New QB79 Custom Shop

At the request of several customers, Archer Airguns has today launched a QB79 Custom Shop. Although we have been building QB79-based guns through our QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop, this has required telephone conversations to arrange and is not so user friendly as we would like.

Hence the QB79 Custom Shop is available for those of you who like the QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop concept, but would prefer your gun to be based on the QB79 platform, allowing the use of 9-oz paintball or Airsource tanks for huge numbers of shots per fill.

You can see details on the QB79 Custom Shop by clicking this link.

And, just to whet your appetite, here are photos of two more QB78 Custom Shop guns that were shipped out yesterday. The top gun has a particularly-dramatic QB78 Deluxe "Special Select" stock and 91/30 bolt handle. The lower one featured a mounted scope and all the power mods.


At the QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop, every air rifle is unique - thanks to you!

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AR2078B First Test Target

Here's the target from the first "Gold Service" test I've made of an AR2078B air rifle.


This is about the best 10-shot group I've ever produced from a QB78-family air rifle in our standard test conditions, and confirms the factory's claims of increased accuracy for this model. It's also interesting to see how similarly-shaped was the group I shot compared to the factory test. (See the previous blog post right below this one).

In accordance with our standard "Gold Service" testing, I used " the Peak" wadcutter pellets straight from the tin. I've no doubt that there's more accuracy to come from the AR2078B with careful pellet selection and experimentation. And - of course - with a better shot than me pulling the trigger!

The sidelever cocking mechanism was fast and easy to use. I would say it's definitely a step forward in ease-of-use for those shooters who find the standard bolt action to be a little tough in operation.

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Very Rare But Now Available - the AR2078B Air Rifle

Yes, you read this correctly, this is the Industry Brand AR2078B air rifle, the very rare "competition" version of the popular AR2078A air rifle. Almost never seen in captivity, Archer Airguns has a small number available just in time for the 2011 holiday season. They're in .177 caliber, as you would expect.

Compared to the regular AR2078A, there are number of improvements.


The most obvious is the sidelever cocking mechanism. This replaces the bolt action standard across the QB78 family line. The lever is quick and easy to operate: it gives a lighter action than the normal turnbolt.

Other improvements include a longer, and heavier barrel weight, together with a metal barrel band. I've found that fitting a heavy muzzle brake to QB78-family air rifles improves their accuracy and this heavier muzzle weight is undoubtedly one reason for the factory's claims of improved accuracy for the AR2078B.

Each gun is also supplied with a factory test target and quality inspection label. The 10-shot groups look pretty good to me and are an indication of the quality level the Shanghai factory is capable of achieving.


Finish of these AR2078B models is excellent, with good wood and deep bluing.

If you're a QB78 enthusiast looking for an unusual addition to your collection, or you're simply searching for a high quality, low cost target air rifle that's all wood and metal - just the way all guns used to be - the AR2078B is a "must have". At least while we have them available...

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The Archer Airguns 2011 Seasonal Sale Is Now On!

There's a variety of special sales offers to be found throughout the store, including a really special deal on our unique QB78 Deluxe/Stoeger scope combo. Picture below.


But wait, there's more...

For the first time ever, we also have a special offer on "the World's best pellet trap". It combines the popular combination of our the Archer Airguns Premium Silent Pellet Trap with the dedicated steel backing plate at a worthwhile price reduction.

Also you'll find many parts and accessory prices have been reduced for the sale, too.

These offers are for a limited time while stock last. When they're gone, they're gone. Have fun!

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Gamo Whisper Test and Review - Part Two

Noise levels - ah yes, that’s a hard one to measure and test accurately. Also, the noise made by firing an air rifle sounds different when you’re shooting it, compared to what others hear some distance away.

Subjectively, I would say the .177 caliber Gamo Whisper is a quiet air rifle, but only when firing lead pellets. It seemed similar in noise level to the Stoeger X20 Suppressors that I’m used to testing - at least as long as lead pellets were used. Using the supplied Gamo PBA pellets caused a much louder “crack” as the muzzle velocity hovered around the speed of sound. So not only are the PBA pellets less accurate than lead in this Whisper, they’re also louder. And they’re more expensive, too. I’m still struggling to understand the value of the Gamo PBA pellets...

So the Gamo Whisper scores a “pass” on noise levels. But it’s definitely a “F for Fail” when it comes to the 3-9 x 40 scope supplied with this air rifle.

Above, the Gamo Whiper with Gamo 3-9 x 40 scope and mount.

Gamo seems to have really dropped the ball with this scope and - I believe - the other scopes they bundle with their air rifles. It’s all show and no go! Here’s why...

