Craig-P
21-10-2009, 12:06 PM
I had one of the most enjoyable shooting experiences of my life just the other day. It wasn’t blazing away after vermin with a high capacity shotgun, nor was it flinging centre fire rounds into another county. It was with an airgun, that’s rekindled my interest and has seen me re-entering the competitive side of the sport after years of abstinence.
This (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427657.jpg) is the brand new Airstream Mark 3 by ISP Air rifles. It’s a radical departure from their famous Spartan air rifle but one that shares an ISP trademark.
Before I get into the specifics, I’ll enlighten people as to how I came to be taking a departure from my usual form of shooting and ended up shooting tin chickens with this new supergun. The fact is I’m skint, basically!:o Shaun is a long term friend of mine and being aware of my current ‘wiped out financial status’, very generously offered to take me field target shooting for a couple of hours at a local ground. Adding that he’d got ‘something new’ to show me and needed a few photographs for someone.
Now I’ve not shot competitive Field Target for over thirteen years, for reasons which I won’t go into now and over the years I’ve stopped shooting air guns altogether. However, when you compare costs of airgun pellets to full-bore ammunition, it’s ridiculously cheap to say the least. Plus it would make a nice change (and my misses was over the moon that I’d be out from underneath her feet for a morning).
So I toddled off to Chez Shaun, wondering what he’d cobbled together in that workshop he lives in.
And HERE (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427664.jpg) it is. Pretty isn’t it?
As with the Spartan ( and anything else which emerges from the ISP workshop ), the Airstream MK3 is totally handmade by Shaun and Ivan. I’ve watched many things being crafted in their workshop and it’s nothing other than magic.
This is the third incarnation of the Airstream rifle. The former models were massively successful on the Field Target scene in the nineties, especially with shooters from around the Midlands area as ISP’s name is a benchmark. This latest model has been redesigned into a more manageable package, with all of the proven, winning attributes from the two former models present and more than a few very special upgrades.
Earlier Airstreams were sometimes criticised for being a bit on the weighty side due to their solid steel construction. This one saves weight in new ways.
Measuring 40” from the tip of the newly designed still air tube, featuring a specially designed muzzle brake, to the heel of the adjustable butt plate, it’s more compact than a lot of lengthy FT rifles. Inside the alloy still air tube, sits a match grade Lothar Walthar barrel, fully floated. PIC These are a specialist batch, all inspected and selected, tested and retested by Shaun for optimum accuracy.
The original rifle had a full-length, steel air tube, which ran the full length of the barrel, finishing flush with the muzzle. Shaun replaced this with this neat, short tube and saved even more weight CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427663.jpg) handsome isn’t it?!
Now things got a bit technical here as Shaun and Ivan went on to explain air reservoir test pressures exceeding anything they’ve done yet, fill pressures, tweaked up specially designed regulators and all technical stuff like that. So I went off to ogle these pretty knives that had just come back from master engraver, Don Blocksidge, that Shaun and Ivan had made for some fortunate customer, CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427660.jpg).
Shaun filled the rifle up from it’s simple, quick fill connector CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427658.jpg). I can say though, it gives around 150 match grade shots with a long tube and over 80 with the short one, oh and the balance is tremendous to say the least ( sorry if that’s a bit technical for anyone, like :D )
The breechblock is crafted from a solid piece of 7.5” x 1.25 aluminium. Shaun explained that after studying a few top line Field Target rifles, he’d noticed this area flexing upon firing and therefore being a possible cause of inconsistent results in POI. So although in his technical terms, ‘it’s a complete pain in the arse’, to mill it all out, it puts a stop to the problems some rifles experience that have several pieces bolted together around the receiver.
The side lever loading mechanism CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427671.jpg) was first designed and used on Shaun’s 6m target rifles, many years ago. It’s since found it’s way onto a whole number of rifles from various manufactures who obviously recognised it’s ease of use. This new version from ISP is shorter still, more compact than anything else out there. It actions without any strain being felt and locks up nice and tight with a small retaining catch.
The trigger unit is the renowned Anschutz match unit. Knowing Shaun as I do, most products that he comes into contact with, are improved, tweaked or simply classed as ‘rubbish’ and redesigned totally. So it came as a surprise to hear him giving his complete endorsement of this product, simply saying that it’s difficult to be improved upon. He did go into the features of the trigger but that got a bit technical too, so I’ll just say it’s adjustable in everyway you can imagine, right down to ridiculously low settings as used by bell target shooters ( which should be great for me to use on my return to target shooting, as I’m used to CZ 452 and Mossberg 500 triggers :rolleyes::D )
The stock is a prototype, multi-adjustable laminate number, featuring a detachable hamster and nice shiny twiddly bits. The cheek piece is adjustable in just about any direction and as such would be a comfortable fit for anyone, including the Elephant Man, even if he’d woken up with a cricked neck.
