lots to like on paper at least... with the seneca aspen/nova freedom multi pump is this the best way for a new guy to start out in PCP? or do i spend a bit more go with the marauder and a pump.
thoughts on the seneca aspen/nova freedom
- Thread starter S97
- Start date
I can't say anything bad about the Seneca Aspen as I have never shot one but I have researched them quite a bit. The only problem that I have found in my research was leaking pump seals. At one point I thought I would be getting one but decided on a Marauder directly from Crossman for $404. That is about the price of the Aspen with pump and scope included. I bought a Yong Heng compressor for $235 and a scope for $59. That adds another $300 to the price of a PCP and I only get 30 shots. With the Aspen you don't have to worry about shot count as your pump is built in. The Aspen also has two power settings. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong either way. It depends on what you will be using it for and where. The Marauder is great at home as all I do is flip a switch to fill but the Aspen would be great to take to the mountains as you don't have to take a compressor.
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I have an ATI Nova Vista Freedom in .22 cal, and I absolutely love it!
I got mine from AoA when they first came out, and I don't have a single negative thing to say..
I've got it from 10m to 50 yards at my old club/range, and it is pellet on pellet accurate!
Very light, and very stable and well balanced when shouldering..
I almost always shoot target, but, when my bro in law needed help adding squirrels for a squirrel pot pie,
And I decided to help, I got two at about 30 yards.. Freehand, Both head shots..
1 through the eye / 1 just a bit lower.. And.. 1 of them was running. Instant kills..
So, they're great for target and hunting!
The open sights were great - even though I scoped mine.. They're relatively backyard friendly sound wise..
But I shoot indoors too, so, I worked with Donny, and he has suppressor adapters for them now also..
Pumping is a breeze on the Freedom, 5 amazing shots or 10 great shots continuously,
then pump again, or, pump to about 185 bar, fire, pump a few times, fire, repeat to keep in the curve..
The charging / cocking is Amazing! The lever is biathlon style, and in the perfect place..
Mine is so buttery smooth in both directions, and no up/down play like a lot of other rifles have..
Adjustable power wheel was a Must for me, and the one on these works great..
Low roughly 700fps and High roughly 800 fps. I think I was shooting two different pellets at the time..
Crosman Premier 14.3 gr Hollow Points, and JSB 18.13's.. Both shot amazing..
Oh.. I thought of one gripe.. I can't attach my bipods to it.. That's all I've got. haha
Magazines work great, you get two, and then if you need more - They'll also take Marauder mags..
I grabbed spares on Amazon - Cheap.
IMO - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Sam -
I got mine from AoA when they first came out, and I don't have a single negative thing to say..
I've got it from 10m to 50 yards at my old club/range, and it is pellet on pellet accurate!
Very light, and very stable and well balanced when shouldering..
I almost always shoot target, but, when my bro in law needed help adding squirrels for a squirrel pot pie,
And I decided to help, I got two at about 30 yards.. Freehand, Both head shots..
1 through the eye / 1 just a bit lower.. And.. 1 of them was running. Instant kills..
So, they're great for target and hunting!
The open sights were great - even though I scoped mine.. They're relatively backyard friendly sound wise..
But I shoot indoors too, so, I worked with Donny, and he has suppressor adapters for them now also..
Pumping is a breeze on the Freedom, 5 amazing shots or 10 great shots continuously,
then pump again, or, pump to about 185 bar, fire, pump a few times, fire, repeat to keep in the curve..
The charging / cocking is Amazing! The lever is biathlon style, and in the perfect place..
Mine is so buttery smooth in both directions, and no up/down play like a lot of other rifles have..
Adjustable power wheel was a Must for me, and the one on these works great..
Low roughly 700fps and High roughly 800 fps. I think I was shooting two different pellets at the time..
Crosman Premier 14.3 gr Hollow Points, and JSB 18.13's.. Both shot amazing..
Oh.. I thought of one gripe.. I can't attach my bipods to it.. That's all I've got. haha
Magazines work great, you get two, and then if you need more - They'll also take Marauder mags..
I grabbed spares on Amazon - Cheap.
IMO - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Sam -
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Welcome!
I've turned a few other people onto the Freedom,
and they've also been extremely happy with theirs so far also!
After you started this thread,
I had to bust mine out, and put about 100 more rounds through it..
Ahhh.. I love that thing!
Sam -
I've turned a few other people onto the Freedom,
and they've also been extremely happy with theirs so far also!
After you started this thread,
I had to bust mine out, and put about 100 more rounds through it..
Ahhh.. I love that thing!
Sam -
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I bought a Nova Freedom in 22 yesterday. Will arrive later this week.
Has anyone tried anything extra heavy? like the JSB Jumbo Beast Exact Diabolo 33.956g?
I am looking to tune this for backyard squirrel use. lower FPS.
also, will probably do a moderator too. all in good time.
Is it wrong to want to put an xsight 4k on one of these? asking for a friend....
