N/A Cometa Fenix 400 .22

[Dairyboy]

Just got this in from Keystone Airguns and gotta say I'm impressed. The gun seems well made but not fancy which I really like. Compared to my HW30S I'm afraid to use it and get it banged up.

This gun quality wise seems great for the money. Also for being a higher power .22 I got to say the shot cycle feels great. Shooting this compared to my HW30S I now understand what people mean by buzzy and twangy. And I'm not talking about the Cometa lol. Not sure how heavy the trigger is but I have no issues with it at all. Nice and light and good 2 stage. Put some pellets tonight just to get it roughly sighted in with the open sights and found the gun balanced very well. Not really hard to shoot off hand. This was shooting at 10yds with CPHPs just off hand working the windage over to center. For not shooting offhand much in a long time I find it easy to shoot well and put quite a few very close to eachother.

Then this was 4 shots at 20yds off hand. Again pretty good for my skills. I pulled that one down low but still not bad at all.

So far initial impressions are great. I'm looking forward to really breaking it in and getting to know it better. But for a $269 gun, I don't think it can be beat. Ive been kicking the idea of a decent .177 to play with maybe a PCP as i dont have one, but if this gun keeps it up i might go for a USC version of this instead.

 

[Bandito]

I recommended a Cometa on another forum because all the guy could say meant he was a cheapskate. I wanted him to get into enjoying airguns. You have confirmed what I thought. They were out of my model of choice or I would have one right now. Be Well, B.

 

[Simplemann]

Hey 20 yards off hand with iron sights thats pretty good shooting in my book Next time do a three shot group

 

[razor62]

I covered this gun on my channel. It's a lot of gun for the money.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

What a sweet rifle!

I'm going to get a .177 with a gas ram as soon as they are available. I hear nothing but good things about them. I'm leaning toward the carbine version with the synthetic stock.

Are you going to mount a scope? How do you like the iron sights?

Let us know how you like it as time goes by. I'm anxious to get one!

 

[Dairyboy]

So far really liking it. Shot it more this morning and with some 15.9gr JSBs and seems to like them as well. Gun is very easy to shoot offhand. Balance is really nice. I shot it with my HW30S and man that guns is so nice to shoot lol. Difference between a 6-7fpe gun to a 16-17fpe gun. But I could shoot the Cometa better off hand than the HW30S cause I think it's a hair too light. Then again I'm much better at shooting pests than I am at a small dot on a box and have never had a problem with the HW30S taking down pests.

As far as scope I'm not going to. I like the simplicity of springers for a reason and a scope complicates it more. Just simple irons like when I was younger. If I want to use a scope I got PCPs for that. I really like them though. Very good fiber optic ones makes it much easier to see compared to my HW30S.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I hear you on the scope. I like irons too. Especially for hunting small critters scurrying around. Scopes are fragile and finicky and get stuff on the lenses. Always an issue in the truck or crashing around in the brush.

I've been playing with a .177 springer (Hatsan) the past few evenings and I like it. But I like the .22 version better. They definitely hit harder despite the speed difference.

I ordered a .22 gas ram with a synthetic stock. It should be a squirrel killing machine at altitude. We will see....

 

[SaabDan]

I bought a 400 in .25 and also ordered a .22 barrel from the Fusion. The rear sight on the .25 seemed like it was bend on an angle a bit and I couldn't get over that. They are plastic on this model. Also the front fiber optic was a tad big. But, I put that .22 barrel on and this thing will one hole all day at my laughable basement range. I basically make a dot the size of the pellet and try to hit it dead on. It almost always does! My .22 Fusion barrel does not have the baffles in it, so the actual barrel is about 5-6" shorter than the overall shroud length.

 

[Sawney Bean]

I'd really like to see a side by side comparison between one of the upper end Cometas and an HW95, as I don't think I've heard a single negative thing about them and it seems like they're being marketed as a more affordable alternative to HW. Do they really stack up quality wise and if they do, well that's fantastic news since so many quality springer manufacturers no longer exist.

 

[Bandito]

Still holding out for my choice of Cometa. Just like stalking the wiwy wabbit! Be Well, Bandito.

 

[SaabDan]

I'd really like to see a side by side comparison between one of the upper end Cometas and an HW95, as I don't think I've heard a single negative thing about them and it seems like they're being marketed as a more affordable alternative to HW. Do they really stack up quality wise and if they do, well that's fantastic news since so many quality springer manufacturers no longer exist.

I am pretty new to airguns and the nicest (most expensive) rifle I have to compare is a Diana 48. The Cometa is not quite as nice..you can tell the materials in the Diana are nicer. That being said, it is still a really nice gun and shooting it is fantastic. I have the beech stock and it's ok quality wise. My only criticism might be that the finish is meh. But the stock fits me nicely. Can't comment on the walnut and laminate versions. I also have a Norica Storm that is just slightly nicer than the Cometa, but it was also more expensive. The 400's shot cycle is better than the Norica out of the box. For the price, you really can't go wrong with these.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I'd really like to see a side by side comparison between one of the upper end Cometas and an HW95, as I don't think I've heard a single negative thing about them and it seems like they're being marketed as a more affordable alternative to HW. Do they really stack up quality wise and if they do, well that's fantastic news since so many quality springer manufacturers no longer exist.

I have one coming next Tuesday. It's a synthetic stock model. .22 gas ram full length barrel.

I'm going to compare it with both ends of the spectrum. A Hatsan 95 and the HW95. Both spring powered. I have my old standby the Diana 34 to compare as well. All in .22 caliber.

