Air Venturi Avenge-X classic wood.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
This report covers:
The test
Fill
First group — Benjamin match grade domes
Predator GTO
FX 10.3-grain domes
JSB Beast
FX 13.4-grain dome
JSB Monster
What I need to know
Summary
Today we look at the accuracy of the Air Venturi Avenge-X at 25 yards on high power. I learned something very interesting in today’s test that I will apply when it’s time to tune the rifle.
The test
I shot four accurate pellets from Part 5 plus a brand new one I should have tested before today. All shots were fired with the rifle set to high power. I also shot one of the pellets whose outcome was doubtful in Part 5. All targets were 10-shot groups at 25 yards with the rifle resting directly on a sandbag.
I shot single-shot to keep the influence of the magazine out of the test. I can test it later.
Fill
Before starting the test I filled the rifle with the RovAir portable compressor. Once the air hose was filled the rifle took two minutes and 16 seconds to full. As before the compressor turned off when the max pressure was reached.
First group — Benjamin match grade domes
First up were Benjamin match grade domes that I am calling Benjamin Bullseyes. The Avenge-X put ten of them into a 0.271-inch/6.88mm group at 25 yards. The group was to the left of the bull but I decided not to adjust the scope for the remainder of the test.
The Avenge-X put ten Benjamin Match grade domes into a 0.271-inch group at 25 yards.
Predator GTO
That was a good start. Next I tried the Predator GTO lead-free dome. This is the one that made a 0.426-inch group of five in the last test. That group was four shots in a small hole and one shot outside. Several readers suggested that I retest this pellet on high power so today I did. The Avenge-X put ten GTO pellets into 0.312-inches at 25 yards.
This time time Predator GTO pellets went into 0.312-inches at 25 yards.
The GTO is the only pellet that broke the sound barrier in today’s test. That tells me two things — 1. the sound barrier is not the disruption to accuracy that people think and 2. if the GTO was going slight faster than last time but not breaking the sound barrier it might be even more accurate.
FX 10.3-grain domes
The third pellet I tried was the 10.3-grain dome from FX. In Part 5 five of these pellets went into 0.224-inches at 25 yards. In today’s test ten pellets went into a 0.17-inches group at the same 25 yards. It’s the smallest group of the test and the 10-shot group is smaller than the previous 5-shout group.
Ten FX 10.3-grain pellets made a 0.17-inch group. it’s the smallest group of today’s test.
JSB Beast
Now we come to the place where I learned things — valuable things that will help me tune the rifle! In Part 5 five JSB Beasts made a 0.123-inch group that was the smallest of the Part 5 test. Today I will note that the first four pellets went through the same hole that didn’t seem to grow in size. Shots 5 and 6 enlarged the hole slightly and the shot number 7 landed about one inch away from the main group.
Shot seven landed below and to the left of the group and looks like a pulled pellet but it wasn’t. Something else had thrown it where it landed. I was surprised, and I responded by shooting a total of 11 pellets at this target. The larger group has ten pellets through it and measures 0.29-inches between centers.
There are 11 shots in this group. Ten are in the main group that measures 0.29 inches between centers at 25 yards. The lone shot opens the 11 shots to 0.961-inches between centers.
FX 13.4-grain dome
The next pellet I shot was the FX 13.4-grain dome. Ten went into 0.371-inches at 25 yards.
Ten FX 13.4-grain domes made a o.371-inch group at 25 yards.
JSB Monster
The last pellet I shot was the most informative one of the day — the JSB Monster. In Part 5 on low power five of these made a 0.177-inch group. Today on high power ten shots are in 2.828-inches with eight in 0.345-inches. Groups like this make me look for what is happening. It looks like the pellet is hitting something as it leaves the muzzle. To find it you look into the muzzle for places where lead streaks are. I did look but in this case there were none. It looks like no pellets have touched the inside of the muzzle or the baffles on their way to the target. What else could it be?
Ten JSB Monster pellets made a 2.828-inch group at 25 yards with eight in 0.345-inches.made a 0.371-inch group at 25 yards.
It could be that at the speed these last two pellets (JSB Beasts and JSB Monsters) left the muzzle, they were going a little too fast to stabilize. Most of them stayed together but one of the Beasts and two of the Monsters strayed outside the group. That tells me something I need to know for tuning the rifle.
