Hit the backyard jungle yesterday with my Huntsman Revere Safari. Seriously, it won't quit raining long enough to mow, at least if I don't want to bury the Kubota to the deck in mud. Hence the jungle. Have had it out a few times shooting offhand with a quick & dirty zero, but wanted to get it dialed in right & start collecting dope. First, obligatory pics:
Opinions to follow, but let's start with the facts.
- .177 caliber, all shooting done with JSB 10.3, little to no wind, 60-ish degrees
- 75 regulated shots, 18 fpe (AOA must have used this one for their published specs!)
- 13 fps extreme spread, 3.3 fps standard deviation
- 6 lbs 11 oz out of the box with unloaded magazine
- 8 lbs 7 oz with Odb 110C, Vortex Razor HD LHT 3-15x42, Sportsmatch high rings, dovetail bubble level, loaded mag
- 10 oz trigger out of the box, made no adjustments
Have considerable experience with the Huntsman line- Regal, Regal XL HR, & standard Revere. All have been accurate, pleasant to shoot, and trouble free. Only real complaint with them was the stock shape- beautiful, but couldn't get a cheek weld if using rings tall enough to clear the magazine. More of a jaw weld. Could make it work, but never really got used to it. Maybe too many years shooting open sighted guns, working the comb into my fat face to line up the notch & post. Tried using lower rings & the single shot tray only, but that presented other issues. 1- I'd at least like the option of using the magazine, & 2- with the comb now high enough for a cheek weld, the toe of the stock was
too high, with only the point in my shoulder pocket.
The adjustable comb solves all that- the Sportsmatch high rings give plenty of clearance for the magazine, & with the comb adjusted to my liking, the buttpad is nice & square in my shoulder pocket.
Know some of you are recoiling in horror at the lack of pretty walnut, & I feel you. I'm a sucker for walnut too, especially if it has some figure. When they make me king, will decree that Daystate produce a walnut stock in the exact proportions of this Safari stock, adjustable comb & all. Best of both worlds. But let me tell you why I do like the Safari stock:
- The aforementioned adjustable comb. Lack of one is approaching deal breaker status for me when considering a rifle.
- Texture is great, really grippy without feeling sticky.
- While nothing touches figured walnut, I do think it looks pretty good.
- The changes in shape vs standard stock are to my liking. The scallop on the buttstock & wider forend put more mass in the center of the rifle. Coupled with a lightweight scope & the 0db, gives it an ever-so-slight forward bias. Have always preferred this for offhand shooting. Not necessarily because it "feels" better, or "points" better, or "shoulders" better- because my targets say so. The scores (or group sizes) don't lie. As they say, your results may vary. And mind you, we are talking a
slight forward bias, not Kentucky long rifle with a 40" octagonal barrel.
Other random thoughts:
- Liking the scope so far. Good clarity, not high end German glass but pretty good overall. Will mostly use it as a clicker- very tactile clicks, really like the elevation turret (pull up to click, push down to lock). Tracks well in initial testing. Love the reticle, adequate hash marks for holdover should I choose to use it, but not busy. Center dot can be illuminated, will rarely use that feature but nice to have on certain occasions. It's the HSR-5i MOA version.
- Still think the Huntsman lineup - standard or Safari, regulated or not - is one of the safest bets out there for owner satisfaction, so long as you're not looking for a high powered rig.
- Daystate, love ya but you're way too proud of your magazines. They're fine, but not $120 fine. Seriously, knock that price down. CARM for the win. Appreciate that you include a single shot tray, though.
Paused during dope collection to print four 5-shot groups at 50 yards. Cannot tell a lie (ok I can, but won't this time)- didn't photo the fourth group. At 0.65", she just wasn't pretty enough. I'm so shallow.
Needs a couple clicks
Ok this is better
Yep
