View fullsize

In this Field Test Shooting Video I put the Webley Valuemax 22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle through my standard Replica Airguns Indoor Field Test protocol by first testing out the velocity and placing 5 rounds through my Chronograph to see what the actual real world fps is using 14.3 grain lead pellets. I then setup a fresh paper target 30 feet downrange and place 10 pellets into it to see what type of grouping I can get. If you have not already watched my Table Top Video for this Break Barrel Spring Piston Pellet Rifle then make sure to do so for more details, specifications and close up video.

Starting off with my real world velocity test for the Webley Valuemax 22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle, I went with 14.3 grain lead pellets which are I would say on the heavier side. Even so I managed to hit 478 fps which produced a nice 7.26 foot pounds of energy which by the way is almost 10 Joules! If you are wondering about Canadian legalities, as long as I do not go over 500 fps AND go over 4.2 foot pounds (both thresholds must be exceeded), then this Airgun is considered a non-regulated firearm and does not require a firearms license.

View fullsize

Moving on to the accuracy portion of my Indoor Field Test in the Replica Airguns Sea Can. As always I placed a brand new paper target 30 feet downrange and proceeded to shoot ten 14.3 grain lead pellets from a rested and seated shooting position to allow for best possible results with as little human error but I am imperfect so some human error is always present. I was using the open fiver optic sights on the Webley Valuemax 22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle rather than a scope even thought there is a dovetail rail with included scope stop. To be honest I was expecting a better grouping, something close to half an inch but on this day with this ammo choice I was closer to 1.5 to even 2 inches. I did see several pellets land in a tighter sub group but some came out of this group enlarging the grouping. I would like to try a different pellet choice to see if I can do better as I believe this rifle has way more potential.

In terms of power the Webley Valuemax 22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is about has high as you can go before it becomes a regulated firearm here in Canada so no complaints in that department. Again I was disappointed in the accuracy but I honestly believe a different pellet choice could fix that problem as I have seen often with other Pellet Rifles. Once the right pellet choice is made and granted a more consistent and tighter grouping is achieved, this Spring Piston Pellet Rifle could make a decent small pest control airgun!

• Buy Break Barrel Spring Pistol Pellet Rifles in Canada

• Buy Break Barrel Spring Pistol Pellet Rifles in the US

View fullsize

Type: Pellet Rifle.
Distributer: Webley & Scott.
Model: Valuemax.
Materials: Metal and polymer build.
Weight: 6.4 pounds (2900 grams).
Barrel: 17.7 inches (450mm), rifled.
Total Length: 43 inches (1092mm)
Propulsion: Spring Piston
Action: Break Barrel.
Ammunition Type: .22 Caliber Pellets.
Ammunition Capacity: Single Shot.
FPS: 499.

View fullsize

Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle is fairly nice There is a little bit of very light take up followed by a vert light release , the take up or travel length can be adjusted on this Air Rifle but that is the only trigger adjustment you can make and perhaps all that is needed.

Accuracy: I have not performed my Field Test Shooting Video for the Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle but I did get to take around 20 or so shots with it when I was trying to get it to diesel for me. It looks ot me like it is going to be nice and accurate as I was not even really going for accuracy and it seemed to already be grouping fairly tight. I was recoding fps using my Chronograph as I was trying to find out if by adding some oil to the spring piston chamber could get it to diesel which it never did for me, I was however to establish that the Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle shot right around 470-480 fps using 14.3 grain lead pellets which worked out to right around 7.32 foot pounds of energy. I will know a lot more when I do my official Field Test Shooting Video next week.

View fullsize

Build Quality: Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle is built to be a value priced Airgun hence the name (Valuemax), that said it is maid well enough with lots of metal and of course some plastic or in this case mostly nylon as the stock is a solid nylon piece. Other than the stock the plastic parts are found to be in the sights and trigger guard, everything else seems to be metal.

Realism: The Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle is not a replica or copy of any real steel gun in production but it does look like a traditional hunting rifle in basic shape so make sure to transport thank airgun as if it was a real gun. Either in a gun case or perhaps a blanket in your trunk and always obey any laws for gun position and transportation in your area.

View fullsize

Pros:

• Inexpensive price tag for well made decent performer.

• Initial test showed to have good accuracy and power! (more to come).

• Fully adjustable sights with optical TRUGLO Fiber Optics.

• Can add a magnified optical scope using the top built in dovetail rail.

• Nylon fiber stock is durable and functional with the addition of a vented rubber buttplate.

• Trigger feels decent and is also adjustable for travel length.

• Rear thumb safety resets after each break of the barrel.

• Nice light and short single action trigger.

• Would be good for small pest control because of decent FPS and good accuracy.

View fullsize

Cons:

• Included sights are mostly plastic.

• The Valuemax version has a more basic less adjustable trigger.

• Detuned down to under 500 fps for Canada import as non-regulated Firearm.

View fullsize

Comments:
I am looking forward to performing my Indoor Field Test Shooting Video for the Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle to see what it can really do in terms of accuracy so stay posted for that video next week. Overall if you are lucky enough to already have one or can get your hands on one since this rifle is discontinued in some area, I think this is a great Break Piston Air Rifle especially if you live in Canada and want the most bang for your buck. I am not only talking about cost verses features, I also mean power and energy since the Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle is a .22 caliber Air Rifle that can shoot really close to 500 fps with a nice heavy grain lead pellet achieving decent energy levels reasonable enough for small pest control. The Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle is not feature less, it does include a reseting safety, anti bear trap system, dove tail mounts with an included scope stop, fiver optic adjustable sights and a vert ergonomic textured nylon stock. All in all great value for what you pay!

