Taipan Vets offhand?

I on the other hand am not fond of my Taipan offhand. Of all the bullpups I’ve owned and still own, it’s my least favorite offhand. But……it’s still my favorite bullpup.

Vetmx said:

I on the other hand am not fond of my Taipan offhand. Of all the bullpups I’ve owned and still own, it’s my least favorite offhand. But……it’s still my favorite bullpup.

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Why is that do you think? Is it the ergonomics or the rear cocking a combination or something else?

I like the ergos on my standard but it's harder to steady being a compact package. I do better offhand with a long gun vs. a bull pup but I love handling the pup offhand.

Yep, me too. I have a fairly new Taipan Compact (.22).
All I do is shoot freehand / offhand. All...of my guns. I have no crutches in the house !
Unless you are leveling and sighting in a gun, a solid bench rest is good, but then after that, to me...all guns should be shot freehand / offhand.

Unless of course, if you are shooting over 100 yards, then knees, the ground, bipods, bags, etc., are good.

Mike

My best rifle for off hand shooting is the Uragan. Just perfect balance and lenght and accuracy.

And I shoot it better with a red dot sight and a bubble level to know the rifle is not canting. And with the red dot is really lightweight.

As much as I love my Taipan, I don't think it's an offhand gun, at least I don't do well with it.

It could be the weight really, I offhand my avenger much better with its light synthetic body. Or, it could be the style. I find myself much more confident with a traditionally styled rifle than a bullpup when there's no shooting bags or bipods involved.

You're asking a question that is totally subjective. Whether a rifle is "good" offhand depends on your ability to shoot it well. Some folks find the Veteran well suited to offhand shooting, others do not. IMO, being guided by forum responses to this kind of question is not fair to your decision process. The Veteran has been proven to be a very solid rifle, and most of them are extremely accurate. Weight, length, balance, stock configuration are all factors that will influence your decision.

Greenarrow said:

Why is that do you think? Is it the ergonomics or the rear cocking a combination or something else?

I do better offhand with a long gun vs. a bull pup but I love handling the pup offhand.

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This for me too. Bullpups handle wonderfully offhand but I can't steady them like a long gun... and it absolutely shows on my targets.
I will say though, Taipan makes seriously high quality airguns!

For offhand I really like the Uragan compact. I feel that the full size will be pretty steady too

I never had an issue with the rear cocking. If you could go back 5 years ago and look a “best airgun“ topics, you would see me chime in with one of the only Taipan suggestions. Guys would say the rear cocking is a deal breaker. I would say if you’re letting that sway you from owning this gun then that’s your mistake. Yes, having a lever right in front of your hand is better but with my Taipan, I just reach across under my chin with my support hand and cock it easily. I was going to build another stock for my Taipan. Knock some of the meat off the front to mimic my more comfortable bullpups. Once I had the donor stock in hand I noticed I couldn’t take off enough material without getting into the factory inletting. So the gun was left as is until Dairyboy had a topic about going with a smaller scope on his gun. That got my wheels turning. The 18x came off and a lighter 16x replaced it. Big big difference on how the gun handles for me offhand. That one thing closed the gap enough that I don’t dread shooting my Taipan offhand anymore. I will say if I was going to be a one bullpup guy and my hobby was pesting, I would immediately order a Uragan and test it. It’s hybrid design looks like it might lend itself to being a decent offhand gun. For the record though, the best offhand short gun I’ve ever shot is my buddies Brocock.

^^^^^^^^ I originally bought a Nightforce NX8 for my Taipan standard, then went with a 3-18 Athlon Ares. Those scopes needed to be mounted pretty high also. The balance was terrible. I now have a 2.5-15 scope mounted with lower rings and I can shoot it offhand well. I also put a 2 point sling on it. I shoot it offhand more than any other position.

Love my taipans, can't say enough good things about them, but my Daystate Regal XL. is a great off hand shooter. Really easy to point and shoot for a somewhat long gun.

