With 2.5-8X pistol scope and no moderator.
Yes Folks, Mr. Air Pistol's (all-round) favorite air pistol of hundreds owned, tested, hunted, competed, and chronicled may well be the Russian-made Ataman AP16. But is it perfect in all regards? No. However in my book(s) it covers more bases extremely well than any other. However, One should always "consider the source" of glowing reviews. Even the most experienced air pistolero's opinions are only that- ONE individual's OPINION. And although I've been smitten with my AP from the get-go, the latest changes heightened my appreciation of it even further.
Per my usual pathology, one of my highest priorities after initial testing was to explore maximum power potentials. Air pistol EXTREME Field Target competition as an excuse, the AP16 maxed-out three foot-pounds shy of the 20 foot pound power limit. However it was comfortably above the fifteen foot pound minimum I recommend to drop LARGE, HEAVY extreme field targets reliably to 55 yards.
The APs (relatively) light weight is a handicap in EPFT, but it's stellar trigger action and excellent accuracy really "hit the spot" (if the shooter does his part).It's nothing less than a phenomenal hunting pistol. Air pistol hunting being a small-game and pest proposition, most air pistols limit maximum hunting ranges to 20-30 yards. While the AP doesn't, most shooters skills do. Humans simply aren't capable of better than 3/4" groups at 50 yards with a handgun, even from a good sand-bagged bench-rest. The AP16 is capable of such remarkably pistol accuracy.
The changes mentioned above that heightened my appreciation for this wonderment of air-gunnery relate to reducing the maximum power by just one foot pound. Apparently hundreds of rounds must have also contributed to the startling, 70% increase in shot-count; from 23 shots per 280 BAR fill at 17 foot pounds, to 40 shots per 250 BAR fill at 16 foot pounds.
That she's running so much more efficiently now might also explain why the muzzle bark is enough less painful to shoot without the muzzle gizmo, thereby improving the aesthetics considerably. Enough to warrant the 'nudie' photo above.
.22 Ataman AP 16 side-lever PCP repeater
Brand-new, 18.13gr JSB, 270 BAR fill, 30 shot power-band- Low=629, Hi= 633, ES= 4, SD= 1.7, Avg= 628 FPS/15.9 FP
18.1gr FX, +4 turns on power adjuster, 280 BAR, 23 shot power-band- Low= 644, Hi= 649, ES= 5, SD= 1.4, Avg= 646 FPS/16.8 FP
18.13gr JSB, -4.5 turns on power adjuster, 250 BAR, 40 shot power-band*- Low= 618, Hi= 632, ES= 14, SD= 3.5, Avg= 625 FPS/15.7 FP
*Falls off the reg at 115 BAR.
1/10/22- Six consecutive 5-shot groups at 50 yards with 18.13 gr. JSBs averaged .90” c-t-c.
Fifty yards at full pop with 4-12X rifle scope.
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