I'll add another comment if you don't mind, there are distinct fashions in every sport, golf (posh clubs), archery ( carbon everything), shotgun (super costly engravings) etc, designed to impress your peers but adding nothing to performance. We have three types of person in every sport I call them the following:- 1/. The impressionists, usually rich, who are equipped with the best of everything, they stroll around looking for admiration, are usually of moderate skill but who know everything about everything and are quick to tell you how much their gear cost. 2/. The ultra ultra competitive, in every sport, dummy comes out the pram for every mistake, excuses by the score, pulled the shot, wind etc. go home early if they can't win. 3/. The majority (thank God) just out for a good time and to enjoy themselves, happy if they do well, happy if they don't. Took me to age 70 to recognise the real losers 1 & 2.
You missed out the Community Narcissist... the person who is in every club, competes to spend the most on kit to guarantee their status, takes over the Committee, guilt-trips everyone else to do the actual work, damns everyone else with faint praise, and was the reason everyone left the last club they were in.
A brilliant video and its a breath of fresh air to see someone talking air rifles without a £1000s budgets. Air rifle shooting used to be a cheap sport and hobby but is now an extremely expensive one. To spend as little as this and get your self a good and reasonable value rifle for great fun and lots of fun.
Im 52 now, I started shooting AR when I was about 11 and entered quite a few field target competitions as a boy. I remember there was a 'golden age' of people just rocking up with whatever they had and shooting, then PCP came about and it evolved into an 'Anorak' fest. People turning up with so much crap on their rifles, it just seemed to be at odds with how I initially found it. I'm out of the UK now and generally shoot centrefire, but I do have a tuned '77 (1985) that comes out of the safe and I must say, its just as much fun. Very little airgun stuff here in Australia though, but I still drool when I see a Theoben Sirocco or Venom tuned gun from the 80's. I'll be following this project with great interest 👍
Yeah I know what you mean I used to do some HFT not long after it started. Rifles such as the Original 45, Vulcan and HW35s. Great fun the rifles were affordable in most cases. There were some cracking shots as well .
Another great vid! I'm gonna look into entering some competitions and thinking about starting my own channel too so it's good to know I'm at the stage you were when you initially started this project
I really enjoyed your How Low Can You Go feature and have actually done something similar with an XS38 myself. I have written a full refurb guide, including making a Delrin spring guide and adding Delrin buttons, and bearings to the piston (so that I now have an ultra smooth rifle with no metal to metal abrasion during the cocking and firing cycle and no twang). I have also removed the fibre optics at both ends and made a full length reflex silencer/moderator out aluminium tubing, with hair curlers and scouring pad internals and made an FT style thumb hole stock out of birch ply with an adjustable but pad and hamster. My goal was to create a fully adjustable FT/HFT rig, using every-day hand tools only, and keeping the costs of everything listed above (with the exception of the rifle and scope) to no more than £140. Should you be interested, I would be happy to send you the how to guide (including pictures) if you DM me. Keep up the good work and the excellent topic choices!!!
That sounds great! I would love to see your guide thanks. You can send anything to me at hftshooteruk@gmail.com I really look forward to seeing it. Thanks. 😀👍
Really looking forward to the next update! I am quite new to the sport myself, but already managed to infect Mrs with the shooting bug. Sharing a springer at this moment but gonna quickly need the second one I reckon. This project is really inspiring so far! Thank you so much!
Great video Jeff, its always good to see what your getting up to 👍👍😃 and your right about gun equipment.. some of the prices are truly insane... for example I seen a scope at nearly £7000, binoculars at £ 4000, a range finder at over £2000, then you got mounts, and then all the names brand shooting clothes.. and really over priced guns to.. anyway if you cant shoot all the best gear in the world wont fix it 😃😃 anyway I'm glad your doing what your doing. Have a great weekend when it comes... 🤘👍👌
I just bought one of these Friday, and it should arrive Wednesday. I was very happy to see your video, and this review come up in my list this morning. The one I purchased is the same rifle only by Xisco.
Great video as always I love your down to earth approach. Budget project is a great idea for the beginner especially these days when the majority have less spare cash. If you like the hobby then you can save and upgrade further down the line. Wish I lived a bit near you Cambridge club but I'm on the Surrey/Hants border so it would mean traversing the dreaded M25. Keep those videos coming. Best wishes, Mark
I featured one of these couple of yrs ago, was solid built like a tank, was happy with the build of the gun , but after about 170 shots it started making a ringing sound after every shot , then I noticed over the chrono it was down to 9 ft lbs , so I took it back to the shop , and they refunded me, and said that it must have been a faulty batch cos they’d had a few returned ,, people in the no, got intouch and said I should have stripped it , debured ,, spelling ,,, etc , cheers shane
Hi Shane, I've been itching to get it stripped down to tinker and make some improvements. There's plenty of info on the Chinese airgun forum. Got to keep it as standard for now until I finish the 'budget' video series. 🙂👍
Hello Jeff, thank you very much for your always very informative videos👍. Looking at some videos on the Springfield competition, I was surprised looking at all the very expensive equipment they are using. What is your opinion about this. Best regards from the Netherlands.
