This report covers:
- Background
- S&W Model 39-2
- Shouldn’t have worked
- Clarification
- An accurate airgun
- How about you?
Today is about something I don’t get to do but you readers do. It’s about shooting that one gun that you know so well.
Background
When I was a kid my next door neighbor was a boy one year older than me. His name was Duane and he had an old Daisy BB gun that had a wooden buttstock and no forearm. I don’t think it even came with one. It may have been a model 102-36. If not, it sure looked like one.
Daisy 102-36.
The thing about that old BB gun was — Duane could hit anything with it. And that is the point of today’s report — if you spend enough time with one gun you eventually get so used to it that you can hit anything at any time. That doesn’t mean the gun is accurate. It means you know the gun so well you can’t miss with it. And sometimes it doesn’t even take a lot of time — the gun just fits you and works perfectly in your hands.
Duane’s gun shot to the left every time. But he knew instinctively at every distance how far to hold off the target to hit it, and it always seemed to work — for him. I tried shooting it several times and never could hit anything, but he never missed.
In the 1970s I was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. One day I wandered into a pawn shop in neighboring Radcliff and saw a tired old pellet rifle on the wall. It sure was worn! The price was twenty dollars, but I negotiated them down to eighteen bucks out the door. That meant I saved two bucks and they ate the sales tax. When I got it home I wondered how good it could be, as the thing was rusty all over and the wood stock was completely dried out. I knew enough about airguns at the time to oil the piston seal and was surprised when the first shot hit my target. So did the second, the third and so on.
That rifle was a Hy Score model 807, which is a rebranded .22-caliber Diana 27. It started my fascination with that particular air rifle that, as most readers know, continues to this day. I gave that first one to a friend when I left Fort Knox, but twelve years later I bought another one at the 1993 Winston-Salem airgun show and that’s the one I still have. And it works just like the first one.
My Hy Score 807 has been with me for 30 years, which is a record for me.
S&W Model 39-2
I had a firearm handgun that almost never missed, either. It was a Smith & Wesson Model 39-2 in 9mm Parabellum. I bought it to be a home security pistol and noticed that it was almost impossible to miss with. Because it was a 9mm, the recoil was extremely low — much less than the .45 Colts and .45 ACPs I was used to. And the curved model 39 frame magnified that aspect. It was an ideal carry gun in a time when personal carry was a pipe dream. But I shot a lot at the time and the 39’s frame was aluminum. There were tales of the pistols being beaten apart by continuous shooting. I never should have parted with it, but of course I did and have regretted it for the past half-century.
S&W model 39-2 is a good basic handgun.
Shouldn’t have worked
I had another firearm handgun that was accurate when all logic said it shouldn’t be. It was a .25-caliber VB Bernadelli vest pocket pistol.
Vest Pocket Bernadelli pistol.
That pistol shouldn’t have been able to hit the wall of a barn when fired from the inside. But I was able to put three bullets on the bottom of a soda can at 10 meters in a group that measured no more than one inch. When I did that I couldn’t even see the sights of the pistol. I got rid of that one because reloading for .25 ACP was just too cumbersome, and I for sure wasn’t going to buy factory ammo!
Clarification
Let me clarify what I’m taking about. I’m not talking about accurate guns. I have quite a few of those. My Air Arms S510XS, for example, is a rifle that never has to miss. But it’s scoped with a gollywhompus Meopta riflescope and the whole package weighs 11-12 pounds. That rifle is a purpose-built shooting tool that’s very precise when set up and employed properly.
On the other hand my Hy Score 807 weighs about half as much as the S510. The S510 can outshoot the Hy Score every time. But the Hy Score never misses when I pick it up and shoot at something.
My Sig P365 hits what I aim at, but I do have to aim it intentionally. I have a P08 Luger that does the same. Both handguns are accurate. But both have to be handled with a purpose. The S&W 39-2 used to just hit whatever I pointed at, and the Bernadelli? Wow!
An accurate airgun
I have written six reports titled, What a difference a stock makes, which is about making an HW 30S shoot offhand accurately. I have worked hard on that project, and my HW 30S is unquestionably accurate. But it doesn’t fall into the category I’m addressing today.
The HW 30S in its new custom stock is a thing of beauty. But it isn’t a natural shooter — for me.
What I’m talking about today is that rare rifle or handgun that just can’t miss when it’s in your hands. Either you have learned that gun or you don’t have to work to make it perform. It’s like an extension of you.
