Dragonfly Mark 2.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
This report covers:
- The test
- H&N Baracuda 15
- Air Arms Falcons
- Air Arms 16-grain domes
- Remarks
- RWS Superdomes
- Blow off
- Air Arms 18-grain dome
- Summary
Today we’re gonna have fun, fun, fun ’til her daddy takes her T-Bird away! Today we START the 25-yard accuracy test with the scoped Seneca Dragonfly Mark 2. And you know very well why I capitalized the word start.
The test
I shot 5-shot groups off a sandbag rest at 25 yards indoors. Each shot had 8 pumps of air, which I would only do with the Dragonfly Mark 2 because it’s so easy to pump. The rifle is scoped with the UTG Bug Buster 3-12X32 scope that was sighted in at 25 yards in Part 12. So I didn’t fool with scope adjustments. You’ll see the groups wander around as I shoot. Okay, let’s get started.
H&N Baracuda 15
First up was the H&N Baracuda 15 dome. They have done remarkably well in other air rifles and I wanted to try them in the Dragonfly. Unfortunately they didn’t do as well as I had hoped. Five pellets made a 0.79-inch group at 25 yards. With other air rifles that would be okay, but not with this one.
The Dragonfly Mark 2 put five H&N Baracuda 15s into a 0.79-inch group at 25 yards.
Air Arms Falcons
Next up were five Falcon pellets from Air Arms. They went into a 0.453-inch group at 25 yards. Now we are talking!
Five Falcons went into 0.453-inches at 25 yards. Now that is a group!
Air Arms 16-grain domes
The third pellet I tried was the Air Arms 16-grain dome. These were phenomenal! Five went into a 0.331-inch group, but the last four shots are in 0.19-inches. That’s a trime group, folks. Of course the fifth shot (actually the first shot) opens the group, but I think this might be a great pellet for the Dragonfly.
The Dragonfly Mark 2 really likes the Air Arms 16-grain dome! Five in 0.331-inches at 25 yards.
Remarks
Are you noticing how the pellets impact at different places? This is why I didn’t fiddle with the scope this time.
I also have to comment that the trigger, while not precise, is at least predictable. I think you can tell by these groups that I am able work with it.
And the pumping? Folks, it doesn’t get easier than this.
The one critique I will offer is that with the scope mounted I find the boilt handle too short. An extra half inch would be welcome.
RWS Superdomes
The fourth pellet I tried was the RWS Superdome. I expected them to do well and they almost did, except … Except for pellet number three that loaded extremely hard. I think it was either mangled on loading or it wasn’t a Superdome. At any rate it went far from the group and opened it to 1.073-inches — the largest group of the test. The other four pellets are in 0.375-inches.
The RWS Superdome did well except for the third shot that also loaded very hard.
Blow off
I should have blown that third shot off. That’s what I used to do when shooting field target. That’s when you announce you are just shooting the pellet out of the barrel and the shot doesn’t count in the match. As long as you announce it and don’t aim the shot it doesn’t count. Since I’m shooting inside my house I would have deliberately have shot it into the rubber mulch box, away from the target.
Still, I don’t think the Superdome is good for the Dragonfly. The other pellets loaded a little hard, too. Maybe they catch on something like the air transfer port. There are so many other good pellets for this rifle I think we can bypass this one.
Air Arms 18-grain dome
The final pellet I shot was the 18-grain Air Arms dome. Hey guys — I had to pump the rifle 200 times to get this far!
Five of these went into 0.462-inches at 25 yards. And look where they went — outside the bull! This is another good pellet, but with that 16 grainer I think these are a backup.
Five Air Arms 18-grain domes went into 0.462-inches at 25 yards.
Summary
Well I’ve said it before (many times) and I’m still saying it — the Dragonfly Mark 2 is a world-beater air rifle. Yes, I am aware there have been some startup issues with the intricate pump linkage. I am so glad the linkage on my test rifle is perfect because it gave me the chance to test the rifle as it was intended to be.
I am declaring the Dragonfly Mark 2 to be the Sheridan Supergrade of this century. I understand living on a budget, but folks — I don’t wanna hear about what you should have done. It’s here right now so now is the time! I know multi-pumps aren’t for everybody, but if they are for you, this one is the one.
Everyone,
Well, WordPress is at it again. As I was republishing this post this morning, the times I was entering were changing on their own. I had to fight the software to get this one up.
BB
I read a news blurb yesterday that industrial CO2 may be in short supply. I’m not sure if it’s true. But recently, my local Wallyworld ran out of 40 packs of Crosman CO2 cartridges, and hasn’t restocked. That used to be the best deal I could find at $17.99. But if anyone wants to stock up, now is the time. P.A. has a great deal this weekend. 500 Crosman CO2 cartridges for $200 and 11% off plus free shipping.
