Airgun Depot's Airsenal News

A couple of years ago I stumbled into a gun shop that had, seemingly, almost everything a person could want.....magazines, fishing gear, guns, ammo, stocks, casting equipment.....and a large amount of "stuff" that defies description. But what I found interesting was that there were old airguns hanging unnoticed by the customers in the rafters.

I spent a good half-hour looking around the place, then asked one of the workers for a ladder. I spent several more minutes climbing up and bringing down treasure after treasure that no one else wanted. I found a Crosman Town & Country, a Crosman 114, a Crosman 600, and several Benjamin rifles of various models that were very reasonable in price. I also found a Crosman 112 with a box and an original CO2 tank. Those are getting a little harder to find these days.

Imagine, finding a Crosman 600 in rough condition for $19.95! Even in rough condition, it was worth over $100 to an online bidder who bought it from me. And the Crosman 114 had a beautiful maple stock under the gunk, and you could see the tiger striping showing through. That one didn't last long either! It was snatched up by a collector soon after I offered it for sale.

The gun I kept, though, is one I still have today. It is a Crosman 101 Silent Model, made in 1939, in .22 caliber. I had Dave Gunter recondition it, and though it isn't the prettiest rifle in my collection, it is one of the most reliable. It is 70 years old this year, and it still takes squirrels with regularity. I pump it up, load it, and it does its job with an ease that is astonishing. No recoil, easy to pump, made of metal and wood with hard rubber forearm, and a brass barrel that won't rust....what's not to like?

The airguns from yesteryear have a time-honored place in our shooting history. I have heard that in WWII, many of our radio operators stationed on enemy-held islands were using airguns to kill food since the report was much quieter. Our anti-aircraft crews were often trained on bb-gun versions of the real thing. And there were even bigbore airguns developed by the resistance in occupied Europe that fired a healthy-sized slug, around .40 caliber, as they fought against the Nazis.

Lewis and Clark carried an airgun on their expedition, and some of their journal has references to its use with the Indians as a means of impressing the tribes they met along the way. The Austrian Army used airguns in the early days of the Napoleanic wars, though there isn't any evidence that they were used in actual combat. Lots of rumors have sprung up around the Austrian "Girandoni" rifle, and there are arguments that a copy of that rifle is the one that Lewis and Clark carried.

Enjoying the newest and best of airguns is a wonderful pastime, but don't overlook those classic rifles that paved the way for todays guns. And when you find a real gem of a classic, consider keeping it in good condition and letting its history become part of your love of airguns. You will find the workmanship every bit as good, and more often than not, better than today's offerings of airgun. The technology behind them may be old, but they don't seem to know it! 

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Back in June of this year, I posted a brief entry about the up-and-coming Crosman NPSS break-barrel rifle that was due out very shortly. Since then I have procured my own sample, and would like to share a brief hunt and some observations of this new offering from Crosman.

As mentioned in the other post, the NPSS comes in two flavors....and being a hunter, I opted for the camo version since that suits my needs. The gun is handsome, handles well, and the synthetic stock feels different than just about any other synthetic stock I've sampled in the airgun world. It isn't hard plastic, but rather offers a subtler feel, one that is pleasing. I guess I would describe it as "softer" than the run-of-the-mill synthetic stock.

The NPSS comes in both .177 and .22, so I requested a .22 version. The claims of the manufacturer are valid in regards to the velocity it provides, and the accuracy is excellent. I've been quite pleased with the inexpensive Crosman Hollow Point pellets out of this gun, and they have proved accurate and deadly on small game like squirrel and rabbits.

Today's hunt was brief as I had just a few moments free in the afternoon. I headed out my door and didn't have to go far before I spied a fox squirrel going about his business in a large maple tree not too far from my house. I was able to get within 25 yards of him before he decided I was something to pay attention to and headed up higher before laying out on a branch to see what I was up to. My NPSS came with a Centerpoint scope that does an excellent job, and I settled the crosshairs on the squirrel's noggin before squeezing the trigger.

My shot was a little off, and I had to put another pellet into the squirrel before I had him in hand, but the performance of the NPSS was all I could ask for. An advantage it gives me is that I can cock it as I begin the hunt, and not worry about spring fatigue because it doesn't have one! The  power-plant  for this gun is a gas-filled (nitrogen) piston that compresses a column of gas when cocked. There is no spring to get kinked or to take a set over time, and the shot cycle is much more accomodating to the shooter than some of the buzz and twang that can come from a spring-piston gun that isn't worn in yet.

Here's a pic of the single squirrel I got today:

For half the price of a European-made gas ram equipped rifle, you will get performance that serves by far the majority of shooters these days. The gun is handsome, tactile in feel, and delivers in performance. Give this one a look as you select your plinking and small game rifle. You will be pleased with Crosman's newest, and first, gas piston rifle.

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The American Airgun Field Target Association recently held their National Match, and I wanted to share the results with you.