Several readers advised me to just use the Hy Score 807 (Diana 27) that is my favorite airgun as my pest elimination gun, but I didn’t listen. Oh no. Instead I invested a lot of time and money getting an accurate airgun to shoot naturally for me, and I’m still working at it. Well, at least we got a lot of good reports from the project.
How about you?
Am I alone in this? Or have some of you readers owned (and hopefully still do own) airguns that just hit whatever you shoot at?
BB,
My ‘one gun’ would have to be my Blue Streak, that I’ve owned since about 1966. Started out with the factory sights and then had a Williams mounted. I can ‘hit’ with it. If it comes to punching paper, it’s not the most accurate. But, when it comes to removing unwelcome pigeons from a barn, or putting squirrels in the stew pot, it has rarely missed for me. It just fits me right. Thanks for making me think of why I like it so much.
Bill
My Crosman SBD, and I suspect my factory 362, are becoming “can’t miss”. We tend to underestimate the importance of “fit” and “shootability” with rifles and handguns unless we get one that’s really lacking in those traits.
After all these years reading this blog it becomes obvious that The One Gun is usually a simple, not expensive and quite used (how couldn’t it be). The plastic LGV seems to be my partner in this journey. Not an oldie but it always finds the target, besides my efforts not to.
A very nice weekend for you all.
BB,
This Duane and you? 😉 https://youtu.be/CCmyTPDPXKg?si=lVmDt5O8DA6icHnv
Bob,
That’s scary!
BB
Seriously. I could not watch it all.
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2017/07/millita-breakbarrel-rifle-part-3/
Tom, er, B.B. (I see you changed your byline back to just B.B.),
This is the second time you mentioned your Bernadelli in the blog. That must have really become “one” with you.
Here’s a coincidence for you. When I was about 16, I was hanging out with a friend of mine, and we were shooting an old, ahem, Daisy that looked exactly like a 102-36 (honest). It might have been a Model B V4, but I doubt it. I didn’t pay attention to the model as I was not yet into air guns.
We were shooting at a rusty old coffee can sitting on a tree stump about 25 yards away. He shot twice and missed. I shot once and missed. The BB hit the ground some distance in front of the stump. I could see it clearly in flight. I shot a second time, changing my POA to a couple feet above the can. I hit it! From then on, I kept aiming, without any concentration, at a knot on an old picket fence behind and above the can. I must have hit that can 20 times in a row. My buddy thought I was Andy Oakley. I’ve always regretted not sharing my technique with him.
These days the air gun I discovered I cannot miss with at 10 meters is an old Crosman SA 6. I just casually point it at the target and put six pellets into small round groups. I have tried the same thing with my Hahn/Crosman 44 Peacemaker, and no soap.
Michael
Michael,
Alas, I have no control over how my byline is listed. That’s all up to Pyramyd AIR. I just shut up and answer all questions as BB Pelletier.
Aim-off is a splendid trick, because it works. Another name for it is Kentucky windage.
BB
Michael
“The BB hit the ground some distance in front of the stump. I could see it clearly in flight. I shot a second time, changing my POA to a couple feet above the can. I hit it! From then on, I kept aiming, without any concentration, at a knot on an old picket fence behind and above the can.”
Walking a gun to the target when hits can be seen can be useful for teaching a beginner as long as safety isn’t compromised. Years ago a widow friend wanted to learn to shoot her husband’s .38 Special revolver. After covering gun safety basics and using mild .38 handloads I had her aim at a clump of mud on wet ground about 30 feet away. The first shot clearly hit water and dirt several feet away. I made sure she saw where the bullet hit and had her take several shots just walking the hits toward the mud clump. She was a fast learner and destroyed that mud clump with several hits. I told her to picture in her mind the target and where she was aiming the gun when she was making those hits. Mary gained lots of confidence that day.
Deck
Deck,
I have instinctively done that at times.
Back when I was 16 and shooting this BB gun, I was able to see, literally, that I had to raise my aim. I didn’t know by how much, but I saw the knot in the wood on the fence and decided to aim at that becuse it was repeatable. I got lucky and that was the right elevation.
Good luck sometimes can make a person look like an expert!
Michael
I had a similar experience with a long bow at a local sporting goods big box store. The archery dude put a playing card on the back board for me to aim at and my first shot with the long bow hit almost in the middle of that card.
I was ready to quit right then, knowing I was not about to repeat that, but he insisted I take another shot. Of course I missed.