My Vimeo Videos for the Webley Valuemax .22 Caliber Spring Piston Break Barrel Rifle:

• Buy Break Barrel Spring Pistol Pellet Rifles in Canada

• Buy Break Barrel Spring Pistol Pellet Rifles in the US

View fullsize

Gamo PR-776 CO2 Pellet Revolver

• .177 caliber Pellets

• 8 round rotary magazines x2

• 12 Gram CO2 x1

• 6 inch rifled barrel

• Fixed white dot front, fully adjustable rear sight

• 2.29 pounds

• 400 fps

• Buy in Canada

• Buy in the US

View fullsize

Gamo P-900 IGT Pellet Pistol

• .177 caliber Pellets

• Break Barrel single shot

• Gas piston (IGT)

• 6.25 inch rifled barrel

• Fiber optic front, adjustable rear sight

• 1.3 pounds

• 400 fps

• Buy in Canada

• Buy in the US

View fullsize

Umarex REKT OPfour CO2 Dart Rifle

• Nerf Darts 30% faster / 30% farther

• Pump action

• CO2 x2

• 12 round removable magazine

• Peep sights

• Adjustable rear stock

• 90 fps

• Buy in Canada

• Buy in the US

View fullsize

JAG Arms Scattergun Green Gas Airsoft Shotgun

• 6mm Airsoft BB’s

• 28 round shotgun shell magazines x6

• Green gas or propane

• Pump action 3 /6 round burst

• Pop-up front and back iron sights

• 6-7 pounds

• 360 fps

• Buy in Canada

• Buy in the US

In this SHOT Show Las Vegas 2020 Interview Video Scott takes us through a range of new products from Air Venturi.

View fullsize

Scott and I talk about the Air Venturi TR5 and how it came about to fill the hole the Baikal MP-61 left behind. We also talk a look at some new Air Rifles, a pumper called the Butterfly with a super cool linkage based system that makes pumping a lot easier. A PCP side lever cocking Air Rifle that I’m not even sure has a name yet but will be available in .177 .22 and .25 caliber pellet for around $299 US.

View fullsize

The only Air Venturi replica we looked at is a new Springfield Armory under lever Spring Piston Air rifle modeled after the M1A. Last up Scott went showed us how the Bada Bang targeting system is shaping up and looks to be almost ready for production.

We had a lot of great new Airguns that I reviewed this year at Replica Airguns. Some of them really stood out to me and so I made a video showing my Favorite Replica Airgun Picks of 2019. Of course there where many other Airguns that could has just as easily made this video but I had to draw the line somewhere and pick the ones that in my opinion where the best of 2019. Make sure to watch my Vimeo video where I go into some more details on why I liked each Airgun.

Below is a list of the top Replica Airgun Picks of 2019:

Pellet Rifles:

• Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle

BB Rifles:

• Crosman Bushmaster MPW CO2 Blowback BB Machine Gun

• Umarex Legends Cowboy Shell Ejecting CO2 BB Rifle

Airsoft Rifles:

• KWA Ronin TK.45 Tekken AEG 2.5 & 3 Airsoft Rifles

Pellet Pistols:

• Webley Nemesis Bolt Action CO2 Pellet Pistol

Airsoft Pistols:

• Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 5.1 D.O.R GBB Airsoft Pistol

• Tokyo Marui FNX-45 Tactical GBB Airsoft Pistol

Paintball Guns:

• Umarex T4E S&W M&P9 M2.0 .43 Cal. Paintball Pistol

Blank Guns:

• ROHM RG-88 9mm PAK Blank Pistol in Polished Chrome

BB Pistols:

• Umarex Glock 17 4th Gen CO2 Blowback BB Pistol

• Air Venturi Springfield Armory 1911 CO2 Blowback BB Pistol

• Air Venturi Springfield Armory XDM Blowback CO2 BB Pistols

• Sig Sauer P365 CO2 Blowback BB Pistol

• KWC K17 CO2 Blowback BB Pistol

View fullsize

In a way I have already Field Tested the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle, well at least in the Baikal version. The Air Venturi version is pretty much a knock of of the Baikal IZH MP-61 which not only look a lot alike but also performed very similarly for me, checkout my Baikal YouTube Video Review for comparison. All that said we can not get Baikal products here in North America anymore so it’s great that Air Venturi has recreated a very similar product for us to have in Canada and the US.

View fullsize

Moving on to the Field Test Review for the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle, I first placed 5 shots through my Chronograph to see if the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle did in fact shoot around 500 fps and in fact I was able to get all 5 shots up and over 500 fps averaging around 513 fps. Still within our Non-regulated firearm laws here in Canada since we where still under the 4.2 foot pound energy limit using 6.9 grain pellets.

View fullsize

When it came to accuracy I would have liked to have tested out the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle over a longer range but in my Sea Can I have a max 30 feet range limit which does give us a decent idea on what to expect for the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle. I again shot 5 rounds using the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle into my paper target since it has a 5 round magazine. I am not the best springer shooter but I think I did OK as I was able tonged a 1 inch grouping from the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle, with 4 of the rounds all within a half inch of each other.

