Gamo Dynamax - Part 2

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1


The new Gamo DynaMax repeater. Gamo product photo.

Before I start today's report, I have a couple bits of news to pass along. The first regards pellet packing. I learned what is causing the problem many readers have reported this past week. Pyramyd Air ran out of pellet packing materials for their special packing process about a week ago and have been packing pellets with brown paper as cushioning. Now, most shipments made it through just fine, but some were damaged by rough treatment during shipping. Pyramyd Air has replaced all damaged pellets that were reported to them, as is their policy, but the sudden change in operations caused a lot of discussion on the web.

They are aware of the problem this has caused and have a rush order for more packing materials so they can get back to their special way of packing, but several hundred orders have already been affected. The volume of pellet orders they process in one week's time is larger than some other dealers' quarterly output. I, myself, have an order in for about a dozen tins of pellets, so I'm in line like everybody else.

The shipments packed this way are still in the pipeline and may be for the next week or more. Pyramyd Air ships over a thousand packages on a slow day, and a lot of those packages contain pellets, so the effect is widespread.

If you receive a shipment from Pyramyd Air that contains damaged pellets, report it and they will take care of it for you.

Now, on to the next topic. I see that I did a thorough four-part report on the IZH 61 in 2007. There really is nothing new I can say about that rifle, unless you readers can think of something I left out the last time.

What I have not tested is the single-shot IZH model 60. So, that one is due a test, and I plan of doing it for you.

Now, let's get back to the Gamo DynaMax PCP test. Today, we'll look at velocity and the operation of the DynaMax powerplant.

Filling the gun all the way
You will recall that I mentioned that the DynaMax fill pressure is 232 bar, which is 3,365 psi. Only three hand pumps currently on the market go that high-- the Hill pump, the Air Venturi G4 hand pump (which delivers lower pressure, but only by a hair) and the pump that both Benjamin and AirForce use. The Hill pump and the Air Venturi G4 pump both come with 1/8" BSPP threads on the ends of their hoses, so the DynaMax fill adapter screws right on. For those with either the AirForce pump or the Benjamin pump, an adapter will be required to connect the pump to the DynaMax fill adapter.

I filled the rifle to 232 bar and began the test. The first thing I was interested in was the number of full-power shots I could get from a fill. Remember, the Gamo literature said there were about 30 shots per fill. I used H&N Baracudas (the same pellets the old Beeman company sold as Kodiaks) and got the following results.

Shot #...Velocity
1..............918
2..............931
3..............DNR
4..............937
5..............938
6..............DNR
7..............945
8..............944
9..............943
10.............DNR
11.............937
12.............953
13.............DNR
14.............942
15.............945
16.............941
17.............944
18.............932
19.............943
20.............941
21.............942
22.............938
23.............941
24.............924
25.............924
26.............931
27.............926
28.............919
29.............918
30.............921
31.............919
32.............900
33.............895
34.............908
35.............898
36.............878
37.............881

This performance curve is very close to what I expected, except the high point was higher than anticipated. At 953 f.p.s. the Dynamax is generating 21.38 foot-pounds. Taking a more central figure, like 935 f.p.s., the rifle generates 20.58 foot-pounds at the muzzle with 10.6-grain H&N Baracudas. And there are almost exactly 30 shots, as promised. So, shoot three magazines and then refill with air if you're using a 232-bar fill.

Filling the gun to 3,000 psi
Since not everybody can fill to 3,365 psi or 232 bar, I promised to also test the DynaMax at 3,000 psi and test another string. I told you that the velocity would not be less, but the number of shots you could get at full power would decrease. Sort of like putting less than a full tank of gas in your car doesn't affect how fast you can go, only how far. Once again, the H&N Baracuda pellet was used.

Shot #...Velocity
1..............947
2..............950
3..............945
4..............945
5..............944
6..............969
7..............954
8..............966
9..............954
10.............943
11.............938
12.............943
13.............932
14.............919
15.............923
16.............926
17.............915
18.............906
19.............910
20.............908
21.............911
22.............888
23.............879
24.............876

The way I read this, the rifle gets about 16 good shots on a 3,000 psi fill, but there's no harm with going to 20 shots unless you're hunting sparrows at 65 yards.

Did you notice that this time the rifle shot four shots that were faster than the fastest shot fired when I filled to 232 bar? Please don't take this one test and construct a whole new religion from it! Instead, look at what might be causing this result. The rifle may be breaking in. The rifle may be loosening up after sitting dormant in my office for several weeks. If I were to run the test again, the results would probably be different, and we couldn't draw conclusions from that, either.

