Stalker Jaguar .22 FAC-my new favourite?

[Rapidnick]

Well maybe not but it is REALLY nice!
For some time I had wanted a Stalker. Not the one based on the Super 10 but one of the top models based on one of the Daystate actions. I reckoned the chances of finding one in left hand were pretty slim but about a year ago a friend called me to let me know that a gunshop had one which they were selling for a man who had surrendered his FAC. This turned out to be a .22 single shot Stalker Jaguar which is based on the Daystate Huntsman with a lovely thumbhole walnut stock and running at 40 ft lb. I made an offer and after a little bit of haggling a price was agreed and I headed over to the shop to buy the rifle. I was very pleased indeed with its appearance and was assured that there were no leaks. I brought the rifle home, fitted a Simmons Aetec 3.8-12x44 scope, filled the cylinder and zeroed the rifle over my 30 metre range. It was very smooth to shoot, very accurate and powerful but quite noisy. In fact the larger of the 2 silencers supplied with the rifle blew apart very soon and was replaced by the smaller one which was very strong but less effective in taming the blast.
I soon discovered that the shot count-as expected-was pretty poor at really no more than 12 full power shots and so the rifle spent most of its time in my gun cabinet being brought out every so often to test and to stroke. As a friend of mine needed to send a rifle to John Bowkett for a service I did the same asking John to service and reduce the power to around 30 ft lb which is what he did. I picked the rifle up and on testing found it now gave me 25 full power shots at just over 30 ft lb with Bisley Magnum pellets-my chosen ammo for FAC air. I also fitted a Weihrauch silencer which did a much better job than either of the ones supplied with the rifle could ever do.
After a while I decided to give the rifle a bit of use. I changed the scope for my favourite Bushnell Legend 5-15x40 mildot and took it out hunting. What a revelation! The first shot did for a carrion crow at around 40 yards and the second for a woodpigeon at around 50 yards. Spot on and absolutely deadly.
The thing I find with single shot rifles is that you are not tempted to waste ammo by just shooting at anything you feel like. I feel so confident with this rifle's accuracy and the ease of aiming. One mildot over for 50 yards and 2 at 60 seem to be perfect for this rig. I haven't shot anything over 60 yards as I am leaving that for slightly less windy conditions.
All in all I am very pleased with this rifle. As I am thinking of converting my late model Rapid 2 .22 FAC to .25 this may well become my .22 FAC air rifle of choice.
Pictures below. Please note they were taken a while ago with the Simmons Aetec scope not the Bushnell.
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3424.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3425.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3426.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3427.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3429.jpg

[bullbarrel]

Looks lovely. Glorious piece of wood.

But really, you should of got the Tiger 10

[verminhunter]

Nice review Mr nikolas BUT as your new favourite yeah for now but come along mr .25 you aint gonna want to touch another air rifle with a smaller cali and that includes this one.
Bye Bye my darling.

[rickysdaystate]

very nice guns i like staler rifles out of interest how much did you pay?

[nevermiss]

Well maybe not but it is REALLY nice!
For some time I had wanted a Stalker. Not the one based on the Super 10 but one of the top models based on one of the Daystate actions. I reckoned the chances of finding one in left hand were pretty slim but about a year ago a friend called me to let me know that a gunshop had one which they were selling for a man who had surrendered his FAC. This turned out to be a .22 single shot Stalker Jaguar which is based on the Daystate Huntsman with a lovely thumbhole walnut stock and running at 40 ft lb. I made an offer and after a little bit of haggling a price was agreed and I headed over to the shop to buy the rifle. I was very pleased indeed with its appearance and was assured that there were no leaks. I brought the rifle home, fitted a Simmons Aetec 3.8-12x44 scope, filled the cylinder and zeroed the rifle over my 30 metre range. It was very smooth to shoot, very accurate and powerful but quite noisy. In fact the larger of the 2 silencers supplied with the rifle blew apart very soon and was replaced by the smaller one which was very strong but less effective in taming the blast.
I soon discovered that the shot count-as expected-was pretty poor at really no more than 12 full power shots and so the rifle spent most of its time in my gun cabinet being brought out every so often to test and to stroke. As a friend of mine needed to send a rifle to John Bowkett for a service I did the same asking John to service and reduce the power to around 30 ft lb which is what he did. I picked the rifle up and on testing found it now gave me 25 full power shots at just over 30 ft lb with Bisley Magnum pellets-my chosen ammo for FAC air. I also fitted a Weihrauch silencer which did a much better job than either of the ones supplied with the rifle could ever do.
After a while I decided to give the rifle a bit of use. I changed the scope for my favourite Bushnell Legend 5-15x40 mildot and took it out hunting. What a revelation! The first shot did for a carrion crow at around 40 yards and the second for a woodpigeon at around 50 yards. Spot on and absolutely deadly.
The thing I find with single shot rifles is that you are not tempted to waste ammo by just shooting at anything you feel like. I feel so confident with this rifle's accuracy and the ease of aiming. One mildot over for 50 yards and 2 at 60 seem to be perfect for this rig. I haven't shot anything over 60 yards as I am leaving that for slightly less windy conditions.
All in all I am very pleased with this rifle. As I am thinking of converting my late model Rapid 2 .22 FAC to .25 this may well become my .22 FAC air rifle of choice.
Pictures below. Please note they were taken a while ago with the Simmons Aetec scope not the Bushnell.
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3424.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3425.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3426.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3427.jpg
http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=IMG_3429.jpg