I know what you mean. It's sad to think that many may feel they need the most expensive rifles and equipment to compete. I think that puts some people off joining the sport. In my videos I try to show that you can get just as good results using lower priced equipment. The rifles I compete with are all second-hand and very cheaply priced and I regularly place or win in club competitions. 🙂👍
Just bought this with everything 3-9X40 Pro Scope (bought together TXG02 Gas Ram Break Barrel Air Rifle with Synthetic Wood Look Stock .177) 1 £24.99 And air rifle TXG02 Gas Ram Break Barrel Air Rifle with Synthetic Wood Look Stock .177 cost £119.99 on offer reduced from £160, only fired it twice looks great not sure of how to set it all up yet. It’s very loud lol also looking for a club near me in london no joy yet? Thanks for the tuition Bob
You do not need money or an expensive gun, you need instincts and skill, you can develop skill but instincts you are either born with or not, Digweed a good example (although shotgun) for natural instinct. We have all seen at the local range the guys turning up with all the gear no idea, being eclipsed by someone with an old BSA haven't we?
Certainly. The most common glove seems to be the 'ahg Anschutz 110' which is what I'm using right now. There are many other similar gloves on the market. They come in 'fingerless' and 'full finger' versions. They're fleece lined and made of a hard wearing material, not leather. They have pads of rubber stippling on the palm, back and two fingers to provide grip on a shooting peg when prone, or tree when standing and kneeling supported shots. Hope that helps.
There's no doubt at all, many of the Chinese made airguns have superb barrels. Earlier this year I restored and sold my 1984 HW35e, it's been such a long time since I had it stripped I'd forgotten how bad a lot of the internal boring was, everything outside was beautiful inside, dreadful.
Just one on the expensive side, all the people that spent a fortune and still couldn't shoot very well, it's the trigger!, it's the pellets!, it's the internals!, it's the rest and on and on. Biggest thing was people going home after shooting really upset and even angry, I just didn't get that, after all it's meant to be fun.
@@hftshooter not what I was suggesting, sorry. You said you returned to this rifle as it was away to a gunsmith. I figured the shooting test was back in March just as you got it.
Quite funny how many rifles you can get in the UK which are nowhere to be found on the continent. I follow AAR on Air and a lot of the rifles Andy reviews are simply obsolete in Europe. I recently got my hands on a BSA R10. I actually wanted to buy the R12, but none of the european dealers had one for sale. Just like this SMK. No european dealers. I kinda wonder if there's a lot of rifles over here you can't get in the UK? Of course, we are privileged not having that sub12-law, but I feel we are missing out on a lot of cool airguns. Also .177. If you look at some of the bigger/better online stores, they seldumly have a .177 in stock. Mostly things seem to start in.22 over here...
Still good value at that price Mark. I suggest you sign up to pellpax notifications. They're cutting prices on rifles for short periods all the time and have some great bargains.
I'll add another comment if you don't mind, there are distinct fashions in every sport, golf (posh clubs), archery ( carbon everything), shotgun (super costly engravings) etc, designed to impress your peers but adding nothing to performance. We have three types of person in every sport I call them the following:- 1/. The impressionists, usually rich, who are equipped with the best of everything, they stroll around looking for admiration, are usually of moderate skill but who know everything about everything and are quick to tell you how much their gear cost. 2/. The ultra ultra competitive, in every sport, dummy comes out the pram for every mistake, excuses by the score, pulled the shot, wind etc. go home early if they can't win. 3/. The majority (thank God) just out for a good time and to enjoy themselves, happy if they do well, happy if they don't. Took me to age 70 to recognise the real losers 1 & 2.
😂 too true! 👍
Yup.
You missed out the Community Narcissist... the person who is in every club, competes to spend the most on kit to guarantee their status, takes over the Committee, guilt-trips everyone else to do the actual work, damns everyone else with faint praise, and was the reason everyone left the last club they were in.
Fantastic 👏👏👏
You’re doing HFT a brilliant service, here.
Some great idea video’s that are really well presented and explained.
Keep it up, buddy. 👏👏👏
Thank you very much!
In the current climate of eye watering air rifle costs, and in particular the "sport" end of the hobby. This is a breath of fresh air 👍👍
Thanks! 😀👍
A brilliant video and its a breath of fresh air to see someone talking air rifles without a £1000s budgets. Air rifle shooting used to be a cheap sport and hobby but is now an extremely expensive one. To spend as little as this and get your self a good and reasonable value rifle for great fun and lots of fun.
