have tested over time, they just need an occasional cleaning with a pull-through type of system. Because the lands are very delicate
and shallow, you should never use a rod down from the muzzle. It’s also hard to clean them as you would a traditional rifle in that you cannot remove the bolts easily on most rifles, making cleaning from the rear not practical. Since they do no burn powder to create energy, there is very little fouling in the barrel. Over time, lead can slightly build, almost like a faint burnishing effect, and this is easily removed. In this rifle and other high-pow-
Setup
three common approaches to this: dive tank, hand pump, and compressor. I have used all three, and I prefer the dive tank, and for this article I will focus on working with the dive tank. To do this, air cylinder is un-
screwed from the receiver, and then threaded into a DIN valve that is at- tached to the air tank. The max pressure on the air cylinder is 3,200 psi, and the air tank is charged at 3,000 psi, so all you have to do is open the air valve slowly, allowing 30 seconds to a minute or so to allow them to equalize. Every time you fill the air cylinder,
it will hold slightly less because of the loss of pressure in the dive tank. You are taking compressed air out of the tank, so this only makes sense. Some ask how long does the tank last before you have to have it recharged, and of course that depends on how much you shoot and what is your lower limit of air pressure you want for your rifle. The lower the pressure, the fewer shots you get per charge. I can go about 6 months between tank fillings. My best advice on this is to find a
local dive shop or sporting goods shop that will sell you a tank and fill it for you as needed. I was able to purchase an aluminum dive tank for $125, and they filled it for free. Subsequent fillings cost me about $14.00 and take 15 min- utes at the shop. They also will get you on a schedule to periodically test and
Page 38 Spring 2013
service your dive tank, and maintain its certification.
OPTICS Air rifle optics are a little differ-
ent from a traditional firearm optic, and this is mostly due to the shorter ranges they operate in and the more pronounced trajectory changes in the distance in which they are shot. The typical rifle scope won’t
produce a clear image any closer than 40 yards, with most optics being clear only right up at 50 yards and beyond. Since the shooter needs an optic which is clear at 10 meters, they have a limited selection of scopes to choose from. One of the best scopes for air rifles
is the Leupold EFR series. This scope will focus clearly at 10 yards, and still offer a wide range of magnification at that distance. I selected the 6.5-20x40 EFR with the target dot. The 6x mag- nification puts you right on target at 10 yards, but not too much that you feel like you are looking through a soda straw. Out past 25 yards, I leave the scope on 10x power, but when I’m working on accuracy at the range, I turn it all the way up to 20x power. The scope was mounted in a pair of BKL aluminum rings. CLEANING..?
Do you clean air rifles? I heard
that question a few times at the range and I had wondered that myself when I first got my Anschutz 9003. From what I
ered air rifles, I did notice some lead dust fouling and a light black residue in the barrel, more so than in my 9003 rifle. I believe the high velocity of the .22 caliber rifles leads to a bit more fouling to contend with. I made a traditional pull-through cleaning type of setup with some 30-lb. fishing line. There are commercial pull-through cleaner lines that you can purchase. Something else to consider is that
you cannot use the same solvents on an air rifle as you do a firearm. I used Balistol on a few wet patches and then pulled a good number of dry patches through, making sure the bore is dry and that no lube finds its way to the rifle’s internals. TESTING AND EVALUATION
Testing the Steyr LG 110 was a
bit of a new adventure for me. In the past, I would test the Anschutz 9003 in my house simply by setting it up on a front and rear rest, and shoot along the hallway to test pellets and establish my zero. I wanted to continue testing in-
doors, and after some searching around I was able to secure a large, empty warehouse with a clear 30 yards from the muzzle to the target. With a high roof and large dimensions, I set up wind flags and watched if any hidden breezes were moving inside the building. These were ideal pellet testing conditions, and also a great way to see just what the rifle is capable of doing. Obviously a concrete shooting bench would not be available, so I set up my gear from the prone position, similar to how shooters compete in F-Class shooting. A large Sinclair International front
rest was used, an Edgewood rear bag was used, and a nifty forearm rail adap-
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