My forever carry around companion is a FWB 124; it’s seen steady use for over 40 years. I shot it with a Williams peep for most of that time but it now wears a Hawke 3-9×40 scope and a homemade stock.
My never-miss airgun is the HW100 PCP – the ergonomics are just perfect for me. I bought my .177 HW100 with the intention of trading it in when the .22 caliber became available. A year later, a .22 HW100 was (finally) delivered and in my excitement to try it I was out hitting tin cans “by feel” (no iron sights on the HW100) at 25 yards before I mounted a scope. Yeah, it “points” real well for me.
Currently a .22/500m FX Crown is always nearby as my never miss pester – its got it all!
I have a solution for the “sellers remorse” that I frequently read about – I don’t sell my airguns. That does create a bit of a storage problem but it does give me a variety of airguns to shoot and I never have to regret parting with one. 😉
Happy Friday all!
Hank
BB,
I’m with Bill on this one in picking the Blue Streak.
Both my Haenel model 1s from Frank are wonderful plinkers, and great hitters…from the bench.
But I am still getting used to them.
My old .20-caliber Sheridan Blue Streak has tens of thousands of pellets through it; it was my first airgun and it has made some incredible shots; the best one was hitting a pellet can lid at 50 yards…with peep sights!
The old gal is still hanging in there, and still shoots great.
We’ve been partners for nearly 50 years, and she’s been shot so much that familiarity makes it hard to miss with her; plus the fact that she’s a Christmas gift from my Dad makes her a family heirloom.
I’ve sold some guns that I truly regretted selling; thank God I never sold this one! 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
Dave,
I have two Blue Streaks, one with the hold-down thumb safety and one with the rocking safety, both made in Racine. I love shooting them. They feel wonderful even just to hold, so solid, sleek and ergonomic. And three pumps is more than enough for the kind of plinking I do.
Michael
“…and one with the rocking safety”
Michael,
That’s the one I have.
“…solid, sleek and ergonomic.
Yessiree, I couldn’t have said it better myself. 🙂
These old Blue Streaks are sweet!
Blessings to you,
dave
I have too many to shoot to develop a relationship with just one. My FX Independance is my go-to rifle but it requires some compromise. Being heavy for one.
The airgun I would like to be “The one gun” is my Evanix AR6 Hunter Carbine PCP. Everything is just right for me.
Then there are two Bullpup PCPs and hopefully the Dragonfly Mk2 and the new 362 100yr Anniversary in the synthetic stock can become one. They all feel good to hold, are easy to handle and shoot. For me anyway.
BB did you ever consider replacing that S&W 39-2?
Bob,
Many times. But I now own several 9mm pistols, so I’d have to find a 39-2 at a great price to justify the purchase.
BB
Growing up I used my uncle’s Remington Nylon 66, I was probably 9 or 10 when I borrowed it. He finally took it back permanently when I turned 16 and I started chasing skirts. I went through thousands of rounds with that rifle back when I would walk to town and stop by “Western Auto” and pickup a brick of 22LR. That would be enough for a few days of plinking, hunting sparrows, squirrels, crows etc. As you said I could hit anything with that rifle.
Now days I do my plinking and pesting with a Marauder pistol fitted with an AR stock, HUMA regulator (1900 psi), and a UTG micro red dot.
IMG_2895.jpeg
bmwsmiley,
Boy I would have given up my 26′ Roadmaster bike for a Remington Model 66 when I was young. Later on I hear the stocks started to warp. Too early with the plastics and some of the regret has faded.
Also never bought all the chocolate covered grape jelly bars and ice cream sandwiches I could eat when “When I grew up!” But there’s still time left.
Nice Marauder package.
My Marauder, with the white labels darkened with NeoLube, a graphite and alcohol colloidal mixture.
Sweet-looking rig! 🙂
I agree that there is that one gun that seems so natural and familiar that hitting one’s target can become, well, even boring! My old favorite is my oldest and first RWS/Diana long gun – my oft mentioned Model 36 in .177.
It is slim, long and “just fits” despite the fact that it is a “righty” and I’m a “lefty.” I added a Williams Peep with Merit Disc and manipulated a Diana muzzle weight to accommodate the tunnel front sight. This combination gives the 36 more polar inertia so that it stays on point better than stock.
