Ruger Air Hawk

[TooJung2Die]

I couldn't stop myself. $75 bucks and free shipping from Wally World. I need a new project gun. Since this is a clone of the Diana RWS 34 and I love my Germans I had to see what you get for one third the price.

Right out of the box I'm pretty impressed. Miraculously it survived the shipping to my door undamaged. They didn't double box it or even tape the box closed! Fit and finish are better than I expected. The shaping of the shoulder pad to the stock is hurried looking but that's the only complaint so far.

It is noisy when cocking and uncocking, kind of a groan. Sounds like a tight or dry piston seal. Like it's distant German cousin it has an automatic safety, hence no anti-bear trap. Nice.

I haven't shot it yet. Still need to clean the barrel. The instructions specifically tell you to clean the barrel first. Good advice you often don't see in a new gun instructions. I'm going to shoot it as-is to get some baseline data before I tear into it. The breach seal looks like it can use a shim.

Last thing, the trigger is very nice without any adjustment. Wow, a real two stage trigger, not the awful trigger I'm used to getting on Gamo/Crosman. Is this a copy of the T05?

Attach photos or it didn't happen so here ya go...

Jon

[avator]

Something else you'll notice not normal with knock-off guns. The scope ain't  all that bad for what it is. I did the delrin top hat and reversed piston sleeve thing to mine. Much nicer cocking and shooting and a little less hold sensitive. I tried a lot of pellets in it. Believe it or not, it likes the cheap Winchester domes from TSC. 500 for $4.99. I thought the trigger was a bit heavy for my taste so I replaced the first vertical one you see when you look in the back of the action with half of one from an ink pen. A custom made spring compressor adaptor will serve you well.

Good luck, I hope you enjoy yours as we do.

[palonej]

Still can't believe scope and gun for $75!!
Enjoy Jon and let us know how the lady behaves!!

[3 at 8]

Cool; I just got one too from WM. Haven't shot it yet either because I haven't had time to clean it yet; hopefully will be able to and shoot it today but its raining. It's my first break barrel springer so I have nothing to compare it to for references or comparisons, but common sense seems to point its price to value ratio grossly in the consumers favor for at least my initial inspection of external fit and finish.  How it will actually perform will make it or break it I guess.  I am hoping to put the $50 Hawke 3-9X40AO on it from eabco. I'll be watching your lead to see what areas you think need improvement or adjustment. I'll have to make a spring compressor to take all the way down. I've herd about the top hat from Mike Melick but nothing else really. Not sure what is interchangeable with the model RWS 34. I was happy with the way mine was shipped too. It wasn't one of those you see on the shelves that had been ripped open and taped back together a bunch of times. It was pristine in crisp cardboard double boxed. My shoulder pad looks hurried too in the finish but way more wood and metal than anticipated. I'll be looking forward to your posts with your thoughts on it.

[Tommy]

The tophat and sleeve is very easy to do. Need a spring compressor. Remember to get rid of sharp edges and debure clean her up lube and have fun. If it has barrel droop dont get upset as this is easily taken care of. Just keep in mind that the people here will help all they can. Also Mike at FD would be my first contact. The man knows these guns and he is always happy to share.Ihave a Blackhawk and my daughter has an AirhawkAnd we love them.
Tommy

[avator]

I got inspired to go out and shoot mine. Still likes winnies. Trigger feels much better than betty Lou's, she likes a little harder, longer pull. CPHP are a quarter @ 35yds. Winnies are a dime as long as you remember the soft hold. Lots of kick, the scope knocked my hat off.

[TooJung2Die]

What is this delrin top hat and reversed sleeve of which you speak? Pray tell where I may come by such treasure?
 
I'm looking at Flying Dragon's website and don't see any tune up parts for sale.

Jon

[Tommy]

You need to call or email Mike
Tommy

[avator]

Call Mike and talk to him. He sells the top hat for $15. Then you take the piston sleeve out and open the hole to fit down over the spring guide. Basically, you are putting it back in backwards. Be careful putting the cocking linkage in so you don't deform the sleeve. You also have to trim about 3/8 inch off of the spring guide that goes up into the spring. Clean the trimmed edge all up and do your normal tune things. It takes all that grindy groany stuff out and makes it nice and smooth. polish up you spring ends and put moly paste on them so they spin smoothly. Heavy tar the spring. All the twang will be gone leaving you with a solid thwack.

[TooJung2Die]

Boy was this barrel dirty. I ran over a hundred patches through it. The first few came out black and then the color turned rust brown. After an hour of using patches I used a nylon brush in between patches. Still dirty so I ran a brass brush through. Eventually the patches came out clean.

I feel jinxed. First the bad barrel on the Fury, then the bad barrel on the 1377. Both have new barrels now. Now this gun. There is a visible tight ridge about 1 inch past the breech. The rest of the barrel to the muzzle feels fine. I used JB bore compound on a tight patch on a jag to try to knock down the ridge. Doesn't seem to have any effect. I think I need something more aggressive. Like what? Any ideas?

I shot it a few times at sundown. There was a very loud report for the first four or five shots and then it settled down. Using my least favorite pellet, Crosman pointed hunters, it shot scattergun patterns at 10 yards. The stock screws were all loose so I tightened them. I had to adjust the iron sights for a POI very low and very far left. This isn't caused by droop because the sights are on the barrel. It needs a new crown. Looking at the crown using a jewelers loupe it is rough.

