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Mat Manning – Beech Warfare

August 10, 2018

Destructive grey squirrels are never far away from an easy food source. Mat Manning recounts a morning targets greys feeding on beech mast – their meal of choice during late summer…

Most people are aware of the serious damage caused by invasive grey squirrels across the UK. This introduced rodent has contributed to the decline of our endangered red squirrel. It also has a destructive habit of stripping bark from young trees. This can kill trees, and at the very least leaves them stunted and deformed – for this reason, the grey squirrel costs our national forestry industry millions of pounds every year.

Grey squirrels are successful because they are versatile opportunists. Their diet ranges from seeds and buds to eggs and chicks raided from songbirds’ nests, and everything else in-between. Airgun shooters who target whatever seasonal food source the greys are plundering shouldn’t take long to track down your quarry.

I often use feeding stations to assist with my squirrel culling duties. By offering a regular supply of something they love to eat – usually peanuts, maize or wheat – you can quickly create an area of attraction. The great advantage of this approach is that it maximises your chances by establishing a place where you are more or less guaranteed to encounter your quarry.

Although feeding stations can be very effective, few things beat the experience of roving around your shoot in search of hunting opportunities. It may not be the most productive method but it’s a great way to keep tabs on your shoot. And there’s no denying that it’s even more satisfying outwitting squirrels during a roving session than smacking them off a peanut feeder from the cover of a hide.

I’ve just returned from a stroll through one of my woodland permissions where I had a hunch that the squirrels would be feeding on ripening beech mast – a late-summer favourite. My hunch proved right and, while I only ended up with a modest bag, any reduction in squirrel numbers is a good result.

After parking just off a woodland ride, I loaded up the magazine of my Daystate Red Wolf and kicked off with a mobile approach. Making my way through the woods towards a large stand of beech trees, I moved slowly and paused from time to time to scan ahead. It’s surprising how much more you notice when you stand still, and I usually stop every ten metres or so when making my way through the trees in this way.

My initial few reconnaissance stops yielded very little, other than glimpses of songbirds flitting around in the treetops. I carried on deeper into the woods and eventually spotted something more promising.

Scanning the treetops is an obvious thing to do when you’re after grey squirrels but it’s also vital to keep an eye on the ground. These rodents spend a lot of time foraging amongst the leaf litter, especially when their mates, along with jays, woodpigeons, and nuthatches, are showering a constant hail of beech mast onto the ground as they pick seeds from the branches.

And it was the scattering of fallen beech mast that was occupying the first squirrel I spotted during my outing. Its flicking tail caught my eye as I scanned the ground ahead but, unfortunately, the squirrel had already clocked me. It froze for a moment before scrambling up a trunk and into the trees where it disappeared from sight.

I continued to close in, very slowly and very quietly, until I spotted the squirrel pinned to the trunk about 20 feet off the ground. After creeping a couple metres closer I settled myself behind the stump of a fallen tree, which made for a handy shooting rest. The fine crosshair of my MTC Mamba Lite scope came to rest on the squirrel’s skull and I touched off the trigger. The .22 calibre 35ft/lb Red Wolf hits like a hammer, and a ringing crack echoed around the woods as the pellet found its mark. A thud followed as the lifeless squirrel flopped down onto the sun-baked woodland floor, confirming the first kill of the session.

A scattering of mast covered the ground beneath the extensive stand of mature beech trees. I had no doubt that there were more squirrels to be had from this bountiful spot so I decided to wait in the shade where the broad trunk of a leaning ash created a natural backdrop to work with my camouflage clothing.

Beech Mast — Find an area of woodland where the ground is scattered with beech mast and squirrels are likely to be nearby.

Less than 20 minutes after I’d settled in, I noticed the tell-tale sound of beech husks rattling down through the branches. This shower of shells is caused by feeding squirrels casting off their leftovers after extracting the nutritious kernels. Trace the sound to where the husks are landing and follow the tumbling kernels up through the treetops and it should lead you to the seed-nibbling culprit.

Sure enough, I eventually managed to track down the squirrel at the source of the falling shells. Distracted by the urge to fill its belly, it was oblivious to the hunter lurking in the undergrowth. Once again, I shouldered the Red Wolf and drew a bead on the unsuspecting squirrel’s head before squeezing off the shot to push my tally up to two.

I sat it out for another hour but failed to spot any more squirrels before I decided it was time to head home for breakfast. It was far from my biggest bag of greys, but I was delighted to have bagged a couple by targeting their late-summer feeding grounds. Get out and give it a try, and if the beech mast on your local permission has gone over by the time you read this, you can probably count on finding squirrels feeding on acorns or sweet chestnuts.

