Hawke Airmax 30 SF 4-16 x 50

This is my quick video overview on a brand new scope released by Hawke last week, There is very little about them on the internet other than Hawkes website so thought I would do a quick video overview. 

These scopes have been designed in the UK especially for Airgun owners. I managed to buy this one from Sandwell Field Sports who have a short supply of them because they are that new. Most popular websites still have them showing "coming soon".

Sorry in advance for my rubiish film quality and sound but like I said its just a quick overview.

Walnut Loving

As many of you will know my rifle of choice is the Air Arms Pro Sport. I've had my current Pro Sport for a year now. From taking ownership I've always had the rifle out in all weathers but pride myself in the way I look after my gear. I know some people just see their rifles as tools of the trade or there to be abused but I believe in keeping my boomstick nice and clean and always gave her a wipe down after each outing. However I wanted to give her more. 

So I decided that I would treat her to some stock loving. 

With that said I have never really conditioned my stock which is walnut. The stock is in A1 superb condition with no bumps or scratches so instead of stripping her back to the wood I thought I would just feed my stock and condition her, bringing out her eye catching grains. After much reading up on the subject so to not disappoint my sexy temptress I opted for the following product.

English Walnut Oil Preparation

At £3.00 for the bottle it certainly ticked the thrifty box and kept the Mrs off my case. The smell is superb and NO extra tools are required for the job! Thats right, NO extra items.

Walnut stocks on air rifles especially those from the factory on mass produced rifles can be very well finished but feel very dry to the touch as the wood is very porous. There are really minute microscopic holes in the wood that have this habit of catching on your facial hair when shouldering the rifle and pulling out your whiskers lol. This product is designed to be used on new stocks to help condition the finish you already have and treat the wood. The good old saying is when you begin a conditioning regime on some wood that you apply it once a day for 7 days, then one a week for a month and finally one a month for a year. Or after an outing where the rifles been exposed to rain for a good period of time.

The best way I have read to apply this stuff on the net is with the palm of your hand. I poured out a pea sized amount into the palm of my right hand and then whilst steadying the stock with my left, started to rub the oil into the stock starting at the cheek piece end and working it into the stock up to the for end. In total one coating session resulted in my using 4 pea sized amounts to get full coverage of the stock. You need to rub your palm into the wood with conviction and create heat through your skin. I mainly went with the grain pattern rather than against it whilst rubbing it in with my palm. You will notice when you first apply it that its very slippery and you'll know when to stop as the stock starts drinking it up and your left with a substance on top of the wood thats not so easy to work in. Dont worry about this or using to much as you need to leave the stock for 24 hours between coats and you will see that when you go to pick the rifle up the next day the wood will have consumed the lot.

Just remember a little bit goes and long way while using this oil. I am only on day 3 of the 7 day regime but cannot believe the difference in the stock already. The grain really does POP out the wood and I have noticed my stock has got alot darker in its general appearance which I like. The light was shit whilst I was trying to take these pics for you all after day 3 of the treatment process.

In honesty I think the stock looks 10 times better in the flesh then these pics can show but I am sure there wont be to many people out there that thinks this stock doesnt look the mutts nuts! She really is a cracker.

 

 

Happy Birthday my lickle treasure!

Mawders

A Grey Day

Saturday 25th January 2014

So with the weather forecast looking really bad over the weekend my shooting buddy and I decided to brave the elements and get back out to our permission. With last weeks haul on the grey population being rather good I was certain there would be more out this week. The presence of these vermin on this permission is strong in number and have been left pretty much untouched for years.

We arrived at the permission later than we normally would,  it was 11am already and the sky's were looking black and thick. The wind was blowing strong and with it came a bitter chill. It had been raining hard all night and the farm entrance looked like the bog of eternal stench. I didnt think the van wheels would pull through the thick muck as we drifted and slid our way into the farm courtyard. Even the cows looked miserable in their shed as the wind roared through the open sides and sent hay rolling across the ground. Due to sighting in the scopes last week I decided to forgo the routine zero check on a target board checking groupings as I knew with the howling winds it would be hard to see what was taken by the wind and what was a wobble. Instead I decided to wait for breaks in the wind and shoot at a few coca cola bottle lids I had placed up at 30 yards. Every one of them went flying with central impact marks so I was happy that the scope was still on target.