What I need to know
On low power five JSB Beasts made a 0.123-inch group. On high power eleven Beasts went into 0.961-inches with ten in 0.29-inches between centers. That tells me the most accurate velocity for the Beast is closer to the low power than it is to the high power. The same holds true for the JSB Monster pellet. Now, I don’t know how fast either of the the pellets were going on low and high power, so the first order of business is to find that out. Then I need to slow down the high power velocity of both pellets and test them for accuracy again. This is why Hanks’ guest blog About PCPs and tuning is going to be so useful. For these two pellets the power needs to go down slightly.
Summary
This was a most interesting test, It gives me a direction in which to go for the tuning of the rifle for the next time. I know that FX 10.3-grain domes were the best group today, but I watched the JSB Beast pellet and saw they are even more accurate (I believe) if the power is just dialed back a little.
Thats outstanding for a .177 at 25 yards, I think this $570 rifle may redefine what we think can be done with a .177 caliber pellet at extended ranges.
Ian
BB,
You are making it very difficult for me to continue to say no to my owning one of these air rifles. The only reasons I can continue to do such is I have some superb air rifles I have not even shot yet, and my wallet is way too thin to be able to afford one of these right now. That is some fine groups.
So you hear Darth Vader saying, “Come to the Dark Side” too?
Darth Vader may be no but Shootski for certain.
LOL!
May the FPE be with you! 🙂
OP,
I have been on the “Dark Side” for a long time. Tom and Mac introduced me to PCPs many, many years ago. Mac made out big time on that deal, but that is OK. I learned so much about PCPs from that Talon SS.
My recommendation is if you are considering an Avenge-X as your first PCP, you should either think again or if you get one, you had better not adjust anything on it for quite some time. When you do start tinkering with all of the adjustments on that Avenge-X, you had best have a chronograph. Fortunately, I had one from the get-go with that Talon SS and it is simple compared to this thing.
Still waiting for the next episode of the FWB 127. Even with the exceptional groups of a PCP, I cannot bring myself to acquire one. Spring pistons all the way. Maybe because of my limited skills, I feel more confident of fixing a spring rifle.
Just purchased my first vintage Daisy 111 model 40 and an 108 model 39 (I have models 99 and 299.) Cannot wait. Checking the tracking number. Half a country away.
Alex2no,
Springers are fine, no, more than fine – I love mine and they see a lot of use.
But they are just one flavor to to taste. I enjoy using a variety of equipment, be it for archery, fishing or shooting.
Tracking number anxiety… know all about that! Enjoy your new airguns!
Cheers!
Alex2no,
I have a 1959 model 99. It is my favorite bb gun. It is surprisingly accurate and I can load it up and shoot it until I am tired of shooting and still have bbs in it.
Until very recently, the only airguns hanging on my walls were antique sproingers. I so enjoy fixing these “old gals” up and taking them out to dance every once in a while.
Do not be afraid of the “complexity” of modern PCPs. Basic PCPs are no more complex than sproingers. If for some strange reason you decide to dabble with the “Dark Side”, I would recommend an AirForce Talon or Talon SS, an Hill hand pump and a chronograph.
Excellent shooting, as usual, BB. It is interesting how some pellets perform better at higher speeds and others do better at lower speeds. Those Predator lead-free pellets are intriguing, but also relatively expensive.
Speaking of excellent shooting, we have a silhouette made by an exhibition marksman by the name of Tom Frye back in 1965. This is something my wife inherited, and we hung it in a room where we have a bunch of Native American artifacts displayed. Over the weekend, I found a few articles and a video of Tom Frye online. He was an amazingly talented man. Here’s a photo of our silhouette and some links to the video and an interesting and touching article:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRv1dWEXPdY
https://www.distinctlymontana.com/meeting-tom-frye-montana-marksman
Elmer,
Now that is a true treasure!
That video and article are most interesting. Thanks!
Thanks, we really didn’t know much about Tom Frye until this past weekend. It was exciting to discover more about him.
I for one am glad you shared that. You do realize that what you have there just may be one of those very last portraits he shot?
