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Thread: Rapid 7 review

  1. #1
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    Rapid 7 review

    Hello All,

    Just had the first chance to have a session with a Theoben Rapid 7 MK1 I bought recently. I've always fancied one so thought why not, I sold my BSA Super10 in .177 and bought the Rapid in .22. The Scope I use is a Hawke 2-7 x 32 with AO which I need for my night vision. The gun itself is fairly heavy but not unduly heavy although after a long session you would find it a little hard on the arms. The balance of the gun was quiet good but a little "top heavy" with the larger than standard 400cc bottle fitted. The engineering is second to none other than the magazines and it's well made and well put together.

    General appearance and upgrades:

    The gun has a nice looking oil finished stock which was generally well looked after although it has a couple of dinks from hunting. The blueing for a 20 year old gun was in decent condition. I changed the silencer which was a custom built one for a Weirauch one, it was quieter than the custom one. There are 7 and 12 shot magazines available for it and different size "buddy bottles" in 280cc, 400cc and 500cc are also available for increased shot count up to approx 190-200 from a single 200 bar charge. Mine came with the 400cc bottle and I bought another the same size as a back up. Filling is done with an adapter which screws onto the buddy bottle and is almost the same as the Super 10 one. The Rapid can be taken up to FAC levels if you have the necessary licence very easily and Theoben do state this on their literature.

    Magazines and Loading:

    The magazines were in my opinion poorly designed. They are made from plastic with a perspex front I'd have preferred them to be more like the Super10 ones and made of metal. The one I had did however cycle perfectly when I was setting the scope up and as an added bonus you can get 7 or 12 shot magazines which I feel would be helpful especially for night shooting using an infra red scope. Loading the magazines was a bit fiddly but not too bad in the light. You had to wind the spring anticlockwise all the way round to the stop drop a pellet in to hold the indexer against the spring then work back clockwise dropping a pellet in each hole until you had you magazine full.

    Cocking the gun:

    The cocking bolt is fairly long although it only has a small diameter knob which I personally will change to make it easier to handle. It was quite smooth in operation once you'd got the magazine in place although the first time I pushed it home it was not so smooth. The subsequent shots all cycled well and smoothly and of course with a 12 shot magazine it as well a couple would usually see you through a session. The gun does have an unconventional safety catch which is positioned in front of the trigger itself, it's easy to operate and a flick of the finger forward puts it into firing position, flick it backwards and you're on safe.

    Shooting:

    In use the gun was very accurate and it took me a matter of minutes to zero the scope to my satisfaction before I was putting pellet on pellet. The gun was set at 11.1 ft/lbs by the previous owner and on that setting with the Weirauch silencer it was whisper quiet, the hammer was all that could be heard and of course the bolt as you re cocked the rifle.

    Overall I found the rifle to be an excellent tool for hunting purposes in .22 calibre and I would think that in .177 it would compete with the other guns for FT etc admirably. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy using this and it could easily be a keeper providing the magazine recycling doesn't let me down.

    Thanks for reading
    Regards
    Last edited by Greylag; 22-12-2013 at 09:47 AM.
    Dave (www.kwacs.org.uk) "Wildfowlers do it in the mud"

  2. #2
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    The magazines were in my opinion poorly designed. They are made from plastic with a perspex front I'd have preferred them to be more like the Super10 ones and made of metal...Then they will mark the block like the Superten does.
    I have had mine x4... 3 to 5 years and never have any magazine problems...when bought from new...and i still have 6 brand new ones..never needed them yet.

    The gun does not have a safety catch which I would have liked to have seen...Gamo's Sporters,Mk3 and Mk4 triggers did..,,and everyone i have had has one.

    I would think that in .177 it would compete with the other guns for FT ...my BSA Leupy barelled .177 one can compete with anything i have seen ..SERIOUSLY accurate. ..only rabbits etc.

    Nice things aren't they ?..is this an early Mk1.? "small diameter knob".it sounds like it ?...is this your first one..?..i was amazed when i bought my first one ..like... why did i wait so long?.
    Last edited by MrGreengrass; 17-12-2013 at 10:26 PM.
    "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" -- Benjamin Franklin

  3. #3
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    Aye first one

    Hey up Greengrass,

    Yeah it's my 1st Rapid, it's the MK1. I first tried one about 7 or 8 years ago belonging to a mate and alus fancied one so when this came up I decided to have it. I'd sworn by the BSA's and still can't fault the Super10 but this was a bargain and one I wanted to try.

    I've got a 12 shot magazine coming in the the near future bought off Les Whinn so I'll see how that performs. Other than the magazine system the gun is a brilliant piece of kit.

    Regards
    Dave (www.kwacs.org.uk) "Wildfowlers do it in the mud"

  4. #4
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    The super 10 and the Rapid are both superb rifles, BUT beware Rapids are addictive iv'e ended up with three .177.20 and .22 all extremely accurate and I still smile each time shoot them after over 5 years ownership.
    Nice one

  5. #5
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    Rapid

    Quote Originally Posted by Greylag View Post
    Hey up Greengrass,

    Yeah it's my 1st Rapid, it's the MK1. I first tried one about 7 or 8 years ago belonging to a mate and alus fancied one so when this came up I decided to have it. I'd sworn by the BSA's and still can't fault the Super10 but this was a bargain and one I wanted to try.

    I've got a 12 shot magazine coming in the the near future bought off Les Whinn so I'll see how that performs. Other than the magazine system the gun is a brilliant piece of kit.

    Regards
    Anything off Les is good stuff.top banana......that is where one of my S Types was from...still as good as new..

    I also liked the Superten i had...but sold it to buy another Rapid .177....very good guns... even against £1200 plus modern offerings.