View fullsize

As mentioned before when I shot the Baikal IZH MP-61 I was able to get very similar results but I did have an optical scope on the Baikal IZH MP-61 as compared to the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle where I just used the open sights. In my opinion the Air Venturi TR5 .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle is good value for your money offering a unique design with excellent performance and getting as much power out of a pellet rifle as you can get here in Canada without requiring a firearms license.

Pick one up in our Canada or US Online Replica Airguns stores!

I made a similar video about how to hold your airgun a while back but sometimes they get a bit buried in all the video I make. I feel it's really important how you grip your gun even if it's only an airgun with very little kick or recoil. Proper pistol grip is something you should use no matter what so that you can carry it forward to what ever gun you are shooting.

More kick or recoil means a firmer grip is required to hold the gun so when shooting a powder burner with lots of kick grip becomes even more important.

In this video I go over the proper two handed grip to use when holding a pistol, which hand to hold lose and which had to grip tight, how to overlap your fingers and thumbs.

This year at SHOT Show 2018 I had the please of again interviewing Dani Navickas from Sig Sauer. Dani Showed me several new pistols and a new break barrel rifle Sig Sauer is offering this year. The Sig ASP20 Break Barrel rifle will come in both .177 and .22 caliber pellet shooting versions. The ASP20 has a lighter than most cocking effort of only 33 pounds using their proprietary GlideLite system, along with an adjustable ASP MatchLite trigger.

View fullsize

Another Target pellet airgun from Sig Sauer this year is the .177 caliber pellet shooting Super Target, styled after the Sig Sauer P210 firearm. The Sig Super Target is a single pump pneumatic single shot pistol designed for 10 meeter shooting with adjustable sights and a crips short light trigger.

View fullsize

Sig like several other companies has rebranded their own version of the KWC 1911 CO2 Blowback BB pistols. The Sig Sauer licensed BB 1911 is based on Sigs We the People line to celebrate the American people and their Constitution.

View fullsize

Another new Blowback Pellet firing Sig Sauer Air Pistol was also introduced at SHOT Show, the Sig Sauer X-Five. The X-Five uses their 20 round belt fed magazine and also has Sig's Cam Lever CO2 loading mechanism. You will also find a rear adjustable sight on the Sig Sauer X-Five Pellet Pistol.

View fullsize

Last but not least and perhaps one of the most interesting new products coming out later this year from Sig Sauer is the P320MHS APS which is another new rotary magazine Blowback Pellet Pistol. What's a bit different with the new Sig P320MHS is that it has a full size drop out magazine that holds the CO2 and belt fed pellet magazine. The P320MHS can also be fully field striped, has an open ejection port and is styled after Sig's real Steal M17 firearm.

View fullsize

Type: Break barrel pellet rifle.
Manufacturer: Umarex USA.
Model: Ruger Explorer.
Materials: Metal and polymer parts.
Weight: 4.45 pounds (2.5 kg).
Barrel: 12 inches, metal rifled.
Propulsion: Spring piston.
Action: Single shot.
Ammunition Type: .177 caliber pellets.
Ammunition Capacity: 1.
FPS: 495.

View fullsize

Trigger Pull: I found the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle to have a fairly light trigger, there is some initial take up with a smooth almost undetectable break or release point, I found that as I shot the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle the trigger seemed to be breaking in a bit which made it a bit hard to figure exactly when the trigger was going to release but I feel over time and once the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is broken in the trigger will become more predictable.

View fullsize

Accuracy: Since I have already made a shooting or field test video for the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle, I can comment on its performance n this review! With 6 grain lead pellets (on the lighter side), I was able to get a 5 shot Chronograph average velocity of 485 fps. Using heavier 7-8 grain pellets the velocity slowed down a bit to around 400 fps. In terms of accuracy the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle performed well getting about a 1 inch 10 shot grouping on my paper target setup 30 feet down range. I know the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle can do better than this once the trigger settles down a bit since some shots went off unexpectedly.

View fullsize

Build Quality: The Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is not an expensive air rifle and is more or less an entry level spring piston pellet shooter. That said it is built fairly well with a metal receiver, barrel and trigger setup. The modern looking stock is polymer and the steel barrel is coated in a synthetic soft plastic to help with long term durability. The real fiber optic sight is plastic so you will have to be careful with it as it does protrude a bit from the air rifle.

View fullsize

Realism: Since the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is not a replica realism is not really a factor here but it does look like a gun so treat it as if it was a real gun since most people will not know the difference. Always transport and store any airgun safely and discreetly.

View fullsize

Pros:

• Really great looking air rifle with a modern look to it.

• Finish is very durable with its polymer stock and plastic/rubber coated barrel.

• Fully adjustable fiber optic sights are easy to sight in and use.

• Receiver is notched for ring mounts so you can add an optical sight or red dot to it.

• Trigger is fairly light, just need some break in time with it.

• Cocking effort is fairly easy at 16.5 pounds.

• Great size gun for all ages.

• Power and accuracy were good for an entry level air rifle.

View fullsize

Cons:

• I did find the trigger break/release point to be a bit unpredictable but I feel this is a break-in issue and will become more consistent over time.

• You have to remember to push that safety in with ever shot.

