Western Shooting Journal March 2015

Western Shooting Journal ran my story about Extreme Benchrest in their March issue. The magazine is on the newsstands now, or, I think, you can find individual copies on Ebay or electronic subscriptions at the magazine’s web site.

The article has short interviews with Andrew Huggett, Fredric Axelson and Timm MacMurray.

I have worked with two editors at WSJ and both wanted stories as opposed to the airgun performance reviews we often see. For this article, they wanted people to be up front. I think there is an important lesson there.

Some of my friends get confused when I try to separate an article from a story. Think of it this way:  there is a human dimension to air guns that goes far beyond the data we use when we airgunners talk among ourselves. Many firearm shooters have a mindset of “I have heard that airguns are different, now”, and that’s all they know.  Airgunning has to be more than feet per second and foot pounds of energy if we are going get thru to others how important our sport is to us. Stories are people, shooting when the clouds are spitting snow, and watching your pal’s field target fall into the grass at 55 yards. I found this important for reaching out to readers, and to editors as well.

Brad Toyer, American Airguns web site, ran my piece on the Farco Air Shotgun. I met him at the Field Target Nationals a few years later and he said, “Most people send me an article, but you sent me a story”.

Hot Diggity Damn!

Ron

If you would like to make a comment, please click on the word "Comments" below.

Armada and AR-15

Here is a photo of the Armada next to an AR. The rear sight is turned around so that the windage knob is on the right side of the rifle. Either way the rear sight has problems in the folded down position. The screw that tensiones the bolt stands proud above the picatinny rail and the sight doesn't have the clearance to be folded down. I think the best solution would be a shorter screw. If the sight is turned around and then folded down, the front edge on the sight interferes with the magazine. Right now the easiest thing to do is leave the rear sight up.

You can see that the sight radius is about the same on each rifles.

I have had no real problems shooting the Armada with these sights. Out of the box, I got sighted in at 30 yards with 12 shots. When I moved to 50 it took about 5 shots.

With Kodiak pellets, 50 yards is very near to the limit of elevation, so 100 yards on the NM target may not be possible, but we shoot a 50 yard version of that target and I can't wait to try the Armada on that target.   

Armada Iron ? sights

Polymer is a 21st century concept that this shooter is learning to embrace. I bought a set of Magpul polymer front and rear sights These are called “back up sights” on the packaging, and are designed to fold down when not in use.  Being relegated to the second string behind the scope made me wonder about these sights, but I am here to tell you that it ain’t that way.

It took me two clips, 20 shots, to get sighted in and shoot down my ⅕ scale pigs at 30 yards.

I shot from the sitting position without a sling or a shooting coat. The sight picture was clear. I used a 6:00 hold on the pigs. With the supplied scope, this Armada was good for head shots on the same pigs at 30 yards.

When I first saw the Armada I thought of iron sights, and they are a good combination. I’m still in the plinking stage with this rifle. I want to get it broken in and get me use to how it shoots, so the the final word on the Armada is in the future.

Ron

The Benjamin Armada Arrives

I saw it at the Shot Show, and now I have one to test and write about.

The Armada is big, heavy and not bashful about itself. The hadt rail is long with attachment points. It also has removable pads on the bottom and sides providing a smooth surface for your hand. That is more than some of the super slick ARs I have been handling.  

Besides ground squirrels, I think the Armada is a natural for a couple of matches we shoot here in Pocatello. One is a 50 yard version of Highpower sporting Rifle, and the other is the Silhouette Speed Shoot.

I’ll start shooting it tomorrow.

I can hardly wait.

Ron

Walther Rotek and RWS Model 34

At the Umarex booth I spoke with Neil Dickinson. Neil is the National Sales Manager for the company that imports several brands of air guns into the United States.

Neil Dickinson and the Walther Rotek R8

He showed me the Walther Rotek R8. This rifle is a lineal descendant from the Hammerli 850 Airmagnum, but the R8 is quite different.  Neil handed me the specifications and pointed out that the R8 on high pressure air, up to 230 bar, shoots a .22 pellet at 829 fps. While the CO2 powered ,22 850 is rated at 655. With a Manelli stock and a Lothar Walther barrel, the Rotek R8 is an air rifle from a far distant country.

We also looked at Walther’s top of the line break barrel the LGV I asked Neil how this rifle differed from the RWS Model 34. “I’ll show you,” he said, and went to get a M34 from another display. “Now, cock them”. You can’t shoot any of the guns at the Shot Show so cocking and uncocking is as much as you get.