The velocity drop-off at the end of the power curve seems to be the same in both tests, which is characteristic of what some powerful PCPs do. The rifle tapers off near the end, then suddenly drops velocity by a large amount and does not rebound from that. Every PCP has its own performance curve, and it seems this is what the test DynaMax does.

Let's test some other pellets.

Continuing the test
The first pellet tested was the Gamo Raptor. This non-lead pellet has a deserved reputation for going very fast, and I wanted to see how close the DynaMax came to its advertised velocity of 1200 f.p.s. Pretty close, it turns out. The average was 1183 f.p.s., with a high of 1191 and a low of 1169. At the average velocity, this 5.4-grain pellet generates 16.78 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.

The Crosman Premier 10.5-grain pellet was next. It averaged 945 f.p.s., with a spread from 931 to 950 f.p.s. It generated an average of 20.83 foot-pounds.

Next, I tried Crosman's Destroyer 7.9-grain pellet. It averaged 1052 f.p.s., with a spread from 1041 to 1064. That's an average energy of 19.42 foot-pounds.

Finally, I tested Air Arms domes, which are made by JSB and closely resemble Exacts of the same weight. They averaged 1032 f.p.s., with a spread from 1024 to 1037 f.p.s. That's an average energy of 19.87 foot pounds.

Other observations
The DynaMax magazine was sticky in the beginning. As I shot the gun more, it loosened up; by the end of this test, the magazine was functioning fine. And this is the easiest magazine I've ever taken out of a PCP. There's nothing that holds it back. Once the bolt and mag release are out of the way, the mag comes out easily.

All pellets fit the chambers of the magazine loosely. So much so that I had to load the gun when it was level if I wanted the last pellet to stay inside the magazine.

Cocking the rifle as a separate operation after loading will take some getting used to. I forgot to pull back on the cocking button several times during this test.

The two-stage trigger-pull is light and crisp. It breaks with just 22 oz., most of which is in stage two, but some of which is in the first stage. That makes stage two feel even lighter. It's a good trigger.

I'll test accuracy next. Given the power the gun generates, I'll go out to at least 40 yards if not 50.

BKL rings - Part 2

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

Yes, that really is a link to Part 1 of this report. But I combined it with Part 3 of the report on the Hammerli Razor, so it may confuse you. I bet most of you forgot that I was doing this test, so here's the background.

Background
BKL mounts are of interest to airgunners, especially those who shoot springers, because they claim to hold fast to 11 mm dovetail grooves with clamping pressure, alone. Back in the days when I wrote The Airgun Letter, I had occasion to test that claim and found that it came up short. The rings did move from the recoil of a lowly CZ 631 spring rifle.

The BKL company soldiered on until 2007, when they quietly left the marketplace. They were quite popular with airgunners. In late 2008, AutoNumatic, the parent company of AirForce Airguns, bought the BKL company, including all its rights and work in-process. In early 2009, they brought the first new BKL rings to market and throughout the year quietly built up inventory as the word spread that they were back.

The test
I started my test of the very popular 260 MB model in September 2009. I selected the Hammerli Razor as a testbed simply because I happened to be testing it at the time, though the Razor has a pretty snappy recoil. The gun was shot over 100 times for accuracy then about an additional 400 shots after that. I say about because to tell the truth I lost count somewhere during the test. However, a lot of shots went through the rifle with the BKL one-piece model 260 MB rings mounted. And the scope it was holding was a Bushnell Trophy 6-18x, which is not a light scope. If there was going to be movement, this combination should have produced it.


BKL 260 has six clamping screws, shown here. The three holes accept a clamping screw that can spread the clamp jaws to go on a rifle with a larger-width dovetail.

Here are photos of the four witness tapes at the start of the test and at the finish. One is at each corner of the base of the mount.


Tape at the left rear of base when first installed.


At the end of the test, tape at the left rear of base shows no movement.


Tape at the left front of base when first installed.


At the end of the test, tape at the left front of base shows no movement.


Tape at the right front of base when first installed.


At the end of the test, tape at the right front of base shows no movement.


Tape at the right rear of base when first installed. If the mount moves, it will either curl the tape or move away from it. Either way it will be visible.


At the end of the test, tape at the right rear of base shows no movement.

So, there you go. No detectable movement of this BKL mount holding a heavy scope for about 500 shots on a briskly recoiling spring rifle.

The next test
But you know what? That's not enough. We all know there are spring rifles that have legendary recoil. Guns like the Webley Patriot that was also sold by the old Beeman company as the Kodiak. That rifle has been known to break scopes with its vicious recoil. We won't be satisfied until the mount proves its strength on a brute like that!

