Dynamic .25 cal PCP - First Impressions and Observtions

[Gertrude]

 This thread will be an account of my impressions and observations as we use this new gun(s), and as more information is collected, I will try to include it here.

Well, We're jumping onto the Dynamic / DAR bandwagon I guess.
 With the recent release and interest in the Dynamic PCP, My buddy Craig ordered one for us to play with, dissect, tinker on, and see what we like or dislike about it.

 There is another thread discussing this new DAR rifle that can be found here :
  https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=144959.0

  We want to see if these Dynamic rifles will show some of the same characteristics we see in the SPA guns for performance, and modifiable potential, as we are hoping to eventually get the DAR .25cal pushing NSA Slugs with respectable power and consistent accuracy.
  OK,... So these guns suddenly became available through Sportsmans Guide about a month ago,without any real prior indication or information that they were coming. We do not have a great deal of info on them yet, but we are learning some things about them pretty quickly.
 They are packed full of very nice features we like to see,  which includes a Shrouded Barrel, SIDE LEVER Action, 2 Stage Adjustable Trigger, 10 Shot Capacity Magazine, Large Air Reservoir, Light Weight, .... for under $300 ! THAT'S PRETTY COOL !

 They are made in China (by a unknown manufacturer), for Aim Sports Inc. and distributed by Aim Sports in Ontario, Ca. From what I have been told by Aim Sports, is these are NOT manufactured by SPA or Xisco. I have spoken with a sales rep at Aim Sports, (Ryan), and I have asked for more information on them as he (hopefully) will be able to provide. Specifically, I have asked for any Exploded Views, Parts Identification lists, Diagrams, and ESPECIALLY for the Trigger Group components and assembly details.

Currently, Sportsmans Guide is the only retail source for these guns... but that will be developing soon, and Aim Sports has told me there will soon be other sources for these rifles, (and hopefully extra parts / magazines, etc.).

This past weekend we took the Dynamic DAR.25 PCP for our first field tests, and to see what it will do straight out of the box. I tried a few various manufacturers pellets and weights to get some chrony numbers and groupings.
 Each target shown below, has 10 shots taken at 50 yards.





(I forgot to label this first target), but it is shot with 10 shots, at 50 yards, with JSB 25.39 gr. pellets.



 These are all shot from a bench rest, using front and rear sandbags. Winds were blowing directly across the firing line at approx. 9 to 12 mph. (Quite windy for trying to shoot good tight groups),.. but overall, I'm pretty impressed so far.

At current tune, I think these 33.95gr JSB MkII are a bit too heavy for ranges beyound 50-75 yds, due to, they are only going 765 fps. I feel the trajectory would be too "loopy" for my tastes at that slow of a speed, but they DID group pretty well for 50 yds.
(The top shot is fully my fault as I was still trying to get accustomed to the rather stiff second stage on the trigger.




These Vortex Supremes did not do very well at all. I attribute this is probably due to them being only 19.91gr, and going 962fps is most likely just too darned fast for them to stay stable in flight. I think with a slower tune, (perhaps 860-880fps) they might do considerably better.




I was actually pretty surprised at these Benji Domes ! the gun seemed to really like these pellets. The two far right shots were my fault for getting ansy in the winds, and not waiting for the wind to die down to take the shot. (it was blowing pretty good when those two shots were taken), but heck, the other 8 shots were basically same hole/cloverleafs !




By the time I got to shooting these H&N Barracuda Hunter pellets, the wind was getting very gusty and not letting up. I do believe they will shoot much better, in better conditions... so this is probably not a fair representation of how these will group in this rifle.




I did try some standard Predator Polymags, and found they WILL NOT fit in the magazine.
 I dont remember exactly the velocity they were going, but I'd guess they were 880-885 fps.
 I did single load and shoot about 5 of them with pretty good grouping, (under an inch or so), but I failed to take a pic for those.
Perhaps if enough of these rifles start selling,Predator will need to make a "short version" of the .25 cal Polymags, (just like they did for the .22 cal) to fit in the Marauder magazines.

I do have some QC observations and impressions of this rifle that I will share in my next post. Some things I really like, and some things that will certainly need to be addressed.
BUT !, with that being said,...
  ... I am Pretty Darned IMPRESSED with this rifle so far, ESPECIALLY at the current price point ! ! !
 My group of shooting buddies was so impressed with this first rifle, that we ordered FOUR MORE OF THEM ! ! ! LOL !

