Earlier this year I stumbled upon some of Ted's videos. My first rifle was an air gun (Benjamin) in 1964 or 65. Since that time I had shot powder burners. Like many on this forum I thought "It would be fun to shoot without all the noise in my driveway" ...so this review is a brief synopsis of my experience with ordering two RAW rifles (Actually 3 as my twin brother had to have one as well). My first air gun was a .25 Cricket...a great bull-pup that was pretty darn accurate. I was pleased with it, but it was still not a bench gun, and that was my bent. So I saw the targets that Mike Manabe was posting and that spurred me to go to another level. I emailed Mike and he was a pleasure to correspond with. He was open, giving, and encouraging.
I called Martin Rutterford at RAW and ordered a .22 and a .30 cal. Martin (and Sandra his wife) are very fine folks. I gave Martin the specs on the rifles and he said he thought he could have them made in 12 -14 weeks. So I waited. Martin was a pleasure to work with. He answered questions clearly, and it was apparent he really knows his business. 13 weeks later the rifles arrive. Can these things shoot?? YES. Finding the right speed and the right pellet and the right hold on each rifle took time. I initially had questions on the .30 and Martin, without hesitation said "I want to stand behind the rifle, send it back and let me look it over again". 7 days later I had it back and it was perfect. (The issue was that I was "overcleaning" ....dry patches do wonders and you don't want to put a bunch of bore cleaner down the barrel). Can I recommend a RAW...without question.
On the .30 cal I wanted a more traditional stock but the option to shoot off the bench. The Euro rail on the underside of the fore arm is a great option that Martin offers. As you can see I have attached a 3x3 piece of very hard wood and it turns the stock into more of a bench rest configuration.
The 75 yd target is the .30 cal shot at 52 yards...3 shot groups
The .22 target is shot at 26 yards.
And what did my brother get ?? a .357 HM1000x and it is every bit as good.
MOD EDIT: FIXED PICTURES TO DISPLAY PROPERLY
I called Martin Rutterford at RAW and ordered a .22 and a .30 cal. Martin (and Sandra his wife) are very fine folks. I gave Martin the specs on the rifles and he said he thought he could have them made in 12 -14 weeks. So I waited. Martin was a pleasure to work with. He answered questions clearly, and it was apparent he really knows his business. 13 weeks later the rifles arrive. Can these things shoot?? YES. Finding the right speed and the right pellet and the right hold on each rifle took time. I initially had questions on the .30 and Martin, without hesitation said "I want to stand behind the rifle, send it back and let me look it over again". 7 days later I had it back and it was perfect. (The issue was that I was "overcleaning" ....dry patches do wonders and you don't want to put a bunch of bore cleaner down the barrel). Can I recommend a RAW...without question.
On the .30 cal I wanted a more traditional stock but the option to shoot off the bench. The Euro rail on the underside of the fore arm is a great option that Martin offers. As you can see I have attached a 3x3 piece of very hard wood and it turns the stock into more of a bench rest configuration.
The 75 yd target is the .30 cal shot at 52 yards...3 shot groups
The .22 target is shot at 26 yards.
And what did my brother get ?? a .357 HM1000x and it is every bit as good.
MOD EDIT: FIXED PICTURES TO DISPLAY PROPERLY
![](http://[url="http://s185.photobucket.com/user/ftnationals/media/Invicta%206-13-2015/Invicta%206-13-2015%20007_zpsmj1nykqp.jpg.html)