I don't own a Webley Patriot or a Beeman Kodiak; but, fortunately, John McCaslin, the owner of AirForce Airguns does, and I'm using it for this test. If the BKL 260 MB can ride out another 500 shots, this time on a Webley Patriot, then there won't be much anyone can say, except that it works as advertised.

Why a scope mount without a scope stop?
It's time to answer the big question. Why would anyone need a scope mount that doesn't have a scope stop built in? Well, for many airguns, there's no need whatsoever. Pneumatics and CO2 guns don't have enough recoil to put a strain on a scope ring set no matter how large the scope in them might be. And even some spring guns such as the new Bronco have such low recoil that any good scope ring set will hold without a positive scope stop.

But as spring guns start to develop power, their recoil becomes both quicker and more pronounced. Remember, it was a Slavia 631 that defeated the first BKL mount I tested. Riding out the recoil of a Webley Patriot would be the ultimate challenge for a mount that holds by clamping pressure, alone.

I'll switch the scope to the Patriot and give you a full report.

Hy Score 801 - Part 3

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2


Hy Score model 801 is a handsome vintage spring rifle.

Let's look at accuracy today. I shot the 801 at 10 meters, resting it on the backs of my fingers and using the artillery hold. Someone asked me last week which breakbarrels require the artillery hold, and I will say that all of them do. In fact, nearly all spring guns require it, with the possible exception of the RWS Diana 54. The jury is still out on that one. Some rifles, such as the TX 200 and the RWS Diana 48 and 52, are less sensitive to different holds, but in my experience they all need it. In fact, John Whiscombe once counseled me that even his rifles need to be held that way!

Of course, all pellets were seated with the pellet seater. After the lesson learned in Part 2, I probably won't forget to do that for the rest of my life. And we now know that spring guns up to the power of a Slavia 630 benefit from deep-seating, thanks to Cowboy Star Dad. So, we're narrowing the field.

One more thing I want you to notice. Watch how the point of impact moves with different pellets. It's a lesson in why you need to sight-in with a specific pellet.

RWS Hobbys
RWS Hobbys scattered over a wide area. They may be cheap and fast, but they're not right for this rifle. I would have thought they would do better because they're a larger pellet, but no dice in the 801.


Five RWS Hobbys gave this open group at 10 meters.

Gamo Match
I tried the 7.5-grain Gamo Match pellets next, and a funny story about them. Apparently they are no longer available. When the 7.71-grain Gamo Match pellets first came out, I was assured by Gamo that the 7.5-grain pellet would continue, but apparently that information was wrong. Or, at least, that's how it looks at this time. I'm not wedded to the lighter pellets, but I have said in the past that they were continuing and I want to correct that now.


Five Gamo Match pellets gave this large group at 10 meters. Two pellets went through the hole at 9 o'clock.

JSB Exact
The JSB Exact domes in the 8.4-grain weight shot a tighter group that was also more centered on the bull.


JSB Exact 8.4-grain pellets shot a tighter group.

RWS R10 Heavy pellets
RWS R10 Heavy pellets turned in what is probably the best group of the session. Notice how they completely changed the point of impact, as well.


RWS R10 Heavy pellets were the best of the session.

Impressions
By this point, I was in the groove and couldn't stop shooting, so I just selected a few more pellets and continued to shoot. These easy-cocking rifles will do that to you. I also want to comment that the single-stage trigger on this 801 is not the best in the world. It takes a lot to get it started, then the effort drops considerably and the release is clean.

H&N Finale Match Pistol pellets
Next up were H&N Finale Match Pistol pellets. I expected them to shine in the little rifle because of how the R10 Heavies had shot; though they did okay, the group is noticeably larger. Notice, too, the POI shift. They shoot close to where the JSB Exacts do.


Finale Match Pistol pellets moved up and in from the R10 Heavies. They're good but not the best in the 801.

JSB S100 4.52mm pellets
I know what you're thinking, because I was thinking it, too. I wonder what those "magic" JSB S100 pellets with the 4.52mm heads will do. Well, wonder no more because I tested them and they were surprisingly average. Not as open as some but certainly not as tight as the best.


The JSB S100 pellets with the 4.52mm head were only average in the Hy Score 801.

Crosman Premiers
Then, on a lark, I finished the session with Crosman Premier 7.9-grain pellets. After seeing that the JSB domes were only better than average, I didn't hold out a lot of hope for the Premiers, and that's when the fairy godmother of shooting whacked me over the head! Premier Lites seem to be nearly as good as R10s!


Don't guess. Shoot the groups to find out which pellets perform. These Crosman Premier 7.9-grain pellets did admirably. Two pellets in the top hole.

