The wait is over, Taipan Tactical stocks are on sale at least in CZ right now

Good morning all, I woke up to a voice message from a Euro buddy saying that the Taipan Tactical stocks are on sale. The only place I found was Balistas located in the Czech Republic.

And man are they PRICEY!!!! Balistas does NOT ship to the USA, trust me I have asked them that question several times!

https://www.balistas.com/air-rifles/spare-parts-for-air-rifles/taipan-veteran-tactical-stock-with-cheekpiece-and-short-foregrip/

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Yeah, $631 is a serious commitment ;)

I do like what they did with:
1. cutaway at trigger guard
2. butt stock looks and adjustment
3. forestock fore and aft adjustment

Didn't see a weight posted at the link you provided or at the Taipan site

It’s actually $522 USD. There is a VAT tax on there that wouldn’t apply to us. Still too much in my opinion but I sure would like to have one. 
 
Yeah, $631 is a serious commitment ;)

I do like what they did with:
1. cutaway at trigger guard
2. butt stock looks and adjustment
3. forestock fore and aft adjustment

Didn't see a weight posted at the link you provided or at the Taipan site

It’s actually $522 USD. There is a VAT tax on there that wouldn’t apply to us. Still too much in my opinion but I sure would like to have one.

That's better but still... I can buy a lot of pellets for that amount of money and I'm really happy with what I have so I don't think I'll be a tactical stock owner.
 
Well , the look is real nice. Now let’s look further, wood accents- nice , but not too costly. The metal stock that rides and curves around the air tube and stock, that’s where the coin goes. Now if it cuts the weight of a taipan down say 1.5 pounds- then we have something interesting. Lastly the shoulder rest , appears nice and fancy. So is the price unreasonable? Price a replacement stock and combine it with a Saber tactical shoulder rest add on and is $ 500 out of the question? 
 
@tmh honestly, I don’t think Taipan has any near term motive to move the cocking handle forward. Here is why, from what I gather they are one of the smaller air rifle companies, so capacity is an issue, and they have a super strong & dedicated following. The Taipans are gobbled up at the dealers as fast as they can get them. So unless Taipan can get a big infusion of cash to develop the rifle with a forward cocking handle and increase capacity, I don’t see things changing any time soon, but you never know.
 
@tmh honestly, I don’t think Taipan has any near term motive to move the cocking handle forward. Here is why, from what I gather they are one of the smaller air rifle companies, so capacity is an issue, and they have a super strong & dedicated following. The Taipans are gobbled up at the dealers as fast as they can get them. So unless Taipan can get a big infusion of cash to develop the rifle with a forward cocking handle and increase capacity, I don’t see things changing any time soon, but you never know.

Taipan lists that there are about 2000 of their airguns in use, on their website. It is, sort of a ‘custom made’ air rifle, in the sense that they are made in small numbers. I sure do enjoy shooting mine!


http://taipan-airguns.com/
 
For me the wait will be over when Taipan moves their cocking lever away from the shooter's face. Then I can try out one of their guns which I read so much about!

Then it wouldn't be the gun you've been reading about. The cocking lever is opposite of the face and can be switched to port or starboard.

Yeah the forward cocking lever is way overrated, I had a bunch of Pups with the rear cocking and works just fine to me :)
 
All just personal choice, I guess.

The only pups I have kept with the rear mounted cocking lever are my Pulsars, and that is because they 'cock' so easily. But my Renegades didn't, and they are now gone.

I liked almost everything else about my DreamPup - its accuracy, trigger, easy tunability, smooth shot cycle & handling. But hated the cocking lever at its rear end, so it went to a new home.

I wouldn't get a Cricket until they went to mid-point cocking, and now that they have I own (and enjoy) 2 of them

We've got so many choices of fine air rifles available to us that it allows us to purchase based on personal preferences, even little ones.
 
What I'd really like to see is options for titanium or even aluminum air cylinders like we used (?) to be able to get for the m-rods ( jsar used to make / sell them - I have one ) That one 'upgrade' alone made my m-rod markedly lighter. I have two Taipans - a .22 long and a .177 standard. Love 'em both. Both are heavy. I'd love to put 'em both on a 'diet' ( make 'em lighter ). Third party aluminum or carbon fiber shrouds would be cool too.
 
If you actually weigh their traditional beech stock, it isn't very heavy. The weight is in the sturdiness of the gun itself. I seriously doubt the tactical stock will shed any appreciable weight. Best bet to lighten the gun would be with a carbon fiber bottle. You could use cheaper and light weight materials for the shroud and built in baffles, but I don't think it would be worth it. I'd prefer they continue to "build them like tanks".
 
If you actually weigh their traditional beech stock, it isn't very heavy. The weight is in the sturdiness of the gun itself. I seriously doubt the tactical stock will shed any appreciable weight. Best bet to lighten the gun would be with a carbon fiber bottle. You could use cheaper and light weight materials for the shroud and built in baffles, but I don't think it would be worth it. I'd prefer they continue to "build them like tanks".

EXACTLY.

Most of the negative comments we see about the Vets are from non-owners. And I get that. They are a bit homely looking. And the specs show that they're heavy. And the rear-cocking SEEMS like it would be a pain. But once you've shot one, or owned/used one for a bit, it gets a whole lot harder to find any gripes. 

As for the new "tactical stock." I like the look and was excited for them when first announced but that IS a bit pricey. 

I might be interested in just the wooden cheekpiece (depending on price and also bet they won't sell just the cheekpiece), but won't be buying the stock. 
 
Although the price is a little high, I don't find it astronomical for the quality that it's likely to have. Keep in mind the RAW tactical stock is $450. Although the front is well machined, I found the grip and buttstock to be lacking in quality/robustness given the price. In addition, it's lacking some of the features that this Taipan stock has. If it's possible to buy a Veteran WITH this stock for maybe a couple hundred more... that might be an easier pill to swallow.

I've been on the fence about a veteran for a long time. I saw this stock a year or so ago and new that it would be preferred over the wood stock. If this comes out in the combo, I'm likely to finally bite on this rig!