Target Sports

SPECIAL FEATURE PART TWO: SIX OF THE BEST

Created on 14th May 2009

In the second part of his feature on top air rifles, PETE WADESON looks at six of the best PCPs

ALL PCPs in this selection are single-shot air rifles or can be altered, replacing the magazine with a single-shot pellet loading tray to operate in single-shot mode. All are also easily capable of the accuracy needed for awkward angle targets and to hit any legal air rifle quarry species.

AGS-PCR1

For an entry-level rifle, the AGS-PCR1 is good value - especially as it now comes with a silencer and a spare sporter stock. Most leave the thumbhole stock on the rifle and that's why I rate it as a hunter-HFT contender. The thumbhole stock is stained beechwood, heavily lacquered with a generous amount of chequering to aid grasp on the forend and pistol grip.

It boasts a fully-ambidextrous medium-height cheekpiece and a sliding adjustable rubber butt pad. The stock shape and featuring even allow a full and proper thumbhole feel whether shooting right- or left-handed. The forend shrouds most of the air reservoir, stopping short approximately 3" from the barrel band.

The PCR1 takes a 200 Bar fill from a push-fit fill connector that snaps onto the inlet valve at the front of a slim air reservoir. Inside the rifle, AGS has also incorporated an air filter.

A full charge gives approximately 50 full-power shots in .22 calibre and 40 shots in .177 and optics are easily fitted onto the scope rail.

The trigger area initially seems little more than a steep drop-down grip and thumbhole layout with a relatively straight steel trigger blade set in a plastic trigger guard. However, a closer look reveals the trigger is a two-stage adjustable unit and the blade is made from mild steel with chrome plating. It is quite broad and the angle of the blade can be altered to suit your preference. Add to this that the trigger is adjustable for pull weight and that the drop-down pistol grip leaves your hand in an optimum position for trigger operation and you've got a winning combination. Directly above the trigger blade is a chromed button. Pushing it from the left puts the trigger on safe, while pushing it from the right puts the rifle into live-fire mode.

Airgun Sport has screw-cut the muzzle of the PCR1 with a thread size that is definitely not the standard ½ UNF, which is a little unexpected. A capable sound moderator is also included in the rifle package.

The cocking and loading process is as simple as you'd hope for, with a roomy loading channel. The straight-pull cocking bolt should be fully pulled back to lock in the rearward position and then a pellet can be placed onto the loading channel, the cocking bolt pushed in and the bolt turned down to the original position.

The rifle is very comfortable to shoot. Its layout, balance and design make shooting from any angle quite effortless and you can concentrate on taking the shot rather than adjusting your hold.

Looks and a reasonable price tag translate here into a very effective rifle. An anti-bounce mechanism and self-regulating valve system are fitted, preventing annoying internal harmonics and improving accuracy and consistency. The barrel band ensures a full free-floating barrel yet protects it from knocks.

Air Arms S400 Classic in thumbhole stock

Whether in carbine or rifle format, you'll not be disappointed with this gun's performance. Besides the rosewood used at the forend and the stylish colts' foot and maple spacer end cap, the stock's dominating feature is the right-hand roll-over cheekpiece and thumbhole. This almost envelops the rear left of the stock, swelling from its rear to blend in to the exit point of the thumbhole. There's a useful sliding rubber butt pad and a steeply-angled drop-down pistol grip sitting in front of the thumbhole.

The pistol grip and forend have improved skipline chequering with fleur-de-lys cosmetic enhancements. The chequering does give a better grip in adverse weather conditions and is easy to grasp when wearing gloves.

The forend has a rounded lower profile and is relatively lengthy, while the rosewood end cap adds a touch of class. Underneath is a neat air pressure gauge which indicates the status of storage in the air reservoir.