The bottom line
The Belgian Hy Score 801 is exactly what it claims to be--a fun plinking rifle whose light weight and easy manners make it welcome all day long. This is a classic, though before David Enoch turned me onto it I was as unaware these things even existed. It isn't another Diana 27. It holds, shoots, looks and feels entirely different. But, in the sense that the Diana 27 is an air rifle for the ages, the 801 belongs in the same category. This little look has been fun.

The Gamo DynaMax repeater - Part 1

by B.B. Pelletier


The new Gamo DynaMax repeater. Gamo product photo.

Today, we'll start a review that some of you demanded. You were interested in the new DynaMax from Gamo, and you really wanted to see it put through its paces. Here we go.

The Dynamax is a repeating precharged pneumatic rifle (PCP) that currently comes in .177 caliber, but which is also scheduled for release in .22 in the future. The .177 rifle is advertised as achieving up to 1,200 f.p.s., which I have to assume was with a PBA non-lead pellet, so I'll test for that. With that kind of power, I suspect we'll see velocities in the high 800 f.p.s. or even the low 900 f.p.s. range with heavier pellets such as 10.2-grain JSB Exacts and 10.6-grain H&N Baracudas. That's just about ideal for the .177 caliber because it extracts all the energy the rifle has to offer without going over 1,000 f.p.s. and losing accuracy. I plan to test a wide range of different pellet types.

The rifle has a charcoal gray synthetic stock that's not ambidextrous. It fits me very well, and my sighting eye is elevated to the right part of the scope's eyepiece by the high cheekpiece. The barrel is so clearly free-floated that it could serve as the dictionary illustration for that term. The barrel is just under 19 inches in length, but a compensator adds a bit more.

The weight is 8.75 lbs. if mounting the scope Gamo includes with the gun. Since a scope is required, that is a good weight to use. The stock sports quick-detatchable sling swivel studs, which hunters will enjoy. Overall length of the rifle is 38.25 inches, so it's very compact--almost carbine size except for the weight.

Photo tips
The DynaMax is a black-on-black rifle. That makes it very difficult to photograph. Flash is out because of the hot spots it creates. I want to show you some details on the rifle, so I'll be painting the subject with light as I go. That relieves me of the need for a lengthy setup with a balanced background, which is the professional way to do what I'm doing. I'll describe in each photo how I took it.

I have to comment on the obvious BSA lineage. This repeater has strong familial ties to the BSA Hornet single-shot PCP. The tipoff for me was the cocking button in front of the forearm. That was handed straight down from the Hornet and all its offspring. So, this gun isn't cocked like a typical bolt-action, even though that's exactly what it is. To cock the DynaMax you press the steel button straight back with the fingers of your off hand until the sear catches.


Press this button straight back to cock the rifle. This 4-second photo was taken with the camera sitting on a tripod, the speed set at 80 ISO and the exposure set to 1-2/3 F-stops wider than the camera's onboard meter recommended. On your camera, that may be called a "brightness setting," and it may be found in a software menu. A 1/8-second burst of light from a 60-lumen tactical flashlight that was "wiped" through the subject brought out the details.

The rifle I'm testing arrived without an owner's manual, no doubt because I was sent an early model to evaluate. However, knowing its BSA heritage I suspected the fill pressure would be 232 bar, and it turns out that was correct. That pressure translates to 3,365 psi, a pressure that many U.S. scuba tanks and hand pumps cannot reach. Fortunately I still have a Hill pump, obtained when I tested the last Hornet derivative, a BSA Tech Star. Being British, the Hill had the correct 1/8" BSPP threads at the end of the fill hose for the DynaMax fill probe to connect to. So, I was able to get a full charge for my testing.

If you have a 3,000 psi air supply you will still be able to fill the rifle and get maximum power; you just won't get all the shots it's capable of. You will fill to the middle of the power curve somewhere, which doesn't mean lower velocity. It means fewer shots before it's time to refill. I'll try to sort that out for you in this report. Gamo says you get 30 shots at full power when the fill is also full, so the number gotten with a 3,000 psi fill will be somewhat less than that, I imagine.

Magazine
Let me see....What about the DynaMax would you be most interested in? Why, the magazine, of course. In .177, it hold 10 shots and it's rotary with a driving spring. The outer housing is steel and the inner cylinder is non-ferrous metal with two circumferential o-rings to hold the pellets in place in their chambers. Of course, with the cylinder residing inside the magazine housing, there's nowhere they can go until they're aligned with the bolt and the bore. As you load the magazine, you compress the spring, which will then unwind as the gun is fired, cocked and loaded again.

