My Benjamin Discovery

This may begin to sound a bit "Deja Vu" (ish) but I got my "Disco" from the guys at Solware.

 

 I seem to buy most of my rifles from these guys, I find their enthusiasm for all things shooting to be infectious, well I seem to have caught, whatever it is they have.

I got the Benjamin Discovery, as my first PCP, I got the rifle, and air tank at the same time, with a Hawke 3-9x40AO Airmax scope, so whilst this may be one of the cheapest PCP's out there, the initial outlay was, significant!

I found the recoiless world of PCP's to be, a step forward. I spent a lot of time with this very lightweight rifle, and for a .177 I found it to have a (as it turns out) good shot count from its 2000psi fill, 2/3rds of the air pressure of "normal" PCP's, but I was still getting near to 100 shots.

I spent a lot of time with this rifle, and over a few months had upgraded the scope to a Richter Optics IR scope. I made enquires with a gut at "Crooked Barn" in the states and subsequently got one of the fine Crooked Barn Triggers, a major upgrade as the std trigger, being plastic was a little unpredictable, due to flex. I got a really nice brass balled cocking bolt.

The next step was to source a hammer spring adjuster. I got a Gmac item that suited the rifle perfectly, and this fitted, along with an upgraded hammer spring, really got the rifle shooting well. The big advantage was the "adjustability" of the hammer, at the highest setting I was able to get "full Power" for the long range stuff, but also have the ability to lower the power for sub 35 yards stuff, and increase the shot count.

I could adjust the power between 11.9fpe down to 6fpe, and this in turn made the rifle perfect for anything between 8 yards and 55 yards, a good spread of range.

One thing this rifle had was a VERY loud report, when I say LOUD I mean F@&^** LOUD more like a 303 Enfield. I tried various sound moderators, all did their job, only made the rifle ridiculously long. I managed to find a suitable pistol silencer that subdued the sound sufficiently, nad kept the length down to a managable length.

I mentioned before the fact that this rifle was "dual fuel" It worked as a dedicated PCP, aswell as a bulk-fill Co2. The only real precaution was to ensure it was purged of the previous propellant before refilling with the alternate. A good feature if you want the significantly higher Co2 sht count, but at the expense of fpe.

This rifle is to me one of the true classic rifles. Given the chance I would snap another up, but Crosamn have discontinued the rifle from the UK catalogue, however I believe it is still available Stateside.

This month.

Well, it's been an interesting month for me, A few new rifles, and some reviews of previous stuff.

I find Air Rifles to be frustrating stuff, we all strive for the perfect tool, but sometimes, just sometimes, you have had it before, just didnt realise it at the time.

The one I regret selling on was the Benjamin Discovery. A simple PCP/Co2 dual fuel rifle, a classic Crosman developed rifle. Very similar in design to the Co2 crosman 2260. A truely great rifle, one I miss, but in the fullness of time, I have grown to realise that, what something costs has little bearing on how good it is.

Another Great Rifle I have let slip through my fingers was the Air Arms S400f Classic, at twice the cost of the "Disco" it aint "cheap" but I believe it to be a fantastic value rifle, it needs nothing, apart from a decent scope.

Both of these were .177's, a calibre I prefer for longer range stuff, I have found that setting the zero at 25 yards seems to work for me.

                                                           My Benjamin Discovery

Review of the Hatsan AT44-10 .22

First of all, I have the ongoing addmission that I am biased towards Hatsan Air Rifles. I have owned quite a few of the Turkish built masterpieces. I find the simplicity and build quality to be very high, and not at a ridiculously high price.

The AT44 is available in the synthetic stock (which I have tried, but doesnt suit me)

And the more traditional Wooden stock. The Wood used for the stocks, is a Turkish Hardwood.

I have purchased all my AT44's from Solware. I have found over the years that they give great customer service, but above all, have always assisted me with my purchases, with help and back-up.

So, As by way of a review, here we go......

The first thing you will notice is obviousley the stock, a well crafted piece of Turkish Hardwood, is sculptured to fit around the action, I, personally find the stock to be one of the best ergonomic stocks I have ever used.

 The stock features some superb checkering around the pistol grip. The "Monte Carlo" type riser is well contoured and of a ambidextrous nature. The stock is nice and slim around the thumb area, and blends into a wide fore-stock.

 The area around the trigger is clear and uncluttered. As the fore-stock goes further forward it has a flattend underside. I deal for shooting from a bean bag or bench rest. Giving a very stable shooting platform.

 The inletting in the stock, is very clean and supports the barrel bands very well, this firstly keeps the air tube solid and secure, but also helps maintain a reliable and consistant firing cycle.

 A very well engineered adjustable butt plate allows the shooter to improve the feel of the rifle in the shoulder, thus maintaing the consistancy.

