Well, at least you still have a finger! 🙂
BB
Thanks for your input, Robert. I’m visualizing a round dowl to block the breach as I load. Unfortunately, don’t know of a way to open the breach for loading without cocking it. I love my new toy and am almost obsessed with learning how to safely shoot it and enjoy its accuracy.
Doc,
Always, always, always keep a firm grip on the cocking lever! If a break barrel, always keep a grip on it. Never, ever trust a safety device! You are the best safety device there is.
Hi folks,
I am quite interested in BB’s current series about the Weihrauch HW 30 S, especially the accuracy.
I am currently trying to see what kind of group I can get out of the HW 35 from a bag rest with a scope, so I can compare. I have recently rebuilt the rifle which included installing a new 7.5 Joule mainspring, swapping the old metal spring guide for the new plastic one (less vibration?) and shortening another plastic spring guide so I can use it as a “top hat” for the front of the spring. I also lubricated everything with moly grease.
Nevertheless, shooting the rifle rested feels fairly challenging. I really have to make sure to rest it on the shooting bag and touch it the same way for every shot. If I don’t, I get fairly bad flyers.
This is the best 10-shot group so far. I shot this one with RWS R10 Heavy pellets, but honestly I’m not sure yet if the pellet or my consistency is the most important factor at this point. H&N Sport for less than half the price may not actually be that much worse. I’m fairly happy with this one, but I think I might be able to do a little better…
Stephan
Stephan,
Wow! And today is the day I mount a peep sight on my 30S and try it. I hope I do nearly as good.
BB
Stephan,
When I had my Gamo CFX, I was shooting groups like that at 25 yards. By moving where I placed my thumb on the stock I would move the group over about 30mm. When I moved my thumb back, the group would go back to center. It took me quite some time to figure that out. Hold sensitivity can drive you nuts.
BB,
You are going to love that peep on that 30S.
BB,
Looking forwards to more. 50 and 100 eh? That is a rare treat. Since it is unchoked, maybe try a slug or two. .22 gets the win on selection of pellets for sure. I might dare say that there is more slug options in .25 than there is pellet selection.
Chris
Chris,
I will try some slugs at longer distances.
BB
B.B.,
RE: Slugs at longer distances
I had a RAW 1000X LRT in .22 cal. It was a pre airforce gun that was in a laminate stock and had an offset moderator with a barrel nut on the end that affected barrel tensioning. I reduced the power by adjusting the external hammer spring adjuster (HST) which required a little relief in the stock. The barrel tension also required adjustment to shoot accurately. With these caveats I’ll share my experiences.
The JSB 18.1 gr shot best out of my unchoked poly barrel at around 930-940 FPS. They destabilized at above 950 FPS. I tried lots of slugs. The best were the NSA 17.5 gr (.2175 @ 930 FPS) and even they weren’t as consistently accurate as the 18.1 gr JSB pellets.
I spent a lot of time and money trying to get that gun to shoot slugs well. Maybe some of the newer slug introductions will shoot well but your platform seems hampered by power especially when compared to the LRT.
I really like the RAW platform. I was driven to try a RAW because Martin Rutherford wouldn’t let a gun out of his door that he hadn’t tested and approved of. In addition the RAW platform is bulletproof and although allows it certainly doesn’t require tinkering to get it to shoot very well. The ability to change calibers easily is also a plus. Martin took the Rapid platform to a new level.
The latest craze of adjustability like the Crown and Impact that are constantly screwed up by owners underscore why the majority of airgunners should buy a RAW and learn how to shoot rather than tinker with a gun that will get so out of whack that they spend all their time on the phone and internet trying to figure out how to get their high end gun to shoot again.
Kevin,
“…majority of airgunners should buy a RAW and learn how to shoot rather than tinker with a gun that will get so out of whack that they spend all their time on the phone and internet…”
Well said! and unvarnished truth!
shootski
Kevin,
From what I have seen in tests, JSBs do the best. Slugs do okay, but are never the most accurate. But at 100 yards on a windy day I suppose that could change.
BB
B.B.,
Bingo. Shooting the .22 RAW at my place in the mountains, where it always blows, was the reason for all my time testing slugs. I’m not good at doping wind but unless the wind was inconsistent and at least 10-15 mph the jsb 18.1 were still best at the fps stated above.
Have fun with slugs.
BB,
There’s a typo in the paragraph on Martin Rutterford: “He was very concerned quality that the quality would continue”.
Bob,
Fixed it. Thanks,
BB
B.B.
I am so looking forward to your series on the HM 1000X! Think that reviews of some of the high-end rifles and accessories would be well received.
With the influx of powder-burner shooters getting into airguns I would think that they would find the performance of the HM 1000X to be to their liking and the price-point to be reasonable (relative to what they would typically spend on a centerfire rifle).
I am particularly interested in how adjustable/tunable the HM is.
Hank
Hank,
My HM1000X (.357) is presently adjusted to 80 FPE. I can adjust the hammer spring and take it up to 100 FPE. It is capable of shooting 1 – 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards all day long.
I have not touched it yet, but I can adjust the regulator up to about 160 FPE. I talked to Martin Rutterford and he said he can take my HM1000X to over 200 FPE.
BB
This series will be fun to follow. Almost endless variables to sort through with projectiles, regulator settings and hammer spring adjustments. While the RAW is not for me shooting off a deck at 25 yards, I can still appreciate it for those lucky enough to have the shooting space at home.
I predict that if your initial reaction to this rifle’s qualities holds true during tests, it won’t leave your possession. Well unless you opt for the .25 caliber or even more for slugs.
Deck
Deck,
Please… 😉
BB
B.B.
