In our new video on Youtube, hunting department expert Alexander Romanov spoke in detail about powerful air rifles in calibers 5.5 and 6.35, examined the technical features, and mentioned the legal subtleties of using such weapons.
One of the rifles was tested on an outdoor shooting range to demonstrate the amazing capabilities of modern airguns.
Attention! One pumpkin and three tomatoes were damaged during filming!
Powerful air rifles with pre-inflated air (PCP) are perfect for accurate shooting at 25, 50 and more meters; licensed models can be successfully used for hunting.
Introducing the weapons and accessories we used during filming:
Domestic Ataman rifles
Russian ]Ataman[/anchor] is one of the leaders in the market of pneumatic weapons for sports and hunting. For about 20 years it has been developing and improving its product range. Ataman products are in stable demand in Russia and abroad.
Depending on your desire and scope of application, you can purchase classic rifles, short “bullpup” rifles, pistols, rifles with a folding stock. Most rifles have an air reducer for consistent bullet velocity and therefore improved accuracy. See the full range of products on the Ataman brand page.
Rifle Ataman BP17 502 5.5mm 77,000 RUR
Rifle Ataman BP17 502 5.5mm
Licensed product
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Rifle Ataman Bullpup M2R 416C PCP 6.35 mm wood 88,000 ₽
Rifle Ataman Bullpup M2R 416C PCP 6.35 mm wood
Licensed product
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Rifle Ataman Tactical carbine Type3 M2R 516C/RB PCP walnut 6.35mm 88,000 RUR
Rifle Ataman Tactical carbine Type3 M2R 516C/RB PCP walnut 6.35mm
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Trophy Hunting... Powerful PCP pneumatics in hunting calibers.... —— ——- —— —— —— —— —— I’m interested in observing the capabilities of air weapons, observing the achievements in hunting with powerful air weapons in the world. The capabilities of heavy-duty PCP air weapons in hunting quite large animals, where this hunting is permitted.The arsenal of weapons of an experienced animal hunter - Robert Vogel.
(he is called “Mr. Hollow Point” for his desire to use heavy lethal bullets with the Hollow Point front cavity in hunting; he casts them himself and even sells them)
1. Here is a new video from a winter hunt for medium-sized wild boars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsinO3bXH1E Rifle 12.7 mm caliber, bullet weighing 25 grams. Energy 700 J.
2.Second hunt: **the story about weapons and hunting starts from the 3rd minute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MoCv7H-Iow Rifle with a long barrel 11.5 mm caliber from the company /DAQ rifles/, bullet weighing 30 grams
, Energy 850 J.
——————————————————————— The arsenal of this air hunter, who caught quite a lot of different ungulates from air hunting weapons (deer, roe deer, wild boar, African ungulates, etc.)
The latest rifle is the MOST POWERFUL, 14.7 mm caliber! , it has a power of 1200 J and shoots bullets weighing 50 grams!!
As we can see, all of these heavy-duty rifles have a fairly slender, sleek appearance, and probably don't weigh much. This is a beautiful, powerful and convenient air weapon for hunting. And the results of hunting with it are quite convincing and successful - this weapon really works and produces trophies.
(These rifles are certainly more convenient than the RCP-Carrier rifle with a double heavy cylinder... Carriers are a simple budget option for powerful pneumatic calibers, there are better rifles, but not ours... Carriers work well and have many shots from a refill, but they are heavier and not as slender as these powerful rifles.)
*These materials are taken from the pneumatic hunters forum: https://www.network54.com/Forum/414006/message/1267464369/Hog+Hunt+%232+with+Gargoyle+Rifle+with+New+385+grain+HP
——————————————————————— -This information is only for those who are interested in this topic.