Filling the AT44 is simplicity itself. Using the supplied filler adapter, fitted to your recharging method of choice, I use a scuba tank, but some prefer the foot pump method. Simply rotate the cover at the front of the air tube, to reveal the filler hole, and insert the adapter. You can fill the AT44 to 200 bar, but test's have revealed the rifle works best filled to around 190 bar. Filling to this level achieves the most consistant shots. Filling to the maximum 200 bar gives the first 10 or so shots too much air causing valve lock and subsequent drop of pressure.

 An auto safety is another feature of the rifle, great in the field when you want to make a quick shot, without all the noise from a normal bolt action. The AT44 features a side lever, something that is more common on rifles costing a lot more money.

Another "standard" feature of the Hatsan AT44-10 is a threaded muzzle end, for those that like to do things quietly.

A very tidy end cap is simply unscrewed and the moderator of choice is screwed on using the common 1/2" UNF thread.

 Simplicty is the key on this rifle, none of the fragile plastic plastic parts you find on more expensive rifles are to be found on this rifle, this of course does come at the cost of weight, but as the rifle is so well balanced it does not pose a problem.

 One of the major bonuses of most of the Hatsan range, is the inclusion of the "Quattro" trigger. I have found this to be one of the best features of Hatsan Rifles, it can be fully adjusted to suit any shooting style. I reduce the throw on the second stage and lighten the feel to give a clean sharp release without being a "hair trigger"

 Loading the rifle is a simple operation, simply pull the sidelever back to the cocked position, then push the retaining lever forward, and out comes the metal magazine (two mags are supplied with the rifle)

With the magazine removed from the rifle, simply load the pellet of choice. I use Crosman Premiers or Webley Accupels, as they seem to be very consistand and seem to suit the rifles barrel.

Just locate the pellet into the mag and gently push home.

It is important to make sure the pellet is fully home in the magazine

I always flip the magazine over just to have a quick look

And a quick visual scan to ensure all are seated properly.

 

It is then just a case of replacing the now filled magazine into the breech. I return the retaining pin and gently close the sidelever. I keep a finger on the magazine to make sure it is in the right position, and the pellet loads smoothly into the breech.

There is, or has been, incidents of alledged jamming, this is nearly always down to not ensureing the magazine is correctly seated first, and the sidelever is "forced home"

 A gentle pressure form the finger is all thats required, if resistance is felt, just "pull" the mag back against the ident spring and it will seat properly.

 

One the mag is loaded back into the rifle and the side lever is returned the rifle is loaded, and the auto safety is engaged. It is now just a simple push on the safety button and the rifle is "live"

Whilst this may not be the best time to check air pressure, it does show the clear gauge mounted at the end of the air reservoir

 I have fitted a MTC 10x44SCB scope to my AT44-10, as I predominatly use this rifle for HFT type shooting.

 

Hatsan/Edgar Brothers Mod55s

I was looking for an open sight .177 rifle for a competition I had organised, I was going to get another Bam B19, but like all good plans it didnt work out. So I was in Solware of Tamworth, with a mate who was getting an Air Arms TX200, when I spied this rather splendid break barrel on display in the shop. Upon inspection I was told it was the New Hatsan Mod55s.

For about £100 this was the bargain of the decade. It didnt come with the pictured scope. But there are some great deals about for , the rifle, a scope, slip, and pellets. So I handed over my hard earned cash and took this baby home.

i was impressed with the overall feel of the rifle, it certainly suited my large frame. Hatsan, like so many other manufacturers "claim" the rifle to be full power. Well through my years of air rifle ownership, I have never found this to be the "absolute truth" but in Hatsan case, it is (I would point out here that every single Hatsan I have owned has been the same).

So getting back to the Mod55s (the Mod60s is the .22 variant). The first thing that struck me was the horrendous "twang". I am not one of these "warranty" types for the little things. So I stripped the rifle down to find out just what was wrong. The spring was as dry as a Nuns bits she doesnt use. During the stripdown I was amazed at the build quality. A quick de-burr of the pierced parts (cocking slot, trigger cut-out, and that was it really. I (re-) lubed the spring with some moly' grease I use for this purpose, and rebuilt the Mod55s. What a transformation!!!! I could not believe it was the same rifle, easy and smooth to cock, virtually no recoil and phenomenally accurate. I paced out 100yards and put down a tin can. First shot had the tin spinning. Awesome.

 One of the best standard stocks I have ever seen, a very nice piece of Turkish "Walnut" fitted to a full power break barrel rifles for £99(April 2011) (now £109)

 

 

 

 

 A good quality set of "Tru-Glo" fibre optic sight. The rear sight is of the "micrometer" type with positive and clear "clicks".

 The front "tunnel" foresight is like having a torch on the front of the rifle, in daylight, these are like having a laser on the rifle.