I have a feeling these are going to become Very Popular, VERY Quickly.
 Stay tuned 

[ranchibi]

Ron, nice write up! I am interested in this rifle so thank you! I look forward to more of your observations.

[Vee3]

Looks promising Ron, and we know that:

1. Triggers can always be improved.
2. Winds always die down.
3. A suitable projectile can always be found.

Looking forward to your one hole groups, lol.

[Gertrude]

Here's some more of my first observations and impressions.

Upon removing the stock from the action, it reveals the Breech, Hammer Tube, and Trigger Assembly are a one piece, Mono Block type construction. It looks nicely done, very clean lines, well machined, and very solid.
 I'm not sure how this mono block type of construction, will play out with future maintenance and or modifications. it appears that the valve mounts directly to the mono block, just in front of the hammer tube, and then the air tube (with internal regulator) mounts to the front of the valve. I kind of like this method of screwing the valve directly into the block with threads,... as opposed to holding a valve into a tube using mounting screws.





I am a little disappointed that there is NOT a removable Cover Plate for the Trigger Assembly. This could, (probably will), make it a bit more difficult to do trigger polish / lube tunes and adjustments. It appears that the trigger components are all installed from the bottom and held with pins. This means that it will not be possible to see the trigger components in the installed positions, which in turn, will make it a bit more difficult to determine exactly where the contact points will benefit from polishing and moly lube. I would have much preferred to see a removable side plate to the Trigger Assembly, (similar to that used on the Marauders).




Here's something I REALLY liked.
Look how Tiny/Thin and Long the pellet probe is !
 Providing we dont end up having some problems with them bending after extended useage,
 I think that is a GREAT  feature. We certainly will NOT need to be turning these down smaller trying to improve airflow. i can't imagine wanting these to be any thinner than they currently are. They look to be plenty long enough, to get any pellet skirt past the transfer port for full airflow.




Although I DO very much prefer a Side Cocking Lever, (over a Rear Bolt) action type, it has already raised some concerns with other owners, due to it being quite wobbly coming straight from the factory.
 Upon close observation, I believe the wobbling is coming from TWO contributing factors.

 The first contributing factor, is obviously having too much gap between the Cocking Lever and the Breech. This can easily be reduced by using a thin shimming material to try and  close up the gap.
 If you look closely, you can see here that we added a shim below the Cocking Lever... and we will probably be installing a second shim in the near future.



The Second contributing factor to the wobbly Cocking Lever, is the size of the hole that the pivot pin rides in. The hole in the lever appears to be larger than the pin it pivots on, allowing the lever to wobble up and down a little more than I am comfortable with.
 Maybe it will be a problem, and maybe it wont.
 Time will tell with more people using them.
 I am just hoping that we dont start seeing these Cocking Levers beginning to break off, when someone tries to close the lever on a tight pellet of slug, (similar to the problems we were reading about with the early Kral Punchers).
 I think anyone shooting this rifle will need to be made aware of the wobble before just turning them loose on it. Just be careful to push it STRAIGHT FORWARD, and not "crooked" when closing the Cocking Lever.

Another thing that I did not particularly like is the size and shape of the Cocking Lever. I think the lever could stand to be a little bit more substantial in strength (thickness), and a little less "Beveled" on the forward side.
 The Cocking Lever was slightly uncomfortable to cycle with the beveled edges, but it's certainly NOT a "Deal Breaker" for anyone considering buying one of these rifles.
 I Do like the magnet catch for keeping the Cocking Lever closed.





The next thing I found that I did not particularly care for is, the width of the opening at the Breech.
 It is pretty narrow, and makes single loading a little bit "fumbly" even with my skinny fingers. Anyone with "Sausages for fingers" will find it quite difficult to single load. Perhaps adding a Single Load Shot Tray will alleviate some of that awkwardness. Attempting to single load Polymags, or longer pellets did prove to be a bit difficult.

[fishinglakes]

Great write up Ron, go for the trigger... do you think a properly drilled hole might allow vision of the sear and a way to provide future lubrication?
Craig

[WiseGuy]

Good write-up review so far Ron! Subscribed...

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

Great write up and illustrations.  You've almost convinced me to order a .25 to keep my .177 company!  I've found that blown YH burst disks make excellent shims for the cocking lever!   

[Old Corps]

Excellent report Ron, thanks for taking the time. Enjoyed reading it and look forward to following this thread!

