Why the bias for Air Force airguns?
Alright, I admit I’m a newbie and I don’t yet own an AF rifle. I also admit I bought a very nice foreign made PCP to get my feet wet, but since then I’ve been wanting to step up for both power and quiet to hunt more. I’m involuntarily retired so I have a lot of energy to channel and I read a lot of forums, articles, etc. I also shoot my CZ almost every day. I almost always at least look at fellow newbie posts to see what other people are asking and looking for so I don’t leave something out on my next purchase. To me that’s part of learning the game? Why is it that when I see a post for “high end airguns” or an “I want to spend “X” amount of dollars (usually $1000’s) to hunt and shoot targets” post that I never see AF rifles suggested or recommended?
I realize we live in a global economy and I’ve been fortunate to have been able to sample some of the best England, Sweden, Germany, The Czech Republic, and Tennessee have to offer, most costing in excess of $1000. They make some really nice rifles! Almost all needing some degree of modification to up the power or quiet the noise or whatever?
I’m a Texan and a lifelong hunter and the cost, reputation for both power and quiet, and the further degree of improvement available from and for AF seems like a no brainer to me? I know I’m becoming a bit of a curmudgeon, but is it the jarhead coming out in me or am I missing something when AF’s aren’t represented?
Sorry for my Buy American rant, when I drove a tractor on the Katy prairie I had an “Eat More Rice” bumper sticker on my pickup truck. It’s what I am!
👿 Will 😈
All Replies
synopsys,
Yes I was at Somerville on Saturday AM to see some rifles I haven’t been able to see in Houston. I know I saw your USFT because I stopped and admired each one I saw. I didn’t compete and had to leave early. I was wearing a bright orange BMW shirt.
-Will-
Will, were you at the FT championships in Somerville?
Who were you? We may have met, I was there shooting a red USFT with a crazy custom made thigh rest. Managed to come in second in the PCP Open class even though the match was cut short due to weather.
I was in a bad one back in ’92, almost lost my left foot. 😯
synopsys,
I have looked at the USFT and I admire the design. I was able to talk briefly with both LD and Tim McMuuray at the FT chamionship recently. If I wanted to settle on a 22 the USFT would be in the running but the TM1000 would most certtainly give it a good run for the money.
I also agree with your bike statement about weight and of course the Brttan photo. I probably wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t been disabled in a motorcycle accident three years ago tomorrow. I probably wouldn’t have a right foor if not for a beautifully machined light bar on my Buell Ulysses that was made by Gary Eliseo. I like the similarity in design of Gary’s tube guns, the USFT, and the AF’s.
I’m an old CRRC/WERA endurance racer and I like what you’ve done with yout Titan. I was selling BMW’s at the time of my accident. If you want to fast forward a bit, go demo a S100RR. It is the state of the art IMHO, of course YMMV.
Finally, back to the power conversation I’m here about a .25 caliber Condor or bigger.
Thanks for the replies, Will
Here is a little two stroke beauty I worked up YEARS ago…
Suzuki T500, late 60’s early 70’s. 400lbs stock, I got it down to around 250lbs. Triple disc, mag rims, GSXR rear sets, ported, oversized pistons, carbed, jetted and with hand built chambers with SuperTrap tips. Crazy fast, could do burn outs with just holding on to the handlebars (no front brake) and the only sport bike I have ridden that would pull a wheelie when exiting a corner and it would stop on a dime from 80mph!
Ya just gott’a love light weight and Horse Power! 😈 😀
When we go OFF TOPIC, we do it so “damed well”! 😆
So that’s what an AF gun can be like. Pure unadulterated POWER, or just a low and sneaky slow back yard plinker.
What other platform can you shoot bottle caps in the back yard in town in themorning,’ take 15 minutes to re-configure, and go Wild Boar hunting in the evening? Anyone??? Chirp-Chirp-Chirp! 😈
Syn, I had a buddy that was feeling poorly one night at the drag strip, and he wanted me to take a test pass in his shoebox nova. Damed thing damed near killed me. Fast? not really, but it was the worst handeling thing I have ever been in. Well, except a Little Red Wagon going down a steep gravel road when I was about 5. 😯 😯 😯 😉
Knife
I had the 500, and a buddy had the 750. He’d had it a couple months when he goosed it a bit too hard, and rolled completely over an LTD. The day I got mine, I got busted for wheel standing out of a red light. I explained that I couldn’t help it. The cop looked at the bike a minute and let me go.
