Daystate Mk3 FT and HFT option, input needed

[Shaggy]

I was all for what Darren Petts had said until the last post now I think it's down to the user to still carry out previous methods of safety checks then they will in theory have 2 levels of safety whilst the rifle is switched on at the firing line.

On a different note, how about the rifle, beeping with a slightly different sound or IED flashing differently to all the other beep/light combinations when it needs a charge?
So it's a clear that it needs a recharge? Because some just refill with air & get caught short & can’t play anymore! How about a car charger to be added to the rifle package as well as the 240v mains lead?

Also, I mentioned it to Tony back in the summer, I like the shot counter it's made a bit of difference for me & I was wondering
I along with others get carried away with shooting the Mk3.
Now I have seen beginners & old hats get carried away with the rifle & then, the rifle vents.
Would it be possible to have an auto shut off? Ya know like it turns off & won't turn on unless you have the trigger held in for a few seconds & flick the key after the safety switch is put on, a bit like the 100shot counter set up? After all we all know that venting a rifle isn't a habit people should get into.

Now Daystate offer a 3yr warranty they may well start seeing rifles returned 2.5yrs in with corrosion in the cylinders. They probably won’t but it helps extend the life of the rifle doesn’t it?
After all, it's easily done if you get carried away, especially is the user is venting the rifle often due to lack of experience!
It’s a feature that will help the rifle in the long term & Daystate. Most know what regularly venting a rifle could lead to in the long term, you know, damage due to quick refills from empty cylinder
Setting up the action to shut off so that it can't vent (that can easily be overridden should the need arise) would be better all round don't you recon?

Darren

[Aeroman]

Or another idea - what about a simple sensor on the bolt. If the bolts been actioned then the triggers reset. It's fair to say that in competition if you've opened and closed the bolt there'll be a pellet in the spout or you've had the bolt open to display safe twix lanes then closed the bolt either at the next lane with one up the spout or because it's going back in it's bag in which case it'll be turned to safe (or should be).

True, but including a sensor would mean a physical remodelling of the action rather than a re-map of the electronics; the cost involved would likely be prohibitive.

Just my thoughts

David

[Aeroman]

David,
I agree this wouldn't stop the 'Nil Points' but it would stop the guns firing when getting up & moving between lanes which I have seen on more than one occasion when the gun is left switched on.
Pete.

If that happens then it should be treated as an ND and the person concerned should be warned for a safety violation and removed from the shoot if it happens again. Like when wearing car seat belts was made compulsory - if you've got one fitted you have to wear it. Safety catches should be treated the same IMO. We have a duty to keep all shoots safe whether it be FT, HFT, hunting, at the club or plinking in the garden.

David

[baz]

I dont think I am getting the gist of this, whats wrong with just turning the gun off? And I think that anyone having difficulty getting up from, say, the sitting position (includes me ) should NOT have their finger on (or anywhere near) the trigger

baz

[Puff O'Wind]

Would it be possible to have an auto shut off? Ya know like it turns off & won't turn on unless you have the trigger held in for a few seconds & flick the key after the safety switch is put on, a bit like the 100shot counter set up?

Darren

Forgive me, but that sounds like it'll be a real pain in the sarehole for hunters.

David

[Aeroman]

Forgive me, but that sounds like it'll be a real pain in the sarehole for hunters.

David

I think the idea is that it would be a function built into the electronics that you could have switched on or not whichever you prefer.

David

[Shaggy]

I think the idea is that it would be a function built into the electronics that you could have switched on or not whichever you prefer.

David

Yes Dave that's exactly what I mean.
You can now disable the beeps & turn the led off from the safety catch, on current B's being made that is. I turn mine off, as & whem the need arises. Hunter's can still use it with any hassle.

Surely at the very least, it could be pre-programed to do something diffrent to all the other features & functions that are currently written, there must be a way? why make it upgradable if you can't add programme code? , these would have to be trialed of course & I'd happly help if I can

ATB

Darren

[Gary C]

For Christs sake it's a ****** gun not a PC game.