Field Target is a growing sport, and you will have a wonderful time if you ever get the chance to compete in a match, no matter the size. However, the Nationals represent one of the best times that this sport has to offer.

Tony Inocentes recently posted a very well-written review of the competition, which he attended and participated in, ranking very well in the pistol competition. Here are some of the results of the competition:

Here you have the PCP class results:

 Next are the results from the Piston Class:

The Pistol Class also had several entries:

And the WFTF scores:

For a complete review of the match, please visit the following link and read up on the match, some of the characters and individuals that attend, and voice your thanks to Tony Inocentes for the great write-up he gave to those of us who couldn't attend! Thanks Tony!

AAFTA National Results and Review

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently I've been doing some shooting with the RWS 350 Magnum, one of the more powerful spring-piston air rifles available today. It comes in a variety of setups, with the standard wood stock, a synthetic stock version that features fiber-optic sights, and a carbine version with a straight, truly ambidextrous stock (the Feuerkraft Pro version). For this blog entry, I'll focus on the brief hunt I did with the standard version.

The RWS 350 weighs just over 8 lbs. without a scope, but the length of the gun balances nicely. The bluing is rich and uniform, and the logo shows the Goddess of the Hunt, Diana, throwing her bow and arrow down to take up the airgun! The barrel is right at 19.5" long, giving you some leverage for cocking such a powerful spring-piston airgun.

The forearm and pistol grip area feature pressed checkering, and on the model I reviewed, the 350 Magnum logo was branded into the wood on the right side. The safety is re-settable, so if you don't shoot immediately, you can reset the safety. You can also uncock the gun by breaking the barrel like you are going to cock it once again and pulling the trigger while maintaining a firm grip on the barrel. Ease the barrel back to the firing position, and you've uncocked it!

The fit and finish of the buttpad is excellent, giving the entire package a quality feel. You have a sense of solidness when you heft this rifle, and it gives you confidence when aiming at your quarry. The standard model features all-metal sights, with a hood over the standard front sight blade. It's very easy to aim with this gun's open sights, but if you prefer a scope, an 11mm rail is provided on the gun, complete with double stop pin holes already installed.

In .22 caliber, I was able to easily take squirrels with no problems as the pellets were heading down range at over 840+ fps. The factory rating for velocity is 900+, and with certain lighter pellets, this is easily within the power range for this air gun. I was shooting mid-weight pellets of 14-16 grains, and accuracy proved excellent. with most velocities coming in from 815 fps up to 865 fps. This will vary from pellet to pellet, especially with the differences in the skirts of the pellets. I've noticed that lighter-skirted pellets that fit snugly actually give higher velocities, I think in part due to the "flaring" effect of the skirt when the pulse of air hits the rear of the pellet.In any event, you are generating over 20 fpe with standard pellets, and some of the heavier ones will raise that to the mid-to-high 20's.

Now, on to the hunt. I got out for a brief morning this past week, and was able to sneak up on a big Eastern fox squirrel. These squirrels are much larger than the Eastern grey squirrel, and they can soak up some pellets if you don't hit them correctly. So I was trying my best to get as close as possible, but the cover was sparse between my target and my shooting position. I had to quit trying to play super-sneak at nearly 40 yards, so when I did "drop the hammer" on this squirrel, I did so with a body-shot in mind. Aiming at the front left leg, I touched off my shot. A loud "whap" told me I had made contact, but with open sights I wasn't sure just where. The squirrel turned in place and tried a magnificent leap to a distant branch, but never made it.

I had apparently hit the boiler room with my one shot, and the pellet made its way through the vitals to lodge near the rear of the squirrel. The power of this RWS 350 made the difference on this squirrel, as I have lost squirrels before to better-placed shots such as the head. But when a .22 pellet hits with the force generated by this airgun,  unless you totally missed the vitals, the target is going down!

There are some very fine rifles available for today's air gun hunter, but the RWS 350 ranks near the top of the selection in my book. Reasonably priced for the quality of package you receive, this gun will give years of satisfaction in the field and woods, and the RWS warranty is second-to-none on their merchandise. You can feel certain of the quality rifle you will receive when choosing the Model 350, and the service that comes with it will keep you happy for years to come!

Check out the RWS Model 350 at Airgun Depot today!

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Walther Talon Magnum is one of the newer offerings from Umarex USA, and this gun is a powerhouse. It has several nice features, so let's take a look at it.

First, the gun I'm testing is a .22 caliber version, though at the moment only the .177 caliber versions are available from Airgun Depot. That will probably change in the future, but I'm not sure of the availability of the .22 version right now.

