I finally was able to source a nice used Akela from a forum member here on AGN.
The bull pup design is relatively new to me,. and I was itching for a more compact version of the Kratos which I have really enjoyed, so the Akela was a no brainer. Being an old fart, I have always preferred the classic sporter style rifles, but I am really enjoying this air rifle and shooting it I have now have finally grown an appreciation for the bullpup design.
Setting it up with a scope has had it's challenges,. particularly for someone un-schooled on the differences from the sporter rifle stocks.. I learned a few things. Not the least of which, is the fact that the scope I had SO much trouble setting up on my R9, was in fact perfect, perhaps even MADE for a bullpup like the Akela.
Quick rewind, based on some forgotten research, when I ordered my R9 I picked up a Hawke AirMax 30 SF Compact scope (4-16x44) This proved to be a real problem to mount on the R9 with the proper eye relief as the specs I had read stated 3" eye relief. (really, on Hawke's own website even; https://us.hawkeoptics.com/airmax-30-sf-compact-4-16x44-amx-ir.html )
This is simply not true. This scope (at least mine) has closer to 1" At 3" it's unusable. I assume this is due to the "compact" nature fo this design. Strange that Hawke doesn't have this spec accurately reported. On the R9 mounting it back far enough to meet my eye 1: away required some very fiddly mounting stuff in between. This major discrepancy has had me doubting all Hawke scopes.
Back to the Akela, I had a Cabellas Covenant 4 set aside for the Akela, but low and behold, here I am with the short spacing between the "cheek piece" (really it doesn't have one) and the rail, I am having to do the exact opposite I did with the R9 and Hawke, ie: pushing it so far forward it's ludicrous! Plus the scope just seemed HUGE on the little Akela.
Well I gave up and grabbed the Hawke off the R9, and this has proven to be an EXCELLENT combo. The 1" eye relief works perfectly, and I get a pretty serious magnification on the Akela while keeping a compact sized scope. It's working very well.
You can see just how close the scopes occular is mounted to where one's eye would be, and yet even with this short eye relief the mounts are quite forward on the rail, and the scope itself within the mounts is as far forward as it will go. (With the Covenant 4, the scope was so far forward it was just silly and ungainly.)
Sighting in took a few shots before I was just making big one hole bigger. As always, it seems these Benjy rifles really like the Crosman Premier domes
In the upper left minitarget you can see the eventual drop in point of aim. This was the 3rd and 4th magazine. After 4 magazines she still has 2,000 psi almost exactly on the manometer. So 1,000psi got me 48 shots! Not bad
Great rifle, just make sure you find the right kind of scope for a good "fit" for you and the rifle.
The bull pup design is relatively new to me,. and I was itching for a more compact version of the Kratos which I have really enjoyed, so the Akela was a no brainer. Being an old fart, I have always preferred the classic sporter style rifles, but I am really enjoying this air rifle and shooting it I have now have finally grown an appreciation for the bullpup design.
Setting it up with a scope has had it's challenges,. particularly for someone un-schooled on the differences from the sporter rifle stocks.. I learned a few things. Not the least of which, is the fact that the scope I had SO much trouble setting up on my R9, was in fact perfect, perhaps even MADE for a bullpup like the Akela.
Quick rewind, based on some forgotten research, when I ordered my R9 I picked up a Hawke AirMax 30 SF Compact scope (4-16x44) This proved to be a real problem to mount on the R9 with the proper eye relief as the specs I had read stated 3" eye relief. (really, on Hawke's own website even; https://us.hawkeoptics.com/airmax-30-sf-compact-4-16x44-amx-ir.html )
This is simply not true. This scope (at least mine) has closer to 1" At 3" it's unusable. I assume this is due to the "compact" nature fo this design. Strange that Hawke doesn't have this spec accurately reported. On the R9 mounting it back far enough to meet my eye 1: away required some very fiddly mounting stuff in between. This major discrepancy has had me doubting all Hawke scopes.
Back to the Akela, I had a Cabellas Covenant 4 set aside for the Akela, but low and behold, here I am with the short spacing between the "cheek piece" (really it doesn't have one) and the rail, I am having to do the exact opposite I did with the R9 and Hawke, ie: pushing it so far forward it's ludicrous! Plus the scope just seemed HUGE on the little Akela.
Well I gave up and grabbed the Hawke off the R9, and this has proven to be an EXCELLENT combo. The 1" eye relief works perfectly, and I get a pretty serious magnification on the Akela while keeping a compact sized scope. It's working very well.
You can see just how close the scopes occular is mounted to where one's eye would be, and yet even with this short eye relief the mounts are quite forward on the rail, and the scope itself within the mounts is as far forward as it will go. (With the Covenant 4, the scope was so far forward it was just silly and ungainly.)
Sighting in took a few shots before I was just making big one hole bigger. As always, it seems these Benjy rifles really like the Crosman Premier domes
In the upper left minitarget you can see the eventual drop in point of aim. This was the 3rd and 4th magazine. After 4 magazines she still has 2,000 psi almost exactly on the manometer. So 1,000psi got me 48 shots! Not bad Great rifle, just make sure you find the right kind of scope for a good "fit" for you and the rifle.