Thanks, I suspect it puts some people off starting, thinking they need deep pockets.
Im 52 now, I started shooting AR when I was about 11 and entered quite a few field target competitions as a boy. I remember there was a 'golden age' of people just rocking up with whatever they had and shooting, then PCP came about and it evolved into an 'Anorak' fest.
People turning up with so much crap on their rifles, it just seemed to be at odds with how I initially found it.
I'm out of the UK now and generally shoot centrefire, but I do have a tuned '77 (1985) that comes out of the safe and I must say, its just as much fun.
Very little airgun stuff here in Australia though, but I still drool when I see a Theoben Sirocco or Venom tuned gun from the 80's.
I'll be following this project with great interest 👍
Thanks for sharing. 🙂👍
Yeah I know what you mean
I used to do some HFT not long after it started.
Rifles such as the Original 45, Vulcan and HW35s.
Great fun the rifles were affordable in most cases.
There were some cracking shots as well .
Another great vid! I'm gonna look into entering some competitions and thinking about starting my own channel too so it's good to know I'm at the stage you were when you initially started this project
Go for it! 👍
Had both walther LGV and LGU's, excellent guns in my opinion, very reasonable priced and extremely efficient and accurate.
Excellent, looking forward to episode 2.
Thanks! 🙂👍
I really enjoyed your How Low Can You Go feature and have actually done something similar with an XS38 myself. I have written a full refurb guide, including making a Delrin spring guide and adding Delrin buttons, and bearings to the piston (so that I now have an ultra smooth rifle with no metal to metal abrasion during the cocking and firing cycle and no twang). I have also removed the fibre optics at both ends and made a full length reflex silencer/moderator out aluminium tubing, with hair curlers and scouring pad internals and made an FT style thumb hole stock out of birch ply with an adjustable but pad and hamster. My goal was to create a fully adjustable FT/HFT rig, using every-day hand tools only, and keeping the costs of everything listed above (with the exception of the rifle and scope) to no more than £140.
Should you be interested, I would be happy to send you the how to guide (including pictures) if you DM me. Keep up the good work and the excellent topic choices!!!
That sounds great! I would love to see your guide thanks. You can send anything to me at hftshooteruk@gmail.com
I really look forward to seeing it. Thanks. 😀👍
Really looking forward to the next update! I am quite new to the sport myself, but already managed to infect Mrs with the shooting bug. Sharing a springer at this moment but gonna quickly need the second one I reckon. This project is really inspiring so far! Thank you so much!
Thank you, and good luck with your shooting.
Ive not shot hft comps in over 5 years but watching this is giving me the itch😂
You need to scratch that itch! 😅
Great video Jeff, its always good to see what your getting up to 👍👍😃 and your right about gun equipment.. some of the prices are truly insane... for example I seen a scope at nearly £7000, binoculars at £ 4000, a range finder at over £2000, then you got mounts, and then all the names brand shooting clothes.. and really over priced guns to.. anyway if you cant shoot all the best gear in the world wont fix it 😃😃 anyway I'm glad your doing what your doing. Have a great weekend when it comes... 🤘👍👌
Thanks John, much appreciated. 🙂👍
Great video as always. Looking forward to part two of the project. Thank you.
Thanks for watching! 🙂👍
Great video and introduction to a great little starter set up !!!
Glad you enjoyed it
I just bought one of these Friday, and it should arrive Wednesday. I was very happy to see your video, and this review come up in my list this morning. The one I purchased is the same rifle only by Xisco.
If it's anything like mine you'll have fun with it. Enjoy! 🙂👍
Good little set-up Jeff!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😎😎😎😎😎
Thanks 👍
Again scope is good as well
Great video as always I love your down to earth approach. Budget project is a great idea for the beginner especially these days when the majority have less spare cash. If you like the hobby then you can save and upgrade further down the line. Wish I lived a bit near you Cambridge club but I'm on the Surrey/Hants border so it would mean traversing the dreaded M25.
Keep those videos coming.
Best wishes, Mark
Thanks Mark, much appreciated. 🙂👍
I featured one of these couple of yrs ago, was solid built like a tank, was happy with the build of the gun , but after about 170 shots it started making a ringing sound after every shot , then I noticed over the chrono it was down to 9 ft lbs , so I took it back to the shop , and they refunded me, and said that it must have been a faulty batch cos they’d had a few returned ,, people in the no, got intouch and said I should have stripped it , debured ,, spelling ,,, etc , cheers shane
Hi Shane, I've been itching to get it stripped down to tinker and make some improvements. There's plenty of info on the Chinese airgun forum. Got to keep it as standard for now until I finish the 'budget' video series. 🙂👍
@@hftshooter thanks for the reply buddy , definitely a solid gun , for the money, just needs refining, and some TLC , cheers shane
I had a xs38 a year ago, if you fit a wood field kit you will be blown away with how good it is
I'd heard that there was a Welsh Willy kit available. Perhaps something for a later date to see what difference it makes. Cheers.
