Posts Tagged ‘beeman’
Beeman R7 – Airgun Review
Beeman R7 Elite in .177
W/ Mounted Bushnell 4-12×40 AO Scope
Written By,
Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Review Product & Supplies
Provided by: www.pyramydair.com
The Beeman R7 is a truly gorgeous airgun. It is virtually a miniature Beeman R9 in just about every way. The craftsmanship of the woodwork and metalwork is just what you’d expect from an expensive, high quality, German airgun.
The stock is simple and works equally well for both right and left handed shooters. There is nice checkering on the grip and forearm which is not only decretive but functional, adding texture to the stock.
The stature of the Beeman R7 is short and compact making it very light and easy to handle. The barrel is relatively short and has a weighted muzzle break for balance and to help with cocking the rifle. There are no open sights.
The Beeman R7 is all metal and wood with no plastic parts to be found. There is a distinct difference when you handle the Beeman R7 compared to other “youth” airguns. The fit and finish, the feel, and the “presence” of this rifle are only equaled by other high end airguns such as the Beeman R9 and the Air Arms TX200. With proper care and maintenance, this gun should last several lifetimes.
The Beeman R7 Elite ships from PyramydAir.com for about $450 and includes a mounted Bushnell, “dusk & dawn” 4-12×40 AO scope. This is a very nice scope and has one of the brightest site pictures that we’ve seen. The scope has a simple duplex reticule.
Perhaps the most surprising feature of the Beeman R7 is the Rekord Trigger. This is the same trigger that is found in the Beeman R9 and other high end Beeman models. The Rekord trigger is one of the top three airgun triggers that we’ve had the pleasure to test, the other two being the triggers on the Air Arms TX200 and the Benjamin Marauder. The Beeman R7 has an automatic safety at the rear of the gun that is reset between shots.
While the Beeman R9 is a true blue hunting airgun, the Beeman R7 is designed for 10 meter target practice. It weighs in at around 8 pounds, with the scope, is extremely easy to cock, and is not overly hold sensitive. It is setup perfectly for smaller shooters and is ideal for shooting paper targets, spinners and learning how to properly handle an airgun.
Our velocity tests showed that Beeman R7 topped out at around 667 FPS with the 7.0 grn RWS hobbies, our standard pellet for testing a rifle’s maximum velocity.
Here are the results of our velocity tests with the RWS Hobbies:
- High – 667 FPS
- Low – 647 FPS
- Average – 654 FPS
- Extreme Spread – 20 FPS
- Standard Deviation – 5 FPS
- Average Energy – 6.65 FT-LB
The advertised velocity for this rifle is 700 FPS making these results quite good being only a few FPS off the mark.
Our most accurate pellets were the Crosman Premier Lights in the cardboard box. They are a 7.9 grn pellet, slightly heavier than the RWS Hobbies, and they gave us the following results:
- High – 609
- Low – 596
- Average – 602
- Extreme Spread – 13
- Standard Deviation – 3
- Average Energy – 6.36 FT-LB
The Beeman R7 is designed for optimal accuracy at 10 yards, but we also performed tests at 25 yards, just to make it stretch its legs a bit.
This first group is from 10 yards. As you can see, the accuracy is what you’d expect from a fine German airgun baring the Beeman name.
10 Yards using the Crosman Premier Lights
This second group is from 25 yards. While not as good as the Beeman R9, it is still VERY respectable.
25 Yards using the Crosman Premier Lights
The Beeman R7 is a wonderfully fun airgun and is a complete joy to shoot. It may not be a hunting airgun, but it is extremely accurate and you can shoot it all day long without getting worn out.
If there is one down side to the Beeman R7 it is only in the price tag. At around $450, it is an expensive airgun, but worth it when quality is more important than price. Everything about the Beeman R7 is quality and precision. The Beeman R7 has the famous Rekord Trigger which can’t be overlooked. When it comes to accuracy a lot of things play a role. For me, having a trigger with a crisp, light 2nd stage is really important. That is one of the things that make the Beeman R7 as good as it is.
Written By, Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Copyright 2011, Dog River Design, LLC – All Rights Reserved.
