RTI Arms Priest 0033

Certainly. 5 hours just isn’t enough time to get to know any gun.

So some of the pictures I post here are going to be redundant to the album but this way you guys won’t have to go to other sites just to see the picture although the quality of the image is going to be much higher in the album.

LOOK AND FEEL:
Well I wanted to show it next to an AR because that is a system many of us are very familiar with. Length of pull is basically the same, shouldering is the same, cheek weld at least for me is basically the same, weight distribution is similar although I didn’t weigh either gun. I think it is sufficient to say that if you like the AR platform the Priest will feel at home in your hands. It isn’t heavy but it does have quite a bit of heft on it. Not too bad off hand shooting but great using a tree as a stabilizer.
Here is another picture with the setup I had to sight in, basically just a gripod I had added but don’t intend to use all the time.

MECHANICS:



So the top 2 images show behind the left side cover. Here you will see the Bolt/Pellet Probe (from here on I will refer to this as the bolt) and I think it should quell a lot of concern about blowback. Needless to say they have that part covered. The one thing that the shooter needs to know is that the charging handle is spring loaded forward but not enough to cam the bolt down and lock it in. This has to be done manually so be sure that you push to charging handle all the way to the front and you will feel and hear the click of the bolt camming into its locked position.

The charging handle is a fucking bear. If you have ever fired a M2 .50cal, I joked around about the charging handle on the Priest being harder to work. Right now it isn’t smooth and it take a very strong, deliberate, and swift rearward motion and then easy to the front with that last click to cam the bolt down. In plain words, NO, I don’t like it. But it works…

The trigger isn’t bad but it isn’t great. The trigger linkage is like a long ramp acting on the sear. As for the “adjustment” on the second stage. I am going to through out a SAFETY WARNING that is also clearly and plainly put into the manual which I really hope every one who buys this reads. The set screw for the second stage adjustment works purely off reducing the sear engagement to the hammer. IF YOU SCREW IT IN TOO FAR IT WILL FIRE!! IF YOU DON’T LEAVE ENOUGH SEAR ENGAGEMENT, THE HAMMER MAY FALL WITHOUT THE TRIGGER BEING PULLED. I am not a safety addict but I backed that set screw out basically til it is like it isn’t even there. There are a few problems with this though that I’ll try to cover.
1.)If you interrupt your trigger pull you must keep in mind that the sear is LESS engaged that it was to start out with and this could mean unintentional firing. I have seen many other guns that have this issue and it is simply a physics thing that you have to know.
2.)If you interrupt your trigger pull you can not pull the bolt back again to bring the hammer back enough to fully reset the sear back onto the hammer face less you remove the mag as you will load another pellet into the barrel. Then once that shot is fired obviously you will have to reload the mag. Not the end of the world but it is annoying.
3.)With the “trigger adjustment” set screw backed off as far as I have it, the trigger breaks clean but will have a lot of creep. It isn’t stagey or heavy but you can feel as the linkage ramps up on the sear for quite a ways to a clean break.
Now. I am a trigger snob. Always have been. I can work with any trigger but I like them light, short, and effective. Now I may be asking too much here out of this gun because in it’s favor the trigger is very simple and I don’t see any issues with the way that it is made of failing. But I am going to come right out and say that I don’t like it but it is usable and I will have to get used to it. The issue that I have is because of it’s simplicity and its sear I don’t know that I can devise a way to make it better.

Now, for the tuners, the mechanics on this gun are so crude and simple that I dont see how coming up with parts to make the hammer spring tunable will be hard. However, and this is big, I don’t think it can be done without machining a new back plate. When the charging handle is all the way to the rear the hammer is basically touching the rear plate. Not exactly tuner friendly. Replacement springs will likely have to be made but I will put more on that later when I get more time.

PERFORMANCE:

Here is where the good bits come in. This gun is ACCURATE. At least it was at the 35 yards I shot it at. Now I didn’t post any pictures of the targets I shot but I will after this weekend but after I sighted the gun it the pellets drilled where my crosshairs were every single freaking time. I fired about 75 rounds and even took my first dove. He was a bit farther than 35 yards but not too much… 40 or 45 so I aimed at the top of his head anticipating a bit of drop and it practically took the bird’s head off. I couldn’t be more pleased with that considering I don’t really know this gun yet. My chrony was being a royal pain in the ass because I think it had too much sunlight but when I did get readings they were all between 885 and 890 fps. I was a bit upset with that considering the card I got from RL showing 910ish. Maybe it has to do with Pueblo’s 4500′ altitude vs my 750′ in Charlotte, NC but never the less either there is a chrony discrepancy or something but I need a better day with more consistent testing to be sure. More on that to come. I am happy with it’s performance so far.

MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS:
I don’t dislike the gun but I am not in love yet. I really love it’s downrange performance. I didn’t talk about noise too much because I have a Fatboy on mine and the report is quiet enough. The regulator squealch is right by your head and although that sound isn’t loud, it is loud enough and long enough that I can really focus in on the report. I took the shround off and I didn’t find the vent hole Gregor refered to and I have my doubts about how it would quiet the report on this gun even if it was there. Truthfully the closest comparison I have for report is my son’s Crosman 760 pumpmaster. They sound about the same with the Fatboy on it but with just the gun it is louder, on the verge on not backyard friendly but I would use it anyway. That’s just me though. I really wish I could compare this to a Cricket .25 and if anyone is close to Charlotte, NC I would really like to meet up for a shooting and compare the guns. Cricket initially caught my attention but the look, flexibility, and price of the Priest got me. I could go on but I am going to stop and if anyone has questions I’ll do my best to answer them.