Air Arms - we don’t brag on them enough

[bdzjlz]

I am as guilty as everyone else on this forum. In my vault are early model Air Arms S410 (.22) and S510 (.177) rifles that have been the most dependable and accurate rifles in my stable for now close to two decades, but with RAW and Red Wolf rifles sitting beside them, I rarely reach for them.


The only modifications they have had came a few years ago when I sent them to Scott Schneider at Motorhead and he installed HUMA regulators in each and resealed the rifles while there. I changed the fill valves out to Best Fitting’s foster fitting and changed the magazine indexing actuator out to the newer heavy duty style. They both have Donny FL Sumo moderators on them and at the report all one hears is the hammer strike.


Tonight I pulled the .177 out of the vault and checked the air ievel in the reservoir- it was exactly as full as when I last put it away. A few winters ago, the original green poplar stock finish was noticeably beat up and scratched so I sanded it down and camouflaged it using spray cans. 


It has a Hawke Sidewinder 6x24x56 FFP scope on it. Shooting Air Arms 10.3 grain pellets, I hit every one of my spinners out to 91 yards on the first shot, including the thumbnail sized ones at 50 yards. I always think my RAW and Red Wolf rifles are amazing, but honestly I wouldn’t have scored any better with one of them in my hands this evening.


Often we don’t go back to our roots and the basics enough…..

 

[markT]

Wonderful rifles. I have a s410 and it’s a complete boar to shoot. Trouble free, no leaks excellent trigger. Baffles calm the bark...Oh and most importantly accurate. 

 

[thumper]

Only issues I've ever had with them were a pronounced POI shift throughout the fill. That and the torque on the stock screw would change the POI. 

Floating the barrel and adding a regulator fixed this. 

Extremely robust and reliable guns while still being very lightweight. Mine was also extremely accurate. 

If there was a "most reliable PCP" poll the S400/S500 series would have to top the list. 

I'd own another someday.

 

[barreira]

I am as guilty as everyone else on this forum. In my vault are early model Air Arms S410 (.22) and S510 (.177) rifles that have been the most dependable and accurate rifles in my stable for now close to two decades, but with RAW and Red Wolf rifles sitting beside them, I rarely reach for them.


The only modifications they have had came a few years ago when I sent them to Scott Schneider at Motorhead and he installed HUMA regulators in each and resealed the rifles while there. I changed the fill valves out to Best Fitting’s foster fitting and changed the magazine indexing actuator out to the newer heavy duty style. They both have Donny FL Sumo moderators on them and at the report all one hears is the hammer strike.


Tonight I pulled the .177 out of the vault and checked the air ievel in the reservoir- it was exactly as full as when I last put it away. A few winters ago, the original green poplar stock finish was noticeably beat up and scratched so I sanded it down and camouflaged it using spray cans. 


It has a Hawke Sidewinder 6x24x56 FFP scope on it. Shooting Air Arms 10.3 grain pellets, I hit every one of my spinners out to 91 yards on the first shot, including the thumbnail sized ones at 50 yards. I always think my RAW and Red Wolf rifles are amazing, but honestly I wouldn’t have scored any better with one of them in my hands this evening.


Often we don’t go back to our roots and the basics enough…..

Hi bdzilz,

what kind of power and shot cound are you getting from each?

Paulo

 

[bdzjlz]

The 510 is shooting the AA 10.3 at an average of 940 fps and a standard deviation of 3 fps over 10 shots, resulting in 20.21 fpe. The S410 shoots the Hades 15.89 at an average of 822 fps and a standard deviation of 4 fps, resulting in 23.85 fpe.


It has been a couple of years since I last tested but if my memory is correct , they both yield about 70 shots before dropping off of the regulator.

 

[barreira]

Nice...

 

[Cranky1]

Honestly you don’t hear much about AA they look to be a well made gun and I’ve always heard they shoot good. It’s probably because they don’t produce the flavor of the month or push huge power or have adds everywhere(YouTube and the like)

 

[L.Leon]

I like them and appreciate the quality. Just don’t like how long they are with moderators attached. Anything over 40 inches is too long for me.

 

[Frank d]

I have a S 400 MPR FT, and a, S 510 in .22. Both excellent rifles, and both shoot better than me. I have other guns, a couple that coast more, but don;t shoot any better.

