Tag Archives: air rifle

Action targets throughout history

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Bleed, break or fall
  • History
  • Live animals
  • Ad Topperwein
  • Shooting was king!
  • End of the Civil War
  • Early mechanical target
  • Quackenbush bell and mechanical targets
  • Targets 2, 3 and 4
  • Target 3
  • Target 4
  • Quackenbush targets 5 and 6
  • Targets 7 and 8
  • One more galley target
  • Summary

Bleed, break or fall

“Airgun targets have to bleed, break or fall.” said Leigh Wilcox of the now-defunct Airgun Express, many years ago. Leigh was one of many who felt that punching paper was like watching paint dry. A lot of you readers feel the same, as we have seen in this blog recently. Today’s report was requested by reader GunFun1, but I know that a lot of you are looking forward to it.

History

I will get back to airgun targets in a bit, but first let’s travel back in time to see where action targets began. For that we need to go to Europe around the year 1300, when shooting events lasted for many days and took on a carnival atmosphere. read more

Beeman QB Chief precharged pneumatic rifle: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Beeman PCP
Beeman QB Chief precharged pneumatic air rifle.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

This report covers:

  • Remove the stock
  • The stock comes off
  • The trigger housing
  • Now to adjust the trigger
  • Trigger stop screw
  • Trigger pull adjustment
  • Put the action into the stock
  • Installing the safety lever
  • Summary

Today I will discuss adjusting the trigger in the Beeman QB Chief precharged pneumatic air rifle. I promised you a tutorial on the trigger and this is it.

Remove the stock

The first step to adjusting the trigger is to take the barreled action out of the stock. On this rifle that isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. There is just a single Phillips screw holding the action in the stock, and I trust you can all deal with it. But the safety lever on the right side of the triggerguard has to also be removed for the stock to slip off the triggerguard. read more

The TexanSS: Part 5

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

TexanSS
TexanSS big bore air rifle from AirForce.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

This report covers:

  • First comments
  • Bubble Leveler
  • Collar Buttons are a no-go at 100 yards
  • 210 SWC is still a great bullet
  • Balle-Blondeau-talk
  • Balle-patent
  • Balle Blondeau
  • 355-grain flat point dogbone
  • Ton shoots at 100 yards
  • One more test

I had the Umarex Gauntlet out to shoot at 50 yards last week but the day was just too windy. Once I got it sighted-in for 50 yards the wind picked up and blew the pellets all around. I wanted this test to be a good one between the magazine and the single-shot tray, and it wasn’t going to happed this day. So I brought out the TexanSS that has no difficulty shooting in the wind.

Today I will show you how the AirForce TexanSS big bore performs at 100 yards. I have spent several days at the range to get today’s results. That’s why it took me so long. read more

Chinese B3 underlever: Part 8

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

B3
The B3 underlever from China.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The test
  • JSB Exact RS
  • RWS R10 pistol
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • Discussion
  • Summary

Today I conduct the 25-yard accuracy test of the Chinese B3 underlever air rifle. Before shooting this particular B3 I had never shot any Chinese sporting spring rifle at this distance and I didn’t think there were any that could manage it.

The test

I read Part 6 to learn which pellets did best in the rifle. All shooting was off a rest, using the artillery hold. And I have to use the open sights on the rifle, as there is no easy way to mount a scope. Later B3s do have dovetails for scopes but this early one does not. read more

Must an airgun use air?

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • Carbon dioxide
  • Green gas/red gas
  • Catapult guns
  • Caps!
  • Not the end!
  • Ulterior motive

Simple enough question, no? Maybe you get confused by certain air-powered tools or perhaps a slang reference to a paint sprayer, but most folks know exactly what you mean when you say airgun.

Think so? Think again.

The term airgun isn’t found in most dictionaries, yet. You’ll find that your spell-checker wants you to write it as two words, but that’s not what today’s blog is about. I really want to know if you know all that is encompassed by the term airgun.

Some of you have already stopped reading to formulate an official-sounding definition that goes something like this: An airgun is any smoothbore or rifled gun that propels a projectile by means of compressed air. As you stand back to admire your work, it suddenly dawns on you that your definition doesn’t encompass any of the guns that are powered by CO2. Don’t you hate it when that happens? read more

Umarex Gauntlet: Part 7

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Gauntlet
Umarex Gauntlet.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

This report covers:

  • 50-yard test
  • Time to fold
  • Scope mount problem
  • Problem solved!
  • Sight-in
  • 25-yard group
  • Summary

Today I will bring you up to date on all that has been done with the Umarex Gauntlet PCP rifle. It has been two and one-half months since you read anything about this rifle, but I have been doing things and have tried to test the Gauntlet before now. Here is what happened.

50-yard test

I went to the range in early April for a 50-yard test. Unfortunately that day I had also invited a member of my church out to zero his AR-15, and it turned out he did not know how to do it. I ended up spending a lot of time getting him zeroed, plus I lent him my sandbag that I would normally use for any 50-yard PCP test. I shot the Gauntlet off a pile of wadded up rags and gun bags. Even so, the test was still good, if not ideal. read more

What good is the Blue Book?

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Blue Book
The Blue Book of Airguns is a valuable reference for all airgunners

This report covers:

  • Hot news
  • What good is it?
  • Airgun shows
  • How much is a Benyamin worth?
  • The deal
  • No free pass
  • Cha-ching!
  • What it doesn’t have
  • Use common sense
  • No sales job
  • Summary

Hot news

Pyramyd Air is now offering Life Extended carbon fiber air tanks at far below the normal commercial rate for a new CF. tank. If you are already in precharged airguns, this might be of great interest. Now, let’s talk about today’s topic.

What good is it?

For some people the Blue Book of Airguns is of no use, whatsoever. These are people who don’t have books in their lives. If they own a book it’s being used as a doorstop or to level a piece of machinery in the garage. I’m not making fun of them. They simply do not have books in their lives, and nothing is going to change that. read more