bsa mercury challenger review

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By tbrendel on 19th Apr 2006

tbrendel's Ratings

Accuracy	10/10
Handling	9/10
Value for money	10/10
Overall value	10/10
tbrendel's recommendation

Good Points

Accuracy
Appearance
Finish

Bad Points

Trigger
Cheekpiece too low for scope use

General Comments

I purchased my .177 Mercury Challenger new in 1990 via mail order. My experience up to that point was with an HW80 and some inexpensive Crosman pneumatics.

Upon opening the box, I was very favorably surprised by the rifle's appearance. To my eye, the lines are much more pleasing then those of the HW80 - less "blocky" and heavy looking.

The blueing is a deeper shade then the Weihrauch, and the beech stock has a satin finish that appears to be oil.

The color of the beech stock is a slightly reddish brown, which I find very attractive. There are few of the rays that immediately indicate beech wood. In fact, there is moderate figuring in the buttstock which is not unlike walnut. The grip has two panels of cut checkering, while the forend is left smooth.

The initial firing behavior of the rifle was quite "buzzy". It was bad enough that I found the firing sensation annoying. Perhaps not coincidentally, the spring broke within 500 rounds.

After repair, the rifle has become much quieter, though it is still more buzzy then my HW80.

The rifle would probably be considered a tad underpowered, at least from an American point-of-view. However, I find the power to be perfectly adequate for clearing out starlings and soda cans.

Without specifically revealing my ineptness as a marksman, I find the accuracy of this rifle quite good, particularly with the new JSB Exact Express pellet.

The major nit that I would pick would be with the trigger. Although it is adjustable for pull weight and sear engagement, I find the release to be terribly inconsistent. Perhaps an experienced airgunsmith could improve the trigger's performance.

I also would take issue with the height of the cheekpiece. It is inadequate for use with a riflescope. Or maybe I just have a short head. At any rate, the fit is not ideal for me.

Those two issues aside, I really love this rifle. From an aesthetic standpoint, I believe this rifle is competitive with any of today's air rifles of a similar price point.

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