Tech Force Contender 87: Part 2

As promised, I'm back with another entry on the Contender 87 from Tech Force. You saw in the first report the aesthetics of the gun, how it looks, and a little about the power of the gun with the posted chronograph results using 3 different types of pellets.

But is it an accurate gun?

I mentioned mounting a scope on it, and I did. The scope rails on this gun are just barely too short to mount a 4-screw 1-piece mount with the factory scope stop installed, so I removed it and depended on the gripping power of the mount to keep the scope in place. So far, it hasnt' moved. Using a 3-9x40 scope, I set about shooting for some groups.

My shooting style for testing isn't like some reviewers.....I usually go for real-world conditions where I'm leaning up against a post or tree, or sitting down shooting off my knees. That's the kind of accuracy I'm interested in since in the field, that's how I shoot. There's nothing wrong with a bench-rested group, but it is simply not the way I test guns.

The first pellets I shot for accuracy were the RWS Superdomes. The Superdomes almost always give me decent results in most any gun I try them in.....but not today. They provided by far the worst groups from the Contender 87, which surprised me. However, I write it as I see it, so here's a pic of the groups I got at only 20 yards with the RWS Superdomes:



As you can see, that group isn't anything to write home about....in fact, it is dismal at only 20 yards. A pattern of nearly 2" takes a gun out of contention when trying to hit the head of a squirrel, or working towards beating your friends at target shooting. But I forged on ahead with some other pellets, and the results did improve.

The next pellet test was with the Chinese domes that are a good bet in many guns. They are uniform pellets, weigh just over 8 grains, and provide excellent groups from the QB-78 CO2 gun from the same manufacturer. The groups with this pellet did improve, but still weren't what I was looking for from my test gun. Here's a pic of the group:



The third option I tested were the heavier Beeman Kodiaks. These pellets provide lots of knockdown in a .177 pellet, and from the last report you see they are still doing over 900 fps from this powerhouse. And they proved to be the most accurate as well. The little circle you see drawn on the box is the circumference of a penny, and I was aiming at the center of the circle each time. As you can see, the Kodiaks did much better than the other two pellets I tested, and I suspect that the heavier the pellet, the better this gun will like it. Here's a couple of pics:



You can cover this group with a penny!



Now that is more like it! That is squirrel-killing accuracy, and I'm certain as the gun wears in, the accuracy will improve. I would love to put about 1000 rounds through this gun and see how the accuracy changes as the gun wears in and the parts all begin to mesh appropriately.

Another nice option on the Contender 87 is the adjustable trigger. I fiddled with the sear engagement somewhat, and lessened the weight needed to fire the gun. It will take some more experimenting, but the trigger IS adjustable, and this will help you, as the owner, to get it shooting the way you want it to.

Now is there a downside to this gun? Well....maybe. It IS heavy. With a good-sized scope on it, you're pushing over 10 lbs here, and this is a handful in the woods for a day's hunt. But if you are shooting targets or competition, that weight can be in your favor. Most FT guns that I've seen would not be suitable for carrying around, and the heavier the gun, the steadier the shooter can be. So the size and weight of the Contender 87 aren't a bad thing depending on the uses you have planned. As a hunter, if I'm going on a short hunt, or shooting pests, it would be a good candidate. If I'm heading out for an all-day hike with an airgun, I'll choose something lighter for the long haul.

At $189.95, you are getting a well-made, solid piece of shooting machinery for your money. It looks good, shoots good with the heavier pellets, and feels solid in your hands. So spend your money wisely, and enjoy the Tech Force Contender 87.

The New Tech Force Contender 87: Part 1

The Tech Force Contender 87 is a handsome gun, and quite the handful as well. Weighing in a 9 lbs. without a scope, this gun isn't for the small of frame or child-sized shooter. Lengthwise it measures out at 47", and requires an adult-sized shooter to handle comfortably.

The stained-wood finish is nice and even, and the fit of the stock to the action is much above average. The butt pad of the gun also has been well-fitted to the rear of the stock, and provides a nice soft shoulder rest.



Fresh out of the box, you can easily see the fine finish on the metalwork. Though not the deep, rich blueing of a European gun, the oxidized finish is even and deep, with the logo of the gun embossed just behind the breech opening of the action.



