Duff Beer
26-03-2009, 03:19 PM
Having owned my Genesis for a while now, and having taken it out to Lea Valley for the first round of the UKAHFT (I came last, a serious case of user error) I thought I would do a review of how I'm getting on with it so far, showing both it's plus points, and negative points. I'll start at the outside, and work my way in.
External Finish and Ergonomics
As you would expect on a rifle like this, the finish is superb even on mine which has been used. It has just had a full strip and rebuild by 'The Man Himself' so everything is feeling like new, but even before it went home it still felt solid and reliable.
The stock (http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Duff_Beer_CAGE/meatUKAHFTRd1.jpg) is Walnut, which according to the sales brochure is French Walnut. The stock has a five degree cast to the right to aid the right-handed shooter, as are the rest of the controls. The grip is fairly vertical, more akin to a modern pistol grip than an old fashioned rifle stock. It has a palm swell, and decent checkering and is slightly slanted to the right off the vertical. This makes the rifle extremely comfortable to hold on the aim, and I think it creates a straighter line from the arm, through the wrist, to the trigger finger meaning that there is not as much 'grab' when the trigger is pulled. Although this is comfortable and easy to use, I did find it odd to shoot for a while as I had been used to shooting my airsoft L85A2 which as a totally vertical grip. I found I was holding the grip vertically and canting it by a couple of degrees. The cheekpiece is very comfortable, but again it is set for a right-handed shooter. This can be rectified for southpaws by tracking down the Mosquito scope mount.
The charging arm is fairly rudimentary, although it is still very well made and solid in construction. Charging the rifle involves drawing the charging arm back to approximately 90 degrees, and then pushing it back to its original position. This is an action that will need perfecting and I would think every user has their own technique, but suffice to say it is difficult to do as you are compressing air by hand. I put approximately 200 shots throught the rifle at Lea Valley and the next day I was certainly aware of my triceps and shoulders. Loading a pellet is extremely simple; just draw the bolt forward and place a pellet into the barrel. The bolt is in no way connected to the trigger as the charging arm cocks the hammer. This has the advantage of fewer moving pieces, but a negligent discharge with the bolt forward will blow the bolt seal out of the gun. This does not stop the gun from functioning, but will seriously reduce the efficiency of the rifle.
The trigger is beautiful. Is is light, and can be adjusted for almost anything. The first and second stages can be set to your liking, but (assuming it hasn't been molested) the stock setting is extremely good. Because of the in-line construction of the hammer mechanism there is no recoil when the rifle is shot.
The weight of the rifle is quite high due to the amount of steel used in its construction. It is not excessively heavy at about eight pounds without scope or mounts, but it is not the most comfortable rifle to carry around all day. There aren't any sling points as this rifle is not really intended for hunting, more for target shooting.
There is an adjustable butt-pad so that your eyeline can be set depending on your mounts and scope.
Accuracy and Use
The sales brochure suggests that a five shot string can be placed in a single hole at 40 yards with practice. Based on my bench rested shots on the range I have no doubt that a sufficiently skilled person would be able to achieve this.
Use of the rifle definitely requires a love for the rifle, as it isn't the most convenient rifle to use for hunting, or for field use. Obviously its single shot capacity is not ideal for hunting, and the movement needed for the charging arm makes multiple prone shots almost important. Equally, because of the construction of the rifle it is prone to getting extremely dirty in the main cylinder and bolt action. Keeping both of these as clean as possible is an absolute priority. Sand is an absolute no-no, and dust won't do it any favours.
The rifle is already silenced so it is quite quiet. When compared to the crack of some un-moderated PCP's it is almost whisper quiet, although a properly moderated PCP will be quieter.
Overview
This rifle is stunning, though it does have its flaws. As mentioned before its intolerance to poor environmental conditions and single shot make it a challenge to hunt with. As a target rifle, in the hands of someone competent it is devastatingly accurate though. A second shot is not needed.
I have used both the old Eley Wasps and Air Arms Field pellets through the Genesis and both had their advantages and disadvantages. The wasps weren't quite as accurate as the Air Arms, but the flew flatter as they are 14.6grns. The Air Arms at 16grns had a far loopier trajectory, but they were more consistent down range.
The other costs with this rifle are quite high. Servicing can only really be done by one person with total confidence, and parts are fairly challenging to come by. There aren't strip-down guides so if anything important goes bang (the compression chanber seals for example) then it will need a complete strip and rebuild. This will be fairly expensive, but worth every penny.