Walther Falcon Hunter .22 Cal w/ Air Venturi Gas Ram
Written By,
Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Review Product & Supplies Provided by:
www.pyramydair.com
It seems today everyone is looking for power, power, power, which is achieved often times at the expense of accuracy. In this article however, we are going to talk about a rifle that delivers both. The Walther Falcon Hunter is a break barrel rifle that comes in .22 or .25 caliber. Talking about power for a moment, the .22 version we are testing, sends pellets down range at speeds similar to .177 rifles that use much lighter pellets. For example, the Falcon Hunter sends 21.1 gr. Beeman Extra Heavy pellets to the target at 690 FPS. This translates into 22.31 foot pounds at the muzzle. Even more impressive are the Gamo Hunters at 15.3 gn. Which scream down range at 860 FPS generating an amazing 25.13 foot pounds. But before we get too ahead of ourselves let’s take a look at the rifle in detail.
Our test rifle from PyramydAir.com, complete with the AirVenturi Gas Ram.
On paper the Falcon Hunter weighs a shade under 8 pounds. My guess is more like 9 pounds with the scope as it feels pretty heavy to me. It comes in a unique Mossy Oak Break-Up composite stock, includes front and rear (fully adjustable) fiber optic sights and even ships with a decent 3-9×44 scope equipped with an adjustable objective and illuminated mil-dot reticule. Our test model came direct from PyramydAir.com with the AirVenturi Gas Ram upgrade installed. The gas ram replaces the stock spring and provides a smoother, more enjoyable and consistent shooting experience. It also allows you to leave the rifle cocked without the fear of wearing out the spring prematurely.
Front Fiber Optic Sight
Fully adjustable rear fiber optic sight
Walther’s 3-9×44 AO, IR, MD Scope
Walther’s 3-9×44 AO, IR, MD Scope
Walther makes a pretty big deal about the grooved dovetail stating that the groves allow accessories to “lock” into place like on a Weaver style mount. Unfortunately, Walther did not utilize them with the included scope rings, but rather relied on a fixed scope stop to prevent scope slippage. This sets the scope too far forward for me to shoot comfortably. If I could find some rings that would allow me to move the scope back to the last groove, it would be just about perfect.
The stock, as mentioned before, is made from a composite material and comes in Mossy Oak Break-Up. I was not thrilled with this stock because it feels hollow and not very sturdy. I’ve heard grumblings that the recoil from the factory spring causes breaks in the stock along with other issues such as screws coming loose. I’m pleased to report that I’ve not had any issues with the gas ram version. The stock just feels a bit weak to me. Other features include forearm and grip checkering along with a raised cheek piece for all the right-handed shooters out there. Lefties will have to live without the raised cheek piece. One last feature is that the stock comes with inserts to lengthen the stock for those that want to adjust the length of the pull.
Raised cheek piece for right handed shooters. Notice the checkering on the grip.
Right side of the stock.
Checkering on the forearm
Shooting the Walther Falcon Hunter takes a great deal of strength and patience. The cocking force of the rifle is at or close to 60 pounds from my estimation and the trigger pull is not far behind. Of course I’m exaggerating about the trigger, but not by much. If there is a real weak point in this rifle, it is with the trigger. The trigger is made of a similar composite material and does not seem to have any real adjustment to speak of. While shooting the rifle you will have to pay very close attention to your trigger pull so that it does not turn into trigger yank. There is an automatic safety that will please some and annoy others. I’ve grown accustom to rifles that set the safety automatically so it did not bother me.
Walther’s trigger.. back to the drawing board… this thing is terribly hard to pull.
Walther’s automatic safety. You can reset it even after you’ve pulled it out to shoot.
As mentioned above this rifle came equipped with the AirVenturi Gas Ram and as you can see below, it completely replaces the factory spring. I’m not sure what is involved in the upgrade, but I know it should only be done by those experienced in working with high powered spring guns. You need special equipment to safely perform the upgrade. For this reason, PyramydAir.com offers the upgrade as an option direct from their warehouse. It adds a little more than $90 to the overall cost of the rifle, and as I’ve mentioned in my other articles, it is money well spent. The gas spring delivers smoother cocking, reduced recoil, and often times more powerful and more consistent velocity.
