by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Air Arms Galahad PCP in walnut is a striking looking air rifle!
UTG 8-32 SWAT Mil Dot
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
This report covers:
- JSB Exact Jumbo
- JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
- H&N Baracuda Match with 5.53mm heads
- Crosman Premiers
- UTG 8-32 SWAT scope
- Summary
This final report has taken two months to complete. I went to the range one time and shot the rifle at 50 yards, but the wind was blowing on that day and the groups were not good. I felt that was due entirely to the wind, so I needed to try it another day. It took me most of the time to get that second day — a combination of other business and a lot of windy Texas days!
Today I am reporting on the .22 caliber Galahad-rifle from Air Arms at 50 yards. Naturally I shot off a rest. The rifle was shot on power setting 4 (there are 5 settings) and I refilled after every second 10-shot group. Let’s get right to it.
JSB Exact Heavy
The first pellet I tried was the 15.89-grain JSB Exact Jumbo dome. They landed high and to the left of the aim point, but I wasn’t worried about that. Ten of them went into 0.92-inches at 50 yards, which isn’t too bad!
The Galahad put 10 JSB Exact Jumbo (15.89-grain) domes into 0.92-inches at 50 yards.
JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy
I didn’t think the 15.89-grain pellet was the best for the Galahad, so next up was the 18.13-grain JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy. This was the pellet I had the most hope for. The first 10 grouped in 0.741-inches, which is pretty spectacular. So I shot a second group at the end of the test, just to check.
The Galahad put 10 JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy (18.1-grain) domes into 0.741-inches at 50 yards. That is a group!
I adjusted the scope a little for this second group, although it still isn’t centered or quite low enough. This time 10 pellets went into 1.239-inches — BUT — one shot was a called pull! I saw the sight move to the left just as the rifle fired. The other 9 pellets are in 0.926-inches.
On the second attempt the Galahad put 10 JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy (18.1-grain) domes into 1.239-inches at 50 yards, but one shot was a called pull. The other 9 are in 0.926-inches.
H&N Baracuda Match with 5.53mm heads
The third pellet I tried in the Galahad was the H&N Baracuda Match with 5.53mm heads. This pellet did not do as well at 25 yards, and I wanted to test it at 50 to see if the relationship held. It did. Ten shots at 50 yards went into 1.608-inches, with 9 in 1.35-inches. That’s not good, in light of what both the JSBs did.
Ten H&N Baracuda Match domes made a 1.608-inch group at 50 yards. Given what the two JSB pellets did, this one isn’t for the Galahad.
Crosman Premier
The final pellet I tested was the .22-caliber Crosman Premier. Ten went into 1.46-inches. This is another pellet that isn’t well-suited to the Galahad.
Ten Crosman Premiers made a 1.46-inch group at 50 yards.
UTG 8-32 SWAT scope
Remember that I linked to the UTG 8-32 SWAT scope that I mounted on this rifle. This rifle was also a test of that scope, and several readers asked to see what the rifle looked like with that large scope mounted. So I took a picture for you.
I don’t think the UTG scope looks too large on the Galahad.
This UTG scope is very clear, as all UTG premium scopes are, these days. It is exceptionally bright on 32 power and it is a scope I can always recommend. It is large, but look at it on the rifle to see how it compares.
Summary
The Air Arms Galahad that I tested is remarkable in several ways. First, the bullpup design shortens it without loosing precious barrel length. Next, it cocks via a paddle on the left side of the gun. Several readers like that placement, though I didn’t find it any easier than a conventional bolt.
The uniformity of velocity at all power levels is perhaps the best feature the Galahad offers. It is very consistent, plus it gives you lots of shots at the higher-power settings. You can thank a regulator for that. Remember, though, that the full fill on this rifle is to 250 bar (3,626 psi).
Finally, I think the accuracy speaks for itself. While other premium PCPs are capable of these results, only the top airguns can do it. I think the Galahad is a rifle you should consider when you move up to a top-class PCP.
B.B.
Nice shooting. The eye must be doing better! Good news.
