Who Hunts With A Springer?

[charlie caller 3,654]

As I have said elsewhere,another benefit of a springer for me, is,it is not dissimilar to shooting my stalking rifle, in that it recoils, and a good follow through is required, my Walther lgv is even a similar weight, so shooting from sticks,kneeling, sitting,resting on a tree etc all replicate shots I can encounter, stalking/foxing, if I use a pcp exclusively, the dead feeling that a pcp gives,is nothing like a fullbore rifle, and the recoil can take you by surprise, never a good aid to accurate shooting.

[bigmac 97kt 13,780]

Im with mole and CC on this ,go in day light build a hide with in range and leave it a few days so they get used to seeing it

 

then set your self away

 

But if there that skittish once you have fired your first shot they will all run for cover any way

 

Then its a waiting game

 

Or when you go into the field make a noise IE clap your hands so they run before they see you they will run but as they have not seen you will not take so long to come back out this will give you time to get into a prone position

in you zero position and set up but lay in line with the fence or tree line not out in the field where they will see you .

 

works well for me any way

 

Sounds daft but it works

 

atvbmac :thumbs:

[VWman 232]

Used to use a TX200hc.

I've now sold that after using my falcon PCP for a while.

What I will say is as long as you are effective with the springer at the required range it's a non issue and more fun.

 

With that said, from what I've seen, the only guys who hunt with springers are those that are bored of their PCPs or don't have a good one.

 

Have you tried stretching out the range to not spook them? I'm guessing you're already pressing onto 45metres? That's never going to fly, even with the best springers. Just my thoughts.

 

A healthy bunny hopping around is better than a bunny with a shoulder shot out for life.

 

Hello Zim

When you first came on the forum I thought you would be sure to be a springer for life man lol.

It's nice to have a springer as well, hope you get another springer as well in the fullness of time.

Happy shooting regards vwman.

[PeskyWabbits 464]

Just springers for me. Had an HW35 for years and most recently gone to a Pro Sport in 177 but I can't settle with that calibre.

So I bought a rough Pro Sport in .22

 

Most of my shooting is stalking to close range bunnies at 15 - 20 yards and almost soley in Spring when I am protecting seedlings.

I like to see bunnies bouncing around and when they don't trouble me, I don't trouble them.

 

Have to admit I am really envious of the weekend hunters. Just being out there would be enough.

The bloodlust warriors are blasting aliens and zombies in their bedrooms.

For us hunting is different, a whole world of nature, of appreciation and the excitement of the stalk, or ambush when you have been waiting patiently for that bird to land or the bunny to come round the corner.

 

Back on subject, I don't think I can be mithered to shell out for the paraphernalia, bottles and pumps, sweet spots and the cost - that's car money in my world. Though I expect that once I cross the line, I will be as hooked as the rest of you tank men.

 

My problem species at present are rats and I am moving to night vision, and as far as I can tell this is achievable with spring but awkward.

The merits of a recoilless multishot are pretty obvious and maybe eventually... But currently my wallet is tighter than my skin.

 

For me, spring is convenient, grab and go. I don't shoot everyday so don't need to plan in advance.

The arsyist bit is getting it out of the cabinet.

 

That's my 2p

 

Pesky

[David Aiken 253]

I've been using my Webley Patriot .25 FAC to great effect since Christmas.

[pianoman 3,587]

I bought what should be one of the best PCPs money can buy. It's turned out a lemon albeit a beautiful looking lemon that needs more money spent on a decent regulator or live with an eye on the pressure guage to keep it in the sweet spot, to get the best out of it.

 

For what I've paid for the ONE REGAL plus scopes and charging bottle, I could have bought a brand new HW77 and a killer scope or, a mint second hand pair. HW77 AND AN HW97K. that would do the job just as well.

LUCKILY..I have those two beautiful spring rifles already and I take them in turns out to hunt with. They've also won me a prize or two in the past. I also have an amazingly accurate HW80 .22 and TX200HC .177. I cannot be without my spring rifles They keep me well grounded in shooting skills and up to the mark to hunt with them.

 

 

 

But, be under no illusion gentlemen, for those of you who do not shoot with a quality spring rifle, you are missing out on the most rewarding aspect of this sport.

 

Now, I quite fancy buying a DIANA 54 AIRKING and a DIANA 52 sidelever. Possibly tuned for putting on FAC, I've heard they are amazingly good at high power. They certainly look lovely!

 

Simon / Pianoman

 

[darkdd81 36]

Should have got a Hw100 Pianoman, not the regal.

[Rez 4,957]

Should have got a Hw100 Pianoman, not the regal.

Ahh dear.

 

Tell us why my man, why he should of got a 100? Are they any good?