View fullsize

Comments:
The Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is marketed as a Youth air rifle but in reality it would be great fun for all ages. I am a fairly large person at 6 feet tall and I had no problem dealing with the slightly shorter configuration. The trigger guard is nice and open and allows for large fingers which is not always the case with airguns designed for smaller individuals. The overall quality you get with the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle for the lower entry level price tag is very good and in terms of performance I feel you for sure get your monies worth with the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle.

Buy Ruger Explorer Youth Air Pellet Rifle in Canada

Buy Ruger Explorer Youth Air Pellet Rifle in the US

View fullsize

I don't do a lot of Springer (Spring Piston) Air Rifle shooting tests or even reviews for that matter. Mainly for a couple of reasons: Number 1, my content is mostly focused around Replica style Airguns and Number 2, it's kind of hard to test out the longer range airguns in my 30 foot airgun range. That said I felt the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle would be a really great airgun to review since it is both affordable and even though it is targeted for the youth market, it really does make a great shooter for all ages.

View fullsize

I have not done a Table Top Review for the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle but plan to shortly so stay posted for more detailed info on the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle down the road in that review.

View fullsize

Even at 30 feet out, shooting the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle should give us an idea of the ballpark this gun is able to shoot within, I also only used the adjustable fiber optic open sights for this review but I would suggest a low powered optical Scope or even a Red Dot since the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is grooved for scope mounts.

View fullsize

So how'd we do during my Field Test Shooting Video for the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle? Not bad I would say! Using about 6 grain rather light weight .177 caliber lead pellets I was able to get really close to the 500 fps claimed fps mark coming in just under at a 5 shot testing average of 485 fps. I did put a couple heavier grain pellets through my Chrony Chronograph and got closer to the 400 fps mark, still not bad for this lighter sprung spring piston air rifle.

View fullsize

In terms of accuracy, shooting at my paper target setup 30 feet down range in my Sea Can Airgun Range, I shot about a 1 inch 10 shot grouping. I was finding the trigger break-in to be a bit unpredictable during this testing which led to some premature shots going off so I do feel once the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is broken in and me getting use to the trigger break, I should be able to improve on this result.

Overall the Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle is a really nice entry level airgun perfect for all ages and not just the youth market. It looks really cool, is easy to cock and has a very resilient finish. Oh ya it shoots pretty good to!

View fullsize

Buy Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle in Canada

Buy Ruger Explorer Youth Break Barrel Pellet Rifle in the US

View fullsize

I was a bit surprised by the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol, it actually shot a lot better than I was expecting it to perform. I did have to aim rather low since the Umarex DX-17  BB Pistol likes to shoot on the high side but if you are shooting at closer in ranges then you won't have to adjust your aim point so high.

View fullsize

Getting into my performance testing for the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol, I placed 5 shots through my Chrony Chronograph and averaged 210 fps which again was very close to the Umarex claimed 200 fps, even a little bit higher! he DX-17 is a single shot repeater but because of the BB reservoir you can quickly reload follow up shots by simply point the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol a little upward while pulling the slide back and pushing it forward to active the spring piston and load a BB at the same time.

View fullsize

As I mentioned the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol shot on the high side, at 30 feet it's a good 8-9 inches high but I have a feeling that this is about as high as the BB's will rise since they are not going that fast and gravity will start bringing them back down. At about 10-15 feet out from a target the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol seemed to shoot about 3-4 inches high so not nearly as bad and this can be adjusted pretty easy by simply aiming a bit under the target you are shooting at. In terms of a 10 shot grouping theUmarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol got about a 4 inch grouping which I have to say kind of surprised me as I was expecting a much larger spread.

View fullsize

So for about $20 you kind of get what you pay for but I really think with the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol you perhaps get a little more! It has a really good trigger, seemed to be built pretty tuff, shot exactly right on the claimed fps mark and was even able to keep a reasonable grouping. And to keep costs down even more you never need to buy CO2 so that's another bonus.

Buy the Umarex DX17 Spring BB Pistol in the US

Buy the Umarex DX17 Spring BB Pistol in Canada

View fullsize

Type: BB air pistol.
Distributer: Umarex.
Model: DX-17.
Materials: Mostly plastic build.
Weight: 1.6 pounds (726 grams).
Barrel: 4.27 inches, non-rifled.
Propulsion: Spring.
Action: Single shot.
Ammunition Type: 4.5mm Steel BB's.
Ammunition Capacity: 15 round BB reservoir.
FPS: 200.

View fullsize

Trigger Pull: The single action only trigger pull on the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol is actually pretty good. It's fairly short with only a little bit of very light take up and then an easy release that has no added friction. So you will have to get use to when and where the release happens but it is a really decent trigger for such an inexpensive airgun.

View fullsize

Accuracy: I have only shot the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol a few times to get use to the mechanical operation of using this spring powered pistol since there is a very specific order in which you need to cock and load the Umarex DX-17 for proper operation. I did find the DX-17 shot a bit high for me at 30 feet out so I had to adjust my aim point about 5-6 inches lower to hit targets at this range. For further out shooting you many not need to do so since the fps is fairly low and I would expect the BB to drop pretty quickly. In terms of power being that the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol is only rated at 200fps, well it seems sufficient enough for plinking away at targets and should have no problem getting through a pop can.