I find the magazine very easy to remove from the rifle's receiver. It's not a bit difficult. Just flip the bolt to the rear, pull out a magazine catch in front of the receiver and the mag slides out to the left. Load it with pellets, and it slides back in just as easily.


The bolt release was pressed and the bolt sprang back automatically. The safety, below, is manual. The camera was set the same as the previous photo. The 4-second exposure was taken in low room light, and I wiped the flashlight through the image in about 1/10 second.


The magazine release is located at the forward edge of the receiver on the left side. The camera was set up like the previous photo and I used the tactical flashlight button to give the photo a 1/8-second burst of steady light. It's a bit overexposed on the right, but the subject (the switch in the middle of the frame) is right on.


This is the DynaMax magazine partially pulled out. This 4-second exposure picture is terrible. I left it here so you can see the advantage of using the flashlight in the next photo. The camera was set up the same as the two previous photos.


This is the DynaMax magazine partially pulled out. This 4-second exposure is identical to the previous one, except I hit the mag with a 1/8-second burst of light during the exposure.

The DynaMax has no pressure gauge, so you have to count your shots to know when to refill. That's why my info on the shot count at 3,000 psi will be so important. Hopefully, it'll come close to a number of full magazines, probably two, since we know that the higher pressure fill gets about 30 shots. As you become familiar with the rifle you'll also learn to hear when the shots are no longer on the power curve. They'll sound both louder and longer.

Scope
I mentioned that the rifle comes with a scope. They include a very nice 3-9x50 Gamo variable scope with an illuminated reticle and its own mounts. The illumination is just a central dot, and you get red, green and blue colors with three brightness settings each. The dot is etched on glass, so there is no internal flaring of light at even the brightest settings. The duplex crosshairs do not light up, just the central dot.

This will make a terrific hunting scope, even for centerfire rifles on big game. But the dot in the center is so large that it covers too much area for precise grouping at 50 yards. It seems to cover more than an inch at 50 yards, making it perhaps a 2-mil dot. So, it's perfect for hunters but not precise enough for tight groups at 50 yards. I'll substitute another scope for the accuracy test. However, I do want to say that this is a very nice and capable hunting scope, and the glass-etched dot is a refinement that many hunters really need for low-light hunting.

Very shootable
Look at the lines of the stock in the first photo for a moment. Notice how vertical the pistol grip is. There's also a scallop for the thumb in exactly the right place on the right of the pistol grip. Whoever designed this stock was a rifleman. I think the pistol grip, combined with the high cheekpiece, is why the rifle feels so natural to me.


The thumb scallop on the pistol grip feels perfect to me. Four-second photo was taken with the same camera setup and a 1/8-second burst of light.

Gun-buying tips and scam alerts

by B.B. Pelletier

There's a new podcast up on the website.

I wrote this report because of a transaction I made this past weekend. I had traded a rifle to someone and saw it listed on an internet trading site. The description was much nicer than the gun I traded, but the seller's email was the same as the guy I had done business with. I did want the gun back, so I asked if he had gotten it from me and I made a cash offer. It was the same gun, though from the description it was obvious that the seller had learned much more about my rifle in the six months he had it than I had in the eight years I had owned it previously. More, in fact, than could be substantiated or even was true!

Creative writing
First lesson. People don't always tell the truth! No, it's true! People will sometimes fabricate stories to get other people to act in a way contrary to their instincts. Exhibit A: politics! The state rests.

My rifle, which had been a beater-shooter when I owned it had miraculously "...been through a factory rebuild...." Hogwash! The "factory" that built the gun was the Springfield Arsenal. It was a Trapdoor Springfield. They would have covered the gun with a rash of special marks if they ever so much as saw it again. It was just a beater whose stock someone had sanded to remove the inspector's cartouche and then sealed the wood with 147 coats of Tru Oil. End of story. I was the one who installed a period-incorrect Buffington rear sight for the extra aiming precision. So, that was the extent of the "factory rebuild"--a Bubba refinish of the wood and the wrong rear sight.

You know the same thing happens with used airguns. Here are a few common ones decoded for your amusement.

"In excellent condition for its age." MEANING: This gun is a real dog, and I want you to overlook that, in the belief that age, alone, is harmful to wood and metal.

For a CO2 gun - "I don't know if it holds because I don't have a CO2 capsule." MEANING: The gun leaks like a sieve. Or, I'm too lazy to buy a CO2 cartridge at the discount store to test it. Please believe that you have at least a chance that the gun may hold.

"...has been played with." MEANING: This gun was dragged behind a logging truck for two days before someone doused it with gasoline and struck a match.