Shaun told me this particular piece that he’d knocked up on his stock making machine, was devoid of any decent patterning. So being the true craftsman that he is ( and because he needed a rifle to shoot a bit sharpish ) – he spray painted it with some left over paint from one of his Land Rovers :D. There was a tremendously clever little gizmo in the forend too, in the guise of a hidden spirit level CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427670.jpg). This device is inletted into the side of the stock, on a spring loaded mechanism, that pops out to a fixed position when turned a few degrees. It can then be simply pushed back into place when you’re finished with it – nice eh?!
I think it all looks the business and owing to the amount of time it was made it in, is a true attest to the abilities of ISP.
So off to the field target club we went, with me slightly concerned about the length of time I’ve spent away from air rifles and shooting in front of a large crowd. I was met by friendly faces that I hadn’t caught up with for years and got onto the zero range to familiarize myself with tiny pellets, high magnification scopes and tinier kill zones.
The first thing I noticed about the MK3 is the amazingly quick lock time. Seriously it’s like a centre fire on speed. Shaun did explain this ultra quick lock time is partially down to the Airstreams’ short stroke- but I was lost again and shoved another pellet into the wide loading tray and carried on enjoying shooting it.
At 50 yards, the rifle was putting pellets through the same hole and awarding me with nice tiny groups. I was pleased I could still cut it with an airgun but more pleased to be shooting this rifle that seemed to run along by itself, making me look good at the same time.
I have the paper target here with the group but thought it a bit pointless to put a picture of that in with this review. The reason for that is people who know me will be aware that Shaun is one of my best mates and I don’t want this to appear like one big advertising feature in his favour ( even though I flaunt the ISP website address in my profile – but that’s because I designed it ).
In all honesty, Shaun doesn’t even know I’ve submitted this review and I only have the pictures shown because a prospective customer asked for some detailed ones and I was called over. As talented as Shaun may be with machinery, he’s not too good with computers ;)
Read Part 2 CLICK (http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407051)
This (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427657.jpg) is the brand new Airstream Mark 3 by ISP Air rifles. It’s a radical departure from their famous Spartan air rifle but one that shares an ISP trademark.
Before I get into the specifics, I’ll enlighten people as to how I came to be taking a departure from my usual form of shooting and ended up shooting tin chickens with this new supergun. The fact is I’m skint, basically!:o Shaun is a long term friend of mine and being aware of my current ‘wiped out financial status’, very generously offered to take me field target shooting for a couple of hours at a local ground. Adding that he’d got ‘something new’ to show me and needed a few photographs for someone.
Now I’ve not shot competitive Field Target for over thirteen years, for reasons which I won’t go into now and over the years I’ve stopped shooting air guns altogether. However, when you compare costs of airgun pellets to full-bore ammunition, it’s ridiculously cheap to say the least. Plus it would make a nice change (and my misses was over the moon that I’d be out from underneath her feet for a morning).
So I toddled off to Chez Shaun, wondering what he’d cobbled together in that workshop he lives in.
And HERE (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427664.jpg) it is. Pretty isn’t it?
As with the Spartan ( and anything else which emerges from the ISP workshop ), the Airstream MK3 is totally handmade by Shaun and Ivan. I’ve watched many things being crafted in their workshop and it’s nothing other than magic.
This is the third incarnation of the Airstream rifle. The former models were massively successful on the Field Target scene in the nineties, especially with shooters from around the Midlands area as ISP’s name is a benchmark. This latest model has been redesigned into a more manageable package, with all of the proven, winning attributes from the two former models present and more than a few very special upgrades.
Earlier Airstreams were sometimes criticised for being a bit on the weighty side due to their solid steel construction. This one saves weight in new ways.
Measuring 40” from the tip of the newly designed still air tube, featuring a specially designed muzzle brake, to the heel of the adjustable butt plate, it’s more compact than a lot of lengthy FT rifles. Inside the alloy still air tube, sits a match grade Lothar Walthar barrel, fully floated. PIC These are a specialist batch, all inspected and selected, tested and retested by Shaun for optimum accuracy.
