Avenger 1100 Reviews

Great looking rifle. Very easy to break the barrel and cock the weapon. The double trigger is everything that others have said it is with a nice clean break point and definitely contributes to accuracy. I have not had any fliers that don't hit where I aim the rifle. It is extremely accurate.

Two things. Better iron sights. The sights are rather boxy although the fiber inserts help a lot. Because of the clunky sights I purchased a one piece scope mount and a good 3-9 power Leapers scope. This combo will deliver tack driving accuracy if I can get the scope to stop moving. There is no scope pin hole on the top of the reciever so the scope creeps back a tiny bit with every shot, that is the second thing I would change. I hoped that a one piece mount would compensate but it does not. I had read somewhere that the rear scope mount should not be allowed to butt against the plastic piece at the rear of the receiver because that piece will break so I need to stabilize the scope mount without a pin hole. If this rifle had better iron sights or a scope pin hole it would be an outstanding value. As it is it is a pretty good rifle.

Dieseling has been reported as an issue with this model gun. This was a used gun and it did indeed smoke a little at first. I suspect that it either was not used much or it was prepared for re-sale with more oil added to the piston port. After about 100 shots the smoke has cleared and the dieseling that supposedly throws shots off the mark has not happened. Not a big deal, just FYI.

The rifle just arrived today via FedEx. For a used rifle it is in very good shape in fact it looks new. Very easy to cock and the trigger is as awesome as others have stated. I could not wait to try it out so I set up a block of wood in the garage with a paper plate stapled to it for a target. The gun is sweet to shoot and very accurate. I've never owned a pellet rifle and this one is a surprise about how accurate it shoots.

The iron sites are very blockish. Will hit what you aim at but driving tacks will be a challenge beyond 20 or 30 feet. I have ordered a leapers 3-9X40 scope with a solid base to improve accuracy at longer ranges.

I have to rotate my head farther to the right over the stock than I expected to gain proper sight alignment. Not really a problem just a bit of a surprise. Don't know if it is the cheekpiece or just me. I still really like shooting this gun.

The best value in a powerful fun that is made of hard field use. Accuracy, light weight, reasonable power, nice wood, metal trigger guard. It came with two inspections and firing tests with velocity recorded (pellets unspecified). The trigger is world class, the best I have encountered. The safety is also great. It can be taken on and off without recocking the gun. Velocity with legitimate pellets such as 14.5 grain RWS hollowpoints is in the low 700s after break-in. Accuracy with quality pellets is excellent. It groups well under 0.25 inches ctc at 50 feet with open sights. That is about as tight as my Diana 34 and Feinwerkbau 124 in .177 and my Diana 48 in .22. My particular Mendoza likes RWS Superdome and H-Points. It does not like the 13.43 grain JSB Match Diabolo Exact, maybe because the barrel is a little large. Velocity with JSBs is way off compared even to heavier pellets. Of course, individual guns may produce different results.

All Mendozas seem to diesel for the first few hundred shots. A good cleaning and lubrication with a non-volatile oil before shipping would be appreciated. (What does the factory use for chamber oil, vegetable oil?) It leaves a lot of gunk in the barrel when it deisels. Spring action would benefit from a spring gel. Choking the barrel would reduce the rather sharp firing noise that these guns make even after break-in.

If you are looking for a good hunting/plinking gun to wag around the fields, look no more. Forget the conventional wisdom that field guns don't need the accuracy of a target gun. Tell that to wounded animals. A hunter needs to hit the target. The Mendoza does it just as well as my Feinwerkbau 124. Some have complained about the primative open sights. Give them a chance before messing with a scope. After you get the rear sight adjusted, it is bombproof. The fiber-optic assist, front and rear is a nice touch and works very well in messy light conditions and complicated backgrounds. Give it plenty of breakin time. Mine took 500 rounds before it stopped dieselling entirely. Clean the barrel first and often thereafter; the dieselling leaves a lot of residue. Use a good quality silicone chamber oil after about 250 rounds. The gun may diesel for a while after that, but I suspect it needs oiling before the round count reaches 500. Mendoza really needs to fix that. It may upset your neighbors. Use a quality airgun spring oil on the spring, maybe with some molybdenum disulfide powder, to smooth and quieten the spring.

