2008 October | AirGuns

October 30, 2008

Tech Force 6-24×40: Now in a Mil-dot!

Filed under: Air Guns, Airgun, Tech Force — admin @ 4:03 pm

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Back in February of this year I did a review on the Tech Force 6-24×40 scope. Tech Force has since added another feature to this scope that is sure to please many shooters…..a mil-dot reticle.

Mil-dots are useful for compensation without adjusting the reticle by using the adjusting knobs. For hunters in windy conditions, simply compensate by using the mil-dots to the left and right for windage, or up and down for range adjustments. Practice with the scope helps the shooter determine how far away an animal is, and how to aim accordingly.

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As you can see, the 6-24×40 MD scope is a long unit, well over 15″ long. I mounted this sample on a TF-78 that I converted to PCP, and spent a portion of my afternoon sending Beeman Kodiaks downrange to my heart’s content. The scope’s reticle held firm, as I knew it would on this very light recoiling airgun. But if you refer to my February article, I mounted the previous model on my RX-2 for recoil evaluation, and after hundreds of shots, it held up just fine.

On high power, the light gathering capabilities were scaled back quite a bit, but remember that this scope is a budget scope, coming in at less than $100. It has the same features of the non-mildot version, in fact being listed as the same scope with an option for you to choose as to which reticle you want to receive.

The adjustment knobs are set at 1/8″, not 1/4″ @ 100 yards. This allows finer settings to be achieved for precise target work.

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One of the features that is becoming more scarce is the metal objective covers. This is a feature from years ago that is still available on many Tech Force scopes, and the added protection from dust and accidental damage to the lenses is a welcome addition in my book. Screw the covers on, place the gun in storage, and expect a dust-free lens the next time you pull the scope out to use it. Great for traveling or storage necessities.

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So if you are looking for a budget scope with the features you desire, take a look at the the Tech Force 6-24×40 MD, or any of the other Tech Force scopes. They all deliver to the budget-minded shooter!

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October 25, 2008

Airgunners are Funny Folks

Filed under: Air Guns, Air Rifles — admin @ 4:02 pm

Airgunners are funny folks. You just have to face the fact that anyone you see who is dedicated to shooting airguns is going to be an odd bird in some form or fashion!

Consider for a minute….an airgunner is someone who enjoys shooting, in one form or another, with a low-powered instrument that, compared to a firearm, is considered a toy by much of the American public. However, you will often find that the airgunner is someone who can do things with an airgun that many firearm owners wish they could do with their firearm!

For instance, airguns in competition have an enviable reputation for accuracy….so much so that micrometers are needed in order to determine the winners of some competitions! That’s accuracy! And the guns they use easily outstrip the price and quality of construction of almost all firearms! Just go shopping for some Olympic-grade airguns if you don’t believe me!

Another type of airgunner is the hunter, like me. Here you have a group of oddballs that purposely handicap themselves in the pursuit of their quarry. Instead of using a firearm that would allow them to shoot further, and with more power, they opt for lower-powered weapons and a limited range in comparison to firearms. It would be truthful to say that it is more about the hunt than the kill for the airgun hunter. We have a lot in common with bowhunters in that regards!

Then you have the airgun modders who fiddle and fuss with every variable you can find to improve the function and looks of their airgun! Those guys and girls will take a true sow’s ear of a gun and polish on it, tweak the guts and hand-make parts in order to squeeze 15 more fps out of a given gun! And they love doing it! Airgun modders are a unique subset of the airgun fraternity, and some of them have come up with some really neat modifications that have been noticed by the airgun manufacturers themselves. It’s amazing to see home-shop remedies making their way into the finished product of companies like Crosman, one of America’s premiere airgun manufacturers.

There are home-based airgun makers, as well. They offer limited numbers of their products, but almost all of them are hard-sought after for their input, opinion, and quality of the product they make. Some are done by hand, others on ancient machinery, and still others in CNC lathes. But the common thread is the dedication they have to the products they make and offer. And they are some of the best stuff out there, trust me!

Many airgunners turn to airguns for logistical reasons. One can shoot in their backyard any time of day instead of having to load up and go to the local firing range. Others like the less-expensive of shooting airguns, as well as the lessened legal ramifications of shooting an airgun in some populated areas.

You’ll also find airgunners who like to be “nerdy” in their approach to shooting…..graphs, power calculations, and extensive explanations as to why they do things the way they do. Hidden in all their testing is a lot of knowledge that many of us would do well to heed!

So if you know an airgunner, or perhaps are one yourself, enjoy your uniqueness. You are in good company, and you can find a lot more company on the web by hanging out at certain forums. Do a search sometime and begin to add your experience to the knowledge base of airgunners the world over!

To jump in and shoot more often with airguns and shooting supplies, check out Compasseco’s website for guns, ammo, and all your airgun needs!

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October 20, 2008

Squirrel Season in Full Swing

Filed under: Air Guns — admin @ 4:01 pm

The Kentucky squirrel season is in full swing now. And the airguns I’m using are new to me in that I’ve not used them for squirrel hunting before. However, that said, they are both excellent candidates for the pursuit of small game.

