Gamo has announced their annual SHOT Show press event where will officially launch a number of new products and new technologies.

The press event is scheduled to take place on Thursday January 22nd at 11 am at its booth number (#11053) located in the main exhibition hall.

The Spanish manufacturer will be unveiling new products and technologies with an exciting lineup of outdoor celebrity appearances for Gamo, including:

Shawn Michaels & Keith Mark (MRA Hunting),

Jackie Bushman (Buckmasters),

Michael Waddell, Travis “T-Bone” Turner,

Nick Mundt (Bone Collector),

Doug Koenig  (Doug Koenig’s Championship Season),

Keith Warren (The High Road) and newcomer to the Pro Staff lineup, Theresa Vail (Limitless).

SHOT Show attendees can meet some of the biggest outdoor celebrities and have their autographs signed on two different events (posters provided) at the Gamo Booth. Both events are on Wednesday January 21st.

11:45 am – 12:30 pm: Cast of BONE COLLECTOR TV SHOW (Michael Waddell, Nick Mundt and Travis T-Bone Turner).
The Bone Collector TV Show premiered in 2009, and promised to reinvent the outdoor television genre – which they did. Bone Collector is the culture of the hunter; the brotherhood of sportsmen that have true passion for the game, the land, and the lifestyle. With world-class production and marketing teams behind it, Bone Collector brings a fresh, honest and youthful approach to America’s Leader in Outdoor TV.

4:00pm-4:45pm : Cast of SHAWN MICHAELS MRA HUNTING TV SHOW (Shawn Michaels and Keith Mark).
Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventure showcases the extraordinary talents of WWE Legend and Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.
Shawn will join his good friend and longtime show host Keith Mark, owner and operator of the original MacMillan River Adventures camp in Yukon, Canada, as they hunt their way across the globe for the largest big-game animals in some of the most exciting settings ever filmed.

The post Celebrity Appearances for Gamo
at 2015 SHOT Show appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Pyramyd Air, the world’s largest online airgun retailer, has tallied its sales of all guns, optics and ammo on its site and come up with its list of top selling airguns and pellets for 2014. Most likely you were among the buyers who contributed to these listing!

PyramydAir’s top selling airguns of 2104 were – drum roll, please….

Air Rifles -

1. Benjamin Marauder.

2. Daisy Red Ryders.

3. Stoeger Arms X20S Suppressor Air Rifle.

Air Pistols -

1. Crosman 2240 CO2 Pistol

2. Tanfoglio Witness 1911 CO2 Pistol

3. Beeman P17 Air Pistol

High End Airguns -

1. Benjamin Marauder Air Rifle (again!).

2. AirForce Airguns Condor SS Air Rifle.

3. Sumatra 2500 Air Rifle.

Air gun Scopes -

1. CenterPoint Optics 4-16×40 AO Adventure Class Rifle Scope.

2. Leapers UTG 30mm SWAT 3-12×44 AO Rifle Scope.

3. Bushnell Banner 4-12×40 AO Rifle Scope.

Pellets -

1. JSB Match Diabolo Exact King .25 Caliber.

2. JSB Match Diabolo Exact Jumbo Heavy .22 Caliber, Domed.

3. Beeman Kodiak Extra Heavy .22 Caliber, Round Nose.

Many airgun shooters use Pyramyd Air’s annual top-seller lists to select the airguns most likely to deliver the highest levels of enjoyment, accuracy and reliability. Those values are considered the elements that almost certainly guarantee shooting satisfaction.

Pyramyd lists a top 10 products in each category. Visit pyramydair.com/top-products to see them all.

The post PyramydAir’s Top Selling Airguns of 2014 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

HatsanUSA has announced that it will be going big in 2015 with the new Hatsan Carnivore big bore airgun line in .30 and .35 calibers.

Available in .30 (860fps) and .35 (730fps) calibers with muzzle velocities up to 860 fps, Hatsan Carnivore big bore airguns are claimed to be the perfect airgun for new hunting challenges with medium-sized game.

Hatsan Carnivore PCP airguns are powered by a 300 bar  (4350 psi) air cylinder, capable of delivering up to 21 shots at optimal velocity at an effective range of 100 yards. And because they are fitted with Hatsan’s patented Anti-Knock system, shooters won’t have to worry about gas-wastage if the rifle is knocked or dropped.

“The Carnivore Series offers a very exciting performance/feature combination”, said HatsanUSA President and CEO Blaine Manifold. “This combination of velocity, energy, and number of shots sets the HatsanUSA’s Carnivore’s apart from other big bore airguns that are available in the market.”

Hatsan Carnivore big bore airgun models feature HatsanUSA’s QuietEnergy technology. This proprietary technology utilizes a fully integrated shrouded barrel that tapers into a sound moderator to drastically reduce overall noise up to 50%.

Like all airguns from HatsanUSA, nearly every component of the Carnivore airguns are manufactured in-house by the Turkish manufacturer – including its anodized aircraft aluminum alloy receiver, high-quality German steel barrel, and fully-adjustable two-stage Quattro Trigger.

The Carnivore is also fitted with an elevation-adjustable comb, three Picatinny rails, and a heavy-duty secure 11mm/22mm Weaver-style scope mount.

The MSRP for the both the .30 and .35 caliber Carnivore is $799.00.

The Hatsan Carnivore big bore airgun will be shown at HatsanUSA’s 2015 SHOT Show booth (1425). Hard Air Magazine will bring you more photographs and information as we have it.

