Mike Melik BAM B-26

[JohnC]

Thanks mate!

[JohnC]

I order the mount you recommended TCups, $19.80 inc. shipping. Bargain, thanks!
Scope arrived yesterday but I will be keeping the open sights on for a while, until i get myself and the BAM broken in.

[FlashGordon]

Hey Mike. I sent you an email concerning B26 but I must have done something wrong because it did not appear in the forum. I was wanting to know how much to tune one. Thanks, Flashgordon @ aol.com :

[JohnC]

I mounted a Bushnell Banner, 4-12 x 40 on the gun with the mount recommended from ebay. Very impressed with the mount, and with the scopes too, great optics.
Wow, after a very short session to zero the scope at 10yds. this thing is a tack driver literally. The groups were less than 1/2" so for S*%t's & giggles I aimed at one of the tacks that was holding my target and hit it directly and then repeated this on the other tack.

Took the rifle down to a 65 acre ranch I've just gained access to, set up targets at 10 and 25 yds. At 25yds i was getting consistent 3/4" groups from a seated position, no rest for the gun other than my elbow on my knee.


Fired around a 100 or so RWS superdome pellets through it and then switched over to the Crossman Premiers, and these pellets performed much better than the first go around, I guess the gun is starting to settle in.

Also after getting more familiar with the gun, i won't be adjusting the trigger, at first i thought it was a lttle light, especially from what i was used too, but now I love it. This gun is far better than my expectations, and I'm sure it will be giving me many many hours of fun with it.
As I sat there plinking away yesterday it bought back many memories from my youth, many very happy memories!

I took a walk around the ranch about mid-morning to see if there were any varmint possibilities, didn't see too many, but that not surprising after shooting the gun for the last 2 hours! I'm sure there will be some opportunities to come. There are lots of Oak trees and cattle on the ranch too, so I'm sure Squirrels and Rats must be around there too!

Went to visit the in-laws yesterday and showed the F-I-L the new gun, coincidentally he has a crow problem that he wants to take care of, so he may well be in the market for a new gun too. So I dare say another MM BAM 26 will be heading to Florida real soon.

Did have one tense moment yesterday the FIL dry fired the rifle, he didn't realize it was detrimental to do so, I felt liked somebody had kicked my dog. Hopefully no damage was done, she seems to be shooting just as well.

I actually got to shoot at my first live target, the Crows flew in as we were in his back yard, and one roosted about 30 yds away and 30' up in a big Oak tree. I couldn't believe my luck, of the all the birds I've hunted, Crows are without doubt the cagieist creatures to get a shot at.

He hadn't seen me and I had his chest and head in full view, I squeezed off the trigger and the pellet struck the branch right at his feet, obviously didn't allow enough hold over in my excited state, or it could have just been operator error, I'm very out of practice. The crows took off and did not return for the rest of the afternoon, however I now have a my first pest control job! With the Mother-in-laws full permission. It's just such a pity she is so atatched to the squirrels on their property, there must be a colony of a couple of hundred living on their 3 acre property.  :emoticon:

So hopefully I'll soon be making a post or two in the hunting gate.

Thinking I'll be buying the F-I-L a BAM 26 for Xmas!

[5thumbs]

I must have purchased a "sibling" of your MM B26 .22 from Mike.  I have enjoyed your posts and my experiences, in some ways mirrors yours.  

For the 1st two weeks I shot the B26 with the iron sites.  This was the 1st time I shot unscoped.  Put about 400 pellets thru it and dry fired it accidently 1-2 times.  Got pretty good with it at 18 yards with "See and sight targets", but not as good as with a scope.  I'm in my mid 40's and my eyes are rapidly declining.   Highlight was shooting a crow at 38 yards that was very high in a tree.   It screamed, flew off (with puff of black feathers where it sat), got about 10 yards then died in the air with it's wings spread, inverted, and spinning like a helicoptor down into my neighbors yard.  Quite spectacular, except for me having to sneak over to my neighbors to clean things up).  
I put a scope on her this Friday.  Also used the mounts from Ebay (I paid $19 for them), and an old cheap scope (3-9 x 40 unknown brand name) that came with an R10 (I put a Legend scope on her a few years back) I purchased a very accurate  at 18 yards!  Fun stuff!

[TCups]

John:
Glad things worked out so well.  I have accumulated more than a few air rifles in a fairly short time, including some high-end models like the Theoben Crusader .20 and the Walther LGR-U .177.  But none were a better bargain than the Mike Melick tuned B-26's.  I have both the .177 and .22.  They are my benchmark springers against which all others are measured.  There are finer air rifles to be sure, but for someone wanting their first serious air rifle, and not wanting to work on the rifle themselves, I don't think a better bargain can be had.  I really like the 5-screw mount, too.  Very secure and priced right.  I had to restrain myself from ordering the QB78 Mike posted yesterday.  Had it not been for winter coming on, I would have probably bought one of those, too.