Red Wolf hunting — They all count: a brace of grey squirrels taken with the Daystate/MTC combo.

Lock Time – The Key to an Airgun’s Firing Cycle

August 3, 2018

The reason one air rifle is easier to shoot than another is the speed of its action.

An airgun’s firing cycle – the brief moment that elapses between the trigger’s sear being slipped and the pellet exiting the barrel – is more commonly called its lock time. It’s quick, typically lasting 15 milliseconds or less. Yet it is a vital characteristic of any airgun. In fact, lock time is a key reason why some guns are easier or ‘more forgiving’ to shoot than others.

In theory, the faster the lock time, the more accurate the rifle, though lock time is actually the sum of two other ‘times’ that, individually, contribute to an airgun’s overall firing cycle. These are the action time and the barrel time.

Barrel Time

On most airguns, the shortest element of lock time is barrel time, which obviously takes place at the latter end of the firing cycle. It refers to the time taken for the pellet to travel up the bore of the barrel, before exiting the muzzle. Relatively, there’s minimal difference in the overall lock time between a high-velocity pellet travelling up a short barrel and a low-velocity pellet travelling up a long barrel. In other words, barrel time isn’t the most influential element of an airgun’s lock time.

Action Time

What has the biggest effect on lock time is the action time. This refers to the beginning of the firing cycle, the instant the trigger breaks. Here, there can be huge differences according to the gun’s configuration. Spring-powered airguns (springers) have a longer action time than precharged pneumatics (PCPs). And the feel of PCP actions can vary hugely by design, with electronically-controlled PCPs offering the fastest action time of all.

In a springer, the action time commences with the piston travelling forward under pressure from the uncoiling mainspring. It continues with the piston ‘bouncing’ on a slug of high pressure air before finally ending when the piston comes to a crashing halt at the end of the compression cylinder. A springer’s action time will invariably run into its barrel time, because the pellet will have started its journey up the barrel before the piston finally bottoms out. However, the action time should, on a properly set-up springer, have ended before the pellet exits the muzzle.

In a mechanically-driven PCP, the action time begins with the hammer being driven forward under spring pressure. It continues while the hammer strikes and opens the valve, and effectively ends at the time the valve closes. This will pretty much be at the same instant the pellet starts to accelerate up the barrel. Of course, with a much smaller hammer and spring, not to mention stroke, the PCP’s action time is significantly shorter than that of a springer’s. It’s also the reason why a PCP’s firing cycle is, for all intents and purposes, recoil-free.

However, the action time can be even shorter on the ground-breaking electronic PCPs Daystate pioneered back in 2003. Their current flagship duo, the Pulsar and Red Wolf, use a solenoid in lieu of a hammer to open the valve so rapidly that, ironically, it’s the barrel time that becomes the most influential element of the gun’s lock time!

Red Wolf Serie Rosso- an electronically-driven PCP that boasts the fastest lock time of any air rifle

LOCK TIME – THE KEY

So, given lock time lasts only milliseconds or less, why does it have such an effect on an airgun’s ‘shootability’? Well, time really is of the essence because the longer it takes to get the pellet out of the barrel, the more chance the rifle has of moving off the mark you intended at the instant you touched off the trigger.

In a springer’s case, the shooter is not just fighting with recoil as the rifle shunts back-and-forth in reaction to the heavy piston’s movement. Time is also ticking away before the pellet begins its flight to the target. When you analyse the timeframe of a springer’s firing cycle, it’s a wonder anyone can achieve consistent accuracy! (This is why it’s often said that if you can shoot a springer well, you can shoot a rifle of any type.)

In a PCP’s case, there is little ‘felt’ recoil to trouble the shooter’s aim. However, there is still movement going on during the firing cycle, even if it’s minimal by comparison with a springer. Newton’s laws of motion will dictate that the rifle will be moving in your shoulder to counteract the momentum of the hammer’s travel and impact with the valve during its action time stage. So, the longer this takes, the more likely the rifle’s aimpoint will err between the trigger-break and pellet-exit points.

In addition, mechanically-driven PCPs can also have an action time that varies according to its charge state. In the simplest knock-open valve designs, there is a slower action time the further into the air charge you go, and also a noticeable change in the movement of the rifle as its cylinder’s air pressure drops behind the firing valve. This makes it physically harder for the shooter to achieve consistent results.

This isn’t such a problem with the more sophisticated PCP designs, like the Slingshot hammer and valve system used on some mechanically-driven Brocock and Daystate PCPs. But the fact remains, where all other things are equal, a PCP with an action time of seven milliseconds will be easier to shoot accurately than one with an action time of 11 milliseconds. Even if four thousandths of one second doesn’t sound enough to affect the shot, the truth is: it does!