Hatsan Carnivore big bore airgun specifications:

Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP), side bolt-action, multi-shot air rifle
QuietEnergy fully shrouded barrel and Integrated Sound Moderator (Approximately 50% Quieter)
Precision rifled barrel for accuracy
Available in .30 (860fps) and .35 (730fps) calibers
Ambidextrous & ergonomic design synthetic stock with thumbhole
Picatinny rail beneath the forearm for mounting accessories
Soft rubber inlays on forearm for better control and feel
Elevation adjustable comb
Adjustable rubber butt pad for length-of-pull as well as elevation and fit angle
Detachable 7-shot rotary magazine in .30 and 6-shot rotary magazine in .35 caliber.
Detachable aluminum air cylinder tube (255cc). Spare cylinders are available
Equipped with “Easy Read” pressure gauge
Includes quick-fill nozzle & air cylinder discharging cap
Heavy-duty secure 11mm / 22mm Weaver style scope mount
Overall blued finish, black anodized receiver
Manual / Auto Safety
“Anti-double pellet feed” mechanism preventing more than one pellet loading into barrel
Patented Anti-Knock System to prevent gas wastage when rifle is knocked or bounced
Quattro Trigger: 2-stage full adjustable match trigger for trigger travel and trigger load
Gold plated metal trigger & metal trigger guard
Fitted sling swivels
Includes: two magazines and sling

The post Hatsan Carnivore Big Bore Airgun
To Be Released At SHOT Show 2015 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Swab-its, the makers of Bore-whips, Bore-tips and Gun-tips will be at the 2015 SHOT Show in Las Vegas (booth #1241), January 20-23, demonstrating its newest product, Swab-its Bore-whips for airgun barrel cleaning, as well as some new concept products not yet released.

New Swab-its Bore-whips have been engineered specifically for use in cleaning and maintaining air guns, and with their tight barrel fit provide the ideal delivery system to clean and lubricate without the hassle and lint residue of the less effective patches and cotton swabs.

“Dealers, distributors and wholesalers, particularly those selling air guns, are invited to visit with the Swab-its staff during SHOT Show at booth 1241 for a product demonstration and to learn how the full Swab-its line can help increase those all-important add-on sales,” said Cathy Desorcy, product manager for Swab-its.

The Swabs-its line now includes Bore-whips in both.177 and .22 calibers, together with firearms cleaning products in a wide range of calibers. All Swab-its products are lint-free, washable and reusable.

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Presented At SHOT Show 2015 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

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Announced at SHOT Show 2015 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

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Launched at SHOT Show appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Benjamin Airguns, the premium hunting brand of Crosman Corporation, has taken the leash off what’s expected from an airgun with the announcement of their new big bore, the Bulldog .357 air rifle. Lighter, more maneuverable and featuring over 30 inches of rail space for accessorizing, the Bulldog is lethally effective on predators, large hogs, trophy whitetail, and as professional hunter Ian Harford has proven, even African plains game.

“The Benjamin Bulldog performed flawlessly on my safari in South Africa. We were successful on several species, all with a single shot and none requiring a track of more than 70 yards. The Bulldog is an amazingly compact, powerful weapon and surprisingly affordable,” said Harford.

The Bulldog is offered in a bullpup configuration that allows for an overall length of only 36 inches and a weight under eight pounds. And created for the Bulldog is the Benjamin SoundTrap, a trapezoid shaped shroud designed for big bore sound suppression.

“We created the Bulldog to respond to the growing demand for more powerful, higher caliber airguns,” said Jennifer Lambert, VP marketing for Crosman.  “The Bullpup style allows us to give hunters that power, but still offers maximum balance and maneuverability.”

By moving the breech rearward, the barrel length necessary to generate large game-capable power is preserved while reducing the overall length for balanced handling.

Today’s trophy hunters outfit their rifles with a range of optics, cameras, night vision gear and bipods. The Bulldog can accommodate all these and more with 26 inches of picatinny rail above the barrel and 5.5” inches below the muzzle

An all new 5-shot magazine design is easier to load and provides visual confirmation when full or empty. The flush fit into the stock means no interference when aiming. An efficient sidelever bolt enables a single cocking motion, providing quick followup shots, and a crisp, two-stage trigger delivering the predictability hunters demand. The side-mounted pressure gauge is conveniently located for reading during filling and for monitoring while in the field. The Bulldog includes standard sling posts for easy carry.

Jim Shockey, professional hunter and host of “Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures” and “Jim Shockey’s UNCHARTED”, is excited about hunting with the Bulldog, “the Benjamin Bulldog is a versatile, accurate, and affordable option for hunters interested in the challenge of airgun hunting. The range of game that can be taken with the Bulldog will have you hunting all year long.”

The Benjamin Bulldog delivers consistent five-shot groups of nearly 800 feet per second (FPS) and with a stunning 200 foot pounds of energy (FPE) when using the Benjamin eXTREME airgun 145 grain hunting bullet by Nosler. Shooters can expect up to 10 usable shots on a single charge.

Crosman claims that the Bulldog .357 is better suited than any firearm for hunting small parcels where noise and limited range are factors. And when adventure beckons, they say that the Benjamin Bulldog is the one rifle that has a permanent spot in the pickup.

The Benjamin Bulldog is available now at an MSRP of $999.99.

Our photograph shows Crosman’s Chip Hunnicutt shooting a prototype Bulldog back in the Summer.

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Launched at SHOT Show appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

The SHOT Show always has so much to see, with so little time to find all the new products!

Here’s some highlights of the new airguns at SHOT Show 2015 – day one.

Above, Scott Smith of Benelli USA holds the new Stoeger Airguns A-30 model. This is a break barrel gas ram air rifle that will be available in .177 and .22 calibers.