A severe CO2 shortage would not just affect our airgun shooting – it would bring sad days to beer drinkers. 🙁
https://www.fooddive.com/news/carbon-dioxide-shortage-co2-beer-food-manufacturing/630680/
Oh no! There may also be a shortage of feral beer and soda cans to shoot!
Nah!
Hey everyone. Check out this family reunion picture:
Winchester 435 (Diana 35),
Winchester 425 (Diana 25), and
Winchester 423 (Diana 23).
If I find a 427, that would be sweet. I think there is a 450 too?
Roamin,
Yes, there is a 450, too.
BB
Roamin,
Nice “family” shot!
Thanks for sharing!
Hank
Sweet pic! 🙂
BB,
Not trying to make more work for you, but could you choose a couple of pellets (say the H&N 15 and the AA 16) and try them at different power levels?
The 15 grain pellets might shoot better at 6 or 7 pumps than 8.
…Just a thought.
Hank
Hank,
Good idea. Let me give it some thought.
BB
Vana, B.B., and all,
For comparison, my Crosman 362 will often group better with 7 pumps vs. 8 pumps for quite a variety of pellets.
Reader Beserkely Mike has a Google docs spreadsheet where he invited folks to enter their data on multipumps so he could see if it shows that multi-pumps can be “tuned” by the number of pumps. I think it is true, but it would be cool if he could conclusively show that statistically with a large sample size. I uploaded all of my testing so far with my 362. Check it out here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1A7DbYotHteZNxjIdSZfcG00edrjkUYcus0OD43qLPPM/htmlview
However, my goal was a bit different than Mike’s. My testing was to try to find an all around good pellet that would group well at most pump levels. That way, I could use one pellet and know where it would likely land at different numbers of pumps and then I could figure out hold overs, etc. Then I could maximize the 362’s versatility. If I’m shooting targets in the basement, 3 or 4 pumps. If I am thinning out the starling population 5 or 6, And 7 or 8 for tougher critters or longer ranges. I got through all my different pellets at 10 yards at 3 or 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 pumps, and now it is time to see how the best ones fare at 20-25 yards. Then I will work up the trajectory data with the best pellets. When I get a chronograph, I can add that data too. Hey, it gives me another excuse to Keep On Shooting!
B.B.
Those 16 grain Air Arms pellets are also my Diana 340-Ntec’s favorite pellet.
-Y
Yogi
AA 16 grain are best for my Ataman P16 and Gamo Urban. They also perform well in all my springer guns too.
Deck
BB, the 50 yard Sub-MOA challenge is kicking my butt. I have shot 15 targets so far but 5/8” is as close as I have gotten. It is a fun challenge though. My lack of patience and lack of want to doing shot string testing, serious pellet testing, pellet weighing, etc. are all working against me. I am only shooting .177 rifles, a Webley Spectre, Shamal, and USFT Hunter. All are capable of the objective and I am blessed to have them. I will keep at it.
Keep at it, David. You only need one qualifying group to enter. Eventually, everything will line up for you, I’m sure. Good luck!
Thanks for the encouragement. After your reply I went back out and I think I have 5 good groups. I guess I need to shoot one more to enter all 3 classes.
Good for you! I only ask 10%. Ha ha!
David,
The 25 yard challenge is kicking my butt too.
-Y
If the barrel on the Dragonfly is anything like others in the Snowpeak stable it would benefit from removing the burrs in the breech and transfer port hole. Also worth checking the crown too
Ade C, you bring up something that has been bothering me on a couple of my airguns that have a bolt or a probe that pushes the pellet into the breech, and not just on Chinese airguns, but some of my older Crosman pistols. Sometimes the pellet seems to hang up on something when you try to push the pellet in with the bolt. How do you fix that? Anyone? This happens with my Beeman AR2078 (which is like the Beeman QB78, which in turn is based on an older Crosman design) and with some of my Crosman Mark I and IIs. All are CO2 powered. I don’t seem to have this issue with the bolt action on my Crosman 362, however.
Roamin
Use the short end of a small Allen wrench to push the pellet home before closing bolt. Hopefully there will be almost no resistance felt.. I do this with my AR2078A. The barrel is a replacement to original and accurate so I am happy.
Let us know.
Deck
OK. Thanks for the tip. Not sure why that would work better than the bolt itself, but I’ll try it and report back.
If you still feel resistance when pushing in the pellet as per Decksnipers suggestion then you need to smooth out the burrs in the breech. Some wet and dry paper wrapped around the end of a pencil and gently rotated will sort it
Thanks for that idea. Do you go back and then re-blue the sanded off spots?