Has the typical damage to the breech (barrel/bluing/grips/sights/stock... or any other part they want you to believe is common for this model)." MEANING: This one ain't perfect. I want you to accept this dog in the belief that all these guns are dogs in the same way this one is.

Lovingly restored..." MEANING: There's nothing original left on this gun. And it was probably refinished as a summer camp project.

Finish has turned to patina." MEANING: It's a rust bucket.

There's no limit to the creativity that some people will reveal in an attempt to sell or trade their goods.

"Why is the stock cracked at the stock screw holes?" you ask of a dealer at an airgun show. "I think this one came from that bad batch of wood they (whoever made the gun) got back in the '70s ('80s, '90s, etc.)." TRUTH: It cracked when I pulled the trigger with the barrel broken open, just to see how fast it would close. Please don't look at the barrel!

Popular mail-order scams
The guy you contact has several email addresses. Not bad by itself, but he keeps switching them as the transaction progresses. He lives in Florida, but asks for the money order to be sent to Pennsylvania, where he's staying for the winter. Yes, this very thing just happened on a website I frequent and the buyer was wise enough to stop the transaction in time and post a warning on the site. Oh, and the "seller" used photos borrowed from other transactions still listed on the same website.

"You send the money and I'll send the gun at the same time." Watch out for this one. I have done this with several people, but neither party mentioned it during the transaction. We (one of us) just did it, because we trusted the other person. When someone TELLS you they will do this, watch out. Why are they telling you that? Why are they even doing it? Are they trying to make you think they are really a good guy? It falls under the Shakespeare quote, "...the lady doth protest too much." MEANING: If she says that, she probably feels guilty about something related to it.

"Looks just like this one taken from their website." This is a tough call, because there are people who cannot get a digital camera to work for them, or cannot fathom how photos are posted. The best they can do is borrow the addresses of photos already posted. Of course, the danger is that the seller is simply hiding behind this excuse and doesn't want you to see the goods before he has your money.

Worth a thousand words? Not always.
And here's a dirty little trick that I avoid like the plague. The photos of the gun for sale are dark and taken from a distance. Any closeups are so blurry that no detail is visible. "Oh, come on," you say. "Cut the guy some slack. Not everyone can use a camera as well as you."

That's true. I use a camera every day, so over time I've learned how to use it. So, why am I so against blurry pictures?

For starters, I have been scammed by them, and had my eyes opened. And second, because I know at least one big-time airgun dealer who uses this scam all the time. It's his trademark. So, no blurry pictures for me!

By the way, the same dealer will have a gun that's been put together from mismatched parts on his sales table and when asked a pointed question, such as,"Is this thing real?" he'll answer something like, "Well, that's the only one like it that I've ever seen. It could be something special." Yeah, so if he believes that, why isn't he putting it in his collection? Why is he selling it?

The other side of the coin...
But I must admit that there are many airgunners who go out of their way to describe each and every possible flaw their guns have. You might think they're trying to kill the sale; but after you get to know them, you understand that it's just their way. And THAT, my friends, is the biggest tip I can give you today. Know the seller.

I scan the Yellow Forum classified ads almost every day looking for interesting things. That was where that beautiful Hy Score 801 came from. The Yellow Forum classified ads has a database of comments about buyers and sellers that they call the Board of Inquiry, or BOI. You can go there and research any buyer or seller who has sold before. And if you cannot find a person in the BOI database, my radar starts becoming sensitive. Would a person change their name because of a poor reputation? You bet they would. They'd change their name, email address, even where they claimed to live, if it allowed them the latitude to do one more dirty deal.

Paypal--yes or no?
If you're buying on Ebay, the seller better take Paypal. If not, be suspicious. However, on the gun auction sites or airgun classified sites, don't expect to use Paypal. Very few do. There's a huge grassroots movement against Paypal because of eBay's anti-gun policies.

AirForce Edge - Part 7

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

A couple announcements first.

Pyramyd Air has a new contest. Valentine's Day is coming up, and they'd like your story about the airgun you love the most. Click here to read the rules and submit your story. Submissions will be accepted through Sunday, February 14, 2010. The winner will receive a $200 Pyramyd Air gift ecard. The second and third place winners will receive $100 and $50 gift ecards, respectively.

Several regular blog readers have said they'd like to receive all the blog comments and help me answer them. If you want to do the same, please email me. Many people find this blog through search engines, but the search results often take them to a past blog...and that's where they post their questions. Only those who are signed up to get all the comments will see them and have a chance to answer them. There's no obligation to answer all the posts. We don't want our volunteers to feel like they're obligated or that this is a homework assignment. No one will check up on you or say you aren't answering enough. How much you do is up to you. You can pull out at any time. Just let us know if it's too much. No pressure.