The stock has a number of praiseworthy design features. For example, the high roll-over cheekpiece is spot-on for eye-to-scope alignment, while the rubber butt pad helps the rifle to sit comfortably in the shoulder.
Underneath the stock, just forward of the trigger guard, is an air pressure gauge. The filling point is accessible and easy to use: after unscrewing the front inlet valve cover you simply push the brass cap quick-fill adaptor onto the inlet valve. This has twin O ring seals to secure the filling adapter and internally there's a special sintered disc for filtering away undesirable elements. The S400 Classic takes a recommended 190 Bar fill and in the .177 calibres gives approximately 70 full-power shots.

The build of the S400 series is identical to the multi-shot S410's and it's only at the action that you notice a difference. There's a lengthy single-shot loading channel and the pellet probe is ideally proportioned to shunt the lead into the breech.

The rifle can be cocked by pulling back the cocking bolt at the rear of the action. Then load a pellet and push the bolt to probe the pellet into the Lothar Walther barrel. Pellet loading is a fumble-free process due to the wide loading area at the breech.

The two-stage adjustable trigger unit now has a small steel safety. Fitted through the trigger blade, it doesn't hinder trigger feel due to its discreet size. When pushed from the left it blocks trigger movement by fouling on the top of the trigger guard. The trigger itself is known as a ‘third element trigger' because there's a third sear in the mechanism to eradicate creep.

You'll notice this beauty wears the company's own Air Arms Pro 76 moderator - a silencer designed to slip snugly onto the barrel end spigot. When fitted the tapered end of the silencer mates up perfectly with the barrel and is unbelievably effective at reducing muzzle report.

For a rifle that isn't fitted with an internal regulator, the performance of the S400 is mind-blowing. This rifle will place pellet on top of pellet right out to 30yd. If your skills are good enough, you'll easily achieve kill-zone accuracy right out to 50yd.

Both rifles in these new thumbhole stock designs really do handle wonderfully well. The rifle is undoubtedly among the best PCPs available today.

BSA Scorpion

The original beech stock single-shot Scorpion has been unfairly overlooked by some of the HFT fraternity, but heralded a huge change for BSA in the design and performance of its PCP range. While the micro-movement cocking system of the BSA Hornet wasn't to everyone's taste, BSA changed tack slightly in creating the Scorpion action. The beechwood is of good quality and a rich dark-brown stain brings out the grain configuration of the wood. It's still quite substantial, with a high cheekpiece as befits a scope-only rifle. The pistol grip drops down steeply and is chunky, easily filling the fist of your shooting hand. Twin panels with stylish chequering adorn both the forend and grip.

Just beneath the schnabel tip is a fixed bar with a sling swivel-hole through it. To the rear you'll find its partner, a standard swivel-stud fitted in the underside of the stock and an inch back from the butt pad.

Screw off the front cover cap and you find the hole that leads to the inlet valve. The fixed onboard air reservoir uses the safety-dampened probe filling system. Charging the Scorpion is a doddle as the probe adaptor supplied can be slipped into the quick fill-point for the inlet valve. The recommended fill of 200 Bar gives approximately 60-65 full-power shots.

Full marks go to BSA for fitting the Scorpion with a large steel cocking bolt. To cock the rifle you simply take hold of the bolt, turn it upwards and pull fully rearward until it locks in the open position. Place a pellet onto the loading channel, which has a generous-sized opening at the breech. Push the bolt to probe the pellet into the barrel and turn down to its original position to cock and load.

The trigger has the manual safety set to the right of the action and the two-stage trigger unit is termed the ‘low stress' trigger mechanism because it works with no internal friction and is self-lubricating. The trigger is factory pre-set and should you want to adjust it you need to remove the action from the stock. However, I found that the unit performed impeccably straight from the box. Then there's a railed action block that makes fitting all sizes of optics trouble-free.

First-time Scorpion users will be amazed at the accuracy potential and shot-to-shot consistency - I mention this as the rifle is unregulated.

The rifle is threaded at the muzzle to accept a standard ½" UNF female thread silencer. I found the SAS moderator very capable in quelling report.