Thiis is a well made gun and mine is the .22 cal.Love the trigger,easy to pull.Takes a while to break this one in and I'm almost there.Seems to be pretty accurate,still trying different pellets.

Ambidexterous stock.I'm left handed but don't have any problems shooting this model.

If you don't like scopes,PA has a better Mendoza rear sight that screws onto the 11mm. dovetail.

Bottom line: This is a dandy, lightweight springer. World class trigger, decent accuracy, light weight, smooth firing behavior reasonable power, good wood, precise fitting around metal, butt pad and spacers, nice cut checkering. Comes with two inspectors' reports and a velocity check, although at 835 fps, it must have been taken when the gun was still dieselling.

1. Make the fine Mendoza receiver sight standard. But the simple Partridge sight supplied is better than some reviews would have you believe once it is sighted in and the notch widened for easier target acquisition. 2. Clean up the compression cylinder before shipping: it dieselled for a good 500 shots.

This is the Mendoza 600 with a simpler rear sight and lower price. OK if you plan to scope it anyway. If you plan to use open sights, the Mendoza 600 has the good sights and will cost maybe a little less than putting better sights on the Avenger. It will diesel for a long time. You just have to break it in. It has a lot of spring vibration, but that is easy to solve by coating the spring with silicone plumber's grease and a dusting of molybdenum disulfide powder. You can do that through the cocking slot with a popscicle stick without removing the spring. Cocking will feel gritty until it breaks in. On the other hand, the trigger is silk smooth, crisp and precise from the first shot. Accuracy improves after the dieselling stops. It will need a good barrel scrubbing with Hoppe's #9 or an equivalent solvent to clean out fouling from burned oil and lead deposited because of the heat and friction of dieselling. After you clean it up, you can expect decent accuracy. Mine is punching about 1/4" ctc at 10 m at 710 fps with RWS hollowpoints, less well with some other pellets. Mine does not like JSBs. They give very low velocity although they weigh less than the RWS. (JSBs are great in some of my other guns.)

Well made and great looking gun. Can't say enough about the easy trigger pull,helps the accuracy.Mine is the .22 cal.

Can't think of anything

Clean it before you use it.Diesels a lot so it takes a while to break it in.

It is adult in size and weight. Not a kids rifle for sure. It is accurate. I had my son in law sight it in after about 200 shots. Not much adjustment needed. Easily hit a coke can at 50 yards with open sights and a rest. Great gun for the money. Mendoza did a good job on finish and mechanics.

Only shot about 400 rounds at this point but cant see any changes. I will add a peep sight later.

Several reviewers have mentioned dieseling already. It is becoming more infrequent.

The gun has a nice feel to it,well made,tight action.It is a little hard to cock but mine has a trigger pull of 1.8 lbs.I wasn't as good as Thom in the video shooting cans at 100',but I didn't miss a whole lot.Mine is the .22 cal.

If your going to change anything it's going to cost you more money,so here goes.Better rear sights for people who don't scope it.They're all right hand stocks,so an ambidextrous one.I'm a left hand shooter,but have no problem in handling it.A rifled barrel that's 3 in. longer for longer range,but that's just me.

When you buy, they offer a 10 for 10 package.Get it,they examine it and shoot it and will only send you a good one.I didn't get it because I was limited to $200. and by the time I got scope,pellets,I was at my limit.Ended up sending it back because of a burn mark on the checkering of the forearm from when the stock was made ,and that thing shot so nice.If there were 10 stars for customer service They deserve it,no lie.Wonderful people.Clean it before you use it and if you can,keep your rod and patches at your bench while breaking it in.It diesels a lot and put some patches through it after 3 -5 diesels to keep it accurate and clean.Make sure you have the right type of oil to use in and on it.Silicone.

