This traditional shaped bullet is when applied to an airgun a ‘slug’ and a slug usually has a better Ballistic Coefficient than a pellet.

This traditional shaped bullet is when applied to an airgun a ‘slug’ and a slug usually has a better Ballistic Coefficient than a pellet. What this means in practise  is that the slug retains a lot more energy at extreme ranges where it outperforms an airgun pellet. But The ART team didn’t have an easy time of it as trials revealed that it’s not always so easy to get better results and a lot of development work was needed to ensure that short range accuracy would at least match that of a pellet.

The Juggernaut slug is the team’s answer producing phenomenal accuracy right out to 100 meters and beyond. The Juggernaut .22 and .25 now joins a range of 19 other pellets in the Rangemaster brand with each type is given it’s own sub-brand relating to the power it is recommended for:

Precision-made to exacting tolerances, the Rangemaster Kaiser, Sovereign, Sovereign Hunter, King,  Emperor pellets and now Juggernaut Slugs cover, between them, calibres from .177 to .30 (4.5 to 7.62mm) and weights from 8.44 to 50.15 grains (0.547 to 3.240 grams).

Each of the Rangemaster types has been specially matched to suit specific purposes, from short- and long-range hunting to field target and Benchrest competition, with ballistic configurations to cater for rifles that produce sub-12ft/lbs (16J) power output to those in excess of 100+ft/lbs (135+J).

Supplied in new, easily-identifiable colour-coded tins (of 150 to 500 according to type/calibre), Rangemaster is the line that’s got every shooting scenario covered.

Look out for more additions to the Rangemaster brand coming soon!

Grey squirrels are a destructive invasive species that are having a serious impact on trees and vulnerable wildlife, including red squirrels – Mat Manning explains how to use a feeding station to bring the greys to book

WHAT TO USE

Most feed hoppers are of a similar design to bird boxes but with a feed tray in front of an outlet hole at the front. The sides of the tray should be low enough to allow you to take clear shots at squirrels if they decide to settle in there. Vulnerable areas of the feeder, particularly around the outlet, should be reinforced with metal to protect against gnawing. Good quality feeders can be purchased online but it is easy to make your own.

Wheat is the most affordable bait to load your feeders with but it lacks attraction if there are other food sources nearby. Maize and sunflower seeds have more appeal and, although more expensive, peanuts will get grey squirrels queuing up at any time of year.

WHERE TO TARGET

Focus on the areas of your woodland shooting permission where you have seen the most squirrels. In the absence of frequent sightings, look for other signs such as squirrel’s dreys and trees that have been damaged by the rodents’ bark-stripping. Likely places include areas around trees such as oak, hazel, beech, sweet chestnut and walnut, which provide natural food, and areas where dense patches of ivy provide shelter for squirrels.

GETTING STARTED

Attach your feeder to a tree at a height that keeps it well clear of the ground and marauding badgers but is slow enough for you to refill comfortably. Fill it with bait and leave it alone for three or four days. Songbirds are likely to be the first visitors and their comings and goings will attract squirrels.

When you return to check the feeding station the feed should already be going down. Refill and leave it for a few days. After a week, the feed should be going down quite steadily – now is the time to build your hide. If your feeder has not received any attention after a week, move it to another spot.

KEEPING CONCEALED

You only need a very basic hide to keep you out of sight when shooting grey squirrels from a feeding station as the rodents are usually too distracted by the food to take much notice of what’s going on around them. It should be positioned between 20 and 25m from the feeder and afford you a clear view of feeding squirrels.

My usual choice is a net hide propped up with purpose-made hide poles. I like to have a substantial backdrop behind it – either a bank, bushes, a thick tree trunk or branches – to keep my silhouette hidden. After constructing a hide, I leave it in position for another week. During this period the squirrels will grow in confidence at the feeder, attract even more of their mates and learn to ignore the hide.

GUN, SCOPE AND AMMO CHOICE

Any accurate airgun, either sub-12ft/lb or high-power is suitable for controlling grey squirrels at a feeding station. My go-to airgun is a .22 calibre Daystate Red Wolf which churns out a muzzle energy of just over 30ft/lb. Such a powerful airgun is not essential when targeting squirrels at relatively close range but it gives me extra reach if I need to take wary squirrels or avian quarry at range. My Red Wolf is paired with an MTC Mamba scope. In my opinion, this versatile little optic is as close as you can get to perfection for airgun pest control.