Okay I did tease you with this report on Friday. I knew what I'm about to tell you was important, but I wanted you to see the results for yourself. I didn't just want to put them into a comment that was unsubstantiated.

This all started at the SHOT Show, when I was in the AirForce booth. A coach from a youth rifle team was praising the AirForce Edge to the skies to John McCaslin, and I happened to be standing there listening to what he said. He told us his top shooter had a new Edge and had been going though various target pellets until he happened upon some Gamo Match 7.5-grain wadcutters. All of a sudden he was getting phenomenal groups, and they didn't seem to vary.

It took me a full ten minutes to listen to the praise this coach was heaping on the Edge, but I'm shortening it to a couple sentences for you. Then and there I resolved to test the Gamo Match pellet in my test rifle. If there's a "magic pellet" out there, I want everyone to know about it. And, yes, I used the same vice as before so the test conditions were the same.

Sad to say, I did not get the same results as the coach. Not even close! The Edge I am testing actually shot RWS Basic pellets better than these Gamo Match pellets. So, why am I telling you this? Certainly not for the Gamo Match results, but because as I was heading out to the test range I happened to find a tin of target pellets that I hadn't tested in the Edge yet, so I took them along. And not just that--they were the head diameter that I always find to be the most accurate in my personal target rifles and pistols.

And that is where today's story begins--with a JSB S100 Match Diabolo pellet in the head size 4.52mm. I'm sorry but not only is Pyramyd Air out of this pellet, I called all the 10-meter supply houses in the United States and nobody carries them! Scott Pilkington who makes Vogel target pellets even told me that he wouldn't make a 4.52mm head size because he doesn't think there's enough demand for it. So, you may have difficulty finding these pellets.


These are the pellets I used.


The head size is on this label on the back of the tin. With other pellets, the head size is embedded in the UPC label.

The rifle was already chucked in the vise, so all that remained was to load and fire the pellets. As before, the target was a piece of target paper--no bullseye. What's this? The group didn't seem to grow as the shots increased. And that was the result I had been looking for all along--a pellet that did exactly what we all expected.


This little screamer was the first group I shot. Doesn't get much better than this.

Group after group hovered around the same size. So I had a thought. What would a different rifle do? I had access to several, so I chucked up two more and continued the test. The results were pretty much the same, as you can see.


A different Edge shot this group with the same pellet. Another screamer!


A third Edge shot this group with the same pellet. More of the same.

After a handful of groups from the three rifles it was obvious the Edge really likes this pellet. What I do not know is whether it is the S100 pellet design or the 4.52mm head diameter that matters the most. My experience suggests that the head size is more important here, because it's the same thing I've seen repeatedly with other target airguns and different brands of pellets.

And that's my surprise for you today. I'm sorry it was so easy, but sometimes that's the way it goes. My experience shooting black powder arms tells me that when lead bullets are at least one-thousandth of an inch larger than bore size (that's across the grooves) from which they're fired, the best accuracy results. Pellets seem to perform the same.

In fairness to Crosman, I feel I must revisit the Challenger PCP, because it never had the same chance that I just gave the Edge. So, you can expect another report on that in the near future.

Hy Score 801 - Part 2

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1

Before I start this report, here's an interesting tidbit. I heard something interesting about the Edge target rifle at the SHOT Show, so yesterday I did a special test. The results were dramatic enough that I will make another report on the Edge on Monday. If you own an Edge or are considering buying one, you won't want to miss this!

Now, let's get on with today's report.


Hy Score model 801 is a handsome vintage spring rifle. Note the walnut stain on the beechwood stock. Beautiful!

Some interesting feedback on the first report of the Hy Score 801. One of our readers from Belgium says he's never heard of nor seen this rifle in his country, so it may be scarce even there. And several readers commented on how lovely the rifle is. That's my own assessment, as well. I'm so glad I'm able to bring your attention to this little-known classic springer from the 1940s.

Today, we'll test the velocity of this rifle, and I'll do two separate tests, because this unique breakbarrel spring rifle has a pellet seater built-in. Each pellet will be tested by using the pellet seater and, again, seating flush with the back of the breech.

Gamo Match
The first pellet I tried was the old standby, Gamo Match. These were the light 7.5-grain pellets. Seated flush with the back of the breech, they averaged 438 f.p.s., with a spread from 384 f.p.s. to 464 f.p.s. That's a pretty big spread. When I load pellets, I always press them hard into the breech so they don't fall back out as the barrel is closed. That may have been the reason there was such a large velocity spread--I theorize that some pellets were popping completely into the barrel while the ends of the skirts of others were remaining outside. The average muzzle energy was 3.2 foot-pounds.

