New PCP user looking for Air Arms S510 XS advice

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VinniePlum

Member
Jul 17, 2020
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Florida, United States
Hi all,

I'm new to the forums and new to PCP air rifles, but not new to air rifles.
My first was a Crossman .22 beech stock pump-up model I got in 1963. A number of springers and a gas piston followed: an Air Arms TX200 ,22 in Walnut; a BSA break barrel in 1973 Beech stock .22 with match peep sights; a Hatsan Vortex Sniper in .22, and a Weihrauch HW95 Luxus.
Last week I got a gorgeous .22 caliber Air Arms S510 FX (regulated, 10 shot repeater, in walnut. The rifle looks gorgeous. I also ordered an Air Venturi 98 cubic foot carbon fiber air tank so I could fill it. I'm in Florida, and I belong to a shooting club/range that has numerous indoor ranges: all air-conditioned, each with a Rangemaster present at all times, and ranges up to 100 yds long. Inside. Did I mention airconditioned? It was 96 degrees here today at 88% humidity.

Anyhow, I can no longer cock the Hatsan. I had an untreated torn rotator cuff in 1970 (college football). And the TX200 and Weihrauch HW95L are easier to cock, but I will be up all night and taking heavy pain medication for the next 48 hours if I shoot ANY of them for an hour (or less). So I bought the Air Arms PCP rifle as my first-ever PCP, and likely the only PCP rifle I will be getting in this lifetime, given that I am over 70 years old and not in the greatest of health. But I plan to shoot it 3-4 times a week. I bought a nice Plano case for the S510 (the case has wheels), and I built a lightweight rolling carrier for the Air Venturi carbon fiber tank. I'm not going to let physical limitations keep me from a sport I love.

OK. Now that the long-winded introduction is out of the way, here's the reason for this post. I have never fired a PCP rifle. The closest I came to it was a Crossman CO2 pistol in the 1970s that looked like a Luger and was highly inaccurate.
So here are the rifle details: The rifle: Air Arms S510 XS Xtra FAC PCP Air Rifle, Regulated, Walnut Stock, in,22 calibers. I have 3 magazines to go with it and a large collection of pellets and slugs to allow me to see what this rifle likes best.
The rifle is topped with a set of Sportsmatch 30mm high rings that hold a Primary Arms 4-14 X 44 a/o scope with a mil dot reticle.

Is there any advice you Air Arms S510 PCP owners can give a first-time user of not only this rifle in particular but PCPs in general? Is there any information you can pass on?
It's going to be a few days until the compressed ait rank arrives and I can get it charged. This is a really beautiful rifle, and I don't want to do anything to screw it up.
Thanks for your time and consideration,
 
A couple things that come to mind right away:

Do not dry fire the rifle when there is no air in the system. It is ok to dry fire when you do have a tank full of air.

When you fill from your large tank do so very slowly. You will feel your gun’s tank warm up as you fill it but a slow fill will keep this to a minimum.

If you don’t have a chronograph I recommend getting one. They are extremely helpful when evaluating pellets and tuning rifles.

Most importantly… have fun with your new PCP air rifle.

As I think of any more tips I’ll add them.

Kenny
 
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Welcome to the dark side the PCP guns can be great. The S510 is a very nice gun from all that I have seen and read so a good choice.

I know about the rotator cuff problems. Pulled mine off of the bone took many months to sort of heal up. Actually 3.5 years to heal up well enough for me to do any heavy lifting comfortably. By heavy I am talking about over twenty or thirty pounds.

Check around for a dive shop that will fill to the full 4,500psi your tank is capable of so you will get the maximum number of fills for your gun. The best I did in my local area was 3,500psi but my guns at that time only took 2,000 so I was OK with that back then. Picked up a Yong Heng compressor when I got my Impact so I can fill my two tanks to 4,200psi now. It makes a big difference in how long I can stay out shooting.

Don't forget when your tank gets down to the safe filling pressure of your gun you can tether to it, hook your gun to the tank and leave the valve open, and shoot for many hundreds of shots at full power. That way you will get the most out of your fill.

Take it easy on the shoulder and enjoy the gun.
 
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Good luck with the rotator cuff. I have a total detachment of the top muscle, forget the name, but I'm trying to live with it. If I'm careful, it's usually not too bad, but yes, a spring piston rifle could be a problem. When I shoot my HW97, I cock the under lever with my good left side, so it's manageable. I had my left cuff repaired about 5 years ago and it worked out great, but I'm not sure this one can be fixed arthroscopically, getting old has its issues! Good luck.

The S510 is a fine rifle and I know you will enjoy it. I recommend the Patchworm kit for cleaning, pull through from breech to muzzle. 