[JohnC]

Cool, good to know it has that kind of delivery 38 Yards is a good distance.
What peeltes are you putting through it. I've just ordered some RWS superpoints, for those feathered targets, hopefully better penetratin. My gun loves the RWS superdomes, so I'm hoping it will enjoy the points too.

Have you tried any predator/PBA type pelltes through your gun yet?


Mine is very accurate at 25yds and next opportunity i get I'm going to try her out to 40yds. to see how she performs

[5thumbs]

I will PM you....

I have had excellent results with RWS superdomes (iron sites and scope).    
I had nice results with a tin of crossman that I bought at Sports Authority.
I have not had consistent results with Predators.  POI of the Predators changes dramatically after zeroed in with the RWS superdomes (Scoped and iron sites).
Am highly motivated to get more consistant results with Predators or another similar pellet.

[Graham]

Hey John, try some RWS Super hollowpoints. They are nice and accurate and deform amazingly on impact for maximum damage. Sounds nasty, and is nasty, but they stop what you hit!!

[JohnC]

Will do thanks for the tip!

Always up for a new toy(S) to play with.

[billbillw]

As if Mike needed any more press...

I received a Mike Melick B26 in .22 this past week. Great looking rifle. This rifle just feels right! Much more so than my Gamo Hunter 440. Much nicer trigger (stock .vs. stock) than the Gamo. I like the safety better too. Anyway, after a few days of shooting open sights (hitting 1-2" groups at 15 yards), I mounted a Center Point 3-9x40AO last night. Sighted it in with RWS SuperPoints today.

Now, this rifle is far from broken in. As Mike says, they need 500-1000 rounds put through them before the barrel really settles in. I've probably put less than 200 rounds through.

This is a group I shot sitting using another chair back as a rest. Approx 20 yards. Its about 7 shots and it falls withing 3/4". I was impressed. Really no fliers either. If this thing is shooting this good already, I can't wait to see what it does when it breaks in!

This is truely one of the best rifles you can get for the price. Mike has been great to deal with and this rifle shoots like a dream. Little or no dieseling. Very smooth cocking. No twang.

[TCups]

LOL!
Don't despair.  Mike is as good as his word.  It will settle in and start shooting really well before long, just like he says.  You might see what she does with a tin of Beeman FTS or JSB Exacts, just for fun.  And if you intend to dispatch any critters, sight in with a few JSB Predators -  WHACK!  Enjoy.

[billbillw]

TCups - 11/8/2008  7:21 PM  LOL! Don't despair.  Mike is as good as his word.  It will settle in and start shooting really well before long, just like he says.  You might see what she does with a tin of Beeman FTS or JSB Exacts, just for fun.  And if you intend to dispatch any critters, sight in with a few JSB Predators -  WHACK!  Enjoy.

Nothing to despair about. I think the rifle is working better than expected. I wanted to sight in with the RWS since I also have some RWS Super H-points, along with some Crosman Premier H-points, which are all are pretty close in weight. For heavier pellets,  I do have some JSB Diablo Exact Jumbos to try. I also have some Gamo Master Points, and some Beeman Kodiak Extra Heavys to test. I don't plan to do much hunting this year, so I'll wait until next year to try the Preadators.  

[BumbleShot]

My B26 and my Beeman R7 both like the Beeman FTS pellets best.  The B26 .22 is now hitting .5" groups at 20 with FTS.  Too bad they are the most expensive pellets!  Haven't tried the Predators yet.  Superdomes work well for cans and bottles.

[billbillw]

I spent a solid 2 hours shooting yesterday. At this point, my B26 still shoots the best with the RWS Super Points. Although the POI was different, I also got good groupings from GAMO MasterPoints, and the Beeman Kodiaks. I was a little disappointed with the JSB Diablo Exacts and the CPHPs. They both seemed to be all over the place. The JSB also seemed to fit very loose.  Another curiosity was that the Kodiaks hit higher than the others at 20 yards. I would have assumed that being 5 grains heavier would make it slower, thus hit lower. I also was surprised with the way the RWS Super H points hit. They were a good 1.5 inches to the left of everything else. I'm not sure if this was due to the crosswind  or just the way they fire. Hopefully I can get a calm day next time I shoot to test the Super H points again.  Perhaps the rifle will like different ammo as it breaks in as well.