Air Arms Pro Sport .22 Arrived

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bowwild

bowwild

Member
Dec 28, 2015
859
84
KY, United States
After reading reviews for about three months I bought my first Springer. It is an Air Arms Pro Sport in .22 and a walnut stock. The rifle arrived yesterday. I'm very pleased with the rifles appearance and feel. The reviews I read and viewed were very accurate and the rifle held no surprises.



It is very well made.
Blueing is exceptional.
Sporting design is very nice and trim.
The rifle is heavier but feels good when shouldered.
The force required to charge the rifle (under lever) is stiff - I've only shot it about 30 times and charged it sitting down each time. I don't have it down to a smooth steady stroke yet. 
It is not as easy for me to shoot one pellet hole group at 12 yards (my in-house range) as my PCPs are -- my PCPs (Daystate and Air Arms) are very easy to achieve pellet-size single hole group shot after shot at the close distances I'm shooting so far.

Today the scope I chose arrived. It is a Nikon Prostate Target 3x9x40 EFR. It focuses down (front AO) very nicely to the 12 yards I'm shooting. The glass is very clear (that's why I went with this scope). The reticle is a tiny target dot on crosshairs without the mil-dot aids of my Hawke and MCT on my PCPs. The scope is rated for "airguns" so I hope it will be ok on this springer? I've read and been told that springers can damage very good scopes?

With this scope I'm wondering if I should remove it and put the MCT Viper Connect or Hawk Air Sport from my PCPs on this springer to be sure not too damage the Nikon?

Thanks to all on various threads who have provided input on this Air Arms Pro Sport.
 
Very nice indeed. Like that walnut stock, ya this gun is on the short list for me. I have the same Nikon scope on my HW97K, and have not had a problem. I have read on a forum not long ago, that this person said, he felt that using a one piece scope mount was important to the life of a scope on a sping gun, something about two piece mounts send two different harmonics through the scope and was harder on the scope than a one piece mount. this is just something I have only read, I make no claim and have no idea if this is true or not. With this said all my springers have one piece mounts, except the first springer I ever bought 20 years ago, an old Huntington Beach labeled Beeman S1, bought it from Big5 love that gun killed more crows than I could count. Still have it, and it never killed the scope that rode on it all that time. So anyway great gun, great scope, the only knock I've ever heard about the Pro Sport was the cocking lever had sharp edges inside and was hard on some people with soft hands, but I hear Air Arms has rounded out the lever on the inside in response to those complaints.
 
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Shot the Pro Sport again this morning. The pumping is getting easier, getting it down to a single thrust. Only dropped 2 pellets as I shot 10 at 12 yards. I did find that two of the 4 stock screws and one of the 2 trigger guard screws were a bit loose. Not fall out loose but the hex wrench turned a 1/4-1/2 turn easily. 

I'm shooting a 1 1/4" orange sticky circle. Using the Nikon EFR scope. My backstop is extensive. This is my indoor archery range so I have a double thick wall of layered foam target butts. Then I have a box filled with rubber tire mulch (learned that on this forum). I have a .22 pellet trap as well but it is very noisy so I shoot at the rubber mulch.

Here is the picture of 10 shots. The first two were at the 7:00 position then the next 6 were in the larger hole at 6:00. The 9th shot was right in the middle buy itself (my aim point). The 10th was somewhere in that larger hole. I didn't have a dime to put beside the group (guess I spent them all on this and other air rifles this season). I'm pretty pleased at this point. FYI: The multi-black bulls and groups are from my Daystate .25 Wolverine. When you see a hole at 9:00 on one of those sometimes I move my aim off the bull so I can get a finer POI instead of loosing the shot in a group.


I notice a little "smoke" coming out of the loading port (barrel breech) and a bit of burnt lubricant oil small. It is getting less (not bad). I suppose that is lubricant in the barrel or the spring?
 
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What you describe is "dieseling". A certain amount of lubricant is present in the compression chamber in front of the piston seal and ignites from the pressure. This is normal in a new gun and should disappear after 100-200 shots. It's probably a good idea to pull some patches through the bore once it stops to remove any carbon deposits. That's a beautiful rifle!
John
PS-If you're shooting for groups with the vice in the photo, try instead resting the gun in your hand with your hand supported by a bag, and the butt to your shoulder just tightly enough so that it doesn't slip, allowing the gun to move the way it wants to rather than holding it tightly. Springers generally prefer a loose hold.
 
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Thanks for this info JohnL.

I am having a lot of fun with this rifle. It is my first springer and a bit more challenging for me to shoot accurately. I really like my PCPs, it is easy to be accurate with them (at the short ranges I'm shooting). This "boring" accuracy as so many refer too is a bit true. (Sorry, but using the word "boring" to describe accuracy seems odd too me, actually I am grateful for the engineering that promotes such accuracy.) While I didn't set out to be a 50-100 yard shooter with the PCPs I can see increasing the distance, to at least 50 as a way to add fun challenge to the shooting. Of course if I really want to up the ante I'll get the PCPs out of the "vises" and in my hands or as I will do when hunting, leaning against a vertical brace (a.k. a. tree). But for now I'm trying to learn my rifles and test them rather than my skill.