Price, of course, but there is nothing cheap about the rifle. Time will tell, but it seems very well made. Accuracy so far is excellent. Have not chronographed it yet, but the advertised 700 fps for this .22 seems reasonable. Sights are fine, but I mounted a scope. Trigger is excellent as others have reported.

Nothing so far.

This is not a light gun--heavier than my CZ .22.

All metal and all wood. The stock is checkered and beautiful. Very well made. The price. Nice weight to it. This is an adult airgun.

Maybe a little better rear sight, but the stock sight is easy to adjust and accurate.

This rifle does take a bit of strenght to cock but gets a little easier with use. I bought it in .22 and it is awesome. Easily rips thru 3/4" pine boards. I also bought the Mendoza Diopter Sight but have not installed it yet because the stock sights are great. Don't hesitate to buy this one. This is made by Mendoza (Air Venturi) and they have othere models as well. Very well made.

Solid feel, excellent fit and finish, nice sights, Great trigger pull, very accurate and a great value.

Not a thing.

There may not be a better value on an air rifle.

This rifle is a lightweight powerhouse that delivers great accuracy. The trigger is a thing of beauty- mine breaks at 2 pounds even. Cocking is easy and belies the guns power. I mounted a Leapers 3X9 40MM on it after I removed the iron sights. After zeroing using exactly 4 rounds I was shooting one hole groups at 15 yards using RWS Superdome pellets. This gun is almost all metal and wood- Cool! Again- the two blade trigger is a marvel- can't say enough about it and how it aids accuracy- just touch it and Bullseye! The icing on the cake is that I got mine from Pyramyd for $118- a super deal for a gun that shoots as if it costs many times what I paid for it. Forgot to mention that mine is .22 caliber and hits with authority. Hands down this is the best airgun purchase I have ever made- especially considering the cost.

Not a darn thing!

If you purchase this gun you will be smiling, just like I am right now!

Fantastic apperance and workmanship. Love the ambient lighted sights, under many contitions they appear to glow as if battery powered. Wish my .22 and .44 open sight guns had this feature, (maybe I can add it with after market parts from Mendoza!). This gun would look like a huge deer rifle to anyone from 5-10 feet away, it is old fashion quality.

So far there is nothing I would change!

Well, this is my 2nd air gun (first one was when I was a teenager and it was a Benjamin pump up) and I am over 50 now. I am really into guns and have been all my life since growing up on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country, it comes second nature to you. I know guns and this one is a gem. I can hit anything from 10 ft to 75 yards and nail it dead center. I bought it just to do some plinking for fun during the week since I cant discharge a real gun in the city limits. This gun will be one of your favorites if you but it.

This Avenger 1100 is one of the best value on the market for a .22 cal. The power is surprising, and accuracy is dime on. It will diesel for about 500 shots or more and afterwards it just puts'em where want'em. The impact of the power compared to the tech force 99 is far better. Shooting into a catalog at 15 meters the Avenger 1100 will impact 25 more pages than the Tech Force 99 .22 cal. Don't get me wrong both rifles are fun to shoot, accurate and great value for the money, but the reality is the Avenger split 25 more pages in the catalog I shot into (did the test 3 different times). However, don't know if it matters, I have shot about a 1000 pellets through the Avenger and only about 200 in the Tech Force 99 so far. I've had my Avenger for about a two weeks now and my Tech Force 99 Premier about 5 days ( I should receive the Tech Force 89 Contender within the next 3 days). I am waiting on my Tech Force 89 Contender .22 cal to arrive and am anticipating comparing it to the Avenger as far as power (the accuracy can't get any better on my Avenger). All comparison was made shooting the .22 Super H Point 14.2 gr.

complimentary pellets and a scope would be nice ... hahahaah. i definitely want to put a scope on this baby!

Like I said, It will diesel for sometime (just as I was told by Scott that it would before I rec'd it) and it's a good ideal to clean the barrel after each 100 pellets. The gun is made for adults who practice safety in high power air rifles.