Tens of thousands of rounds have gone down its bore. It has had three mainsprings and one major rebuild by UMAREX in Arkansas a few short years ago. It has more coats of stock wax than I can count and the metal is wiped down with Birchwood Casey Barrier after each use.
Part of this is the fact that the length of pull and the rise of the plane of the barrel works with my physiology. The center of gravity of the rifle, despite a long 19″ barrel and the muzzle weight just works for me. The weight of the rifle is in the “right place” to make shooting natural. The only negative is a persistent twang in the firing cycle that imparts a subtle tiny sting to the cheek weld.
In terms of hand arms, the Beeman P-1, which is a Weirauch manufactured mash up of the American 1911 automatic pistol and an air gun worked out between Dr. Beeman and the Germans. It has had one mainspring and associated service in its long service. I’ve had to resort of a 1 power pistol scope since cataract surgery, but it (rather than me!) still works with unfailing accuracy.
Both of these pieces, of course share one thing in common; they were not cheap. Indeed, when I look at my active pieces in my arms locker, the ones that get used again and again are expensive pieces (not PCP level, but costly). The cheapies, such as the Benjamin Trail Pistol, remain in the back of the locker awaiting a “buyback program” to recover a fraction of their cost.
Although there are always chances that one may find an air arm that works despite price and manufacturing precision, my experience is the one gets what one is willing to pay for; not always, but usually.
LFranke,
This is why I advocate airgun shows. I am able to purchase some very nice airguns for a fraction of what they would normally cost when new. If I was to have most of my old gals built these days, I would be spending thousands of dollars for each one of them instead of the pittance I have spent on many of them.
It is true that not all of them were functioning when I bought them, however there was something there to work with.
I always thought that the US carry laws were remnants of their archaic Wild West heritage, and am surprised to learn they are quite recently introduced.
Mel83,
We did not need these laws back then. It was only after the proliferation of lawyers that many of the laws of this country came about.
Ahem, politicians make laws, not lawyers.
Lawyers advocate for clients. Lawyers protect a client’s rights. Lawyers sue governments to protect your 2nd amendment rights. Get rid of lawyers, and you have despotism or chaos.
Don’t like the laws you have? Elect different politicians.
Most politicians are lawyers. Most of the laws were created to limit the actions or sue individuals. As far as electing different politicians, I do my best to do so. I do not care for politicians or lawyers. Chaos Reigns Supreme!
“Most politicians are lawyers.” Used to be; but no longer the case. Perhaps that is a problem? Folks making laws who do not understand how the legal system or the Constitution even works? Politicians and lawyers are people too. Perhaps if you get to know a few, you can increase your influence over your mere one vote. You and I seem to get along just fine, for example.
Power is what motivates them, most especially now. They do not think of the long term consequences of their actions. My only hope is they live long enough to see what they have done.
So true, I read somewhere that even Karl Marx moderated his views later in life. Nothing like watching your kids and grandkids grow up to give you a better perspective on what really matters.
Unfortunately, with 8 Billion people on this world competing for ever fewer resources, I don’t see folks figuring out how to finally just get along with one another.
Saw an interesting reference to the “paradox of intolerance” recently that I want to find out more about. It sounds like it captures a lot of what is wrong in the world right now. Something about how intolerant people take over the tolerant people, and tolerant people should be intolerant against the intolerant people if they want to be free to continue being tolerant to the rest of the tolerant people. Or something along those oversimplified lines.
My first really accurate rifle was a Western Field single shot 22, a re-branded Mossberg 392.
My go to rifle for hunter field target is a HW 100 .177 with an Athlon Talos 6×24 scope at 16 power. I only wish I could shoot as well as it can shoot.
I’ve always wanted a vintage 10 M air rifle, and two years ago I was fortunate enough to find a mint Anshutz LG 380. It’s a pretty hot shooter, shooting an 8 grain pellet at about 660 FPS. I took off the rear aperture site and put on a BSA 8×32 scope. It will hit about anything out to 55 yards once I figure the holdover. I’m thinking about using it for some HFT matches on low wind days.
And I can’t forget the old beat-up Diana 25 .177 that I found in a pawn shop for $50. It doesn’t have Made in Germany on it so I’m thinking it might be a pre-war bring back by some G.I. I wish I’d had it to shoot sparrows on the farm when I was a kid instead of the Daisy Golden 750 🙂
Mine is a Slavia CZ634 from 2009. It’s the airgun that solidified my interest in them. I bought it online and had it delivered to Gene Curtis, who tuned it. Put a nice Japanese Bushnell scope on it (seemed like a silly expense at the time), and it was extremely accurate and consistent. It even hit a cowbell at 100 yards several times at a fun shoot with guys were telling me that was impossible. At ranges out to 40 yards, it still holds a good pattern.