UTG premium scopes, are these all the 30mm scopes? For your 50 yard test, what power did you have your 32 power scope set to?
Thanks,
Yogi
UTG has 30mm scopes just above $100, so not all are premium scopes. I now have three of their Leapers 3-12X44 AO SWAT compact scopes and they are very good for the money, though heavy. Bright and clear. I really like SWAT compared to having to reach forward and turn an AO, too.
Yogi,
I had it set on 32 power. Their premium scopes are determined by the price.
B.B.
Based on Tom’s recommendation, I purchased UTG scopes for all my firearms, except the JC Higgins single shot .22 that I purchased new with a 4X scope in 1961 while in high school with money from my paper route. I put a 4X16 on my Remington 700 in 30-06 and another one on a Mauser 7.62X39 bolt action that was a Christmas gift from Tom and Edie.
I like to shoot .223 caliber because of the low ammunition cost, flat trajectory, and minimal recoil, so I recently purchased another Remington 700 in that caliber. Based on Tom’s tests and remarks, I purchased an UTG scope in 8X32 variable power that cost almost as much as the used rifle I purchased. This is now my “go to” firearm when I want to really shoot accurately. Just as Tom tries various pellets to determine which combination the airgun “likes” the best, I am reloading different types of powder and loads as well as varying the types and weights of bullets to determine the combination that gives me the best results. I try out the different combinations at my local range at 100 yards after work on most Fridays, depending on weather. Several years ago, Tom and Edie introduced me to reloading, and that is now my weekend hobby. It is not a simple hobby of just adding powder and bullets to brass and then expect perfect results. Like the pellets Tom tries, it is an adventure to find the right combination that works best with a particular firearm or airgun.
Tom, have a safe drive to and from Finlay next weekend.
Bob
Bob,
I’ll be safe, now that I am driving Goldie. 😉
B.B.
Driving Goldie?
OK, I know Edie’s brother restored classic cars and I know that B-I-L stands for brother in law. So give it up, what are the details on goldie?
And who’s taking care of Roy, Punky and Dale while you’re gone?
SL,
Goldie is an 06 Tundra I bought from Bob. And the kitties have Miss Linda coming in morning and evening to feed and check on them. Miss Linda works for the vet where I used to board them, but now they get to stay in their house while I’m gone.
B.B.
OK, cool. I was kind of hoping Goldie was a ’59 Cadillac Eldorado convertible, but a Tundra is certainly nothing to turn ones nose at. Excellent trucks. I own a Toyota T-100 4×4, which was the predecessor to the Tundra. At the time of manufacture it was too large for any of Toyota’s assembly lines, so it was built by Hino.
I am happy to hear the kitties will be so well taken care of. My ex started a pet/house sitting company and we occasionally hosted her clients at my house. I’ve got the ruined carpet to prove it!
I was wondering the same about Goldie. I have an uncle who has a lifelong fondness for Corvettes. He is having a C7 built to his specifications and will give me a personal review when he gets delivery in a few weeks. I asked him if he has a HUD display like the fighter planes. He said that was old technology since 2008, but he had high praise for it and said that you couldn’t do without them after trying them.
Matt61
B-I-L
Plus different brass, neck sizing only and bullet seating depth if one shoots single shot and confines reloads to one gun. The variables are almost endless which is why many love it. Thanks for your comments. I think there is a kinship shared by airgunners and firearm reloaders.
Decksniper
I’ve traveled down some of your road myself. All of the scopes on my firearms are designed for airguns. In fact, I believe they are all Leapers. I bought them based on a statement in the blog that they are even tougher than firearms scopes. I suppose the optics may suffer in comparison to the really high-end firearms scope. But I don’t have the money or the distance to test the difference. At 100 yards, my Leapers scope can get great groups from my Anschutz rimfire target rifle.
I’m curious about the Mauser in 7.62X39. This sounds like a fine rifle and an excellent chance to evaluate the accuracy of the cartridge apart from the AK platform that it is associated with. My own reloading manual has a pretty dim view of the cartridge’s inherent accuracy. But I’ve heard other reports of good accuracy with handloads.