Spring-piston airguns trade off power for ease of use due to the physics of involved with using a spring as a powerplant. It isn't always easy to get near 1000 fps with a .22 caliber springer unless you are using very light pelets. And if you do that, accuracy often suffers. However, using a quality pellet such as the RWS Superdome, I registered 980 fps in .22 caliber over my chronograph. From a spring-piston airgun, that is pretty fast! It is even faster than the advertised velocity, and we all know THAT doesn't happen very often! Now add in the inherent faster velocity that .177 caliber airguns give us, and the velocity will supercede the advertised number. Just remember that accuracy is more important than speed, and use a heavier pellet to keep the shot manageable for greater accuracy.

With that level of power comes the trade-off of a heavy cocking effort. The spring in this gun is stout, and the gun is a long one. This isn't a gun for children or shooters on the small side. You really have to reach out there to grab the end of the barrel in order to cock it! The recoil is stout, but not unmanageable.

One advantage this gun offers is an adjustable length of pull. You can change the inserts in the buttpad to lengthen or reduce the length of pull, giving you some amount of control in this area.



The front sight offer a TruGlo fiber-optic post that lines up well with the rear sight, which also features the TruGlo fiber-optics. This really helps in dim light if you are shooting early or late in the day, or in an area with less-than-perfect lighting.





The Walther Talon Magnum comes with a scope and mounts, but I found that you will need a good, stout mount to really hold the scope in place. There is an included scope-stop on the scope rail, and it helps some, but I would recommend a steel set of rings with some serious bite, not some of the cheaper aluminum mounts.



The safety is handily located at the rear of the action, just above the wrist grip of the trigger hand, similar to the RWS Model 34. I like that you can reset the safety without having to cock the gun again, a very useful feature in the woods if your target decides to be difficult and not hold still!



The firing behavior of this gun was, in a word, robust. Shooters who enjoy a really good hard "smack" on the target from their airgun will like this one. It is powerful, and that translates into recoil until the insides are massaged by constant shooting or a tuning session with someone who knows their way around the inside of one of these guns. Factories just don't take the time to hone and fit every part to the degree that some shooters demand, and to do so increases the cost for the consumer. So if you've been shooting a very sedate, 500-600 fps plinker, hold on to this gun the first time you shoot it, for it is definitely a different animal!

The stock on the Walther Talon Magnum is a synthetic stock, great for all-weather applications and much more able to withstand some of the knocks and scratches that some airguns get put through. For wandering around the field or woods, or for storage in the trunk, this stock will hold up better and be less prone to damage.

Squirrel season is open now here in Kentucky, and I hope to get out with this gun for a brief hunt before long. This will make a very good small game rifle, as it has the needed power for animals up to the size of a raccoon or fox.

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 07:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For some time there has been a rifle on the market that delivers exceptional power and accuracy, as well as the fast-feeding lever action mechanism that is so much a part of the American culture. That gun is the Sumatra 2500 Air Rifle.

As you can see, the Sumatra 2500 has the lever action that is so reminiscent of the Western-style guns like Winchester and Marlin, guns that are iconic in the world of firearms. This feature translates well into the Sumatra, allowing quick follow-up shots that would otherwise be slower to load and shoot.

When you purchase a Sumatra 2500, you'll get two 6-shot magazines. The magazines are metal, fit snugly in place, and allow the shooter to chamber different sized pellets without having to do any adjusting for the feed mechanism. They are deep enough that they handle the vast majority of pellets available for each caliber.

Another nice feature is the power-adjustment wheel that raises and lowers the power level to the desired setting. In the larger calibers of .22 and .25, a high-power setting is perfectly capable of taking coyotes and small hogs with correct bullet placement. Some airgun fans may disagree with that comment, but I know from personal experience just how deadly the Sumatra can be, and have also held conversations with other airgun hunters who have taken coyotes, bobcats, and hogs with this gun.

For small game hunting, you would be hard-pressed to find a more suitable gun. Both the front and rear sight are adjustable, but to really shine, place a scope on the 11mm rail and be amazed at the groups you can get, as well as the distance at which you can achieve them. When a killzone is 1" in diameter, such as on a squirrel or rabbit, then this airgun will settle all the problems that particular squirrel will ever have.....permanently!

The rifle version of the 2500 also provides a large reservoir of 380cc of air at a recommended pressure of 3000 psi. Depending on your power setting, you can get from 15 to 25 very good shots for hunting purposes, and for shorter range plinking sessions, you'll have even more available. With 13 positions on the power wheel, you have a lot of room for adjustment and fine-tuning of your shot count for the shooting you are doing that day.

I have done some hunting with this model in years past, and I can say from personal experience that I feel very confident when using this particular airgun. It's a solid gun, metal and wood, and the fine steel barrel provides very good accuracy. I tend to use heavier pellets when hunting, but have found that a little experimenting allows you to use several different kinds of pellets so that you aren't stuck with just the more expensive ones when all you want to do is plink.

Still selling for less than $500.00, the Sumatra deserves your attention for the uses described above. Available in .177 through .25 caliber, it has so many great features that you are bound to be pleased with your purchase.

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 07:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Randy Mitchell at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)