At Crosman, there were several Benjamin Bulldog big bore PCP air rifles, including these two, one in a camp-dipped finish that looked very good.

Also on view was the new Benjamin Armada PCP, here being shown by Jesse Carter of Crosman.

Gletcher is a new name in the US airgun market. They specialize in incredibly accurate replicas of historic pistols, mainly BB-firing, although some fire pellets.  Here Boris Shekhman of Sport Manufacturing Group, the US importers, holds a replica Russian Civil War cut down M1891 Mosin Nagant rifle. It’s CO2-powered and shoots BBs. As a former owner of a (full length) Mosin Nagant 1891/30 sniper rifle, I can confirm that the action, weight and feel was outstanding!

Below, Joe McCoy from Umarex USA holds the new Walther Rotek R8 air rifle. The Rotek R8 is a new 8-shot PCP model with wood stock and Lothar Walther barrel. The German-manufactured Rotek will be available in .177 and .22 calibers, with a muzzle velocity spec of 1,000 FPS in .177 cal.

Below, the Rotek again, together with the new Walther LGU Master and (almost, cut off at the bottom of the frame) the new Walther Terrus air rifle.

Finally, for New Airguns at SHOT Show 2015 – Day 1, we see the new big bore Air-Ordnance Modoc rolling block-action air rifle. This is a PCP that’s powered by individual cartridges of high pressure air at up to 4,500 PSI, firing 9mm caliber pellet at up to a claimed 1,000 FPS. Holding the Modoc is Matt Steigmeyer of Air Ordnance/Tippman Armory.

Phew, that’s it for today. Look for more exciting photos and information on airguns at the SHOT Show 2015 in Hard Air Magazine tomorrow.

The post New Airguns at SHOT Show 2015 – Day 1 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Here’s some of the many more new airguns at SHOT Show 2015!

One highlight was the new Daystate Pulsar, shown above by Tony Belas of Daystate. This is a completely new bullpup PCP air rifle that is planned to be available from the US distributors Airguns of Arizona in the second quarter of 2015. This prototype looked beautiful and the finish was beyond reproach!

Gamo were showing prototypes of several new air rifles. One is the PCP Gamo Coyote in .177, .22 and .25 calibers, here being held by Fedor Palacios of Gamo USA.

Another 2015 airgun introduction from Gamo will be the Gamo Mach 1 Pigman air rifle that was highlighted by this huge poster. This will be available in both .177 and .22 calibers and will incorporate several new Gamo technology improvements, including the CAT trigger and RRR (Recoil Reduction Rail) that aims to absorb much of the recoil of powerful gas ram and spring/piston air rifles and so protect the scope.

Here’s Fedor Palacios again, holding the prototype Gamo Mach 1 Pigman.

Of course, we had to see the new AirForce Texas air rifle. In .45 caliber, this big bore airgun is big in every sense of the word yet feels light and natural to point and handle.

AirForce claims that the Texan is the most powerful production air rifle yet built with a muzzle energy of 500 Ft/Lbs!!!!!!!

The AirForce Texan has side lever cocking 9 Which felt very easy to operate) and is scheduled for volume availability late in Quarter 1 2015. Maximum power is obtained for 4 shots, but 12/14 shots is claimed to be a realistic number of strong shots from the standard high pressure air tank.

Below we see the AirForce Texan being shown by Cody Monroe of Predator-X magazine.

One of the most innovative new air rifles was shown in prototype form by Shanghai Airguns. This very interesting concept builds on the existing very popular Beeman “dual barrel” air rifles that have interchangeable barrels.

In this prototype Dual by Beeman air rifle, there are TWO – yes two! – fixed barrels that are a permanent part of the gun. One  barrel is .177 cal, the other in .22 cal. The Dual by Beeman can be fired as a .177 by loading that caliber barrel. Or it can be fired as a .22 cal by loading that barrel. Or, amazingly, it can be fired with 2 pellets at once, one of each caliber, both fired at once!

Here a Dual by Beeman prototype is shown by Bill Chung of Shanghai airguns.

Below is a closeup of the dual loading ports. The .22 cal barrel is on top, the .177 cal below.

There’s more exciting news of new airguns at SHOT Show 2015 to come. Check back with Hard Air Magazine tomorrow!

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Above. Claire West of Air Arms holds the new Air Arms HFT500 which received its US market launch at the SHOT Show. The HFT500 is specially designed for Hunter Field Target competition and features a single shot side lever action and multi adjustable match trigger. The HFT500 is distributed in the USA by Air Venturi and is sold by PyramydAir.

Below, Shanghai Airguns showed a prototype big bore air rifle, based on the QB78 design. This .40 cal PCP air rifle has no name yet but has a 4,000PSI working pressure giving a claimed 10 good shots at 880 fps with 165 Grain pellets.

Expect this to be branded as a Beeman air rifle. Holding the gun is Jerry Ream of Beeman.

Still on the big bore theme, new airguns at SHOT Show 2015 included the Hatsan Carnivore PCP air rifle in both .30 and .35 caliber. Daniel Settle of Hatsan USA is obviously proud of his company’s new introduction! (Note that the scope and bipod are accessory items and not included with the basic gun.

Norica is a Spanish manufacturer that sells a range of popular air rifles in Europe. Although not yet represented in the US market, they may be soon…

Here Josu Hernaltes of Norica shows his company’s latest introduction, the Norica Dragon Evolution Max. This air rifle has a bull barrel with sound suppressor and gas ram power plant. It is shown with a newly-developed Norica scope that’s claimed to eliminate the problems of scope breakage from the harsh recoil of powerful break barrel air rifles.