The only fault is that it will keep firing wthout being cocked so there's no way of knowing if you have a pellet in when you get down to fire. A conventional rifle if you dont cock and load you dont fire, whereas the MK3 will let you make a bang sound and lose 2 points.

[Gcos]

1.NO. Dont adults know how to use a safety catch.What are people doing putting pellets in the gun when not shooting a lane.
2.NO.
3.NO & YES.

GOD HELP THE JUNIORS.

[I. J.]

I dont think I am getting the gist of this, whats wrong with just turning the gun off? And I think that anyone having difficulty getting up from, say, the sitting position (includes me ) should NOT have their finger on (or anywhere near) the trigger

baz

Agreed.
I have been known to pass my rifle, safety ON, breech OPEN, muzzle pointing SAFE, to someone else who is standing if Im going to struggle to get up.
Safety is a state of mind not a gadget, catch, button, ....... The only safe gun is an empty gun.

[stevecoo]

Can we have an option to turn the auto safety off i use my MK3 for hunting and sometimes i am just about to take the shot when the safety comes on and i have to turn the safety on/off by that time my target has gone.

Steve

[Darren Petts]

1.NO. Dont adults know how to use a safety catch.What are people doing putting pellets in the gun when not shooting a lane.
2.NO.
3.NO & YES.

GOD HELP THE JUNIORS.

Never used a Mk3 then I take it.

Not so much a problem at HFT for me but at FT where there's 2 targets per lane I regularly get to the second target and after rangefinding wonder if I've loaded a pellet for that target. The easiest way to check is to blow it off and load again. I agree a pellet or bolt sensor is more expensive than a reprogramming but a reprogramming is working around the problem and not eliminating it.

Anyone moving between lanes with a Mk3 ought to have it switched off. Anyone with a live Mk3 and their finger on the trigger between lanes has the fundamentals wrong.

[David Snook]

First and foremost, safety is paramount, although it is the end responsibility of the shooter in the first place, anything that can be done to improve safety must help. I totally agree that there is no substitute for safe gun handling and no amount of safety systems will replace this.

Now a few answers, questions and comments:

The single shot feature is not for safety reasons, it is to prevent a blank shot being sent down the range and loosing points.

Electronic actions are not just for low power guns, we have an experimental Mk3 that will produce 56FPE on a good day and it is accurate and efficient and uses standard electronics.

We have experimented with a pellet sensor and it works well. It will only fire when the breech is closed and a pellet is seated. The only problem being that is does add expense and complexity.

The “button” breech (as used at this year’s CLA speed shoot) uses a simpler system; the gun will not fire until the breech is closed. Once the gun has fired the breech has to be opened and closed again to arm it (rather like coking an action). The only downside is that if the breech is closed and unloaded and the safety is switched off and back on, the gun can fire a blank. This feature can be added in the future, would it be desirable?

The auto-off safety feature is set at 15 minutes after the last shot. This is a powerful safety feature and will be retained, however is 15 minutes too short?

It would be neater to remove unused functions to make programming less laborious; therefore can we remove the safety tab light On/Off programming and leave it on?

Any more suggestions or comments?

David

[DAR]

Any more suggestions or comments?

Yes, Buy any other rifle Daystate make and save yourself the hassle.

David.

[Actaeon]

The auto-off safety feature is set at 15 minutes after the last shot. This is a powerful safety feature and will be retained, however is 15 minutes too short?

Sometimes yes - it would be nice if it were a programmable option, with the option of turning it off completely if desired.

I do get paranoid about it sometimes because it also beeps after 15 mins as well. Nothing more annoying than a lengthy stalk ruined because your gun decides to give you away. I tend to stop every so often and flick the satefy on and off to give me another 15 minutes of peace.

I don't have a problem with the single shot thing, so I'm not bothered either way - so long as it's not forced on me. It's nice to have these options, but it's also important to be able to turn them off if you don't want/need them.