.22 Air Arms s410 Carbine Review pt2

I bought and reviewed the s410 very early on this year, which really could only be a cosmetic review. Now that I have owned and used it for nearly a year, I can give a more comprehensive practical review of this classic air rifle.

.22 Air Arms s410 carbine with Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40 scope.

This particular S410 is a pre-anti tamper model from 2002; the serial number to tell you this can be found on the hammer housing below the breech on the right hand side. 

Air Arms will be happy to let you know the age of your rifle.

The bolt handle on the right hand side curves upwards, almost as if someone had put a left handed bolt handle on by mistake, but this was how they were fitted from the factory for a short period. I perfer it this way as it feels a lot more solid and easier to use, it sticks out more but you can just tap it up with your palm and pull back. To cock and cycle the mag you need to use clear defined motions with a firm hand.

Bolt sticks out, but I actually prefer it that way.

There is no safety on the trigger blade which shows it's an earlier model, so I got into the habit of not cocking the rifle until I needed to take a shot. The trigger is two stage and adjustable in both, though it is set up perfectly as it is. There is is a shortish first stage travel and the second stage let off is crisp, predictable, and relatively light. I don't have any equipment to measure the trigger pull but I know a good trigger when I feel one!

Old style trigger with no safety, but still has all the adjustment you could ever want.

The Air Arms moderator is very good and on firing the rifle is whisper quiet, in fact the spring and hammer are heard over the report.  It slips over the end of the barrel and is secured with a grub screw, the fitting is 10 mm diameter.

Air Arms moderator

The barrel band at the front is secured by two grub screws and can shift if the moderator is knocked hard enough; this is sorted by loosening the grub screws, letting the barrel reset itself, then locking it in place by tightening the grub screws. You know this has happened if your POI has shifted over to the left or right for no apparent reason, though you can buy after market barrel bands that have three grub screws to hold it in place more securely.

One of the two barrel band securing grub screws,

Accuracy is very good, with the selection of .22 pellets I have tried in it so far giving half inch groups at 40 yards. Shots were taken sat down with my elbows supported on my thighs so could be improved upon if bench rested.

Pellets in order of accuracy.               Muzzle energy.

Air Arms diabolo's 16gr                            11 ft/lb

H&N Field Trophies 14.65gr                      11.3 ft/lb

Falcon Accuracy Plus 13.65gr                    10.2 ft/lb

RWS Superdomes 14.5gr                          10.5 ft/lb

Falcon Accuracy Plus being a lighter pellet will give less muzzle energy than a heavier pellet.

Until I recently got a new chronoscope I had been charging the rifle to 185 bar, shooting six or seven mags of 10 pellets, then topping up the cylinder when I got back home. The guage on the rifle will only give you a rough idea of how much air you have, after seven mags the rifle guage reads 100 bar but the more accurate pump guage reads 115 bar. One time air pressure in the rifle got so low that it dumped the rest of the air over the two hours before I got home to refill it, and this is why I now shoot no more than seventy shots.

 

On board pressure guage gives a rough guide.

I ran a shot string through the chronoscope recently with 5,51 AA diabolo's starting at 195 bar, pellets were straight from the tin and some of their skirts were not that round either. I measured one shot in every five, removing the mag and dry firing the other four. 18 shots were recorded giving the equivalent of a 90 shot string, I was mildly surprised and very happy with the results as there was only an extreme spread of 12 FPS.

The magazine is indexed by the rifle itself from a unit that runs along the right hand side of the action, and although the mag in it's plastic casing looks like a spring loaded magazine, it's not. 

Pellets are loaded nose first through the hole in the yellow plastic.

The casing keeps the pellets in the mag and helps it slide into the action and lock it in place, though sometimes the bolt slips forwards a little if not held back, and clashes with the mag when loading it. 

The tip of the bolt can get in the way of the magazine if you're not careful.

Pulling the bolt back to change mags also cocks the rifle, so fitting a full mag will leave the rifle cocked and ready to fire. I usually leave the last chamber empty then fit the mag returning the bolt; firing the empty chamber leaves it ready to cock and load the next pellet and acts as a safety. Filling the mag with most .22 pellets is simple as they fall in leaving it free to click on to the next chamber, however pellets that are 5.52 mm tend to need a nudge in from the head of the next pellet to be loaded.

 

The brass pin moves up to cycle the magazine when cocking the rifle.

