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All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Air Guns And Related Accessories Review Gates => Air Gun Review Gate => Topic started by: darryl on September 04, 2012, 10:43:40 PM
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It's called the "Sweet 16" by fans of the rifle. The manufacturer is now defunct, but in it's day it made some very desirable rifles that still command a nice price today. The S16 was once sold here in the USA by Pyramyd Air, but only for a few years. It was and is perceived as a problematic rifle primarily because of pellets jamming
and air leaks. The jamming seems to be an issue for the uninitiated. The rifle has a side-cocking bolt, as many PCPs do, but it actually cocks on the forward motion. Pulling the bolt back cycles the next shot. It takes a decisive effort on the rearward and the forward motion to cleanly cock the rifle, but don't think of it as taking a lot of force. It doesn't. just don't be lazy about it and you'll be jam-free, for sure.
The rifle was also said to be leak-prone. I bought mine used and after a month or so I had to tear it down to replace a few o-rings. I ordered an o-ring kit from this web site: http://www.loguns16.co.uk/ (http://www.loguns16.co.uk/) It's also a great source for information, as it's a fan-site for the S-16. The innards of the rifle appear to me as a Rube Goldberg-like design (Google the name), and tearing the rifle down seemed initially a daunting task, but turned out to be a piece of cake. So don't be afraid of doing that should you get the bug to own one of these menacing looking rifles. I have not yet tackled the trigger, but it needs some work as it feels a bit vague in the 1st stage, and a bit heavy in the 2nd stage, though not terribly so. Not enough to effect accurate shooting.
Also, the rifle is heavy, when outfitted with a scope and bipod, but it has excellent balance that you will notice when you shoulder it. One issue with shouldering it is the bottle cover. It's not ideal, in my opinion. I usually shoot without it. 'Nuff siad on that.
The magazine is really cool. It holds 16 shots in two eight-shot rotaries. Use up the first eight, and just flip it, and you're ready to go. It's all metal except for the rubber o-ring that holds pellets by the waist. As with other repeater PCP air rifles, I recommend round-head pellets be used in the S16.
The shroud is really effective in quieting the rifle's report, but it's not Benjamin Marauder quiet (few PCP rifles are). I recall reading PyramydAir's quietness rating for the rifle: it scored a 1 (very quiet). That was pre-Marauder of course.
As for accuracy, my sample is accurate out to 50 yards. By that I mean I can hit 16 gauge shotgun shells or 0.785" chalk discs all day at 50 yards. Beyond that, it takes a back seat to my FX Timberwolf at 60 and 70 yards.
At the time I bought mine I wondered if I paid too much for it, but have since seen them with higher asking prices. Good to know. It's a special rifle because of what it is. Mine arrived producing 32 FPE, but with a steady decline in FPS from the first couple of shots. These rifles are supposed to be a little difficult to tune. I have to agree. I had to decide on power and shot count. I think I achieved a good balance of 50 shots at an even 28 FPE (+/- a fraction). It took some doing and understanding, but now that I know the secrets I can change it any time I please.
I've had a thought to sell my Sweet 16 once or twice, but I know it's a keeper. I like that it's an unusual rifle that's neighbor-friendly, looks tough, and is perfectly accurate and deadly for close-in work. I also really dig the sound of racking that bolt back and forth when I cock it. Way cool. Believe me. I've included a few pictures and spread sheets
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Oh, it has a laser too! A bit cheesy, but yeah, a laser.
darryl
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nice write up
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thank you, Sir! :D
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a new tune. It didn't take much work to go from 28 FPE to 32 FPE.