Tech Force Match Wadcutter pellets

by Tex Force

Merry Christmas!

"Only accurate rifles are interesting." So said Col. Townsend Whelen, also known as Mr. Rifleman. Many shooters share his views. What makes a rifle or pistol accurate? Part of it is the barrel and part is the ammunition. An airgunner is always on the lookout for a great new pellet, and Compasseco now offers one in the form of a match wadcutter. The Tech Force Match Wadcutter is a brand new flat-nosed pellet.

Wadcutter pellets are for shooting paper targets, and so best-suited to slower speeds, as I found out while testing the Contender-Series rifles during the past several weeks. The lower-powered models, such as the 39 and 59, loved them (especially the 59!), but the 89 pushed too fast for the best accuracy. As long as you keep them under about 700 f.p.s., they will perform well.


Tech Force Match Wadcutters have flat noses with sharp edges to cut perfectly round holes in target paper.

Wadcutters are so named because they punch a perfectly round hole in stiff target paper, almost as though it was punched with a paper punch. It's easier to score a target when the hole is sharp and clean. Domed and pointed pellets tear a ragged hole. The flat nose makes them the least-streamlined pellet style of all. That doesn't matter, because their typical flight path is just 10 meters (about 33 feet).

Good for hunting
Besides shooting at targets, a wadcutter makes a wonderful close-range hunting pellet. The flat nose smacks the target hard, distributing as much force as possible very quickly. They really help .177 caliber guns stop over-penetrating, which can be a problem with higher-powered airguns. Because of the accuracy considerations, wadcutters are typically used at closer ranges, leaving domes and pointed pellets for the longer shots. Twenty-five yards is a good maximum hunting distance, but you should shoot groups to establish the exact distance for your particular rifle.

Let's get specific
The Tech Force Match Wadcutter is an 8.2-grain match pellet made from pure lead. All true match pellets are made of pure lead, probably to compliment the fine barrels of match airguns. The weight of the Tech Force pellet makes it ideal for both air pistols and air rifles. Unlike some other match pellets that come in two weights, one for rifles and a lighter one for pistols, the weight of the Tech Force wadcutter is just about ideal for both.

Special lube
When you open the first tin, you'll notice right away these pellets are darker than most other lead pellets. They're uniformly coated with a material that retards oxidation and helps lubricate at the same time. Other match pellets are coated with a waxy grease, but this appears to be a dry lubricant. You'll want to wash your hands to keep from soiling things you touch after handling them.

How uniform are they?
Match shooters thrive on uniformity, and they insist that their pellets weigh the same, pellet after pellet. I weighed a goodly sample, and the weight was the same - 8.2 grains, except for a couple that weighed 8.1. That's right up with the consistency of RWS R-10 and Beeman H&N Match pellets.

Performance
In gun after gun, these pellets were among the best I tried, as long as the velocity was kept under 700 f.p.s. They really do well when the muzzle velocity in less than 600 f.p.s., which it is with all match air rifles and pistols. I think you'll have to test them against every other true match pellet to determine if they are best in your match gun. If you just want to shoot them for fun - which most shooters will - the reasonable price makes it a no-brain decision. This is a high-quality pellet at an affordable price.

They come 500 to a tin, which keeps the price reasonable. Sometimes, other match pellets have a lower cost per tin; but when each tin contains only 250, you're actually paying a lot more. If you want to shoot targets or if you're just looking for a reasonably priced all-around plinking pellet, you should give this one a try.

Contender Series 89 The BIG gun!

by Tex Force


Compasseco's new Contender 89 is a big, handsome breakbarrel air rifle. It moves to the top of the Compasseco line!

Well, there's not much time left until Christmas; but if you've waited this long hoping to find exactly the right airgun, I believe this may be it. The Contender Series model 89 is Compasseco's newest and best spring air rifle, and I was fortunate enough to test one recently.

The rifle
This is a powerful breakbarrel rifle with many quality features. For starters, it's big: 46" long and 7.75 lbs. The cocking effort is only 34 lbs., which is light for a spring gun rated to shoot .177 pellets at 1,100 f.p.s., but the 89 actually does it! It comes with a set of fine steel open sights that many hunters will want to use instead of a scope. The rear sight adjusts with fine clicks that are repeatable and never get harder, no matter how far you turn either adjustment screw.