Ed

[Wayne52]

Great write up and illustrations.  You've almost convinced me to order a .25 to keep my .177 company!  I've found that blown YH burst disks make excellent shims for the cocking lever!   

I did it the other way around Paul, I got the 25 cal first and just ordered the .177, I was out shooting mine again today and blew the top of a chipmunks head clean off, upload just finished and I post it in the hunting gate

[rsterne]

Ron, what is the absolute longest pellet that will function in the .25 cal DAR magazine?....

Bob

[Wayne52]

Bob the ones that I've been casting fill it pretty good at .375 but they work just fine.  I was out shooting it today, didn't see any red squirrels but I snuck in a little plinking while I was out there.  I took the top of a chipmunks head right off with the 34.5 grain.

[Gertrude]

Ron, what is the absolute longest pellet that will function in the .25 cal DAR magazine?....

Bob

Hi Bob,
I don't have the rifle right in front of me at the moment, but I will be happy to measure it for you this evening to get you an actual dimension.
But with that being said, ... The Polymags almost had enough clearance to rotate the magazine cover.
If you remember back to the Gen1 mrods, the Polymags did not fit those either. Several of us were able to successfully modify the original mrod mags by disassembling them and CAREFULLY use a dremel to deepen the groove in the bottom of the mrod magazine.
There was just vary enough "meat" in the mag to get them to fit without breaking through the plastic.
Some of the guys who had better machining skills also cut a groove/track into the clear plastic magazine cover. Then there was also one of the vendors who started offering replacement mag covers WITH the groove cut in them, but they were fairly expensive, and near the cost of a new magazine.
I THINK this would also work on the DAR magazines.
I will get you some actual measurements later tonight.

[Missed-Em]

Counting my pennies, hope to  order one soon!!

[Wildcatter]

Nice review, Ron.  Those Benji Domes will surprise you, eh?  I believe there's a youtube video of Southern Gunner shooting like 200 yards with those benji's and getting a decent group.  Keep up the good work and thank you for the info on that rifle. 

[Gertrude]

Ron, what is the absolute longest pellet that will function in the .25 cal DAR magazine?....
Bob

Absolute Longest pellet, in factory .25 magazine, would be .370 - .373
That's only going to give a couple of 1/1000ths clearance, and could have/cause a nearly binding condition.

I noticed that the factory magazine has a FLAT bottom with No Groove.
 It looks to me like the magazine could be modified with a Dremel to create a groove up to about .035 - .040 deep without breaking through the backing plate.
 So that would theoretically allow for a max. pellet length of .405 - .410

I just measured a .25 Polymag at .422

The clear plastic magazine cover meas .097 thick,
 So I suppose one could gain another .035 - .040 in pellet length, by cutting a channel in the clear cover plate.

[Gertrude]

Great write up Ron, go for the trigger...

Hey, It's your gun,... so if I mess it up it's no great loss to me,... Right ? ? ?       

... do you think a properly drilled hole might allow vision of the sear and a way to provide future lubrication?
Craig

Yep, I do, ... but size and location of that hole(s) will need to be determined first.
Oh Wait,... I forgot,... it's your gun !
 Heck, I can just go "wild willie" on it     

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

Great write up and illustrations.  You've almost convinced me to order a .25 to keep my .177 company!  I've found that blown YH burst disks make excellent shims for the cocking lever!   

I did it the other way around Paul, I got the 25 cal first and just ordered the .177, I was out shooting mine again today and blew the top of a chipmunks head clean off, upload just finished and I post it in the hunting gate

Wayne, I think I'm going to wait till the second generation DAR25 is released and then get one.  My DAR177 is serial# 2, So I feel I'm a beta tester for the .177, I think I'll wait till they work out a few of the bugs before diving into the .25!

I saw your write-up on the chipmunk, nice shooting!  Those suckers are small and don't like to sit still for you!

[rsterne]

Interesting, that is quite a bit shorter than a .25 cal MRod magazine at 0.450", not counting the rounded groove in the front....

Bob

[Wayne52]

Bob I know for a fact that it works good with the NOE  250-34-RF pellets and those are .375 in length.  That's basically all I've been using in mine, I did put about 20 of the JSB33.95MKII's through it but that's about it.

[Rat Sniper (AKA: PaulT58)]

My DAR177 sure seems to like the H&N Sniper Mediums!