Tag Archives: precharged pneumatic

2019 Pacific Airgun Expo

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Today’s report is a report of the 2019 Pacific Airgun Expo, written by reader Yogi.
If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me.

And now, tell us about the show, Yogi

This report covers:

  • I go to the show
  • Placerville
  • What’s up?
  • Success!
  • Lots o’ PCPs!
  • 10-meter guns
  • Summary

As a avid reader of B.B.’s Pyramid Air blog for the past several years, I decided to try and write a guest blog to lighten his burden and show appreciation for his efforts. So here is my attempt.

I go to the show

B.B. has written at great length about how interesting Airgun Shows/Swap Meets are. I live too far away to attend the big ones in Texas and Ohio. I wish I had been in airgunning when I lived on the East Coast and could easily have attended the Roanoke Show. So, when I heard that there is a smaller airgun show just 180 miles away, I knew I had to go. read more

AirForce Edge 10-meter rifle: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Testing Baracuda FT pellets — Part 3

AirForce Edge
The AirForce Edge target rifle.

This report covers:

  • How more air helps power
  • Linked to the Baracuda FT test
  • Fill the Edge
  • The test
  • JSB Exact RS
  • H&N Finale Match Light with 4.5mm head
  • RWS Superdome
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • I wonder…
  • Air Arms Falcon
  • RWS R10 Match Pistol with 4.5mm heads
  • More fun
  • H&N Match Green
  • Second group of Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets
  • Ten shots
  • Aluminum tape on the back of targets
  • Summary

Today I’m doing something fun — for me. I’m testing the accuracy potential of the AirForce Edge target rifle that reader Ridge Runner has modified by adding a larger firing chamber. There were some questions last time about how just adding an empty chamber after the regulator can add power to a regulated target rifle. Here’s how.

How more air helps power

We know that the regulator takes the high-pressure air in the reservoir and steps it down to much lower pressure. We also know — or should know — that a gun that gets filled to 3,000 psi does not put anything like that kind of pressure behind the pellet when it fires. If it puts out 1,000 psi, that’s a lot. read more

Compressor talk

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • PCPs are becoming mainstream
  • The price has dropped
  • Disco
  • Economic hostage
  • DON’T BUY A CHEAP AIR COMPRESSOR!!!!!!
  • Inexpensive compressors you can trust
  • AirForce E-Pump
  • Value compressors
  • Stand-alone operation
  • Commercial compressors
  • Even higher?
  • Consider your probable use
  • Some simple thoughts about air compressors
  • Summary

Air compressors are a product that many of us want and some even need, but they aren’t airguns, so many people dislike having to buy one. Let’s face it — for many of us a high-pressure air compressor isn’t a necessity. But it is a huge convenience.

PCPs are becoming mainstream

Ten years ago, precharged pneumatic airguns (PCP) were considered special, and by many they were called the Dark Side. Too much was uncertain about them, there were too many fears and not enough reliable information.

Most shooters knew that a PCP wasn’t as sensitive to the hold as a spring gun was and they had the potential to be far more accurate than most springers, but they seemed too complex. What fill pressure is right? Did you want a gun with a regulator? How many shots do you get on a fill? What is meant by the power curve? Could a high pressure air tank hurt you if it’s stored in your house? read more

Diana Stormrider Generation II precharged pneumatic air rifle: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Diana Stormrider II
Diana Stormrider Generation II precharged pneumatic air rifle.

Stormrider Gen 1 Part 4
Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

  • Open sights
  • The test
  • Sight-in
  • Crosman Premier Heavy
  • JSB Exact Beast
  • RWS Superdome
  • H&N Baracuda Match with 4.53mm head
  • JSB Exact Heavy
  • Summary

Last week reader Krasi asked me when I would do Part 3 of the Gen. II Diana Stormrider. I had to be honest with him — I had totally forgotten it! It’s sitting here in my office and I never gave it a second thought. So, today I make up for the oversight and start reporting the accuracy of the Gen. II Stormrider.

Open sights

The Stormrider has good-looking open sights and I wanted to try them first. It’s a very good thing I did, which I will discuss in a moment.

The test

I shot off a rest at 10 meters. I shot 5-shot groups that gave a rough idea of the accuracy and also allowed me to test more pellets. I decided that if there was a pellet that was particularly accurate I would also shoot a group of 10 with that one. read more

Hatsan Vectis .25-caliber lever action PCP repeater: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Hatsan Vectis
Hatsan Vectis lever action PCP repeater.

This report covers:

  • Mounting a scope
  • Scope solution
  • Which pellets?
  • The test
  • JSB Exact King first group
  • How many shots per fill? 2nd JSB group
  • Predator Polymag
  • Benjamin domes
  • Predator Polymag
  • Summary

Today I mount a scope on the Hatsan Vectis lever-action rifle and we see how accurate it really is. As you learned in Part 3, when I used the iron sights that came on the gun and I aimed at the center of the bullseye, the rifle didn’t do very well. A couple of you reminded me that the best way to used sights like these with a bead front sight  is to stack the bullseye on top of the front bead, rather than to try to center it. I knew that of course — I’ve been doing it for decades. I don’t know why I aimed for the center of the target, other than to convince myself that it isn’t the right way to aim with a post and bead front sight. read more

Testing H&N Baracuda FT pellets: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
AirForce Edge 10-meter rifle: Part 1

This report covers:

  • Scoped the Edge
  • The test
  • 4.50mm heads
  • Discussion of the 4.50mm heads
  • 4.51mm heads
  • Discussion of the 4.51mm heads
  • General discussion
  • Summary

Today’s report combines two reports, as you can see by the links, above. I’m testing the H&N Baracuda FT pellets that I was given last year, and today I’m testing them in the AirForce Edge target rifle that I got from reader RidgeRunner. That’s why I baselined the Edge in Part 1 that’s linked above. We know from that report that this pellet moves out at 685 f.p.s. in the modified Edge, which is 10 foot-pounds on the nose.

Scoped the Edge

I scoped the Edge for today’s test with the vintage UTG 8-32X56 SWAT scope I got from Leapers years ago. I last used this scope on the Benjamin Fortitude I tested last year. This scope adjusts for parallax down to 25 yards, but since today’s test was at that distance, there was no problem. I ran it at the full 32 power and the target image was crystal clear. read more

AirForce Edge 10-meter rifle: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

AirForce Edge
The AirForce Edge target rifle.

This report covers:

  • How to begin?
  • Jump in
  • Edge reports
  • THIS Edge
  • Trigger
  • Velocity
  • Discussion
  • Off the reg.
  • Plans
  • Summary

How to begin?

Remember me telling you I had a backlog of reports to do? This rifle that I got from reader RidgeRunner is one of them. But I need to change my report format this time because I need the AirForce Edge target rifle for another test I’m doing — the report on testing the H&N Baracuda FT pellet.

I wanted to test that pellet with an accurate precharged rifle as well as several spring piston guns, and this Edge is my most accurate PCP in .177 caliber. It’s also more powerful than a standard Edge target rifle. RidgeRunner modified this Edge by adding a firing chamber to boost the power to almost double that of a conventional Edge. A firing chamber collects and holds the compressed air that has passed through the regulator, so more air is available for the shot. Nothing has to be done to the regulator when a larger chamber is used. It simply provides more air to push the pellet — a bigger or longer push, if you will. read more