The scope (like all Gamo combo scopes) has no “AO” - Adjustable Objective” and cannot focus even as close as 10 yards. That’s a big disadvantage for any air rifle scope.

The scope itself is puny in size. Now I’m all for small, light scopes, but not when size and weight are achieved simply by going for the lowest possible cost - and that seems to be the case with this scope. This Gamo 3-9x40 scope weighs just 11.5 ounces. By comparison, a Leapers 3-9 x 32AO scope weighs 15.2 ounces (yes, that's just a 32mm objective lens instead of the Gamo 40mm) and Leapers 3-9 x 40AO scope weighs 20.2 ounces! From looking at and using the Gamo scope, I’d say that the low weight is a good indication of poor quality.

The Gamo 3-9 x 40 scope and mount is shown above a Leapers 3-9 x 40AO in this photo.

And then the Gamo scope has a simple duplex reticle. A mil dot reticle really should be mandatory on any air rifle scope, particularly as so many airgunners use the mil dots for “holdover” in the field to compensate for rapid changes of wind or target range.


The Gamo scope is supplied carefully installed in it’s mount, which itself needs to be mounted to the gun by the user and the scope then sighted-in. But incredibly, the scope stop screw - which is absolutely essential to prevent the scope being shaken out of position - is not configured in the “out” position so that it will engage the scope stop rail. Nor is the scope stop and its purpose even mentioned in the instructions. And, oh yes, the scope instructions also tell you to sight-in the scope - at no less than 100 yards!!! - without providing any coherent explanation of how this should be done.

In my opinion this is simply unacceptable for an air rifle that is often purchased by newcomers to our interest - they’re very likely to struggle with inaccuracy and give up on the gun. Maybe they’ll give up on shooting air rifles, too and that would not be good.

But there is hope! Archer Airguns has been developing a couple of Gamo Scope upgrade packages to address these problems. You can see them in our ArcherPelletGuns store and I’l post more details shortly...

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The QB57 Is Back!

The Industry Brand QB57 air rifle is available again from stock at Archer Airguns! We have all models of this gun in stock, in both calibers, including the Leapers scope combos.

You can see more about theQB57, including the correct procedure for cocking and loading, in my YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/archerairguns#p/a/u/6/8FtlbCwY09I

For everyone who's contacted us about availability of this model, thanks for your patience!

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Photos and Muzzle Velocity Figures from QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop

Most customers for the Archer Airguns QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop have requested their guns be fitted with both the XP Tune Kit and the XP Tuned Valve, gaining significant improvements in muzzle velocity.

With this combination in .177 caliber, we're showing Gold Service muzzle velocities of around 750 fps at our normal 65 degrees F test temperature with Peak wadcutter pellets - that's an additional 150 fps compared to factory condition. This is just under 10 ft/lbs. As the muzzle velocity of these air rifles increases by about 2 fps per degree F, this means they will shoot at about 790 fps at 85 degrees F - that's 11 ft/lbs muzzle energy.

In .22 caliber at 65 degrees F, we're seeing around 640 fps with 13.85 grain Peak wadcutters, that's 12.6 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. The performance figures for these guns at 85 degrees F is about 680 fps and just over 14 ft/lbs of muzzle energy.

Here's an interesting QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop gun, fitted with the left hand Weaver-style breech, Oversize Bolt Handle - and a red dot sight for testing!


And here's another unusual gun - it's not even a QB78 at all, but is a Custom Shop QB79, fitted with Weaver breech, QB79 Paintball Tank Adapter and many other goodies.


One thing's for sure, no two guns out of the QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop are the same!

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Gamo Whisper Test and Review - Part One

The Gamo Whisper is a very popular air rifle, so I decided to shoot one in .177 caliber and see how it performs. This review covers some of the test results.

First of all, this gun can be accurate! I shot the best 10-shot group I've ever made with any air rifle when using Stoeger X-Field lead pellets. This was a real "one hole group" at 10 yards as you can see from the test target below. But it was much less accurate with the Gamo PBA pellets supplied with the gun, as the second test target shows. This confirms my on-going opinion that lead-free pellets have a long way to go, with the honorable exception of Stoeger X-Speed lead free pellets which are extremely accurate.

Above, the excellent test target shot with Stoeger X-Field pellets. Below, the same shooter, same gun, same range, but Gamo PBA pellets. Accuracy is not good at all.
So, this Gamo Whisper can be accurate, but not with Gamo PBA pellets. Then there's the matter of muzzle velocity. Gamo leads the pack in crowing about muzzle velocity and proclaims on the gun (and everywhere else) that it shoots at 1,200 fps with PBA pellets and 1,000 fps with lead. The actual results - 1120 fps with PBA ammo and 860 fps with medium weight lead pellets, as you can see from the test targets - fall somewhat short.