The rifle is light and has a compact feel to it even with the moderator fitted, with a bipod fitted it would need a sling but I am in no immediate rush for one. I have found that it's size and weight make it easy to carry over the most treacherous of ground, and it comes to the shoulder and aquires target easily whether standing, supported, kneeling, or prone. What would be a vast improvement would be an adjustable butt pad; the rifle tends to sit high in my shoulder most of the time. Everything else fits really well; the length of pull, the fit of the pistol grip, and the chequering on the forestock and pistol grip works well and is not too obtrusive on the laquered beech stock.

Simple chequering gives good grip, even when wet.

The Bushnell Throphy 3-9x40 scope has got to be the best scope I own, most of my other scopes are Nikko Sterling and as good as they are, you can see how much better this one is. The quality of the lenses is absolutely amazing by comparison, though to look at externally the low turrets would be the only indication that this is a more expensive scope. 

A rather splendid Bushnell Trophy scope.

The sight picture is crystal clear and at 9 mag there is no distortion around the rim of the lens, it transmits plenty of light well into dusk and in dark woods which is where I do a lot of shooting. It has a very fine half mil dot recticule, this also makes for a good aquisition of target in low lighting. It's sighted for 8 and 30 yards, around 20 yards is a mil dot above, 38 yards is a mil dot below and 45 yards is two generally.

Just to show the half mil dot recticule, the sight picture is really crystal clear. Honestly.

Admittedly I don't tend to shoot things as far out as I do my other Air Arms PCP which is the Shamal, but that one is .177 and the S410 is .22; the larger calibre with it's more pronounced trajectory hits home with more authority. There is room for improvement but Air Arms have addressed this over the years by bringing out the S510 and then the Ultimate Sporter, and the quality is reflected in the prices for these air rifles

Air Arms Shamal, one solid, accurate air rifle.

One niggle I do have is that when the end cap is removed to fill the rifle with air, if you are not careful the adapter on the pump can scratch the underside of the moderator when taking it off after charging. I have have to be really careful when doing this, although I could just wrap a piece of cloth around the moderator to protect it which is the better option all round.

Scuff marks on the moderator are caused when removing the charging adaptor.

So there you have it, a review on the Air Arms s410 Carbine after using it for ten months. I could have shown you some groupings with different pellets at different ranges, but truth be told the rifle easily outperforms my ability as a marksman.

TTFN

Best wishes, Wing Commander Sir Nigel Tetlington-Smythe.

Webley and Scott Hawk Mk II accuracy at 30 Yards and other stuff

The Webley Hawk with the two Relum springs fitted can put out 10 ft/lb with manageable recoil, however it did cause the 3-9x40 AGS scope to shift as the Hawke medium mounts needed fitting more securely. So with the screws tightened all the way up and the stop pin pressing tight down on top of the compression tube I took it down the woods for a test, i had also built a new bit of stock for the pump arm on the SMK B45-3 as the old one was too short and moved. So the multi pump could have a field test as well, it would be nice to see how well the open sights worked now the rear sight had been moved forward a bit.

Webley and Scott Hawk Mk II and SMK B45-3 multi pump, both in .177.

I sighted the scope at a little over 10 yards, then moved back to a tree a little over 30 yards away and resighted. My shooting position was sitting with my back against the tree with the rifle supported on my fore arm which was wrapped around my knees, this is quite comfortable and the rifle is nearly as stable as it would be in a rifle rest. I have found that i had to concentrate on my breathing in this position, and my heartbeat can effect the shot a little as the rifle is rested against my shoulder no matter how lightly.

A4 target paper on a tree 30 yards away.

Changing the target paper i then shot groups of 8 or 10 shots, and though the sun did interfere with the scope a little the groups were generally about an inch and a bit with .177 RWS Superdomes.

Not the best 8 shot group of the day, but most the groups were similar to this.

The scope did shift a little but stopped and the only spread in the groups were from left to right, which i would put down to the sun shine in my scope and a slight side wind. All in all the Webley Hawk Mk II with the .177 barrel would appear to be a capable hunting rifle out to 30 yards at least, maybe a bit further once i got to grips with it's hold over and any side wind.

SMK with the original stock and pump handle.

Happy with the Hawk i started on the open sights on the SMK B45-3 .177 multi pump, the rear sight had been moved forward and the square notch and post were a tight fit and proved to give good accuracy. I love this air rifle because it is so accurate with a scope fitted, it can give ragged hole groups out to 40 yards at times and that was with the old stock.

SMK with new stock Mk I, the bend in the pump arm is exposed.

Making a new stock for it made it feel more comfortable to shoot as  the combe held my head at the perfect height for the scope, But the stock on the pump arm was a bit short. So i built a new longer piece with the last of the wood i used to build it, which made the pump arm a lot more stable and secure.

SMK with new stock Mk II, does it really look like i want an Air Arms s410?