View fullsize

Build Quality: I was expecting this $20 low cost BB airgun to be fairly low quality in general but when I took it out of the plastic clamshell packaging I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality and how the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol felt in my hand. It has a good weight to it and the fit and finish are really good. Mechanical parts tolerances feel snug and the plastic used feels of good quality.

View fullsize

Realism: The Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol as far as I know is not a replica of any specific real steel gun in production but it does kind of remind me of a Browning Hi-power at least the back half and the way the frame angles up a bit in front of the trigger. Other than that it looks the part of a real gun. The DX-17 has what looks like real working parts on it with the slide catch, magazine release and magazine but plat all moulded into the airgun.
Available at the: Replica Airguns Store

View fullsize

Pros:

• At $21 Canadian its great value for a target plinker.

• It actually looks and feels pretty good in person, better than I expected build quality and weight to it.

• No CO2 required so very cheap to shoot.

• Single action trigger is actually really decent, better than most airguns.

• Accessory rail for adding a red dot or perhaps a tactical light.

• 15 round reservoir makes followup shots quicker and no fumbling around loading BB’s in-between shots.

• Lower fps means if you do do something stupid you are less likely to have to make a trip to the doctor

View fullsize

Cons:

• Pretty low fps so don’t expect any long range shooting or great penetration.

• Sights are not adjustable and it seems to shoot kind of high.

• Why not rifle the barrel and make pellets an option?

View fullsize

Comments:

I rarely review these super low cost airguns especially spring powered ones with low fps, it almost seems like why would you want any of that? But you know the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol is actually a great little airgun and you really can't beat the price tag. You are also going to save a bunch of money not having to buy CO2 and once you load 15 rounds into the BB reservoir you can empty the DX-17 fairly quickly. Sure the power seems a bit low but it gets the job done and like I said if there was an accident, you are less likely to break that window or require medical attention. I think this would be a great add on to an existing order you might be making with us, that way you wouldn't have to pay for shipping for this one item and you get a fun little plinker for only $20 more.

My Vimeo Videos for the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol:

Buy Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol in Canada 

Buy Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol in the US

One of the most common types of question I get on my Replica Airguns YouTube channel has to be something like… Why is my Airgun not working? Most of the time the amount of info about the problem is limited to something like… “It was working yesterday but now it’s not working anymore” or something like “when I pull the trigger nothing happens”. My personal favorite is… “I took my gun apart and now it doesn’t work!”

I just made a similar video for Blank Guns and as I said in that video, trying to trouble shoot a mechanical or technical problem over the internet is very difficult, this goes for cars, guns, computers or what have you…

In this Why is My CO2 Airgun Not Working video I will however cover some of the more common and obvious problems I have seen relating to why a CO2 Airgun may not be working properly. I really don’t get a lot of questions about Spring Piston or Pump Airguns so I will be focusing on CO2 Airguns in this video. There will be a lot of crossover with CO2 Airsoft guns so this video may be helpful for some of you Airsofters out there

First let’s get the super obvious stuff out of the way! 

• Did you put a new CO2 cartridge in it and is it pierced all the way?

• Did you load BB’s or Pellets into the Airguns magazine and is the magazine in the gun correctly?

• Is the safety off?

• If the gun is a blowback semi auto single action Airgun then did you pull the slide back prior to the first shot?

CO2 Related Problems:

Not all CO2 cartridges are created equal, they often have slightly different shaped nubs on them and some brands will work better than others in different Airguns. If the shape of the CO2 nub does not fit properly into the valve area then it may not pierce or it could pierce but then not allow you to tighten it all the way losing all the CO2 in the process. If the CO2 is coming form the airguns handle to CO2 Valve area then this is an indication that your problem is related to the area where the CO2 enters the airgun.

There is a seal where the CO2 cartridge buts up to the valve, this seal can be damaged or even deformed from usage or even leaving your CO2 in the gun for too long. The outside CO2 Valve seal can also take the shape of a specific CO2 nub so when you use a different brand CO2 the seal may not properly make concat with the new CO2 type you are using, again causing leaking or even the total loss of all your CO2. Watch my YouTube video on “How to Fix Leaking CO2 in an Airgun”.

CO2 Valve Related Problems:

Again, make sure that Outside CO2 Valve Seal is in good condition and any leaking is not being caused by this problem, if you have checked the Out Side Seal and everything is OK with it then perhaps there is a problem with the CO2 valve?

One indication that your CO2 Valve might be the culprit is the total loss of all your CO2 when you try to insert and tighten a new CO2 Cartridge. Usually all the CO2 will exit the barrel, not the handle or valve area. What may be happening is the valve is stuck open or the internal seal is broken or deformed. If this is the case you will have to remove the valve and have a look inside, this is a lot easier on CO2 airguns that have the CO2 valve in the magazine, if the CO2 valve is in the actual Airguns then a lot more disassembly may be required and I would recommend an Airgun technician take care of this for you.

If the gavel is in the magazine then you will have to unscrew it, you may require a special tool for this? Once the valve is out of the magazine  take a look inside and examine the internal seal, also look for any bits of metal shavings as they can disrupt the action of the valve causing leaking. Give the inside of the valve a good clean and then lubricate it with some silence spray. hopefully that fixes your problem!