Like so many rifles these days, the Hatsan Mod55s has an "auto safety" fitted, but at least the release button is conveniemntly located on the rear of the action, and easy to dis-engage. The fully adjustable "Quattro" trigger, is, in my opinion right up there with the Rekord jobby fitted to the Weihrauch range of products.

Out of the box, and after a quick strip and lube. 789fps with AA Diablos=11.6fpe What more do you want?

 I have used this rifle in a lot of permutations, with a scope fitted, but I have found this rifle to be smooth and accurate enough to be my rifle of choice with open sights. I personally felt it was a long rifle, so i carbined the barrel. I cut 4 inches of the barrel and re-crowned the muzzle, to find abosolutely no difference in accuracy or power. I then used the rifle with a JSR red dot sight. I fitted a Steyrr muzzle flip, for cosmetic purposes

I will, almost certainly but another Mod55s. But i think I will leave it as a true "open sighted" rifle

Confession first, I rarely choose an air rifle on its looks

But I have a deep regard for the Crosman Quest and all of it’s, Oriental Nieces and Nephews. So when I saw the Stoegers X20s in the wooden stock, I thought, “At last, a proper, newer modern version”.

The Stoeger X20s I have was purchased from Solware of Tamworth.

With a price tag of £215, for the rifle, a 3-9x40AO ‘scope, a slip and a tin of pellets.

So how just how good is this deal? In my opinion, it’s probably one of the best “deals” I have seen. We have all seen the “Combo’s” were you get a scope that, frankly, you will change pretty soon after purchase. I have found the ‘scope in this package to be very good, very reminiscent of the Hawke “Airmax” I had a few years ago, which was one of the best scopes I have used.

This is what came out of the box, in the package I bought. Not much wrong with this picture.

This is a .22, as for me, this is a Fun plinking or HFT rifle If it’s a short(ish) range course.

There is definitely a move towards quieter air rifles these days. With shrinking areas to shoot at and with the relentless growth of towns and cities, we as shooters are getting squeezed into smaller areas to shoot. So logically we will need quieter and quieter air rifles. Enter the Steoger X20s, a full barrel “reflex” silencer certainly dampens down the decibels, and this is around 95db, which is quieter than a boiling electric kettle. The barrel length suppressor serves another purpose, as it gives a good solid surface to get hold of , whilst cocking the rifle, and it’s not a cold lump of steel, worth bearing in mind if you intend using this a hunting tool on a cold, frosty, morning!!

This is a very effective, sound moderator.

Like so many break barrel air rifles this has an auto safety, but unlike many, this has the safety release, conveniently housed in the rear of the action, and falls exactly where you would want it to be. Easy to just nudge your thumb up from the stock and press it in.

This is a feature found on some of the newer Air rifles to come from Turkey and China.

The scope does not come fitted to the rifle, so you do have to do some work.... But this brings me to the only criticism I have of this rifle, I may be unlucky, but the dovetail rail on my rifle was machined poorly and was not as crisp and sharp as I would expect. As the picture shows, not machined as needed. However this “problem” only manifested itself to me, as I only ever “nip” the clamps up, before I make any adjustments, so when I lifted the rifle into the shoulder it dropped off, fortunately I caught it and no damage was done.

But one thing I would mention here is the neat arrestor slot cut into the top of the action.

So, all together, and after rotating the scope to be square on the action, an opportunity to get to grips with the rifle.

The stock is lovely and a real quality item, well made with the familiar “warm” feeling you only get from a wooden stock, not the sterile “coolness” I get from a synthetic stock!!!!

Deep and clean Checkering on the fore-stock and the pistol grip, give a reassuring feel. The stock has a nice “matte” finish.

So on to the first few shots. Breaking the barrel for the first time was a bit of a shock as I was not expecting to have to use quite as much force as I did, but this was a brand new rifle so I’ll forgive it. A very smooth cocking cycle was another surprise, but this was a nice surprise. Not much effort to actually cock it, and holding onto the silencer, I loaded my first pellets. I tested using the 10 yard range at home. I fired the first shot, I was greeted by a dull thud from the stock into my shoulder and almost no muzzle noise at all, and the most noise was the pellet hitting the target. About 2inches down and slightly right, so a quick twirl on the turrets (which had a very nice defined click) another was sent down the barrel, with a few repeats I got a single raggedy hole with a string of 10 pellets.

I ran the Stoeger over the Chrony just to see how “full power” it actually was. I know you always read on the sales blurb “full power” but, normally, after checking, the “full power” you can sometimes be disappointed, well not on this rifle. Using my weighed and matched pellets, I was seeing 620fps, with 13.5 grain pellets, that’s 11.53fpe. Now I would expect that to climb a little but it is close to the UK max of under 12fpe. This may be because of slight dieseling, but I will need to try some much heavier pellets.

All I can say is "this is a great rifle", it’s better than I was anticipating. It is as quiet as the sales pitch. It shoulders well and the wooden stock is brilliant. This is a great value Air rifle.