Has anyone tried anything extra heavy? like the JSB Jumbo Beast Exact Diabolo 33.956g?
I am looking to tune this for backyard squirrel use. lower FPS.
also, will probably do a moderator too. all in good time.
Is it wrong to want to put an xsight 4k on one of these? asking for a friend....
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Re: JSB Jumbo Beast Exact Diabolo 33.956g
Direct quote from AiegunDepot: "The heaviest .22 cal pellet yet! Note: Does not fit in rotary magazines"
Direct quote from AiegunDepot: "The heaviest .22 cal pellet yet! Note: Does not fit in rotary magazines"
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As far as mounting a xsight 4k on this rifle. I don't think it would be the best scope due to the pumping action. Also when you use the ballistics calculator function, your pellet speed needs to be pretty constant. Unless you chronographed your pellets and decided to shoot at one pressure, say 2500 psi, and pump after each shot. the ballistics calculator would not be very useful.
I have a 4k mounted on my .25 cal. gauntlet and am very inpressed. I zero it at 20 yards, and if I want to shoot at any other distance - I just dial that distance into the scope and the crosshairs are spot on to the bullseye. No holdover required.
I have a 4k mounted on my .25 cal. gauntlet and am very inpressed. I zero it at 20 yards, and if I want to shoot at any other distance - I just dial that distance into the scope and the crosshairs are spot on to the bullseye. No holdover required.
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I was wondering if the pumping might mess with the scope. I'm considering one for my AR15 coyote rig anyway...
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Has anyone tried to clean the barell of Seneca Aspen? I tried to clean using a straw from the end of barell to get past the baffles but couldn't get it all the way. This is my first pcp , I've always shot springers. Don't want to damage anything by forcing something through. Any help will be appreciated..
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I used a vacuum to feed the string and it worked out great.
I love my Seneca Aspen it is a blast.
I love my Seneca Aspen it is a blast.
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Regarding accuracy and pellet weight/use..
I've taken out 2 squirrels with my Freedom .22 Using either Crosman Premier 14 gr or JSB 18gr.
In the pic, you'll see that One Eyed Willy didn't stand a chance..
That's where I aimed, and that's where the pellet landed.. Instant kill.
The kicker? I shot this off-hand at about 35 yards!
The second squirrel was making a mad-dash across the yard - same deal, but,
I was sort of resting the rifle and pivoting it against a railing.. 1 shot 1 kill for that one also..
Anyways.. I shoot the 14 grain on low power and the 18 grain on high power.
Since then, I've only been shooting 10m target [trapped indoors for the NY winter]
I've tried a few heavier weight pellets like the H&N 21.14 and another [I just can't remember]
The rifle performed equally as well! I just haven't been able to chrono or test at longer distance.
Now that my Freedom can use my DonnyFL Ronin or Emperor V3,
I'm sure the pellet groups will become even more consistent and tighten up even more!
[I've noticed that happening with 5 of the other PCP's that I use them on]
Regarding barrel cleaning: I made my own setup..
Thick weed eater line, cut about 3' long.. I heated up 1 end, and smushed it down..
The result is a 'disk' just smaller than the .22 skirt, so it'll slide right through no problem..
That 'disk' is what keeps the cleaning cloth in place..
The other end is sharpened to a point.. Just poke it thought the cloth, slide that to the end,
and feed from the breech down through.. Works like a charm..
Sam -
I've taken out 2 squirrels with my Freedom .22 Using either Crosman Premier 14 gr or JSB 18gr.
In the pic, you'll see that One Eyed Willy didn't stand a chance..
That's where I aimed, and that's where the pellet landed.. Instant kill.
The kicker? I shot this off-hand at about 35 yards!
The second squirrel was making a mad-dash across the yard - same deal, but,
I was sort of resting the rifle and pivoting it against a railing.. 1 shot 1 kill for that one also..
Anyways.. I shoot the 14 grain on low power and the 18 grain on high power.
Since then, I've only been shooting 10m target [trapped indoors for the NY winter]
I've tried a few heavier weight pellets like the H&N 21.14 and another [I just can't remember]
The rifle performed equally as well! I just haven't been able to chrono or test at longer distance.
Now that my Freedom can use my DonnyFL Ronin or Emperor V3,
I'm sure the pellet groups will become even more consistent and tighten up even more!
[I've noticed that happening with 5 of the other PCP's that I use them on]
Regarding barrel cleaning: I made my own setup..
Thick weed eater line, cut about 3' long.. I heated up 1 end, and smushed it down..
The result is a 'disk' just smaller than the .22 skirt, so it'll slide right through no problem..
That 'disk' is what keeps the cleaning cloth in place..
The other end is sharpened to a point.. Just poke it thought the cloth, slide that to the end,
and feed from the breech down through.. Works like a charm..