Now I'm not surprised that the actual muzzle velocities did not meet the manufacturer's claims - I didn't expect them to - but it continues to be disappointing how many misleading claims are made for the majority of air rifles, penalizing the relatively few manufacturers that actually tell the truth about their products.

On the subject of misleading claims, on the packaging for this air rifle, Gamo claims that "Performance Ballistic Alloy (PBA) enhances penetration, velocity and accuracy up to 25%"

Well, I'm not going to argue about penetration - I didn't test that but I would expect the PBA pellets to penetrate better, and the muzzle velocity on test did deliver at least the claimed muzzle velocity increase, but the accuracy claim is clearly unjustified. And note that the PBA pellets did travel faster, but they didn't impart any greater muzzle energy than the heavier lead pellets traveling slower. In both cases, the muzzle energy was around 14.25 ft/lbs. PBA pellets certainly travel faster than lead, but there's no more "power" in them.

And you'll notice the trigger pull weight came in at 5 lbs and above. Gamo's trigger pull weight specs (on their website) are very precise - 3.74 lbs. Another failed claim...

Next time, I'll comment on the noise levels produced by Gamo Whisper - after all, with a name like that, it should be quiet, and talk about the scope that is supplied with the gun.

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Cleaning the Stoeger X20S Barrel - Don’t Use Airgun Cleaning Pellets

One of our customers - Sid - recently decided to clean the barrel of his Stoeger X20 Suppressor air rifle. Having recently acquired an RWS pellet sampler pack that includes some airgun cleaning pellets, he checked in the Stoeger instruction manual and surfed the web for guidance before using.

Nowhere did he find information telling him not to use these RWS cleaning pellets, so he did. He correctly followed the advice available on-line and pushed a couple of the cleaning pellets through the barrel with a rod from the breech end (cleaning pellets are too light to shoot in a powerful spring-piston air rifle such as the X20).

Unfortunately this turned out to be a bad idea. The cleaning pellets became lodged between some baffles in the sound moderation system and there they stuck, partially blocking the barrel. Not a good situation!

Fortunately Sid is not only careful but also resourceful. He thought carefully before acting. Seeing that the sound moderation baffles are concave from the breech end and not wanting to stuff the cleaning pellets further between the baffles, he was able to blow the pellets back out of the barrel by using an air compressor. He VERY CAREFULLY gave a couple of blasts from the muzzle end with 60lbs of air pressure and the cleaning pellets emerged the way they went in.

Phew!

But as Sid says, “I do believe I got lucky. No change in accuracy after this incident and there’s no noticeable decline in power after 18 hours in the open breech cocked position. Please advise others in the airgun community of this issue so that they don’t encounter the same problem”.

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Jim Monica's Ultimate QB57!

Here's the absolute ultimate QB57 up-grade with nickel-plated barrel, gold-plated trigger and more! It's a real labor of love. Just look at the photos!!!!

This QB57 is the project of Jim Monica, who writes:

"I'm finished with my first project gun for the most part. It's a QB57 that I got from Archer. There are still things that I want to do to it, but that won't change the appearance of it that much so I decided to take the plunge and send you a few pics. This was my first project of this type. I was really using it as practice before I begin on the QB78 Deluxe that I got from you guys. I'm glad I waited too because I learned a lot working on this one.

Among the things still to do, I'm working on gathering the parts and pieces I need to install a laser, but I want to embed it into the front stock of the QB57 so all you see is a small hole in the front. I've worked out how I'm going to allow for adjusting it and switching it on/off, changing batteries, etc. I just need to put my plan into action and hope it works.


Here are the modifications I've made to date:

-Nickel/Cobalt plated and polished Barrel, receiver and internals. (Except the inside of the barrel!).

-Polished any metal to metal contacts inside the gun for smoother action.

-Stripped and re-finished the front and rear stocks using stain and lacquer to seal.

-Gold Plated trigger (14k - 24k was just a little too expensive!).

-Installed QF2 kit (From Archer) along with all seals and main spring.

-Filed down ends of main spring flat and installed Thrust washers for much smoother cocking action.

-Installed New hand grip. (Hogue Rubber Grip AK-47/AK-74 Rubber Grip with Finger Grooves. It's not the most comfortable grip, so I'm currently making a new one from wood to replace it with. The rubber one does seem to absorb some of the impact from the spring upon firing).

-Created, plated and polished trigger guard (I hate it and I'm working on a new one of these. I rushed the current one as I was running out of time)." Comment from Stephen Archer - well, it looks very good to me!