B.B.
Oh the memories. Yes I also think the BB gun in your first picture had no forearm. My brother got one for Christmas around 1972/73. It looked like the one in your pic except it had a plastic stock and a removable
“scope”. The scope was nothing more than a iron tube with plastic “lens” on each end held on by black “fiber board” caps. The air rifle for me that “Can’t” miss is a 1976 Red Ryder I got for Christmas back then. The air pistol is a Daisy 4500 C02 pellet pistol. My firearm rife was a 22 RF Winchester Pump model #60. Had a ring cut in the barrel (rifling) and still couldn’t miss. It even surprised a gun smith/gun shop owner. Said it wasn’t possible, but yet it was. Finally my can’t miss pistol defines logic like your little 25 did. Mine was a Colt Jr in 22 short. It would awe everyone. I do know what you mean by you can hit but others can’t. I have a Beretta 22 Minx in 22 short that I can hit with buy my friends can not. Thanks Again
Doc
B.B., thinking of today’s blog, what if you “flipped” it around. Guns you’ve had that should have been accurate but was not. I’ve had lots of those too. Those really made me mad.
Doc
Sounds like “Saturday’s Blog” and discussion. Thanks, Doc!
As a kid I shot Suhl300 – old DDR made, simple but accurate break barrel. My father brought it “illegally” (complicated times, the early 90tees). I remember, much later, as a teenager-starter I tuned it and was able to hit everything in 20 yards radius. One summer holidays with it on the ranch of my grandis – than I tried to make it better and… after I tried “the trick 17” it was not better and not good anymore 🙂 Many years later I found it somewhere in my parents basement, to be honest I even not came to the idea to make it shine again. Let the memories still be, like it was the most accurate airgun of the world. Why should I make it work, test it now and change that beautiful picture from the past at all?
It is interesting that you don’t hear from folks about their go to gun being from a big box store. Most one guns are from pre-big box store times or quality classics. This leads me to conclude youngsters that received a cheap big box store gun got frustrated and never became an airgunner.
No data used just my observations. Daisy bb guns not counting.
Don
“Daisy bb guns not counting.”
Don,
I’m glad you added that caveat; the other “can’t miss” (not within its inherent accuracy range) gun I have is a Daisy Buck that I picked up from Academy Sports several years ago for the whopping sum of $16.47.
It was the last one they had left, so they marked it down; I was in the store to get something else, something camping related; but when I passed through the aisle and saw the price tag on it, I just couldn’t pass it up. I buy Daisy BBs for it in the 4000-round bulk packs, and I’m just finishing my 3rd one.
I tweaked the front sight to get the windage spot-on; and thousands of BBs through this little gun has taught me the hold-over for various ranges. Due to never getting to have a BB gun as a kid (sad!), I am still making up for lost time. Although the length-of-pull is short, I have learned to hold this little gun so that it seems to shoot very naturally; it is my go-to gun for the plinking of evil feral cans. 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
Dave,
I have one of those things in my closet upstairs. I may have to pull it out and see if I can do something with those sights on it.
As it is, feral soda cans do not stand a chance around here. 😉
RidgeRunner, I had to do some light filing, and a bit of twisting (on the front sight) and gluing to get the windage dialed in on this gun; I set it at 10 meters; but it works pretty well out to 25 yards one you get the holdover figured out (or how much to raise the front sight). For such an inexpensive little gun, it has proved to be surprisingly fun to shoot. 🙂
I do understand. I question the value of doing such though for my sake as I have a Daisy Model 99. It is not quite as accurate as the 499, but I can load it up and shoot all day. It also fits me better than the Buck.
I hear you, man; those Daisy Model 99s are sweet! 🙂
Benji-Don,
I do have to agree with you. I always look when I go into one of those big box stores. I am not impressed.
Benji-
I have an Umarex Octane in .177 that I got from a big box that has been a never-miss for me.
It is arguably a monstrosity. Big and ugly, no natural lines. Rough around the edges. All my own qualities are mirrored in the rifle, apparently- and it never misses.
A rare unicorn in Frankenstein boots.