Which is why Daystate’s electronically-controlled PCPs are so easy to shoot accurately. Their action time – and so the rifle’s overall lock time – is reduced by such a considerable amount that it’s not uncommon to ‘call’ a miss… only to find you’ve landed the shot plumb centre at the target!

By comparison with mechanically-driven PCPs, the digital action of an electronic PCP reduces action time by roughly 90 per cent, effectively making barrel time the only element of its firing cycle. Typically, the overall lock time is reduced to around just five milliseconds; so fast, in fact, that the rifle can feel quite ‘dead’ on firing.

With computerised control of the valve and air delivery in the shape of MCT (Mapped Compensated Technology) also integral to Daystate’s high-tech PCPs, shot release is as consistent as it is quick. This is why rifles like the Pulsar and Red Wolf are so easy to shoot well with – their lock time simply doesn’t give the shooter long enough to flinch a shot off target!

Regulated PCP vs Unregulated

July 11, 2018

Regulated PCP or unregged? That is the question!

What is the difference between a regulated PCP and an unregged one?

by Nigel Allen

Precharged pneumatic (PCP) air rifles are powered by compressed air contained in either an integral air cylinder or buddy-bottle. Although the PCP is the serious airgun shooter’s choice, its concept is inherently simple. A hammer strikes a valve which releases some air to thrust the pellet out of the barrel. The hammer always strikes with the same force. So the amount of air released by the opening valve changes as the rifle’s on-board air pressure behind it drops. This affects the velocity (power) output of the rifle as it progresses through its air charge. This results in what’s known as a ‘power curve’.

The Power Curve

The specific shape of the power curve varies according to the rifle’s design. Generally, an unregulated PCP’s power output will rise to a peak before dropping off to the point it needs recharging. A power output that’s dependent on the air rifle’s pressure is not ideal because the pellet’s downrange point of impact (POI) will alter accordingly. Because of this, many airgunmakers incorporate an air regulator into their guns. In a regulated PCP, the power output stays consistent throughout its entire air charge.

Comparison of typical power outputs from a regulated and non-regulated precharged pneumatic air rifle

So, which to choose? Although a regulated PCP may seem the ideal, unregged PCPs have been around for many years and are still popular. Indeed, much R&D has been undertaken in the PCP world, so the simple ‘knock-open’ valve of old is a far cry from what we see on today’s airgun hardware. The Slingshot hammer/valve set-up used in the unregulated Daystate PCPs is one such example of how far unregged PCP design has evolved. Nevertheless, characteristics of unregged and regged systems are an important consideration when choosing a PCP for your specific shooting needs.

UNREGULATED PCP

Between the first and last shots of an unregged PCP’s charge of air – its ‘usable’ range – the output will follow a power curve, peaking somewhere around the mid-point of the curve. While the duration of the peak depends solely on the rifle’s inherent design, this part of the curve is referred to as the ‘sweet spot’. It’s where the shot-to-shot consistency – and so the rifle’s accuracy – will be at its best. The longer the sweet spot, the better. Ideally, that is where you want to be doing most of your shooting (and where you should zero your scope).

Sweet Spot

Of course, you can shoot either side of the sweet spot, but you may well see a slight change in the pellets’ POI. At relatively close ranges this probably isn’t a problem, but it may shift your pellets outside acceptable limits for hunting or competitive target shooting at longer distances. Therefore, with any unregulated PCP, it pays to familiarise yourself with the characteristics of its power curve so that you can compensate for POI shift if required.

An unregged PCP lets you shoot throughout its usable pressure range (200 down to 100 BAR in this example). However, the best consistency, power and accuracy is in its ‘sweet spot’ (165 down to 120 BAR)

Best Fill Pressure

For example, your rifle may fill to 200 BAR and then, 150 shots later, need a refill at 100 BAR. Let’s assume its sweet spot spans 65 of those 150 shots. Then it would be worth noting on the rifle’s manometer what pressure range relates to that 65-shot section – perhaps between 165 and 120 BAR. If the number of shots you get per charge of air doesn’t bother you, you could choose to fill the rifle only to 165 BAR each time, and always refill it at 120 BAR. Yes, the trade-off is that you’d be reducing the rifle’s shot-count, but in return you’d be getting an output performance on a par with a regged PCP. Plus, by starting at lower pressures, charging the rifle from a manual pump will be less effort, and you’ll get longer periods between scuba tank fill-ups.

