Air Venturi AV-46M Match Air Pistol Test Review

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Russian-manufactured Air Venturi AV-46M Match Air Pistol is a recent introduction, but one that’s based on a long-standing favorite design.

Compared to the stratospheric prices that are asked for many modern PCP match pistols, the AV-46M is a bargain! Sure, it has a single stroke pneumatic action, which is “old technology” in this field, but it can still hold its own in 10 Meter competition at all but the top levels. With the right pellets and shooter, that is…

So, while the Street Price of $600 may seem high when compared to the average air pistol, it’s actually very good value. The excellent accuracy, ultra-adjustable nature of the gun, good quality sights, balance and “meaty” grip are all features that will endear it to match air pistol shooters.

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Air Venturi AV-46M Match Air Pistol 0.177

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AV-46M Match Air Pistol

SPEED AND ACCURACY

As the Air Venturi AV-46M is an out-and-out 10 meter match pistol, the issue of Muzzle Velocity is really irrelevant. If you want high FPS, choose a different type of air pistol!

As can be seen from the table below, the gun tested by HAM gave Muzzle Velocities in the 430 – 450 FPS range with wadcutter pellets weighing between 7.0 and 8.5 Grains.

Interestingly, we also tried to use 5.5 Grain GTO Predator alloy wadcutters. However, they were extremely tight to load and did not even leave the barrel when the gun was fired! So good, old-fashioned lead pellets are the answer here.

Of course, the sole purpose of a match pistol is accuracy. Here the AV-46M did not disappoint. Of course some pellets worked better than others, however the general level of accuracy was very good – 10 shots counting in the “9 ring” or better.

Best accuracy was achieved with the RWS R10 Match pellets. The target below demonstrates the ability of the Air Venturi AV-46M to achieve a “possible” score with 10 shots at 10 Meters. (If the sights were to be adjusted just a little). That’s also outstanding shooting by HAM Tester Doug Wall!

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

As expected for a match pistol, the two-stage trigger of the AV-46M is adjustable in a multitude of ways using the built-in setscrews. Both first and second stage characteristics can be changed, along with pull weight and the location of the trigger blade itself. Even more adjustments are available if the AV-46M Trigger Upgrade is installed.

However – as always – HAM tested the pistol with the trigger set as we received it. This gave a pull weight averaging 13 Ounces. HAM Tester Doug Wall loved the trigger, although he would increase the pull weight a little if this were his own gun, for personal preference.

As with most dedicated target pistols, there is no built-in safety. The gun must not be cocked and loaded until at the firing point on the range. 100% safe gun handling is mandatory with the AV-46M!

The cocking effort of this single-stroke pneumatic pistol is very moderate – as is to be expected for its 3+ Ft/Lbs Muzzle Energy level. That’s just fine!

As is expected, the majority of the cocking effort is required in the closing stroke of the action, when the air is compressed. It could only be considered hard by comparison with a PCP-powered match pistol, where the cocking effort is zero.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

Talking of cocking effort, the HAM Team measured it to be 18 Lbs – exactly as claimed by the manufacturer.

There’s a Muzzle Velocity claim of 480 FPS for the AV-46M. The pistol tested by HAM managed a maximum of 456 FPS with 7.0 Grain RWS Meisterkugeln pellets but – as previously mentioned – This pistol is not intended for power and we are completely unconcerned about this minor shortfall.

It does, however, match all the claims for adjustability of trigger, pistol grip and sights. It can also be dry-fired as claimed, an invaluable training aid for the competitive shooter.

CONSISTENCY

Consistency is an essential aspect of any target airgun. The AV-46M tested by HAM demonstrated this in several ways…

Firstly, the average Standard Deviation across the range of HAM test pellets was just 4.61 FPS. This is a very low figure, especially considering that the pellets were not washed and sorted but shot “straight from the tin.”

In addition, the trigger pull weight varied by only one Ounce either side of its 13 Ounce average figure. That’s an undetectable variation to pretty-well all of us!

The test gun also demonstrated  excellent accuracy with a number of our test pellets. Although the RWS R10 Match pellets gave the best result on test, we also saw great accuracy from RWS Meisterkugeln Pistol and JSB Exact Premium Diabolo ammo.

NOISE LEVEL

With such a low power level, it’s not surprising that noise level is extremely low. There’s a minor “pop” when the pistol is fired. That’s about all!

Of course, if the AV-46M is dry-fired for practice, there’s just about no noise at all…

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

No, there’s no ability to fit a scope and none is expected. However the open sights are ideal for it’s intended use as a 10 meter Match pistol shooting a black bulls on paper.

The fixed front sight is provided with three different interchangeable posts. These are easily changed by loosening and tightening a setscrew.

The rear sight is click-adjustable for elevation and windage. The pistol is supplied with two interchangeable rear sight blades, each having two different notches. So, in total, there’s four possible rear notch configurations for the rear sight. The plates are retained by setscrews.

SHOOTABILITY

At 16.5 Inches overall, the AV-46M is a long air pistol. It’s also quite muzzle heavy, however this is considered beneficial by most match pistol shooters as it tends to dampen the shooter’s trembles…

The weight of 2.6 Lbs is fair for this type of airgun and the sculpted laminated grip has an adjustable palm shelf for addition support when shooting.

Although already very comfortable, there’s clearly enough “meat” in the grip to accept some filing and other minor adjustments to suit the individual shooter’s hand contours.

As Doug Wall commented in his test notes, “This is a very shootable target pistol”.

Dry firing is easily achieved by simply raising and snapping the breech block back into position. This cocks the trigger without arming the pistol for firing pellets.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

It’s the striking red/black laminated wood stock that dominates the appearance of the Air Venturi AV-46M Match Air Pistol. The HAM Team feels that the overall effect is beautiful and that the gun has wonderful overall lines.

Machining and finish of both wood and metal parts looks very good. However, the owner would be well advised to buy a suitable, quality pistol case to hold and protect the gun for long-term use and storage.

BUYING AND OWNING

As a specialist product, the AV-46M is most likely to be purchased from online Air Venturi dealers such as Pyramyd Air and Airgun Depot.

The subject of this review was not supplied with an instruction manual. However this was easily rectified by downloading a PDF version from the Pyramyd Air website. This is comprehensive and well-illustrated, although in English language only.

The flexibility of the front and rear open sights is certain to be tested by most owners until they settle on the best of the 12 possible combinations that provide them with the best results.

As previously described, the Air Venturi AV-46M trigger upgrade is a worthwhile and inexpensive upgrade.

Air Venturi offers a 12 month limited warranty. This is way below the new norm for airgun warranty periods, now that even some $100 breakbarrels are covered by 5-year warranty coverage. However, it is mitigated to some extent by  the unusual 60-day money back guarantee that’s also provided for the product.

In addition, Doug Wall points-out that this gun has minimal moving parts and so should be very reliable.

TEST TARGETS

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Air Venturi AV-46M Match Air Pistol 0.177

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AV-46M Match Air Pistol

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