Happy with both air rifles i spent the rest of the afternoon shooting both of them at a hole in a steel drum some 40 yards away, i moved a bit closer for the multi pump as i couldn't see the hole without a scope from 40 or 30 yards.

Well it looks like i did want an s410 after all.

I must have put half a tin of Superdomes through the Hawk and nearly all went through the 1 1/2 inch wide hole, those that hit the drum still had plenty of energy and splatted flat against the metal.

A couple of mullered .177 Superdomes from 40/45 yards down range, these were hard to find as most were on target and passed through the hole.

It would be nice to get the other .22 barrel for the Hawk now the power plant is working well, also i reckon fixing the stock so its more like the Mk I and earlier Mk II and a reblue would not be wasted on this lovely 70's British springer. 

TTFN

Wing Commander Sir Nigel Tetlington-Smythe

Sharp Innova Dissassembly and Reassembly, Saved From The Dustbin

For a more detailed look at the Sharp Innova check out my more recent blogs '.22 Sharp Innova a restoration project' HERE  HERE,  HERE , HERE, or HERE

In my last order from J Knibbs  i decided to see if i could resurrect the Innova and got the complete seal and washer set, and a replacement pump head seal. With the back corner of the breech block chipped off exposing the bolt catch and unable to keep the spring in place, I wondered if it was beyond repair at all. But when I pushed the catch up and it held the bolt I thought why not, besides, I could always attach a small plate to hold the catch spring in place or something. But first sort out the valve as it would only hold under one pump of pressure which would slowly leak out, it sounded like the inlet valve was broken but it had to be taken apart to see. I had heard good reports about how good these Japanese Multi-pumps were, dispite all the plastic used to make them.

Step one was to open the pump arm all the way open so no air was compressed in the compression tube, this makes it a lot easier to remove the pump rod unit. You can remove the pump cylinder and exhaust valve without taking the front end apart, but i decided to dissassemble it so i could clean and polish as much as i could.

front hollow pin, though the photo was taken when i reassembled

I tapped out the front hollow pin which holds the front unit to the compression tube, i then removed the hinge pin next to it. This is held in place with a circlip and holds the pump arm and the front unit inside the compression tube, it is made of solid plastic and could now be slipped off the tube, inner barrel, and plastic outer barrel.

Pin holding the underlever to the piston rod unit coming out through the hole for the pump arm pin

With the pump arm removed i could pull the piston rod unit back and disconnect the underlever, tapping the connecting pin through the pump arm hole. The pin does not line up perfectly with the cylinder holes, with one side lined up 3/4 of the pin was visible on the opposite side and needed a smaller pin to tap it out. The piston rod unit could now come out easily, not only did i need to replace the pump head seal but the rod was in need of straightening out a little. There was adjustment at both ends of the rod, so after clamping the rod in a vice for half a day to remove some of the warp i made some adjustments to lengthen the pump rod unit.

 The brass hinge end was given two complete turns after releasing the locking nut and then locked back again, and the seal end was given three complete turns again with the locking nut to secure it.So now to get to the exhaust valve in the compression chamber inside the breech, I thought removing the stock would be a good idea for a start.

Brass collar in front of the trigger with the grub screw square nut set in the breech housing in front of that

By removing the front crosshead screw on the trigger guard the stock was removed revealing a brass collar, which i unscrewed to reveal a screw thread sticking out of the breech unit, this has a slot for a flat head screw driver and secures the valve in the correct place in the compression tube. In front was a grub screw which goes through a square bolt in the receiver body to press against a metal spacer which forces the compression tube upwards in it's hole in the receiver, which has a tad larger diameter. This seals the tube and valve to the barrel, but unfortunately no spacer  slipped out when the screws were removed as it was missing. Anyway the compression tube came out easily with the breech seal O ring in place, the O ring was put aside and the new one from the seal kit was sized and made ready for when it was reassembled.

Transfer port O ring seal sitting between the compression cylinder and breech unit, no spacer though.

Getting the exhaust valve assembly out was pretty simple with no pump arm still attached to accidently close and send parts flying out while dismantling, i made this mistake a while back much to my regret. The exhaust valve back guide was just under finger tight and unscrewed easily but only the exhaust valve spring and the spacer sleeve came out, there was no bumper or bumper plate but luckily these items came with the seal kit. Pushing a piece of dowel down the front of the compression tube the valve unit slipped out the back, if the pump arm was still connected you could slowly close this to push the valve out.