Our silhouette was made in 1965. The article I linked to is about a demonstration he did only 2-weeks before he passed away in 1982. Sorry if that was confusing.
Elmer,
No problem. My bad for not paying more attention, as usual.
Elmer, I’m familiar with Tom Frye and his capabilities; that’s an awesome piece of art you’ve got there! 🙂
Thanks Dave! I read one article that said Tom Frye shot these silhouettes in something like seven minutes. The article I linked to said these were the grand finale to his demonstrations. I counted 60 shot holes. He reportedly used a Remington Nylon 66 rifle. It holds 14 cartridges if I remember correctly. So, he must have had to reload several times in that time frame also…
Elmer, yes, those Nylon 66 rifles were pretty cool guns; I shot one that a friend had; they loaded through the butt of the stock, like a Spencer Carbine; this made them very reliable on feeding; and they could be fired FAST!
Yes, Tom likely used multiple rifles, with someone else doing the reloading, just as he did when he set the record by hitting 100,004 out of 100,010 hand thrown wooden blocks…great stuff! 🙂
https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/remingtons-classic-nylon-66/99187
Elmer Fudd,
Some folks says, that jsb pellets performs poor at high velocity because they are made of soft lead. They “rip off” from the rifling same as lead balls in black powder guns- i dont know the proper english term, but i hope you understand what i mean. This will also explain why harder pellets, like premiers don’t have those flyers. But it is just a theory, i never checked it.
Herbie,
Interesting theory, I can visualize that – but why more predominant with heavier pellets.
Hank
HerbieVr,
Vr is Rotation Speed on an aircraft Take Off?
The following may help you:
Marks found of Fired Bullets 1.Land Marks =marks left on a fired bullet caused by its contact to the elevated portion (lands) of the bore of the firearm. It appears as slight depressions or scratches on the cylindrical surface of the fired bullet. 2. Groove Marks = elevated marks found on a fired bullet caused by the grooves of the barrel which is the same number as that of the landmarks. 3. Skid Marks =Marks that are generally found on fired bullet from a revolver. It is more or less located at the anterior portion of the fired bullet due to its forward movement from the chamber to the barrel of the gun before it initially rotates. 4. Stripping Marks =marks found on those bullet fired from a “loose-fit” barrel wherein the rifling are already been badly worn-out. Worn-out in the rifling of the firearms can be cause by either chemical reaction brought about by rust (corrosion) or through excessive use (erosion) 5. Shaving Marks =marks commonly found on bullet fired from a revolver cause by its forward movement to the barrel that is poorly aligned to the cylinder.
6. Slippage Marks =marks found on fired bullets passing through either on oily or oversize barrel.
If the pellet, slug/bullet is the correct size for the bore even projectiles made with Dead Soft Lead (Pb) will not have Stipping/Slippage Marks.
I base that on personal experience/observation shooting nothing but Dead Soft Lead (Pb) projectiles (up to 530 grain) from my Big Bore rifles and pistols developing at least 210 FPE some over 500 FPE.
Flyers, in my opinion, are caused by poor projectile design, manufacturing imperfections, and most often by vacuities (voids or density anomalies) in the casting or swaging process.
shootski
BB,
Nice shooting!
From what I’ve seen, following the Avenge-X around the internet, this level of accuracy is typical across all the calibers and holds up well out to 100 yards or more.
I’m most impressed as the Avenge-X is hitting way over its price point. I imagine that the other airgun manufacturers are keeping a close eye on it as well.
Hope that they will be available in Canada sooner rather than later – it’s already half past January and no sign of them. I’ll be pestering my suppliers (pushers?) for an ETA a soon as they open for business.
Hank
LOL! As if you do not have enough top shooters! Just do not forget about RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns when you want to get rid of one of those HW100s!
RR,
Half the excitement is wanting to compare the Avenge-X to the build quality of my other PCPs. After testing and experimenting the Avenge-X will be replacing my Maximus as my carry-around working pesting rifle.
…As far as the HW100s go – sorry but my granddaughter has already claimed them, I’m only allowed to use them when she’s not around.
LOL! I do understand! My Grandson will end up owning RRHFWA one day. I am trying my best to insure he realizes what he will inherit.
Just had a thought. I recently sold my Max. If’n another showed up here, it would be welcome.