-Replaced all screws and nut(s) with polished stainless steel hardware.

-Installed Red/Green Dot sight.

-Threaded Barrel and Nickel/Cobalt Plated and tapped muzzle brake for screw-on attachment to barrel. I'm working on installing a set screw for extra hold. (Muzzle Brake is the one Archer sells for the QB78 Deluxe BTW!).

There are a few other small things but nothing too important."

Jim, thanks for sharing your project with us. It's beautiful. I can't wait to see what you're going to do to the QB78 Deluxe!

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New QB78 Deluxe Scope Combo from Archer Airguns

Archer Airguns introduces its first scope combo for the QB78 family with this new light, fast-handling package that's ideal for plinking. And it's offered at a great sale price of less than $145!

This Combo features the classic, best-selling QB78 Deluxe air rifle, available in both .177 and .22 calibers. Also included is a compact, high quality Stoeger 4 x 32 scope, featuring a duplex reticle with a center dot that can be illuminated red or green in dull lighting conditions. A pair of matching Stoeger scope rings completes the package. As you can see, it all fits together very nicely...

The scope is unmounted, but you can easily follow the instructions in my YouTube videos to mount and sight-in the scope. Alternatively, Archer Airguns can mount and sight-in the scope for you, supplying the complete kit in a hard Plano gun case - at an additional cost, of course.

A compact, light scope like this is my personal preference for plinking with the QB78 Deluxe. This combo is easy to use and has excellent handling characteristics. I'm sure you'll find it offers a lot of fun for the money!

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Is this a QB78 Deluxe, or a Tech Force TF78 Gold?

Well, yes we can agree that there's a Leapers scope mounted on the air rifle. But without seeing the other side and reading what's printed on the breech, we can't tell if it's an Industry Brand QB78 Deluxe, or a Tech Force TF78 Gold Series. The reason for this is that they're both actually the same air rifle, manufactured by the Shanghai Airgun Factory and sold under a number of names in different countries around the world.

I mention this because people often ask if Archer Airguns carries parts for the Tech Force CO2 air rifles that used to be sold in the USA by Compasseco - and are now available through Pyramyd Air. The answer is an emphatic YES!

Just about all Tech Force airguns were, and still are, manufactured by the Shanghai Airgun Factory, but Compasseco named their guns Tech Force (TF) while the factory names for these guns have been based on the QB78 and AR2078 designations. Actually, the different model names are somewhat confusing, so they're listed here as a reference.

QB78 is the same gun as the Tech Force TF78
QB78 Deluxe is the same gun as the Tech Force TF78 Gold Series (also known at some time as the TF78D)
QB79 is the same gun as the Tech Force TF78T
AR2078 is the same gun as the Tech Force TF79 Thumbhole
AR2078A is the same gun as the Tech Force TF79
AR2079A is the same gun as the Tech Force TF79T

Confused? Don't be. Archer Airguns has parts for your Tech Force CO2 air rifle.

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So when is a Beeman Model 1073 a Grizzly X2?

Sharp-eyed visitors to WalMart may have noticed that something’s changed about the Beeman dual-barrel air rifles carried in that store.

The display packaging used to proclaim that it was the Beeman Model 1073 Air Rifle. Now it shows Beeman Grizzly X2 Model 1073.

The price is the same and the box is otherwise very similar, so what’s changed?

The answer is, “not much but something useful”!

Whether called the Grizzly X2 or Beeman Model 1073, it’s very much the same air rifle. The only change is that the Grizzly X2 is fitted with a protective steel hood over the front sight of both barrels. The Model 1073 featured a simple, unprotected front post that could be damaged if knocked.

So if you pick up a Beeman Grizzly X2, you’ll have protected front sights. That’s a worthwhile improvement.

Archer Airguns carries spare parts for both the Beeman Grizzly X2 and the Model 1073 dual barrel air rifles in our on-line store, as well as for the other dual barrel Beeman pellet rifles.

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New Adapter Allows All 9-Ounce Paintball Tanks to be Used on QB79 and AR2079 Air Rifles

We now have available the Archer Airguns Paintball Tank Adapter for QB79. This new accessory simply screws into the existing thread of your QB79 or AR2079 and provides the necessary clearance to allow the use of any 9-ounce CO2 paintball tank with these air rifles.

Over the years, 9-ounce paintball tanks have grown in diameter from 2-inches of older steel tanks to the 2 1/8-inches (or more) of recent alloy tanks. This change in diameter has meant that many 9-ounce tanks will either not fit the QB79 and AR2079 at all, or they will contact the barrel and ruin accuracy.

