Avenger 1100

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.