Man, that brought back some memories. 😀 When the 900 K’s cam out, I was riding a new 750 Boniville. Man that thing handled! But the Kawie’scame out, they Blew me away! 😯 I tried the Harleys, but never could get use to the tingeling in my feet and legs when I parked E’M. 😆
KnifeMaker
My Kawi 2-stroke triple got too expensive to fix, and I was drooling on a totally new idea in bikes, the Ninja (which tells you how old this story is). A buddy had just ordered a new ElectraGlide and was hassling me to try his special order ’79 bowling ball Sportster. I finally gave in and took it down the road just to shut him up. The next day, we transferred the title. It was my primary transportation for over a decade.
John
Syn, I had to give up bikes. I loved the F-1 sound and speed. TOO Much! I just got crazier and crazier. 😆 seem like I tried to kill myself often. 😆 May-be I need to step down to something slow and boring like a Harley. 😳 😆 😆 😆
KnifeMaker
Only good rice burners are the old two stroke GP bikes. Those things were nuts! :8: Sucks they phased them out, closest thing to F1 on two wheels.
Although I have to give an honorable mention to the ’93 CBR900RR, light and nimble with lots of power.
I refuse to ride it if it’s over 400lbs and the handlebars can’t touch the ground when leaned over… 
This, though, is probably one of the most amazing things on two wheels ever created by a human. The creator cast the entire engine in his garage out of aluminum, everything was handmade, machined and developed by one guy, went up against the bigs and nearly beat them at their own game…
Nothing like Pure, Un Adulterated Nasty Assed POWER!!! 😈
Mike Marilo had some really Wicked stuff he put out of San Antone for a while. He was the leader in Turbo mods for domestic Killer Beast for years! 😀
God—-Rice Burners! 😆 I’ve had starters that put out more horse power than those souped up buzz boxes. 🙄 😆 😆
Knife
I was rolling about 50 on the access road around the loop in San Antonio and noticed a 5.0 Mule and a nitrous rice rocket duking it out at speed and coming up fast behind me. I lit off my T-Bird Turbo and they fell back so fast it surprised even me. God I miss that car.
I love Nova’s, Plastic Fantastic Vet’s and slow marrow’s My Mr. 5.0 Mustang use to eat them for breakfast, Lunch and dinner on the street and at the Drag Strip!
But the best Lunch I ever ate was a bit Exotic. A 430 Ferrai. Man, Wild- Stang and I “Really Enjoyed” that Meal! 😈 😀
KnifeMaker
KM, just don’t turn the wheel in that Nova, you may find yourself off the road… 😉 😆 You can however swap out your truck rear axel with your Nova rear axel. Plug and play across the board, a feature that can be good AND bad in cars and air rifles.
If the OP is looking for accuracy, power (22 caliber) and American made let me suggest a Mac-1 USFT with a Benchmark barrel. Sure it’s space gun looking (I got rid of ALL of the wood) but what use is a beautiful rifle if it don’t shoot for shit? 😮
Sit down before you look at the price though…
But I had nearly as much into my TalonSS with six barrels, four tanks, extra valves, hammers, trigger guard, custom grip adapter, pump and a bunch more things when I sold it off. But if you are looking for a utility airgun that can be modded into a high power 25cal monster one day and a plinking 6ft/lb 177 backyard quiet sniper the next with the same frame and action then AF is certainly the way to go.
It can also go to the next level, 257 hand cast bullets, four shots per fill with a larger tank and LOTS and LOTS of ft/lbs pushing out to 600 yards. Not many production built air rifles can be modified as the AF platform can.
But as most things go, when you up the power stuff flexes and the AF platform purely by design flexes at the bottle collar. Certainly not the best design but also not the worst.
The TalonSS was a gateway air rifle for me, it served it’s purpose and let me experiment with a few different calibers, barrel lengths and softened me up price wise for the more high end rifles. Sure initially the $600 was tough to swallow, but after getting twice that in extra parts a $2500 USFT wasn’t such a big deal. Then one USFT became two, I added an EdGun, then a Cricket… 😐 I went from plinking to silhouettes to field target and will probably enter the benchrest foray next year.
I think AF doesn’t get much web action because it’s mid level and people tend to go low end or high end.
It’s a can’t go wrong platform for sure. 😉
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
The Airforce line is a utilitarian product. It gets the job done. The barrels are good quality, the valve is about as consistent as you can ask for without a regulator. As such is is powerful and accurate. That said, it is not much of a work of art. No beautiful bluing, not wonderful wood. It is harder to shoot than some rifles since the ergonomics demands a high scope. Likewise the valve is not incredibly efficient – uses air liberally.
If cost is not an issue, there are other rifles out there that do some (if not all) things better. Given the cost of the complete pcp package, it is easy to see people dropping a few more hundred to get something that they perceive is better.
—
Worked out hard this weekend and am sore all over. Tried to shoot some and there was no way I was going to shoulder my talon and lower my head to look through the scope. Just too sore and too hard to get my head down.m Going to order taller rings tonight. Have not worked up my drop tables, but will need to factor in sight height a bit when I do.