Our new Adapter overcomes this problem, allowing you to use 9-ounce CO2 paintball tanks with your QB79 or AR2079 and achieve over 600 good shots per fill with a gun in factory condition.

Beautifully CNC-manufactured from high grade Alumimium, the Paintball Tank Adapter for QB79 is designed to blend well with the design of the air rifle. No parts need to be removed for fitting and it can be clamped into the "vertical" position using the included setscrew. Note that doing so will make a mark in the end of the gun's Tank Block where the screw tip contacts, but this is unlikely to matter as the adapter will probably remain permanently on the gun.

Unlike other previous "fixes" for this problem - such as riser breeches - no parts are removed to fit the adapter and the existing front band remains in place to provide barrel stability. It's easy!

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Archer Airguns Features in Industry Trade Magazine

I just thought that readers might be interested to see a three-page story about Archer Airguns in the international shooting industry publication Gun Trade World.

If you go to the on-line version of the October 2011 issue of the magazine, you'll see our story on pages 42 to 44.


And if you know of an established, quality, dealer who could be a good partner to sell Archer Airguns products in a country outside the US, please email me at sales@archerairguns.com !

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A Very Interesting QB78 Deluxe Custom Air Rifle

Just out of the Archer Airguns QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop is this interesting model, chosen by a customer in California.

It combines the Archer Airguns Weaver-style breech with a Stoeger 4 x 32 compact scope, oversize bolt handle and AR2078 thumbhole stock. It's in .177 caliber.

Gold Service testing showed performance at around 750 fps at just 62 degrees F. This equates to around 800 fps at 85 degrees F. This was attained by combining an Archer Airguns XP Tune Kit, together with an XP Tuned Valve - together with an HDD to economize on gas consumption. At 10 yards, this gun put three shots through one hole when sighting-in the scope, helped by the Archer Airguns QB78 2-stage trigger kit.

Maybe there's some ideas here for your own QB78 Deluxe Custom project!

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Airgun Safety. Don’t Let This Happen to You!

By Todd Halpin

"A couple weeks ago I purchased a TF58 side lever-cocking pellet rifle from ArcherPelletGuns.com. I was pleased with the gun and ran several hundred rounds down range. I own 3 shot guns and two AR-15 platform rifles. The air gun was purchased to shoot with a friend of mine and I was amazed at the accuracy! I bought some Federal bulk 22lr for my S&W M&P15 22 and the air gun was more accurate at 50 yards with this round. That’s impressive in my book.

But then I had an accident while loading the air rifle. The bolt slammed shut trapping my ring, middle and index fingers in the breech. The cut was from the corner of the nail bed at an angle to the back of the finger.

I have never thought of myself as a sissy but for the first time in my life I nearly passed out after freeing my finger from the breech!

Todd took this photograph in the ER.

There are a great deal of nerve endings in your finger and the pain was astounding. I went to the emergency room and had 8 stitches put in the tip of my ring finger to reattach the tip. Several of my coworkers are hunters like myself and thought it was only a flesh wound to a finger, that is until I took the bandage off! Everyone makes “the face” when they look at it...

After cleaning up the blood on the back porch, I tried to recreate what happened in my mind. I had been pretty good about following your safety protocol up to that moment. I don’t think there was a catastrophic failure of the bear trap lock system. Rather I think I became lax in my safety practices after working to get my groups tight and depressed the release while loading and the unlocked bolt slammed shut on my fingers.

Fate was with me because without three of them in there I’m sure I would have lost the end of one. Unfortunately I did not have my elbow against the side lever like you advise in your videos on YouTube.

8 stitches. Ouch!

I’m not trying to scare anyone and the failure was just a failure. My lax safety was the reason of the injury. Your informational YouTube videos correctly demonstrate the proper safety practices for loading a side lever air rifle.

The injury is now healing and the feeling has returned to the end of my finger. I would estimate that approximately 40 % of the diameter was cut through. The doctor didn’t seem very impressed until he pulled it apart to clean and examine the wound. Then he wanted x-rays to determine if it had broken the bone!

Everyone makes “the face” when they look at it...

I look forward to shooting again with much greater respect for pellet rifles! As you know, I’m changing to a break-barrel air rifle and will be sure ALWAYS to follow the safety instructions you show on YouTube.

I’m sharing this story to help others.

Please learn from my experience and always be careful when loading an air rifle. Check out Stephen Archer’s videos on YouTube where he demonstrates how to load spring air rifles correctly and safely. You can see them here:
Let's Look at the QB57 Air Rifle
Spring Air Accuracy

Note from Stephen Archer:
It takes a real man to admit he made a mistake. And even more so to share it with others. Todd, thanks for your post. Like you, I hope that people will read this and always load their air rifles safely.