Yes I have been shooting the Pro Sport rifle in the Caldwell sled. I will try what you are suggesting and get the rifle out of the sled and on a front bag only. I'm going to experiment with different pellets as well, when I can put a little more distance to work. I'm not thinking I'll be able to tell as much at 12 yards indoors as I can if I back off to about 20 or 25 outdoors when trying to find the best pellet. I live in the country so I have lots of room, I'm just waiting for some better temperatures and no to very light winds. I live on top of a hill so wind is common.

I have a couple of the multi-pellet sample packs (Straightshooters) with probably 24 different brands, weights, designs. I will stay away from anything that isn't lead as per the instructions that came with the rifle. So far my shooting has been with JSB Match Exact Diablo Jumbo (15.89 grains). I have the 18.39 grain version of this pellet as well. I'm leaning towards HN and JSB. The Crossman Premiers (round and "hollow") are easy to find even in my local box stores. Also cheaper but at pennies per shot price isn't really a factor.

I shot a brief string (JSB Diablo Jumbo 15.89 grains) last night through my Pro Crony: 616, 626, 612, 618, 621. The FPE for this string was 12-13. I thought a little low? I shot three other types of pellets ranging from a bit over 11 grains to 14+ grains. The FPS went from 678-737 the lighter I went. I'm guessing though the FPE stays pretty much the same. I'd prefer to be shooting nearer 700 FPS as long as the FPE is enough. 



 
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I'd advise you not to obsess about chrony #s, learn what pellet and how the gun wants to be held and enjoy. In general most manufacturers use lighter pellets for their velocity tests. The gun may pick up some speed as the moving parts wear in. That's still plenty of power for small game as long as the accuracy is there.
You can also try varying your hand position on the forearm to see where to hold for the tightest groups. In the field you can use a set shooting sticks for a steadier aiming platform, usually the best place to rest the gun in the sticks is near the stock screws.
I started out shooting springers and got into PCPs after a few years. While the extended range and consistency are amazing, I still try and shoot my springers from time to time.
To really get the most out of your springer I suggest you shoot it a lot! When I got my R9 I'd just take a walk with it and plink at leaves and bits of bark at different ranges. Pretty soon I was making shots that I wouldn't have thought possible.
Good luck,
John
 
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JohnL,
Thanks for referring me to this video. I had looked at it 3-4 times as I was deciding to buy this rifle. However, I had not paid attention to how Mr. Eustler cocked it. Aha! I see he uses two hands and then keeps a hand on the lever while inserting the pellet with his RH.

Today I discovered that I can cock the rifle with the RH and then reach around the rifle with the lefthand, grab the lever and then load the pellet with the RH. It was much better than my LH loading. But, this 2-hand use on the video looks much better. I'm going to try it right away.

30cal,
I clicked on the link above but received an error message. I'll try again.

I spent some time outdoors shooting 20 yards this afternoon. I tried 6 different pellets from the sample kit. I found both the JSB 15.89 and JSB 18.39 (both diablo) to group best. The 18.39 seats firmly but not quite so tight as the 15.89. Don't know if that matters (from what I read on some older posts it doesn't seem too as long as pellet doesn't fall out by being too loose and I don't deform the pellet by being too tight. I was going to try a JSB Monster but it wouldn't fit at all - dome too large dia.

Thanks for these tips and guidance. You are helping me to enjoy my rifle more and sooner. I don't know if I've shared on here before but, I'm 62 with very limited experience with air rifles. 
 
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Well you may be new to airguns, but I'd say you're off to an excellent start! I'm truly trying not to acquire too many guns, but suspect I'm already in trouble with two springers, two multi pumps, and 3 PCPs. I don't have the funds for something like the Daystates (unless I sold off everything) and what I've got suits me fine(for now, lol!)
Here's the one that got me hooked-HW55 match rifle.

And the latest addition-CZs200 PCP in Scout stock.

John
 
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There is a technique call the "Artillery Hold" that you need to learn for shooting spring piston guns. That's what the article explains. If it still does not work just go to Airgun depot and look for the article "How to get a springer to shoot straight".

Try this. Here is a video by Long time air gun legend Tom Gaylord: http://www.pyramydair.com/article/The_artillery_hold_June_2009/63
 
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Wow, that CZ is nice. I like the cheek piece and the way the fore end is checkered.

I got a set of Caldwell front and rear bags. Really cheap at only $17 for the combo. They work nice. It is also easier and more comfortable to get behind the rifle when I shoot it from the bags than with the Caldwell sled. 

I set up the chronograph and shot the JSB Exact 15.86 and 18.39. Interestingly, (actually a surprise too me) the heavier pellet has a higher FPS (620) than the lighter one (576). The fit of the heavier pellet in the barrel breech is tighter than the lighter one. Is it faster because of a tighter fit? I shot 3 of each and the heavier pellet was in the 616-620 each time. The lighter one was in the high 570's. 
 
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