So, welly boots on and a 2 minute stroll through the muck to get out of the courtyard and into the fields and woodlands. I realised at this point that when I got to the first wooded area that I was about 4 inches taller due to all the mud welded to my boots and with that realisation came the worrying thought that this particular wooded area was slap bang on the side of a steep hill, this would make for interesting stalking sliding down the face of the hill ;-).

As we crossed the gate into the woods almost instantly we became aware of that rustling of leaves to our right in the distance. I knew that the noise was Mr Nutkins mooching around the woodland floor looking for his stash of acorns and edibles. Twenty yards of slipping and sliding later whilst holding onto trees for balance I spotted two Nutkins dancing round the wooded floor. I signalled to my shooting buddy like I was in the SAS, moving two fingers to my eyes whilst looking at him and then pointing in their direction and then giving the signal for two. Im glad my shooting buddy cottoned on and didnt think I had lost the plot and just giving him the V.

We both slid and skated a further 15 yards closer and were both now viewing both nutkins down the embankment at approximately 30 yards away. I steadied myself as best I could and brought the Pro Sport up to my shoulder. There he was, positioned facing back at me sat on his back legs at the base of a tree but he wouldnt keep still, he kept ducking into a hole in front of him and mooching around. I could see the top of his head and decided to take the shot. A phut and a crack later and Nutkins number one just slumped into the hole which he was so fascinated with in the first place. As I brought the rifle down I noticed the other Nutkins who at first was alarmed by the sound had now jumped from his perch and was venturing towards his fallen friend. A quick sniff and he didnt seem bothered, he continued to mooch the floor line. My shooting buddy took up aim next to me and had a small window of opportunity to take the shot through a mass of twigs. Unfortunately his .22 Air Arms Field pellet glanced a twig and went wildly off course. With that Nutkins was not hanging around and made his way to safety further into the woods sprinting and jumping like a gymnast into the distance.

I made my way down the mud slope trying to be as stealthy as I could to retrieve my trophy.

 

Pleased with my successful collection we moved on in the direction the other nutkins had run off in. We both decided to sit and wait to see what might come by. I took up residence on the floor sitting back up against a tree wishing I had put an extra layer of trousers on as my combats and boxers started soaking up the wet floor. I had only been sat about 20 minutes when I heard the unmistakable crack of my shooting buddy's Mk2 TX200 which I might add is approximately 18 years old now and has never had a service of relube in its life, all original parts and still kicking out 11ft/lb of energy consistently. I was there the day he purchased it when I were a kid and can remember many fun outing with my shooting buddy, my dad ever since. A lone figure, rifle in one hand and nutkins in the other then approached. A cracking head shot. I was assured that whilst waiting, this nutkins had come bounding out in front of my shooting buddy's view on the floor standing still long enough to be cleanly taken.

 

So an hour in and two nutkins taken from what was proving to be a nice little woodland. Brewski time, nicotine fix and ready to move on for some more.

It wasnt long whilst mooching on before another two squirrels decided it would be a good idea to start making a racket and crashing through the tree line right in front of us. These two required a little stalk as they were out of range at about 60 yards away and to many branches and twigs blocking a good shot. The first nutkins ran across a branch heading towards my shooting buddy, I glanced across and gave him the nod to go for it whilst I kept an eye on the other one. Again, the mighty crack of the boomstick, aka TX200 rang out followed by the crack and thump of a nutkins falling out the tree and hitting the floor. Another clean headshot none the less. I congratulated him on the shot and went to look for the second which had moved further into the distance. After a few minutes of mooching my second nutkins came bouncing out of a pile of logs about 25 yards to my front and leapt into the trees. Now I must admit that I had 3 shots on this occasion and missed every one of them due to twigs and incorrect hold under. I decided that nutkins had won and went to move on when nutkins decided to give me one last roll of the dice. He jumped from his hiding spot and made a dash along a thick branch 25 yards to me left. I swivelled round and took aim in the kneeling unsupported stance and let a Falcon Accuracy Plus .177 round fly. My aim was true on this occasion and a clean headshot sent nutkins tummbling from his branch. 