I really hope the airgun makers are listening, and divert some of their energy from breakbarrel springers and PCPs towards multi pump pneumatics…
I am totally with you on that! With the multi pump I can tailor my output power for the work I am doing. With the rats I pest I use a bait station. So the rats come to setup location, I know the exact range, and I have a beautiful backstop set up. With the multi pump I can tailor the output power so the pellet doesn’t pass very far through the rat but still has enough gas to put them down.
Enough already! BB, your constant badgering and brow beating has finally worn me down. I can’t take anymore. You know that I am not a big fan of multi pumps and that I am perfectly happy with a lovely shooting, accurate Crosman 102 Clickless, and yet, you persist with this madness!! Ugghhh, what’s a shooter to do when BB says, yet once again, that this is the Sheridan Supergrade of today. I gave up…raised the white flag…rolled over in my grave … and placed an order for a Dragonfly 2 in .22 cal.
I hope you are happy Sir!!! 🙂
Please let us know if you get a good one or one of the bad ones.
Hey CS…Turned out I got one of the few, I am sure, bad ones. It happens to the best of the manufacturers and I know PA will take care of me on it. Mine came in super stiff on the end of the pump stroke, like 40 lbs stiff. It would just lock up there and take a ton of force to get it to complete the stroke. I messed with it a bit and then called PA and they said they are having reports of some stickiness until after about 50 -100 pumps, although I think she meant shots. I spent all evening with it after oiling it with silicone oil and after about ten, 10 pump shots it was getting a bit better but still probably 25lbs through the stroke and then it just quit firing at all.
I will setup a return for it and request the 10 or 20 shot test to make sure I get one that performs well. Not knocking AV on it. It happens.
“The Dragonfly Mark 2 really likes the Air Arms 16-grain dome! Five in 0.331-inches at 25 yards.”
B.B.,
That’s a great data point’ I’ll have to try some of those in my Dragonfly Mark 2.
You may be known as “The Great Enabler,” yet I’m glad I listened to you and grabbed my Mark 2 “while the gettin’ was good.” She sits proudly in the gun rack next to her sister, my old C-model Sheridan. I still love the old Sheridan (as we’ve been through many a year together), but if I want to hit something “out there a ways,” then the Mark 2 is the one I grab; she’s the easiest scoped pumper to pump I’ve ever had. My Crosman 362 is a sweet little rifle, also easier to pump than the Sheridan, but nowhere near as easy as the Mark 2.
As you’ve said, “I am declaring the Dragonfly Mark 2 to be the Sheridan Supergrade of this century.”
I concur; and I think that those who don’t “get one [now] while the gettin’ ‘s good,” will regret it later. 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
B.B., I’m wondering if that first shot of five with the AA 16 gr. was simply the gun getting used to a new pellet. I have noticed when testing pellets that some guns need a few shots with a new pellet before the holes start to coalesce around the same spot on the target paper. Some guns seem to require more shots than others. Strange phenomenon indeed.
B.B, a month ago I was hot to buy a dragonfly II until I read the bad reviews scattered among the good ones. Some of these are very hard to pump, harder than old Benjamins. Gunfun posted pics of the major wood removal he had to do to his to get it to open and pump without bad binding. I’m not a good woodworker. Cars, yes, wood, no. Also there is some kind of binding in the pumping works with some that have bent at the Chinese factory?
There’s a question on the questions page for this rifle if these QC problems have been totally fixed, and he got no real response, just another owner saying send it back if its a bad one. No response from the maker or seller tells me there are still sometimes problems and they’re being quiet about it. I want to give my 13 year old one for his birthday and have it work right out of the box, not be a disappointment that has to be shipped back because its one of the bad ones.
I’ve waited long enough to hear if air venturi is coming out with a Mark III or at least fix the problems with the Mark II. I found an online airgun store that sells new Crosman 362s with 24″ barrels, hopped up valves and metal breeches for about the price of a dragonfly, but I don’t like the idea of plastic air guns. I’ve thought about getting a nice old Sheridan Blue streak or crosman 101, but I don’t know.
Have you heard if Air venturi is going to come out with a mark III or start making them someplace other than china at least? I’d wait for Christmas if I had to for a good Dragonfly Mark III that wouldn’t have to be sent back or dremeled or lubed before shooting even the first time. Sorry for going on so long.
Thanks,
crackedshot
P.A.’s 10 for $10 test? Plus you can test it for x days and see if it’s a keeper.
Roamin’ Greco, P.A.’s 10 for $10 test is a good idea, but having to test it to see if its a keeper is what I’d like avoiding.