Action Sports Games (ASG) markets a wide range of officially-licensed BB and pellet-firing pistol replicas. These include the new TAC 4.5 air rifle, a prototype of which is shown below by ASG’s Bob Li.

ASG also showed a prototype Dan Wesson 715 pellet-firing revolver at the show. ASG worked so closely with Dan Wesson that the model 715 replicas were launched at the SHOT Show at exactly the same time as the firearm original. That’s teamwork!

Tomorrow – Friday – is the last day of the 2015 SHOT Show. There’s more photographs to come in the Day 4 report from Hard Air Magazine!

The post New Airguns at SHOT Show 2015 Day 3 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

In what could be the most significant new airguns at SHOT Show 2015, major firearms manufacturer SIG SAUER  has announced its entry into the airgun market. SIG SAUER showed a new range of military-style, tactical rifles, carbines and pistols. There are multiple models using High Pressure Air (HPA) and CO2 as the power source for rapid fire capability and high capacity magazines. All are based on the firearms equivalent SIG SAUER models and are almost entirely indistinguishable from them. They’re superbly realistic!

Our headline photograph above shows Lou Riley of SIG SAUER (right) holding a prototype SIG MPX carbine airgun, while Jorg Siemens of German pellet-manufacturer H&N (left) holds a SIG MXC air rifle.

SIG SAUER is part of the L&O Group, that also includes GSG (German Sport Guns) which includes Diana air rifles, Mauser and Blaser firearms brands. Because of the breadth and significance of the announcements made by L&O Group companies about airguns, HAM will cover this more fully in a separate report.

Yet another firearms manufacturer moving into airguns is Chiappa Firearms, more familiar for their range of quality reproduction blackpowder and historic firearms.

Above, Giada Chiappa holds a prototype of the new .177 caliber Chiappa AR611 PCP air rifle. This PCP has a side lever action together with a truly outstanding trigger – at least judging from the two samples I tried.

Although basically a single shot air rifle, the Chiappa AR611 can be simply converted to 10-shot magazine feed with an optional extra kit. The AR611 has some interesting design features, including removable High Pressure Air tank, a rotatable muzzle weight that can accept dovetail-fitting front tunnel sights on one side and movable sight base for attaching a scope in the ideal position.

The Chiappa AR611 air rifle is available with a beautiful wood stock. It’s also available with what looks like a black synthetic stock but isn’t. The black stock is actually made of wood, sprayed with a black “soft touch” material that is extremely pleasant to hold – nothing like many synthetic stocks!

Korean air rifle specialist Evanix was displaying a new prototype underlever, modular PCP air rifle, shown by SiYoung Lee of Evanix, above. This, currently unnamed, model can be configured with different capacity HPA tanks (these actually comprise the buttstock) and may appear in multiple calibers, including big bore versions.

Unlike most Exanix air rifles, this new model is a single shot gun of extremely simple – yet sophisticated – design. When will it be available? Maybe later in 2015.

Firearms manufacturer Remington entered the airgun market at the 2014 SHOT Show. One year on, they are showing a number of prototype air rifles, including the currently-unnamed model with multi-adjustable synthetic stock carried above by Remington’s Cory Kizielewicz.

Displayed as prototypes were a new Remington Thunderjet air rifle and a Thunderceptor air rifle. These are gas ram airguns with synthetic stocks and sound suppressors. Remington also showed new BBs, CO2 cartridges and pellets to add to its growing air rifle and air pistol offerings.

The SHOT Show 2015 is now over. But Hard Air Magazine has yet more news to share! Yet other new airguns at SHOT Show 2015 will be shown in another report tomorrow.

The post New airguns at SHOT Show 2015 Day 4 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

But wait there’s more! The SHOT Show may be over, but HAM is still bringing you more new airguns at SHOT Show 2015, together with more detail that we didn’t have space for in previous reports.

Our heading photograph shows Ted Bier (of Ted’s Holdover fame) reviewing an Air Arms rifle with Claire West of Air Arms at The Pyramid Air booth.

Chinese OEM manufacturer Xisco was showing these three new prototype PCP air rifles…

The gun shown at the top of this photograph is a new platform prototype that is not based on existing models (except for the trigger). It was said also to be capable of development as a big bore air rifle. The air pressure is 3,000 psi with a muzzle velocity of around 1,000 fps in .177 caliber.

The lower two models in the above photograph are versions of the current XS60 CO2-powered air rifle (the wood stock gun cut off at the bottom of the photograph). They both are designed to work at the low pressure – for PCP airguns – of 1,500 psi, which would certainly make for easy charging by hand pump. Muzzle velocity is claimed to be 800 fps in .177 caliber.

One version has a conventional single HPA tank, the other has dual smaller tubes that could be used with HPA or with no less than 4 12 Gram CO2 “Powerless”. The closeup below shows the unique configuration of the dual tube model.

The photograph below shows a closeup of the side lever cocking action of the AirForce Texan big bore air rifle. This design departure for AirForce was chosen for easy cocking and it certainly seems to succeed at that. The yellow arrow shows how the cocking lever is pushed forward to open the breech. A pellet is placed in the loading tray at the rear of the barrel and the cocking lever pulled back to load.

Below, Bob Li of ASG shows a prototype replica Dan Wesson 715 pistol – this is the airsoft version, there’s also a pellet firing model. ASG worked so closely with Dan Wesson to create this that the prototype air pistol was shown at the same time as the firearm was launched at the SHOT Show.

