air arms s400 classic .22 review

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Picture courtesy of David.

Average Ratings

Accuracy	9.8/10
Handling	9.5/10
Value for Money	9.6/10
Reviewer Rating	9.8/10
Overall Rating	9/10

94% Recommended16 out of 17 Reviews

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By RolloD on 4th Aug 2005

RolloD's Ratings

Accuracy	10/10
Handling	10/10
Value for money	10/10
Overall value	10/10
RolloD's recommendation

Good Points

Build quality.
Value for money.
Accuracy.

Bad Points

Slight 'power band' in the un-regulated rifle.
Trigger is a bit 'creepy'.

General Comments

Here's an update on my ownership of an Air Arms S400 Classic which I bought new, a couple of months ago now. Scope is a Hawke Prostalk 4-14x50 which I leave on 14 mag... Would gladly discuss my reasons for this...

With over 4000 rounds through the rifle now, I've listed a few points to bear in mind if you think the S400 is for you.

Lets get one thing straight, this is a great rifle, and I doubt there is an equal, for the price, about at the moment. Logun Solo, possibly... My confidence in the rifle is such that I'm entering the .22 class in the last round of the UKHFT championship at Bisley in October, if they ever get back to me that is..

Having owned, and more importantly, used this rifle for some time now, there are some points I'd like to raise.

Firstly the trigger, though fully adjustable, I can't seem to find a really crisp and predictable second stage release no matter how much adjusting I do. Friends have also commented on the 'creepy' trigger and I have to agree. Costs have to be cut somewhere and I shouldn't really expect match quality kit at this price..

The thing that I have found of most concern has been the power delivery from the non-regulated system fitted in the S400. Now, though I bought a .22 rather than the field target de'riger .177, I fancy a bit of HFT competition this year. This has caused me to spend far too many hours on the range, pellet testing and zeroing and the like. This has brought me to the conclusion that although the rifle can produce decent enough power between 190 and about 100 bar of pressure, the most consistent part of the charge lies between roughly 165 and 120 bar. Higher or lower pressures tend to require some unexpected elevation adjustments and can make a shooter feel that his scope is off zero after a recharge......

For HFT I'll charge it just to 170Bar and fire off 20 or so shots before the start...

So a regulator may be my next purchase but let me just state that using Air Arms .22 Field (5.51mm) pellets I can still punch 10mm groups at 30yards, 13mm groups at 40 yards and 20mm groups at 50yards, far further than I had any right to expect this kind of accuracy... For the record, these results were achieved resting the rifle fore-end on a cushion and all the rounds were washed and lubricated with all bent rounds being binned...

The finish is still first class and the barrel has been cleaned twice without really neading it to tell the truth. The lubricated pellets, no doubt, negating the need.

Oh, and several fellow shooters are still amazed at how quiet it is with the Air Arms Silencer.... A guy showed up with a Daystate Mk3 and silencer at the range recently and that really WAS quiet! Still the S400 can hold it's own where it counts, and for half the price.

All in all a great hunting rifle and basis for a HFT competition setup. I still love it to bits.

Total Respect: +2