Ok so I have gone through one tin. This is a great rifle and seems near perfect out of the box for my application.
These are my novice conclusions on noise vs accuracy vs handling vs storage of the Leshiy 2 in .30 cal. Please realize noise conclusions are totally subjective as I was too lazy to bring out my DB meter plus it was raining. Also, accuracy is subjective as I only have two criteria, short range (under 20 yards) standing with no magnification and long range (over 20 yards), leaning against a tree with magnification. If I can hit a grapefruit at either range, I am fine. I didn’t measure speeds or energy either. If the target is moving after one shot…well that is failure. Sorry if this summary is not up to the thread’s excellent standards. Maybe this Spring I will get more scientific.
My rifle came with the regulator set at 120 BAR. I did turn it up a bit but this resulted in more noise. The .30 cal pellets seem to have some serious punch even at 120 BAR, and the gun functioned perfectly, so I just left returned it to where it was out of the box for now.
Here are the setups I tried.
- 250 barrel, stock 250 shroud, stock insert,
- 250 barrel, stock 250 shroud, STO short insert, 6 MOA 1x red dot reflex
- 250 barrel, stock 350 shroud, 2 x stock inserts, 6 MOA 1x red dot reflex
- 250 barrel, stock 350 shroud, STO long insert, 6 MOA 1x red dot reflex
- 250 barrel, DonnyFL 350 shroud, Ronan, 6 MOA 1x red dot reflex
- 250 barrel, Ronan, 6 MOA 1x red dot reflex
- 350 barrel, stock 350 shroud, STO short insert,
- 350 barrel, Ronan, 4 x crosshair scope
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First conclusion. Adding a STO short insert in place of the stock insert on either a 250 or 350 rifle is well worth it. It simply makes them noticeably quieter. The 250 especially benefits as the stock setup is not neighbor friendly. Yes, it is quieter than no moderator but it still has a serious bark especially in my .30 cal. With the STO short I would not hesitate to plink with a 250 in my back yard. At worse the neighbors may wonder what I’m using my nail gun for.
Second conclusion. All of these setups had acceptable performance for my application. 150 rounds is certainly not a stress test but good enough for this summary. If there is an accuracy or energy difference other than the barrel change it gave me no notice. I have no concerns with the ability of this rifle in any of these setups.
Third conclusion. I greatly value the ability of the Leshiy 2 to be stored folded in a very small bag. I use a lap top case. Although not as important as reliability, accuracy and noise, but it is probably one of the main reasons I chose this rifle over others for my first PCP (also semi-auto). Because of this importance to me, my rifle will typically be folded, with the stock 250 shroud, STO short insert and reflex sight. This is to be at the ready for quick response to throw a few rounds at pests near my home.
Fourth conclusion. If the neighbors complain about the noise from the 250 setup, I’ll store the gun with the 250 barrel but without any shroud and quickly spin on the Ronan directly to the end of the barrel when using the rifle. Yes the rifle is not quite as compact to operate, and you need an extended lock pen to lock it folded with the Ronan is mounted (like when re-loading). Not a bad compromise and pretty darn quiet.
Fifth conclusion. If I plan on shooting several short range rounds, and noise is important, I’ll take the time to mount the stock 350 shroud with the STO long insert. This requires the 250 barrel. This setup takes a little more space to store but I do like the feel of the rifle with the stock shrouds.
Sixth conclusion. If I need longer range accuracy, I assume I am in an area where noise is not that important. The 350 barrel, stock 350 shroud and STO short insert would be my preference. It probably just me but I like the way the gun handles with this setup and it is a bit shorter as compared to the DonnyFL kit.
Seventh conclusion. If shooting long range and/or low noise is very important, the 350 barrel with DonnyFL shroud and Ronin moderator is the way to go. None of these other setups are as quiet as the DonnyFL kit installed on the rifle. To store you can still easily remove the Ronin and its as small as the stock 350. Again, you will need an extended lock pen to lock folded.
