The inside of the muzzle is threaded for a screw-in insert or a full external mod- erator attachment. The latter would, however, destroy the visual appearance and upset balance, I think. I selected the walnut stock for it.
To me, its operation is quicker than
the TX. It’s a good starter for FT novices as well as a good all-rounder for all sorts of competition and hunting. It makes a nice tool for spring-
piston HFT use, especially after a good tune (at additional cost, of course). Based on my own personal experience with the HW 77, I can recommend to have it tuned or at least fit it with a tun- ing kit. Its looks are no-frills, even a bit stern, utterly functional and purposeful. Although it certainly is nice
enough looking, I consider it a fine business-like tool rather than a “pride of ownership” item. The Air Arms TX 200 hC Thus far, I never had a regular TX,
but only two SR variants. These have a totally different setup from the regular TX and are designed with semirecoil- less, sliding actions. I wanted a recoiling version and the carbine version was a direct and logical opponent of the 97 K. Just like the blue laminate 97 K, I
wanted one with the latest model stock. Since I have a penchant toward carbines nowadays, the HC (Hunter Carbine) was a good candidate for purchase and I bought one a few months ago. This version is called the Mark 3 and it has a longer cocking stroke than the Mark 2, intended to make cocking easier. It also has a longer piston stroke than previous versions and its power is now easier to increase. It comes in .177 and .22 calibers only. Around since 1995, the TX HC has become the direct competitor of the lat- est 97 K, also in size. It is of really through-and-through
solid build and the metal work is just great. It looks and feels very robust and chunky, the polishing is mirror-like, and its blueing very deep and classy. It reminds me of the old Venom enamel- like blueing work done to earlier HW 77s. The transition from action tube to barrel is very elegant, unlike the round- to-flat-to-round transition at the barrel block of the 77/97, and so is the rest of this rifle. Even with its short length, the bull barrel with an integral 3-inch-long expansion chamber looks very classy.
Page 150 Winter 2012
The stock came a bit “blonde” but this will darken over time. It has a nice but understated dark grain to it and apart from a narrow gap at the breech port, its wood to metal fit is almost flawless. Although of almost the same
length (some 35mm shorter), it handles completely different from the 97 K. This may be in part because of the differ- ent grip and butt length. In addition, the relative weight of the 97 K’s heavy laminate stock vs. the action weight is different from that of the lighter, fancy walnut stock on the TX. The TX feels more special and
“deluxe,” but demands just a bit more attention, even disregarding the opera- tion of the anti-bear trap ratchet. Being on the right-hand side of the action be- low the breech port, many would prefer to have its release on the left-hand side. Dimensions around the butt are very good and elegantly curved, as opposed to its predecessor. Length of pull is very good, but the trigger should sit a bit more forward in its guard to better fit my finger. The butt stock carries a nice comb, fitting me well with the types of scope sights I used. The raised Monte Carlo cheek piece is gracefully curved and has a roll-over on the right hand side. However, the sharp top edge at the right side comb makes left-hand use of the right-hand gun uncomfortable. The pistol grip has a comfortable shape and rake and is deep enough but it has no palm swell. It lacks a thumb groove on top, near the action end cap. The grip base is finished with a nice white spacer and rosewood cap. However, the butt pad also could do with a white spacer. Just like the 97 K, its sleek fore-
stock is a bit skinny to my hands, although it is extremely good looking. The latest laser cut checkering
with the sort of mixture of “fleur-de-lis” and fish scale pattern adopted by Air Arms a few years ago gives a good grip. Some may find its fish scale-type of lay- out a bit overdone but I can live with it. It will not surprise you that I find
its elegantly curved fore-end too narrow and shallow and I would have liked to compare it side by side with the previ-
ous model of stock. Unfortunately, there is none available to me yet to make a direct comparison, but I think I might prefer a mix of the present butt stock with the previous fore-stock. Even without a scope the gun’s
weight is considerable. Balance is a bit different from the 97 and in fact is a bit more oriented toward the muzzle, but fine for me. The two-stage trigger is not exactly
how I want it yet and it needs more work. TX triggers are fiddlier to adjust than their HW Rekord counterparts and the TX action always has to be taken out of the stock for adjusting. The classy trigger guard is polished smooth at the base and has no screwdriver holes. First zeroing with the same scope
and mount setup as on the 97 K (ad- justed in the optical center) was spot on at 10 yards from the beginning — proof of great precision machining work of the dovetailed scope grooves and barrel fitting by Air Arms! Its operation is certainly more
complicated than that of the 97 K. The breech is such that I still frequently fumble pellets that I have to grapple from the action bottom. In order to load I have to roll the gun in my left hand onto its left side to allow me to look into the breech and chamber the pellet properly. This is not an easy thing with all scope types and even more difficult without good lighting. The breech is set deeper (centerline mounted) into the action tube and the loading port is dimensioned just a bit wrong for me. It takes getting used to every time I take this gun up. Cocking is noisier than with the
HW because of the side-mounted ratchet system. However, the cocking and latching sounds are very deep and solid. A damped “clunk” sound meets the ear every time the action is worked. A very positive point is that the anti- bear trap release can be worked in such a way that the gun can be easily and safely decocked without firing a shot. The cocking lever is short but does not require much force and is very easy to unlatch and relock because of the spring ball detent catch. Unlatching is helped by the cocking aid, and the slack in the cocking arc before the spring compress- es lends ample free access to the hand. But this latch setup is not completely positive and less comforting for the
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