Glad you got a good one. One of the exceptions I know of is the Beeman P17 single pump neumatic pistol. I usually need to de-bur the air intake hole in the pump tube. If that is not done the o-ring on the piston can be rapidly damaged making the gun useless. The trigger also can easily be improved with a little tuning.
I would propose tnat many of the problems with low priced airguns is poor quality control.
Benji-
Yes- the P17 for sure.
I want to say the Crossman 760 but the more I think about it, you can’t hit the broad side of a barn with the current smoothbore model 760.
I put plenty of holes in the side of the barn with an old rifled model. Never a can’t-miss gun for me though.
My QB78 is darn close.
ProfSteelToe,
Yes on the old 760 with the rifled barrel, one of my sons still has our family one from the old days. It may be his one gun. I need to ask him.
Let’s see – for FM, the most “naturally” accurate shooter has been his .22 Ruger 10-22 rimfire carbine. In the realm of airguns, so far, the HW95 takes the prize offhand-shooting and the PCP prize goes to the .177 Maximus. In handguns, the P08 fills that niche and surprisingly so does a Mauser 7.65/.32 Model 1934. No air pistols/revolvers to include other than the .22 Crosman 38T, fun to shoot when working right but middling accuracy. FM will just have to add a “serious” pellet pistol to the collection and see how things work out…hey, the gift-giving season will soon be at hand!
FM,
I do happen to have a 2240 with lots of extras that is looking for a new home. Hint, hint. 😉
Hmm…hmmm – FM knows how to reach you if he decides to adopt it. 🙂
Indeed. I am here at RRHFA.
B.B. and Readership,
gollywhompus
That is translated as D.O.P.E. to my mind.
Tom and any number of you readers that have already posted a reply and those who will over the weekend have made my case.
That case is that if you have your D.O.P.E. straight there is almost never a time nor an airgun (other gun) that shouldn’t be able to be: THAT-ONE-GUN.
I have a bunch of them… shouldn’t you all be blessed with a bunch of them too?
shootski
Clarification
…My Air Arms S510XS, for example, is a rifle that never has to miss. … gollywhompus Meopta riflescope…. That rifle is a purpose-built shooting tool that’s very precise when set up and employed properly.
Moot
I know what you mean. One summer when I was 13, I had an old Marksman BB Pistol. It’s the one that will also single load pellets or darts. It has a poor trigger, bad sights, and isn’t very powerful. But I shot is so much with BB’s that summer I could hit anything in reason. I remember my friends couldn’t hit anything with it. I still have it today.
Mike
BB
Too bad about the S&W 39-2. This one has never been fired so who knows how it shoots and it’s probably too shinny to be practical.
Same with the other side 😉
Bob,
That’s a beauty!
BB
My previous comment about “That one gun!” was more about today. In hindsight when I was in my early teens it was my lever action Daisy Model 1894 Spitten Image bb rifle. However, I was restricted to shooting within my apartment in NYC. More specifically, in my bedroom. Plus, I have a side mounted plastic Daisy 4x scope on it. Still have it.
So not much of a challenge to hit whatever I wanted to being so close, but I do recall being able to shoot out the 4 staples holding my home-made target sheets to the box I captured bb’s in.
There was no place to buy BBs so I had to reuse the same ones God knows how many times, for years.
My first pistol was a Crosman MK I or II and I don’t recall ever missing much with that.
My stepbrothers broke the 1894 after I joined the Navy and I had to sell the pistol and my 68 BSA motorcycle when my first daughter was about to enter the world. I worked hard for those things and never got over the disappointment. So much so that I now own at least three of each of them today. Been Blessed!
Sorry to go off topic, but…
Just when you thought it was safe to go out and shoot some…
OH BOY, OH JOY! FX Airguns has come out with another overpriced airgun!
Help? I received a refurb Avenger last night. I plan to use an AV MK4 pump to fill it. I asked PA support if the pump would work and they said yes. My only experience has been with a Hatsan probe, so believed them. Doesn’t look like it. No support on weekend, but you guys know all. I am about to order the AV female adapter. Help?
On topic, I have not found an air or CO2 powered gun that works just right. Standard Remington 700 does and I have several. Maybe it is because I have had them for 50 years? The Avenger seems to have possibilities, but will need to add some air.
Gene43,
I believe the pump is by Hill?
It normally comes with a 1/8″ BSPP female threaded end.