It sounds like you’ve gone the Remington 700 route where I went with Savage rifles. The wisdom I’ve heard is that the Remington 700 can have unsurpassed accuracy but only after extensive gunsmithing. I believe that the sniper rifles for the army and Marine Corps have about $10,000 worth of gunsmithing in each. Reloading can be fun, but if you try all the various possibilities, you are looking at endless work. I think it makes sense to trim down the options by looking at your reloading manual but also studying your twist rates and bullet weights.
I once thought of reloading .223. In fact in my salad days (when I was green), I called up Black Hills to ask them what load they used for their .223 rounds. They were at least polite in telling me that they don’t release powder data. In the end, I just ended up buying Black Hills with 69 grains which is as good as anything that I can come up with. Besides, I have suspected that my Black Hills ammo might use compressed powder loads which are a whole different and more dangerous level of reloading that I’ve never tried.
Matt61
BB,
Though this is a superb air rifle, I do not think it is me. I think the biggest issue is how much it weighs. I am leaning toward something a little lighter.
RR,
Then talk to Lloyd about a Disco Double lightweight.
B.B.
BB,
Oh, I have a couple of things in mind for Lloyd to put together for me. I am giving serious thought to a special design of a Double PRod carbine and a new air reservoir for my Edge.
B.B.,
Fine shooting. Thanks for the pic. of the mounted scope. I think people have a hard time fathoming what a big scope looks like when mounted. Looks good.
No time to post exact #’s, but the M-rod is well on par with the 50, even 70. The Maximus did similar at 50. In general I would say that this one is (more likely) to deliver a (sub) 1″ group at 50. One thing for sure, this rifle offers a whole lot more. With all of the power options at your finger tips, I think that it would take awhile to get it tuned perfectly for a particular pellet. That takes some time, which I know is at a premium for you.
Thanks for the reminder on the 3,600 fill. Having the M-rod with a heavier hammer spring, I can relate to a 3,500 fill. It does make a difference on the effort/amount of providing air.
Chris
Chris USA,
Is it the front sight that you are attempting to remove on your rifle? If so, I would suggest that you immerse the muzzle in either boiling water or heated motor oil, some of which can be safely heated up to around 500 degrees Fahrenheit depending on viscosity and brand. In this way, everything will be uniformly heated with no scorching and the plastic part should be easily removed intact.
Bugbuster
Bugbuster,
Thanks for the tip. I can get a heat gun at work, which I will opt for. The adapter cap is plastic. The adapter is metal. The adapter is what I need to get off. If you go to the Crosman site, look up the Hunter version.
I will be surprised if an unsupported will better things, which are good now, but I am willing to give it a go. It is not a 500, 1000, or a 1500$ gun.
I will keep all posted and put it to the test. This weekend is not looking good on weather and indoors the best I have is 41′. Indoors, 3 shots would easily overlap, if not stack.
Chris USA,
Oops, I misunderstood which part you were trying to remove, another one of those senior moments. Good luck with the heat gun.
Bugbuster
B.B.,
For some reason, I like the appearance of the Galahad much more with that long scope than I would / have with shorter ones. Maybe it balances the profile for me. The wood on the Galahad is beautifully shaped, but I have yet to see a bullpup that to me is anything but ugly.
I love the look of carbines, but bullpups just look awkward to my eyes.
Michael
B.B.,
Now that I am studying the Galahad more and more, I think the way the magazine juts out to the left side of the cheek rest might actually favor lefties like me. I can imagine a righty shouldering it and having his nose bent to the left by the mag, kinda like Donald O’Connor’s nose in “Make ‘Em Laugh.”
Michael
Michael,
Please do not expect me to run up the wall and do a backflip! 😉
B.B.
B.B.,
LOL!
Man, I love that movie, except for that snoozer dream ballet sequence.
Michael
Michael,
You don’t like Leslie Caron?
B.B.
