This is my one:
The Ultra compact special edition with upgraded wood, a longer barrel (13" instead of the 8" in the regular version), custom carbon fiber shroud (made by me) and Wild West shroud extension, additional power so it puts out 31fpe (vs 28fpe for the regular version).
I highly recommend the WildWest shroud extension for this gun. It's much cheaper than most other LDCs ($80) and it's made to screw into the end cap. It's not the best quality craftsmanship. It has simple plastic baffles etc, but... it works very well and it's night and day compared to the factory shroud which isn't effective at all. The advantage of cheap plastic baffles is that it's super lightweight which is good because you don't want anything heavy on the end of a free float barrel to shift the poi. There is also no chance of anyone thinking it could be used on a firearm. It's backyard friendly even at 30fpe with the shroud extension and factory baffles removed.
I was using it to pop teeny tiny sparrows at 50 yards last week and I didn't miss a shot. You can't do that without a minimum level of accuracy. It was far more fun that it should be. There is no hunting skills required but plenty of shooting skills to work on. Sparrows don't say still for long.... getting the lightweight ultra compact on target quickly is easy and the flat underside helps eliminate cant issues.
I'm not sure if I love it yet (still deciding) but it is definitely growing on me. The things I like so far are:
- The action - the feel and sound of the side lever is the nicest I have felt on an air gun. It really feels nice
- The weight - easily the lightest gun that I own (lighter than a Mutant Shorty)
- The balance - even though it's light, it somehow manages to feel very stable when you want to shoot from a bench. It's actually quite easy to shoot well
- Comfort - not sure if it's just me but I find it very easy to obtain a comfortable hold with a good cheek weld and eye alignment with the scope
- Seems accurate once the factory baffle piece is removed (it's ineffective anyway so no loss). I haven't properly tested the accuracy fully yet. Just an initial impression but it needs time for the reg to settle. The longer barrel helps a lot though
- The trigger is decent once you adjust it to taste. Fans of defined two-stage triggers will be satisfied. I prefer a light single stage with zero travel but that's just my taste and I'm in a minority on this one.
- The length - it almost does the same job as a bullpup for people who prefer traditional (well tactical) rifles (when folded and shroud extension removed)
- The look. I like tactical-looking guns and while the folding stock has no real value for me, it looks very cool imo
The things I don't like are:
- Too loud out of the box. Plan on spending the extra $80 if you need backyard friendly
- The wood stock. It's a bad design. Anyone who makes things knows that thin wood with a 90 degree angle and long flat sides is a complete no no. You can snap it with your little finger. The design is fine for the plastic version though
- The grade of wood on the regular version is poor and people deserve better at that price. It's not even a big piece of wood so it would not be expensive to upgrade. The special edition looks noticeably better in person but still not great (the grain is straight, no figuring, visible filler etc)
- Overall careless machine work from the barrel to the stock. Hopefully PA will succeed is persuading them to take more care for future shipments
- The complete and comprehensive lack of customer support. There is not a single Ataman spare part in North America. Given how long it takes for Ataman to ship anything, if your Ataman breaks, it could be 6 months before you can receive a replacement part. This is a non-negotiable imo. Air Venturi needs to import a crate of spare parts with the next shipment. Air guns break and it's not acceptable for a $1500 gun (or any gun) to become a paper weight...
- No HST adjuster and this gun would really benefit from one because it does not arrive with everything optimal. A good tune makes this thing a very different gun and fixes a bunch of issues
- The magazines - they actually work very well but the price is just silly and they are noisy to operate which alerts squirrels to my murderous intent. All air guns should come with a 2 mag minimum. One is just rude. If you can't make auto indexing mags for less than $50 then just give us regular mags. Most people prefer that anyway.
- The safety - let's just say I wouldn't rely on it....
- The breach block design. It's odly long and open for a compact carbine. This gun used to be a single shot bolt-action which they converted and it's obvious. In addition to adding unnecessary length, the open design increases mechanical noise. It's not a big deal - just something I would change if I had the opportunity
- The size of the air tube. If any gun would benefit from a CF bottle instead of a tube, it's this one. If it was as efficient as the Shorty, it would be different but it's nowhere near
I have nearly finished making a custom stock for my one. I think this gun could be quite versatile when I have few different dress options...