I usually couple the Red Wolf with Rangemaster Sovereign pellets. This may sound like a light round to be using with a high-power airgun but they are extremely accurate out to around 60m and are less inclined to ricochet than heavier pellets or slugs – an important safety consideration when hunting in woodland.

THE SHOOT

The first shoot usually takes place about a fortnight after the feeder is put in position, by which time plenty of squirrels should be visiting with confidence. Fill the feeder the day before you intend to shoot because you don’t want to have to disturb it when you arrive.

Early morning sessions tend to be very productive as squirrels tend to wake up feeling hungry, although evening sessions can also be good. Head straight to the hide and settle in as quickly and quietly as possible. Make yourself comfortable as you may have to be patient. I like to use shooting sticks for extra support when taking sitting shots from a hide.

When a squirrel arrives, don’t be in a rush to take a shot. Give it time to take some feed from the tray and settle down to eat it – this will ensure that you are presented with a static target, which makes it much easier to ensure clean shots to the head. There is no need to break cover to retrieve dead squirrels until the end of the session – their mates are usually too interested in the feed to worry about the bodies beneath the feeder.

KEEP IT GOING

The first session on a feeding station is usually the best and can often yield bags of ten or more in just a couple of hours. When you leave the hide, refill the feeder and make sure you keep it filled until you return to shoot again – a week is about the right amount of time to leave between visits.

Your second session should yield less squirrels than the first, and numbers should continue to decrease until you draw a blank. When this happens and it appears that the only visitors are wild birds, it is time to move the feeder to another spot and start over again.

Hunting Hero!

When it comes to out and out hunting rifles, they don’t come more traditional than the original Huntsman from
Daystate. Their latest model, the fully-regulated Hunstman Revere is a marked improvement on the original, with many features that will appeal to hunters all around the globe.

THAT SEXY STOCK

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this rifle’s performance and qualities, I’ve got to kick off by talking about the magnificent stock. After all, it’s the first thing we see when opening the box. Crafted from specially selected walnut, the stocks for these rifles are created by some of the finest stock makers in Italy.

The double-oiled finish really is a sight to behold, it’s silky-smooth and feels beautiful to the touch. Carefully positioned cross-hatch chequering on the foregrip, coupled with more stippling and a signature ‘R’ carved into the pistol grip, ensures that good grip can be obtained in the field, no matter what the conditions.

FEATHERWEIGHT

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick this rifle up is just how light it is. Weighing in at gnat’s under 6lbs unscoped, it’s clear to see why it is such a big hit with hunters. You can carry the Revere all day and not feel like you’ve been lugging a suitcase about.

The first time I took it out I felt like I was able to wield the Revere, shoulder it and settle down for a shot quicker than I could with some of the other rifles I use. Maybe it’s just my head playing silly games, but I honestly believe that the lightness of the Revere actually speeds things up a tad, even if it’s just milliseconds.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

The range encompasses something for everyone, with .177 and .22 sub-12 versions for UK hunters, plus FAC-rated .177, .22 and .25 models for FAC holders and hunters around the world who don’t have such restrictions.

Each calibre is also available in both left- or right-hand stock models, with ….

WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT …

… is what it does for you. The Editor finally gets to grips with the Daystate Delta Wolf

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

As I said last month, this is by far the least photogenic rifle I’ve ever seen, so don’t judge its visual appeal on what you see here. The Delta Wolf is a compact, chunky, combination of matte-black alloy and carbon-fibre, relieved by slots, ports and cutaways, and after six weeks of having this rifle in my life, its looks have grown on me. Of course, any rifle that shoots well automatically becomes prettier, and the Delta Wolf scores highly in that category, too.

Last Orders for Christmas

The company will be standing down for Christmas and new year break on 23 December unit 4^th January. The last date for service and warranty collections will be 17^th December.

Mat Manning reaches for his high-power Red Wolf Safari and takes up a lofty shooting position to bring some crafty corvids to book.

High-power air rifles have come on in leaps and bounds over recent years, and Daystate’s electronic internals make these beefed-up airguns incredibly smooth to shoot. My Red Wolf Safari is a fine example of that, it spits out 44.75-grain .30 calibre Rangemaster Emperor Lite pellets at close to 80ft/lb but its firing cycle still feels remarkably refined.

An airgun like this is a specialist tool, but the Safari has proved to be invaluable on the occasions that I need to call on it. One of those opportunities came along on my crop control rounds, and this airgun’s hefty knockdown power enabled me to build a bag on a day when I would have struggled with anything else.