However, the SAS is now being discontinued in favour of the new VC silencers. The major bonus of these units is they're calibre-specific, so less air follows the pellet on discharge.

To sum up, the BSA Scorpion is undoubtedly a superb rifle. It balances well, is highly accurate and good value and will certainly fulfil many airgunners' needs.

FX Typhoon

This rifle was first seen in the UK as the Logun Solo, but was sold in other countries (mainly Sweden) as the Typhoon. Though this new version has striking similarities with the original, there are also some very obvious feature upgrades. The Typhoon boasts a stylish and unique stock. The walnut stock has a fully-ambidextrous, well-proportioned cheekpiece with a sliding adjustable butt pad. The pistol grip drops steeply, but affords a comfortable hold. There are also two generous chequered panels on either side of the handhold to further aid grip. The forend has a slightly rounded profile, with a flat underside that attractively tapers towards the front. There are two panels of chequering along either side and again the panels are positioned at just the right area for the leading hand. The rifle is very light, due to the use of aircraft-grade aluminium for the majority of the action and air reservoir.

Upon first handling the FX Typhoon you get the feeling that it's a rugged and robustly built rifle. As the rifle is manufactured from aluminium and brass the company has almost eliminated the problem of rust that's unfortunately suffered by many other airguns.

The cocking and loading mechanism and procedure are straightforward. The brass cocking bolt is chunky and operates with a very precise feel. To cock the Typhoon, the bolt is turned up from the original position and pulled fully rearward, at which point you'll hear and feel the trigger sear engage. For safe practice the bolt should be turned down into the rear keeper slot machined in the action. The rifle comes with a friction-fit plastic loading tray that simply slots into the breech area.

The front side of the air reservoir takes the push-in probe insert supplied and a recommended maximum fill of 220 Bar gives approximately 100 full-power shots in .22 and 70 in the .177 calibre.

The rifle has a generous run of scope rail along the action block. So far there isn't a dedicated FX silencer, so I used a Logun CCFC Carbon Fibre silencer that suited the rifle well. You'll also notice the barrel support to prevent zero shift should you accidentally knock the end of the barrel.

The trigger is a two-stage adjustable unit with a nicely curved broad blade and in performance it far exceeds the expectation of a rifle in this price bracket. With the pistol grip configuration and reach to pull combined, there is a high level of trigger control. The trigger is factory pre-set and the action does need to be removed from the stock to adjust.

The FX Typhoon has everything a single-shot PCP air rifle needs, with styling and performance that far outweigh its wallet-friendly price tag. It's built to withstand a lot of use and has certainly won me over.

Daystate Mk3 RT

The Daystate Mk3 has been hailed as a ‘wondergun'. This is the only rifle featured that is now not in production, but you'll find good quality used models in many gunshops. I featured the Mk3 as it's still widely used and it revolutionised air rifle technology when introduced. Originally available in three model types - Mk3 Sport, Mk3 RT (thumbhole stock) and Mk3 FT (Field Target) - it's the thumbhole version we'll look over as this is totally electronic, including the regulator.

The Mk3 RT's walnut stock was designed by renowned stocksmith Gary Cane. It has a high roll-over cheekpiece, generous thumbhole and a deep, quite substantial forend that tapers towards the front. Stippling is applied at the pistol grip only but the handling is solid, while in the shoulder the rifle sits firm thanks to the ventilated rubber butt pad. The metalwork is blacked and blued to the highest standard with the rifle name and denotation etched on the side of the alloy action block.

Though operated from an electronic power source, the Mk3's mechanical areas include the fill point and inlet valve for compressed air, the multi-shot magazine, the single-shot loading channel and built-in sound moderator. The rifle takes a 3,000psi charge and is filled via a push-on style bayonet adaptor. When filled this gives a perfectly-regulated 120 shots in .22 calibre and 110 in .177.

A pair of rechargeable batteries sits inside the forend to power the system. They're rated as giving 5,000 shots per charge and last for 1,000 charging cycles or approximately five years.