The pressed checkering of the gun is positioned on the grip and forearm of the gun. It works well to provide a tactile surface if you are shooting in damp conditions or have sweaty palms on a hot day.





A scope rail is provided for mounting a scope, with a factory-installed scope stop to aid in keeping your scope mount from creeping away on you. Part 2 of our report on the Contender 87 will feature shooting results while scoped.

The factory open-sights feature fiber-optic inserts, green at the rear sight and red at the front site. Lining up on your target is quick and easy with this arrangement, and plinking is a breeze with the open sights.





The cocking mechanism of this gun is, of course, the underlever style. Once you've brought the arm all the way down to open the breech, a beartrap safety device engages and locks it into place. In the trigger group you will find the release for this safety feature at the front of the trigger group. Pull this back and the cocking lever can be returned to firing position. The safety is located between the beartrap release and the trigger. All three, the beartrap safety release, the safety, and the trigger are easily accessible with your finger inside the trigger guard.



Now, if you look at the stats on the description page of the Contender 87, you'll see it claims that the velocity is near 1100 fps with .177 caliber pellets. And they aren't kidding, either! Look at the figures below on the three pellets I tested today.


Beeman Kodiaks - 917 fps


Chinese Domes - 1057 fps


RWS Superdomes - 1082


The above pellets are not the lightest you'll find, rather they are of average weight except for the Beeman Kodiaks. And if you do your math, you'll find foot-pound energy (fpe) levels that prove this gun has the power to deliver in the field!

In part 2 of our report, we'll mount a scope, shoot some groups, and play with the trigger just a little bit. But you can already see that for $189.95, you'll get a lot of gun for your hard-earned money. So stay tuned for the rest of the report coming in the next few days.

Can you hunt with a pistol? And should you?

By far, the most popular hunting tool in the world is the rifle, and this holds true for the airgun hunter as well. It provides ease of use, a steady platform, and a longer sight plane for the beginning and intermediate hunter.

However, if you hunt often, the day may come when bagging your game, though still exciting, becomes almost predictable. When that happens, many hunters lose their sense of excitement, or try and up the challenge level by extending their range at which they will take shots.

Another way to increase the enjoyment of the hunt is to switch gear, and to try something a little different. If nailing your prey with a rifle has gained some yawn factor, then consider using a pistol to up the challenge.

I went hunting this morning with a little gem of a pistol called the LD. The LD pistol is the brainchild of Larry Durham, and is a custom rig that is phenomenal in its accuracy and shoot-ability. In .22 caliber, this gun is very suitable for small game and pests. The squirrel I shot this morning was shot at over 25 yards.....with a pistol!

Other guns that provide the needed power for pistol-based hunting are the RWS 5G Magnum, Beeman's P1, the Benjamin HB series, Crosman's 1377 and 2240, the Evanix pistols, some Brocock pistols, and of course the custom high-power pistols of individual makers, some of which are hard to find! This isn't an exhaustive list by any means, but gives you an idea of what is out there for consideration.


The Benjamin Sheridan HB Series Pistol

Mastering the hunt with a pistol often requires more patience, more practice, and a willingness to pass on shots that you would have certainly taken with a rifle. But if you go into the pistol hunt with the right attitude, it becomes an enormous amount of fun.....after all, hunting with an airgun is just like bowhunting....it's about how close you can get, not how far you can shoot!

For sighting aids, many hunters opt for better optics on their pistols. You need a long eye-relief scope for most pistol applications, though some folks enjoy holding the pistol closer and can use a rifle-type eye-relief. Others like the electronic red-dots, and I've used them before myself with good success. It really is a judgment call on your part as to what you enjoy using the most and feel the most comfortable with.


Tech Force's economical red dot sight

So if you want a challenge, or are getting close to the edge of boredom with rifles, then try a pistol for your next hunt. They are fun, adequate, and easy to pack around in the field.

The Tech Force 89 Contender: Now With a Gasram!

Compasseco has been carrying their Model 89 Contender for several months now, and the gun is a good seller for them. And now, Compasseco has upgraded the TF-89 with the addition of an optional gasram for the powerplant.

Before addressing the powerplant, let's review the features of the Contender 89. First, be sure to note the attractive and functional pressed checkering on the forearm and grip area. The stock on the '89 is one of the nicer ones available on the Chinese guns today.