I hear you. The only other ideas I have would be to buy a gently used one from someone reputable, especially if they still had the box, but I would doubt that any warranty would transfer…or have someone else test it for you….
By the way, thanks for picking up on the pun and putting the apostrophe after Roamin’. I somehow entered my username without it, and I can’t change it.
Roamin’, my second girlfriend said I had Russian hands and Roman fingers, LOL So, did you wrestle?
I’m not sure I want to know what your 2nd girlfriend meant by that….
As for wrestling, only with my Dad and siblings. But since my parents are Greek immigrants, I guess wrestling with Dad and my brother qualifies as Greco wrestling.
OK I looked it up. All I can say is when my wife or my kids are trying to make me do something faster, I tell them, “Hey, I’m Greek, not rushin’.” ;o)
“Beautiful rifle, Dave. How do you add the caption under the photo?”
Roamin Greco,
I couldn’t reply down below (thread was too long), so I’ll put it here to ensure you see it.
Take the picture you wish to use, right click on it, and go to “open with” and select “Paint”.
At the bottom of the pic, use your mouse to grab the white rectangle in the middle and drag it down to create some white space for your text. Then go to “Home” (in Paint) and click on the “A” next to the pic of a paint bucket; this will allow you to insert text (in whichever color you have selected) and size it as you wish.
If this isn’t helpful enough, just let me know. 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
“Thanks Dave.”
You are most welcome. 🙂
crackedshot,
I got my Dragonfly Mark 2 from PA, and it was great…until one screw fell out of the forearm, which made it difficult to pump (and I blame myself for not using Blue Loctite on all those screws as soon as I got it…they are all loctited now! =>). A quick call to PA patched me through to Air Venturi, and I got TWO replacement screws and a new bushing as well. Hence, I have NO complaints; if you buy one and have a problem, PA and the manufacturer will make it right. 🙂
Hoping this helps,
dave
thedavemyster, I think I read you needed to oil the linkage to get it to not be sticky, right? I’d just like to hear that they fixed the QC issues, but the maker is not answering the question. If the QC problems are fixed, why not say so? I’ll decide driving to work, I’m leaning towards a nice Blue Streak, but we’ll see.
Crackedshot
The Bluestreak is a fine one and isn’t that expensive. But It does not lend itself well to mounting a scope without some metal work. The barrel sleeve can get dislodged trying to use an Izzy sleeve mount.
I still want to try another Dragonfly Mk2 and would pay to have PA check the pumping effort before shipping it to me. I am waiting on PA’s response.
Deck
I wouldn’t know how to use a scope anyway. There’s a really nice Blue Streak for sale online right now. My son likes vintage skateboards, so maybe a vintage air rifle? I’ll ask subtle questions when I get home tonight to sound him out.
crackedshot,
Yes, I did oil up the linkage (on the Mark 2), and it has worn in nicely.
As for the Sheridan Blue Streak, I’ve got one and I love it; I have tried it scoped a few times, and was never happy with it, but if you are going to shoot with a peep sight, it is an excellent rifle! 🙂
Take care,
dave
Beautiful rifle, Dave.
How do you add the caption under the photo?
There are lots of these available online all the time….
thedavemyster, You went to the factory back in 1974 to buy it? That Sheridan is the same age I am. It looks better than me, too. I’m going to buy the Sheridan and if my boy isn’t warm to the idea of a vintage better than anything made today air rifle, I’ll keep it and get him something new. Maybe a dragonfly if air venturi iron things out.
Thanks Dave.
crackedshot,
The Sheridan was a long-awaited Christmas gift. And this was “the good old days” before the internet; I couldn’t “go online” (hahaha!); I had to call “Information” to get the phone number for Sheridan, and then someone in their sales department agreed to mail me the sight if I sent them a check for the sum of $12.40, which I consider to be the best $12.40 I’ve ever spent. If, for some reason, your son does not like it, I’m sure you will! 🙂
Happy shooting,
dave
Speaking of Blue Loctite, picked up a tube of that yesterday and going to secure the loosey-goosey screws on the HW95. As for spending $10 to have PA test your purchase before it is shipped, think that’s a good deal. You can blow $10 on a lot of far less useful “stuff” these days.
BB,
Alright… I am convinced!
This one is going in the shopping cart.
Gonna be perfect for those barn swallows that try to roost in the Spring. (My go-to pesting gun just has a bit too much power for them). A multipump would be perfect, where I can control the muzzle velocity. I need that pellet to dump energy and STOP at the bird. Not pass through it.
Far fewer holes in the sheet metal walls/roof of the barn, that way.
StarboardRower