My good friend Roe Norman who runs Park Farm Airgun Holidays on the Somerset/Wiltshire border also runs a pheasant shoot on the family farm. Roe’s management plan includes the sowing of several acres of cover crops which provide food and shelter for game birds and excellent habitat for farmland birds. Unfortunately, this year’s crops were also attracting some unwanted visitors.

A few weeks after the seed mixes were sown, corvids and pigeons descended on them. Crows, rooks, jackdaws and woodpigeons were pulling up the seedlings before they had time to establish so action needed to be taken to bring them to book. Roe put in a couple of sessions with his shotgun but the birds quickly wised-up and learned to back away after hearing one or two loud bangs. A more subtle approach was required.

Although a sub-12ft/lb airgun would have been the quietest option, I felt that it would lack the required range for this assignment. With wary corvids and pigeons landing out in an open field, shots were likely to be longer than usual. Also, birds have a habit of bobbing their heads up and down a lot when feeding on sprouting seeds, and that would make head shots extremely tricky. I needed something that would roll them over with a wallop to the upper body, and the .30 calibre Safari seemed the perfect tool for the job.

As luck would have it, Roe has a high seat positioned in an old oak tree that overlooks the cover crop. It is usually used for culling the numerous deer on this ground but it was also well-positioned for my purposes. Another useful fact was that, by targeting my quarry from an elevated shooting position, I would be taking shots at a downward angle which would greatly reduce the risk of ricochet – a really important consideration when you ramp up the power.

A couple of crows flapped away from the new cover crop when I arrived for my morning vigil but the general scene was much quieter than I had expected. After setting up a few crow and pigeon decoys on the recently drilled field, I clambered up the ladder that leads into the oak boughs and then pulled myself up onto the pallets that form the base of Roe’s lookout.

Before I even had time to put on my camouflage head net, a single jackdaw glided in over the trees that flank the cover crop and dropped down close to my crow decoys. Reaching for my rangefinder, I pinged the range at just over 50m. I had my MTC Mamba Pro scope set at 20x magnification, and, thanks to the support of the high seat’s sturdy wooden rails, the crosshairs soon settled on to the unsuspecting bird’s chest. I touched off the trigger, the muzzle let out a snap and the pellet struck home with a hollow thud which slammed the jackdaw over without a twitch.

The jackdaw came to rest belly-down which meant that, to my relief, I didn’t have to clamber down and reposition it. And it’s just as well that I hadn’t broken cover as another one dropped in just a moment later. That one was quickly added to the tally, and I still hadn’t even put on my head net. Up in the boughs, I appeared to be hidden in the shade of the dense summer foliage so I decided not to cover up for the time being, it was certainly more comfortable having my face unobscured in the warm conditions.

The level of concealment offered by the tree was highlighted when a pair of pigeons tried to perch in the branches just feet from where I was sitting. They were gliding in with legs outstretched ready to touch down when they clocked me, and immediately jinked away and clattered off into the distance.

A longer wait followed until a crow circled once over the decoys before swooping down into the field behind them. The wait had given me time to ping the range to my decoys and a few other prominent markers, so I didn’t have to reach for the rangefinder to know that this crow was just over 65m from my position. That’s a long shot but, thanks to the Safari’s almighty grunt, and the hours that I’d put in on the range to work out my aim points, the oversized pellet found its mark and absolutely poleaxed the seed-stealing corvid. This crow ended up with its legs in the air so I had to scrabble down the ladder and put it the right way up or it would almost certainly have spooked incoming birds. I also set the jackdaws into more lifelike poses before I hauled myself back up.

More birds, including a flurry of jackdaws, followed over the next couple of hours. Things then went extremely quiet, which is not unusual during the warmest part of long summer days, and I took the lull in activity as my cue to draw the session to a close. Thanks to the Red Wolf Safari, I had managed to account for seven jackdaws, two crows and a solitary pigeon. Like I said at the outset, when I need extra range and serious hitting power, the Safari is unbeatable.

As promised, here is the new Daystate Delta Wolf review by top airgun journalist Mat Manning who takes us through and shoots the fabulous new PCP

What’s Changed with Daystate’s new sporter?

Mike Morton tests the Daystate Huntsman Revere and finds a rifle that stays true to its traditional roots while adding in some modern twists

Daystate’s bestselling rifle is the Huntsman, and while it’s been subjected to numerous redesigns and improvements, it can still trace its lineage back to when the company started out more than 40 years ago. But it’s those redesigns and improvements that have maintained the Huntsman’s presence over the decades, with the latest incarnation being the Revere.