The stock is a dark walnut-colored hardwood with an even stain. It sports four panels of the finest machine checkering I've seen recently on any air rifle - two on the pistol grip and two on the forearm. The butt is cushioned with a solid black rubber pad with no white line spacer - the sign of real quality in a buttpad! The blued steel is deep and even with a shiny finish that challenges the best German rifles. The trigger appears to be chromeplated and is straighter, for a better feel when pulling. All things considered, the Contender 89 earns its place at the top of Compasseco's own rifles on the basis of appearance, alone. But looks don't shoot, so I was very anxious to get the gun out to the range and test it.

Through the skyscreens!
This is one of the most powerful .177 spring rifles I've tested in a long time. RWS Hobby pellets go an average of 1,087 f.p.s., with a high of 1,101 and a low of 1,081. That's a maximum spread of 20 f.p.s. for 20 shots - not too shabby when the power output is this high. That computes to 20.73 foot-pounds at the muzzle. With Beeman Kodiaks, a much heavier pellet weighing 10.6 grains, the velocity was slowed down to 881, with a spread from 872 to 885. That works out to 18.27 foot-pounds, which is more modest but still quite powerful. We expect a spring gun to be more powerful with lighter pellets, but the heavier ones are the ones we will take seriously, partly because they go slow enough to be accurate and partly because they retain their energy so well in a hunting situation.

Speaking of hunting, the 89 also comes in .22. With its respectable power, it would make the perfect hunting rifle. Although I haven't tested a .22, the .177 is a good indication that it will also meet its advertised numbers.

The maximum spreads of just 20 f.p.s. and 13 f.p.s. are indicative of a powerplant that is very well adjusted. The gun shoots with little forward recoil and absolutely no vibration, both of which also indicate a very well-tuned mechanism. Many guns would require a heavy dollop of thick grease to shoot like this; and, of course, they'd give up some of their potential power in the process. The Contender 89, on the other hand, comes to you in perfect tune right from the box. Don't take it apart; just shoot it as much as you can.

On target
I set up a target at 35 yards. The day was warm but not too breezy, so it was good for shooting groups with an airgun. Like all breakbarrels, the 89 is sensitive to how it's held. I tried shooting off a sandbag and got groups in the 1" range. For some rifles, that would be the end of it, but I discovered that with Kodiaks and a rifle held very lightly, the 89 will group about a half-inch at that range.


Five pellets ripped through a group measuring 0.502" c-t-c.

My advice
If you're considering buying a rifle like the RWS Diana 34, the Beeman R1 or R9, or any other quality air rifle that costs between $200 and $550, you'd better put the 89 on that list, too. It's as powerful and accurate as the R1, which puts it ahead of the Diana 34. The trigger isn't as nice as the R1's but it's not bad, either.

Tech Force Contender 39 An ideal youth airgun

by Tex Force


Tech Force Contender 39 is a great value in a youth-oriented spring rifle. Scope comes with the rifle.

With Christmas approaching fast, some of you are looking for the right air rifle for your sons and daughters. Compasseco has just come out with the Tech Force Contender-Series model 39, and you should take a look at what it has to offer. For starters, it's small - only 40" long and a weight of 5.25 lbs. The cocking effort is just 22 lbs., which should be ideal for children 12 and older.

The rest of the gun is proportioned for smaller shooters, as well. Not only is the stock shorter, it's also slimmer through the pistol grip and the forearm. It will feel better to a young shooter than a bigger rifle that's been cut down to fit. The length of pull (distance from the butt to the trigger) is 13", long for a youth gun but short for an adult gun.

Comes with a scope!
This rifle comes with a 4x scope right in the box! There are no open sights, so you need the scope. At the low price of this rifle, you're getting a lot! I mounted the scope right away (comes with rings, too), which is a very easy task. The rear ring backs up to the built-in scope stop, and the front ring is placed to cradle the scope comfortably. The view through the scope is clear enough, and the reticle is a plain crosshair. There is no parallax adjustment or ocular focus; but on a 4x scope, it really isn't needed that much.

Safety
The safety on this rifle is entirely manual. Usually, on a youth model the safety is automatic, so you have to train the young shooters to act responsibly at all times. That's necessary regardless of whether or not a gun has a safety, so I don't think the TF39 safety is a shortcoming, but I do caution parents and guardians that all kids need to be taught shooting safety before anything else.