B.B.,
I could be wrong, but Caron was in An American in Paris, but in Singin’ in the Rain it was Cyd Charisse. Ah, but I like ’em both! I just feel the ballet sequence in Rain was out of place and ground the picture to a halt. Still, one of the all-time greats.
Michael
Michael,
Duh! You are right!
B.B.
And BTW, I am now singing “Make ’em Dance”!!!
STOP THAT!
B.B.
B.B.,
O.K., if you insist, I can stop that for you:
“Good mornin’, Good mor-nin’! We’ve talked the whole night through. Good mornin’, Good mornin’ to you!”
Michael
B.B.,
I know, I’m merciless. :^)
Michael
Michael,
OH NO!!!
Now it’s great to stay up late!
B.B.
Halfstep,
For a cheap pellet, try the Winchesters. Not sure that they will function in magazines, but the roundnose ones shoot pretty well out of my RWS 48 at 25 yards. I got around a .75″ ten shot group at that range. If there is a Tractor Supply store near you, they normally have them. In the future, I am going to try their other configurations, hollowpoint and wadcutter which they call flatnose.
Bugbuster
Bugbuster,
Sometimes they have the sampler packs of the Winchesters so you can try out the pointeds and hollow points. The hollowpoints shot best out of Mr Benjamin nitro piston and the round noses out of my B3 and multi- pumps. If you have an Academy, try there also. For some Unknown reason, my XS46U and R1 did not like them.
Brent
Brent,
The only pellets I have seen at TSC in my area are the Daisys and Winchester roundnose. I tried both a long time ago but the quality of the Daisys was pretty poor and they shot accordingly.
There is no Academy store here that I am aware of, I reside in southwestern Pennsylvania.
I also have a Xisico XS46U with a gas ram in .177 caliber. I normally shoot Crosman 10.5 grain ultra mags through it.
Bugbuster
Nice shooting and as good as I did with my Savage 10FP at that distance last weekend.
Michael, thanks for the fine exposition of the Frost poem, Birches. It sounds like childhood and a rustic lifestyle are compressed into a vision of the ideal. If the poem is about getting back to your childhood, I’d say it is very apt for the blog. 🙂 But it would be a mistake to dismiss Frost as just a sentimental poet. He had a kind of tortured psyche which he also described in his poetry.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
So what he said about Birches was authentic. I like his poetry because it has the form of poetry and you can actually understand it.
On the subject of childhood, the best moment of my range trip over the weekend was when I showed my student that he had grouped better than me with the Savage rifle, and he gave an embarrassed grin.
Matt61
Hi Matt! I just wanted to say I think that your student would be really hard pressed to find a better teacher FWIW. (We were all thinking it,i just “said” it) LOL
On the subject of cheap pellets well worth having….at work today I was doing a little target shooting (very informally) and the Crosman pointed pellets that weigh 7,4gr blew my mind by grouping 12 shots through a round hole the size of a pencil eraser………this from an OLD Daystate Harrier and an improvised rest.As I stated this was really casual shooting….so much so that I can’t tell which of the 4 scattered shots on the target were actually fliers but there is NO question at least 10 went through that hole.Tomorrow I WILL be investigating this much further.These pellets are practically free compaired to some that I use.
I guess it is important to state that the target distance was 40yds lasered….scope was a BSA Sweet .22 on 18x……..
FrankBpc,
Wow, wow, and wow. Is that a std., XS, SE, PH6, PH6 SE or X Version? I take it from your comment that the rifle has not produced these type of results in the past? Yes, by all means investigate further. For me, if I can reproduce results over multiple times/days, then I will declare victory and know that it was not just luck. Keep us posted.
It is a “standard” model Daystate Harrier……they used to be the gold standard in the days of yore.LOL This one was set up by Joe Korrick (sp?) and is in one of those Gary Cane stocks where the butt looks like a fish tail.
The rifle is seriously accurate with CP heavies from the box,but I never expected the cheap lightweight pointed CPs to perform with any promise at beyond 20-25 yds.Weather and work are in the way but I’m anxious to give these a better look!