BB’s getting Stuck in the Blowback Gas Tube:

I have actually made a dedicated video for this problem so I will put a link to it in the description of this video. The main reason people may have this problem is because we all like to rack that slide on our full blowback Airguns, but if you have a fully loaded magazine then each time you reach that slide without shooting the gun, you are inadvertently trying to load another BB into the breach area, the breach is only designed to hold one BB at a time so after a few racks of the slide the newly loaded have no place to go but into the Gas Tube where they can get stuck and cause having to the operation of your Full Blowback CO2 Airgun.

BB’s Rolling Out of the Barrel of Your CO2 Airgun:

This is not actually a fault of the gun but happens because of the way the gun is designed. This situation can happen with certain CO2 Airguns when the gun user pulls the trigger really slowly while the gun is point slightly in a downward position. What is actually happening is the first part of the trigger is made to draw a BB from the magazine into the breach of the gun. If the barrel of the gun does not have a rubber hop-up stopper in it then the BB is free to roll down the barrel and out of the gun. How do you fix this problem? Be more committed to your trigger pull and or shoot at a target that is not so low. Perhaps place your targets slightly higher than the gun so the barrel is not pointing down, especially if you like to take your time with the trigger :)

A Little Maintenance Can Go a Long Way!

Sometimes a good cleans is all you need to do to get things working as they should, again I have already made video Tutorial Showing “How to Clean Airguns and Blank Guns”.

What about stuff like My Airgun is jammed or my trigger is stuck or some random part fell out of my gun?

There is only so much I can cover in this video, most other problems are going to get a bit more complicated to fix and I suggest if your Airgun is not working and the suggestions I have made in this video do not solve your problem, then consider taking your gun into a gun tech.

First off I want to say it’s hard to trouble shoot technical or mechanical problems over the internet regardless of if ithas to do with guns, cars, computers or pretty much anything where unless you are there in person it’s really hard to figure out the problem.

But I will attempt to address some of the more common issues why a blank gun may not be functioning properly.

Why is my Semi Auto Blank Gun Not Cycling or Ejecting Shells?

One very common reason a blank gun may not be cycling the shells properly is because the owner has removed the barrel restrictor plug. People usually do this to make the barrel opening look more realistic but the barrel restrictor is a necessary component to increase the back pressure allowing the slide to cycle fully to the rear position so it can eject and pickup a new shell.

The blanks you are using may not have enough gun powder in them. Some blank guns require banks with more gun powder than others, again this additional internal pressure forces the slide all the way back, if the blank does not have enough gun powder in it then only a partial slide motion happens and so the discharged shell may not eject properly, in this case the user would have to clear the blank gun manually so another shell can then be picked up and loaded into the breach.

If your blank guns is dirty or not lubricated then it may act sluggish again restricting the full movement of the slide which will effect correct operation. Make sure to thoroughly clean and lubricate your blank gun, that may be a quick fix for you!

You may have a faulty extractor? The extractor is like a hook that grabs the discharged shell while the slide is in the reward position pulling or extracting the shell out of the breach. If the extractor is worn or broken then the empty shell will not be ejected from the breach so when a new shell is picked up from the magazine it has nowhere to go and usually you will get a jam-up in the ejection port area.

One final situation that can cause your blank gun to not cycle properly is to strong of a slide spring, some blank guns out of the box just come with a really heavy slide spring, so much so that even blanks with lots of gunpowder in them are still not strong enough to make the slide operate full motion. Your only option here would be to replace the heavy slide spring with a lighter one.

Why Are My Blanks Not Firing?

This is a situation where you pull the trigger and nothing happens. Lets get the obvious causes right out of the way here… Did you put blanks in your gun and are they new blanks? Did you chamber the first round in your semi auto pistol?

So now that that’s out of the way let’s look at some other reasons why your blank gun may not be firing a blank. Perhaps the firing pin is broken? Most blank guns are not made out of carbon steel and even the firing pins can be lesser quality than what you would find in a real gun so blank guns are more prone to breaking than real guns. I have seen broken firing pins in blank guns first hand so make sure to check the firing pin and that it is fully operational.

Try changing up your blanks to another brand? Again blank gun ammunition is not made to the same higher standards that real firearm ammo is made and some primers may require a little more pressure than your gun is providing. Even with real guns an ammo change may help the gun operate better.

Why is the Trigger or Hammer Not Operating Properly?

I have come across blank guns where there are mechanical problems in the trigger and hammer areas, you may be able to address this yourself but I would recommend taking your blank gun to a gunsmith since you will have to take the gun pretty much full apart to fix a problem in the trigger and hammer areas.

Of course make sure your gun is clean and lubricated, this can help a lot with the mechanical areas of your blank gun.

One problem I saw with a few EKOL Special 99’s was specifically with the single action potion of the trigger, when I would pull the hammer back it would not lock back and the hammer would often slip and fire randomly, this is rather dangerous. When I took the gun apart I found that the table top or step that the trigger was supposed to catch on was worn down on the edge so it would simply slip off. I was able to fix this by filing a new edge on the step area. Again this can happen because blank guns are not made out of as high quality metal materials as real guns.

Why does the Flame Come out the Top of My Blank Gun and Not the Front?

If you find that the flame or discharge comes out of the top of your blank gun and not the barrel, this usually does not mean anything is wrong with your blank gun. All it means is you own a top venting blank gun and not a front firing blank gun. In some countries front firing blank guns are not allowed but front venting blank guns are. The same may also be reversed in some countries, for instance here in Canada we can only import front firing blank guns with flare adaptors since our blank guns are imported under the assumption that they are to be used as signaling or flare devices.