Sam -
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I haven;t have any issues with my nova and my hawke 3.5x12x40
They both have been running smoothly and keep plinking away and hit pets here and there up to 45-50 yards. I probably have more than 1500 pellets through that baby so far and the only thing to do, is to fill the mags and pump it up and a good cleanup and maintenance (silicon oil). I haven't have any issues with mine and I love it. It is my go around self carry gun, awesome for that purpose.
I do not regret the purchase even after shooting my Taipan Vet.
They both have been running smoothly and keep plinking away and hit pets here and there up to 45-50 yards. I probably have more than 1500 pellets through that baby so far and the only thing to do, is to fill the mags and pump it up and a good cleanup and maintenance (silicon oil). I haven't have any issues with mine and I love it. It is my go around self carry gun, awesome for that purpose.
I do not regret the purchase even after shooting my Taipan Vet.
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I have a few crony numbers but I had a lot of errors so the numbers aren’t shot to shot, it’s to cold to spend any time outside right now I’m gonna do more this weekend.
Created: 03/06/19 11:00 AM
Description: JSB 25.39
Notes 1:
Notes 2:
Distance to Chrono(FT): 1.00
Ballistic Coefficient: 1.000
Bullet Weight(gr): 25.39
Temp: 0 °F
BP: 0.00 inHg
Altitude: 0.00
# FPS FT-LBS PF
6 757 32.31 19.22
5 769 33.35 19.52
4 817 37.64 20.74
3 786 34.84 19.96
2 736 30.54 18.69
1 758 32.40 19.25
Average: 770.5 FPS
SD: 28.0 FPS
Min: 736 FPS
Max: 817 FPS
Spread: 81 FPS
Shot/sec: 0.0
True MV: 771 FPS
Group Size (in): 0.00
Created: 03/06/19 11:00 AM
Description: JSB 25.39
Notes 1:
Notes 2:
Distance to Chrono(FT): 1.00
Ballistic Coefficient: 1.000
Bullet Weight(gr): 25.39
Temp: 0 °F
BP: 0.00 inHg
Altitude: 0.00
# FPS FT-LBS PF
6 757 32.31 19.22
5 769 33.35 19.52
4 817 37.64 20.74
3 786 34.84 19.96
2 736 30.54 18.69
1 758 32.40 19.25
Average: 770.5 FPS
SD: 28.0 FPS
Min: 736 FPS
Max: 817 FPS
Spread: 81 FPS
Shot/sec: 0.0
True MV: 771 FPS
Group Size (in): 0.00
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CAUTIONARY TALE AND A SUGGESTION: I've owned my Seneca Aspen for one month. It shoots one hole, often pellet-sized, groups consistently at 25 yards from the bench. However, I consider buying that Seneca Aspen a mistake because the built-in pump failed early. With help from readers here, I repaired it myself rather than paying to ship the gun for warranty work. $5 bought enough o-rings to repair the pump 50 times. Still, the repair WILL frustrate most users, and the failure might be repeated (one day after the warranty expires). I've now purchased a Hill MK4 pump for use at the range, and I'll use the built-in pump when necessary while in the field.
The Nova Liberty (not the Nova Freedom which is a twin to my Aspen) embodies the best of the Aspen, but deletes the pump in favor of a larger reservoir. It's lighter and more trim, too. The action, and likely all the important bits, are shared with my Aspen. The synthetic stock version of the Liberty was on sale this past week (coupon code given in these forums) for about $270 shipped, regular $299. Buying the Hill pump still puts you on the right side of $500. The included front and rear "iron" sights are wasted on a rifle that wants a scope, but the sights are easily removed. This is the rifle I'd buy today.
The Nova Liberty (not the Nova Freedom which is a twin to my Aspen) embodies the best of the Aspen, but deletes the pump in favor of a larger reservoir. It's lighter and more trim, too. The action, and likely all the important bits, are shared with my Aspen. The synthetic stock version of the Liberty was on sale this past week (coupon code given in these forums) for about $270 shipped, regular $299. Buying the Hill pump still puts you on the right side of $500. The included front and rear "iron" sights are wasted on a rifle that wants a scope, but the sights are easily removed. This is the rifle I'd buy today.
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Thanks for the info. I saw your report on the pump. That had to have been a frustration of epic proportions. Do you feel that it was a lubrication issue, a design issue, or an o ring issue? combo? I think that idea has merits which is why I hit the whole buy button. I bet that Gamo and Crosman aren't too far behind with their own take on the idea.
Since mine is on on a fedex truck, we will see how it performs. fingers crossed. I'll be providing a newbie's take on the rifle after it gets here and I get some pellets down range. I expect that the Nova Freedom is just the beginning. I'm already thinking about gun number 4... I mean gun number two.
Since mine is on on a fedex truck, we will see how it performs. fingers crossed. I'll be providing a newbie's take on the rifle after it gets here and I get some pellets down range. I expect that the Nova Freedom is just the beginning. I'm already thinking about gun number 4... I mean gun number two.
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