JTS AirStryke PCP Air Rifle Review .22 Caliber

VALUE FOR MONEY

The JTS AirStryke is a new PCP air rifle at a very attractive price point.

The AirStryke is available in a choice of .22 and .25 calibers. It’s a sidelever, regulated, silenced PCP firing from a rotary magazine. That’s a comprehensive list of features for an air rifle with a Street Price of just $249.99.

There’s no way this airgun can score other than 100% in Value For Money!

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JTS AirStryke PCP Air Rifle 0.22

SPEED AND ACCURACY

As can be seen here, the JTS AirStryke tested by HAM broke the 1,000 FPS maximum Muzzle Velocity barrier when shooting 10.03 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy Green alloy pellets. The maximum with lead was 924 FPS with the 11.9 Grain RWS Hobbys.

More importantly for most shooters is the maximum Muzzle Energy of above 26 Ft/Lbs with the heavy Baracuda Match and Jumbo Monster pellets. True, this is not a class-leading figure. However it’s still plenty enough for most shooters, particularly for the first-time PCP owners who JTS is targeting with this air rifle.

While the 25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monsters provided the best accuracy in the gun tested by HAM, it was notable that the AirStryke shot almost all of the standard HAM test pellets accurately. It also shot the 20.3 Grain Daystste Howler slugs accurately, as is shown in the test target at the foot of this report.

But there was one big surprise! “Our” AirStryke did not like that old, trusty stand by, 14.3 Grain Crosman Premier Hollow Point pellets. These pellets – and I was using USA-manufactured stock – strung horizontally across the target is a very weird manner. (The same effect was repeated on three test targets, although only one is published here.

Why? Don’t ask me…

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The JTS AirStryke tested by HAM has a trigger that feels long, somewhat “mushy” and imprecise. It’s a single-stage unit, or certainly feels like one (the Pyramyd web page lists it as having two stages, the JTS owner’s manual doesn’t say).

But, with an average pull weight of 2 Lb 10.8 Oz, it’s reasonably light and – after a little experience – allows the user to anticipate when the sear is about to release. The shape of the trigger blade was comfortable for me, too.

I didn’t find any real problems with the trigger when shooting the test targets, although it was certainly not the finest trigger I have ever encountered. But remember the price here!

The hole in the trigger guard indicates that there’s some adjustment possibility for the trigger. This is likely a sear engagement screw, but the JTS instruction manual does not tell us that either.

That’s a push-across manual safety located in the trigger blade. While reliable, the setting of this type of safety is not easily seen at any distance.

Surprisingly for a sub-$250 PCP air rifle, the AirStryke has sidelever cocking. This also functions well and is easy to use.

The lever springs out pleasantly with first pressure from the finger. Then the unusually-shaped cocking lever is easy to use, completing the full cocking cycle. It works well.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

The manufacturer claims that the JTS AirStryke can deliver between 22 and 47 shots per fill of the 200 cc High Pressure Air tube. The gun tested by HAM blew away that claim with a consistent 60 shots before the regulator set point was reached – as you will see from the chart below!

Strangely, JTS does not make a maximum Muzzle Velocity claim. Nor do they make one for Muzzle Energy. They characterize the gun’s performance as being 820 FPS with 18.13 Grain pellets. That equates to 27.08 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy.

The AirStryke tested by HAM delivered a maximum of 26.95 Ft/Lbs by shooting 25.39 Grain JSB Jumbo Monster pellets at an average of 691.26 FPS. That less than half of one percent difference from the manufacturer’s claim!

JTS makes this claim on the company web site. “Whether for target practice, backyard fun, or small pest control, the AirStryke offers dependable, beginner-friendly performance every time.” HAM agrees with that assessment 100%.

CONSISTENCY

When tested using 14.66 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy pellets, the JTS AirStryke tested by Hard Air Magazine delivered no les than 60 consistent shots before the regulator set point was reached.

In fact, the Standard Deviation across the whole 60-shot string was just 2.9 FPS. This compares to the 3.18 FPS average Standard Deviation across the complete range of HAM standard test pellets (and slug).

Either way, this is an outstanding level of consistency that would not disgrace an air rifle selling for 4 or 5 times more than the AirStryke!

In addition, the recorded trigger pull weights varied by only just over 3 Ounces throughout the course of HAM testing. Again, this is an outstanding level of consistency – particularly at the AirStryke’s selling price.

NOISE LEVEL

Below we see the front sight, together with confirmation that the shrouded barrel contains a silencing system.

Subjective testing found that the JTS Airstryke has a well-managed report. This is definitely one of the quieter air rifles that we have tested and rates well up in the backyard friendly stakes.

It’s very nearly as quiet as HAM’s gold standard for quietness, the Benjamin Marauder.

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

The JTS AirStryke has a good-length Picatinny scope rail molded into the top of the receiver. This provides plenty of real estate for mounting different length riflescopes and individual shooter’s eye relief requirements.