Valve air chamber and guide with firing pin, spacer, exhaust valve spring, and exhaust valve back guide

The valve unit consists of the brass front end air chamber screwed to the brass valve guide block with an O ring to seal them, when unscrewing them its best to be careful of the valve spring that holds the inlet valve ball from flying out. Stone me! They were hard to get apart, in the end i had to use two sets of mole grips and twist them because they were joined so tight. The mole grips left marks on both parts, but i sanded them down with some wet and dry till the were smooth. Now i could unscrew with my fingers and carefully caught the spring and ball in my palm and put them aside, i teased the old O ring out with small flat head screwdriver after sliding the firing pin out. I removed the small brass collar and the firing pin O ring seal from inside the guide, cleaned the brass parts with white spirit, put in the new O ring seal with a spot of Molicote and brass collar, then put on the new valve O ring, and put that aside ready to screw back onto the air chamber.

The air chamber itself Has a delrin seat for the inlet valve that is held in place with a screw in collar  and is a guide for the valve spring, it has two slots opposite each other at the top so a flat blade  would unscrew it. Shining a torch down the chamber i could see small nicks on the delrin seat explaining why it would not hold air, there was no replacement delrin seat but i then i noticed an unaccounted fat do-nut O ring in the seal kit that would fit perfectly in the hole for the collar to sit on. So i unscrewed the collar and teased the seat out with a pin from the outside of the air inlet hole, removed the outer seal, and cleaned all the brass up with white spirit. Putting it back together was a case of popping in the new do-nut ring, screwing in the collar to seat it comfortably, cleaning the ball and dropping it in place with the spring on top, then screwing the guide back into the air chamber so they joined but were not over tight. Problem sorted hopefully.

I then cleaned the compression cylinder with OOO wire wool and white spirit on the end of a piece of dowel, then polished the chamber with autosol as i don't have any GN paste. I slid the bumper on the longest side of the firing pin and pushed it against the collar in the middle, the other shorter side was smeared with molicote and inserted into valve guide. Making sure the transfer port and screw hole were lined up correctly i put a smear of molicote on the O ring and inserted the valve into the compression chamber until the holes were aligned, in went the exhaust valve spring followed by the spacer with the new bumper plate snuggley fitting inside the rear,and finally the exhaust valve back guide was screwed back in less than finger tight into the rear of the compression cylinder so it was flush with the firing pin.

I smeared a touch of molicote to one side of the transfer port seal and put it in place, then with the trigger pulled back i inserted the cylinder into the hole in the breech leaving space between that and the barrel to keep the seal seated. The hole for the theaded screw was lined up when the exhaust valve back plate rested against the sear and then it was a matter of screwing in the thread and the brass collar over that, then placing the square bolt in it's space in the breech i screwed the grub screw pushing the compression cylinder nice and tight against the under side of the barrel and sealing the transfer port. Now with the cylinder in place i reattached the stock with the crosshead screw in through the front of the trigger guard and into the brass collar on the breech, i was left with four small O rings which were two bolt seals each in .177 and .22.

 Taking the pump rod unit i removed the pump head seal by working it side to side and pulling, it was a black delrin type material with a flat face slightly raised around the outside with a pin size hole in the center and pretty worn all round. The replacment was of the same material but was orange, it had a flat face with a parachute design around the outside which i imagine would leave a little more compressed air before the inlet valve. It was hard to press it into the pump rod unit by hand, so i placed it face down on a clean flat surface  and tapped the pump rod unit with a rubber mallet till it fitted in place. I smeared three or four drops of Abbey SM50 arond the pump head seal and pushed the unit up the compression cylinder, and put every thing back together by reversing all i did to when i took it apart making sure to oil the hinges and grease the pins as i did it

Sharp Innova restored to working order

I gave the innova four even pumps which became increasingly harder, but were still little effort by the forth pump locking and unlocking smoothly at the end of each stroke. I loaded a .22 RWS Superdome into the breech, which for its size and with a 4x32 scope mounted on medium Hawke mounts is surprisingly easy to do and squeezed the trigger. Luckily the pressure of the bolt sping pressing the bolt  against the bolt catch kept the catch in place, but this is not at all reliable and needs sorting. The rifle fired with a low to medium crack and the pellet hit the target board from 27 meters with a hard and loud whack, much louder than one from my .22 HW35 or .22 BSA Mercury sounds at the same distance.

 I can confidently say that this rifle certainly has the minerals, it just needs the missing parts replacing, and some thing done about the chipped off piece at the back of the reciever. I'm sure i can make these parts myself or at least the bits i've mentioned so far, because it also appears all the parts for the trigger adjustment are missing and i have no idea what they look like. Anyway these are things to do next and will without doubt become future blogs, and i'll be sure to take more photo's in future so it'll be easier to understand.

TTFN

Wing Commander Sir Nigel Tetlington-Smythe