British PCP Air Rifles at the IWA Show 2016
Today’s HAM report from the 2016 IWA show focuses on British PCP air rifles.
Our heading photo, above, shows BSA Guns Managing Director Simon Moore with the BSA Gold Star SE. This British PCP air rifle has been designed specifically with hunting and Field Target competition in mind. It’s available at a power level just below the UK legal limit of 12 Ft/Lbs and gives either 75 shots at 825 FPS in .177 cal or 90 shots at 570 fps in .22 cal.
Another new BSA model displayed at the IWA show was the R-10 SE. This is available with power levels of up to 21 Ft/Lbs in .177 and 31 Ft/Lbs in .22 caliber.
BSA produces a wide range of spring/piston air rifles also. They are in the rack with more British PCP air rifles in this shot below.
Of course, Air Arms were showing the exciting new Galahad PCP air rifle. Production is expected to begin in May 2016 and the final design details are being finalized, based on customer feedback at the 2016 SHOT Show and IWA Show. HAM carried a full report on the Air Arms Galahad in our SHOT Show coverage, so today we’ll be content with just the one photograph…
It’s obvious that Air Force airguns manufactured and sold in the USA and GunPower British PCP air rifles look very similar. But many people may not know of the British connection in their conception and design. Geoff Darvill – seated in the photograph below – is the British partner in this collaboration. And as GunPower is based in Ashford, Kent, UK, they qualify for inclusion in today’s roundup of British PCP air rifles at the 2016 IWA Show.
The other major manufacturer of British PCP air rifles is Daystate. They showed the new Daystate Renegade at the IWA Show 2016.
Although the Renegade looks very much like the Daystate Pulsar bullpup air rifle, it’s basically a mechanically-operated airgun, with much less electronic control than its Pulsar partner. A new hybrid electronic/mechanical trigger unit has been developed for the Renegade and this is combined with the completely mechanical Slingshot hammer system that’s familiar from use in other Daystate air rifles.
Our photograph below gives a comparison of the breech/electronic control assemblies of the Renegade and Pulsar models. Notice the much smaller and simpler circuit board of the Renegade.
Below, Adam Woods of Daystate proudly displays this latest British PCP air rifle.
There will be yet more airgun news from the 2016 IWA Show in Hard Air Magazine tomorrow.