Both Nutkins 3 and 4 accounted for.

By now the weather had started to take a turn for the worse with parts of the sky a depressive black and grey colour and the wind now howling and rushing it were hard to stand still. We decided to leave the wood and take a walk up a field towards another woodland and monitor the tree line to our right for any activity.

Whilst walking this route and returning to the warmth of the van for banter and debrief one last grey would fall to the Pro Sport. A movement of orange and grey caught me eye, a full grown nutkins running over logs and through thick brash to my right, range to target 20 yards or so. Another perfect head shot and it really was time to call it a day as the drizzle started to fall. 

5 in total and 2 happy little hunters!

Thanks for reading!

Mawders

A Passion Renewed

Long time no post,

Having gone the last 6 months without a single outing or shot fired of the air rifle my shooting partner and I decided we reunite our passion of the sport. Due to working commitments and life in general getting in the way it had felt like a life time since I was last out with just my rifle for company. 

So a quick conversation with the land owner of a new permission we secured before going MIA for 6 months and it was still game on. Good news no less because if we had lost this one then I really would have struggled to find another like it. 

The owner of the land farms the many acres and has problems with rabbits in some of the fields along with problems with the grey squirrel who are descending from the small patches of woodland and making it into his many outbuildings and chewing through telephone cables and causing general damage and mess. The landowner also farms cows and which leads to problems with the avian pests eating and defecating in the food and around the cow sheds. So with many pests under the general license that need to be dealt with this permission should prove fruitful and supply many hours of sport for me and my shooting partner. 

So Sunday 19th Jan came around and it was time to get the kit together and await my pick up. The poor air rifle bag had a thick layer of dust on the top of it but a quick check inside revealed the beauty that is the AA Pro Sport with her walnut body.

Arrived at the farm at about 10am and decided we would probably need an extensive zero check and refinement due to having not fired the rifles in 6 months. 5 minutes late and without a single adjustment the Pro Sport was still pellet on pellet at 30 yards using Falcon Accuracy Plus pellets. A joy to behold, a joy to fire and a joy to own was all I could think about the Pro Sport.

So then quicker than I thought it would take it was time for a mooch around and get familiar with the new permission. lovely countryside and probably about 160 acres in total to  play with which consisted of a mixture of fields and small wooded patches.

I am very much a seasonal hunter and will target my vermin based upon the time of year. I always endeavour to tackle the greys when its the colder months due to less foliage and leaves in the trees.

We were not disappointed on this outing. Every small wooded area we approached had greys scampering around the woodland floor and chasing each other around. The first wood I counted 4 squirrels but just out of range at the 60 to 70 yard mark. It was difficult to get closer as it meant jumping a barbed wire fence without being noticed. I spent what felt like an eternity trying to scale the fence without moving to sudden or making to much noise. Eventually I had cleared the fence only for a bloody cock pheasant to come racing across the wooded floor like bloody road runner gobbing off and spooking all the squirrels into the trees. I waited a short while but they did not come back.

We moved on across the field to another wooded area safe in the knowledge that this farm had a strong grey infestation upon its acreage. The next wood proved more fruitful where a steady stalk and waiting game paid off with two greys falling victim to the Air Arms onslaught. one after the other in quick succession, my shooting partners shots almost timed to perfection even though we were 30 yards apart and unaware of each others targets. Both greys falling instantly from their branches onto the floor without a twitch.

We collected the pair and stood telling each other our tales of the shot chuckling away when Mawders spidy senses started tingling and the distant rustling alerted us to another incoming grey. As if by magic another good sized squirrel came bounding along the tree line completely unaware of its friends fate just ten minutes before. I waited for this one to stop and thats where I took aim. I judged the shot to be 40 yards at least and when looking through the scope all I could see was the squirrels head side on through a hole in some thick twigs blocking my view of the whole squirrel. This was going to have to be a well placed shot if ever there was one. I dropped to the kneeling unsupported position and took aim. The balance of the Pro Sport makes unsupported shots so much easier as all the weight is evenly distributed throughout the rifle. I took up first stage and still the shot was still on so I slowly squeezed off the second stage and heard the unmistakable crack of pellet skull and then saw my target fall from the branch without a twitch.

