FREE MUG - from me to you!

It's coming up to that time of year again - and I've been busy wrapping up these lovely drinking mugs to give away to Airgun Shooter readers as a Christmas present!


These official mugs cost £5.99, but readers of the new Airgun Shooter magazine - already the UK's fastest-growing airgun publication - get one absolutely free; Blaze Publishing, the publishers, are just asking for a small contribution of £2 toward p&p.


You'll find an order form on the December 2010 issue - our Christmas Special (left) - which is in newsagents nice and early, from 4th November. And, of course, it's also available for the iPhone or iPad here.


Or you can telephone them on 01926 339808 with your credit card details to claim your present. As it's Christmas, and the mugs also make ideal gifts for family and friends, I've also talked Blaze into doing a special deal if you want to buy one or more - just ask them nicely and you'll get a festive discount!


Note: Mugs can only be posted to UK mainland postal addresses

Daystate RedRanger - ACCURACY RESULTS

My test report printed in the December 2010 issue of Airgun Shooter magazine alluded to the accuracy tests I'd undertaken with Daystate's fabulous, limited edition RedRanger (no. 019/100). I didn't have room in the magazine to print all the targets, so I'm using my Blog to show you how this supergun performed with various pellets.


As an AirWolf owner, the RedRanger didn't feel too unfamiliar, it being based on the Air Ranger - the 'mechanical' version of Daystate's electronic AirWolf. All the targets shown here were recorded from the stability of either a beanbag (shooting prone) or my IdleBack Chair. And they were shot outdoors; conditions weren't 'perfect', although perfectly manageable.


The rifle was scoped-up with a Hawke Nite-Eye 4-16 x 50 SR6, which I tried to adjust so that the shots struck roughly centre; as you can see, no easy task! But it's the size of the group that's the all-important data to take on board.


The targets you see here are my preferred practise targets these days. I've made them on my computer and print them off as and when needed. The inner bull measures 25mm (1 inch) diameter, the white ring is 35mm (what I consider a hunting 'kill zone') and the outer black ring is 50mm.


As stated in the aforementioned test report, accuracy-wise, the JSB-made pellets from Air Arms (4.52 Field) and Daystate (4.52 FT) performed best, and would be the best diet for RedRanger no. 019. I'd expect the same from JSB's Exacts, but didn't have enough in stock to prove it. RWS Superdomes were, surprisingly, rather loose beyond 30 metres - but Crosman Premier (7.9grn) and H&N Sport's new Field Target (4.50) proved the RedRanger's credentials as an extreme range hunting tool, if that's what you want from it. As you can see below, the JSB brands could achieve 35mm out to 50 metres. While Crosman Premier and H&N Sport's Field Target were accurate enough, I found the Premier blew off course all too easily at ultra long ranges, and the H&N had a more pronounced trajectory, making it less forgiving by comparison with the Air Arms and Daystate ammo.

30m - Air Arms Field 4.52 (JSB)

30m - Daystate FT 4.52 (JSB)

30m - Daystate RangeMaster HE (Prometheus)

40m - Air Arms Field 4.52 (JSB)

40m - Daystate FT 4.52

40m - Crosman Premier 7.9 grains

40m - H&N Sport Field Target 4.50

40m - RWS Superdome Field Line

50m - Air Arms Field 4.52 (JSB)

50m - Daystate FT 4.52 (JSB)