I'll shoot about 500 pellets through the cometa and then chronograph them all at 4000 fas for a baseline.

I'm going to take them up the mountain and shoot them every 1000 ft. From 4000 fas to 9000 fas. I want to see how velocity and accuracy affects the spring vs the gas ram as well as compare the rifles build. By the time I shoot them at 9000 fas I'm certain I will have learned a lot about all of them.

I'm hoping to go on my high altitude rifle test/ trout fishing extravaganza in about a week. I'll post a full report one of these days soon.

 

[Sawney Bean]

I have one coming next Tuesday. It's a synthetic stock model. .22 gas ram full length barrel.

I'm going to compare it with both ends of the spectrum. A Hatsan 95 and the HW95. Both spring powered. I have my old standby the Diana 34 to compare as well. All in .22 caliber.

I'll shoot about 500 pellets through the cometa and then chronograph them all at 4000 fas for a baseline.

I'm going to take them up the mountain and shoot them every 1000 ft. From 4000 fas to 9000 fas. I want to see how velocity and accuracy affects the spring vs the gas ram as well as compare the rifles build. By the time I shoot them at 9000 fas I'm certain I will have learned a lot about all of them.

I'm hoping to go on my high altitude rifle test/ trout fishing extravaganza in about a week. I'll post a full report one of these days soon.

Looking forward to hearing about it. I went camping last weekend at about 1500-2000 feet and I noticed that my springers both seemed to be shooting low. I do most of my shooting just above sea level and don’t give much thought to elevation. I just assumed the sights had gotten bumped and dialed up the elevation a bit. When I returned I set up at 50 yards to rezero it and discovered it was still right on target and only then did it dawn on me that the elevation had made a difference.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Looking forward to hearing about it. I went camping last weekend at about 1500-2000 feet and I noticed that my springers both seemed to be shooting low. I do most of my shooting just above sea level and don’t give much thought to elevation. I just assumed the sights had gotten bumped and dialed up the elevation a bit. When I returned I set up at 50 yards to rezero it and discovered it was still right on target and only then did it dawn on me that the elevation had made a difference.

The lowest spot in the Rio Grande valley (in New Mexico) is 3500 feet at the Mexican border. My house is at 4000 feet about 25 miles north. It's all uphill from here in every direction except south.

It's about 65 miles to Emory Pass in the Black Range. The pass is about 9000 fas. So a few stops on the way up will collect some good data. A stop on the other side will collect fish.

Temperature makes a big difference too. Hot air is thinner and gets less power. Ditto with humidity. You can't compress water molecules. If I leave the desert highlands by mid morning the Temps will remain fairly stable on my way up the mountain. And the humidity will probably be single digit the entire trip. So hopefully the data won't include too many variables.

I expect the gas ram to shine at altitude. Even gain a few fps. I expect the spring guns will suffer. I'm told by experienced rifleman that spring guns crash the piston in thin air with light pellets. I'm taking an assortment of pellets in case the shot cycle gets funky so I can test that too.

I'm anxious to find out. And I'm also looking forward to floating around on a mountain lake with my dogs hooking a few trout and maybe a mess of crappie too. If the cometa shoots well it might take a week for me to stop masacreing squirrels. As long as I have pellets and prop flies I'm staying on the mountain.

 

[sekiar]

I'd really like to see a side by side comparison between one of the upper end Cometas and an HW95, as I don't think I've heard a single negative thing about them and it seems like they're being marketed as a more affordable alternative to HW. Do they really stack up quality wise and if they do, well that's fantastic news since so many quality springer manufacturers no longer exist.

I have about 15 of each , HW and Cometa Ann love both for what they are! Charles

 

[uglymike]

Who does authorized warranty repairs for Cometa in this country?

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I got mine at Keystone Airguns.

I spoke to John on the phone and asked about warranty. Lifetime warranty. If I understood correctly Cometa will replace parts for free if you do the work yourself or the rifle if you ship it back to Spain. And Keystone will do the work if you pay shipping to them.

I hope I got that right. I'm just an internet wierdo. Verify that for yourself.

I'm told the rifles are very simple and straightforward engineering. My plan is to do any repairs myself. I know the springs and seals are readily available and the gas cylinders are cheap. So I'll shoot it until I can't anymore.

...we'll see.

 

[Bandito]

Uglymike I want to know as well. Still would like a 400 gas ram in .25 and .20. Be Well Brothers, Bandito.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

So a quick update on the Cometa.

I put another 500 shots through it today. The total so far is 8,500. It's dropped from 745 fps to just under 700. No problems whatsoever. It's shooting dimes at 25 yards with iron sights. Its shooting consistent 1/2" ctc at 25 with a scope and rest. Its not quite as accurate as my HW95 but almost, and it's much more powerful.

The bluing is wearing off the left side of the receiver. Other than that there is very little wear. The lockup is great and the trigger has been very consistent. I've shot the hell out of it almost daily for a couple months. It's a joy to shoot. A truly fine pellet rifle.

.......

A buddy and I play "5 shot poker". We deal a hand and put the cards at 50 yards. One shot at each card standing offhand. Every card without a hole you put a dollar in the pot. Then we play the hand.

I don't always win the poker hand but I rarely have to put a dollar in the kitty. My buddy won 4 hands in a row today and took a dollar from me. I only won 2 hands and it cost him $9.

If I can keep him playing poker long enough I'm going to break even on the Cometa.

 

[Duckfish]

Still holding out for my choice of Cometa. Just like stalking the wily wabbit! Be Well, Bandito.

Shhhh! Wabbit twacks!!