Next, I used the pellet seater mounted on the rifle. It stops at the same depth every time you use it, so the pellet is a uniform distance into the breech. With the seater, the average velocity was 469 f.p.s., and the spread went from 464 f.p.s , to 474 f.p.s. That's both a higher average velocity and a much tighter velocity spread. The average muzzle energy with the pellet seater was 3.66 foot-pounds.


The pellet seater sits atop the breech, waiting to spring into action.


This pellet is seated flush with the breech. The pellet seater shown here flips back up out of the way when the barrel is closed.


Pushing forward on the spring-loaded pellet seater seats each pellet a uniform depth into the barrel.

RWS Hobbys
RWS Hobby pellets were next. Seated flush with the end of the breech, they averaged 384 f.p.s., with a spread from 351 f.p.s. to 411 f.p.s. That works out to an average 2.29 foot-pounds. That's a large drop from the energy of the heavier flush-seated Gamo Match. And the pellet seater revealed the reason why.

Using the pellet seater, Hobbys averaged 484 f.p.s. with a spread from 482 f.ps. to 490 f.p.s. Once again we see an increase in the average velocity, and this time a huge one of 100 f.p.s. At the same time, the velocity spread drops from 60 f.p.s. to just 8 f.p.s. From this we can learn two important things: (1) Deep-seated pellets are both faster and more uniform than flush-seated pellets in the 801 and (2) that RWS Hobby pellets have very large skirts. That was the reason they didn't go faster when seated flush with the end of the barrel, even though I pressed them in hard. All of you who shoot rifles with weaker springs will want to pay attention to this.

JSB Exacts
The next pellets I tried were the JSB Exact domes that weigh 8.4 grains. I would normally expect a pellet this heavy to shoot slower than the Hobbys that are 1.4 grains lighter except for one thing. When I seated these pellets flush with the breech, I could feel each of them pop past the breech and into the barrel. All it took was my thumb pressure. So, the diameter of the skirt on this pellet must be very close to the 801's breech diameter. That's just a coincidence, but look what it does to the performance.

The flush-seated Exacts averaged 436 f.p.s. The spread went from 430 f.p.s. to 444 f.p.s., a spread of just 14 f.p.s. The average muzzle energy was 3.55 foot-pounds, which is more than one full foot-pound greater than the RWS Hobbys that were seated flush. I know these energy levels are low, but this is an energy increase of greater than 25 percent! That's very significant.

When the Exacts were seated deep with the seating tool, the average was only 437 f.p.s. And the spread went from 432 f.p.s. to 444 f.p.s. Those values are practically identical to the first set, which means that the act of "breaking" each pellet past the breech is the most important step toward higher and more uniform velocities. I think we've learned something from this test! I'll come back to it in a moment.

RWS R10 Heavy pellets
The final pellet I tried was the RWS R10 Match heavy pellet that weighs 8.2 grains. They gave an average 334 f.p.s. with a spread from 320 f.p.s. up to 339 f.p.s. These were all seated flush with the end of the breech. This was also the most uniform result I got from flush-seating, which tells me the skirts on this pellet are uniformly large and do not "break" past the breech to enter the bore with finger pressure, alone. At this speed, they deliver an average 2.03 foot-pounds--the lowest energy of this test.

When the pellet seater was used, the average velocity climbed to 416 f.p.s. and the spread went down just 4 f.p.s.--from 414 f.p.s. to 418 f.p.s. That's remarkable uniformity, which you expect from a premium target pellet like this. The average muzzle energy was 3.15 foot pounds--another dramatic increase.

Analysis
This test was just supposed to be a quiet little velocity test of this unique old breakbarrel rifle, but using the built-in pellet seater has opened my eyes to a unique situation. It seems that a low-powered spring rifle may do better when the pellets are seated deeper into the bore. That's something I need to explore more.

I also need to find out if this same relationship extends to the higher-powered springers. In other words, at what point does pellet seating cease to be an advantage. Or is there no point at which it does, and should we all be seating our pellets deeply?

Now, I'm not the H.P. White Labs nor the Shell Answer Man, so I'm not planning on doing a doctoral dissertation on this, though I won't discourage any of you from doing one. So, don't start wondering about group sizes with seated versus unseated pellets, seating depths correlating to velocities and groups sizes and stuff like that. I gotta blog to do here and plenty of products to look at as it is.

Still, I don't suppose it would hurt to run a few tests as we go.