Nice review of a very good product of Air Arms. I have promised myself one one day. atb
Hey guys I thought I'd write a little review of my Air Arms Prosport. I havent fired it for a while so this is a much mor retrospective review than most. It is one of the early models with two allen screws holding the stock onto the action. I've got it fitted with some sort of Russian scope that came with it and instead of having the usual crosshairs it has a sort of T shape aiming system, quite good when you get used to it. Anyway onto the rifle.
When i got this I hadnt shot a springer for a while and wasnt sure what to expect, I have to say that I had researched them a little and the price tag for a brand new one is quite hefty especially as they dont have open sights so any purchaser would also have to buy a scope if they didnt already have one, having said that I suppose its unlikely anyone would pay nearly 400 sheets and not use a scope. When I used to be fanatical about airgunning I always wanted to own a TX200 and im sure I read a review by Terry in AGW that said it was an excellent rifle so I was hoping the Prosport would be too.
I also knew that many people preferred fixed barrel rifles to break barrels and this is a fixed barrel underlever. To be honest I dont really go hunting much as im not a great shot and dont really have anything against animals with the exception of Rattus Norvegicus so my hunting forrays are few and far between. So im afraid this is mainly a plinking review.
I took the rifle into an area of wilderness where I was sure no one would be about and then remembered that I had forgotten to bring targets with me I did however have some paper, a marker pen and tacks (dunno how they got there) in the car so i drew a circle on the paper and proceeded to zero the gun in. Fortunately it was almost already set up and I only had to take 10-15 shots to be happy with it. As i said im not a great shot so this is quite quick for me to get to the stage of being happy with the accuracy of a combo.
The first thing that struck me was that the rifle is quite loud in terms of muzzle blast. Even in the open I was caught a little of guard by this and found myself anticipating this, however I soon got used to it.
I have to say that this is a very accurate gun even I with my limited ability could see this. I zeroed in at approx 35 yards and from prone position everything was within a circle of about 1.5 inches in diameter (crosman accupell). Standing, well im not even going to reveal the accuracy as im very poor at standing shots, seem to have weak arms and get the shakes after a few shots so find consitancy a problem. Having said that there was a notable improvement with this gun than with any other springer ive shot so it was clear to me that this is a very accurate gun and in the correct hands would be even better. Unfortunately I dont have a chrono so cant tell you how much power its putting out but as I said earlier there is a fair crack from the muzzle and the rifle is in good condition and has been well looked after with the exception of some marks on the barrel that have been covered with black tape. It looks as if these marks may have been caused by a push fit silencer being constantly fitted and removed. But I wouldnt think its anything lower than 10ftlbs anyway. I wouldnt say the rifle was light, in fact it actually feels heavier then my old career 707 mkII, possibly around the 8.5lbs mark? However this doesnt pose a problem as I say it was more accurate for me than any other springer ive ever shot. (never did get a shot of a TX) So would be interested in the opinion of someone who has shot both. Just trying to think of anything else I could mention. I suppose I should give the rifle marks out of ten for things that spring to mind so here goes.
Accuracy: 9/10? (I am very happy with the accuracy I only wish my abilities coould do it justice)
Power: Difficult to say without a chrono but I had no problem with it...seemed fine to me.
Muzzle blast: a little on the loud side but I suppose a silencer would help this as the action itself i.e. spring piston operation isnt too loud
Price: I would say a brand new one of these is quite expensive, especially for a springer without open sights, however it is Air Arms and it is a very accurate gun.
If anyone has any question feel free to ask and ill do my best to answer.
Nice review of a very good product of Air Arms. I have promised myself one one day. atb
Had a PS myself, walnut 4.5mm, new model.
Looked GREAT, was véry easy to shoot accurately, balanced well, FAR better than HW97, TX, VERY accurate, no twang, very good trigger.
Bút sold it anyway, blueing was a tad too greyish for my liking and stock ergo's are too universal for me; you don't become 'one' with it..
The UK price for the PS is very good, the dutch one is too expensive imo.
Loud to cock as well, the PS, and cocking&loading took some getting used to for a breakbarrel shooter like me!
Be sure to check the cocking arm allen screw, they like to loosen up!
ATB,
yana
id love one of these rifles. just on looks alone!
present rifles - daystate air ranger with falcon merlin
tuned hw97k with bushnell legend < swap for walnut prosport?????
air arms s200 with nikko Stirling gold crown
i love mine
great gun , but i sold mine cos of the weight
H e a v y , or im a whimp
Getting Old
Good review mate and a very nice gun too! I have a TX200 and have only recently started using it regularly so I can sympathise with you on the standing shots!!
One question I do have is about the cocking arm. The TX is very easy with the underlever but I have read mixed reviews on the PS underlever. Is it as uncomfortable as some would have you believe?
I am looking at getting a Pro sport. They seem to tick all the boxes for what I want, But is the weight a real issue? I have held a couple and they dont seem too bad. But I dont know if it will be a problem in the long term.
I have one of these beatiful pieces of engineering. Maybe it can get a bit heavy sometimes, maybe the undelever is a bit uncomfortable, but I hardly notice these as soon as I squeeze the trigger and the distinctive smoothness of the action coupled with the accuracy just takes my breath away, I LOVE MY PROSPORT
I think the prosport is a bit harder to cock than a tx but balances and feels a lot smoother! my mates got a tx and when he picks up my prosport he thinks it feels a lot lighter than the tx, maybe because the tx is more front heavy!
It takes a little getting used to and some find it a little awkward but it's very smooth to cock and not really an effort (unless your a complete lightweight )
Personally no. It is a heavy rifle but if your lugging around the fields on a shoot then fitting a sling helps. For target work the weight is a plus tbh.
Hi there I wouldn't describle it as uncomfortable and it doesnt really take much effort to be honest and im a bit of a lightweight . However it has an automatic safety catch and when I first got the rifle I found that I wasnt cocking it "properly". i.e. I wasn't taking the underlever all the way back until the safety catch was engaging. So I'd got to take my shot and found i hadnt actually cocked it. I wouldnt really call this a problem, it was more me being a div. Its the kind of thing you do once or twice when you first get the rifle and then you dont do it again.
Just out of interest do any of you guys have silencers fitted to your Prosports? Its just mine is second hand and although in otherwise excellent condition, the front of the barrel has quite a few scratches and the blueing has been worn away a little, the only thing I can think that caused this is maybe a silencer that someone has been twisting around a lot? It doesnt affect the gun in anyway and ive covered it up with black tape (the kind that doesnt leave a residue when removed) so you can hardly notice it but its just a bit annoying to see a gun like this and one that is in otherwise excellent condition violated a little
Thanks for the replies guys, I have not had the fortune to try a Pro Sport yet but it is definitely on the short list for my next purchase.
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