The original rifle had a full-length, steel air tube, which ran the full length of the barrel, finishing flush with the muzzle. Shaun replaced this with this neat, short tube and saved even more weight CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427663.jpg) handsome isn’t it?!
Now things got a bit technical here as Shaun and Ivan went on to explain air reservoir test pressures exceeding anything they’ve done yet, fill pressures, tweaked up specially designed regulators and all technical stuff like that. So I went off to ogle these pretty knives that had just come back from master engraver, Don Blocksidge, that Shaun and Ivan had made for some fortunate customer, CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427660.jpg).
Shaun filled the rifle up from it’s simple, quick fill connector CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427658.jpg). I can say though, it gives around 150 match grade shots with a long tube and over 80 with the short one, oh and the balance is tremendous to say the least ( sorry if that’s a bit technical for anyone, like :D )
The breechblock is crafted from a solid piece of 7.5” x 1.25 aluminium. Shaun explained that after studying a few top line Field Target rifles, he’d noticed this area flexing upon firing and therefore being a possible cause of inconsistent results in POI. So although in his technical terms, ‘it’s a complete pain in the arse’, to mill it all out, it puts a stop to the problems some rifles experience that have several pieces bolted together around the receiver.
The side lever loading mechanism CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427671.jpg) was first designed and used on Shaun’s 6m target rifles, many years ago. It’s since found it’s way onto a whole number of rifles from various manufactures who obviously recognised it’s ease of use. This new version from ISP is shorter still, more compact than anything else out there. It actions without any strain being felt and locks up nice and tight with a small retaining catch.
The trigger unit is the renowned Anschutz match unit. Knowing Shaun as I do, most products that he comes into contact with, are improved, tweaked or simply classed as ‘rubbish’ and redesigned totally. So it came as a surprise to hear him giving his complete endorsement of this product, simply saying that it’s difficult to be improved upon. He did go into the features of the trigger but that got a bit technical too, so I’ll just say it’s adjustable in everyway you can imagine, right down to ridiculously low settings as used by bell target shooters ( which should be great for me to use on my return to target shooting, as I’m used to CZ 452 and Mossberg 500 triggers :rolleyes::D )
The stock is a prototype, multi-adjustable laminate number, featuring a detachable hamster and nice shiny twiddly bits. The cheek piece is adjustable in just about any direction and as such would be a comfortable fit for anyone, including the Elephant Man, even if he’d woken up with a cricked neck.
Shaun told me this particular piece that he’d knocked up on his stock making machine, was devoid of any decent patterning. So being the true craftsman that he is ( and because he needed a rifle to shoot a bit sharpish ) – he spray painted it with some left over paint from one of his Land Rovers :D. There was a tremendously clever little gizmo in the forend too, in the guise of a hidden spirit level CLICK (http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL447/2190111/22639311/376427670.jpg). This device is inletted into the side of the stock, on a spring loaded mechanism, that pops out to a fixed position when turned a few degrees. It can then be simply pushed back into place when you’re finished with it – nice eh?!
I think it all looks the business and owing to the amount of time it was made it in, is a true attest to the abilities of ISP.
So off to the field target club we went, with me slightly concerned about the length of time I’ve spent away from air rifles and shooting in front of a large crowd. I was met by friendly faces that I hadn’t caught up with for years and got onto the zero range to familiarize myself with tiny pellets, high magnification scopes and tinier kill zones.
The first thing I noticed about the MK3 is the amazingly quick lock time. Seriously it’s like a centre fire on speed. Shaun did explain this ultra quick lock time is partially down to the Airstreams’ short stroke- but I was lost again and shoved another pellet into the wide loading tray and carried on enjoying shooting it.
At 50 yards, the rifle was putting pellets through the same hole and awarding me with nice tiny groups. I was pleased I could still cut it with an airgun but more pleased to be shooting this rifle that seemed to run along by itself, making me look good at the same time.
I have the paper target here with the group but thought it a bit pointless to put a picture of that in with this review. The reason for that is people who know me will be aware that Shaun is one of my best mates and I don’t want this to appear like one big advertising feature in his favour ( even though I flaunt the ISP website address in my profile – but that’s because I designed it ).
In all honesty, Shaun doesn’t even know I’ve submitted this review and I only have the pictures shown because a prospective customer asked for some detailed ones and I was called over. As talented as Shaun may be with machinery, he’s not too good with computers ;)
Read Part 2 CLICK (http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407051)