 

 

For someone with such a rifle and indeed an optic from 'back in the day' in their signature... It's a bit of a bleak statement. No offence meant of course. It's like your 'recommending' the 100... Too pianoman?! Pah.

[Rez 4,957]

I bought what should be one of the best PCPs money can buy. It's turned out a lemon albeit a beautiful looking lemon that needs more money spent on a decent regulator or live with an eye on the pressure guage to keep it in the sweet spot, to get the best out of it.

 

For what I've paid for the ONE REGAL plus scopes and charging bottle, I could have bought a brand new HW77 and a killer scope or, a mint second hand pair. HW77 AND AN HW97K. that would do the job just as well.

LUCKILY..I have those two beautiful spring rifles already and I take them in turns out to hunt with. They've also won me a prize or two in the past. I also have an amazingly accurate HW80 .22 and TX200HC .177. I cannot be without my spring rifles They keep me well grounded in shooting skills and up to the mark to hunt with them.

 

 

 

But, be under no illusion gentlemen, for those of you who do not shoot with a quality spring rifle, you are missing out on the most rewarding aspect of this sport.

 

Now, I quite fancy buying a DIANA 54 AIRKING and a DIANA 52 sidelever. Possibly tuned for putting on FAC, I've heard they are amazingly good at high power. They certainly look lovely!

 

Simon / Pianoman

 

Now now. An Air King. Hmmmm. Well. That would be a treat. Might suit you too, in twenty two, naturally.

 

Get stuffed all this new shit... Let's go back to what made the industry.

 

Webley tracker anyone

[VWman 232]

Every one should have at least one decent springer but you can have more (optional)

[darkdd81 36]

 

Should have got a Hw100 Pianoman, not the regal.

Ahh dear.

 

Tell us why my man, why he should of got a 100? Are they any good?

 

 

For someone with such a rifle and indeed an optic from 'back in the day' in their signature... It's a bit of a bleak statement. No offence meant of course. It's like your 'recommending' the 100... Too pianoman?! Pah.

 

 

Ive got to admit Rez, I've not really got a clue what your trying to say. Sounds to me like you want an argument. Life's too short for that mate..

 

I was simply saying, as I have a followed Pianomans antics for a few years now (in the Milesgajo and Si Pittaway days) and remember when he first got his Regal, he had previously stated that if he were to enter the world of pcps, and being such an HW fan he would more than likely get a 100. I was surprised, as a lot of people know, there has been numerous reported problems with the Regal, where as there has been few with the HW100. As a HW100 owner (as I see you are too) I believe that for the money they are hands down the best pcp going (I have owned Theobens, AA, Falcons Pcps). Just my opinion.

 

Like ya vid on the tube by the way. You can shoot for a young pup. I'll give you that. Dodgy tash mind.

[pianoman 3,587]

Let me tell you a story about my experience of the Regal and why I have kept it, why I love it and the kind of treatment from the industry I've had. Let me also just say I'm not a gunsmith techie type. When/if something needs doing on my guns I get my Pal Andy to sort them out and he's bloody brilliant with my springers. Not so knowledgeable about PCPs but, we can't all be clever at everything.

So, I was all set to buy an HW100 with a Bavarian sporter stock in left hand version. Then i was told, this is not available as a left hand option. That put me off. Though I have to admire the way the rifle was built and, I love Weihrauch's springers to bits, so, a PCP Weihrauch seemed a natural progression.

 

Then my partner Helen wanted to get into shooting and needed a rifle of her own. We had a look at many PCPs (she's just not built to haul a spring rifle all day) and Helen decided on the Daystate Huntsman Classic.

 

So that's what I bought for her. When we came to set it up for her I was really impressed with how good the Huntsman is. It is a beautiful rifle in all regards and perfect for her needs. I was so impressed how well it performed, its superb accuracy and beautiful looks and handling, I went out and bought the Regal when it became available. I hadn't heard of any bad press for it so far at that time but, hen again, I was one of the first to buy it soon after it's release. Loved it from the get-go! It had all the looks and handling of the Huntsman, supposedly, I had the newly-developed version of a rifle that had impressed me greatly with Helen's model.

Then, and only then do you discover what you really have The Regal has a way more pronounced power curve than the earlier Huntsman we have. Then I start learning all this malarkey about sweetspots and power curves and Christ knows what else.

 

It didn't soften my heart much when I took the gun to a lad called Chris at REDBECK SHOOTING SUPPLIES nr Wakefield West Yorkshire. He took the gun away to the workshop for about ten minutes and returned with it and showed me a chrono-print-out on his mobile phone of the rifle performing at 11.3 ft/lbs. I should have had alarm bells ringing why there was not a proper paper print out but, we live and learn!