 

[Motorhead]

Really the only gripe that is a constant with the AA400/500 series is there LENGTH being excessive for what a lot of folks find manageable.

Sure there is the carbine, but shot count suffers proportionally.



Great rifles otherwise !!!

 

[qball]

Always wanted to try an AirArm but like @L.Leon I hate super long guns. But I have a much shorter AA S200 coming so will see how that goes. 

 

[stoti]

My wife has the S510 ultimate Sporter. It’s a tad long but not bad at all. It’s a beautiful and extremely accurate air gun. Like the OP said, ours doesn’t get enough love either.

Stoti

 

[John "spysir" Blount]

And built well to last long! Mines a bit older with the 16mm shroud -quieter than a marauder at equal power- pulled it out for the 1st time in 4 years, still holding at the sweet pot of 2,800psi. Scope was 3 clicks off. Set up at 920fps w/JSB10.for FT use (was 23+fpe from factory). Did swap the fill adaptor for an RAW unit when they came out and it was a lefthand bolt-just swap bolt & move cocking lug- but that's all. Never an oring needed, never any issue period. Though at 15 years (?) I likely should go in and replace all the seals, which is very easy to do.

John

 

[Emu]

I like them and appreciate the quality. Just don’t like how long they are with moderators attached. Anything over 40 inches is too long for me.

Agree !!!



They are excellent.



I bought 4 for my sons and myself, but just keep one.

Too long for my taste. 



I took a wild turkey with my S510 Cal.. 25 some years ago.

The Walnut stock of that rifle was really beautiful !!!!



If on those days I would already had bought a. 30 Cal, for sure I would had kept the walnut one. I trade it to buy a one more powerful. 25 Cal. It was a mistake. That rifle was beautiful 

 

[MikeVV]

Yeah, despite many seeming to dislike the Air Arms Galahad, I like my .22 Carbine version. It's the shortest of the bunch. A little heavier than most, but that's ok, I'm not THAT old yet..!

Easy to shoot, moderately quiet with the factory suppressor. As accurate as most other modern rifles with a good barrel. And I like the stock design as is... No need for modification like I've felt the need to do on a couple others.

Mike

 

[pmg]

My 410 has put quite a bit of food on the table

 

[markb39]

I have a AA 400 FAC with beautiful wood. I just got back into air guns recently and pulled it from my safe and it was still full of air after years of sitting. Unbelievable quality.

 

[Frank d]

I don;t understand it when people complain about the AA 510 being to long to hunt with. The 12 gauge shotgun I hunt with all the time back a few years ago before I got into airguns is 5 inchs longer than my AA 510 XTR. It is not a problem for me.

 

[elh0102]

I don't own an AA rifle, but from what I have read and seen, they appear to share some fundamentals with Daystate, especially the Regal/Revere platform, and I have a Revere. If the rifle suits you as delivered, it's a solid, accurate rifle that is hard to beat. It does not invite owner tinkering, and adjustments are not easy. It's kind of the antithesis of the FX line, which has built a market around gadgets and tinkering, it gives you a toy to play with. Daystate and AA offer their product and, essentially tell you, don't mess with it! And for many buyers, that's probably the better approach. I have several rifles that are easy to adjust and tune, and I have fun with them. But, when I pick up the Revere (and I think the AA 500/510 would be the same), I know exactly where it's going to shoot, every time. Not a bad thing.

 

[bdzjlz]

Ed, well stated and spot on from my perspective. And as for the length issue mentioned by several of the responders, I don’t find it to be a problem for me as my Red Wolf and RAW rifles are as long if not longer, plus significantly heavier. My springers are all much heavier. The 400/500 series AA rifles are nearly perfectly balanced, making up for some of the length issue. I find mine to be easy to carry.


At any rate, the original post was not meant to be a campaign as I enjoy all of my rifles, it was simply to say that if one is looking for an extremely dependable and accurate platform at a reasonable price, the AA series should not be overlooked in one’s considerations, and monitoring the chatter on this forum, particularly as evidenced by all of the terrific responses to this topic, it seems to me that we don’t always bring our experience and feelings about this brand and series to the forefront, especially when “newbies” are asking for “what to buy” advice. These rifles certainly fit the “buy once and will always keep” mantra.