The sliver tube is the gas ram. Notice the absence of any spring.
The Falcon Hunter performed very well right out of the box and the shooting characteristics are similar to other break barrel rifles. It is somewhat hold sensitive and requires good shooting technique if you want predictable results. The cards below show typical results while shooting from 20 yards. I found that resting the rifle on the palm of my hand with my thumb and fore finger at the stock screw in front of the trigger guard yielded the most consistent results. All of these groups are between .5” and .8” CTC. At only 20 yards I’d like to see tighter groups than .5” but I’m not going to get them with this trigger so I’ll settle for what I can get. With a lighter trigger I know the groups will improve.
Predator “Poly-Mag” Polymer Tipped Hunting Pellets, Average Velocity, 838 FPS, 16 gr., 24.96 foot pounds.
Gamo Hunter Pellets (best group at just under .5” CTC), Average Velocity 860 FPS, 15.3 gr., 25.13 foot pounds
Beeman Field Target Specials, Average Velocity 880 FPS, 14.6 gr., 25.11 foot pounds.
Beeman Kodiak Extra Heavy Pellets, Average Velocity 690 FPS, 21.1 gr., 22.31 foot pounds.
What is interesting about the above cards is that the size of the groups varied very little between pellets. The point ofimpact varied significantly however, especially with the Beeman Kodiaks. This rifle shoots many different pellets well and allows you can pick the best pellet for your application, zero your scope to that pellet, and feel confident that you will hit the mark.
The Falcon Hunter does pose a bit of a quandary. The above shot cards don’t really show what this rifle is capable of. For example, when you are looking at .5” groups at 20 yards, you can expect that to open up greatly at 30 and 40 yards. This is just not the case as I get fairly similar groups out to 35 yards. The rifle itself is quite accurate. Holding the proper sight picture throughout the trigger pull, recoil, and follow through is where the patience and practice comes into play.
To prove this point, I decided to give the Falcon Hunter one last chance to shine. This time, taking in all I had learned from yesterday’s session. I settled in at the bench and began running pellets through the rifle. Amazingly enough, things started to tighten up and I ended the day with the following group. Turns out that you need to really take your time and really control your body during the trigger pull AND the follow through after the shot. If Walther could just lighten up that trigger, this would be an unbeatable combo. The following group was shot with the Crosman Pointed pellets.
Crosman Pointed Hunting Pellets. Average Velocity 880 FPS, 14.3 gr., 24.6 foot pounds.
All in all, the Walther Falcon Hunter has proven to be an accurate and powerful addition to my airgun arsenal. Two areas of improvement that I would suggest to Walther would be to drastically improve the trigger and strengthen the stock. With those to two changes, this would be an almost unbeatable combination of power and accuracy. I want to give a special thanks to PyramydAir.com for providing this rifle and all the supplies. This version, with the gas ram, retails for $358.99.
Written By,
Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Copyright 2009, Dog River Design, LLC – All Rights Reserved.
Beeman Silver Sting .22 Caliber, Oh what a difference the right pellet makes…
Written By,
Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Review Product and Supplies provided by:
www.pyramydair.com
I’m often asked why I volunteer so much of my time to review these products. It is true that I’m a gun nut so just the opportunity to shoot so many different types of airguns is almost reason enough. Another reason is the sheer challenge of it all. Sometimes you just know that a rifle has the potential to be a real shooter. You just have to find the right combination to see it all come together. The Beeman Silver Sting has proven to be just such a project.
The Silver Sting is based on one of my favorite rifles, the TechForce® Contender 89. The major differences are that the Silver Sting has a composite stock and comes with a nickel plated barrel and receiver rather than a standard blued finish. This rifle represents the top end of Beeman’s Chinese imports.
I really like they way Beeman has designed the Silver Sting. The nickel finish really makes the rifle stand out in a crowd and the contrasting composite stock is simple but feels very solid. The shape of the stock feels a bit too square for me, but that is a really minor point. One other minor flaw was with the plastic covers that protect the stock screws. They quickly came loose and fell off while shooting.