This pistol uses an innovative way of loading the 12 Gram CO2 Powerlet. When the grip side cover is removed, there’s a fold out hex wrench included that is used to tighten the Powerless into place, without requiring a separate tool. This can be sen in the lower right of the side cover.

Below, here’s a close up of the breech of the prototype Shanghai Airguns .40 caliber big bore air rifle.

Still to come is more information about the new prototypes shown by L&O Group, the owners of SIG SAUER, Mauser and Diana Werke.

The post More New Airguns at SHOT Show 2015 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Our headline photograph shows the Diana booth at the SHOT Show 2015, with Managing Director Herr Zedler displaying the new Diana 350 N-TEC Magnum air rifle.

Recent changes at Diana (Mayer and Gammelspacher GmbH & Co. KG) have caused some concerns among Diana enthusiasts in the US, so I investigated what is happening. Here is the Diana news from SHOT Show 2015.

Herr Zedler explained to me that the old – 125 years old! – Diana factory building has been closed as it was no longer suitable for the modern production requirements of Diana air rifles. But, he said, “it is not the end but a new beginning” and that there will be more investment in new designs and airgun technology in future.

The Diana company was recently sold to GSG GmbH (German Sports Guns). Diana air rifle production continues now at a GSG facility.

GSG is owned by the L&O Group, which also owns a number of other major firearms industry manufacturers, including SIG SAUER, Mauser and Blaser (the latter being best known in Europe).

By coincidence (?) GSG had a booth right next to the Diana booth at the SHOT Show. So I talked to the GSG representatives.

GSG were displaying some prototype air rifles. One was named the Mauser 03, the other the Blaser Success. They are based on Diana technology and are planned to be available in .177 and .22 calibers.. The photograph below shows these models.

The current Diana range continues in production and will continue to be available in the US market through the existing distributor UmarexUSA.

It seems clear that the L&O Group is making a major investment into the airgun market. My guess is that this will be positive for Diana and Diana enthusiasts in the long run…

SIG SAUER also had some very significant new airgun product announcements at the SHOT Show 2015. The SIG SAUER airgun products are very different from the more traditional Diana/Mauser/Blaser direction, however. I believe they are so significant that they will be covered by HAM in a separate post.

Following is some further detailed information from part of an old (2013) Press Release posted by the L&O Group. It clearly indicates the strategic thinking behind L&O Group’s expansion. Please note that this Press Release was issued more than a year before Diana joined the group.

“On the 28th May 2013, the L&O Group, with registered office in Emsdetten, Germany, took over the controlling stake in German Sport Guns GmbH (GSG), with registered office in Ense, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Among other, the company portfolio of the L&O Group includes the leading weapon manufacturers Blaser Jagdwaffen, Mauser Jagdwaffen, J.P. Sauer & Sohn, John Rigby as well as SIG SAUER.

The L&O Group and GSG have been partners for many years; in particular, GSG has been an important strategic supplier of SIG SAUER products in the USA for many years.  Significant growth potential is particularly expected in the utilisation of the trademark portfolios of the L&O Group, particularly brands such as “SIG SAUER”, “Blaser”, “Mauser” and “J.P. Sauer & Sohn”. The acceleration of the commodities business is also envisaged. Sales focus of GSG continues to be the US-American market, whereby significant growth potential is anticipated also in other regions worldwide”

The post Diana News from SHOT Show 2015 appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

These photographs, which are reproduced by courtesy of the NSSF, give a great overview of the huge numbers of attendees and excitement of the 2015 SHOT Show.

The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) rang up its second highest attendance ever at the Sands Expo Center Jan. 20-23, giving the industry a very good indicator that a strong sales year lies ahead for the firearms and airgun industry.

Long a bellwether for the firearms and airgun industry’s prospects, the SHOT Show brings together buyers and sellers from the United States and more than 100 countries. Total attendance for the 2015 SHOT Show was nearly 64,000, second only to last year’s record-setting event, where nearly 67,000 came through the turnstiles. Lower attendance reflected strengthened pre-screening of attendees to enhance the overall experience of both exhibitors and buyers.

“We know from long experience that attendance at the SHOT Show is a reflection of the state of our industry,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “This second highest attendance is in keeping with what we saw in the past year — that our industry is in good health and that manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers have a positive outlook for this year.”

NSSF®, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, owns and sponsors the SHOT Show.

More than 1,600 exhibiting companies filled the convention center and rooms in the adjoining Venetian Hotel. Total show exhibition space was more than 640,000 net square feet, or 13 acres of product display, with more than 150 new companies exhibiting.

The SHOT Show, the fifth largest trade show in Las Vegas, pumps nearly $90 million in non-gaming revenue into the Las Vegas economy.

Next year’s SHOT Show is scheduled for January 19-22 2016, again at the Sands Expo Center. Hard Air Magazine will be there to bring you up-to-the-minute reports on all the major airgun announcements and news.

But before then, we still have more posts to make about airgun news at the 2015 Show. Please keep checking back to HAM!

The post 2015 SHOT Show Posts Second Highest Attendance Total Ever appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

A new PCP air rifle from Chiappa Firearms was launched at the SHOT Show 2015.

The Chiappa AR611 air rifle is a revised version of the PCP (pre charged pneumatic) sporting carbine model AR 611 previously developed by the award winning Italian company FAS.

The new AR611 is developed by Chiappa in collaboration with FAS with major improvements in design and mechanics.

