I did not get the Ruger air rifle I had planned to.

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btefft

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I did not get the Ruger air rifle I had planned to.

I did not get the Ruger I had planned to. The one I got is called the Ruger Blackhawk. This gun is new for 2009. It still carries Ruger’s name. It’s made in China. It’s rated at 1000 fps. If you want to see one http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/...al-air-rifle-with-4x32-mm-scope.aspx?a=524681

The one I was originally planning to get is http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ruger-air-hawk-177-caliber-air-rifle-combo.aspx?a=436725

Here are Ruger's three air rifles http://www.sportsmansguide.com/sear...sp+KW+Box&s=SEARCH&a=search&k=Ruger+air+rifle

So far, I am very pleased with the Blackhawk.

It came with an “air rifle” scope (one that can handle recoil in both directions.) And as for recoil, it does kick - that surprised me. It’s also loud – not as loud as a 22 LR rimfire, but it did make some noise – especially when I shot Gamos Raptor pellets, the air rifle was noticeably louder when I shot those pellets. It may be my imagination, but it appears to be less loud now, after about 100 pellets.

I shot, and chronied, three kinds of pellets.
Crosman’s Pointed pellets,
Crosman’s Wad-cutter pellets and
Gamos Gold Raptor pellets.

I zeroed the scope using the pointed pellets and when I shot the other two kinds, they did not group well. But, that doesn’t stand to reason, because to me, even though the scope wasn’t zeroed with them they should still have had nice groups somewhere around the target.

Oh yeah, I thought zeroing the scope was going to be a challenge, since you can’t look through the bore, nor see under the scope, to get the scope on paper. What I did was set the target about 10 yds out and take a shot. Fortunately the pellet hit on the paper at about 7 o’clock, 4 inches out. After that, zeroing the scope was simple.

I took a picture of a tight 5 shot group (covered with a quarter) from 15 yds and another from 25 yds (a little bigger), but "lost the image" - I'll have make another.

But, here’s the chrony results of the three kinds of pellets

Crosman’s Wad-Cutter – I weighed them and they weighed between 7.9 and 8.0 g.

821.5 fps
825.2
839.1
840.7
841.3
841.9
842.0
844.2
850.6
858.0
858.4
859.1

Avg = 843.5 fps


Crosman’s Pointed pellet – I weighed them and they weighed between 7.4 and 7.5 g.

890.5 fps
890.6
891.0
895.9
898.7
900.0
901.3
901.8
902.9
903.9
905.1

Avg = 898.3 fps


Gamos Gold Raptor pellet – I weighed them and they weighed between 5.1 and 5.2 g.

1051
1063
1076
1079
1085
1089
1091
1102
1107
1118

Avg = 1086.1 fps


Observation: heavier pellets have lower velocities – no surprise there – so, when I hear that an air rifle is capable of shooting pellets at 1000 fps, I have to ask, what size pellet were they shooting?

Conclusion: even though this air rifle cost less that $100, with scope, (I got mine from Sportsman’s Guide) - it is a good shooting air rifle – its no wonder Ruger put their name on it.

With all that being said, I'm going to return it to Sportsman's Guide to get the Ruger Air Hawk (not Blackhawk version). Why, because I'm handicapped and the Blackhawk Air Hawk weighs in at a little over 8 lbs, the "plain" Air Hawk comes in at just over 6 lbs.

The Blackhawk Air hawk is about 1/4 inch longer in the barrel.
The "plain" Air Hawk has a wooden stock (makes it lighter - I guess)

I sure hope the other air rifle is as accurate as the Blackhawk Air Hawk.

Hack
 
They rate airguns with lightweight pellets, because big numbers sell. RWS, for instance, does theirs with their Hobby pellet, the lightest they make. Any velocity above about 1000fps is getting towards transsonic, and accuracy will begin to suffer. Pellets are designed strictly for subsonic flight.

You will find that your rifle (and any spring gun, or air gun in general) will be quite feed specific. Only a few pellets will group well. Another identical gun may prefer another pellet. That said, some pellets are generally good performers in alot of rifles. CPH, CPL, CPHP, JSB, RWS Superdomes, Gamo Rockets are in that category, generally.

The zero may change with each pellet. Group sizes will still be relevant. I tend to set the gun to shoot about 1" low when shooting groups. This way, my POA is not destroyed, so I can aim more consistantly.

Light pellets will cause more noise, as the piston slams home, and perhaps causes dieseling.

Is the bore of your rifle smokey after each shot? This will clear in time (500-2000 rounds typically), and is a sign that oils in the chamber are burning off. Basically a light dieseling. This would be worse with lighter pellets.

Congrats on your new gun. I've heard some good things about these inexpensive units.

J
 
Thanks for the info. Rarely it will smoke.

Mine seems to really like 8.1-8.2 g Crosman FP pellets.

I picked up some 8 g Crosman pointed pellets and, like you said, they group well, but a left of my POA.

Unfortunately the Blackhawk, at a little over 8 lbs, is a bit too heavy to be comfortable for me, handicapped as I am.

I called Sportsman's Guide and they are sending me a pre-paid return label for the Blackhawk. I'm swapping it for the regular Ruger Air Hawk (just over 6 lbs), .117 also. They cost the same. Great customer service!

I just hope the new Air Hawk shoots as good as the Blackhawk.

I took some pics of a target and will work up a shooting report soon.

Hack
 
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