Originally Posted by
PCPShooter
Hope this is OK - I went to post in review bit but something flashed up while I was distracted - approval needed maybe .
Cometa 400 Carbine Laminate 22- first impressions for the enthusiast
A nice laminate stock, some imperfections, minor rough edges to inletting.
Rifle had been chronoed by seller in Essex, there’s a fella who like a chat about airguns, - 11+ and not over with anything. Was smoking, not horrendously, and stopped after about 40 shots. I bought a Galaxy 400 Carbine a few years ago when they came out, and that would not have stopped dieseling as piston seal was damaged from new ( assembly in factory I’d guess). So this latest manufacture seems improved here.
I wanted to adjust trigger - easy job except it requires removal of trigger guard unless you own exceptionally long thin gunsmithing screwdrivers. The front trigger guard locator is also main stock bolt and this was wound in foolishly tight. My heart sank as a bit of screw came away and I anticipated a ‘toy screw’ - but thankfully it held up and is a properly hardened screw, just a ‘shave’ came off - phew. Set up trigger easily. There is still a tad of graunch, but to me it’s a good to reasonable trigger. I don’t work down from the best production triggers and make everything worse in my mind, I think about some of the agricultural triggers on airguns shotguns and firearms I’ve shot, and this is so much better than any of those ‘is it going to fire’ type triggers from yesteryear, that to me it’s a good trigger. Plastic, wobbles a tad, predictable, two stage, can be set light yet safe enough, rifle stays on aim - that ticks the box for a trigger to my mind.
The breach bolt set up - the funny sub screw which meant the octagon main bolt could on Cometa end up a bit too tight or a bit too loose is improved - and the bolt had not been factory tightened by someone built like the hulk making barrel difficult to break / over tensioned. A second noticeable improvement from the one I bought a few years ago.
I quickly tried a few pellets, surprisingly FTT didn’t seem that great, though barrel was still gunked from dieseling at this point. Superdomes - another Cometa favourite seemed to be grouping well, so after a whipping twine and patch pull / clean I carried on with superdomes, or was about to when ‘She’ said - that’s a pretty one ! A competent shot she then from a rifle with an unleaded barrel, she had never picked up before, fired a few superdomes at 27 yards which covered from one side to other of bull on a bisley red white and blue. As I carried on groups started to tighten but light was dropping off. I did fire a few shots from my other 400 my ‘control’ rifle if you like, and got pin point accuracy, not so with new one so far.
I haven’t fully pellet matched new rifle, set spring or chronoed etc, and also my other Cometa has an Oz piston seal and custom cut down titan in a WW based Cometa tuning solution (cut down built in guide with Derlin adaptor to size for titan) This was a pullaver to sort and beyond my capabilities, but does show how nicely a 400 can be - I can sometimes see pellets through scope like on short barrelled rammers ……….Thanks to Dave Mercers skills - a man who also knows Cometa are a decent rifle and isn’t afraid to say so.
The Factory Laminate new rifle - well these come with lifetime G’tee -
I reckon it’s a fine rifle for anyone, I’d happily recommend to someone who asked ‘what gun’ and it’s shoots ‘good’ straight from box.
It does sound a bit graunchy to cock - that factory ‘ungreased' spring sound. It shoots accurately, it’s dinky and pointable. I haven’t used stock adjustment as with a 40mm A0 scope it’s perfect for me as is (I’m average height).
I have thought of these as a replacement for the long defunct UK Webleys for a long time, in a good way. Better in fact in most ways, and parts are readily available, in UK and certainly Europe if not world wide. Would I pick one up to go shooting in preference to a full size UK or German rifle ? Yes, actually I would, or would sometimes. I have always liked dinky rifles, or handy manoeuvrable rifles. I’d say this carbine is the springer equivalent of a BSA Ultra in pcp world - OK from the box, and if you want to soup it up Stella Performers.
I’m not sure how new rifles compare price wise as prices on all consumer goods seem to be going a bit bonkers - but for the £350 with lifetime Gtee and the nice laminate stock, seems fair enough currently. More though, it’s just a nice rifle, it points far better than most, is fast to shoulder and easy to shoot with, and looks and feels very appealing.
Hope this gives an even handed user experience of latest version of the 400.
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