P.S. Added 02.2012 I also managed to achieve a good result this winter (2011-12) in wild boar hunting with my PCP rifle 9mm Career caliber (hunting licensed pneumatic weapon), and everything turned out no worse than the above-mentioned American experience. I managed to take a medium-sized wild boar, with a shot under the shoulder blade in the lungs, from a storage shed from 30 meters, in winter in very severe frost (-18-20 * C). On hunting grounds (with a hunting permit). The boar fell just 30 meters from where the bullet hit. For the story and details of the hunt, see here: https://forum.guns.ru/forummessage/135/942472.html
_ 9mm bullet
Bullet cal. 9mm weighing 8 grams, expansive, pierced a rib, passed diagonally from the right and forward under the shoulder blade to the left, and in the chest of the animal, pierced both lungs and heart vessels, the second rib and got stuck at the exit on the left, under the skin itself. The animal fell 30 meters from the point of impact. Those. even a 9mm caliber PCP rifle can quickly kill a small wild boar if it hits the kill zone (heart-lungs) accurately; What can we say about even more powerful and large-caliber PCP rifles cal. 11.5mm or 12.7mm, with large bullets 3-4 times heavier, and with 2-4 times more bullet energy. Obviously, they can even more so kill a medium-sized animal, such as a deer or wild boar.
Bye.
arbalet-airgun
I’ll say right away that the article will be regularly updated. Moreover, for now there is clearly a dominance of Americans here :)) - this needs to be corrected! It is clear that in a country where you can freely purchase a 1000-joule 50-caliber air gun (pictured below), there is an abundance of interesting materials on the topic. And in many countries, particularly Asian ones, pneumatics, with the exception of Airsoft, are actually completely prohibited for citizens. Russian weapons legislation in this part is almost identical to German, Belarusian, Kazakh, and, say, differs from Ukrainian in that the criterion for restrictions is muzzle energy, and not speed indicators. But nothing - and we have a lot of exciting and surprising things. However, now see for yourself.
TOP 10 air rifles according to Americans
The American publication “Hard Air Magazine” made money from a survey conducted back in 2022 on the popularity of air rifles. Its results turned out to be quite interesting. So, in the graph below we have an overseas selection of the TOP 10.
In 1st place, unexpectedly, was “ Nova Freedom ” from China, more precisely, from Macau, a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China (see “Air sniper rifles - a godsend for fans of “tactical weapons”). This is a PCP rifle with a built-in (!) pump similar to that used in multi-compression samples. Apparently, we are talking about “PNEUPUMP PCP with built-in pump”, only under the name localized for the USA:
The next most popular was the “ Diana Outlaw ,” which, frankly speaking, is not a particularly notable model (see the corresponding chapter of the article “New models of air guns”).
the Diana Stormrider , which took 8th place in the TOP 10 - a super-budget PCP rifle by German standards, costing about the same as the 125th Hatsan!
Well, at least it’s clear where the legs come from...
In 3rd place we see “ FX Impact ”:
A rather complex Swedish rifle in design with the ability to quickly replace barrels (and a couple more parts) in calibers from 4.5 to 7.62 mm. The price is appropriate, in domestic stores for 200 thousand rubles. By the way, quite recently a very interesting modification “Impact MKII” appeared, released for the 20th anniversary of the company.
So far we have been talking exclusively about new products. But the 4th and 7th places were taken, respectively, by two well-deserved and somewhere even ancient :)) German models and the most magnificent spring-piston “ HW97K ” (pictured). There are no questions here and cannot be - “Varya”, however!
5th place was taken by the “ UMAREX Gauntlet ”, presented at SHOT Show 2022 and, apparently, still not reaching the Russian consumer, again a rifle with pre-pumping, of which, as we see, there is still an absolute majority in the ranking.
It’s hard to say what’s so special about it, but for some reason the Americans liked it.
In 6th place - we think it’s well deserved! — spring-piston multi-charge magnum “ Gamo Swarm Maxxim ”, better known to us as “ Gamo Replay X Maxxim ”.
It was he who laid the foundation for a whole series of Spanish 10-chargers, which literally filled all the company’s model ranges (see “Gamo multi-shot air rifles”). Here everything is clear - of course, patriarch, founder of the dynasty :)).
The 9th step of the podium was taken by the only gas rifle in the TOP 10, “ Sig Sauer MCX ” (pictured).
It turned out to be so interesting and successful both in design and quality of execution (though not in price) that the company recently released its first pre-pumped rifle, the MCX Virtus PCP, based on it.
Finally, the TOP 10 is again completed by the creation of Spanish gunsmiths - “ Gamo Coyote ”.