Next, the muzzlebrake and rear sights are metal, and fiber optic aids help the shooter stay on target.





The trigger group includes the safety immediately in front of the trigger, close at hand and easy to reach.



The Tech Force Contender 89 is a big gun, and meant for an adult. The cocking action of the gasram option powerplant is easier than the spring version, and makes this behemoth a very pleasant gun to shoot. I had no trouble whatsoever keeping my target in the field of view while using a scope, something that cannot be said of all guns in this power category.

I chronied the Tech Force Wadcutter pellets in .177 caliber, as well as some RWS Superdomes. Both patterned decently, with the Superdomes edging out the Tech Force pellets in the accuracy department. Here are some pics of the chronograph results of each pellet:


This is the Tech Force Wadcutter chronograph reading


This is the RWS Superdome chronograph reading

With the Superdome pellets, I was just over 17 fpe, and in a .177 gun, that's some pretty good power. During the testing of this gun, a foolish birdfeeder squirrel got too close, and at just over 35 yards, this TF 89 Contender, with its new gasram powerplant, put a RWS Superdome pellet all the way through him!



For taming those harder shooting breakbarrel airguns, consider the gasram powerplant. And now that the Contender 89 comes with a gasram, put it on your list of powerful rifles that are fun to shoot!

What would you like to see on the blog?

Just a quick note to gather your thoughts on what kind of reviews and articles you would like to see here on Compasseco's Pneumatic Pnews Airgun Blog.

What we've got coming up is a review on the TF-89 Contender that has a gasram installed in it. It should be the very next review after this one, and I'm looking forward to sharing my findings about it with you.

The hunting season is getting into swing with the early opening of squirrel season here in the midwest, so expect some more hunting articles soon.

Just a reminder that one of the best ways to keep up with all the new stuff that Compasseco has coming is to subscribe to their mailing list. They don't share it with anyone, and you will receive timely updates on new products, special sales, and other news that benefits you, the airgun consumer.

Compasseco has started posting used guns, scopes, and mounts on a special page located here:

Used Guns/Scopes/Mounts

You'll find items that are in good working condition, but at a bargain price. There are several items there at the moment, including a Rohm Twinmaster pistol at a bargain price. That isn't a common item at Compasseco, and the price makes it a must have for the pistol shooter in our midst.

But as our post this week started out, please share with us what you would like to see on the blog. Do you want more ammo articles, more reviews, stories, or perhaps an article on the latest big thing to hit the airgun world? If you'll let us know, we'll do our best to provide interesting and useful news for you to enjoy.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I look forward to hearing from you about your interests in the great sport of airgunning.

Benjamin Marauder Takes on the Prairie Dogs

From time to time, as I browse the internet in search of enjoyable airgun-related material, I find a really good post. This post I'm going to link you to also happens to reference one of the most affordable PCP airguns made in American, one that is fast garnering a loyal following both here in America and abroad.

I am, of course, referring to the Benjamin Marauder, from Crosman. I've written about this gun before, and have enjoyed hunting with it myself during the spring squirrel season here in Kentucky. But this article takes us out west to where the ranges are extended, and proves that the Benjamin Marauder can hold its own with the higher priced PCP's that are out there.

Here's the link:

Marauder vs Prairie Dogs

Enjoy this article from www.yellowforum.com where Compasseco advertises. Quite a few airgunners contribute here, and this article is an excellent example of some of the quality posts from airgun users all over the world.

And check out the custom stock you'll see on that Marauder. Isn't it great? The aftermarket goodies are really starting to appear for this new airgun, and once you get your Marauder from Compasseco, you can really add the bling to it if you wish!

One other thing.....buy lots of ammo! With the 10-shot clip on this gun, and factoring in the shooting fun-factor that accompanies it, you'll need lots of ammo!

Prof Hoff's "On Killing and the Why of It"

Several years ago, a forum member of one of the forums I frequent made this unusually well thought-out post as to why he enjoys airguns in the taking of game and pests. I will post this short article of his since it is in the public domain, and in honor of "Prof Hoff" who has since gone on, leaving this world a few years ago.

Read this article and mull it over, all of you who hunt or shoot pests. I enjoyed it, and certainly wish that "Prof Hoff" were still around to contribute such articles to the growing body of airgun lore that we all enjoy.

