BL-415

Most of Sureshots guns operate by injecting Methylacetylene-Propadiene gas into an expantion chamber and then igniting it.

The BL-415, which uses the Methylacetylene-Propadiene gas system, can generate up to 450 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. That is around the same muzzle energy of a .45 ACP round!

For comparison, the FN 303 less-lethal launcher generates just 16-24 ft/lbs of energy. The most powerful "less" lethal 12 gauge, 37mm and 40mm rounds top at just over 100 ft/lbs. The Sureshot guns could not be considered less-lethal.

BL-525

The 60" long tennis ball sized barrel of the BL-525 can generate 2000+ fl/lbs of energy if loaded with a proprietary 4090 grain UHMW/steel projectile. That is more energy than a 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge!

Impressive? You have seen nothing yet ... The below video shows a proof of concept developed for a Mexican defense contractor. It fires a 6790 grain projectile and generates 3000 ft/lbs of muzzle energy!!! That is more than a .308 Winchester!

Check the legality of spudguns in your state or country before you embark on building one.

More photos here.

The SOCOM EXTREME was created for an all new level in long distance air gun shooting and hunting.

Gamo took their famous 1250 powerplant and re-tuned the beast to deliver a stunning velocity of over 1650 fps using the new PBA Platinum .177 ammo. The powerplant was matched to a precision steel, composite jacketed bull barrel which also helps reduce the larger cocking force. The precision barreled action is mated to a newly designed tactical, light weight composite stock. This specially engineered stock has a long tapered sure grip forend which leads back to pistol grip with palm swell for quick steady mounting. The buttstock features an ergonomically shaped cheekpiece which works for right and left handed shooters. Each SOCOM EXTREME air rifle is fitted with a special 3-9x50 Scope with red, green and blue illuminated glass etched reticle securely anchored by the Gamo solid one-piece mount. The composite stock reduces gun weight to a manageable 9 lbs compared to a heavier wood stock air rifle.

MSRP $399.95

SOCOM EXTREME

The SOCOM TACTICAL is the ultimate air rifle for high performance flexibility for day or night shooting. The Tactical composite stock has a custom molded forepiece and palm swell grip area for maximum control. The fully adjustable tactical comb has a raised cheekpiece and allows for an instant sight picture adjustment using the optical or the included fiber optic fixed sights. The receiver is topped with a precision 3-9x40 AR Scope anchored by a solid Gamo one-piece rail mount. The scope is fitted with a powerful, fully adjustable precision laser and light which quickly readies the SOCOM TACTICAL for night operations. The 26" barrel is made of precision rifled steel and is shrouded in a fully composite jacketed fluted polymer bull barrel. The barrel on the SOCOM TACTICAL is also fitted with the Gamo ND52, Noise Dampening Technology muzzle dampner. Combined with outstanding velocity at nearly 1300 fps with new PBA Platinum .177 ammo. The Tactical is fully capable of handling any backyard varmint incursions 52% quieter than a standard spring air rifle.

MSRP $329.95

SOCOM TACTICAL

The SOCOM CARBINE is specially configured to offer quick mounting and target acquisition. Its Gamo power plant is tuned to deliver a sizzling velocity of nearly 1300 fps with the new PBA Platinum ammo through a short, composite jacketed, precision rifled .177 cal steel barrel. The 3-9x40 precision AR scope is securely anchored to the receiver by the solid, one-piece Gamo mount. The long eye relief and brilliantly clear optic work in tandem with the special all-weather composite stock with sure-grip forend, palm swell pistol grip and adjustable comb with cheekpiece. The shooter can instantly adjust the stock for his or her comfort.

MSRP $329.95

SOCOM CARBINE

The device has three vertical “barrels” which are loaded with blackpowder. A shotgun primer is inserted into the side of the barrel. The shooter aims at a hole in the front steel plating. Through the hole is a steel plunger that ignites the primer. The result is a big bang and lots of smoke.

It looks like a lot of fun and only costs 25c per target (according to the manufactures website. I do not reload. ). That even cheaper than the poor-mans-reactive-target (pool chalk).

More info at Target Cannon.

There is a lot to be said about air guns at a time when ammunition is so expensive.

From the press release:

The heart of gas piston technology is its use of nitrogen as the power, instead of a coiled steel spring.

