A good deal on special Ruger Air Hawks

[Kragman1]

I've posted about these elsewhere but now I can give details...

Flying Dragon is selling these, but they're not on the website.  I paid $63 delivered.  Your price might be different depending on where you live, but I'm guessing its the same within CONUS.

They are lightly sprung Ruger Air Hawks, and they are easy cocking and easy shooting.
They have normal transfer ports so if you ever want to bring them up to full power its an easy swap.

My rifle is quite nice with one trivial exception - the stock relief around the fork isn't quite right, and I think that they all have that.  Doesn't bother me at all.  Stock finish and metalwork are even if not high polish.  I like the rubber butt pad too.

Otherwise:
Lockup - good, and the cocking motion feels good as well.
Trigger - good after adjusting the excessive travel out (factory screw).  I'm guesstimating 3 pleasant pounds.  A touch of lube or a light polish would probably renove the very slight drag that I feel.  Very suitable as is, and Mike can add the second adjustment screw for a few bucks if you like.
Accuracy - good now that its settling down. See pic I shot tonight.  It likes Miesterkuglns and other quality pellets.  FYI - the bore looks much better than the bore of the Walther Parrus I returned last month.
However, I'm starting to see that the low power makes it extra sensitive to pellet irregularities.  So its gonna get good stuff.
Shot cycle - light and clean. A little slow, which I appreciate since it forces me to hold true a little longer.  Great training aid.
Sights - mix of plastic and metal with glo inserts.  They adjusted fine when I first shot it but I haven't used them since.  No hood on the front sight.

I don't know what the velocity is but in a side by side test, it seemed to be uncannily identical to a little Gamo Recon Whisper (kids gun).  But it is a full sized adult rifle.

I know that Mike goes through them before they go out.  Not sure how far he goes but there was nothing goofy about mine. 

I'm very glad I bought it, and I figure a few more of us might want a dedicated indoor gun.

[GrubbyYo]

I picked up one of these too and spoke with Mike about them. They were set for a low power market (he mentioned Canada) and sort of a kit that he had to fasten the stocks to them.  So he has looked at every one of them. It also sounds like he has some normal springs laying around and could tune it up to normal power if you wanted. 
The iron sights zeroed quickly and I really enjoyed how light the cocking effort was.  I originally bought this for my son not realizing it was a full size stock. So I got a plinker for myself now.

[only1harry]

$63 is a good deal.  Did you guys ask Mike what the power level is on these with the weaker spring?  Are they 11-12fpe guns or more like 6fpe?

[Kragman1]

6 fpe would be a good guess.

I had typed up a detailed post but lost it.  Here is the abbreviated version:

The bottom 6 groups were done with a .22 cal Hatsan 95, everything on the top was done with the Air Hawk and some new lead free wadcutters.  They were cold from the delivery and shot better once they came up to temp.  I also shot better once I "came up to temp", meaning that I got my hold and follow through under better discipline.
Still, I was just pulling a lot of last shots, and aggravating myself when I finally got my act together.  To items of interest - the 14 shot group was the "throwaway" group. Any pellet that I didn't like got shot into that.  And it really isnt bad!  But the last group I shot is at the top.  It has a clear flyer that is 100% my fault on the 3rd shot, so I shot a 4th.  All 3 shots for record (the flyer was an unintentional shot) were without human error and passed through the same hole.  The way a number of groups had started only for me to goof them up. 

Here are pics of the groups and the pellets...

[subscriber]

500 FPS with a 7 grain pellet is 3.9 FPE.  The Canadian market requires sub-500 FPS.  So, 495 FPS with a standard 8 grain pellet would be 4.35 FPE.

Boosting the velocity to 600 FPS would cut cleaner holes in the target, without much lead splashing off even a hard stop plate.  Hence, 600 FPS is the max allowed for at Olympic style target shooting venues.  The higher the absolute velocity, the less a variation of plus or minus 10 FPS will make on POI.  So, more tolerant of cheap pellets.

A spring that delivers 600 FPS would hardly be noticed as increased cocking effort.  And the shot cycle would be a bit faster...

[Kragman1]

I had seen some advertised (Umarex USA IIRC) as 590 fps, which would give 5.4 fpe.
I don't have any chrony numbers but it seems to be in that category. It is quite mild.

Personally, I'd like the shot cycle to be a little shorter/faster to make it easier to shoot.
But then it would be less of a training aid....

[subscriber]

One way to speed up the shot cycle, without boosting velocity proportionally is to extend the piston seal forwards by perhaps a quarter of the original stroke length max.  This way, the rear of the piston is unchanged and the sear etc works the same.  But, the stroke is shorter (because it is "interrupted" early), thus reducing swept volume and power.

This has been done with some air rifles.  I am sure if it is overdone, then the shot cycle might become harsh due to insufficient swept volume.  Also, the piston nose extension needs to be plastic rather than metal, or the added weight could make the rifle more jumpy.

[birdmove]

    I found these Ruger Airhawks at the Flying Dragon Airguns website, but in the blog area. He shows them to be rated at 650 fps and selling for $60. Shipping to me in Hawaii would be an additional $30. These are made with too much velocity for the Canadians. Must be a story snout why 650 fps, GB but I don't want to bother him by asking. Here's been the web page. That's me , Jon Neet asking him about them.

http://flyingdragonairrifles.org/blog/?p=1598

   I'm not a good great barrel shooter, and thought a reduced power one might help.

[mikeyb]

This does seem like a very good deal. I'm trying to make my next purchase from Flying Dragon (Bamboo XS-25 likely) and a low power AirHawk might be part of that order.

If anyone wants the full power version, this is one of the cheaper sources.  I picked up one from SG last year for a little less (double member discount special) than $99 shipped w/scope.

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/ruger-air-hawk-air-rifle-177-caliber-4x32mm-scope?a=436725

This is a NICE air rifle in the $100 price range.

Only downside is you need to be a paid member for the lower price. I no longer spend enough there to justify membership solely on airguns, but I can still get value from my membership by also purchasing footwear, clothing, and other gear for myself and family.

[Kragman1]

That would have to be the one I bought.
I like mine, the only "downside" is the slow firing cycle, which I consider to be an upside for practice.

If you order one, you may want to add $20 for Mike to add his trigger adjustment screw, and see if you can have a full power spring shipped in tje same box.