Part of the Huntsman’s appeal lies in its traditional looks, with the bulk of the air cylinder being seated deeper in the stock, making it look more like a rimfire rather than an airgun, and with the Revere, Daystate has managed to retain that slimline sporter appeal, while making some exciting changes. Traditionalists needn’t worry about these alterations though, because the Revere will sit alongside the bolt-action Regal rather than replace it. Instead of a turn-bolt, the Revere offers a sidelever cocking action paired with a new gate-loading magazine that has an increased shot capacity – 13 pellets in .177, 11 in .22 and 10 in .25 calibre. It also combines the latest version of the Huntsman’s hammer and valve system with the Huma regulator that first appeared on the HR Huntsman Regal. Why the need for change? Well, sidelever actions are generally faster to operate and require less cocking effort on behalf of the shooter, making them especially useful for higher-powered rifles, and in FAC format the Revere offers up to 18 foot pounds of muzzle energy in .177 calibre, 30 in .22 and 40 foot pounds in .25.

STOCK The Revere is available as either a dedicated right- or left-handed rifle, with the stock, the sidelever cocking action and the way the magazine is inserted all switching sides depending on what the shooter’s preference is. The stock will be familiar to any existing Huntsman owners, as it’s the same one that appears on the Regal. This is a beautiful oiled walnut stock made by Minelli, and it manages to be both elegant and practical, thanks to the panels of chequering that adorn the pistol grip and the long, slim forend. Four separate panels have been used on the forend to create a flowing design that covers the belly of the stock, providing additional grip for the leading hand.      The curved blade lets you eke the best performance out of the trigger unit, which broke cleanly on the test rifle with a trigger-pull of 1lb 2oz The Revere comes in either a dedicated right- or left-handed stock with a raised comb and a rollover cheekpiece At the butt end, there’s a ventilated brick red rubber shoulder pad with a black spacer, and in keeping with the Huntsman’s traditional design, the pad is not adjustable for height or cast. Moving forward, there’s a pronounced cheekpiece with a raised rollover comb, which makes it feel more comfortable against the face. The pistol grip has quite a shallow rake, which fits the traditional design brief of the Huntsman, although my preference is for a steeper rake. In general, a shallow rake will let you get on aim more quickly, while a steeper one is slower, but can be more comfortable and offers more control. What I do appreciate, however, is the provision of a thumb shelf which lets the shooter adopt a thumb-up grip. Weighing 2.8kg unscoped, and with the centre of balance being just forward of the polymer trigger guard, the Revere is certainly a handy little sporter, being very quick to shoulder from a variety of stances, such as standing and kneeling, while the long forend makes it suitable for shooting off sticks.

FIT, FINISH AND FUNCTION

The action block, shrouded barrel and air cylinder have been given a black finish that’s almost matt in appearance, which will be less reflective in the field. Hunters will also appreciate the red anodised safety catch at the rear of the action block, which should be turned clockwise for ‘fire’ and is quiet in operation. The barrel is shrouded, but the muzzle crack is still a little snappy, so I fitted a 0Db moderator during my test period, which extends the overall length of the Revere, but didn’t appear to harm the way it handled. Contrary to many other Daystate rifles which use a Foster connector, the Huntsman uses a fill probe, the port for which is kept clean behind a twist-to-open collar that’s located just in front of the barrel band. Air is   delivered via the Huma regulator, and it’s safe to fill this rifle all the way to its standard working pressure of 250 bar, which delivered around 140 shots in the .177 calibre sub-12 foot pound rifle that I had on test. The biggest difference between the Revere and the Regal is of course that sidelever action, which features a biathlon-style handle, making the lever easy to locate and almost effortless to cycle. I initially adopted a pinch-grip on the lever to cock the action and index the magazine, but actually found it quicker just to use one finger. Daystate has made an excellent job of this system and diehard bolt-action fans should really give this a go – they may be more than pleasantly surprised. The next big change is Daystate’s new-style drum magazine, which as well as providing a greater shot capacity is quite different to what we’ve seen before. While at a glance it looks similar to Daystate’s older magazines, the new mag is larger, and this may well affect your choice of scope and mounts as it sits higher in the breech than Daystate’s previous designs.