Accuracy and feel. Gun feels well balanced and accuracy is one of the best that I've seen with a spring gun. Has a pretty good kick, but it doesn't seem to throw you off target.

Pellets fit too loosely in chamber. Seems awkward to cock. Hard to lock barrel back after cocking. Safety is extremely hard to disengage.

Requires some good effort to cock. Strap would be nice, 'cause it gets heavy after a bit. Beeman pellets seem to work well in the gun, especially the Kodiak Extra Heavy.

construction top notch...very accurate and powerful...with a winchester 9 x 32 scope installed and zeroed in this rifle will consistantly hit cans at 50 yards no problem...perfect solution for my starling problem

nothing

The best air rifle I've ever had. Perfect trigger.

Cheap plastic sights. Front one is acceptable, but the rear is a bad joke.

Replace the rear sight with anything you can afford; Mendoza sells good ones for $20 and above.

This is an updated review. I like the accuracy of this gun even more now that I have found the right pellet.

Nothing

After reading reviews of the Avenger and other Mendoza rifles, Ilearned that these guns prefer fatter .22 pellets. That's why when you watch Paul's video review you'll notice that he gets higher velocities with the heavier pellet. The heavier pellet in his test had a better seal in the barrel. Based on one of the recommendations I tried the RWS 14.2 grain Super-H-Point pellet. The barrel stopped smoking with the RWS pellets and groups became much more accurate and consistent. I don't have a chrony, but I wouldn't be surprised if velocities increased. If you're experiencing a lot of dieseling, detonations or more than one "flier" in 20 shots, then try the Super-H-Point or other "fat" .22 pellets.

It looks good and shoots great. I added a Leepers 3x9x50 to mine, installed and shipped in plastic case. First shot was fired from 20 yards into pop can, direct hit. Previously owned (and returned to other store) Gamo Shadow Sport would only make that shot about 20% of my attempts. I fired the GAMO every day for over a week and was never happy with it. The first day and every day with the Avenger is a delight. I will try to sight it in better after I empty another tin, but I'm not sure it's needed. From 25 yards I aim about two clicks high, and as I step back towards 50 yards I lower the crosshairs slightly. Horizontal accuracy is not an issue, and at 50 yards I aim dead-center and it delivers. It's a joy to put a .22 pellet cleanly in the bullseye at that range. My 9 year old son shoots a .22 Benjamin air rifle, open sights, that is youth sized. Last weekend we had a ton of fun blasting away from 30 yards at water balloons and ancient pop cans (still full, not empties!) from grandmas forgotten stockpile. My rifle came with a tag that showed the fps at 983 and trigger pull at 1.21 lbs, from Mendoza. The power is great and the trigger is smooth and light. I also enjoy the automatic safety that engages when the gun is cocked. What I like the most is the accuracy. I can't speak to grouping size, that's not my style. I will say that within 50 yards any target the size of a baseball or bigger is in trouble.

Nothing, really. It does take some muscle to cock the rifle, but that is expected at this power level and I consider it a safety feature. My children are trained in the handling of guns and knives, but I still won't leave this for them to use unattended. I did purchase a trigger lock, but the fact that neither of them can cock the rifle only adds to the safety of the rifle. Breakbarrel cocking with a bolt-action to chamber the next pellet, does anything like that exist? Maybe with a 5 or 10 shot clip? Seriously, this gun is a solid performer, as the local skunk, starling, and magpie populations are aware.

Do your homework, research different rifles until you settle on one or two. Then use different websites to compare all the reviews you can find to help you make a wise purchase. I bought my first (and last) GAMO at a local store on a whim and learned the hard way. After getting frustrated I checked the reviews and discovered countless others were just as frustrated with the same issues. Had I done my homework I never would have made that purchase. I did my research and am very satisfied with my Avenger.

accuracy

put out the real information about the FPS

this gun gets no where near the speeds they say, I Chrony mine today and with Polymag 16gr was getting on avg of 551 fps, Diabolo Exacts 562 fps this is in the .22 cal. I'm not sure if its my gun or just the hipe for the 950 fps