Black Arts Barrel Band System for Air Venturi Avenger

They seem to work

I don't know about replacing the original band with the barrel cradle. Is it needed??

The barrel band seems to work. I think my group tightened up. I think my misses (out of the group) may have been me, either pulling the trigger or my heart beat. I am going to keep them on the rifle as now when I pick it up I do not feel the barrel flex against my grip.

The Band and its function was an excellent idea. It was easy to determine how both pieces should be installed. I am still in process with optimum tuning, but I can easily place 10gr .177s under 1/2”, and quite a few at 1/4”, at 50yds, with tighter groupings.

I was able to speak to Black Arts about my original issue (see below). I do believe there should be a basic introduction and starting procedure for shot tuning using the band. There is clearly more to know than is known at the time of purchase. (Starting location and harmonics)

I purchased my Avenger with lipstick (ciracoated barrel housing).
Adding this increases the size of the shroud’s diameter making the band more of an interference fit, that can be problematic.
I would urge PA to advise Black Arts of expected diameter changes from the Ciracoating process and note this on the Barrel Band Ad as a pro-active step.
Black Arts was nothing less than spectacular with customer support.

Quality built and it makes the barrel solid.

There’s nothing you can change here. Tolerances from both manufacturers have to be solid. Doesn’t seem to be the case with the rifle. After being in several groups with the rifle there is definitely tolerance issues.

The owner of Black Art Designed is a honest step up to the plate real man. There was a fitment issue I contacted their customer support didn’t hear back I was very frustrated. I was able to work past it and get it installed (way to tight). 2 weeks later got an email asking how I liked it needless to say I let my frustrations out. The owner then called me and we had a personal conversation where he agreed it shouldn’t have been like that also where he took responsibility and apologized. I kept the product he kept the money. We are good so buy with confidence Black art design will do whatever it takes to make it right.

Great design, well manufactured, tightened my groups and gives the rifle a more solid feel.

I had a small issue with the original bushings being just a bit too snug. I contacted Black Arts, had an actual conversation, and in a few days I recieved not one, but three sets of bushings to help resolve the issue. Problem solved with fantastic customer service! Highly recommend this product and this company!

These replace the original 3-loop band which goes around the two air cylinders and the barrel shroud. The new lower band anchors the lower air cylinder to the lower picatinny rail mount. The new two-loop upper band locks the upper air cylinder to the barrel shroud. Supposedly this provides a steadier barrel because it isolates it from the front end stock piece, bi-pod, etc. Overall it looks neater. It also doesn't scratch your cylinder like the original band did. Even though there was nothing wrong with my Avenger's accuracy before I got these, I consider the design improvement a good value for the money. Black Arts Design seems like a terrific company.

Installation was not as easy as, say, mounting a scope. I recommend you save and print out the two pages of installation instructions from their website for reference while you work. No pictures were included in instructions but I was able to figure it out after reading it several times. Taking off the fore end stock halves was tricky and took me about 15 minutes because I was worried I'd break it. Once the screws are removed from both sides the front can snap open, then you slide the side pieces forward a bit to get them out from the trigger area. Pay careful attention to the screw re-tightening sequence instructions when you put it back together. The upper barrel band was very difficult to get over the barrel but once it was on it slid into place with some determined pushing. It all turned out well but I just wanted to let everyone know it takes some time and effort to do this. Be careful and follow the instructions to the letter.

Following their advice I shot a 10-round mag from my bench before I started, getting a dime-sized group on my backyard range target. My trusty Avenger has always been a tack driver. After the installing these new bands and before tightening the upper barrel band I went out to shoot again and found the shots were going a couple of inches to the right. A little twisting of that upper band re-zeroed everything. Tightened it all down and shot a few more mags. I'm still shooting dime-sized groups. I didn't see a marked improvement. These might make a difference at much longer ranges or with heavier ammo than I typically shoot. The entire testing, disassembly, installation, reassembly, re-testing, and adjustment before final tightening process took me a couple of hours but I wasn't in a hurry. If you are willing to take your rifle apart you can do this. I'm happy I bought them as they improve on the original design but I didn't see a dramatic improvement in accuracy.