How do you get the plastic front sight off without damage so you can get to the crown?

Jon

[jfrey]

Jon,
Remove the little set screw from the plastic front sight housing.   then use a piece of soft wood or plastic (so you don't scratch the barrel) and tap the plastic housing off the barrel.   Keep switching sides that you tap on to keep it from binding.    The set screw probably left a indent and burr on the barrel so it will be hard to get it started.       

Best of luck with the new rifle.

[TooJung2Die]

Remove the little set screw from the plastic front sight housing.

I feel stupid. I didn't notice the setscrew. I found the EVP diagrams for the Air Hawk and the XS25. Same gun from what I've learned and see in the diagrams.

Good news. It averages 899 fps with 8.3 gr RWS Superdome. Not good are the groups. Still need to crown the barrel. Still haven't figured out how to smooth out the ridge in the barrel. If it doesn't settle down and shoot like other Air Hawks, back to Walmart it goes.

[mcrow]

I just ordred one from Wally world as well. I was looking for a good gateway gun and this seem to be about the best example of one:

Good quality, simple and cheap.

[TooJung2Die]

I just ordred one from Wally world as well. I was looking for a good gateway gun and this seem to be about the best example of one:

Good quality, simple and cheap.

I sincerely hope that's true for you. I crowned the barrel and there was no change. I'm done trying to fix defective barrels. That's the heart of the gun. If the barrel's bore is defective there's no amount of tuning that will fix it.

I hope I'm done with this run of bad luck with barrels. The last airgun I bought new that didn't require extensive work to make it shoot right was the Diana RWS 34. This Air Hawk is going back to where I bought it today.

Jon

[mcrow]

I just ordred one from Wally world as well. I was looking for a good gateway gun and this seem to be about the best example of one:

Good quality, simple and cheap.

I sincerely hope that's true for you. I crowned the barrel and there was no change. I'm done trying to fix defective barrels. That's the heart of the gun. If the barrel's bore is defective there's no amount of tuning that will fix it.

I hope I'm done with this run of bad luck with barrels. The last airgun I bought new that didn't require extensive work to make it shoot right was the Diana RWS 34. This Air Hawk is going back to where I bought it today.

Jon

Not sure the exact situation you are dealing with is but the most every review of the gun is good so you might have just gotten a bad one. If mine doesn't shoot right I will exchange it for a different one.

[TooJung2Die]

I know I'll be kicking myself if I miss out on this deal so I ordered another one. Fingers crossed I get a good one this time!

[TooJung2Die]

Third time is the charm? (Fingers still tightly crossed) The second Air Hawk I ordered Site to Store a month ago never arrived. It got lost in a Walmart distribution center and never showed up at my local store. I didn't want to refund and reorder because the price has gone back up. So I called customer service and they shipped another Air Hawk. This one arrived via Fedex in two days.

If the first one I got was made on Friday afternoon, the one they sent this time was made on Wednesday morning. The wood is close to the nicest grained Chinese beech I've seen. The barrel only needed 7 patches to clean it. No rust and an hour of work like the last Air Hawk. Even the rubber butt pad fit is better.

It only needed a few clicks on the iron sights to get the groups on target, unlike the other one which I had to max out for windage and elevation. It isn't grouping well yet but I'm using my cheapest and least favorite Gamo pellet for the break-in. I have high hopes that it will tighten up with the right pellets.

This is more like what I originally expected. After at least a tin of pellets through it I'll give it a thorough internal inspection, deburr and lube. Then it'll get a scope. I have a new Bushnell Banner 3x-9x-40 looking for a home.

[howie1a]

One of the air hawks I dad would not group but I found after talking to Mike M, that some times the part of the barrel that is pressed into the breach gets squeezed to tight and it makes the first couple of inches of the barrel just like you choked it so once the pellet gets past this spot the barrel is not as tight and opens up letting ( it doesn't touch the rifling as tight as it should ) the pellet bounces all the way down the barrel and ends up shooting like a shotgun . The fix was to take some fine paper ( I used a chain saw file wrapped with some 600 paper) and worked the breach end out so it was no longer tight and wow the rifle now shoots like it is on rails and very accurate. Thanks Mike M. for the help  Howie1a

[TooJung2Die]

That's the kind of suggestion I was looking for last month.    I was asking for a way to remove a tight visible ridge in the rifling just inside the barrel near the breech. That might've saved the barrel on the Air Hawk I returned. Or it may never have shot well. You don't like seeing rust coming out when you clean a barrel the first time.

Anyway, I'm happy I returned the first Air Hawk. The barrel on this Air Hawk has no defects I can detect so far. After shooting a few hundred junk pellets I shot some CPHP and it punched out a dime size hole using the iron sights. This is good.

The first trigger stage is long and very creepy so last night I tuned up the trigger. Much smoother now. I'm undecided about doing the second screw mod. Is it worth it or is the T05 good enough as is? I can get used to the long first stage if need be.

[longhunter]

the second screw mod is worth every penny. i have it on mine and you wouldn't believe the difference.

as to your other question, the airhawk is a direct clone of the d34. anything that will fit the 34, will fit the airhawk and the xs-25.