Tag Archives: single-shot

Sharpshooter rubber band catapult gun: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
A history of airguns

Sharpshooter pistol
The Sharpshooter catapult pistol was made from the early 1930s until the 1980s by as many as 5 different companies. This one was made in the early 1940s.

This report covers:

  • Bulls Eye pistol
  • Sharpshooter velocity
  • The launcher
  • Velocity
  • One band
  • Chronograph problems
  • Discharge sound
  • Trigger pull
  • Accuracy
  • Next time

Before we begin, I want to share an email I received last Friday. It says a lot about the experience of attending the Pyramyd Air Cup.

“Hi Tom, 

Meeting you in person for me was one of the highlights of the Pyramid Air Cup 2018. I’m the tall guy shooting any tournament for the first time. I shot a TX200 and had questions about a second air rifle that weekend. We spoke about the Sig P938 and you recommended a Sig 365 you were testing. I wanted to give you my perspective of what I got out my first shoot and ask you to consider sharing my thoughts. Not the shoot but as a newcomer into competition. read more

Diana Chaser air pistol: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Diana Chaser air pistol
The Diana Chaser is a new CO2 pistol.

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Qiang Yuan Match pellets
  • Adjusted the sights
  • JSB Exact RS
  • Pellets jamming
  • Trigger pull changed
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • RWS Superdome
  • The magazine
  • Open sights visible?
  • RWS Superdomes through the magazine
  • Discussion
  • Surprise!

Today is accuracy day for the Diana Chaser air pistol. I threw in some extra tests just for fun. This should be interesting, so let’s go!

The test

I shot off a sandbag rest at 10 meters. I used the single shot tray for the first 4 groups, then switched to the magazine for the final group. There were some interesting results that I couldn’t have predicted.

Qiang Yuan Match pellets

I shot the first group with Qiang Yuan Match pellets. No particular reason for that, other than I had them ready. They hit the target low and to the left, but I left the sights where they were and shot all 10 pellets. They landed in a group that measures 1.052-inches between centers. This was larger than I had hoped for the Chaser. read more

Hatsan 135 QE Vortex .30-caliber pellet rifle: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2

Hatsan 135 30 caliber rifle
Hatsan’s .30 caliber 135 QE Vortex is a large breakbarrel — both in size and caliber.

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Sight-in
  • JSB Exact 44.75 grain
  • JSB Exact 50.15-grain
  • Predator Polymag
  • Next
  • JSB domes at 25 yards
  • Predator Polymags
  • Polymags with the tips removed
  • Popeye?
  • What’s next?
  • Summary

Time for me to bend the bow of Ulysses and see what it can do. Today I have a slightly different accuracy test for you.

The test

I tested the rifle at both 10 meters and 25 yards. I shot 5-shot groups today because this rifle is just too hard for me to cock. A tired BB is a sloppy BB. All shooting was off a sandbag rest in the normal fashion and I used the artillery hold, both because I knew the rifle would be twitchy, something several readers confirmed.

Sight-in

Sight-in took five shots. As it came from the package the rifle was shooting high and right. The open sights have scales to tell you where they are and I found the windage scale most helpful, getting on target. read more

My day at Sig Sauer: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

ASP20
Sig Sauer’s new ASP20 gas spring breakbarrel air rifle breaks ground in many areas!

Part 1
Part 2

This report covers:

  • Why a gas spring?
  • Trigger
  • Why a breakbarrel?
  • Does the ASP20 have an internal shock absorber?
  • On with the build
  • Final assembly — the stock
  • The barrel
  • Off to the range
  • Shooting sensation
  • Cocking effort
  • Accuracy
  • Whisky 3 ASP 4-12X44 scope
  • Summary

Boy, is there a LOT of interest in this new rifle! You guys are asking a lot of very good questions about the new ASP20 breakbarrel rifle, as you should. I will begin by addressing some of the most prominent ones.

Why a gas spring?

Some call it a gas piston, others say gas ram, but we are all referring to the gas spring (the industry term for a spring that uses compressed gas in place of a coiled steel spring to do its job). Gas springs replace coiled steel mainsprings in spring-piston airguns. They are more modern and easier to make and obtain, they don’t take a set if left compressed, they are less susceptible to cold and, if the design is right, they are smoother operating. They also eliminate several parts that rattle and they remove some weight from the powerplant. read more

Punting with the FWB 124

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

FWB 124
Feinwerkbau 124.

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The ship hit the sand!
  • Plan B
  • Plan C
  • Open sights
  • Getting ahead of myself
  • The test
  • RWS Superpoints
  • JSB Exact RS
  • RWS R10
  • What’s up with the lone “flyer”?
  • H&N Baracuda Match with 4.50mm head
  • Discussion
  • The FWB 124
  • So what?
  • The big deal
  • Summary

Well, well. Sometimes the bear eats you! Today is one such day. I returned from my Sig trip last Thursday and wrote this report on Friday and Saturday. Everything that could go wrong did, giving me a lot to tell you about. And I have some exciting news to share today, as well.

The ship hit the sand!

I was going to test the Crosman 105 Target pistol for you today, but I couldn’t get it to hit the paper. Whoever guessed that it would shoot way low was spot-on. It shoots so low that I can’t get it up on paper, even using aim-off tricks (aiming at one thing to hit another). I have to work on the pistol before I can test it again. read more

It’s always something!

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • Don’t dabble
  • Retail sales
  • Prisoner joke 49
  • Mr. Fix-it
  • Success — sort of
  • Sell your skill
  • Build a better mousetrap
  • What am I saying?

Today I am writing to those readers who think they would like to have a business that deals with airguns. I hear from people all the time who think they would like to be involved in the airgun business. Sometimes they ask for advice. Here it comes, whether or not you asked.

Don’t dabble

The first thing I look for in a person who wants to get into the airgun business (or any business, for that matter) is passion. Do they have passion for what they say they want to do? If a person tells me they are retired and just want to dabble in airguns I tell them that’s like dabbling in skydiving. At some point you have to jump, and then you DEFINITELY have to pull the ripcord! Skydiving gets real serious real fast. read more

The Seneca Dragonfly multi-pump pneumatic rifle: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Seneca Dragonfly
Air Venturi Seneca Dragonfly multi-pump air rifle.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

This report covers:

  • The test
  • Sight-in
  • Qiang Yuan Training pellet
  • First attempt at pumping
  • RWS Superdomes
  • Air Arms Falcon pellet
  • The solution
  • The hold for pumping
  • Best pumping hold found
  • JSB Exact RS
  • Summary

This is the 25-yard test of the Seneca Dragonfly multi-pump pneumatic rifle. Today the rifle is scoped with the 3-12X32 UTG Bug Buster scope, and we will see what the Dragonfly can do.

Seneca Dragonfly scoped
The compact Bug Buster scope is a perfect compliment to the handy Dragonfly multi-pump.

The test

I shot 5 shots with each pellet from a rested rifle at 25 yards. That was because I was pumping the rifle 3 times for each shot, and with the scope occupying the place where I wanted to hold the rifle, pumping wasn’t convenient. I selected the best pellet from the 10-meter test and 3 new ones, since the others I tested at 10 meters didn’t do so well. At the end of the test I decided to select the best pellet and shoot one final 10-shot group. read more