The first airgun that I used this season is the Gamo Whisper in .22 caliber. In fact, the previous post on this blog is about the Gamo Whisper, so I will direct you to it for further info on the gun and its behavior. Shooting pellets from 600-750 fps, depending on the weight of the pellet, you get sufficient power for small game hunting out to 40 yards or so. My brief hunts with this gun so far haven’t netted me any squirrels, but that is because I didn’t see any or was not able to take a shot because of the still-thick leafy covering on the trees. However, as the season progresses, I will be able to tag one or two I’m sure.

The second gun I’ve used is the Walther Falcon Hunter in .22 caliber. This gun is also available in .25 caliber, but the perverse game laws in Kentucky have, for some reason, eliminated the .25 caliber as a small game caliber for airguns. I’m working on getting that changed, and hope to address the problem soon.

That said, I did receive a .22 caliber Walther Falcon Hunter, and find it a suitable gun for small game as well. It is a long gun, topping out at over 4′ in length, just under 49″. The spring is robust and delivers good energy for small game hunting. On a recent hunt, I was able to pop two grey squirrels, one at 25 yards, and the second at 40 yards. I was pleasantly surprised at finding out the pellets went through each of the squirrels with no problem, and the accuracy was quite good.

I will be doing a more in-depth review of the Falcon Hunter from Walther before long. I’m still using it during the squirrel season, and may fiddle with the powerplant on it by converting it to a gasram just for giggles to compare against the spring-piston version. I’ll let you know how that comes out in the end.

So if you are hunting small game, take a look at these two candidates that I’ve been using. They work well, deliver adequate power and accuracy, and my frying pan is appreciative of the efforts these two guns put out to keep it filled with tender squirrel meat during this hunting season.

Gamo Whisper – $224.95
Walther Falcon Hunter – $249.95

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October 2, 2008

Gamo Whisper: The .22 Caliber Version

Filed under: Air Guns, Airgun, Gamo — admin @ 3:56 pm

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Gamo has made the Gamo Whisper available to the market in .177 for a season now, and the .22 caliber version shares the exact same look and powerplant. Of course, with the heavier and larger pellet, the .22 version delivers more FPE with less velocity, a simple matter of a larger projectile making the difference.

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Sporting the same features as its .177 caliber little brother, the .22 is well-suited for small game hunting and pesting. I consider it a better choice for larger small game such as the groundhog and possum. I shot one of the last pears that was hanging in my tree out back with a JSB Predator pellet. The result was dramatic, the hollow-point, polymer-tipped pellet making shambles of the pear, blowing out the back side with malice afore-thought! This kind of performance from a well-designed pellet is exceptional for taking small game. The JSB Predators were also humming along at an average pace of 667 fps from a 5-shot sampling. Below is a pic of one of the JSB chrony test shots.

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The other pellets used in the velocity and accuracy testing were: Crosman Premiers, RWS Superdomes, Gamo Hunters, and Beeman Kodiaks. Each was adequate for aluminum can blasting, but I received the best accuracy from the RWS Superdomes, followed by the Gamo Hunters and CP’s. The Kodiaks were also accurate, but were edged out by a small margin.

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The velocity results were as follows:

Crosman Premiers : 714 fps
RWS Superdomes: 725 fps
Gamo Hunters: 696 fps
Beeman Kodiaks: 547 fps
JSB Predators: 667 fps

The Whisper, true to its name, sports the same sound-reduction muzzle that has been reported to reduce the sound produced during firing by up to 52% or so. This is hard to tell from the shooter’s perspective since the action of the gun is still right beside the ear, and the perceived noise, for the shooter, remains the same as most other spring-piston airguns. However, a decibel meter placed at the muzzle during firing will show a sound reduction, according to some published and viewed testing procedures on some noted hunting shows on the outdoor channels that are available on my cable subscription. I am unable to reproduce this test at my humble testing facility (my backyard), so will accept the results given.

The gun I was sent came with a Gamo scope and single-piece mount that remained snug during the testing session. The scope works well, and I was able to reliably swing the ram, goat, pig and chicken that serve as metal test-subjects in my backyard without any problem with the more accurate pellets.

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If you elect not to use a scope with this gun, you will find a very nice fiber-optic rear sight, and a hooded front sight that works just fine for those of you who still have vision up to the task!

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The trigger and safety of the .22 caliber Gamo Whisper are the usual Gamo setup, with the safety in front of the trigger, both inside the trigger guard. This is a simple but effective setup that works well and allows the shooter to work the safety and trigger with one finger.

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For $224.95 you get a weather resistant stock, fiber-optic sights, and a scope and one-piece mount. Couple this with the accuracy I achieved in the testing procedure, and you have an economical pest control and small game rifle. Or, if you don’t hunt, a more neighbor-friendly, backyard plinking gun that will roll a can for all it is worth!

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