they are very good rifles same he has give up making them.
ian

[Rapidnick]

very nice guns i like staler rifles out of interest how much did you pay?

Sorry that is between myself and my bank manager. The first owner paid £1800 for everything and I have the bills to prove it. I paid considerably less.

[Slacker24seven]

Sorry that is between myself and my bank manager. The first owner paid £1800 for everything and I have the bills to prove it. I paid considerably less.

Phwoar! I am very jealous Nick, shes a beauty.

I have a serious 'thing' for the TigerTEN LE after playing with one in Shooting Supplies. It just felt right

[lionel]

Phwoar! I am very jealous Nick, shes a beauty.

I have a serious 'thing' for the TigerTEN LE after playing with one in Shooting Supplies. It just felt right

I used to own a couple of LEs, one 177 and the other FAC .22. They balanced beautifully and were very accurate, but were among the most unreliable airguns I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot). I think Nick did the right thing by going for the Stalker based on the single shot Daystate action.

[lionel]

I think someone should do Adrian Hartley under the Trades Description Act for calling them "Limited Editions". The production is limited solely by the availability of gullible saps like me who are prepared to part with vast amounts of cash. He must have been producing these rifles for over a decade. Limited Edition my arse.

[Rapidnick]

I used to own a couple of LEs, one 177 and the other FAC .22. They balanced beautifully and were very accurate, but were among the most unreliable airguns I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot). I think Nick did the right thing by going for the Stalker based on the single shot Daystate action.

Not really a positive choice Lionel! Either the Jaguar or Leopard would've been fine but not the Stalker Ten. I just don't like the Super Ten so would be unlikely to like the Stalker variant even if I had found one in left hand.

[Slacker24seven]

I used to own a couple of LEs, one 177 and the other FAC .22. They balanced beautifully and were very accurate, but were among the most unreliable airguns I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot). I think Nick did the right thing by going for the Stalker based on the single shot Daystate action.

That was the main thing; it shouldered well and the balance was spot on for me. I'm surprised to hear that though, weren't they Bowketted?

[lionel]

That was the main thing; it shouldered well and the balance was spot on for me. I'm surprised to hear that though, weren't they Bowketted?

Well, I believe Bowkett provides the internals of all the Tiger Tens. Hartley is not an engineer - he does the stocks and fettles a bit, but anything seriously mechanical gets packed off by him for Bowkett to deal with. In retrospect, I should not have taken the rifles back to Hartley when I had problems. He seems to have no concept of a warranty anyway, so it wasn't as if I was saving any money. I should have sent them to Bowkett.

[verminhunter]

I think someone should do Adrian Hartley under the Trades Description Act for calling them "Limited Editions". The production is limited solely by the availability of gullible saps like me who are prepared to part with vast amounts of cash. He must have been producing these rifles for over a decade. Limited Edition my arse.

You are very easyly mis- lead Lionel and very gullible, you never listern to your greek friend or to Nickos from reigate.

From now on inform me or nick of any buying of any air rifle ever again, you naughty boy, now go to your room and no supper.

[Rapidnick]

You are very easyly mis- lead Lionel and very gullible, you never listern to your greek friend or to Nickos from reigate.

From now on inform me or nick of any buying of any air rifle ever again, you naughty boy, now go to your room and no supper.

I think he bought the Stalker Ten before we knew him Cos so don't be TOO hard on him!!

[RAW]

A good rifle, I bought the tiger ten LE with all the whistles and bells cost in the region of £1600 with the scope, a waste of money knocking out 40ft ibs but allways fancied the jaguar but at over £2000 I was put off, i met AH who made them a few times a man who liked to write out expensive bills. He writes book now!

Good luck with the rifle and if I ever got into air rifles again I would like one or whiscombe 70