Great review. Thanks very much
My pleasure!
Cracking Jeff as always.
Thanks Nick. 🙂
Nice little project
Thanks Keith. 🙂👍
Hello Jeff, thank you very much for your always very informative videos👍. Looking at some videos on the Springfield competition, I was surprised looking at all the very expensive equipment they are using. What is your opinion about this. Best regards from the Netherlands.
I know what you mean. It's sad to think that many may feel they need the most expensive rifles and equipment to compete. I think that puts some people off joining the sport. In my videos I try to show that you can get just as good results using lower priced equipment. The rifles I compete with are all second-hand and very cheaply priced and I regularly place or win in club competitions. 🙂👍
was that a Chinese HW 77🤔
It may well be. I haven't seen a 77 close up. It's labelled as am SMK XS38 Magnum.
By the general look i though so too
Just bought this with everything 3-9X40 Pro Scope (bought together TXG02 Gas Ram Break Barrel Air Rifle with Synthetic Wood Look Stock .177) 1 £24.99
And air rifle TXG02 Gas Ram Break Barrel Air Rifle with Synthetic Wood Look Stock .177 cost £119.99 on offer reduced from £160, only fired it twice looks great not sure of how to set it all up yet.
It’s very loud lol also looking for a club near me in london no joy yet? Thanks for the tuition Bob
Sounds like a good budget setup. Good luck with it. 👍
You do not need money or an expensive gun, you need instincts and skill, you can develop skill but instincts you are either born with or not, Digweed a good example (although shotgun) for natural instinct. We have all seen at the local range the guys turning up with all the gear no idea, being eclipsed by someone with an old BSA haven't we?
Well said David. 🙂👍
I've been wondering about the glove you guys use for HFT. Can you tell me/us about them, please?
Certainly. The most common glove seems to be the 'ahg Anschutz 110' which is what I'm using right now. There are many other similar gloves on the market. They come in 'fingerless' and 'full finger' versions. They're fleece lined and made of a hard wearing material, not leather. They have pads of rubber stippling on the palm, back and two fingers to provide grip on a shooting peg when prone, or tree when standing and kneeling supported shots. Hope that helps.
There's no doubt at all, many of the Chinese made airguns have superb barrels. Earlier this year I restored and sold my 1984 HW35e, it's been such a long time since I had it stripped I'd forgotten how bad a lot of the internal boring was, everything outside was beautiful inside, dreadful.
Surprised to hear that. German engineering? 😲
Just one on the expensive side, all the people that spent a fortune and still couldn't shoot very well, it's the trigger!, it's the pellets!, it's the internals!, it's the rest and on and on.
Biggest thing was people going home after shooting really upset and even angry, I just didn't get that, after all it's meant to be fun.
It's like most other things, people think they can buy an easy fix or a 'magic pill' to make them good without any effort.
Are you able to provide links to where you purchased the rifle and scope from?
The rifle was from pellpax.co.uk and the scope from tacticalscope.co.uk.
Epic I have one fantastic gun for the money 👍🏻
I agree John, very good value.
Is that not the westhunter emblem embedded in spec sheet?
No idea? Just checked and it's also on the box, just a picture of a stag.
What work did you have done to it at the gunsmith's?
No funny business on this channel mate. What you see is what it is. No work done at all just straight out the box.
@@hftshooter not what I was suggesting, sorry. You said you returned to this rifle as it was away to a gunsmith. I figured the shooting test was back in March just as you got it.
Sorry for the confusion. What I said was that it had been in a gun slip since March, not gunsmith. 😄
Quite funny how many rifles you can get in the UK which are nowhere to be found on the continent. I follow AAR on Air and a lot of the rifles Andy reviews are simply obsolete in Europe. I recently got my hands on a BSA R10. I actually wanted to buy the R12, but none of the european dealers had one for sale. Just like this SMK. No european dealers. I kinda wonder if there's a lot of rifles over here you can't get in the UK? Of course, we are privileged not having that sub12-law, but I feel we are missing out on a lot of cool airguns. Also .177. If you look at some of the bigger/better online stores, they seldumly have a .177 in stock. Mostly things seem to start in.22 over here...
And we think we're hard done by being limited to sub12! 😄
Shame the rifle appears to be around £150 now, unless i'm being stupid.
Still good value at that price Mark. I suggest you sign up to pellpax notifications. They're cutting prices on rifles for short periods all the time and have some great bargains.
@@hftshooter Thanks will do.
Smk victory domed I got best results
Thanks, I'll have to give them a try. Reasonably priced too!