When designing a gun that can shoot 8 grain .177 pellets and 100 grain .357 slugs what is different?
Is it just the hammer spring. Are barrels interchangeable?
-Y
Yogi,
I don’t know, but it has to be a lot and not just a little. As far as I know, the barrels are not interchangeable. If they were that would be advertised as a feature.
BB
Well they say mice and elephants are genetically related, so why not here?
-Y
Yogi,
You can easily convert the .177 HM1000X to .22, .25 and .30. The .357 requires a different sized receiver.
I like how the bolt probe works. I think.
It sounds like a good idea.
GF1,
It seems to be one of the RAW secrets that makes the repeater as accurat6e as a single shot.
BB
BB
Does it float in a 360° area or just side to side or up and down?
For it to work right it would have to be 360° to center itself when moving foward.
GF1,
360 degrees.
BB
BB
Sounds like it’s a good idea.
BB,
Do you have any info on inaccuracy in other rotary magazine fed guns that don’t have this RAW feature?
Cloud9,
Sure do. In most tests oif rifles with Rotary mags, I identified inaccuracy in one or more of the chambers. The FX Dreamlite was the worst. I have been quite vocal about it.
BB
B.B.,
Hopefully you can get the H&N slug sampler packs in .217 and .218 caliber to test. My RAW did not like the FX slugs that well. Haven’t tried the JSB KnockOut slugs. My gun liked the .25 grain .218 caliber H&N slugs the best.
I also had the best luck with the JSB redesigned monster pellets.
/product/jsb-redesigned-monster-pellets-22-200-ct?p=1420
Also if you get a chance, see if a single shot tray is available. My gun is more accurate loading each pellet one at a time without the magazine. I have both the left and right hand magazines. The right hand magazine fits with my large scope wheel. Last I checked there was supposed to be a single shot tray available soon.
I think I know what scope you will be putting on this gun. This should be an enjoyable series with few hiccups. Have fun.
Thanks
Don
P.S. There are many other small slug makers out there. It would be good to see how some of them do also. I have not tried them yet.
Benji-Don,
http://mrhollowpoint.com/22-cal-to-375-cal–balls.html
That LINK is deceptive since there are bullets (slugs) not just ball!
shootski
Shootski,
Thanks for the followup.
BB,
The bolt probe on the .25 Marauder drives the pellet in square, by the end of the skirt. It’s one of my favorite features of the design. Now, if it could be adjustable for depth of seat, that would be a nice high end feature I would look for on a 2k$ rifle. I’ll reread to see if this is a choked vs. unchoked rifle.
If slug makers would just put a thin hollow crushable space along the outer circumferance of the slug, there would be space for the bullet to compress if it needed to conform to a choke i woud think.
I suppose a .218 could choke dwn to .217 in a unchoked barrel as well. It would be a more expensive bullet to make for sure. I will look into the Feinwerkebau piston design, thanks!
Rob
Rob
Rob,
It is unchoked.
-Y
1stblue,
It would be great if your crushable bullet would work! Folks have tried lots of ways to do just as you propose with thin drive bands, hollow bases much like pellets and even something called SCREENING, LOL! I have found that NONE of those work because each Leade and barrel will (or won’t at all) Obturate differently. Chokes are something that is fine for pellets but the Internal Ballistic profile of a bullet just doesn’t need it in my opinion. The reason I choose to shoot DAQs is because they deliver enough of an air charge quickly enough BY DESIGN to lunch a sufficiently oversized to bore projectile fast enough through a fast twist to FLY stable. So far very few big bores have been able to do that outside of AirForce and then only using 4,500psi. I will be watching how this RAW HM1000X performs with bullets although I would rather it had been a .30 or the .357 caliber.
shootski
BB,
I have one of the original HM1000X .357 built by Martin Rutterford. Mine has an 11mm dovetail on the top of the receiver and the centered silencer on a barrel built by Martin. Mine also has a sporter style gray laminate stock, which is much nicer looking than the benchrest stock they now have.
These air rifles are absolute top shelf. Once you start shooting it, you are not going to want to get rid of it. Warning! You may become bored with its accuracy.
You are going to want to talk John into a sweet deal for it. I own a Harley also. 😉
RidgeRunner,
The picture B.B. used of the .22 bolt tip made me think it might be hollow.
Is the bolt on your .357 a flow-through design or is there a TP out in front?
shootski
Shootski,
I do not recall. I will take a look see and let you know.
RidgeRunner,
Thanks!
shootski
Shootski,
The bolt is not blow through. There is a transfer port up inside the barrel breech. The picture that BB showed is of the bolt when it is open. At this point, the probe has retracted inside the bolt nose so that the pellets can be squarely pushed into the breech as BB described. When the bolt is closed, the probe extends and pushes the pellet into the breech past the TP. A very accurate and very consistent mechanism.
Cloud 9,
Got an email notification of your reply to my question! SHOCKING!
Thank you for a very understandable description of how the bolt and internal probe operate. I can almost visualize how the probe can be free to move.
I am used to the DAQ flow through bolt design Dennis uses on his smaller caliber offerings to ensure good projectile insertion into the Leade; he uses a fixed small diameter probe on the larger caliber airguns since the bore is so large that no appreciable obstruction to the TP occurs and the bullets have such large bases that seating isn’t an issue.
Thanks again,
shootski
Ah, the triggers. These are the best of the best. Far better than any of the currently popular high end rifles. My TM1000 BR gun was set for just over 2 oz. and my HM1000 FT rifle at about 5 oz. They are of robust design and easy to adjust. I hope RAW (Air Force) continues to make the walnut stocks available.
B.B. don’t know how this was missed, but I think you will agree it is worth fixing: 3rd paragraph: “Now, in the Unites[d] States….”