Get ready for some animal-themed airgun action as a host of new Wolves, Wolverines, Bantams and Cobras make a stampede from the SHOT Show in Las Vegas
The Serie Rosso is fitted with a carbon-fibre buddy bottle, which should return an impressive shot count in whichever calibre you choose – .177, .22 or .25
This year is already an exciting one for airgun shooters, with several manufacturers taking advantage of the SHOT Show in Las Vegas – the biggest shooting show in the world – to announce new additions to their 2018 line-up.
Daystate unveiled its Red Wolf – a hi-tech multi-shot PCP based on an electronic action developed from the company’s flagship Pulsar. But while the Pulsar is a bullpup, the Red Wolf is a rifle, and will be available as a standard edition as well as a special called the Serie Rosso (Red Series), both with sporter-style stocks.
Let’s take a look at the special-edition Serie Rosso first. This rifle is limited to 200 worldwide, with each individually numbered. It comes in a hard case and costs £2,499, but that gets you a red laminate stock with an adjustable cheekpiece and butt pad, plus an engraved breech. It comes in .177, .22 and .25 calibres.
Although the Daystate Red Wolf is a rifle, it was developed from the Pulsar, and inherits that bullpup’s sidelever magazine-indexing and pellet-seating system
The standard edition of the Red Wolf, meanwhile, offers a choice of two stocks – a laminate in grey with red accents, or walnut, both offering similar stock adjustments. These rifles are priced between £1,799 and £1,949 with carbon-fibre and steel air bottle options. Other common features between these Wolves are a digitally-regulated electronic action with user-programmable shooting modes, as well as the Pulsar-proven sidelever cocking action that auto-indexes the rotary magazine. The regular edition of the Red Wolf is available in the same three calibres as the Serie Rosso, plus .303 (7.62mm) calibre. Power outputs are available from sub-12 foot-pounds to 70 foot-pounds for FAC Air.
The display screen proves the Red Wolf is an electronic rifle and the adjustable trigger will let you set the perfect angle and height of the blade to match the pad of your trigger finger
Daystate has also extended its recently revamped Wolverine 2 range, with the addition of an R model to the Type-B, Hi-Lite and Hi-Power variants. The Wolverine R swaps the bolt action of the Wolverine 2 for a sidelever. That’s not the only change, though, as the ‘R’ suffix signifies the inclusion of a regulated action, developed in partnership with Dutch reg specialist Huma, to bring performance gains in velocity, consistency and air efficiency. Prices start from £1,349.
The Renegade hybrid bullpup, which we reviewed in Airgun Shooter 104, is also benefiting from Daystate’s collaboration with Huma, with the launch of the Renegade HR in standard and Hi-Power formats, priced at £1,399 and £1,449.
New from MTC
First focal plane scopes used to be fairly specialist affairs, but more and more manufacturers are now offering FFP optics in their line-up, including MTC’s Cobra F1
If you’re in the market for a new optic, MTC is bringing out a new first focal plane (FFP) scope called the Cobra 4-16×50 F1, which will retail for £259. On an FFP scope, the relationship between the size of the target and the size of the crosshair remains constant throughout the scope’s entire magnification range. This is particularly helpful when allowing holdover and holdunder on targets.
Once you’ve worked out the various aim points for your particular rifle and pellet combo at different distances, you’ll be able to use the same aim points at any level of magnification. That’s not something you can do with a conventional second focal plane scope.
The Cobra F1 features the multi-stadia SCB2 reticle that provides numerous aiming points to counter trajectory and windage deviation. Its crosshair is click-stop adjustable in 1/4 minute-of-angle increments via lockable, finger-adjustable elevation and windage turrets, and can also be illuminated to one of six intensity settings. It also boasts sidewheel parallax adjustment from infinity down to 10 metres, which means it’s airgun-friendly. Its final features of note are its 30mm tube, 50mm objective lens, fast-focus eyepiece and flip-up lens covers.
New from Brocock
Both new versions of the Brocock Bantam (top) and Compatto (bottom) have a section of Weaver rail to attach a bipod, while the Bantam seen here has been scoped up on a Weaver rail as well
Brocock has been busy too, updating its Compatto and Bantam semi-bullpup PCPs to Mk 2 format. Visually distinguishable by a redesigned breech and inclusion of a single-shot loading tray option, the Mk 2 models feature an array of performance-enhancing updates. Both the Mk 2 Compatto, which has an inline air cylinder, and the Bantam, which uses a buddy bottle, are also being released as Sniper HR variants. Like Daystate, Brocock has also been working with Huma, and these rifles are fitted with a Huma regulator. Compared with the standard Mk 2 configuration, the Sniper HR versions offer more shots per fill as well as more consistency of velocity across the entire usable air charge.
The Wolverine R is regulated, hence the ‘R’ suffix, and it’s also operated by a sidelever rather than the bolt found on previous Wolverines
These rifles will initially be available with black synthetic and soft touch ambidextrous thumbhole stocks, and a choice of 400 or 500cc air reservoirs – including a 480cc carbon-fibre option on the Bantams. The rifles are available in .177, .22 and .25, with power outputs from sub-12 ft-lb to 28 ft-lb. Prices start at £639.
This article originally appeared in the issue 106 of Airgun Shooter magazine. For more great content like this, subscribe today at our secure online store: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
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