Unlike steel and CO2, nitrogen isn’t adversely affected by temperature. In addition, the technology allows for much easier cocking. The nitro piston starts engaging the moment the shooter starts cocking the gun. Gas pistons can also be left cocked for long periods of time without degrading and losing velocity, the way steel springs do. Also, when a steel spring uncoils, the vibration is not only annoying, it compromises precision. “Nitro Piston technology solves both by creating a smoother cocking force and releasing the gun’s power more quickly,” said D’Arcy.

The new rifles will not be available until June, but Pyramyd Air have them available for pre-order. They claim the piston system produces a lot less noise (most of the noise from a break barrel airgun is the piston), less recoil, easier cocking and long lasting.

They are available for pre order for $324.99. They comes in .22 and .177 versions (1000 fp/s and 1200 fp/s respectively) and either either a black synthetic or digital camo thumbhole stock. They all feature a bull barrel and two stage trigger.

Air gun expert and blogger Tom Gaylord was involved in the development of the system. If he was involved it must be good! I don’t think he would risk his reputation on an inferior product.

The Challenger 2009 is an upgrade of the Challenger 2000 and is designed for three-position air rifle competition.

The new challenger features a fully adjustable, match grade trigger. The individual shooter can adjust length of pull, seer engagement and trigger weight. The breech has also been completely redesigned to the loading port is farther forward to accommodate a new ambidextrous PCP bolt action. The breech redesign also allows for more eye relief adjustment. The rear diopter sight can be adjusted for all three shooting positions. The new breech also made it possible to incorporate a floating choked Lothar Walther barrel.

…

Because this gun is specifically designed for three-position shooting the velocity will be factory set at 530 fps for a minimum of 70 shots.

Its will sell for $549.99 and should be available in May.
The Crosman Benjamin PCP Marauder is an interesting air rifle. According to Crosman is is integrally suppressed … or something like that:

The Marauder features an internally shrouded barrel that captures the sound and makes this gun significantly quieter than any gun we have released and makes it one of the quietest guns on the market today.

The Marauder has been designed to operate at a starting fill pressure of 2000 PSI. However, this gun can be filled to a higher fill pressure of 3000 PSI for even more shots at a sustained velocity of 1100 fps with .177 caliber and 1000 fps at .22 caliber. The Marauder offers our Dual Fuel technology so it can be filled with CO2 for more shots at a lower velocity.

The Marauder will be available in April for $529.

Gamo Hunter Extreme .22

The .22 rifle will push a lead pellet at 950 fps. From my limited knowledge of air guns, I think this is 10-20% more power. The downside is that is take 65 lbs of effort to cock the rifle.

Specs:

Caliber: .22
Velocity: 1300 feet per second (fps) with PBA*, 950 fps with Lead
Max Energy: 32 Joules
Break Barrel: Single Cocking System
Barrel: Jacketed steel bull barrel
Cocking Effort: 65 lbs
Trigger: Second Stage adjustable

* Gamo PBA: Performance Ballistic Alloy. A lighter non-lead brand of pellets.

In a promotional video from Gamo a hunter takes down a 250 pound boar with the .177 model using the PBA pellet (being pushed at 1600 fp/s).

I am pretty skeptical about this video. I originally uploaded it to youtube to embed it on the blog but then decided to delete it. I do not think they should be encouraging kids to go pig hunting with a .177 air rifle. Especially since the video looks like a setup – a docile pig is shot at near point blank range from an elevated angle.

More info on the rifle and the video mentioned above can be had at the Hunter Extreme website.

Interestingly enough the upper is a real A2 upper that they then modify and fit the air gun parts.

From Pilkington:

We all know that one the best ways to practice in the off season is an air rifle and it certainly develops your skills, but there still numerous fine points of muscle memory and sight acquisition that cannot be the same as your Service Rifle, at least with traditional air rifles. But we decided that we could give you everything your want, the same as your target AR-15 has them already. The exact sight picture and EXACT trigger feel along with the exact feel of your buttstock weighted just the way you like it against your own cheek.

How can we do that? Half of the answer is already in your hands, your personal AR-15 lower receiver. The other half is the new BF-17 upper that houses an air rifle action made by Pilkguns. The BF-17 upper uses actual AR-15 components like an A2 upper, front sight mount, charging handle and handguards. It also has National Match ¼ minute rear sights matched to a top quality .177 Lothar Walther barrel to put your shots in the X ring where we know you have the talent to place them.

Why would you want this upper? Cheap practice with the exact same trigger pull as your 5.56mm upper. If you are used to the AR platform this would be a great competition air gun.

