I received my .25 cal Torpedo 100x 2 days ago. I cleaned the rifle up, cleaned the barrel, installed a 3x12x50 BSA AO scope on it using BKL 6 screw 1 piece mount and today I finally got a chance to take it out the backyard range to test how the rifle functions and to test the three kinds of .25 cal pellets I have on hand, those pellets being the JSB Predators, JSB Kings and Benjamin Domes. I started at 10 yards with the JSB Kings just to get the rifle shooting on paper, then I moved back to my shooting bench which right now is sitting at 28 yards. After a few shots I quickly realized that I was going to have to do something with the scope because I had max'd out on the elevation and the pellets were still hitting about 6 inches low. I removed the scope from the mount, cut 4 pieces of 35mm film negative, placed them underneath the rear of the scope then reinstalled the scope back onto the mount. The first shot at the target revealed I had solved my problem and now had plenty of elevation to work with so I got to work testing the rifle and the pellets. As for the pellet testing...... it was 19 degrees outside and very windy so I was freezing while I was sitting at my shooting bench and my fingers were so cold it hurt, so my shooting was not at it's best but I did the best I could do. The rifle quickly showed that it really likes the Predators and the JSB Kings but hates the Benjamin Domes. The predators and the Kings shot nice tight groups (for the weather), the only problem I had was that the first shot of each string would be a "flyer" since I was not used to the trigger yet, but the next 5 shots would be better. The trigger is really very nice and functions very smoothly so have no complaints with it, but I will adjust it to suit my liking before I do more shooting. Here's a pic of the test target. The red sticky dots are the same size as a dime:I was really happy with the results from the Predator and the Kings as I have a good supply in stock and I like using them for my hunting, so it's nice to know I already have 2 good hunting pellets on hand to use. I plan on ordering some different .25 cal pellets for future testing but for right now I'm happy with these 2 pellets. I'm really looking forward to getting back to the shooting bench with the rifle on a nice warm, sunny day so I can be comfortable and settle down and try and tighten up the groups further. As for how the rifle functioned, I honestly don't have any complaints at all. It takes some effort for me to cock it, but it's not uncomfortable and the cocking stroke is nice and smooth. I had read some reviews describing the cocking as being a little "crunchy" at first and then smoothing out with us, but this rifle cocks beautifully smooth. The cocking handle locks securely into the bottom of the top barrel, securing with a solid "click" and the slide lever used to release the cocking handle functions smoothly and easily. The loading procedure is straight forward and works well. The barrel floats in the outer barrel and you lift the brass colored bolt handle, lift it up and to the left then push it forward thus exposing the end the barrel so you can insert the pellet. After inserting the pellet you slide the lever back and down where it will click into position. You are now ready to fire the rifle. The firing cycle of the rifle is really very nice, much nicer than I thought it would be. This is my first .25 cal springer so I was expecting somewhat of a harsher firing cycle with a lot of vibration for a springer of this size, however that is not the case. The rifle fires very nicely and there wasn't any torquing or vibration that I could detect. I was really very impressed with how nice the firing cycle was. The recoil, as with the firing cycle, was also much nicer than I was expecting. Just a firm push into the shoulder when the rifle fires. The safety is a simple plastic tab located on top at the rear of the receiver. It works well so I have no complaint other than the fact that it is a cheap little piece of plastic and I wish it was made of metal,,, but I can live with since the rifle fires so nice. The dovetail mounted on top of the receiver is nicely installed and on my rifle was dead on straight with the barrel. My scope mount installed easily, securely and with no problems. The rifle comes with an included scope stop that you can install with your scope, however with the BkL mount I used I certainly didn't need it so it was put in my parts bin. The open sights that came with the rifle were actually pretty good. I usually have a real problem with open sights due to my eyes, but I could've very easily used these sights if I had wanted to. The metal on the rifle was really nice, with a nice deep rich blue color that was uniform throughout and was free of any mars or scratches. The walnut stock is beautiful. It has a really nice rich color to it with very nice grain patters. The pictures I am posting of the rifle don't really do the stock and the metal justice. I was really impressed with the metal and the wood. The rifles comes with sling swivels attached and they seem very sturdy, which is a good thing as this rifle is a heavy rifle and a sling will definitely be needed if you intend to take the rifle on long hunting trips, or short ones for that matter. The rifle has a really nice balance to it when shouldered and I must say that I was very impressed with the quality of the build. I almost felt like I was picking up a WWII rifle. Out of the box this rifle had the cleanest barrel I've ever seen on a new gun. I only ran 4 or 5 patches through it and it was clean as a whistle. When I did my shooting today there was no smoking or dieseling whatsoever. I have a very large springer collection, rifles of all kinds, however I've always stayed away from a .25 cal springer because I just didn't feel that a springer could really handle the caliber and still be a pleasure to shoot. Well, I was wrong. I really like this rifle, am very impressed with it and am really looking forward to doing some hunting with it. Small game season here is now closed but when the woodchucks start moving around this spring I'm really looking forward to going after them with the Torpedo I really can't say enough good things about this rifle, I love it Here are a bunch of pics I took of the rifle sitting on my shooting bench. Thanks for taking the time to read my review, hope you enjoyed it. Thanks again for looking,Jeff
Jeff, Thanks for posting the date. I was curious after I read a post from John last year. I think ya'll might be right about finding more in storage because last Aug the serial numbers were 2014 in reply #7 in the below link.John, did the breech seal spacer fix work for you? Here's the post I'm referring to. http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=112879.msg1081927#msg1081927
Gosh, this forum is expensive!I have one on the way...Great review and photos!Tight groups,Bob
as opposed to an introductory post, there will now be a credit check before joining the forum. " (-'