    Yes...they are very addictive... had a spare block once ..but it soon turned into another one....

    Had a few older ones,but only have the Mk4's now... i liked my gamo trigger with the shoe on.

    Bought a real mint old original one a few years ago and like a tit ..sold it...should have kept that one.
    "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" -- Benjamin Franklin

  6. #6
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    The Rapid is the only PCP I've used that isn't sterile and boring. It has character. My favourite is the original Mk1 with the Schnabel-tipped right hand stock and the 280cc bottle, although I have had the Gamo trigger fettled.

  7. #7
    barrel's Avatar
    barrel is offline Work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do
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    Someone at Theoben must have been drunk when they thought of putting the safety catch right next to the trigger on the Mark 1 Rapid, have never quite been able to figure that one out.


    Kindest regards

    Barrel
    IF I WALKED ON WATER PEOPLE WOULD SAY I COULD NOT SWIM !

  8. #8
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    I have now sold all my other air rifles, just a .20mfr & fac .25 mk2 left, superb balance, handling & accuracy.

    Both mine have been fitted with nice large delrin handled bolts off the bay, look good & feel better than the origonal.

    I agree with the OP about the mags, one of my .20's has a cracked cover at the metal locating pin which has in turn moved & worn down the plastic "catch" on the pellet carrier so it can jump unless I press down hard on the pin while reloading, annoying but not worth £50 for a new mag.

    I happen to think the safetycatch is in the perfect place, flick it off at the last possible second before taking the shot with no visible movement bar one fingertip.

    Just bought the mk2 a quickfill but not yet fitted it,
    I need to be fully relaxed before drilling the stock, so after xmas .

  9. #9
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    How does it compare to the S410/510? I'm not sure whether to get the Rapid or an Air Arms.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by JNewman View Post
    How does it compare to the S410/510? I'm not sure whether to get the Rapid or an Air Arms.
    Well I had AA510's in both .177 & .22, both now sold, nothing at all wrong with them they were very nice rifles, the Rapids are just that little bit better in every way.

  11. #11
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    Regarding the Rapid mags I must say I've never had any problems with the cycling and I've used them in all 4 calibres. The only problems I have identified are 1) pellets can rattle both in the rifle and in your pocket and 2) because they are plastic if you drop them on to a hard surface you could well end up breaking the central core. I've done this TWICE and it is an expensive mistake to make. Mind you compared with friends who have BSA & Daystate magazines the Theoben ones are fantastic.
    'It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others'.

  12. #12
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    Yes that is annoying sometimes.....1) pellets can rattle both in the rifle and in your pocket.

    How does it compare to the S410/510? I'm not sure whether to get the Rapid or an Air Arms.....The Rapid is still the best removable bottled gun out there.....The S 410\510 are very good tubed guns.

    Bottle or tube ..your choice ...but i don't do tubes so i would get a Rapid..: .

    They will not be about forever..and sell quickly these days....shooters will keep them..and buy another if they can...one is never enough.......AA's are good ..but so are the Falcons,HW's and Daystates...for tube jobs.

    If you hunt .. Rapid if not ..anything else will do....Rapids were built for the field....and this is where they are at their best.
    Last edited by MrGreengrass; 24-12-2013 at 04:31 PM.
    "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" -- Benjamin Franklin

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrGreengrass View Post
    Yes that is annoying sometimes.....1) pellets can rattle both in the rifle and in your pocket.

    How does it compare to the S410/510? I'm not sure whether to get the Rapid or an Air Arms.....The Rapid is still the best removable bottled gun out there.....The S 410\510 are very good tubed guns.

    Bottle or tube ..your choice ...but i don't do tubes so i would get a Rapid..: .

    They will not be about forever..and sell quickly these days....shooters will keep them..and buy another if they can...one is never enough.......AA's are good ..but so are the Falcons,HW's and Daystates...for tube jobs.

    If you hunt .. Rapid if not ..anything else will do....Rapids were built for the field....and this is where they are at their best.
    In fairness they are not at the same price point. The AA S400 series is the best VALUE pcp air rifle on the market and the Rapid is the best general purpose rifle so if you want durability and performance over a long period then the Rapid has stood the test of time and is the best choice. There are other rifles that run it close especially the HW100 but for me the Rapid is THE rifle to own.
    'It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others'.

  14. #14
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    Rapid

    I had the MK 2 in fac which was a really accurate rifle and a good shot count at fac levels , but after a full day it is quite a heavy rifle and I only ever had two things I didn't like about the Rapid .....1) I thought the cocking bolt was always an awkward affair , not smooth and also rather noisy, 2) the magazine.....fiddly ,noisy and that plastic front cover........but it is a great rifle.

    I sold mine last week and bought another brand new HW100KT, I have had two of these in the past and always regretted selling them and I think will always use this rifle from now why ? I just can't seem to find any downside to this rifle at all ....its very quiet , very pointable / comfortable , can't double load , that lovely side lever...and in my humble opinion the best magazine system bar none.
    Enjoy yourself........it's later than you think !!!

  15. #15
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    I've had both Mk1 rapid (.22) and AA s410k (.177) and there both really good guns.

    If you into playing with the internal workings of your rifle and like swapping and changing parts go for the rapid as the possibility's are endless and there really easy to work on.

    I didn't like the Magazine though as they feel cheap compared to the AirArms.

    The AirArms is the rifle i always go back to as there so nice easy to shoot and the accuracy is spot-on.

    See if you can have a shoot with both rifle's before you decide.

    I'm thinking of buying a Hw100kt next though lol so anyone local fancy letting me have a few shots with yours

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