CONTRARY TO MANY OTHER DAYSTATE RIFLES, THE HUNTSMAN USES A FILL PROBE

As well as needing high mounts to fit the dovetail rail, you’ll also need to keep an eye on the size and shape of the saddle on the scope tube to make sure it doesn’t come into contact with the magazine. The test rifle came already equipped with a little MTC Mamba Lite 3-12×42, and this was a good choice as the Revere is a dainty rifle and a larger optic would probably have affected its fasthandling capabilities. Turning our attention back to the magazine, the new design features a hinged faceplate that must be opened to reveal the inner rotor. To load the magazine, drop a pellet into the bottom chamber – the one that aligns with the bore – then turn the rotor clockwise, dropping pellets into the remaining chambers as you go. The rotor is under some mild spring tension as you turn it, but a small post has been machined into the backplate which makes contact with the last pellet loaded, and this stops the rotor from unwinding should you let go of it by mistake. With all the chambers filled, you can go ahead and close the faceplate, which is held firmly in place by a small, but very powerful magnet. Depending on the diameter of the specific pellets you’re shooting, they may be a loose fit in the rotor. They won’t fall out with the faceplate closed, but for a belt and braces approach you can thumb them deeper into the rotor so they’re held more securely. With the faceplate swung down and out of the way for loading, this system is much faster and easier than with the previous magazine designs. Anyone not needing the fast-fire capability of the high-capacity magazine can fit the optional single-shot tray. This is Daystate’s more recent style, being a polymer body with a deep loading channel that’s secured by two locator pins and magnets.

READY FOR THE RANGE

The test rifle was configured for a right-handed shooter, and this means the magazine must be inserted from the right, as it uses a small magnet and locator pin to correctly seat the magazine. The magnet and pin are fixed and can’t be swapped round, but it is possible to order a lefthanded Revere with the mag entering from the left, or order a left-handed magazine as a spare. While older magazines can’t be used in the new action, the new magazine is compatible with other rifles such as the Wolverine, Pulsar, and the Huntsman Regal.

THE MAGAZINE WORKED WELL AND THE SIDELEVER WAS EXCEPTIONALLY SMOOTH

The faceplate has a series of cutouts through which you can look to give you an idea of how many pellets you have remaining, but in practice I found it easier just to rely on touch – when you close the sidelever you can feel a slight resistance as the pellet is probed forwards into the bore. Do keep an eye on your ammo count though, because it is possible to double-load the Revere if you’re not paying attention. The trigger is very good for a mechanical rifle, with the wide, curved blade delivering plenty of feedback and control. First-stage travel came to a definite stop, while the second stage broke cleanly with 1lb 2oz of triggerpull. That’s a tad light for the field, and I’d adjust it a little heavier if I was taking it hunting, but since it wasn’t necessary, I left it as it came during the test period.

Chrono testing was impressive. Using Rangemaster Sovereign pellets, which weigh 8.4 grains, the Revere delivered a 10-shot string with an average muzzle velocity of 763.3 feet per second, a muzzle energy of 10.87 foot pounds and a 4.6 feet per second velocity spread. By the time I’d taken my first 40 shots I’d managed to lead the barrel and zero the Revere at my usual distance of 30 yards, and had also managed to put 13 pellets – a whole magazine’s worth – into a one-hole group measuring 6.4mm. I’d be more than happy to achieve that with a rifle that’s been well run in after hundreds of shots, let alone a brand new one. I’ll typically shoot two or more different pellets through a test rifle to see if group size can be shrunk further, but was pleased enough with the Sovereigns, so stuck with those. Back at 40 yards, and remember this was with that little 3-12x scope up top, the Revere was happy to churn out five-shot groups measuring around 11mm centre-to-centre. Needless to say, I was impressed by this gun. Coming in at £1,068.57 for the sub-12 foot pound rifle I had on test, it’s certainly not cheap, but it does ooze quality. I didn’t manage to get perfect head and eye alignment due to the height of the scope and the non-adjustable nature of the stock, but the magazine worked well and the sidelever was exceptionally smooth. While I will always enjoy shooting guns with a turn-bolt action, I’ve become something of a sidelever believer over the past few years, and the Revere is a perfect example of what makes this system so good. I had the chance to shoot the Revere alongside a Regal for a direct comparison, and even the owner of the Regal admitted the Revere was smoother and faster to operate. But Daystate has cleverly covered both bases with the Huntsman. Sporting rifle purists can carry on enjoying this rifle in old school bolt-action Regal format, while anyone appreciating the speed and slickness of the new action can choose the Revere.