Can I Convert my Top Venting Blank Gun into a Front Venting Blank Gun?

I really don't recommend altering a blank gun in any way as it may be a violation of your local laws and it could cause the blank gun to malfunction in a very bad way causing serious injury or even death!

In theory I suppose it may be possible to convert your Top Venting Blank Gun into a Front Venting Blank Gun but again you would need to allow for just the right amount of back pressure so a wide open barrel would not work unless it was a revolver. You can not simply remove the red plug and bingo you have a front firing blank gun because in most cases the barrel will be completely plugged in the frontal region. Not only would you need to drill out the plugged portion of the barrel but you would also have to somehow fill in the top venting area and again makes sure to allow for just enough back pressure to cycle the slide back and forth.

Hopefully this has helped some of you with blank gun issues. If you’re looking for a blank gun make sure to come down to www.ReplicaAirguns.ca and www.ReplicaAirguns.us and have a look in our blank gun area of our online stores.

Power Sources Covered in this review: CO2 - Spring Piston - Variable Pump -HPA (High Pressure Air)

Pro’s:

• CO2 Airguns allow for fast repeat shooting, great for action shooters, generally CO2 Airguns will supply a medium power range. No need to pump or cock your CO2 powered weapon in-between shots and a CO2 power source can allow for a very realistic action of the gun you are shooting.

• Spring Piston Airguns are best suited of single shot situations, they can provide low to high power output depending on the spring used. Spring Piston Airguns are very low cost to operate since you only need to buy the Pellets or BB’s. Spring Piston Airguns are not greatly effected by outside temperatures.

• Variable Pump Airguns allow you to decide how much power your gun will have and can offer very high power output depending on the Airgun. Variable Pump Airguns are very low cost to operate since you only need to buy the Pellets or BB’s. Variable Pump Airguns are not greatly effected by outside temperatures. Variable Pump Airguns generally have very low recoil and vibration.

• HPA (High Pressure Air) Airguns generally do not require pumping or cocking in-between shots and some even come in semi automatic or bolt action. HPA Airguns can have very high power output and even be used on larger game using large caliber ammunition. HPA Air Rifles have lower recoil and low vibration. HPA Airguns can be charged ahead off time so they are ready for use when you need them.

Con’s:

• CO2 Airguns require the additional cost to buy the CO2 as they do not function without it. CO2 Airguns have a limited power output and lose power as you shoot and use up the CO2. CO2 Airguns are effected by hot and cold temperatures and will have less power in colder temperatures and may not even work in super cold environments.

• Spring Piston Airguns require cocking before each shot. Spring Piston Airguns can have a lot of recoil and vibration, so much so that special optics must be considered when buying an optical sight. The action of the spring recoil can effect accuracy, especially if you are not use to the vibration and recoil or have spent some time practicing using a Spring Piston Airgun.

• Variable Pump Airguns will require multiple pumps to achieved maximum power output which can take some time in-between shots. So you are going to have to work for each shot.

• HPA (High Pressure Air) Airguns require the use of a manual pump to fill their built in air tank to maximum pressure and it does take a lot of time to manual fill an HPA tank. Alternatively you can have the air tank filled at a shop or buy a pressurization system similar to a scuba tank out paintball setup, the cost of this setup can be very high but will save you the castle of manually pumping air in to your HPA Airgun. HPA Airguns are generally a little more bulky then other Airgun systems since they have to accommodate fairly large air pressure tanks.

Power:
Generally speaking a longer barrel is going to allow for more power. If you compare most CO2 pellet pistols to CO2 Pellet Rifles, you will find that the CO2 Pellet Pistol will generally shoot about 300-400 fps using a standard lead Pellet. On the other hand many CO2 Pellet Rifles can get up to as high as 600 fps which is much better speed for humanly shooting some smaller pests.

If you are talking about Springer or Variable Pump Air Pistols versus their Air Rifle counterparts, again the Air rifles will generally shoot with much more power. I have seen some none CO2 Air Pistols shoot up into the 500-600 fps range but again compered to none CO2 Air Rifles, they can even double these numbers.

Some of you may ask about Steel BB Pistols and Rifles. I personally would never really sue this type of ammunition for pest control simply because most BB Rifles have much less raw power than Pellet Rifles and steel BB’s will not be as accurate at any type of longer distance.

Stability:
When holding any rifle from the shoulder, you have three point of contact with your body spread out in a much longer distance than a two handed pistol grip. Holding steady even without a rested position is much easier using a rifle. Even when using a rested position, the rifle will more stable.

Accuracy:
A big factor in accuracy is stability but there are also other factors to consider. Barrel length its self does not make the gun more accurate, you only need a few inches of barrel length to get constant accurate results from a gun. What makes longer barreled guns more accurate is the distance between the rear and front sight. The closer the sights are together, the more margin for error there is, the longer you spread out the sights from each other, the more accurate the sighting system becomes.

Overall More Humain:
When you consider Air Rifles tend to have higher power, better accuracy and overall more consistency than shorter barreled Air Pistols. The logical choice for humanly shooting a Pest is to use the Air Rifle. The last thing you want to do is make any animal suffer, even if it has been causing a lot of havoc around your home or farm or place of business.

