Tag Archives: trigger-pull

Chinese B3 underlever: Part 6

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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

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • Pre-work baseline
  • RWS Hobby
  • Harsh firing cycle
  • Rifle is breaking in
  • Air Arms Falcon
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • RWS Hobby again
  • Discussion
  • Cocking effort
  • Trigger pull
  • Summary

Today I will test the velocity of the B3 underlever that we cleaned and lubed on Friday. This will be a fantastic learning lesson for all airgunners, because the results are most informative!

Pre-work baseline

If you have been following this report you know I discovered in Part 2 that the rifle wasn’t performing to expectations. In Part 3 I replaced the breech seal and tested the velocity. That gave us a baseline we can use today for a before and after comparison. Let me get to the tests right now.

RWS Hobby

The first pellet to be tested was the RWS Hobby. In Part 3 Hobbys gave an average 617 f.p.s. with a 24 f.p.s. spread. read more

Beeman R9 with Vortek center-latching air piston: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

This report covers:

  • Today’s fill
  • JSB Exact
  • Predator Polymag
  • H&N Field Target Trophy
  • H&N Baracuda
  • Crosman Premiers
  • Benjamin Cylindricals
  • Cocking effort
  • Trigger pull
  • Firing behavior
  • Summary

Today is velocity day for the Beeman R9 with the Vortek center-latching gas piston that I’m calling the center latching unit (CLU). Bear in mind as you read today’s test, that this unit allows the owner to adjust the pressure inside the gas piston — raising or lowering the velocity and cocking effort. So, this is the first of several tests of the unit.

Today’s fill

I filled the CLU to 675 psi when I installed it. So that’s how it’s set up today. I will test it with 6 different .20 caliber pellets — one more than Pyramyd Air carries, if you don’t count the felt Beeman cleaning pellets. Let’s get started. read more

Chinese B3 underlever: Part 4

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

B3
The B3 underlever from China.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

A history of airguns

This report covers:

  • The test
  • RWS Superdomes
  • Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
  • Firing behavior
  • RWS Meisterkugeln
  • Qiang Yuan Training pellets
  • Trigger
  • Summary

This is accuracy day! Today we will learn how accurate my new/old Chinese B3 underlever spring-piston air rifle is. This is the rifle with the replaced breech seal that we learned in Part 3 is such an easy fix. Today we see whether it matters.

The test

I shot at 10 meters off a sandbag rest. I used the classic artillery hold with the off hand next to the front of the triggerguard and rested on the sandbag.

I resolved to shoot just 5 shots, unless the pellet looked like it might group. If it did I would go to 10 shots.

RWS Superdomes

First up was the RWS Superdome. The first shot hit the target at the lower edge of the bull, but shot two hit above the 10-ring. I shot the next three shots and then looked at the group and decided this is not the right pellet for this rifle. The 5-shot group later measured 1.37-inches between centers. read more

Gamo’s Urban precharged air rifle: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Gamo Urban
Gamo Urban.

This report covers:

  • The Urban
  • Magazine
  • Trigger
  • Silencer
  • Overall description
  • Magazine removal
  • Loading
  • Evaluation

Today I begin looking at another price-point PCP (PPPCP) that hit the market this year. Like the Umarex Gauntlet, the Gamo Urban is packed with features and set to sell at just under $300. It does have some differences from the Gauntlet, though, and we will look at them in today’s report.

The Urban

The Gamo Urban I’m testing is a bolt-action .22-caliber 10-shot repeating air rifle. It fills to 232 bar, which is 3,365 psi. That’s important to know because the Urban will be difficult to fill all the way with a hand pump. However, you may not have to fill it that full. I will address that when I test velocity. If you watch the video on the Pyramyd website, you will see why I say that. read more

Umarex Gauntlet: Part 5

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Gauntlet
Umarex Gauntlet.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

This report covers:

  • JSB Exact Heavy
  • H&N Baracuda Match with 4.50mm heads
  • Decision time
  • Crosman Premier 10.5-grain heavies
  • Another decision
  • JSB Exact Heavies
  • H&N Baracuda Match
  • Summary of this test
  • Bug Buster scope and P.O.I. mounts

Today we start looking at the accuracy of the new .177 caliber Umarex Gauntlet. I think this report will be interesting to many of you. Let’s get started.

JSB Exact Heavy

The rifle was already sighted-in from the last report, so I loaded 10 JSB Exact Heavy pellets into the magazine and started shooting from 25 yards. Yes — I said 10 pellets. I forgot about skipping pellet number 2 and loaded the entire magazine. Shot one went fine but the mag jammed on shot 2. I didn’t force it. I just pushed it out and resumed shooting. This target has 9 pellets instead of 10, and they made a very vertical group at 25 yards that measures 0.704 inches between centers. read more

Umarex Gauntlet: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Gauntlet
Umarex Gauntlet.

Part 1

This report covers:

  • No velocity test
  • The tank
  • Getting to the trigger
  • The trigger
  • Single stage trigger
  • Adjusting the trigger
  • Assembly
  • Summary

Boy, do I have a lot to tell you today! Let’s get started!

No velocity test

There will be no velocity test today, because I first wanted a look at that trigger. Three hours later after starting that I have a blog’s worth of things to tell you. The velocity test will come next time.

The tank

Yes, the air tank does have to be completely exhausted before you can remove it. The manual doesn’t state it that positively, but it does say that, more or less. I had to remove the tank so I could remove the forearm and stock to get to the trigger, and I know now for sure the tank has to be exhausted. Umarex gives you a degassing tool and it works exactly as they say in the manual. read more

Where are airguns today?

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • Spring-piston guns
  • The price-point PCP
  • High-pressure air compressors
  • Action air pistols
  • It’s been done before
  • Airgun shows
  • Hunting
  • They’re listening now!
  • Summary

After writing 6 reports on the SHOT Show I thought it was time to look at all that has happened in airgunning in recent years. We are in a golden age of experimentation and refinement, and it’s good to stop and reflect on that for a moment.

Spring-piston guns

If you had asked me what the future of the spring gun was before I attended this SHOT Show I would have told you that everything that could be done had been done. Then, at the show, I saw not one but two novel new breakbarrels.

Crosman has their new Akura breakbarrel with the Precision Barrel Lock or PBL. It is a novel new way of locking the breech at the shot by using some of the compressed air to push a pin back into the spring tube. The rest of the rifle is a straightforward gas spring breachbarrel, but the question we have to ask is why they felt it necessary to lock the breech this way. A few other airguns use mechanical locks that are operated by the user, so there must be an advantage to locking the breech, but will we see it when I test the Akura? read more