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Great Performance from Stoeger Pellets in the Beeman 1073 Air Rifle!

Now that Archer Airguns is selling spare parts for the Beeman Model 1073 air rifle (also known as "the WalMart dual barrel gun" and the "Beeman RS2"), I'm undertaking a comprehensive test review to better understand the performance of this air rifle. Little has been published on the web about the Beeman 1073, so I'm hoping that you will find this interesting!

Today, we'll look at two 10-yard test targets shot with the 1073 using the .177 caliber barrel. The only change from the $98.00 gun I purchased from WalMart was that I fitted a Leapers 3-9x40AO scope and Leapers High Rings, as the Beeman Model 5005 scope would not give sharp focus at 10 yard range.

The first group shows test results with the 8.66 Grain Stoeger X-Field pellets. These produced a very good 10-shot group while shooting at 900fps. Both the accuracy and muzzle velocity are very creditable for a sub-$100 air rifle shooting heavy pellets.


The next group was produced by the same air rifle with the scope settings completely un-changed. This time, I shot Stoeger X-Speed PBA pellets. Now I've always found poor accuracy from PBA pellets, so my expectations were low. But I was completely amazed at this group - it was the best group of all that I shot with this gun and one of the best 10-shot, 10-yard groups I've ever shot with any spring air rifle!

The target below tells the story and shows that the Beeman Model 1073 can achieve close to 1,200 fps with the Stoeger 5.66 grain PBA pellets. This performance produced a very commendable muzzle energy of over 17.3 ft/lbs in .177 caliber. The point of impact was surprisingly close to that of the heavy lead pellets, too, just a little to the left of the lead pellets from the same point of aim.

One very noticeable difference when shooting the light, PBA pellets was the sound produced. The gun was MUCH LOUDER shooting the PBA pellets as they exceeded the sound barrier, whereas the heavy lead pellets did not. The crack of the pellets breaking the sound barrier was very sharp, but not unexpected. This is not a specific issue with the Beeman 1073, but will happen with any air rifle shooting light pellets faster than about 1100fps. Don't expect any air rifle shooting light PBA pellets at high muzzle velocities to be quiet - no matter what advertising claims you may read!


Stoeger pellets are German-made and not cheap, but they certainly give an excellent result in the Beeman Model 1073 air rifle!

There will be more test results as I continue to review this Beeman "WalMart dual barrel air rifle." But with results like this, it's difficult to see how you can go far wrong with this air rifle at a price of less than $100, so long as you feed it high quality pellets!

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The RateAGun Score Calculator in Use

For those of you interested in choosing an air rifle that will give the most shooting fun at your own experience level, check out our site at http://www.rateagun.com There you will be able to compare a wide range of air rifles - with and without scopes - to see how they match your skill and experience level.

The screen grab above shows how the calculator looks in use. It confirms that (for example) the Marauder/scope combination will be significantly easier to shoot than either of the Gamo or Stoeger combos, even though it's a more powerful gun, because it uses PCP rather than spring/piston power. Make your own comparisons and see what you think!

Our RateAGun calculator is easy to use and we have a huge range of guns there for you to see. And when you find that "perfect" air rifle, you can visit our ArcherPelletGuns store for more details and buy - if you wish.

Have fun!

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The Archer Airguns Late Summer Sale Begins!

The Archer Airguns 2011 "Late Summer Sale" begins today!

If you visit our "Specials" page, you will see a range of great offers on QB78-family products and more. We have a few JRA products - yes we actually have them in stock for immediate shipment! Also there is a range of second-quality stocks that would be ideal for re-finishing projects.

More products will be added in the next few days, including some rarely-available parts for the QB36-2 air rifle and some "project guns" - air rifles that need a loving home and some care and attention to make them work properly.

We're offering the lowest prices we can on all of these sale items. And in every case, only limited numbers are available. When they're gone, they're gone!

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Using Holdover or Aiming Off With Leapers Scopes

Mil-dot scopes are very popular with air rifle shooters, but normally we do not use them in the way that the manufacturer originally intended.

Mil-dot reticles are intended by manufacturers for estimating the distance from shooter to target. Leapers scopes, for example, have the reticle arranged at the second image plane, therefore as the magnification changes the size of the reticle does not change as the image zooms.

But, of course, air rifle shooters normally use mil-dots for holdover, aiming off or Kentucky windage - all different names for the same thing: estimating a correction for windage or elevation without making alterations to the scope's turret settings.

As all Leapers scopes have their mil-dot reticles calibrated for 10 x magnification (even if a particular scope cannot actually be set to 10x magnification), the mil-dots can be used quite consistently and simply for holdover sighting.