The cost is estimated to be between $800 and $1100. You can pre-order one for a $250 deposit. A semi-auto and A4 flattop upper version are in the works.

More info here.

The Whisper X is a break barrel and is comes in a .22 or .177 caliber

Specs:

Weight: 6.61 lbs
Muzzle Velocity: .177 ft/s 1000
Muzzle Velocity: .22 ft/s 722 .

I am not sure about availability or pricing yet. Gamo USA do not update their website very often.

More info here.

Cool stuff.

More here.

T-4 Bullpup


T-4 Carbine

The conversion to a bullpup configuration is straight forward. Initially I was confused by what appears to be a double set trigger but after looking at the below diagram is seems to be a simple safety that prevents the trigger from moving.

If you have ever wondered how bullpup rifles work then take a look at this cutout. I have annotated the diagram so that it is comprehensible by those with less technical knowledge of firearms. The parts needed to move the trigger forward, the trigger linkage, are plain to see.

Click to expand (warning: it is a big file)

Another interesting feature of this rifle is the built in suppressor. This probably prevents it from being imported into the US and any another other country that regulates suppressors. The Gamo Whisper, which also includes a built in suppressor, is apparently legal because its’ suppressor is made from plastic and would be blown up by the gas from even a .22 LR cartridge.

The T-4 is available in .177, .22 and .25.

Specs:

Weight: 2.8 kg : 6.1 lbs
Length: 680 mm / 26.7″
Barrel length: 420 mm / 16.5″
Trigger pull: 1.5 kg / 4.4 lbs
Magazine Capacity: 8 pellets
Operating pressure: 30 MPa (300 bar)
Verification pressure: 45 MPa (450 bar)

Price (Carbine, bullpup price not listed): 40000 Rubles (currently US$ 1371.88).

The stock seems to have been through a variety of evolutions. These are other photos I found:

I prefer the P90 inspired stock, although the pistol grip looks a bit square.

A cursory google search did not reveal a US distributer. Demyan is going to be at SHOT Show 2009 so either they do have distributor lined up or are looking for one. The SHOT Show description of the company:

Original research and manufacture of sportguns. Our company produces high-quality air rifles for Fild Target, BenchRest, as well as compact powerful air rifles for hunting by caliber 4.5, 5.5, 6.35.

10, 2nd Donskoy Lane
Moscow, 119071
Russian Federation
Business Phone: 011 74959847629
Business Fax: 011 74959847629
www.demyan.info

Booth : 2080

If you are going to SHOT and come across their booth I would be interested to know who their distributer is, if they have one, if the T-4 carbine is going to be exported to the US, and if so its’ price.

Instead of knocking open a value with a hammer and instantly releasing gas when the trigger is pulled, a cam is used to time the release of the gas. It creates a very effective system, although to take advantage of the slow release of gas a 32 3/4″ barrel is needed.

I highly recommend this article.

What is very interesting is that it utilizes a hybrid air gun / gun powder system. It uses a gunpowder charge to accelerate a piston which compresses hydrogen gas to 100,000 psi (maximum pressure of a .338 Lapua Magnum is 60,916 psi). This propels a saboted projectile at 26,400 fps!

The piston system if very common. All spring air guns use it, even the simple springer airsoft guns use a simple piston system. The difference is they use a spring to propel the piston which compresses air.

Here is my attempt at explaining my understanding of how the NASA gun works:

Excuse my drawing skills. Click to expand

UPDATE: A diagram by NASA of a Light Gas Gun (thanks to R.A.W and Billl):

I got it more or less correct

New ARMOR Performance Ballistic Alloy, the non-lead Alloy Airgun Ammunition that increases piercing power up to 20% over lead, while maintaining “match grade” accuracy. Specifically designed as a hunting load, the new P.B.A.™ ARMOR ammunition is 50% harder than lead causing penetration to be enhanced by up to 100% in tests in actual hunting situations as well as ballistic mediums. ARMOR P.B.A. test results show ballistic stability at super-sonic speeds and up to 90% weight retention using the new semi-pointed design.

Retail price: $12.95 / 80 pellets

H/T: Ammoland

What do you do when you love shooting, but live in a climate where you can only shoot outdoors (comfortably) a couple months of the year? You start a new indoor action target shooting sport and invite the world to participate via the internet … that’s what.