An absolutely unremarkable PCP rifle “based on” samples of the British BSA (now owned by Gamo). In Russia, and not only, from the moment of its release, practically no one was interested in it, therefore the Spaniards presented the shooting public first with the “HPA Tactical“, and then with the heavy-duty large-caliber models of the Big Bor class of the TS series.
Shooting at 400 meters with a Jaeger 6.35 mm air rifle
This video is from my friend and colleague. Not so long ago, he had an extremely productive weekend - the previous personal record of the 2019 season in shooting at a 305-meter distance fell literally in a day. Moreover, the increase, without exaggeration, was colossal. Frankly speaking, for firearms (except for high-precision and other similar disciplines), 400 meters is far from a dream.
If we do not take into account the level of Ruslan’s shooting training, which once again demonstrates the importance of introducing weapons from childhood, then we should dwell on a couple of technical points.
First of all, on the rifle itself, because not every PCP, even in 6.35 mm caliber, is simply physically capable of this. « Horhe
—
Jaeger “, despite the name, is a purely domestic product produced by the Russian Arms Company (ROK).
But it’s better to ask the owner himself, who, I think, will not refuse advice. You can also get acquainted with the story of the designer of this model - Dmitry Torkhov: Now - a few words about the sight. It is quite different from the vast majority of airgunners used - note the reticle, which allows you to make corrections over a very wide range of distances without touching the handwheels. Moreover, this is far from “Swarovski” :)), but a fairly budget 12x50 Pilad with an SNR mesh (also, by the way, a domestic development, author - K.Yu. Gromov). I will also note that even with it Ruslan had to shoot almost at the limit of the scale, having previously turned the vertical correction drum to the maximum.
PS Well, for those who are interested, they can easily find on YouTube a video from the author with scenes of hunting with 6.35 mm pneumatics. With your permission, I will not present these videos here.
"Guinness Book of Records": the farthest shot from a pneumatic gun
After winning the Airgun Depot Long Ranger Challenge, Michigander Chris Thurik became interested in whether there is a section dedicated to pneumatics in the Guinness Book of Records? It turned out - yes! And this record is as much as 100 (!) meters.
For a person who usually shoots tennis balls at distances of no closer than 300 yards, and in November 2017, who reached the 600-yard mark, this was a shock. We think that domestic airgunners would also remain perplexed (see, for example, the previous chapter about the Jaeger rifle or our post “Pneumatic shooting at 490 meters.”
Naturally, everything turned out to be not so simple: to set a new record it was necessary to shoot from a .177 caliber rifle (4.5 mm), with light bullets no more than 7.7 grains, that is, “half a gram,” at a 6.25-inch target. Plus strict requirements for the organization, in particular, the composition of the panel of judges. Plus a complete ban on optics and the use of any devices such as a rangefinder or weather station.
In general, the previous record has fallen, the new one is officially 136.16 meters, or 150 yards. This was a year ago, but Chris decided to share his feelings and experiences just the other day.
A drop of pneumatics in a sea of firearms: hard trouble is the beginning!
When Justin Jacobson founded in 2016, he could not ignore the significant risks. At least for purely political and geographical reasons.
Just imagine a country where in the majority of federal subjects there is a Stand-your-ground law - a law that allows you to shoot, damn, an asshole (including an unarmed one!) who poses a threat not only to his loved one, but also to third parties. Moreover, in many states, not only in your home or car, but also in public places. But even among this splendor, five leaders stand out, literally heavenly places for firearms owners: naturally, Arizona, then Kentucky, Alaska, Vermont and... Utah. The Great and Terrible Texas is a little behind solely because of the fairly high cost of a license - as much as $140 (data from five years ago).
And so this all-stern Mormon walks into a store, on the facade of which the words “Guns” and “Rifles” are clearly visible, shrugs his shoulders in bewilderment, remembering his arsenal, and leaves... Well, this probably happened, especially at first. But Justin, as can be seen in the photo, did not lose heart, and now responsibly assures that almost every day there are more and more visitors and, accordingly, buyers.