Ed
 
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Vinnie,

Congratulations on the acquisition of a fine pcp. I've owned 5 or 6 Air Arms PCP's including an S410 carbine and an S410 rifle. I've never owned a regulated version. With that out of the way here are my suggestions:

1-As stated above, I strongly encourage you to buy a chronograph to better understand the power band in that gun at the various power settings. Until you get a chronograph do this:

2-Clean the barrel when it arrives

3-Fill the gun to 240 bar

4-Set the power wheel to its highest setting

5-Shoot JSB 18.1 gr and JSB 15.8 gr pellets in that order to start your accuracy testing. JSB makes pellets that are VERY similar to these but are branded FX and Air Arms if you have trouble finding the JSB packaged pellets during this time of pellet shortages. I doubt you will test other pellets after shooting the 18.1 gr and 15.8 gr pellets

6-Count your shots on each power setting you try without adjusting the power. Pay attention to when your poi changes (starts hitting your target lower) since that's likely and indication that your gun has fallen off the regulator. Make a note of usable shot count on each power setting so you know when to refill your gun and start shooting again

7-Read this 7 part blog on your gun. I've linked to part 7 but at the top of the article are links to part 1 through 6 that allow you to link on part 1 and read them in order:

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2019/10/air-arms-s510xs-ultimate-sporter-with-laminate-stock-part-7/


 
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My son bought me a chronograph last year for Christmas. Sounds like I will be putting it to good use.
My plan is to get to the range before the end of the week. Curiously, he didn't get it for me for airgun use. I have a full custom rifle (I call it my sniper rifle) that shoots the 25 Souper-a wildcat cartridge. Essentially it is a .308 necked down to .257 caliber. The chronograph is really necessary for developing consistent and effective loads.
Dan Lilja made me a 23.5" stainless barrel with three rifling grooves. It's a 1:10 twist barrel, and I am able to get 6" groups with it at 1,000 meters. out to 200 yds, it's all single hole.
I find the air rifles to be way more fun (and way cheaper) to shoot.


Thanks for all the tips. This is going to make moving into the PCP experience a whole lot easier.
 
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Yes, as others have said you have started out with a FINE first PCP air rifle.

To me the AA fill adapter is a little bit funky and not the easiest to use. There are kits available to change the AA OEM fill port to a standard Foster fitting. You can do this later if you like. But while using the OEM AA adapter, make sure that its slot is perpendicular to the bar on the gun's fill port, and that it doesn't rotate on its own (due to stiffness and attack angle of the fill hose) before you get some air into the system (with pressure the brass fill adapter kind of 'locks' into place where it is). Otherwise it can blow off and that little brass piece is quite heavy when swinging through the air on the end of a fill whip.

This is not something to be worried about, just something to be conscious of with a new gun.
 
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@vinnieplum - nice gun. I have one too - also in .22. The things have the worlds longest name for sure -- "Air Arms S510 XS Ultimate Sportster". Aiy. ( lol )

I don't know about your specific gun but if it's regulated like mine - feed it 16 and 18g JSB's ( or equivalent H&N's I suppose - their new 18's are supposed to be quite nice - I've not had need to test or use them yet though so I don't really know ). It *loves* both of these weights of pellets.

For the 'best' ( regular? ) consistency from shot to shot - keep the power adjuster dial one step ('click') below full power

Mine - is *strictly* a pellet gun. {sigh} I've tried to get it to shoot a couple of light weight slugs from 17g - 22g - no joy - it just doesn't seem to like them. Maybe yours will be different . . .

Mine - again *LOVES* those two weights in pellets. Like - it's actually *BORING* to shoot because it is THAT accurate. The thing is ridiculously accurate. :)

Enjoy it!

-=- jd -=-
 
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@vinnieplum - nice gun. I have one too - also in .22. The things have the worlds longest name for sure -- "Air Arms S510 XS Ultimate Sportster". Aiy. ( lol )

I don't know about your specific gun but if it's regulated like mine - feed it 16 and 18g JSB's ( or equivalent H&N's I suppose - their new 18's are supposed to be quite nice - I've not had need to test or use them yet though so I don't really know ). It *loves* both of these weights of pellets.

For the 'best' ( regular? ) consistency from shot to shot - keep the power adjuster dial one step ('click') below full power

Mine - is *strictly* a pellet gun. {sigh} I've tried to get it to shoot a couple of light weight slugs from 17g - 22g - no joy - it just doesn't seem to like them. Maybe yours will be different . . .

Mine - again *LOVES* those two weights in pellets. Like - it's actually *BORING* to shoot because it is THAT accurate. The thing is ridiculously accurate. :)

Enjoy it!

-=- jd -=-
Click to expand...