REGULATED PCP

Where an air regulator is fitted to a PCP, air release is far more controlled for the entirety of the rifle’s charge and there is therefore no power curve. Effectively, a regulateded PCP offers a sweet spot that extends from the first to the last shots of the usable shot range. In some cases, because a regulator deals with air delivery more efficiently, the rifle also returns more shots between fill-ups.

Generally, a regulator system incorporates a secondary air chamber (the plenum chamber) which is designed to operate at a constant pressure. This means that as the rifle’s air pressure drops, the main firing valve always delivers an exactly-metered volume/pressure of air. The benefit of this is that the rifle’s power output is the same, no matter where it is within its charge cycle.

That said, it is important not to let the pressure in the rifle’s main air reservoir drop below that of the regulator’s operating pressure, else the regulator effectively becomes redundant in the air flow chain. Many gunmakers now incorporate an additional gauge on their regged PCPs to specifically indicate the regulator status, like on the Brocock Commander PCP.

The regulated Brocock Commander has two manometers – one for its HUMA regulator’s fixed pressure (top) and one to show the pressure status of the rifle’s main air reservoir

Air Management

While ‘managing’ the power curve of an unregged PCP isn’t exactly a headache for most shooters, there’s no denying that the fill-and-forget operation of a regulated PCP is more straightforward. However, regulated PCPs cost more than their unregged counterparts, so you have to weigh up their worth in your particular scenario.

FT, HFT and benchrest competition shooters, who seek ultimate precision in every aspect of their sport, may be able to justify the outlay for a regged PCP, but for everyday shooting/hunting assignments, a good quality, unregged PCP is equally as good if you have a full understanding of its power curve.

Reliability

Yet never dismiss the addition of a PCP regulator as ‘just another thing to go wrong’. That may have been the case when airgunsmiths were experimenting with them many decades ago. But just like knock-open systems have evolved, the PCP regulator has also graduated. Specialist regulator manufacturers have risen to the forefront of the airgun industry, with many gunmakers incorporating their proven designs in their regulated PCP. Daystate, for instance, have partnered with the world renowned HUMA to develop a metering system in the new regulated HR Huntsman Regal, Renegade HR and Wolverine R air rifles.

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Riflescopes – Which Focal Plane is Right for You?

June 26, 2018

How a First Focal Plane Riflescope differs from a Second Focal Plane one

Riflescopes – First and Second Focal Plane and How They Differ

Nigel Allen’s take on First and Second Focal Plane Riflescopes

When it comes to selecting a riflescope, shooters have a bewildering choice. Should you choose fixed or variable magnification, sidewheel or objective parallax adjustment? Do you need a 25mm or 30mm tube… And, also, what do all the numbers mean? Additionally, reticle design is also an important consideration when deciding on a riflescope. However, less obvious is the focal plane of the scope. What’s that? Well, it’s where the crosshair sits within the optical layout of the riflescope.

FFP or SFP

The crosshair of a riflescope can either be situated in the first focal plane or second focal plane (FFP or SFP). Because each offers significant differences on variable magnification (or zoom) scopes, it’s important to determine which type is best suited to your style of shooting.

The majority of riflescope designs feature a second focal plane reticle as they’re easier to produce and keep costs down. However, most quality scope manufacturers now offer FFP scopes in their range. For example: MTC Optics’ new Cobra F1 model.

Both SFP and FFP scopes have their merits. To help you make an educated decision when choosing your next optic, here’s a guide on each type.

Second Focal Plane (SFP)

Sometimes referred to as ‘rear focal plane’, SFP scopes are by far the most common type. Their construction is such that the crosshair is placed behind the lens group that determines the scope’s magnification.

In the case of variable magnification scopes (eg: 2-12x or 4-16x), this second focal plane position means that the size of the reticle does not change as the magnification is altered. Only the target appears bigger or smaller as the scope is zoomed in and out. On multi-stadia crosshairs, this means the relationship between the aim-point references on the reticle and the target will be different depending on the magnification setting.

For example, the distance between two aim-points on the crosshair may equate to 4ins (10cm) on a target when it’s viewed at 4x magnification. But it will only be 1in (2.5cm) when the scope is zoomed up to 12x magnification.

With SFP scopes, the relationship between the target and crosshair will change when the magnification is altered. Reticle shown: MTC AMD

Multi-Stadia and SFP

Of course, the centre point of the crosshair should not, in theory, deviate when the magnification ring is rotated. Note: it often does on the cheaper scope models! However, if you use multi-stadia crosshairs like the MTC SCB2 to allow for ‘holdover’ or ‘holdunder’, then you must be aware of this target/crosshair relationship change. It’s therefore best practice to familiarise yourself with the aim-point/trajectory relationship by only shooting on a specific magnification. For example, stick on a 4-12x zoom scope, you could stick to shooting on 8x power.