Many people actually look in out of pure curiosity, but once they fall into the right hands of the owner and managers, they learn a lot of new things about air guns and can no longer resist the 50-caliber “toy” :)). And for children who are not yet able to cope even with small things, pneumatics, including gas cylinders for explosive balls, as it turns out, are absolutely beautiful!
Let us note that Utah Airguns itself (there is also a commercial Internet portal) is the largest retail store specializing in airguns in the States today - more than 1,100 square meters. There is also a shooting range, which is far from entertaining, where you can try out a potential purchase live or shoot an already purchased sample. More recently, an “airsoft corner” has also been opened here. It doesn’t look very presentable yet, but the beginning of diversification has been made.
The enterprise does not bring any super-profits, and, most likely, it will not, but for a true “airguns” fan, Justin Jacobson, this does not seem to be the main thing. At least in comparison with the possibility of promoting your old hobby. And the efforts of such enthusiasts are really bearing fruit - now the United States is experiencing a surge of interest in pneumatic weapons, including hunting ones (read the corresponding chapter of our article “Large-caliber pneumatics: what can we expect in Russia?”).
Airguns: Texas Specifics
In the previous chapter, we talked about, the owner of which took a great risk by opening such a “toy establishment” in one of the most gun-liberal states - even more liberal than Texas! Speaking of Texas...
Most recently, the 2019 Texas Airgun Show ended there. And the specifics of the legendary state could not but affect the essence of this event. It was by no means dominated by new products, especially since the largest American one (now Velocity Outdoor, see “Where Crosman pneumatics are made”) was absent here.
On the podium were various kinds of rarities, lovingly restored with one’s own hands, rare samples, like the “Gamo 126 single stroke” (has anyone heard of this?), and homemade weapons, again copying capsule, or even flintlock, devices of past years and centuries. Well, yes, everyone born under the Lone Star instinctively prefers the “Peacemaker” or “Remington 1875” to some super-innovative “brick” from Glock :)).
True, there was one more item of special interest - products (see “Pneumatic Jihad-mobile” and its weapons”). Firstly, they were positioned as the most powerful in the world (of course!), and secondly, this line goes under the general name “Texan”, that is... “Texan” (pictured).
And even though the “Texans” still do not hold the record for power in the world of pneumatics (“Umarex Hammer”: the most powerful air rifle on the planet”), the general degree of patriotism of the Texans cannot but cause admiration!
Air rifles and pistols from the master RICCI
Not so long ago, our colleague Dmitry Isupov suggested the idea of creating a certain selection of reviews of the original works of domestic airgunners. When entering the topic of homemade weapons in general and specifically pneumatics, it almost immediately became clear that with a responsible approach this would be an attempt to embrace the immensity. Even the products of one author can amount to more than one article. So let's start small and, after prayer, give a photo review of at least some of the creations of the RICCI master.
One of the first PCP pistols “OSA-2” presented to the public (2011)
Now - a quote from the author's description: “The size of the iron is 340 mm, the size with a handle is 390 mm, while the barrel has a length of 205 mm, cal 4.5. Beech tree, today will be put in linseed oil and forgotten for a week. There is a magazine for 10 shots, there is an air release, there is a separate - piece-by-piece platoon, an integrated moder, with an elastic band it only zips, and there is a bunch more, in short, look, scold whoever doesn’t like it.”
Bullpup carbine "OSA-1" (2011)
“Osa” has matured and grown into a bullpup, tank 04 liters, rolling pin 410 mm, weight 2 kg 800 grams, length 56 cm, speed is fast, the pile is heaped, the magazine holds 10 bunches, the moder is integrated, the shape has not yet been invented for the staple, the safety is turned off by turning release key."
And this is the bullpup “Wasp-3” (2012)
Quote again: “weight 3 kg, length with moder 82 cm, without 73 cm, made as usual in my style, a lot of duralumin, little wood, papal caliber, good speeds, I’ll show you a lot.”
Unfortunately, the author removed from YouTube the video about the most gorgeous PCP pistol with a broken barrel “Bombus”. However, I will still try to expand on the topic at least a little.