The new AR 611 continues to feature a durable frame machined from a block of Aluminum, but now greatly improved in details through the use of modern CNC machines. Every mechanical component has been verified and redesigned to ensure effectiveness and great performance. The pressure regulator allows for an effective use of the air in the tank and ensures consistent muzzle velocities and thus a consistent point of impact on the target over many shots.

The internal regulator can be set to produce different muzzle velocities to meet market demand in different countries. For example, Chiappa claims that more than 180 shots can be available from one fill at 557 fps based on the 7.5 Joule power limit existing in many European countries. Obviously the muzzle velocity can be higher (at the expense of shot count) if required for different markets.

Loading is very easy via a lever action. Components such as the trigger, the front sight and the rear sight are fully adjustable.
 Chiappa claims that the barrel is a real point of interest: AR611 is the only sporting carbine with a fully-floating 19.6″ barrel.

Below, Giada Chiappa shows the new PCP air rifle from Chiappa Firearms at the 2015 SHOT Show.

The post New PCP Air Rifle From Chiappa Firearms appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

SIG SAUER confirmed rumors that it would enter the airgun market in fine style! A whole range of new SIG SAUER airguns launched at 2015 SHOT Show, proved serious intent from this well-known quality firearms manufacturer.

The SIG SAUER air rifles are exact lookalike versions of the SIG SAUER MPX and MCX tactical carbines – both with and without silencers. Power is supplied by 88/90 Gram CO2 cylinders or HPA (High Pressure Air). These new air rifles have high capacity belt-fed magazines, including ultra-long “banana” magazines. Our heading photograph shows the SIG SAUER MPX airgun models.

Pricing on the SIG SAUER air rifles could come in at under $200.00. At that price, they would be formidable competition in the airgun market for anyone interested in a tactical-looking airgun!

Below are the SIG SAUER MCX airguns. Again you can see that both PCP and CO2 versions are shown.

And there were pistols, too! SIG SAUER P226 and P320 air pistols are also in the range, with CO2 power.

In my view, the appearance, weight and feel of these airguns seemed to duplicate that of the firearms almost exactly.

This is not so surprising as I believe that SIG SAUER are making these airguns themselves, they’re not – to my understanding – being built by a third party for SIG SAUER.

But wait, there’s more…

SIG SAUER also showed a complete range of high quality, German-made pellets (by H&N), together with a number of reactive targets of various types and a line of airgun scopes. This is a very considerable indication of SIG SAUER’s plans for their participation in the airgun market!

Availability should be this year for the new SIG SAUER airguns.

The post New SIG SAUER airguns launched at 2015 SHOT Show appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Benjamin Airguns, the premium hunting brand of Crosman Corporation, has announced their new big bore: the Benjamin Bulldog air rifle in .357 caliber.

The Bulldog is lighter, cheaper and more maneuverable than Benjamin’s first big bore gun – the Rogue. Crosman claims that the Benjamin Bulldog is lethally effective on predators, large hogs and trophy whitetail.

The Benjamin Bulldog air rifle is offered in a bullpup configuration with an overall length of only 36 inches and a weight under eight pounds. And created for the Bulldog is the Benjamin SoundTrap, a trapezoid shaped shroud designed for big bore sound suppression.

“We created the Bulldog to respond to the growing demand for more powerful, higher caliber airguns,” said Jennifer Lambert, VP marketing for Crosman.  “The Bullpup style allows us to give hunters that power, but still offers maximum balance and maneuverability.”

By moving the breech rearward, the barrel length necessary to generate large game-capable power is preserved while reducing the overall length for balanced handling.

Today’s trophy hunters outfit their rifles with a range of optics, cameras, night vision gear and bipods. The Bulldog can accommodate all these and more with 26 inches of picatinny rail above the barrel and 5.5” inches below the muzzle

An all new 5-shot magazine design is said to be easier to load and provides visual confirmation when full or empty. The flush fit into the stock means no interference when aiming.

An efficient sidelever bolt enables a single cocking motion, providing quick followup shots, and a crisp, two-stage trigger delivering the predictability hunters demand. The side-mounted pressure gauge is conveniently located for reading during filling and for monitoring while in the field. The Bulldog includes standard sling posts for easy carry.

The Benjamin Bulldog delivers consistent five-shot groups of nearly 800 fps and with 200 Ft/Lbs of muzzle energy  when using Benjamin eXTREME airgun 145 grain hunting bullet by Nosler. Shooters can expect up to 10 usable shots on a single charge.

The Benjamin Bulldog air rifle is available now at an MSRP of $999.99.

The post Benjamin Bulldog Air Rifle
- Big Bore From Crosman appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

After the SHOT Show 2015 had finished, I joined David Priestley and Paul Baxter – the owners of Inovairtech – shooting Inovairtech big bore air rifles in the Nevada desert. Below we see the gentlemen concerned with their air rifles.

We shot Inovairtech MAC 25 and MAC 35 air rifles, with impressive results. This target shows the sighters for both air rifles and also the group that settled-in at 50 yards. Bear in mind that this group was the result of three people shooting two air rifles and you can see that this was pretty consistent shooting at 50 yards!

I was impressed by the accuracy and design of these MAC 25 and MAC 35 big bores. The MAC 25 was shooting .257 cal pellets, the MAC 35 fired .357 cal projectiles.

Inovairtech air rifles use a Magnum Air Cartridge (hence the name MAC), that’s about the same size as a .50 cal BMG cartridge. Each cartridge is filled with high pressure air directly from a tank. A pellet is pushed into the front and then the cartridge is loaded and fired. It’s very easy to do and the cartridges can be filled and used any number of times. I was surprised at the low price of the Magnum Air Cartridges cartridges, which are less than $25 each when purchased in packs of 10.