BB,
Thank you for this very instructive entry today. And your shooting was remarkable, wow. Observing wild shots in an otherwise well-behaved pellet and considering what causes that behavior is valuable for us at home. Whether the pellet is nicking the apertures inside the shroud, or that the pellet speed is making it unstable, can be identified and even addressed, if you have a gun like this one.
I’m looking forward to reading the thought process behind how you adjust the regulator pressure, the transfer port and the hammer spring to achieve the best puff for a specific pellet, like that JSB Monster, tested above, if that’s an interesting choice.
The Avenger-X is hard to resist, for a tinkerer who wants to think he has enough air guns!
Regards,
Will
IT’S SNOWING!
If I am going to put up with Hank’s weather down here, I at least would like to have some snow. Yeah!
FM is staying away from ALL white stuff – call him a Winter Wimp, he’s ok with it. We’ve been dealing with “Liquid Sunshine” and it’s gotten in the way of shooting time. 🙁
LOL! To each his own dude!
By comparison to the somber tan/gray/browns of late fall, winter snow is bright and cheery.
…On the otherhand, you don’t have to shovel rain 🙂
Brilliant blue skies and crisply cold out right now.
I own an Avenger in .22 cal. It is accurate, can hold 1-2 MOA at 30 yards or so. I made some adjustments to the hammer spring, and dropped the regulator pressure from factory settings. It’s powerful, and has been pretty consistent. It’s no beauty, but a keeper, for sure.
Unless I misunderstand, this AvengeX is doing better than 1 MOA at 25 yds, without any tuning, with simple factory settings and adjustment, and getting good results with several pellets. That one flyer does not seem too significant given the other nice groups. I can’t recall many better BBP accuracy tests.
I see some praise, but perhaps we need some symphonic crescendos. This rifle could be a field target competitor out of the box. It even looks pretty good.
JerryC,
I do have to agree with you. This is a pretty awesome shooting air rifle right out of the box. BB has sung the praises of the Avenger. I can well imagine he is hopping up and down with excitement right now.
I myself gritted my teeth when the Avenger came out. It is all I can do to keep from grinding them down to nubs with this Avenge-X. If I was not such a pig-headed old curmudgeon I would sell off a couple of my other PCPs and buy one. Fortunately for me I have owned a superbly accurate PCP before. I find I am more interested in the “old gals”. It is all this old geezer can do to dance with all of these ladies hanging around here now.
RR, I’m anxiously awaiting my Silver Streak coming back from the Cloud soon, so I also like the old ones. I’m glad I took a chance on my .22 Avenger, it has been a lot of fun, and no frustration (I did have one bad magazine). I tend to weigh aesthetics and “history” in the selection process. But I do think you would be pleased with the Avenger. The first time I shot mine, my brother and I set up targets, and he was shooting his very nice AA S410 in .22, and he admitted the Avenger was just as accurate.
The Avenger and Avenge-X are just not for me. I had a RAW HM1000X in .35 and traded it off. I became bored with the accuracy. The only way I could miss is if I tried.
I would druther have these “old gals” than those newfangled contraptions. I am just an old geezer.
BB-
Seems that most are maybe missing the significance of today’s numbers. Decent precision across a wide weight range- 6.72 to 16.9 grains, at both low and high power. Seems a very capable gun out of the box. Too many get hung up on differences of one or two (or even three) tenths of an inch with these single data point groups. Doing the math- 2 tenths difference in group size equals a .002222…% variation. Please check the math- I’m in the middle of Covid brain fog- .2” divided by 900 inches. Point is, it might be interesting to chase the reasons for today’s fliers, but I think you should just move out to 50 yards for the next test.
Contrary to others I think the flyers need to be further diagnosed before moving on to tuning.
I would clean the barrel to take this variable out of the equation.
There were significant fliers in two groups (one with the JSB Monsters and the other with the JSB Beasts). If those are flying that far out of the main group because of destablization I would be surprised simply because the fliers are cutting clean holes in the target paper. Hope I’m proven wrong.
I would suspect clipping but B.B. already checked and didn’t find evidence. Since both the JSB Monsters and JSB Beasts are long pellets I would also suspect inconsistent/low tolerances in the magazine which would lead to inconsistent seating of the pellet in the bore.
