Weihrauch HW100 - Update

ok, so a bit of an update on the Weihrauch HW100... i've been using this rifle now for a few months nearly everyday, be it through work or when we're up on the farm, and i have to say - it continues to impress! it seems like most reviews are done when the product is brand new out of the box but for the HW i've decided to put it through its paces before i put together a full length review. Now this is the KT version so as you may expect going from the Daystate Ltd Air Wolf to this the shot count is a lot less than what i was used to, which i may or may have forgotten a few times and then panicked when it came of reg, much to the amusement of the guys i shoot with. Other than that, accuracy continues to impress, when twinned with the JSB Match Diabolo Exacts (or daystate sovereigns - same pellet basically! ) the rifle gives some impressive results, it's far more accurate than me that's for sure! i would say with the amount of rounds we've put through it that it's had enough time to bed in, but truth be told it never really needed any running in, we recorded a 5 fps variant during the initial testing on it's first outing, now if that isn't consistency then i don't know what is!

the plan was to change the moderator too, as lets face stock mods are often a bit questionable, but the stock Weihrauch moderator is as quite as a mouse's fart, it can be hard to tell when a shot has been fired if you're any more than 60ft or so away, so the stock mod can stay! what we have worked out though is that of a full charge you can get 4 magazines worth out of the rifle, which works out as 56 shots (roughly), so the easy thing to do here was to get 4 magazines, as they're not that expensive when compared to others, and just refill after those 4 mags, every shot will be full power and you've got a bit of wiggle room before you drop off reg, and you'll know when that happens trust me! Anyway, we'll bring you a full review soon, but not before some more "testing"! just one more thing, make sure if you're looking at getting a HW that it's stamped with the Hull Cartridge Company's stamp, as their support and warranty is second to none!

Boker Plus Subcom 42 - Heinnie Edition

And now for something a bit different, the Boker Plus Subcom 42, Heinnie style! Different for us as we've never done a knife review before, but this one has pleased me. I've owned a Subcom for a while now and it comes with me most places thanks to its small size and low profile, It slips in behind belts quite nicely making carrying it completely effortless. So you can imagine when I saw Heinnie's version with the carbon fibre scales and a VG10 blade naturally my head turned.

I'm yet to really use the VG10 blade that's found on the subcom, but I have to say that out the box it's satisfyingly sharp, cutting most things I've tested it on with ease. Often referred to as the super steel amongst other things I'm sure with a small amount of tlc this will easily become one sharp little blade! As per the Subcoms standard counterparts the blade is a very familiar shape but unlike the other Subcom I have this uses slightly different studs, which at first I wasn't a fan of, but after giving it some thought and getting a feel for the fairly generic looking studs I have to say they feel comfortable enough when you glide the blade out with your thumb. That all too familiar Heinnie logo can also be found tucked neatly at the top just under the ample jimping on the spine of the blade which offers a great place to rest your thumb on top for maximum control when you're doing the fiddlier tasks in life

As you can see the Subcom came sporting these rather fetching Carbon Fibre scales, which for me were the main attachment to this knife. Now i'll be honest, this is the first knife I've ever owned with carbon scales and at first they felt odd, being used to the orange Zytel I wasn't expecting what can feel like a bit of a rough texture that's found with the carbon. That said they're fine, it's just me being really picky! This aside they certainly look the part and weigh the sum total of nothing! As a bit of a carbon fan i have to say they really do suite the knife perfectly and will challenge the titanium version for the lightest Subcom title.

One thing i will say though, do not be fooled by the frame lock appearance of the frame, this is one very UK friendly slipjoint! That means the Subcom will never have to leave your side, which with all its cracking features is one of the best parts about the whole package. For under £50 you'll be hard pushed to find another knife on the market with a VG10 blade, carbon scale, oh and the custom red belt clip, almost forgot to mention that. The black and red colour scheme is certainly striking yet subtle at the same time, everything a good EDC should be. I'm not sure this'll enter my EDC purely for one reason, its just too nice, my normal run of the mill Subcom will have to continue doing the day to day tasks I think. If you're still interested in this fine piece then pop across to Heinnie's page as last time i looked they were showing as limited stock and with a limited number of 200 and a great price this'll be sure to fly off the shelves.

http://www.heinnie.com/boker-plus-subcom-42-titanium-24284

New Rifle - FX Impact!

It's new rifle time again and this time i've really gone for something a bit different; it's the new FX Impact, As we speak it's currently on preorder and is due in the new year. I've heard nothing but good things about FX and their growing popularity seems to be matched by the guns performance and price, as it' a lot of gun for the money! 

Now what makes this so different? well its a take down rifle, or TDR for all the tacticool shooters out there, it's also a bullpup! what this means is you effectively get a full length barrel but with carbine length, giving you super pointability and manoeuvrability in confined spaces, which was part the reason i've decided to opt for the impact over other rifles on the market today. 