At 4 x magnification with Leapers scopes, 1 mil-dot separation equals approximately 1-inch on the target at 10 yards, 2-inches at 20 yards or 4-inches at 40 yards.

At 8 x magnification, 1 mil-dot separation equals approximately 1/2-inch on the target at 10 yards, 1-inch at 20 yards or 2-inches at 40 yards.

So that's it! For example, if you're shooting your air rifle with any Leapers scope at 40 yards, with the magnification set to 8x and you want to holdover or aim off by 1 inch at the target, that's a holdover of half a mil-dot. And so on...


Our photograph shows the Leapers 4 - 16 x 50 AO scope mounted on an AR2078 air rifle.

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Archer Airguns Introduces Spare Parts Kits for Beeman Sportsman Series Air Rifles

As a result of customer demand, Archer Airguns has worked with our friends at Beeman Precision Airguns and Shanghai Airguns to introduce a range of spare parts kits for Beeman Sportsman Series air rifles.

These parts kits are suitable for the Beeman Sportsman series, including the Beeman 1073 series - also known as the Beeman RS2 series - that is widely available from Wal-Mart stores around the country. As always, these Beeman parts kits are available on-line from our Archer Airguns store and we have them in stock for immediate delivery.

So far, we have kits for hard-to-find replacement parts such as the barrel O ring breech seals, stocks and complete RS2 trigger assemblies.


And we'll be introducing more kits in future so that a complete range of replacement parts is available.

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Quiet Stoeger X20 Suppressor .177 Caliber Test Results.

Yes, it's true! The Stoeger X20 Suppressor IS quiet in .177 caliber once dieseling has begun to subside.

The test target above shows the results from a dry (-ish) .177 caliber gun. As you can see, the muzzle velocity was below 1,100 fps (the speed of sound) and the noise level from shooting was - subjectively - about the same as for the .22 caliber version. That is, very quiet.

The recorded muzzle velocity of 972 fps for the .177 caliber gun can be expected to stabilize at around the 920 - 950 fps typically achieved by "non Suppressor" X20s when the oil and grease from manufacturing has completely burned out of the chamber. This is what I've long suspected, but not been able to prove until now.

The target below shows the results from a .22 caliber X20 Suppressor that stopped dieseling from the second shot. This gives us the chance to compare muzzle velocities for the two calibers shooting the same pellet type.


Any yes, my shooting could have been better on that lower test target...

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First Test Results of Stoeger X50 in .22 Caliber

The first deliveries of Stoeger X50 and X20 (non-Suppressor) air rifles in .22 caliber arrived at Archer Airguns today! We now have X20 and X50 scope combos in stock for immediate delivery.

Of course, I couldn’t wait to see how the new guns perform, so I started to test a batch of the new .22 caliber X50s, selected at random from our first delivery. The intention was to understand average muzzle energy over a range of pellet types and make a power comparison with the .177 caliber X50.

As with other X50s I’ve tested (and unlike the X20 Suppressors), these new guns were quite dry and each one settled down rapidly with very little dieseling. I fired 5 shots from each gun with 8 types of pellets and averaged the results.

The results are shown in this table (click to enlarge if you wish).


As for pellet weight, these results show that 14 to 15 Grain is about the sweet spot for the X50 in .22 caliber.

Average muzzle energy is consistently around 23 - 24 ft/lbs. This is around 10% greater than the average tested muzzle velocity of the X50 in .177 caliber, where I normally find 20 - 21 ft/lbs muzzle energy (around 1,000 fps with 7.9 Grain pellets).

Stoeger X-Field, 14.7 Grain pellets gave around 860 fps and 24 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. I’ll be using this pellet as standard for our “Gold Service” testing.

Yes, I know that 860 fps is far from Stoeger’s claims of “up to 1,200 fps with lead pellets” but it’s still very creditable and gives the X50 considerable knock-down power for hunting in .22 caliber.

Although I was only shooting “for effect” and not as a Gold Service accuracy test, the guns seemed to be as accurate as expected. I’ll be posting some test targets over the next few days, of course!

Prices for the .22 caliber guns are the same as for the .177 caliber models.

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New - the Archer Airguns QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop

The Archer Airguns QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop allows you to select from a vast range of options to create your own, truly unique air rifle that’s individually assembled to your specifications by Archer Airguns.


Taking the QB78 Deluxe as a basis, you specify no less than 14 - yes fourteen - different choices of parts and services, designing the gun as you do so. This gives a total of over a million different possible combinations! Make that even more with the scope choices available!!!