Make haste slowly would be my advice.
Kevin,
No magazine. All fired single shot.
BB
Interesting. One more gremlin killed.
Kevin, he shot all from the single shot tray. 58 shots were tightly grouped with six different pellets, the “Monster” and the “Beast” had the flyers. Based on what I have experienced in field target and other shooting with my Marauder, the JSB made 10.3 (includes FX) pellet is the most consistent .177 pellet. The new Benjamin may challenge it, but if you look at the tabulation of field target results, JSB/AA/FX 10.3 grain is dominant world-wide. Maybe Tom will find the reason for flyers, but I suspect simple bad pellets.
Certainly possible. Maybe skirts mangled but the clean holes in the targets by the fliers is curious.
Kevin,
Those “fliers” may be due to pressure variations. Regulators, most especially cheap ones, will sometimes do such things. This is one reason many of the new “Top Shelfers” are going to multistage and multiple regulators. These step the pressure down and control it better than those found in the “cheaper” PCPs.
What I find nice is these “cheap” PCPs are giving the top dogs a serious run for their money. We in the long run benefit. Also, whether I like to admit it or not, Wang Po Industries is starting to figure it out.
RR,
You make a good point. This regulator is likely still breaking in. Chronograph readings for those fliers vs. the pellets that made those great groups would be interesting.
Kevin,
Like I said, sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. With a little time this thing may settle down nicely.
RR, I know at least two FT shooters who do not use regulated guns, because sometimes the mechanism gets stuck – their opinion being it’s just another point of failure, easier just to refill the gun a few times in a match. That’s certainly a possibility here, and I could see the valve not opening, then popping in a successive shot. Chronograph might show that, but it took 60 shots to see two fliers. I’d say try shooting a long string of JSB 10.3’s.
Those FT shooters demand a high quality. Sometimes you do not find it in a regulator. Like they said, it is just another thing that can go wrong. KISS.
My .25 Avenger set the record (for me) at 25 yards 10 shots. Two weeks later my .22 Gamo Urban matched it. Just this week my Urban bettered it. The point I’m making is my unregulated rifle has a wonderful barrel and I know where the fill sweet spot is. Another point is if you have a good one (like my Ataman) keep it and be happy happy.
Deck
Vana2,
Check SIX!
Guns, Guns, Guns!
NOT my first hand experience experience; see below Reply to Vr.
shootski
BB,
Adding to the comments about fliers…
When I see something like this I check the hardware (gun and optics) to be sure all is secure then clean the barrel, top off the reservoir and retest. Could be the scope itself or parallax.
I always have my orange stenographer (my LabRadar) setup, watching and taking notes so I can check if a glitch in velocity is related to the flier.
My pet theory is that fliers are caused by projectiles that are not true to the longitudinal axis having been “bent” during manufacture or from loading cockeyed. I’ve watched projectiles wobble, hook and spiral in flight but they do it fairly consistently. Fliers seem to be random like something unexpected is interfering with them… like they are somehow broken and when speed falls to a certain velocity, stability departs sending them off on a tangent.
Hank
Vana2,
Orange Stenographer?
Not a Court Reporter?
Lab Radar or other high performing Doppler Chronograph is a gift from the gods…specifically the greek god Cronos!
shootski
Tom, did you get all 60 of those shots on one fill?
Jerry,
Yes.
BB
Off-topic, yet an airgun related question:
What steel spring powered airgun/ s are known to have adjustable power?
It is just too easy to design either an externally adjustable preload or length of cocking linkage for there not to exist at least several examples and yet, hmm…
Please, can you help my foggy and/ or ignorant mind… ? 🙂
hi3,
HW 45/Beeman P1.
BB
B.B. Pelletier,
oh yeah, of course! I knew I wasn’t switched on… THANKS. 🙂
I actually own a Weihrauch HW45 pistol that can be cocked fully or half way, for two different power levels, obviously. If only that egg on my face had been recently cooked, it would be less runny and warm… 🙂
BB,
Having an Avenger in 0.177 I am not totally surprised about the exceptional groups with an X in your hands. Excellent shooting BB! Still, it is amazing that a production airgun can be so consistent over such a range of pellet weights at 25 yards. Just amazing.
