This is a quick tale of my first impressions of my new Air Wolf.
I bought it from Airguns of Arizona [AoA], and got good verbal support as I waited for the shipment to make it to their doors, so I'd buy from them again. It came double-boxed, and in spite of the problems I had with UPS losing it, causing a 6-day delay and doing who knows what to it, it arrived unharmed except for a pushed in tear in the inner box. I survived the anxiety until it made it to my door.
I had a surprise when I took the inner box out of the outer box. It said "18fpe" on it. I thought was 20fpe, because on AoA's site, I saw a 19.4fpe on a graph, but this was only with 10.6 Kodiak, I guess.
That was a bummer. It came with a printout of a 8-shot chrony session that averaged 870 with a 10.6 g [looked kinda like a "k", so I assume kodiak]. It was, however, quite good in the average % spread
Trigger pull ----- 3 1/2 ounces
Fill pressure = 190 bar
868 high = 875
863* low = 863
870 max diff = 12
875* ============
868 average = 870
870 ============
872 ave spread = 1.4%
866
[hope I didn't screw the math up.]
IMHO, a 20fpe, better yet a 23fpe, would have been better, as you could select down to a lower level if needed with the setting program. That kodiak would have been a lot easier to hit something at 55 yards if it were doing 920+.What's the point of having an adjustable fpe rifle if you start low to begin with?
[Photo - box]
It was packed very well in formed styrene foam, and everything was there.
When I took it out of the factory box, I saw the stock was nice, but didn't seemed to be finished as well as a $2k gun should be, as it was very grainy and porus. After some stock rejuvinator and some gunwax, it now has a nice smooth, satin glow, grips nice [the stock feels GREAT], and looks like filled wood.
The walnut was attractive but plain, which was fine for me, as I would have liked a synth stock and $300 US off and no worrying about denting it. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option, and there are no aftermarket ones available, just very costly one-off custom jobs.
The Scope was mounted and reasonably zeroed. I got a Nikko Sterling 6-24x56 [recommended by AoA], but I missed the the illuminated reticle. Black crosshairs get lost in a black bulls-eye, and the illumination got rid of that problem. It came with an extended sun-shade and a 4" wheel. The markings on the wheel were closer than I expected as I zeroed on my target. The optics seemed clear and focused.
The Harris bipod could have been mounted on the end of the forestock [what there is of it] but I bought one of Tony Tyrer's bottle clamps so I wouldn't have to drill a hole. The rifle still had excellent [for me] balance. It came in just under 11 lbs with the whole kit. Now I have to get familiar with the many programming functions -- alarms and counters and power level etc. -- so I can have full control in the field without having to read the manual.
The gun came with the battery charged, I assumed fully, which is good for 1000 shots, but I wanted to be sure. The charger for the fireing circuits comes with a selection of 6 selectable tips and no instructions. I used the one that fit the socket in the gun. .Then Ifound out from a Daystate Owners Club denizen[DOC] that the center was "+" so I got it going, and fully charged the battery overnight.
The plug did not fit well, and touching it just a little stopped the charging, as seen by the blinking LED going out.I had to keep it pulled to the side to keep it charging.
When I started shooting it [from the top of my barbecue], with the snippets of time I had on the 25yard range I had in my back yard, I had to stop myself from taking the gun off the rest as if trying to break the barrel. That went away after about 10 shots. I then tried the 10-shot magazine, and contrary to what others said, by following the instruction, I got it to work smoothly. You have to fully pull the bolt back to successfully index the cylinderI shoot 10 shots in about 20 seconds with no problem. I almost forgot, the gun is dead quiet. You hear the trigger click, and the pellet hit the backstop and that's it.
The trigger came adjusted from AoA and it had about a quarter-inch of 1st stage, and the letoff is unmeasurable. You touch it, and with the smallest amount of a twitch, it fires. I'm getting used to it, but I accidently fired it every so often.
I could only do about 100 shots, so there isn't much data. A velocity profile may have to wait awhile, with the holiday goings-on, but I'll get my bench out and try some serious shooting when I get a free, cloud-free day. If it snows, I get over to the Westfield Sportsman's Club and use their indoor range.
Unexpectedly, the gun is hold sensitive, though with just a bit of concentration it was easy to cloverleaf.
Unfortunately, cloverleaf's are just not good enough anymore. Once I'm good at 25yds, I'll start going further out.
I got the .177 to be qualified for target shooting, though I thought I saw a few .22's at the last meet I observed..
I enjoy shooting, and it has a 3-year warranty, which can be done here by AoA, rather than sending it to England.
Unless I discover some critical failure somewhere down the line, I'll be getting the 40fpe .22 next summer.
addenda =====
*****My results***** 10.6 kodiak - - - -18 fpe. 877fpsFROM Airguns of Arizona, rifles by brand, Daystate, rifles, Air WolfFeatures:
Fully Baffled Barrel Shroud with Additional Thread on End
Programmable Power Settings
Superb, Adjustable 2-Stage Trigger
10-Shot Magazine or Single Shot Tray (both included)
Two Safety Mechanism for Fully Disabling (two keys included)
External Quick Fill Nozzle
External Fill Pressure Gauge
Gary Cane Designed, High-Grade Walnut Ambi Thumbhole Stock with Rosewood Cap
Chrome Bolt Handle (Available Right or Left Handed)
Many Electronic Features like Shot Counters and Shooting Modes
11mm Dovetail Grooves Along Top of Receiver Block
SPECIFICATIONS |
Overall Length |
40.5" |
Barrel Length |
17" |
Muzzle Energy |
Adjustable down from:
.177 = 19 ft/lbs
.20 = 28 ft/lbs
.22 = 40 ft/lbs
.25 = 45 ft/lbs |
Shots Per Fill
(with 30 fps change) |
.177 = 180
.20 = 110
.22 = 70
.25 = 70 |
Rec. Fill Pressure |
210-220 |
Weight |
8.3 lbs |
Safety |
Electronic, Manual (Rotary), Resettable |
Metalwork Finish |
Satin Black |
.177 Caliber Results
180 shots per fill with 30fps total spread
Top velocity of 907 fps with Beeman Kodiak pellets
Maximum power at 19.37 ft/lbs with Beeman Kodiak pellets
*Note - Results will vary from rifle to rifle