This begs the question: “Why choose a SFP vari-mag scope, then?” Well, a zoom magnification feature is still a very handy feature to have. Use it for spotting purposes, where higher powers allow you to see a clearer sight picture. And many shooters also like to use SFP reticles for ‘bracketing’. This is a system where ranges can be estimated after having predetermined what distance the gaps between reference points equate to at each of the scope’s magnification settings. Although it requires some initial working out, reticles like MTC’s SCB2 and AMD can provide a very practical method of quickly estimating (or checking) range while taking aim.

First Focal Plane (FFP)

Sometimes referred to as ‘front focal plane’, FFP scopes are usually more expensive by virtue of their more complicated construction. The crosshair is placed in front of the lens group that determines the scope’s magnification.

In the case of variable magnification scopes (eg: 2-12x or 4-16x), this first focal plane position means that the size of the reticle will appear bigger or smaller, in line with the target image, as the scope’s magnification is zoomed in or out. Therefore, with graduated crosshairs, the relationship between the aim-point references on the reticle and the target will always remain the same, regardless of the magnification setting.

For example, the distance between two aim-points on the crosshair may equate to 4ins (10cm) on a target when it’s viewed at 4x magnification. But it will still be 4ins (10cm) when the scope is zoomed up to 12x magnification.

With FFP scopes, the crosshair always maintains its relationship with the target when the magnification is altered. Reticle shown: MTC SCB2

Multi-Stadia and FFP

This makes life simpler if you use multi-stadia crosshairs like the MTC SCB2 to allow for ‘holdover’ or ‘holdunder’. Why? Because you can shoot on any magnification setting without worrying about a change in the aim-point/trajectory relationship.

There are a couple of points to remember with FFP scopes. Because the reticle size alters with the magnification, the crosshairs’will look different. They will appear thicker at the higher powers and thinner at lower powers. Also, you cannot really use the ‘bracketing’ system for range-estimation. However, as bracketing data is quite long-winded to initially set-up, many shooters prefer other ways to acquire the target’s distance. They might use a laser rangefinder, like the MTC Rapier Ballistic. Or, on higher-powered scopes, the scope’s onboard parallax adjustment facility.

We hope this helped, but ultimately the choice is up to you.

If a new scope is what you’re after, why not check out our sister company, MTC Optics’ online store ? Or why not come and see us at the various shooting shows. You’ll be able to test all the latest scopes from MTC optics as well as our rifles.

Precision Air Distribution Represents Daystate at POMA Conference

June 19, 2018

Precision Air Distribution will be attending the 13th annual POMA conference in Lincoln, Nebraska June 12 to 15th, 2018.

Precision Air Distribution represents many prestigious companies such as Daystate Air Guns, Brocock Air Guns and MTC Optics and many other related brands.

Precision Air Distribution will host a seminar, related to the airgunning industry in America, and show products and airguns that are sure to pique the interest of the attending media members. This is the first time any such related corporate partner has attended this conference. They look forward to letting everyone experience and shoot the current state of the art airguns, ranging from the HR Huntsman Regal to the amazing new electronic Red Wolf.

PCP (Pre-charged Pneumatic) Rifles are quickly becoming mainstream hunting equipment in many states.

UKAHFT update – Hensman Wins with his Tsar

May 30, 2018

Daystate Sponsored the opening round of the UKAHFT on Sunday 20^th May at Misfits in Leicestershire.

The round was won by Greg Hensman shooting his Daystate Tsar with a score of 59.

The team event was won by the Misfits who now lead the series going in to Round 2 at Rivington Rifles, Bolton in June.

Daystate Owners Group Event at Arizona, America

May 9, 2018

April 28-29, 2018 saw the inaugural annual fun shoot and competition for the Daystate Owner’s Group in Arizona, America.

Hosted by AoA, there was an amazing turnout of Daystate owners, and the fun shoot and competition were great fun. Airgun enthusiasts from across the globe visited and shared their knowledge with the fellow shooters, the event was amazing.

Michele Marocchi from Daystate attended with the latest models from the factory for everyone to try out and enjoy during the 2 Day Event. The new Red Wolf was the buzz of the event, as everyone marvelled in its beauty and extreme accuracy, proven on the range that weekend! Airguns of Arizona were pleased to host all the shooters and to wish them

“Welcome to the Daystate Family!”

HFT- Rich Beaugie wins the Oaktree Open with Tsar

February 16, 2018

HFT- Rich Beaugie wins the Oaktree Open with his Daystate Tsar. Rich has been shooting the Tsar since its arrival in the UK after the Attaman partnership.