Although I do not need one, I am tempted to get an X in 0.22, because . . . well I haven’t found a reason yet but I am working on it.
It is a puzzle the question of the flyers. Personally, I lean towards breaking in of the regulator, which means it might disappear before long leaving us guessing. Looking forward to the next installment in this series!
Henry
Henry,
Me too.
BB
B.B.
So has this air rifle replace the Marauder as the best/most accurate “entry level” airgun??
-Yogi
Yogi,
It’s certainly a contender.
Yogi,
I have owned a Benjamin 1st Generation Marauder since the day it was offered to the public. That was a decade or two plus ago. I got lucky on the barrel or perhaps the rifling button or cutting broach was still to design specification. If i load single shot on a tethered big CF cylinder my Marauder wil at least match Tom’s groups.
Will the AV Avenge X production do as well over time? The Chinese track record makes me sceptical. But, i could be wrong.
On the other hand:
1. Crosman (TCFKAC) needs to revisit QA especially in barrel and breech production.
2. Go to a multi/dual regulator that works and a 3,600PSI
240 BAR reservoir.
shootski
Why does your Marauder need to be tethered to shoot well?
-Y
Yogi,
It doesn’t need to be tethered to shoot well.
But if i’m going to wring out every last bit of precision on a balanced valve PCP having the largest reservoir volume is going to give much more consistency in my inlet pressure; one less variable to contend with.
In a simplistic way of thinking about it a balanced valve is just a subset of a regulator. Just no plenum and a stryker replaces the upstream pressure opening the regulator valve/piston.
shootski
B.B. and Radership,
Nice shooting Tom!
Readership: YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED.
RESISTANCE is FUTILE!
The Dark Side is the Mind Hive!
shootski
FM has been assimilated by both platforms, shootski. But hey! Diversity…
To darn complicated…
-Y
Yogi,
That is why choice in power plants is good for airguns and all of us who care about them.
If you want uncomplicated powerplant it is available; even if shooting them well is complicated.
If you can put up with a complicated powerplant that should be an available choice as well; especially given how much value is put on accuracy.
shootski
Amen to that. Guys at the range love their PCP’s, more power to them.
Just to much STUFF for me. I carry my gun bag and a range bag. They either have a wagon full of stuff, or make many many trips to the parking lot. Most of them drive pick-up trucks with their bed full.
All that stuff will not fit in my sports car, actually it would but why bother?
-Y
Yogi,
Don’t know how far you need to go to get to your range but i take at least two rifles/pistols and a carry pistol. I hate having a gun go down (or blowing out a Flip-Flop and having to cruise on back home…) not having another to shoot in its stead.
Even if there is booze in the blender…
shootski
Yeeeeehaaaa! It works!
I just rebuilt the 150 today and it works great!
Yeeehaa! from me, too!
BB
The bad part about it is that now that I am retired, I do not have access to the bead blaster at work to refinish this awesome pistol. I will have to try something else.
Retirement is going great already? You must have completed your honey do list in record time without WORK, that odious 4 letter word, getting in the way.
Congratulations. I hope you took a lot of pictures for your guest blog.
I tried to get a bunch of pictures. Some of it just surprised me and I could not stop myself.
The way retirement has been working around here is if it gets done today, great. If not, there is tomorrow. Maybe.
Exactly my philosophy. It will get done, when time allows. And congratulations on your 150. Let’s see what you find to replace the sandblaster, on occasion I miss one too.
Henry
Henry,
Thanks. I am seriously considering doing what Derrick did to his on “Another Airgun Blog”. He did a little sanding to smooth things out a bit and blued it. It looks pretty good. Then again, I just might leave this “old gal” as she is. She is not the only one around here with rusting pits and a patina.
RR
I did partially restored a friends Winchester 61 that had seen better days. I explained to him that any work would detract from potential collectors value, but for him that was not important.
The rifle had been his grandfather’s and it had much more value in working conditions. I did what I could and he couldn’t be happier. What I am trying to say is that what works for some people is detrimental for others. I will try to upload a couple of sample pictures.
After
Henry_TX,
Very nice work restoring it to working condition.
Siraniko