As you can see as it stands at the moment there are 2 different colour options, full back and this rather smart silver version to, i've decided to go all black, just to keep things low key. for all you none UK readers out there it'll be a fully interchangeable set up with multiple calibres and adjustments available to you but i'll just be sticking with the sub 12 ft/lb version in .177.

One thing i am yet to decide though is what optic to blt onto the top of this superb piece of Swedish engineering... i had thought stick with what i know and go for the Hawke Sidewinder, just with a slightly smaller objective than my current 56mm ones. but then the thought occurred, why not change? i've had my eye on the MTC connect scope for a while but never really got to test one out fully, which is a shame, as the £245 asking price is a fair old price tag for a scope i have little to no experience with. then theres the Nikko Sterling scopes, they've always been a solid choice for anyone, but again i have little experience with them, I think the size will be a big factor, which is why  i think the connect is a stand out option, but we'll see! 

credit where credit's due, some of the only pictures i could find of this rifle in person were from ted's post on airgun nation, if you haven't seen his channel please go and check it out, his video's were part the reason i started hunting rather than just target shooting, simply search for teds holdover and his video's will pop straight up! So until i finally get my hands on this fine rifle here are a few pictures and a short video i found on youtube of it being tested! 

Hawke LRF 600

I don't know about you, but i struggle with rangefinding, always have and chances are i always will. but one thing i can say is picking up a rangefinder, such as this Hawke LRF 600 has certainly helped. now if you're only going to be shooting air rifles i might say save the added expense and go for the 400 or something a bit cheaper from another company, but i can safely say this has been one of those things that has really helped my shooting leaps and bounds. it won't solve all your problems, to which practice is the only solution, but once you learn your holdovers and get a general vibe of windage you'll notice how much easier the LRF makes your life. it even has a load of settings for rain etc, but being a "bloke" i'm yet to read the instruction manual so i'll get back to you on that one!

The Names Bond....

James Bond time!

I've just found these two pictures on my computer from the time the guys at Ronnie Sunshines Devon had this gem in their range, its the BSA scorpion, made famous after its appearance in the James Bond film Octopussy. As a massive Bond fan it was a privilege to get to see this piece of history in the flesh, let alone fire it ( big thank you to the owner for allowing me to!). The Scorpion was used to represent a tranquilliser dart gun and with its traditional looks it certainly played the part perfectly and can be seen several times in the film in the set up you can see above!

There have been several different Mk's of scorpion since they first went into production in 1972 and it's safe to say its certainly a age old legend. This one felt as good as the day it came out the box for the first time with a really crisp trigger, firing a springer though was certainly a shock to the system though seeing as i'm used to pcp's and Co2 pistols, that said it was still really accurate! by all accounts they were £20 when they came out originally, you certainly wouldn't get a pistol of this calibre and spec for that kind of money these days, especially when this one gets to pull the featured in bond card!

Anyways, a big thanks to the team at Ronnie Sunshines Devon and to the owner for letting me have a few shots of this rather iconic pistol, we'll try and get up there again soon and give thier indoor range a bit of a whirl!

Hawke Endurance ED 10x42

Hawke Endurance ED 10x42. RRP £199.99 (available in green or black)

I have had these for a few weeks as replacement for my old simmons 8x25 bino's, what a difference hawke have done it again,crystal clear optics, super sharp focusing and fully waterproof.in the box you also get lense caps front and rear a nice neoprene strap, semi hard storage case and small cleaning cloth.  The first outing for them was the deer rut in Exmoor, with typical October weather, dull and wet, so all the features got tested being fully waterproof prevented and misting and the low light performance is fantastic especially for the price band they are in, less than 200 quid you can't go wrong; the body is rubberised in a black of green finish which is grippy and hard wearing.

The only real negatives i could find was that the objective lense covers could do with being a couple of mm’s larger or a different material because they keep falling out - you don't lose them because they are attached to the body of the bino's it's just annoying. the other negative, it’s not a negative  more me being picky, it would have been  nice to get one of the larger black cleaning cloths like what come with the hawke rifle scopes.


Over all brilliant kit. would I  buy again? Yes without doubt.

Available from most gun / outdoor shops.

http://www.hawkeoptics.co.uk/endurance-10x42-binocular-black.html


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31oct15

Initial Testing - 5.11 Tactical Rush 24

Initial testing of our new 5.11 Tactical Rush 24 pack is going really well! as day bags go this really does tick all the boxes. ok if we wanted a true day pack then we should have gone for the 12 but with the amount of kit i often find myself carrying the 24 made more sense. all the pockets have really handy organisers to keep everything all safe and easy to find which has proven really helpful so far. i've also discovered its just large enough to be used as a range bag, with plenty of room for ammunition, rangefinders and anything else you could possibly need. we'll bring you a full write up as soon as i've had a bit more time to abuse this pack some more up on Dartmoor, if it can survive the harsh terrain up there it'll survive anywhere!