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- Air Arms TX200 MkIII
- Jeepee 71's review
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Picture courtesy of Duncan.
| Accuracy | 9.5/10   |
|---|---|
| Handling | 8.7/10 |
| Value for Money | 8.6/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 9.3/10 |
| Overall Rating | 9.3/10 |
By Jeepee 71
on 24th May 2007
| Accuracy | 9/10 |
|---|---|
| Handling | 9/10 |
| Value for money | 10/10 |
| Overall value | 9/10 |
 Jeepee 71's recommendation | |
Build quality, accuracy, trigger, double safety. Oozes class, and it's British!
Heavy (but this absorbs recoil)
This is my first grown up rifle after having used a knackered BSA Meteor on and off since Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision. I became convinced that the 60mm groupings at 30m couldn't be completely my fault, and with the cat shaming me by bringing in a rabbit every other night I decided to invest in a powerful, accurate bunny zapper.
I'd read every review of the HW97 and the TX200 (&HC), but after comparing them in a Lancashire gunshop there was no contest. After coming in to a bit of cash I was on the verge of calling up JS Ramsbottom and parting with 260 notes when, on the off-chance, I called up my local dealer (A Branthwaite, Cheadle Hulme) to see if he had any 2nd hand guns in. "Oh yes, I've a .22 TX200 with Hawke 3-9x scope for £150. Took it as part-ex for a pre-charge. A real bargain."
£150? Some mistake, surely.
No, he was as good as his word: a mint Mk3 TX200 with scope for £150. After getting it home and putting holes straight through the backstop I was using for the old .177, I realised that this was a completely different beast from the plinker I'd been fooling around with. After swapping the scope for a Walther 3-9x 40mm PX IR 30-30 I'd found on Ebay for £33, and putting some steel plate behind the target area, we were in business. Chairgun 2 was extremely useful for zeroing and adjustment - get the free download and please make a donation. I'd never used an underlever before, but it proved extremely easy to get the hang of. The beartrap and thumb safety are excellent, but the thought of that beautifully machined breech slamming on my fingers always reminds me to keep one hand on the cocking handle when loading. I don't play the piano, but I might want to learn one day...
I'd bought a couple of tins of pellets to compare: Air Arms Field and some H&N Field Trophy. The AA pellets are a hell of a lot easier to load in the breech as the H & N ones take some forcing, possibly damaging them slightly in doing so. Accuracy seems better with the Air Arms pellets, too - groupings of 1/2 inch at 30m using a rudimentary rest, and I'm a novice shot. I've realised how much a good trigger can make a difference- it's so light and predictable that I've actually changed fingers from my "trigger" finger to my middle finger, as it seems more stable and needs only the slightest of pulls to unleash the very mild recoil.
Not exactly whisper quiet, but missed a squirrel yesterday with my first shot (my fault entirely), and the cute rat didn't realise what was going on until the second pellet hit it behind the ear at 25m.
Only one scare so far: after a few rounds today there was a bloody huge bang, which I thought was down to me not having put a pellet in the breech before firing. Try again: big bang again. Seems that the over-zealous oiling the gun had been given before sale may have resulted in some getting into the piston, causing dieseling. It calmed down after a few shots, but very alarming when it happens. The pellet ended up 3 inches higher than it should have done at 30m - can anybody tell me what the gun was making at the muzzle when it dieseled?
To conclude: awesome gun, seems heavy at first, but it's solidity is very reassuring.
Also: I emailed Air Arms with the serial number to check on Mk number and age - got a reply within 24hrs. Now that is great after- after sales service.
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Cognition
on 9th Jul 2007
Cram
on 21st Sep 2007