The batteries power the Capacity Discharge Technology (CDT) electronic firing system. The CDT helps provide a smooth firing cycle, enabling superb accuracy potential. At the heart of the CDT system is a microprocessor that controls power delivery and provides the multi-adjustable match-grade electronic trigger. This also allows the Mk3 to have 16 digitally accurate power settings. There's an audible and visible magazine ammo status warning and a shot counter to let you know when the rifle needs re-filling.

An isolator key makes the rifle inoperable and the location point can be found underneath the stock just forward of the trigger guard. The manual rotary trigger safety lever is at the rear of the cylinder. When turned across to the right it cuts off the power. The action block is railed to hold scope mounts and will accept a wide range of optics.

The Mk3 is designed as either a multi-shot, with the company's own 10-shot rotary removable magazine, or as a single-shot with the easy-fit pellet loading tray. Either way, the bolt action is very efficient and it takes little effort to cycle because there is no internal hammer to cock. The large ball handle travels back and forth to load pellets very easily. Outwardly the trigger looks slightly unconventional. It can be adjusted for both stages of pull and the angle of the trigger blade can be altered.

The built-in sound moderator is efficient - but add an extra silencer and the gun becomes deathly quiet. The Daystate Mk3 has the ability to deliver a smoother firing cycle than any conventional mechanical PCP. It is quite frankly in a league of its own.

Weihrauch HW100S or HW100T

The HW100 is a fine example of Teutonic engineering. The latest models are designated ‘100T' or ‘100S' depending on whether a Sporter (S) or Thumbhole (T) stock is fitted. The action is identical on both. The rear of the stock is substantial, with a well-defined, prominent cheekpiece and full rubber butt pad. The pistol grip is chunky yet has been deeply scalloped for the heel of the shooting hand, allowing a comfortable hold. Maple spacers are found at the rosewood pistol grip end cap and the rubber butt pad. The chequering applied consists of four panels set either side of the grip in two sections and the forend is quite slim in comparison to the butt section. It has a rounded profile ending in a relatively stark angular tip and is both easy and comfortable to hold, aiding all aspects of gun handling.

The air reservoir is detachable and due to a quick fill point at the front can be filled on or off the rifle. It's also slim and quite hefty as it's actually made from stainless steel. Don't be fooled by colour - Weihrauch is now applying blueing to this strong and rustproof metal. The recommended fill is 2,700psi, which gives 120+ full-power shots in .22 calibre and 110 in .177.

An air gauge or manometer sits on the front end of the cylinder, indicating the status of the air in the reservoir. Weihrauch recommends that when the indicator drops into the yellow at 90 Bar it's time for a re-fill.
As well as rifle, silencer and air reservoir, the full package includes a brass fill adaptor, a brass cover for the air reservoir to protect threads and prevent leakage during ‘off rifle transportation' and two 14-shot magazines. An optional extra is a single-shot clip. This simply slips into the action in place of the magazine for those who prefer to feed in the ammo shot for shot.

Once in situ, pulling back the cocking lever allows the clip to spring out to the right to take another pellet. Thumb a pellet into the chamber in the clip, push it back into the action and return the side lever to its forward original position to load another pellet.

All HW100s use a removable rotary all-metal magazine. In multi-shot mode, you first need to remove the magazine to load it. To access the magazine and cock the rifle, pull the side lever positioned on the right of the action out and fully back, where it locks in the rearward position. Sliding back the magazine retaining catch found on the right of the action block just behind the magazine releases the magazine from its housing.

After firing, pulling the side lever fully rearward cocks the rifle and indexes the magazine around to the next station. Returning to the closed position then probes the next pellet directly into the barrel.

The HW100S uses a 16.5" company-made barrel. Top-quality and super-strong, it's semi-floating for accuracy and is secured at the front by a barrel band. This has a synthetic O ring that protects the barrel and adds extra strength while retaining accuracy. The barrel is now threaded at the muzzle to accept a standard ½" UNF screw-on silencer. You can fit a can of your choosing but the silencer Weihrauch supplies is highly efficient, using felt-lined baffles to muffle muzzle report. The rifle has a two-stage adjustable match-grade trigger unit and manual safety. The ergonomically curved alloy trigger blade is of black-anodised type.