I already made several review videos for both Gletcher NGT (4.5mm Steel BB) and the Gletcher NGT R (.177 Cal Pellet) Revolvers, including table top and shooting videos. So make sure to check those videos out for more information on both versions of Gletcher NGT and NGT R Revolvers.

I did however miss some noteworthy details that I wanted to cover in this video. Firstly, the real steal Nagant M1895 Revolver this Gletcher NGT is styled after has a very unique gas-sealing system that the Airgun version does not replicate or really require but it is worth mentioning.

Here is some more info on how the original Nagant M1895 Revolver Gas Seal System works:

(From Wikipedia) The M1895 by contrast, has a mechanism which, as the hammer is cocked, first turns the cylinder and then moves it forward, closing the gap between the cylinder and the barrel. The cartridge, also unique, plays an important part in sealing the gun to the escape of propellant gases. The bullet is deeply seated, entirely within the cartridge case, and the case is slightly reduced in diameter at its mouth. The barrel features a short conical section at its rear; this accepts the mouth of the cartridge, completing the gas seal. By sealing the gap, the velocity of the bullet is increased by 15 to 45 m/s (50 to 150 ft/s.) This feature also eliminates the possibility of injury through the dangerous expansion of gases from the cylinder behind the barrel, which are easily capable of severing a finger if the user holds the gun incorrectly (with a finger positioned in front of the cylinder during fire) - a noted safety-issue in conventional revolvers.

Moving on to some of the features incorporated into the Gletcher NGT NGT-R CO2 BB and Pellet Revolver that I did not point in any of my previous videos. There is an extractor rod that can be used to extract a shell, this is not really necessary on the airgun version since the shells do not expand and tighten on the cylinder as they would n the real steal Nagant M1895 Revolver built is nice that we can replicate this feature with the Airgun version. You can also remove the cylinder completely from both the BB and Pellet shooting Gletcher NGT NGT-R CO2 Revolvers. The cylinder is actually very heavy and adds a lot of weight to this compact 7 shot Revolver.

It is always nice when an Airgun is built in such a way that it replicates the real steal version as closely as possible and the Gletcher NGT NGT-R CO2 BB and Pellet Revolvers do this nearly perfectly.

Buy Gletcher NGT Revolvers in Canada

Buy Gletcher NGT Revolvers in the US

I get asked on a daily bases form many of my Vimeo Viewers about how and if there is a way to get rid of the White lettering on Airguns, Typically people are wanting to remove the intrusive Warning instructions from Airguns like the Cybergun Tanfoglio Witness 1911, the Cybergun/Swiss Arms GSG 92/P92 and many other CO2 Replica Airguns that have lettering or branding that you may want to get rid of.

In this Instructional Tutorial Video I show you how can at least tone down the white lettering and even completely remove it on some Airguns without damaging the Airguns finish underneath the white lettering. You will have to use some patience and perhaps repeat this method a few times but the end result is worth the effort.

The magical product I use to remove the white lettering on many popular Airguns is a product from Birchwood Casey called the Presto Gun Blue Pen. This product is actually designed to touch up real steel gun in areas where the blueing has worn off, lucky for us the Birchwood Casey Presto Gun Blue Pen also works well to remove the ugly white lettering from Airguns.

I have often been asked which of the Shells for the Shell Loading Revolvers work in which Shell Loading Revolvers? After all many of them look a lot alike so can you mix and match Shells for the various types of Shell Loading Revolvers?

In this Vimeo Instructional Video I test out a bunch of Shells to see which ones actually will work or not work in several of the most popular Shell Loading Revolvers.

Some of the Shell Loading Revovers Tested in this Instructional Video are:

• Dan Wesson Classic Revolver (BB, Airsoft, Pellet)

• Dan Wesson 715 Revolver (BB, Airsoft, Pellet)

• Colt Single Action Army Peacemaker (BB, Airsoft, Pellet)

• Gletcher NGT and NGT-R (BB and Pellet)

• Webley Mark VI (BB)

• KWC 357 / Umarex 357 (BB, Airsoft)

• G&G G731 (Airsoft) 

I am showcasing here on the Replica Airguns website and over on the Replica Airguns YouTube channel a series of videos I will be making for the purpose of selling some guns out of my personal collection. I simply have no more room for the new guns and in some cases I either have duplicate guns or very similar versions so there is no need to have both. Some guns I am less attached to and as I already stated I need to make room for some of the new stuff I will be reviewing and or buying for myself.

In this second Mike's Personal Guns For Sale video I am offering three rifles, two of which will require a Canada PAL Firearms License since one is a 22LR rimfire rifle and the other is a high powered .22 caliber break barrel pellet rifle. The last item up for bid is an AK-47 styled .68 caliber paintball rifle.

Make sure to watch my above YouTube video to see these three rifles I am selling and instructions on how you can take part in the sale and purchase of them. By the way I am only selling to Canadian residents since shipping cross borders is a little sketchy.

Here is a list of the these three rifles I am selling from my personal gun collection:

ISSC MK22 22LR (FN SCAR) Rifle - $625 PAL Required

Benjamin Sheridan Super Streak .22 Caliber Break Barrel Rifle $250 PAL Required

Tacamo T68 AK-47 .68 Cal. Paintball Rifle $275