Each week, registered shooters download three Courses of Fire from the Compete section. The COF specifies how to set up the range for that week’s competition – indicating how many target stands are needed, where to place the targets, where to begin and end the shooting course, and any props that may be needed to complete the challenge.

More here.

More info about the gun here. More photos here.

The rifles come in a variety of models, finishes and scope options. They are all .177 in caliber and have a break barrel action.

X5: Scoped, hardwood, 16.5″ barrel.

The “Made in China” is prominently displayed …

They have a nice website, although a bit flash heavy, with more info.

PCPs run on air, but the hospital employee had access to tanks of oxygen. Oxygen is like air, isn’t it?

The result: a blow torch

Lots more accidents here.

Click to zoom in on the images

For shooting birds in tight spaces

More info on the rifle here.

Ruger Air Hawk

Read it here.

The Zimmerstutzen was the ancestor of the 10-meter target [air] rifle and extends back to at least 1840. Zimmerstutzen is the rough translation of “parlor rifle” in German. The first zimmer was powered by a percussion cap that propelled a small lead ball through a short rifled barrel.

What I found fascinating was that there were 25 different Zimmerstutzen calibers!

A Zimmerstutzen comes in the nominal caliber 4mm, but in fact there are over 25 discrete calibers that range from 4mm to 5.55mm, in half-milimeter increments.

Zimmerstutzen vs .22LR

Read the article here.

All you need a some wax, a lighter ,some putty for a mold and a pelet.

WARNING: If you plan on shooting an airgun in your house, I recommend cleaning the airgun first to remove any lead. I check myself for lead poisoning every so often.

Read the tutorial here.

a class three dealer examined it and said in his opinion it could not be removed and attached to a firearm with success.

Gamo has taken pains to make the outer case tapered front-to-rear, plus they have molded two huge flutes into the side of the case. They’ve also made holes in the flutes that expose the sides of the baffles, which are a soft synthetic material, to the air.

It was his opinion that the silencer would be too difficult to remove from the rifle without destroying it, and, even if it could be removed, that the baffles would blow out the sides if exposed to even the low pressure from a .22 rimfire cartridge. In other words, it wouldn’t silence a firearm for even one shot.

More here.

Nate in Mass. asked if it’s permissible (possible, without damage to the gun) to shoot pellets loaded backwards. He was thinking of them acting as extreme hollowpoints.

Well, Nate the short answer is “yes,” and so is the longer answer I will give today.

More here.

Noise is what the new Gamo Whisper is all about, and I’ll address that issue for you right now. I don’t find the Whisper to be that much quieter than any other spring piston air rifle of comparable power. In fact, my tuned .22-caliber Beeman R1, which has no silencer, is quieter because its powerplant makes less noise. The powerplant is where the bulk of the noise of a spring gun comes from, not the discharge at the muzzle.

More here.

They do not use the word “suppressor” which I find odd. Instead they call it “ND25 Noise Reduction Technology”… A suppressor by any other name.

The Whisper is a single cock break barrel action with a rifled steel, fluted bull barrel and an integral, non-removable noise dampener that reduces noise up to 52 percent. 2-stage adjustable trigger and automatic cocking safety with manual trigger safety. Fiber-optic front and rear adjustable sights. Includes 3-9×40 scope with a 1-piece solid mount. .177 caliber shoots 1200 fps with PBA ammo or 1000 fps with lead pellets. Weight: 5.28 lbs. Length: 43.5″.

More here.

Hat Tip: Saysuncle

haha

This fake photoshoped image comes from worth1000.com but I am not sure who the author is.

Air rifles were scarcely known, and yet these were repeaters! Imagine how much rarer a pistol version of the same gun would have been. Well, such guns do exist. I have seen and held them.

Field target began in Great Britain sometime in the early 1980s. According to the British Field Target Association (BFTA) field target manual, the year was 1981. They say there that the original purpose was a hunting simulation, but I have been told by many veteran shooters that FT was just another sport that happened to use animal silhouettes as targets.

It is worth a read if you enjoy shooting air guns.

Part 1 – How it all began
Part 2 – Targets
Part 3 – Targets – Part 2
Part 4 – Squads
Part 5 – The spring guns
Part 6 – The precharged guns

A very interesting article at the Pyramyd Air Reprt. I do not shoot competitively with air guns nor do I hunt with them but I do enjoy knocking about a soda can once in a while. During my plinking I have never noticed the spiriling pellet phenomenon which is explained by B.B. Pelletiert here.