The rifle ships with a Beeman 3-9×40 scope with an adjustable objective. The scope is a good match for this rifle with one small exception. It needs a mil-dot reticule to help with range estimating. The trajectory of a .22 pellet tends to drop significantly beyond 30 yards. Having a mil-dot equipped scope makes all the difference when you are in the field and need to hit targets at different ranges with confidence.
The Silver Sting ships with an upgraded trigger that is far superior to the standard Gamo, Crosman, and other Chinese triggers. It seems to be marginally adjustable via the two screws in the photo below. The safety is automatically set each time you cock the rifle. Taking the rifle off safety becomes second nature after just a few shooting sessions. The trigger does tend to be a little loose, but it is very predictable and easy to work with.
Now back to the challenge posed by the Silver Sting. Knowing that the Silver Sting and the Contender 89 come from the same Chinese factory, I knew that it should have a similar shooting potential. When I got to the range I was shocked to see that the velocity was off pace by about 70 to 80 FPS across the board and the accuracy was nowhere near what it should be, not even close. I was only getting 3” and 4” groups at 20 yards. For a rifle that boasts extraordinarily tight groups, this was absolutely unacceptable. As you can see below, the Crosman Premier Hollow Points, a favorite of the Contender 89, yielded horrible results.
Crosman Hollow Point Premier, 14.3 gr., Average Velocity 664 FPS, 14 foot pounds
With results like that, I nearly gave up, but it takes more than a few bad shot groups to knock me off a project. Working with different holds and pellets I found that the rifle, like most break barrels, is hold sensitive. In fact I found the Silver Sting to be very hold sensitive. The best hold turned out to be the standard “artillery” hold spoken of by Tom Gaylord. Simply rest the forearm, near the balance point of the rifle, in the palm of your hand and don’t grip it, just let it rest there. With your shooting hand, hold the rifle firmly, but not to the point of being ridged and gently squeeze the trigger. Make sure to maintain the proper sight picture and follow through on each shot. Follow through is what happens after you pull the trigger. Spring guns are not like firearms. The pellet travels down the barrel much more slowly than a bullet from a high powered rifle. You need to let the gun finish moving around before you move or change position. By using a proper follow through technique you will find your groups improve significantly.
The following photos are two more groups with increasing accuracy. The first group was shot with the Beeman Kodiak Pellets. They only managed to generate just over 600 FPS. The second, and more accurate group was shot with the Beeman Silver Bear pellet which is a lightweight pellet that has proven to be pretty accurate across several different rifles.
Beeman Kodiak Extra Heavy Pellets, 21.1 gr., Average Velocity 606 FPS, 17.21 foot pounds
Beeman Silver Bear, 12.65 gr., Average Velocity 725 FPS, 14.77 foot pounds
Now that the groups were improving, yet nowhere near what they should be, I knew I was on to something. I only had to find the magic combination. And then, after several days of shooting, about a dozen different types of pellets, and about 100 shot cards, I found it. The Gamo Hunter pellets came out on top and yielded the following group.
Gamo Hunter Pellets, 15.3 gr., Average Velocity 650 FPS, 14.36 foot pounds
This was the satisfaction that I was waiting for. With the right hold and pellet, the Silver Sting shot these groups all day long. It was an amazing thing to go from 4” groups all the way down to groups the size of dime. Here’s the best part, it will consistently shoot dime sized groups as long as you do your part. What started as an utter disappointment turned out to be a really excellent shooting rifle.
The Beeman Silver Sting is a decent shooting rifle when you have the right pellet and use the right technique. It generates velocities that are a little on the low side for me, but adequate for 20 to 30 yards. I want to thank PyramydAir.com for providing this review item and all the supplies. The rifle, which seems to have had a small facelift since my sample product arrived, sells for $220.
Written By,
Rick Eutsler
Editor / Owner www.AirGunWeb.com
editor@airgunweb.com
Copyright 2009, Dog River Design, LLC – All Rights Reserved.