accuracy test | Air gun blog - Pyramyd Air Report

The Hatsan Sortie PCP pistol: Part 4

Posted on September 20, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 20 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Hatsan Sortie semiautomatic pistol.

This report covers:

My attempts
Lots of solutions — think BKL
BKL Cantilever base
The scope
More solutions
An aside
Bottom line
Sight-in

My attempts

Today I will attempt to mount a scope and shoot the Hatsan Sortie at 25 yards. I say “attempt” because the Sortie’s magazine sticks out very high above the scope rail. Any scope you mount has to either clear it or be located behind it, a detail that you need to consider when buying this air pistol.

Hatsan mounted a holographic dot sight on the Sortie they brought to the Texas airgun show. It sat behind the magazine and seemed to work fine. I don’t own a holo sight — yet — so I had to do something else.

See the problem? The scope is mounted in UTG high rings that do not quite clear the magazine (because of the scope turret). On the other side of the gun, the ring jaws are not quite reaching the mount base, so this setup cannot work.

The Hatsan Sortie PCP pistol: Part 3

Posted on September 14, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 24 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Hatsan Sortie semiautomatic pistol.

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

An announcement
Today
Familiarization
Still learning the magazine
The trigger
The test
The sights
RWS Superdome — sight in
JSB Exact RS
H&N Baracuda with 5.50mm head
H&N Field Target Trophy with 5.53mm head
Summary

An announcement

This morning I shaved with a straight razor in a completely different way, after reading a book about shaving that was written in 1905. While very different from anything I had been doing, it all sounded very good and authoritative until I tried it. Then I needed a pint of blood after finishing! The author of this book says many things that run contrary to conventional wisdom and what is being taught today.

As a result of this experience, I have decided that there is more to sharpening a straight razor than I thought. There will be another report coming in which I examine some of the facts and some old wive’s tales about sharpening straight razors. I will try to show you the results more graphically. I don’t want to wreck the surprises that I hope are coming, so that is all I will say at this time. Let’s now turn our attention to today’s report.

The Diana model 50 underlever: Part 4

Posted on September 11, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 29 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana 50
Diana model 50 underlever.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

A history of airguns

This report covers:

Low light
The test
RWS Superdomes
RWS Superpoints
Falcon pellets
Discussion of the results
Next

Today we are back with the Diana model 50 underlever spring rifle, shooting at 25 yards. I have a couple things to tell, so let’s get started.

Low light

First, my quartz light that I always us to illuminate the target was on the fritz, so for all of today’s shooting I illuminated the target with a powerful flashlight. It wasn’t ideal, but I believe it worked okay. I learned one thing for sure — I need a backup quartz light!

I remembered to switch the front sight post to the large square-topped one that’s best for target shooting. I wouldn’t have that as an excuse for poor marksmanship!

Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol: Part 3

Posted on September 6, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 47 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol offers a lot of pistol at a budget price.

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

The test
H&N Smart Shot
Hornady Black Diamond BBs
The trigger
Air Venturi Zinc-Plated BBs
Overall evaluation

It’s accuracy day for the the Sig Spartan BB pistol, and I have to tell you I am excited. The trigger on this pistol, while heavy, breaks so crisply that I am expecting good things.

The test

I shot from 5 meters, seated and resting my shooting arm on a UTG Monopod. The Spartan’s sights are fixed but they are wide enough for good accuracy and the front post is sharp. There was no problem seeing the sights on the target for a 6 o’clock hold.

H&N Smart Shot

I tried the H&N Smart Shot lead BBs first. I did that because the Spartan only got 40 good shots on a CO2 cartridge in Part 2 and I wanted the pistol to be as powerful as possible with this heavier BB.

The Diana model 50 underlever: Part 3

Posted on September 4, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 44 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana 50
Diana model 50 underlever.

Part 1
Part 2

A history of airguns

This report covers:

Before we begin…
Rear sight conversion
Accuracy — the test
RWS Superdomes
H&N Finale Match Light
RWS Superpoint
RWS Hobby
Things I did wrong
Summary

We start looking at the accuracy of the .177-caliber Diana model 50 underlever today. I say start because I want to shoot this rifle a lot more. I will look for interesting ways to do that.

Before we begin…

However, before I jump into the accuracy there are a couple things I need to clear up. Reader Halfstep asked about the loading tap. It was shown in the closed position in Part 2 and he asked if I could show it open. He also wondered how far into the tap the pellet falls, so I’ll show that, too.

Diana 50 tap open
The tap is open.

Diana 50 pellet in tap
An RWS Superpoint has been dropped into the tap. See how deep it is?

Kral Puncher Pro B W PCP rifle: Part 4

Posted on August 22, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 49 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Kral Puncher Pro PCP. The test rifle’s walnut stock is not as blonde as this one.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

This report covers:

First test
Wind
Third test
RWS Superdome
JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
Adjust the scope
JSB Exact Jumbo
H&N Baracuda Match 5.53mm heads
Evaluation
Next

You have waited patiently for this 50-yard accuracy report since the middle of May. I have had the rifle to the range several times, and today I’ll tell you what happened.

First test

The first time I went out, I couldn’t get the rifle to group with any pellet. No matter what I did with the power level, the pellets went all over the place. The groups were 5 to 7 inches. After seeing what the rifle could do at 25 yards with the same pellets, I knew something was wrong, and I thought I knew what it was.

Umarex Forge combo: Part 4

Posted on August 17, 2017 by B.B. Pelletier ↓ 61 Comments

by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Umarex Forge.

This report covers:

Mounting the scope
Sight in
The test
Poor scope
JSB Exact RS
Falcon pellets
H&N Hammer pellets
Don’t care for the flex
Evaluation so far — world class!
Next

Today I mount the scope that came with the Umarex Forge and I’ll step back to 25 yards to test the accuracy. Part 3 was a blessing because I found two good pellets and I also learned the best way to hold the rifle That sped up today’s preparation time a lot.

Mounting the scope

Mounting the scope was easy. The rings have two screws per cap, so there is no need to tighten them in any pattern and the base is a Weaver that fits the Forge’s Picatinny rail well. Since I knew the Forge doesn’t recoil too much, I also knew the mounting screws only needed to be snug.