The Magnum Air Cartridge is filled with air using a simple adapter.

Then the pellet pushes in like this.

The action of Inovairtech big bore air rifles is a straightforward-looking bolt action. It worked faultlessly in both calibers during our range session. I was particularly impressed with the excellent extraction when the bolt was opened after each shot.

Shooting the MACS, I was conscious of the excellent trigger pull, lack of recoil and the light weight of these air rifles.

They certainly attracted much attention from other shooters in the area. One pickup load of firearms shooters pulled up to see what we were shooting and were amazed that these were airguns! After a few shots with the MACs, they were impressed too and had a new appreciation for air rifles.

Hard Air Magazine plans to run a test review on Inovairtech Big Bore Air Rifles in future. I’m really looking forward to that!

Interested? You can find out more at the Inovairtech web site http://www.inovairtech.com

The post Shooting Inovairtech Big Bore Air Rifles appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

Althougfh they are not normally a visible part of the distribution chain to most customers, Manufacturer’s Representative companies play an important part in making products available through a wide range of outlets – both online and in traditional “bricks and mortar” stores.

For 2014 sales activities, HatsanUSA announced Manufacturers Representative of the Year Winner at SHOT SHOW 2015. The winner was Thomas F. Gowen and Sons.

“My industry relationship with Thomas F. Gowen and Sons goes back to 1997. And since 2013, they have been an integral part of our continued growth – especially over the past year,” said HatsanUSA Inc. President and CEO Blaine Manifold – pictured center in the photograph.

Thomas F. Gowen and Sons received their award during the 2015 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The agency’s own Ryan Wimer also received special recognition at the trade show when he was awarded Sales Representative of the Year from HatsanUSA.

“This year Ryan Wimer showed a sense of professionalism, work ethic, and strong industry relations which really deserved special attention,” said Manifold. “I’m excited to see what Ryan and the rest of his team at Gowen and Sons will bring to the table in 2015. This is an exciting time for all of us.”

Thomas F. Gowen and Sons is currently HatsanUSA’s Northeast manufacturer’s sales representative agency with presence in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island and Delaware.

The post HatsanUSA announced Manufacturers Representative of the Year Winner
at SHOT Show 2015. appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.

HAM Test Rating	77%
Value For Money	Great speed, accuracy, trigger and bundled scope at this price.
Best For	Hunting small critters
Best Pellet Tested	H&N Field Target Trophy
Street Price at Time of Test	$260
Caliber Tested	.177
RateAGun Score	An Enjoyable Challenge

VALUE FOR MONEY

At a Street Price of $260, the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro has competition from Hatsan, Benjamin and the lower end of the RWS/Diana 34 range.

This is not a particularly cut throat segment of the market – as it is around $200, for example – but the Whisper Fusion Pro acquits itself creditably with its combination of specifications, performance and good bundled scope.

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Gamo 611009754 Whspr Fsn Pro Air

SPEED AND ACCURACY

As you can see, the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro tested by HAM gave excellent accuracy with a wide range of pellets. All of the targets shot by HAM Tester Paul Manktelow gave good groups – even with lightweight lead-free pellets that often perform poorly in other air rifles.

The best group – just! – was made with H&N Field Target Trophy pellets. But it was a close call. See the test targets lower down this review.

This means that you can actually use the Whisper Fusion Pro with ultra-light pellets such as the Gamo Raptor 4.7 grain pellets and achieve good accuracy with maximum muzzle velocity. That’s not a common combination with many of the air rifles tested to date by HAM.

And talking of maximum muzzle velocity, the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro tested by HAM peaked at 1379.77 FPS! That’s close enough to the 1400 FPS claim made by the manufacturer for this air rifle.

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H&N Field Target Trophy .177 Cal, 8.64 Grains, Domed, 500ct

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H&N Field Target Trophy, .177 Cal, 4.52mm, 8.64 Grains, Round Nose, 500ct

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The Whisper Fusion Pro is equipped with Gamo’s SAT trigger (Smooth Action Trigger). This trigger averaged a pull weight of 3 lbs 6oz in the HAM tests. Paul Manktelow noted that “the trigger is real nice for a hunting rifle. It breaks clean – just like an old-fashioned light switch!”

The SAT trigger has a two-stage action. The first stage is long and light, there’s no doubt when you’ve reached the second stage. Combined with a manual safety that’s conveniently located just ahead of the trigger blade, HAM finds this to be a good trigger for a spring/piston air rifle of this price and power.

Cocking felt quite smooth, with no untoward scraping noises. HAM measured a cocking effort of 56 Lbs, which surprised us. It didn’t seem that heavy to cock, when compared to the muzzle velocity and power the Whisper Fusion Pro produces.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

First, the muzzle velocity claim…

Yes, the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro really matches Gamo’s claim of up to 1400 FPS with alloy pellets! The HAM test gun averaged 1379.77 FPS – that’s just 1.5% slow – when firing ultra-light Gamo Raptor Platinum pellets. That’s easily close enough to the manufacturer’s claim for HAM.

The good news continues with trigger pull weight. Gamo claims a trigger pull weight of 3.74 Lbs. The HAM test gun gave an average of 3 Lbs 6 Oz, slightly better than the manufacturer’s claim for the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro.

This great performance was a little marred by the cocking effort. HAM tested the Whisper Fusion Pro to have a cocking effort of 56 Lbs, well above the claim of 41 Lbs. But as we said above, it certainly felt lighter than that.