So, another “Bombus”, only this time “Volcanic” (2014)
“I was persuaded to create this device, since the project was interesting in terms of implementation, I didn’t break down for long and this pistol was born. Its length is 46 cm, weight is 1 kg 200 g. The pistol is equipped with an in-line magazine for five shots; reloading is carried out with a bracket in the form of a bar that covers the trigger. Anyone who wants can find a firearm analogue on the Internet, pistol caliber 357. Well, according to tradition, heaps of heap speeds are allowed.”
In general, the line of “Bombuses” alone can amaze the imagination: Bombus Apidae military Bombus Van Helsing Bombus volcanic Bombus volcanic is the younger brother. Bombus volcanic is the middle brother. Bombus Winchester. Bombus derringer. Bombus pistol maxi. Bombus self-loading...
You look at them and are taken aback: how is it that these essentially works of art also shoot! And it’s very good... In Texas they would definitely appreciate it :)).
Oh, the great many-sided SPA!
Having discovered a fairly wide selection of air rifles under unfamiliar names on the Argentine commercial weapons portal “Todo Caza” (example in the photo), we were frankly inspired. Well, it turns out that among the countries producing pneumatics on this continent there is not only Brazil with its “Magtek”! As it turned out, we rejoiced too early...
Chinese trade expansion has not bypassed South America. Todo Caza is the official distributor of Fox AirGuns (not to be confused with the Swedish FX AirGuns). Only this is not a company, but a brand under which Artemis Airgun products are sold in those parts. In turn, the latter is also just a brand, under which, for example, Ukrainian fans of pneumatics know the products of SPA (Shaoxing Snowpeak Air Gun Factory) from China. By the way, the original trademark is also widely used there.
In Russia, these products are sold either as “ZR-Arms” or under the “STRIKE” brand, which was introduced by . Yes, yes, the same one that is already quite well known among us for budget optical devices - from rangefinders to sights and binoculars.
In general, colleagues, the devil will break his leg here, and it’s difficult to do without a competent guide. Fortunately, ZR-Arms, in addition to everything else, also has, so to speak, regional representatives covering almost all Russian federal subjects plus Kazakhstan. One of them is our friend Alexey Maslov, much better known in “pneumatic” circles as Leks78. We think he will not refuse consultation on this subject.
How to shoot special arrows from powerful pneumatics
with “ Air Bolt ” - special ammunition for PCP-rifles of the “Big Bore” class in the article “Arrows for pneumatics”. Only one point remained unclear: even the diameter of the 50-caliber bore is unlikely to allow inserting an arrow with feathers. At least the one shown in the company illustrations. And indeed, this is so. But the rifles actually shoot! How this happens - watch the video.
Pneumatic varminting as a business
Airgunner under the nickname “hunting.uk” is by no means a poacher, blatantly exceeding production limits and even boasting about it publicly. By the way, the number of trophies in this photo is far from a record for one night - in his selection there are much more impressive photographs.
We are talking about a completely legal business, which involves the destruction of pests at the request of farmers, for whom rabbits breeding like rabbits :)) are a real scourge. By the way, “hunting.uk” receives two pounds for each long-eared animal caught. Moreover, he rents (sells) the carcasses to a familiar butcher.
The main tool used is a BSA ultra limited edition PCP rifle of 4.5 mm caliber. It’s difficult to call this genuine varminting, since a rabbit is far from a marmot (and not a hare, by the way) and there’s no need to talk about long shooting distances.
But here is the opinion of my friend, known in the “pneumatic community” as Vladimir Vladimir: “The fact remains a fact, but with a competent choice of distance for a wisely selected biological target, and without fail - with the necessary hunting experience, a 4.5 mm caliber can be quite effective and quite affordable in relation to the price of larger calibers.”
That's right, that's how it is! At least when it comes to rabbit hunting.
For those interested in the topic, I can also suggest the articles “Air rifles for hunting,” “Hunting with pneumatics for hare and duck” and “Varminting with pneumatics.”
Attention: if handled carelessly, even a 4.5 mm air rifle can pose a threat to the life and health of others (for details, see the article “Bow, crossbow, pneumatics: fakes, injuries, crime...”). Be careful.
PS Let me emphasize once again that the article will be regularly updated.