The LVG is significantly smoother than the 34 so much so that I was shocked since the folks I know who have them all love them. It made me very curious about how smoothly the LGV’s vibration reduction system shoots.

Ron

Benjamin Armada

Readers,

This is a reposting of my Armada article from last week. At that time I was unable to get the font to display correctly. Thanks to all who have read it despite my shortcomings as a blogger.

Ron

Crosman Sets Sail into the Black Rifle Country with the Benjamin Armada.

The Armada is based on the Benjamin Marauder. It is a Marauder rifle without the traditionally shaped wood or synthetic stock. The new stock starts with a polymer center section that extends from just behind the back end of the air tube to just ahead of the manometer. Attached to this center section is a perforated metal tube called a “hand rail” that extends to the front end of the air tube. The handrail is slid over an extension of the central stock and held on with four screws. The black, handrail sports a full length picatinny rail on the top and bottom as well as perforations on the side that accept all kinds of tactical accessories. Behind the trigger guard is an attachment point for hand grips that fit the AR-15/M16 family of rifles. Also from the black rifle tribe is a stock fitting. I am not sure if socks distended for paintball markers will fit, but as Crosman says the Armada is “Backwards compatible with AR15 mil spec grips and stocks”. Compared to my 1050s era 140 all I can say is, “Is this thing tricked out or what”.

Other non-Marauder parts are a breach with an integral picatinny rail. This extends the top rail length to about 20 inches, and a front shroud support that replaces the barrel band.

On board the Benjamin Armada Crosman sets sail bound for the world AR15 tactical accessories. For many airgunners this might seem a non starter, but consider this, my local Walmart sells these accessories. The Crosman guys talked a lot about the rifles compatibility with AR15 accessories and about the quality of the Magpul stock and grip.

The basic Armada is in .22 and sales for about $800. For $200 more there is the Magpul edition. The differences is that the more expensive gun sports MagPul butt stock and grips. The butt stock is extendable, similar to the M4 carbine, with provisions for intermediate lengths between fully extended and fully collapsed.

The Armada comes with a bipod and a scope bundling it with the two most likely accessories a new owner would have to buy. Scope mounts are 37mm tall which is commonly used with flat top AR15s The scope mounted on the display rifles at the Shot Show was a Centerpoint 4-16X side focus with a 56mm objective.

$800 puts this rifle out of the $500 price point of the Marauder. For that extra money it offers step up in the cool factor, but in realistic terms it accepts all kinds of tactical accessories common to the M16/M4 lookalike world, The bundled scope and bipod makes the price point more attractive.

Among the accessories that can be attached are iron sights the full length rail makes iron sights a realistic option for the Armada. Walmart in Pocatello has polymer front and rear sights for $50 each. That’s something you can't do on a stock Marauder.

Crosman folks at the Shot Show said that there were plans to add .177 and .25 to the Armada. My own experience with the .25 Marauder would make me want to wait until the .25 is on the market.  

How does it shoot? That remains to be seen. Like a .22 Marauder I suppose, and the .22 Marauder is the best selling PPC air rifle in the United States. The .22 has come under some criticism for accuracy, but many of these critics really ought to be shooting more expensive air rifles.

Magpul edition and the stock Armada are the Crosman web site and several internet retailers. Things change so if you go any of these sites look for things like “Not in Stock or “preorder. now” Make sure they have guns to ship before you put down your credit card number.

OK traditional air gunners, is this rifle meant for you?

NOOO!

Remember the phrase “Backward compatible”? I think it fits some shooters too. This rifle is attractive to folks with their favorite tactical accessories already mounted on the black rifle of their choice, and who might be tempted into the PPC world.

The Armada is a smart and, I think, a well studied move on Crosman’s part.

Ron

Hatsan Air Stripper

Hatsan is offering an Airstripper as an accessoiriy. Many folks at the Shot Show may have missed this because the air stripper was displayed on the backside of the panel that displayed their new line of QuietEnergy PCP air rifles. Hatsan representatives said that the stripper would come standard on all the non- QuietEnergy PCP rifles.

This air stripper is a small but significant addition for existing Hatsan rifles. While they do not taime the report, the stripper dose address negative affect that “crack” we all hear from unmoderated pcps has on the pellet’s stability. Air escaping from a tube will form vortices that exceed the sound barrier producing the “Crack” that we hear even though the pellet is traveling below the speed of sound. Some of that energy is transmitted to the pellet to the detriment of accuracy.

I think that a well designed moderator performs the same functions. but for airgunners without a moderator or with no need for one, An air stripper could be a valuable accessory.