He was instantly picked up and placed with the previous two for a photo opportunity.  

This was certainly proving a brilliant shoot. The afternoon went on in much the same style and in total 7 greys were cleared from the permission, one of which was not retrievable due to it falling in a massive steep ditch covered in brambles and the like. Here are the last 3 that were taken before it was deemed a wrap and a return to the warm for a roast dinner waiting for us.

God its good to be back. Happy hunting everyone.

The Air Arms Pro Sport Returns

I will start this post apologising for not keeping the blog up to date over the past six months or so. The intentions were there to keep this site updated but many things in my personal life got in the way of making regular updates.

That I hope is now behind me and onwards and upwards as they say.

I left you reading my Epic Saga post which saw me turn my back on Air Arms and the mighty Pro Sport due to many problems I had when trying to be the proud owner of Air Arms flagship Spring Piston Rifle. 

I turned my back on them and returned to Weihrauch purchasing a stage two tuned Sandwell Field Sports HW97KT. I wont talk about the rifle or my outings with it to much as most of you will know the rifle itself is probably regarded as one of the finest springers out there. What I will say however is that it was a damn fine rifle and was pin point accurate which in part was aided greatly by the tune the rifle had done at Sandwell Field Sports. 

However curiosity got the better of me and I soon started hungering after a Pro Sport again in the hope that I could find one second hand that didn't suffer from the same problems as the two I had previously had. It was at this time that I coincidently happened to bring the issue up with a good friend of mine who as it happened owned a walnut Air Arms Pro Sport in .177 and dressed in a lovely walnut stock and no longer wanted the rifle as he was truly hooked on the HW tuned Sandwell Field Sports rifles. We managed to work out a deal and before I knew it we had swapped rifles as he assured me his rifle did not suffer the same problems that my previous two had. For me it was a chance to reunite myself with this beautiful rifle and hope it was better built than my last two.

Sure enough I put the rifle through its paces at my local club and sure enough my mates word was true, it didn't suffer from the same problems. I could however feel that something wasn't right within the rifle. The accuracy was first rate but on firing the rifle it certainly sounded like it was missing a beat and twanged like mad. This concerned me as I wanted to rectify the problem and get the rifle shooting smoothly. This was also a relatively new rifle and was only about 6 months old and had hardly been used. A quick conversation with another good friend of mine who goes by the username Timmytree on the Hunting Life Forum and the Air Arms Owners Forum saw me book a date and time to go and see him so he could strip the Pro Sport down and take a look at what was going on. 

So, one summer day I made the trip to see Timmytree and we went about stripping the Pro Sport in the workshop and drinking some lovely home made cider whilst enjoying each others company. The hours rolled by and the end result was simply worlds apart from when the rifle first went in. Timmy showed me that the workmanship is slipping somewhat in the Air Arms quality control department. The spring and spring guide were not a good fit with a lot of slack between the two. The innards of the rifle were only very slightly greased with a white tar similar to gorilla snot and the spring ends were rough. Some swapping of internal parts, polishing of others and regreasing the insides with real gun grease and the end result as stated was worlds apart.

An intensive power check over the chrono showed the rifle was very very consistent and was putting out 10.8ft/lb which was ideal as it still had some bedding in to do and would settle at around 11ft/lb all being well to keep it well within the UK legal limit of 12ft/lb. 

So a quick zero check on Timmytree's private range and the rifle was smashing pellet on pellet at 25 meters.

The rifle was now everything it should have been before it left the factory and was so nice to shoot that it accompanied me to the local range most nights and was put to the test. Here you can see the rifle in action with a good friend of mine Si Pittaway.

  

The summer months continued in much the same way with the Pro Sport but eventually life got in the way and shooting took a back seat as mentioned at the start of this post. That backseat turned into six or so months of no shooting.