More good news is that the magazine does not project high above the top of the Picatinny rails. This is another feature that makes scope mounting easy and flexible.

Some shooters will be pleased to discover that the AirStryke is equipped with a set of open sights. The rear is adjustable for elevation and windage, as we can see below.

However, there is an issue here. The location of the rear sight means that it prevents the fitment of several conventional-length 3-9X and 4-16X riflescopes, at least when set for my eye relief requirements using medium-height rings. (I tried mounting five).

Such interference with scope mounting is not unusual with rear sights on air rifles. The simple solution is to remove the rear sight, which is typically done by loosening two screws.

However, the AirStryke’s rear sight is not easily removable. Not by me, at least!

Maybe the answer would be to use high rings, but that would be a shame, given the low magazine projection and the lack of adjustable cheek-piece or buttpad on the stock.

So, in order to become acquainted with the AirStryke, I mounted a Leapers UTG 3-9×32 AO Bugbuster scope onto the receiver’s Picatinny rails. This produced a compact, comfortable rig that weighed-in at a very reasonable 7 Lbs 13 Oz.

There may be other scope/ring combinations that fit without removing the rear sight, but I suggest some care in selection is required by the new owner, depending on your own eyesight requirements.

SHOOTABILITY

Magazine capacity is 10 rounds in .22 caliber and 9 shots in .25 cal. These load from the left side of the action. The magazine is compact and projects very little above the receiver, as we can see from photographs throughout this review.

There’s a Picatinny rail molded into the underside of the stock forend. That can be used to fit a bipod, if required. Here we see a Leapers UTG Armored bipod fitted to the AirStryke.

At the rear, we find a comfortable rubber buttpad. This is ribbed for good shoulder grip and fitted me well. An adjustable cheekpiece would have been beneficial for me, but at this price, the omission of this feature is easily understandable.

Filling with High Pressure Air is courtesy of a capped “Foster-style” quick disconnect at the front of the tube. Maximum fill pressure is a hand pump-friendly 3,000 PSI, a fact that will be appreciated by many buyers.

Even better – in my opinion – is that the clear, well-marked HPA pressure gauge is set to be read from the side of the gun. No more “looking down the barrel to read the gauge”.

This is really good and shows that such a feature can be incorporated in even a value-priced PCP air rifle like the JTS AirStryke. The gauge itself has a clearly-marked faceplate, combined with an obvious red, overfill-indicator zone.

With an overall length of 41 Inches, the AirStryke is a comfortable size to shoot off-hand, especially combined with its’ relatively light weight and good balance.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

As always, I’m going to say that appearance is a personal opinion. However – pressed to give my thoughts – I find the design to be a little bland. It’s not ugly, but I’m not excited by it either.

The finish, however, is actually very good. The synthetic stock is well-molded and more detailed than it appears at first sight – as we can see with the pistol grip, below.

The breech is a synthetic molding – as is becoming more common with low-end PCPs. It looks fine, is rust-proof and has accurately-molded Picatinny rails for scope mounting.

The close-up photograph below shows details of the textured stock finish and minimal mold seam. The stock mold tooling is obviously well-done.

BUYING AND OWNING

Most owners will be buying their JTS Airstryke online from well-known specialist dealers such as Pyramyd and Airgun Depot. You’re unlikely to find it in big box sporting goods stores, but that’s probably not a big problem for many Internet-savvy shoppers.

One disadvantage of the AirStryke is the limited 12 months warranty. At a time when many air rifles at a similar price are covered by 3- or even 5-year warranties, that’s disappointing.

Another disadvantage that we have mentioned several times in this review is the weak owners’ manual – particularly given the first-time PCP owner target market for the AirStryke. Also, it’s in English only.

On a (much) more positive note, the AirStryke is fitted with a degassing capability. Although not used every day, this can be an invaluable benefit on occasions when the owner wants to work on the gun, or if an unanticipated problem arises during shooting.

So, anyone considering the JTS AirStryke for their first PCP airgun – and there will be many – needs also to budget for a HPA pump or tank-filling system (like a SCUBA tank).

This cost of filling is common to all PCP airguns. There’s nothing unique to the Airstryke about this at all. However, this gun will introduce the topic to many people who previously had not needed to think much about it.

There will also be those who hope that the AirStryke can be charged from their workshop air compressor. The answer to this is, sadly, “no”. Shop compressors produce a couple of hundred PSI only, at most. The JTS AirStryke needs 3,000 PSI to fill, even though this is not a high pressure for PCP airguns!

While filling with High Pressure Air is simple to achieve by connecting to the standard quick disconnect at the front of the air tube, first time PCP owners will be well advised to seek advice from a knowledgeable dealer such as Pyramyd AIR for the best way to fill their new air rifle.

TEST TARGETS

This entire article including scoring, test targets etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.

BUY FROM PYRAMYD
JTS AirStryke PCP Air Rifle 0.22