That was also, the exact figure Daystate had given me for the Regal (on paper!) when it had been to them for servicing and retuning after I found the power was so low after filling it. So it was probably never touched but run down to 160 Bar and there it performs at 11.3. Not that the smart-arses there had the common courtesy to explain matters why. They had it for two months and probably just run it down when they could be bothered

 

So this Chris guy at Red-Beck convinces me that he's removed the anti tamper and opened the rifle up and retuned the rifle to 11.3 foot pounds. That's all I really want to hear and he charges me £26.00 for the job. Now being an ignorant fellow of mechanical workings I took him at his word and paid the bill in cash in the shop. MUG!

 

Then I move to Lincolnshire, gain a couple of permissions and filled and tested my Regal on my 50-metre garden range....Only to find it was performing way under power again! (I know. Sweetspots and power-curves!) But I was not so well informed at this time.

 

So I take the rifle to MGR shooting shop in nearby Woodhall Spa and the guy there immediately shows me the anti-tamper is in place. He took the rifle out of the stock and we saw, lo and behold, Daystate's anti-tamper sticker seals in place. Clear to me, now, this Chris has not done what he has charged me for! Nor has Daystate for that matter it would seem, for the two months they had the rifle.

 

So after finding the Regal performing at 10.3 ft/lbs, this lad puts the rifle on the chrono and fires shot after shot till the pressure on the cylinder indicates about half the amount and VOILA! The Regal magically starts performing at 11.3 ft/lbs A whole 1=ft/lb difference.

So now I've learned all about the Regal's sweetspot at about 160 bar and for being mugged for £26 quid for my ignorance!

So, having established where the rifle performs it's best work, I take it out hunting and it performs absolutely superbly. It's bagged a hell of a lot of rabbits and hit hard at some decent ranges. All I ask of any air rifle really, particularly one that has cost me £800. The most I've ever spent on a rifle for myself.

It is an honestly fine rifle in my experience now I have the sweetspot sussed out.. Because I know a great deal from shooting spring rifles all my life, I know at least, how to optimise the accuracy performance of a PCP and this Regal of mine is a bloody beauty!

 

But, because you need to spend more money to put a way-better regulator in it than Daystate have deemed worthy of a rifle at this price, it is a lemon! Until you get used to it's little foibles. Lemon might sound harsh, but any air rifle costing this much money new, has to work a lot more efficiently than this Regal does, straight out the box from the factory.

I will get the Reg. work done when, the good man at XTX Air isn't up to his arse in orders. (Sign of a good man actually.. He's busy!).

 

And as for my spring rifles? My Weihrauch HW77, HW80 and HW97K are amazing shooting rifles. As reliable as an air rifle gets and as accurate as it's possible to get. And that's why I love owning them and shooting with them. Best of all, they do not or have never needed the runaround faff, sweetspots and charging air bottles that come with PCPs costing nearly twice as much. A couple of springs between them over the years is all they've needed!

 

All the best and thanks for reading my tale. But it's all true..

 

And in future, the next person in a gun shop I find conning me for my ignorances, I'm taking him-her and the case to the Police and the courts! I don't really care if such people lose their livelihoods like this. To be perfectly honest though, I really feel the British gun trade needs to get a set of honest ethics and trade more honestly in future. I don't need another air rifle and I'm not going to spend any more cash on one anytime too soon.

 

Simon/Pianoman.

Edited March 10, 2016 by pianoman

[darkdd81 36]

Great post Pianoman. I'm glad you finally got that enjoyment from the Regal in the end. Hope the reg turns it into what you want it to be.

 

Looks like Redbeck need a rocket up there arse.

 

All the best.

[pianoman 3,587]

Thanks darkdd81 A cautionary tale of experience. If Redbeck want to challenge me on this, I will happily meet them with my lawyers in court, with the rifle and its anti tamper seals stickers in place over the fixed-in-place components and the receipt for the £26,00 I was charged by their employee for an apparent service and chrono. And they can explain to the magistrates how it was possible for him to physically alter the power this rifle without opening it up or draining the cylinder-pressure level from full.

 

The Regal I have is a great PCP air rifle. It is elegant, sweetly balanced in the aim and honestly, I cannot see what else it's supposed to do other than put a .177 pellet on pellet at 40 metres at sensible power F/P energy.

 

It just needs a better regulator to make more efficient use of the pressure in the cylinder. And a better standard of ethical dealing from the trade wouldn't be a bad thing either.

 

All the best.

Simon

[jonnie bravo 572]

Good to know Simon. They are not my local shop but chances are I would have come across them in the future being from West Yorks and all.