Vetmx said:

The 18x came off and a lighter 16x replaced it. Big big difference on how the gun handles for me offhand. That one thing closed the gap enough that I don’t dread shooting my Taipan offhand anymore.

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Would you share what scopes those were? — I'd like to compare that to my own bullpup setups (and scope shopping lists... — C'mon, give me an excuse to buy another one...! ).

Vetmx said:

I was going to build another stock for my Taipan. Knock some of the meat off the front to mimic my more comfortable bullpups. Once I had the donor stock in hand I noticed I couldn’t take off enough material without getting into the factory inletting.

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That's really helpful info for someone like me that just don't like the Taipan stock and would really want to mod it....!

Matthias

elh0102 said:

You're asking a question that is totally subjective. Whether a rifle is "good" offhand depends on your ability to shoot it well. Some folks find the Veteran well suited to offhand shooting, others do not. IMO, being guided by forum responses to this kind of question is not fair to your decision process. The Veteran has been proven to be a very solid rifle, and most of them are extremely accurate. Weight, length, balance, stock configuration are all factors that will influence your decision.

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This is the problem , most can not go and try it out at a store , mail order and return paying postage ? most stores will not let you return after you have tried it out IE: shot it . So we have to ask and hope we make the right decision based on what people say .

I’ve been hunting with most of my airguns since September. What I did this year was play scope swap. Like I said, I was hunting. Not shooting out the window or off the deck of my house. Walking around sneaking, taking up various positions in different environments hunting. The best scopes hands down are the Hawke Airmax 30’s in 3-12 and 4-16. Scopes are small, light, bright and clear with easy to see reticles. Reticle aiming points are very easy to see under all condition. Turret clicks are a little mushy compared to some of my other scopes but they track well when I have to use them. My Taipan was a joy in the woods yesterday with the 3-12 on it. The gun is still a boxy little club but we adapt. When I realized that I didn’t have to count craters on the moon and started mounting appropriate scopes on my guns for the task at hand, all my guns became more likable. Good luck Matthias.

I don't have a short, but I do have a long and two standards and the standard balances better.

Thanks, Frank!

I see the weights of those scopes are really low....
• 20.2oz: Airmax 30 Touch 3-12x32 SFP
• 20.8oz: Airmax 30 SF Compact 3-12x40 SFP
• 21.9oz: Airmax 30 SF Compact 4-16x44 SFP
• 26.6oz: Airmax 30 FFP SF 4-16x50 FFP

I have been on the search for a used Athlon Helos 4-20x50 MIL and I see that it is definitely heavier (27.5oz) — but so is the 50mm Airmax — just more glass in a bigger objective. And I do want the FFP.

I would be replacing a 31.1oz scope, so I guess that's an improvement! Thanks for your input.

Matthias

beerthief said:

This is the problem , most can not go and try it out at a store , mail order and return paying postage ? most stores will not let you return after you have tried it out IE: shot it . So we have to ask and hope we make the right decision based on what people say .

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Nothing wrong with asking, but one should be very cautious when interpreting the responses. As the OP said, balance for offhand shooting is his priority, and that is a subjective area of discussion. If I were attempting to offer him advice, I would want to know what he is shooting now, its length and weight, and if he is satisfied with it. Rather than asking, "are Taipans good offhand", maybe the better question is, does the Taipan offer what I want, which is what?

SOULMUD13 said:

Went shooting my new Taipan Standard .25 today for the first time. Installed the DonnyFL hammer spring adjuster and we were off. Shooting JSB Hades. I was able to shoot this bullpup very well offhand. Had a target at 50 yrds and was getting g 1.5"- 1.75" inch groups off hand. Resting on bags easily .75"- 1". I absolutely love this rifle and the quality right out of the box! I ordered the Shorty to throw a thermal scope on for some closer distance night pesting..I'll see how that one shoots off hand and report back. If you are on the fence about getting a Taipan, just get it. They're top-notch and built like tanks.

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Yes, exactly. Your now a believer too. Now how long to buy another like me. Happy shooting. Mick