HAM does not have sophisticated sound measuring equipment (yet!), so we can’t give numbers for noise level. Subjectively the HAM test team agreed that the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro is fairly quiet for an air rifle of this power. But is it really 89.5% quieter, as claimed by Gamo? And quieter than what? There we’re struggling to go along with the manufacturer’s claim.

CONSISTENCY

The Whisper Fusion Pro tested by HAM scored strongly for consistency.

The Standard Deviation (a variability measurement) for muzzle velocity) was very well controlled, with an average across the whole test of 6.72 FPS. This is very consistent muzzle velocity for any spring/piston air rifle. While Standard Deviation dropped down to as low as 4 FPS with JSB Exacts, more notable numbers were achieved with ultra light weight alloy pellets.

Standard Deviations of around 9 FPS for the Gamo Raptor Platinum and H&N Field Target Trophy Green pellets are extremely low and a credit to the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro.

This level of consistency was continued with the excellent accuracy obtained with all the standard suite of HAM test pellets. The Whisper Fusion Pro is not pellet picky.

With the exception of the heaviest pellets tested – the H&N Baracuda Match 10.65 Grains – the Whisper Fusion Pro also gave an unusually consistent muzzle energy of very close to 20 Ft/Lbs. That’s also unusual and good.

The Gamo SAT trigger also turned-in good consistency of pull weight, varying only between 3 Lbs 2 Oz and 3 Lbs 15 Oz, around the average of 3 Lb 6 Oz achieved in HAM’s tests. HAM Tester Paul Manktelow remarked that “the trigger is very consistent: it breaks cleanly every time”.

NOISE LEVEL

We struggle with this. the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro is maybe, just maybe, a little quieter than we expected. It’s fairly quiet for an air rifle of this power – except, of course, when shooting ultra-light pellets that break the Sound Barrier and crack like a 22LR.

But don’t ask the HAM team to agree that this is a very quiet air rifle…

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

The Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro provides more good news here!

The open sights are very adequate and the fiber optic elements are finer than most. The front sight is well protected by a sprung steel cover. So, if you use open sights, you’ll be happy with this air rifle.

The best news is that the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro is supplied with a very decent bundled scope. The Gamo-branded 3-9 x 40AO scope focuses down to 10 yards and has good optical quality for a bundled scope. It’s pretty sharp and clear. If it just had a mil dot reticle, it would be close to perfect for this gun.

But remember to lower the scope stop pin before mounting the scope on the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro. Yes, the instructions do tell you to do this, but how many people read them? If you don’t the scope will move back along the rail and this will cause vertical stringing on the target.

As it is, most Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro owners will be very happy with this scope and will not need to look for a replacement any time soon.

The scope rings are up to the job, too and no scope movement was recorded during HAM’s tests.

SHOOTABILITY

The Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro is a long air rifle. At 46 1/2-inches overall, it’s tall enough to not fit into some gun cabinets. And this length means that it’s not easy to swing around rapidly – although that could be considered a good safety feature.

HAM likes the effective manual safety and – unlike some break barrel air rifles – all the HAM test pellets fed easily, yet correctly, into the rear of the barrel when loading. No indented thumbs from loading here!

The light weight of 7 Lb 14 Oz (all up with the mounted scope) also contributes to the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro having good shootability.

On the down side, HAM testers found that the scope was positioned just a little too high for a good cheek weld. That negatively impacts consistent accuracy, although it didn’t seen to stop Paul Manktelow from obtaining great results. This would be easy to fix by mounting a lower set of (medium height) rings than the high rings bundled with the Whisper Fusion Pro.

Alternatively, removing the clamp-on scope rail would achieve a similar effect. Why DOES Gamo fit this clamp-on scope rail to some models when they have another set of perfectly-adequate scope dovetails machined in the compression tube? There’s a question to be asked of Gamo’s Product Management team.

Overall, shootability is good for this type of air rifle. But remember to use the loose “Artillery Hold” for best results. The Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro could still be a handful for a newcomer to spring/piston airguns and so it has a relatively low RateAGun score of 9.0 for such a high powered spring/piston air rifle, meaning that it just sneaks into the category of being “An Enjoyable Challenge” to shoot.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

Finish and appearance of the Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro are “on par” with other air rifles in this price range – at least in the HAM team’s opinion.

The stock is pleasantly curved on most surfaces and has a practical stippling around the wrist and forend.

The molding seams on synthetic parts are smooth and the bluing of metal parts is to expected standards.

HAM has no complaints with the appearance and finish, but there’s nothing really exciting here either.

BUYING AND OWNING

The Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro is very easy to buy. It’s widely available from Internet retailers and some “bricks and mortar” stores will carry it also.

The 12 month warranty is average for an air rifle but Gamo is one of those (fortunately few) companies that requires the user not only to pay for shipping back to Gamo for any warranty repair work, but also requires a prepayment of $10.00 as part payment for the return of the gun after warranty repairs. And repair time is quoted as 6 weeks.

Spare parts for Gamo air rifles are not generally available from Gamo, except as part of a repair undertaken by the company. This being in strong contrast to the approach taken by Crosman and Umarex – for example – which make spares for many models readily available.

Liability issues are probably behind Gamo’s approach to the non-provision of spare parts, but this does not help the knowledgeable owner who aims to keep his (or her) gun in use over many years.

Of course, if the gun works well and no warranty claims or spare parts are required, this may not matter to the purchaser!

TEST TARGETS

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Gamo 611009754 Whspr Fsn Pro Air

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

The post Gamo Whisper Fusion Pro Air Rifle
Test Review .177 Cal appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.