Choose a tuned valve and bolt for increased muzzle velocity if you want to hunt. Specify more shots per fill with an HDD and 2-stage trigger if you’re target shooting. Select an up-graded stock and carbine barrel for improved handling. Or all of them! It’s your choice in the Archer Airguns QB78 Deluxe Custom Shop.

This is far more choice than that of any other airgun custom shop, and yet it doesn’t require you to wait forever - average turnaround from order to shipment is only 7 - 10 working days.

You select:
- Caliber
- Main Tube
- Barrel
- Front Band
- Breech
- Bolt
- Bolt Handle
- Valve
- Trigger
- HDD
- Stock
- Scope Mounting
and more...

Please take a look and check out the possibilities!

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Bargain Offer on QB57 at Archer Airguns

Just arrived today at Archer Airguns is a great offer on the QB57 air rifle!

We have a limited number of these air rifles in both .177 and .22 caliber. They are priced $20.00 lower than our already low price on the QB57 Deluxe as - although it's the same air rifle - there's no hard plastic carrying case included. Neither are pellets and scope included.

And - even better - the shipping weight of this model is much less than that of the QB57 Deluxe, which means that it's a lot cheaper to ship, in spite of still being a heavy air rifle.

For the price of $59.99 (plus shipping), this Archer Airguns QB57 offer is a real bargain. These are all new - 2010 - production air rifles and are offered with our Bronze Service inspection prior to shipment.

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First Day of the Crosman NorthEast Regional Field Target Championship, 2011

Today, 8 July was the first day of the Crosman NorthEast USA Regional Field Target Championship. Again, this was held at Crosman corporate headquarters in Up-State New York.

Mainly this was a practice day, but there was a lot to do and see, including the (now usual) excellent Crosman factory tour.

Here's some highlights of the event.

1. Art Duel shows the beautiful stock he hand-crafted for his Marauder.

2. Ray Apelles shows a custom Marauder as master stock-maker Paul Bishop looks on. This bright red Marauder actually has an electronic trigger next to Ray's hand, together with a back-up mechanical trigger in the thumbhole of the stock. Yes, that's correct - two triggers. I shot it, too.

3. A real test for the afternoon was the "Quigley Bucket Challenge". This calls for five shots per competitor at a 1.75-inch wide bucket target at a range of 55 yards with a Challenger with beautiful Paul Bishop custom stock set to 6.5 ft/lb. Here Harold Rushton tries his hand at the Quigley Bucket. And yes, the target was hit by a total of 11 competitors, including me. I was so shocked to score that I've failed to record the name of the winner who achieved this feat twice. Oops! But he was presented with this Challenger as his prize and was very happy...

4. Late in the afternoon, Crosman employees produced a Rogue and we were invited to shoot it at cinder blocks and similar "reactive" targets. Here's me taking a shot.

5. And my response. Just the same as everyone else, a BIG smile!
Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the start of the Match. I can't wait!!!

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Stainless Steel Screws Improve The Appearance Of Your Stoeger Air Rifle

As you know, I'm a great fan of the Stoeger air rifles for their combination of quality, performance and price.

But one thing has always bugged me about them - those cheap front stock screws really look cheap! So here's the solution...

Archer Airguns has introduced a Stainless Stock Screw Kit for Stoeger X5, X10 and X20 air rifles. This provides two beautiful, high quality stainless steel stock screws to replace the black, Philips-head items on the standard gun. Also included are two matching stainless steel washers and an Allen wrench to tighten the new stock screws into place. To keep them tight - and your guns shooting accurately - we recommend that a drop of Loctite Blue threadlocker be applied to these new screws when you install them.

These stainless steel screws look good with a wood or cammo stock, but they really look excellent contrasted against a black, synthetic stock on Stoeger air rifles.

There's also a similar stainless steel stock screw kit for the Stoeger X50 air rifles. For a small cost and a few minutes of your time, you can make a lasting improvement in the looks of your favorite air rifle!

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At last! Test results from a dry Stoeger X20 Suppressor

As you may have read, I've previously published predictions for performance of the Stoeger X20 Suppressor air rifle in .22 caliber in "dry", non-dieseling state - in other words, representative of the gun's long-term performance.

Today, I found a factory-fresh, dry gun in Archer Airguns Gold Service testing - the first one to date. The test target is posted here and makes an interesting comparison with the predictions I had made for an "average" gun based on the previously-available data.
So, it seems that this test is on the high - that's mostly good - side of my expectations for an average gun in dry condition. But it's pretty close.

I hope that this will be further confirmation of "real world" performance for those reading reviews and tests of the Stoeger X20 Suppressor before deciding to make a purchase of this excellent-value air rifle!

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