However, using this rifle is extremely satisfying. Like with a springer, you feel you have earnt the shot. It's a piece of airgun history, and is exotic enough to turn heads when it's used at events. It's a truly useable classic.
External Finish and Ergonomics
As you would expect on a rifle like this, the finish is superb even on mine which has been used. It has just had a full strip and rebuild by 'The Man Himself' so everything is feeling like new, but even before it went home it still felt solid and reliable.
The stock (http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/Duff_Beer_CAGE/meatUKAHFTRd1.jpg) is Walnut, which according to the sales brochure is French Walnut. The stock has a five degree cast to the right to aid the right-handed shooter, as are the rest of the controls. The grip is fairly vertical, more akin to a modern pistol grip than an old fashioned rifle stock. It has a palm swell, and decent checkering and is slightly slanted to the right off the vertical. This makes the rifle extremely comfortable to hold on the aim, and I think it creates a straighter line from the arm, through the wrist, to the trigger finger meaning that there is not as much 'grab' when the trigger is pulled. Although this is comfortable and easy to use, I did find it odd to shoot for a while as I had been used to shooting my airsoft L85A2 which as a totally vertical grip. I found I was holding the grip vertically and canting it by a couple of degrees. The cheekpiece is very comfortable, but again it is set for a right-handed shooter. This can be rectified for southpaws by tracking down the Mosquito scope mount.
The charging arm is fairly rudimentary, although it is still very well made and solid in construction. Charging the rifle involves drawing the charging arm back to approximately 90 degrees, and then pushing it back to its original position. This is an action that will need perfecting and I would think every user has their own technique, but suffice to say it is difficult to do as you are compressing air by hand. I put approximately 200 shots throught the rifle at Lea Valley and the next day I was certainly aware of my triceps and shoulders. Loading a pellet is extremely simple; just draw the bolt forward and place a pellet into the barrel. The bolt is in no way connected to the trigger as the charging arm cocks the hammer. This has the advantage of fewer moving pieces, but a negligent discharge with the bolt forward will blow the bolt seal out of the gun. This does not stop the gun from functioning, but will seriously reduce the efficiency of the rifle.
The trigger is beautiful. Is is light, and can be adjusted for almost anything. The first and second stages can be set to your liking, but (assuming it hasn't been molested) the stock setting is extremely good. Because of the in-line construction of the hammer mechanism there is no recoil when the rifle is shot.
The weight of the rifle is quite high due to the amount of steel used in its construction. It is not excessively heavy at about eight pounds without scope or mounts, but it is not the most comfortable rifle to carry around all day. There aren't any sling points as this rifle is not really intended for hunting, more for target shooting.
There is an adjustable butt-pad so that your eyeline can be set depending on your mounts and scope.
Accuracy and Use
The sales brochure suggests that a five shot string can be placed in a single hole at 40 yards with practice. Based on my bench rested shots on the range I have no doubt that a sufficiently skilled person would be able to achieve this.
Use of the rifle definitely requires a love for the rifle, as it isn't the most convenient rifle to use for hunting, or for field use. Obviously its single shot capacity is not ideal for hunting, and the movement needed for the charging arm makes multiple prone shots almost important. Equally, because of the construction of the rifle it is prone to getting extremely dirty in the main cylinder and bolt action. Keeping both of these as clean as possible is an absolute priority. Sand is an absolute no-no, and dust won't do it any favours.
The rifle is already silenced so it is quite quiet. When compared to the crack of some un-moderated PCP's it is almost whisper quiet, although a properly moderated PCP will be quieter.
Overview
This rifle is stunning, though it does have its flaws. As mentioned before its intolerance to poor environmental conditions and single shot make it a challenge to hunt with. As a target rifle, in the hands of someone competent it is devastatingly accurate though. A second shot is not needed.
I have used both the old Eley Wasps and Air Arms Field pellets through the Genesis and both had their advantages and disadvantages. The wasps weren't quite as accurate as the Air Arms, but the flew flatter as they are 14.6grns. The Air Arms at 16grns had a far loopier trajectory, but they were more consistent down range.
The other costs with this rifle are quite high. Servicing can only really be done by one person with total confidence, and parts are fairly challenging to come by. There aren't strip-down guides so if anything important goes bang (the compression chanber seals for example) then it will need a complete strip and rebuild. This will be fairly expensive, but worth every penny.
However, using this rifle is extremely satisfying. Like with a springer, you feel you have earnt the shot. It's a piece of airgun history, and is exotic enough to turn heads when it's used at events. It's a truly useable classic.