You need the AV adapter: Air Venturi Foster Female Quick-Disconnect to 1/8″ BSPP Male, 5000 PSI adapter
https://www.pyramydair.com/search-results-ext?keyword=Air Venturi Foster Female Quick-Disconnect to 1%2F8″ BSPP Male%2C 5000 PSI adapter
shootski
Thanks for getting back to me. I was betting Mr Dark Side would know. It is now ordered. The pump box says Hill after the MK4, but also says Air Venturi on the side. Importer?
The refurb group could use some QC. The mags were loose in box and one doesn’t work. No single shot tray. I downloaded the manual, but it is hard to read on phone. May have to finally figure out how to print from phone.
Gene43,
I kept thinking about your Remington 700 and Winchester Model 70 comment.
Forgive me! I couldn’t resist…
So you never got one of the Outlaws or earlier Quackenbush (DAQ) airguns…i believe you just might have found one (or more) that works just right.
“I have not found an air or CO2 powered gun that works just right. Standard Remington 700 does and I have several. Maybe it is because I have had them for 50 years?”
I have had a number of Remington 700 and Winchester Model 70 rifles in various builds so this was EASY: https://quackenbushairguns.com/LA_Outlaw.htm
‘nuf said ;^)
shootski
I checked the link and think they look about right. Was surprised at price, as I expected twice that much.
I am pretty new to air. I got interested when my hearing became a problem about 5 years ago. I tried a couple of speedy break barrels before finding this site. PCP was new to me. I like it! I bought a silencer for a .22 before learning about shrouds, etc. I use it for small predators, but hope the Avenger will take care of other pests to 40+ yards. It shot where I looked when testing mags.
Yes, I will look at the quack site again. A .357 would have more appeal and wouldn’t worry my PBs as much.
Gene43,
Unfortunately he doesn’t build many rifles these days. After hunting season is done you might want to call him and see what is possible.
I have a DAQ .308 in 1:10 with 16” of HUSH that does 210+FPS that has become my favorite. The 16” extension is bad enough but does an unbelievable
job of noise reduction and ear protection. The .58 and .458 are just too hard to make quiet without needing safety vehicles in front and to the sides.
Those make uninitiated folks jump at the range.
shootski
Gene43,
You are going to have fun pumping that Avenger up all the way, not. The Hill is one of the best on the market, but when you are talking about going past 3000 PSI, you have your work cut out for you. This is one of the reasons I like “low pressure” PCPs.
As for the big bores, perhaps you should ask “Mr. Dark Side” what he normally uses to fill his DAQs.
I read both BB and Hard Air about the Avenger and lower fills. I don’t expect to pump past 3000…maybe not more than 2800. The only times I will take a lot of shots is zeroing and testing pellets.
I was surprised at how well it pointed when used like a shotgun with no sights. This may lure me into shooting more to practice quick shots when a scope is on it.
I read about the .308 Exile on Quack site. Sounds great if a more helpful pump is available. As a single guy, justifying one is not a problem. If Avenger gets me to shoot more, a new pump is likely. Then…
Gene43,
Tom has an Outlaw .308LA and did a multi part review: https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/?s=.308+Quackenbush
I have one in 1:10 with a power adjuster and shoot 130+ grain Hollow Points and Spitzers:
https://mrhollowpoint.com/22-cal-to-375-cal–balls.html the Spitzer will do a thru-and-thru on a big Mule Deer out to 150 meters with 3,600psi fill. The hollow point are a better choice; especially for Whitetail.
As RidgeRunner points out in a reply above: I use two 100 cubic foot Carbon Fiber cylinders in a Cascade to fill my airguns and a 18 cubic foot CF Guppy in a backpack for hunting. I can also use my Steel or Aluminum SCUBA cylinders (in the Cascade) to fill them at home or at the range; keeps the number of trips to the Dive Shop (4,500+ psi fill capable) to an absolute minimum. My two hand pumps are purely a backup for end of the world as we know it.
shootski
Gene43,
It sounds as if you will certainly enjoy your Avenger. No, they do not need to be filled all the way to be useful. Regulated airguns such as it will put out the set level as long as you pump above it.
BB
Your gorgeous HW30S is a keeper for aesthetics alone but sorry to read it doesn’t meet the can’t miss category. I can’t help but suggest you give your HW50S another chance. The stock is different and has almost double the energy (I may be comparing .22 to .177). If the answer is no have another go at your Diana 35 which is easy cocking and has no Weihrauch safety to remember to slide off.
Deck
Deck,
I might could do that.
BB