The manual, re-settable trigger safety lever is positioned on the right at the rear of the action block. Push forward and you put the rifle into live fire mode, indicated by a red dot on the action block. Pulling it back puts the rifle on safe, shown by a white dot on the action. The safety only functions when the rifle is primed.

The action block is sensibly machined with lengthy scope rails, making fitting optics is easy.The rifle's firing valve is self-regulating and adjusts itself to the changing air pressure in the reservoir. So, though the air pressure reservoir drops, the same pressure of air is always metered out for each shot. This is why the company recommends you fill before it drops below 90 Bar. It results in any HW100 being a very consistent rifle with a high accuracy potential.

This is an absolutely stunning air rifle, no question about it. In fact the overall build, quality and performance of the HW100S is remarkable.
And the rest...

Don't overlook the Air Arms S200 or the BSA Ultra Single-Shot. They're definitely ones for smaller-statured and female participants in any air rifle shooting discipline. We mustn't forget Falcon either, as many still use its now discontinued Classic models and its new range of bull barrel single and multi-shot rifles will soon be circulating.

Technical Specifications

Manufacturer: Webley Ltd
Model: AGS-PCR1
Action: Bolt action single-shot PCP
Stock: Ambidextrous beechwood thumbhole sporter with sliding adjustable butt pad. Chequering at the grip and forend
Weight: 5.5lb unscoped
Overall length: 39.25" including dedicated silencer
Barrel length: 18.9"
Calibre: Available in .177 and .22
Price: £314.95

Contact: Webley Ltd
T: 01902 722144

Manufacturer: Air Arms
Model: S400 Classic
Action: Bolt action, single-shot PCP
Stock: Walnut thumbhole sporter with high rollover cheekpiece and sliding rubber butt pad Weight: 8lb unscoped
Overall length: 39.5" excluding silencer
Barrel length: 19"
Calibre: Available in .177 and .22
Price: £559 in walnut thumbhole stock
Optional extra: Air Arms Pro-76 Silencer as used on test £38.60

Contact: Air Arms
T: 01323 845853

Manufacturer: FX Airguns (Sweden)
Model: FX Typhoon
Action: Bolt action, single-shot PCP
Stock: Walnut sporter with chequering at grip and forend with sliding butt pad. Synthetic stock version available
Weight: 2.7kg unscoped
Overall length: 37" excluding silencer
Barrel length: 19.75"
Calibre: Available in .177 and .22
Price: Walnut £399, synthetic £399

Contact: Deben Group Industries Ltd
T: 01394 387762

Manufacturer: Daystate
Model: Daystate Mk3 RT
Action: Bolt action, single-shot or multi-shot electronically operated PCP air rifle
Stock: Walnut thumbhole sporter with high rollover cheekpiece, chequering along forend and pistol grip with rosewood end caps
Weight: 8lb unscoped
Overall length: 38"
Barrel length: 15.75"
Calibre: Available in .177 and .22
Price: Originally £795 (used models are readily available - expect to pay between £550 and £650 depending on the model's condition and stock design)
Optional extras: Airstream Mk3 silencer £52

Contact: Daystate
T: 01782 791755

Manufacturer: Weihrauch (Germany)
Model: HW100S
Action: Bolt action, single-shot or multi-shot PCP
Stock: Walnut sporter with chequering and full rubber butt pad
Weight: 8.8lb unscoped
Overall length: 41.75" including Weihrauch silencer that comes supplied
Barrel length: 16.5"
Calibre: Available in .177 and .22
Price: £822 including silencer and two 14-shot magazines
Optional extra: Auto-load single-shot pellet clip £33.50

Contact: Hull Cartridge Co
T: 01482 342571