Yes forgot to mention that.....1 click back from full power on the regulated and Gnats aren't even safe. 
 
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I contacted the most recommended dive shop in Orlando today to inquire about filling my carbon fiber tank. The reply was "We don't fill them. Try a paintball shop."
So I wrote back and asked why they don't fill them. Here's the interesting answer:

"

Hi Gary, 

There is a higher liability associated with filling carbon fiber tanks (which are not subject to the same rigorous testing as scuba cylinders), plus the cost & effort of getting tanks beyond 3500psi is significant (we use a booster, but it really decreases the life span of it at these higher pressures).

Our insurance also doesn't cover us if there is an issue with these tanks, so its really not worth it to us, sorry.

Kindest Regards, "
 
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I watched an Airgun Angie Youtube video a few weeks ago. She was shooting the S510 regulated in .22, feeding it Nielson (NSA) slugs. The only ones the rifle really liked (or loved) was the NSA .22 cal 17.5 gr, .2165 diameter. I bought a couple of boxes. Once I get my tank filled, I'll let you know how they work in my rifle. They were inexpensive enough: $18.99 for 400. A sample pack of 40 is $5.
 
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Congratulations on your S510 XS. Lots of good advice here. Just a few more, my 2 cents worth.

1. Turn rifle upside down in a cleaning cradle, open bolt, remove magazine.

2. Clean with Ballistol. O-ring safe.

3. Get some braded fishing line and tie three 3/4" loops 6" apart with about a 2.5 foot long beginning and end. Adjust length later.

Place a correct drinking straw into the moderator if you have one and after making a small weight from shotgun shot feed the fishing line down the barrel from muzzel to breech. Just pull through till you have the three loops showing at the breech.

Put a little Ballistol on a folded 3/4"dia. patch into loop and pull into barrel slowly from muzzel--go to the next loop--put a little Ballistol on folded patch an pull the line a little more--go to the third loop and fold a patch with Ballistol and pull the fishing line very slowly thru the barrel till all three loops are showing. You should have the rest of the line and the weight still in the barrel. If not adjust line length.

Do the exact same thing with three dry patches. Barrel should be clean, if not redo.

3. Remember to clean with the rifle up side down. Air transfer port at 12 oclock.

4. The patchworm kit plus a patch is rather large diameter to force through the O-ring at the breech, the fishing line is much easier and does not cause a problem.

5. Try shooting at Level 4 and recharge your rifle when it gets down to 150BAR. A chrono will be a big help to your knowledge base.

Good shooting!

Centerfire
 
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One aspect of PCP rifles seldom mentioned is that the PSI one can achieve with a hand pump depends on how much you weigh to push down on the handle. With the higher PSI capacity of the S510 rifle I purchased a GX CS2 Portable PCP Air Compressor, 4500Psi/30Mpa,Oil-Free,Powered by Car 12V DC or Home 110V AC with Adapter (Included) that sells on Amazon for $380. It was a great investment in my shooting as it only takes a few minutes to take the rifle from 100 bar to 200 bar and this is the range recommended by Air Arms for this rifle to maximize accuracy shot to shot.

Mine is .25 caliber and I have had excellent results with the lead free Predator 16.54 gr pellets.
 
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Congratulations on your S510 XS. Lots of good advice here. Just a few more, my 2 cents worth.

1. Turn rifle upside down in a cleaning cradle, open bolt, remove magazine.

2. Clean with Ballistol. O-ring safe.

3. Get some braded fishing line and tie three 3/4" loops 6" apart with about a 2.5 foot long beginning and end. Adjust length later.

Place a correct drinking straw into the moderator if you have one and after making a small weight from shotgun shot feed the fishing line down the barrel from muzzel to breech. Just pull through till you have the three loops showing at the breech.

Put a little Ballistol on a folded 3/4"dia. patch into loop and pull into barrel slowly from muzzel--go to the next loop--put a little Ballistol on folded patch an pull the line a little more--go to the third loop and fold a patch with Ballistol and pull the fishing line very slowly thru the barrel till all three loops are showing. You should have the rest of the line and the weight still in the barrel. If not adjust line length.

Do the exact same thing with three dry patches. Barrel should be clean, if not redo.

3. Remember to clean with the rifle up side down. Air transfer port at 12 oclock.

4. The patchworm kit plus a patch is rather large diameter to force through the O-ring at the breech, the fishing line is much easier and does not cause a problem.

5. Try shooting at Level 4 and recharge your rifle when it gets down to 150BAR. A chrono will be a big help to your knowledge base.

Good shooting!

Centerfire
Click to expand...

Had about 500 shots on the S510 and after reading this post, gave it a shot and worked like a charm. 

I used 50# braid which didn't require a weight. 
 
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