Stoeger Arms A30 S2 Air Rifle Combo

Scope is still accurate.

Ended up tossing this weapon. Absolutely no consistently. Still using optic on other weapon. Don't waste money on this gun. Just buy a Prowler same power only accurate.

Yes it is true that people new to airguns do tend to buy in the lower price range and these guns have throw away scopes for the most part, but to characterize those peoples complaints about a product not living up to being usable out of the box as "unfair" is well unfair. Just because we as customers have become complacent with the manufacturers who seem not to care at all about the quality of the products or the customers who buy them. Most adults who like air guns claim to dislike that most people see them as toys and the more expensive ones as toys for people with a lot of disposable income and yet i keep seeing the kind of attitude that supports that impression. I will be happy to change my opinion about the air rifles that need work out of the box the day they start stamping "KIT" in big red letters on the boxes and in the descriptions. Until this happens every person who buys an air rifle no matter the cost should get a working product in the box that meet the expectations shown.

Interesting about the leak. These gas/nitro deals of various brands do leak regardless of what anyone says, and they do it in a variety of ways, but your story of working fine then suddenly draining is a new one to me. Interesting... I have no doubt Stoeger will fix it, but in the future after warranty you would need to do it yourself. I haven't seen a Stoeger gas spring but I'd bet it's the same as a Crosman or close enough that a Crosman will work since they are more or less the same base gun. I say this because Crosman sells parts, and cheap, other mfgs either don't sell parts, or they're difficult to get and/or are expensive. If for example you have to pay shipping to return the gun I believe just buying a new Crosman spring would be cheaper/easier/faster. My guess would be the ATAC and this are one in the same, but you say no? The 790fps with 14.3gr is outstanding btw, I hope they repair your gun, not exchange it! Let us know how they handled this prob.

Just an update. The gas piston just went out on my A30 S2. It is less than 90 days old so we'll see how Stoeger takes care of me. I don't know if anyone else experienced this? In between shots I sat down the gun, not cocked, and I heard air escaping from the gun. Very unusual!! From that point the gun would not cock or engage. The piston chamber appeared deflated.

Just an update..I have over 500 pellets through this now and I have to say the JSB 18.13 gr seem to have edged out the 14.35 gr. They grouping is slightly tighter but either pellet will work well.

The trigger is the same as the Crosman/Benjamin everyone has been complaining about. The fix is either an aftermarket trigger, which is rather expensive imo, or a do it yourself mod which is free or cheap. There are various ways to mod it depending on your skills and tool collection. The most common being the washer or bearing mod, google it. A similar mod that is better but no washer etc req'd. I prefer to drill/tap and add a screw to make it function like the aftermarket units, then do some other mods to make it even better. chevota at hotmail if you want how-to info w/ pix on that and some other mods.

First of all, when I hear or read the word "can't", red flags go up. I use a simple front bag rest for shooting my Diana 48 and 350 with great results. So to say you can't use a rifle rest with springers makes you the idiot. I have been a member of the GTA forum for about 7 years and am well aware of the almost reverent orthodoxy regarding the "artillery hold". You'll also find many, many members there find that it either does not work for them or they use some variation of it. The particular rest that Alan mentions has a Vee in which to rest the forearm of the rifle. As mentioned above a hard rest can cause problems. However, resting directly on a bag can work if done properly. The idea that the rifle must rest on your hand is a red herring. Experimentation with different holds will eventually yield good results if you are persistent. Good luck

Todd's post is as if I wrote it myself :) Also I'd add that the barrel has some play in it, you can wiggle it and see. Making some snug fitting side/pivot washers will more or less fix that. Another is parallax error, so adj that as needed. If you want details on how to do that stuff I have it, including other fixes/tuning; chevota at hotmail

James was harsh but he's correct to a point. The real problem is a hard rest, or any hard surface can throw the shot. How soft it needs to be varies but softer is usually better. A folded up towel or something should fix it, but then your poi may change when shooting without the rest. Ideally you should hold it with your hands just as you would without a rest, then use the rest to support your wrist so the gun doesn't know the difference. The reason is the gun jumps before the pellet leaves the barrel, so any change in the jump can change the poi. If you have a 177 I'd try 10.34 JSB, 10.5gr Barracuda Match and Crosman 10.5gr are good quality and the weight is excellent for accuracy in springers in this power range. Lighter down to 7.9gr often work fine, heavier usually not so well. If 22 then 14.3gr to 18.1 JSB is what I suggest, but the problem is the heavier are often too slow so I stick with the 14.3. JSB, Crosman Premier and H&N are what I'd try. You might also try tuning the gun.

Don't lend him "your" spell check. You're too critical of the grammar.

That's a pretty inappropriate comment to this review. You should refrain from commenting here if you can't do so in a respectful manner. Research the artillery hold and see if that doesn't help. Also, use the same spot on your bags and on the rifle. That will help when shooting from a rest. Try different ammo as well. I have some ammo that only shoots well out of one particular rifle. Other ammo does fine in several, but isn't awesome in any. Check the stock screws and make sure the scope isn't physically moving. The Weaver rails should keep the scope movement from being a problem. My stock screws were loose on my Stoeger X20s.

Your an idiot. You can't use a rifle rest with springers. Please don't post reviews unless you know what you are doing. It throws off the review average and makes it tougher for the rest of us to search through different rifles. Also, please use spell check. Thanks