Trigger
The trigger releases at about 6 pounds. It's two-stage and non-adjustable. For young shooters, a heavy trigger is desirable because they haven't yet learned to keep their fingers off the trigger unless shooting, so this one is ideal.

When you teach a young shooter to cock and load the gun, insist that they keep one hand on the muzzlebrake when the barrel is broken open. They will load a pellet with the other hand, allowing them to catch the barrel if it should ever slip off the sear. It also keeps their fingers away from the trigger while the gun is broken open.

Another good tip to teach them is to never fire the gun without a pellet in the breech. If they do fire it without a pellet, the piston slams forward without the usual cushion of high-pressure air to stop it and the gun will soon be ruined.

Power
The power is in the 3 to 4 foot-pound range. That's perfect for a youth airgun. It's powerful enough for target shooting and plinking but not for hunting. Of course, you'll want to train all shooters to not shoot at animals, because this rifle will still cause painful injuries. Crosman Premier 7.9-grain pellets go about 410 f.p.s.

Accuracy
This little rifle will keep all its shots on a quarter at 60 feet if the right hold technique is used. The shooter must allow the gun to recoil as much as it wants and they should always lay it on the flat of their open palm - no sandbags. You'll be surprised how this will tighten those groups!

I can't make a better recommendation for a youth spring air rifle this year. Unlike the Gamo and Crosman models, the TF 39 is all metal and wood. It's worth checking out!

Tech Force Contender 59 Another new spring rifle!

by Tex Force

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Let's look at another new airgun in the Tech Force Contender line.


Tech Force Contender 59 is a sharp-looking air rifle. The model you buy will not come with open sights.

This new rifle is the Tech Force Contender 59. To locate the Contender line on the website, click on the "AIr Rifles" button on the left side of the page and look down the list for the Tech Force Contender Series. Move your cursor over that name, click once and you'll be taken to the listing of all the new Contender models.

The rifle
The 59 is a larger rifle than the TF 49 I reported on last week; but at 7 lbs., it's still very light. It's a breakbarrel spring rifle that comes in both .177 and .22, and I tested a .177. The length of only 42.3" makes it a medium-sized breakbarrel. With 28 lbs. of cocking effort, it's remarkably easy to generate a surprising amount of power.

Reasonable power
It's rated at 900 f.p.s. in .177 and 730 f.p.s. in .22. Those numbers are for light pellets, of course, but what they tell you is that the 59 delivers good power in either caliber. There is certainly enough power on tap for hunting, which I suspect a lot of shooters will want to do with this new rifle.

Trigger and firing behavior
Chinese airguns have certainly improved over the years, and the Contender series has some of the nicest triggers of all. The trigger on the 59 that I tested broke cleanly at just over 3 lbs., which is about perfect for a hunting rifle. The gun fires with a solid "thunk," just like a tuned airgun. It has zero spring twang and not much recoil, considering the power.

Getting ready to shoot
Once, again, I read Tom Gaylord's test of the rifle before trying my hand with it, and, as with the TF 49, he recommended the barrel be cleaned with J-B Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound. I had the same experience he reported when I cleaned the bore of my rifle. The brush met a lot of resistance at first, but by stroke 10 (Tom recommends 20 strokes of the brush in each direction) the effort became much easier. By stroke 20, the brush was gliding through the bore with very little resistance. The greasy sludge that comes out of the barrel is dirty black and gummy, leaving no doubt that cleaning was the right thing to do.

Great accuracy
Tom got a super group at 25 yards when he used Compasseco's new .177 wadcutter pellet. I didn't have any of them, so I tried RWS R-10 Match pellets instead, and found they are just as good, if not as inexpensive. I shot at 20 yards and got a best group of 0.20", but most groups were in the quarter-inch range. That's where German guns are supposed to be, so the Contender series is really in contention for your business! The low retail of the TF Contender 59 gets you a rifle more powerful and more accurate than a Beeman R7. That's saying a lot, but it's the truth.

No sights
Be aware that this rifle will not come to you with open sights, the way it is pictured both here and on the Compasseco website. It will have a muzzlebrake, instead, so you must mount a scope on the gun. I recommend the Tech Force 4x32mm, the same scope I mounted on the Tech Force 49.

This new rifle is a lot of airgun for the price. It has upgraded accuracy, power and quality that set it above the normal Chinese spring air rifles. If you're in the market for a new favotite airgun, the TF Contender 59 might be your best choice.