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It is both the curse and blessing of being human that enables us to sit as judge and jury on the fate of those creatures with which we compete in the ecosystem. Unlike the organisms displaced, we humans have the power to decide that a shopping mall surrounded by forty acres of asphalt is more valuable to our ends than the wildlife cover it destroys in its making. It is the unexamined arrogance of power that sometimes causes us to thoughtlessly elevate our desires above the well-being of all other creatures.

Indeed, we feed the birds we like -- and then we kill those at the feeders which we deem to be a threat to our concept of jungle justice. I have never seen a starling do the horrible things described in Steve's article. However, I do know enough about Mr. Starling that I have taken it upon myself to eliminate every one I can. Likewise, Mr. and Mrs. Brown Headed Cowbird have convinced me that their way of propagation is an offense to my sense of parental responsibility -- thus they are welcomed under my crosshairs. Woe unto Mr. Rat should he ever appear in range of my airguns. And so it goes, for these and a few other species, I have set myself as the arbiter of their destiny. And I do so without sorrow.

That one can behave so dispassionately is not to say that one cannot have a twinge of guilt. Speaking personally, as I grow older and increasingly come to recognize the fragility of my own machinery, I reflect on the glorious complexity of living systems. Sometimes, at the moment of "thwack" I ponder the lack of compassion that would drive me to send a pellet through a pest species. And then, in an instant, the thoughts evaporate when another (arbitrarily condemned) target moves into view.

I try not to think much about the conflicts that rage within regarding my behavior as an avian assassin. I assuage my discomfiture by taking Mr. Squirrel for the stew-pot -- comforting myself by the unuttered and all-but-unrecognized fact that I have eaten him instead of Mr. Steer or Porky Pig. I dare not examine why I would kill the cowbird and eat of the cow. I really don't want to know that part of my being -- especially when another cowbird cruises in for a landing.

It is a simply brutal truth: Be it for competition in the ecosystem, or for nourishment, life sustains itself only by the taking of life. There is virtually no likelihood that science will one day synthesize a cheeseburger (or a veggieburger) from those dead elements listed on the Periodic Table of the Atoms that hangs here on my chamber wall. We are nourished and enabled by the unwilling sacrifice of that which was (or is) alive.

Alas, it's far more complicated than merely killing for food -- or hiring a surrogate murderer at the butcher shop to do that which we are too cowardly to perform for ourselves. To pluck from the tree and then crush a sweet apple in our jaws is to destroy living, respiring cells by brutally macerating them, thence depositing them in a bath of acid and enzymes so that the nutrients in the apple may become living, respiring tissue in our own machinery.

And so it is that the sanctimonious vegetarian is in no position to criticize the hunter of flesh. Like we hunters who are the sometimes-reviled members in the community of the omnivore, inescapably, the vegan shall be forced to meet his/her need for protein by sacrificing peas, beans and lentils. These PETA-headed guardians of my destiny hear not the cellular screams of anguish when their digestive corrosives dissolve the tissue that sustains them. There seems to be little room in their pointy heads for a recognition of their own brutality. Yet, they would excoriate the hunter.

I have no quarrel with those who prefer tofu over a tenderloin. Nevertheless, I am unsettled and agitated to action and resistance by any who would -- wielding the club of guilt and intimidation -- opt to legislate their menu in my domestic restaurant.

So at the bottom line, each person must decide the extent to which he/she would intervene in what is euphemistically referred to as "nature's balance." Examined carefully, one recognizes that what is thought of as 'balance' is really a dynamic equilibrium that oscillates under the influence of humankind. We can decide what stays or goes. We can influence the fate of all creatures even as we influence the fate of our own prospects. It is an awesome responsibility that at least requires some quiet contemplation in the doing thereof.

I have no wish to upset those who think differently from me. I merely suggest that we give a little thought to the consequences of our acts when we unilaterally decide which lives are to be taken. As for me, I shall continue, to hire the services of surrogate butcher-shop murderers, I shall continue to take game for the table, I shall kill critters I deem to be pests, and I shall continue to be repulsed by roaches and flies -- and wantonly smite them, sans twinge of conscience or guilt. Yet in the doing thereof, I will more than occasionally ponder the consequences of my acts and recognize that I shall probably never understand the why of it all.

Regards,
ProfHoff

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Hope you enjoyed it,

Randy