My new Baby--RWS-34

[casper_zip]

:grin:  :grin:  :grin:

Hey all:

Got my new RWS-34 from MidSouth Wednesday evening by the Santa Wagon, ole UPS truck. I shot the first few shots and that rascal is something. Blue smoke and loud cracks like a 22 long rifle at first.

I put the Daisy 3 x 9 scope I got at Wal-Marts on it for about $30 bucks, and it's for an air rifle, had it's own scope rings. I installed scope, and the elevation won't go up enough to get on the target, so I took it off. I am going to buy the RWS 1 piece mounts for about $42, unless ya'll tell me otherwise.

So, I took scope off, (it's clear & nice), and went and shot with the iron sights till I was satisified, or well, satisified till I can get the full assortment of different pellets to find the best, most accurate ones for my rifle.

I killed a big black fox squirrel with my first shot at live game with it this morning. I am really impressed with this rifle. I used the Diablo pellets that I got from Wal-Mart. The big fox squirrel fell with the shot, he was still breathing a little when he hit the dirt, but expired quickly. Hope ya'll can give me info on your favorite pellets for hunting. That's probably what I'll use mine for mostly. Oh, I do lots of target practicing. I am still having a wake up call for the power this thing has. I am already getting used to cocking it quickly and inserting my pellet pretty fast.

And, ya'll tell me what I need to do, (maintenance wise) to keep this baby pretty and humming. My little booklet I received with the rifle really doesn't have much info in it. I already know not to leave it cocked, loaded, and all that stuff.

Just couldn't help myself, had to get on here and rattle to you guys, and I really appreciate you and now, I'm hooked good on air guns. Thanks to you guys.

Casper_Zip :grin:  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:

[Dand]

I beleive some mail oder places offer a Beeman pellet sampler for folks to try out and the outfit Straight Shooters offers a full sampler of all brands and types they sell.  Its a great way to test each type.  There may be other sampler packs available too - can't remember for sure. Its my understanding though that its best to break in the gun first with about 500 -1000 shots before you'll really know the accuacy and performance of the gun.  I think the smoke you are getting is the diesel effect of the preservative oil in the compression chamber igniting.  Its my understanding that dieseling isn't good for the gun but it takes a while to burn it out. May need some cleaning of the bore - gently - to clear carbon out from the dieseling. Good luck.  From my reading the 34 and other RWS break barrels often need a good "drooper" adjustable scope mount to get scopes on target.  Check out BKL mounts from GB's site here - I hear they are pretty good.  Beeman makes a nice maintenance kit for air guns including the appropriate lubes.  I beleive their MP 5 is the standard for cleaning and protecting the bore - but you don't want the stuff to drain bak into the compression chamber - more dieseling and possible damage to seals etc. I'm sure more knowledgeable folks will chime in with good suggestions. Sure is fun to take game with an air rifle isn't it? I just took my forst 2 grouse this week with an R7 I bought last spring - quiet and fun but I could use a little more power.

[Lawdog]

casper_zip,

Of course you realize that you have taken the first step toward a habit that will border on addiction.  The best part is that there is NO cure.  Anyway, as far as a hunting pellet goes I prefer to use a pellet that expands so I use Beeman Crow Magnum pellets for all game animals and large birds(turkeys).  For knocking off pesky birds like jays, cow birds and such I have found that a wad cutter type target pellet delivers the most shock, thus kills quicker.  Last thing you want is birds flying off after being hit and dying in your neighbors pool, back yard, etc..  Have fun and keep us informed on your progress.  You may want to check out the web site on a test that was done on pellets types and see if it may help you with your decision on pellets.  http://home.hiwaay.net/~ispellan/PelletTest02.html  Lawdog

[dave]

The smoke isn't really anything to worry about. It should go away after a couple hundred or even fewer shots. Don't attempt to scope the gun until its broken in and stops smoking.  During the breakin period, when the gun is dieseling, power is going to be very inconsistant, and you'll end up going nuts trying to zero the scope. When the dieseling stops, you'll probably find power drops off some too.  After the gun settles in to its normal power range, then try the scope. The Beemn adjustable one piece mounts are better than the RWS C-mounts by a long shot, and cheaper too I think.
 I don't think that Daisy scope will last long on the 34. Its not rated for a spring rifle, and certainly not one that has the power of the 34. More than likely it will lose its zero within a few shots, and you'll be chasing the pellets all over the target. It may even break after a couple hundred shots. I've heard from others that the lenses sometime crack, or pop right out,  the reticles separate, and the adjustments can just stop working. This goes for any cheap scope used on a high power spring gun.   A good low cost spring gun rated scope might be the Bushnell Sportsman variable power with adjustable objective. I have one thats been on more than a couple high power springers for some time with no ill effects.
You'll want to clean the bore after every shooting session while its dieseling. Don't use cleaners intended for firearms, they will damage the seals. Use a wood or brass cleaning rod made for this purpose, and run a couple patches soaked with Simple Green cleaner through it. It's basically the same as the Beeman airgun cleaner, but not as costly and works just as well. Don't use bore brushes or anything else, just the cleaning patches. The dieseling and resulting smoke can cause deposits of soot and oil in the barrel, and accuracy can drop off. Once the gun stops dieseling, you probably won't need to clean it for a very long time. Cleaning too often or too aggressively can and will damage the rifling in an airgun barrel.

[D Pete]

I agree with Dave on the scope, It's cheaper to start with a higher quality I had a BSA airgun scope on my 34 when it was new, even though it was designed for airguns it could'nt take the double recoil like Dave mentioned after 1000 rnds or so I couldn't keep it zeroed so replaced it with the Bushnell w/Beeman rings. Also the stock mounting screws can get loose. Other than that have fun. I use Beeman crow mags also.......DP