Revo Field Pump

Would I like to try the new Revo Field Pump-Action?” The question was asked by Dan down at Sportsman Gun Centre, the answer and the question almost immaterial. Having already shot quite a few of the Revo range with and been more than impressed the answer was most definitely “Yes!”.  The interesting aspects this time was that the gun for the sake of one pence cost £250 and it was a pump-action, a style of shotgun I have a soft spot for, especially given that I have a collection of them. The other unusual fact is that the Revo Field is spring assisted, a feature more normally found on military or tactical specification shotguns.

That’s All Folks

So what does your minimal investment get you exactly? The answer is a single-barrel 12-bore shotgun and a small plastic case containing an extra choke and a key. Interestingly the Field comes with a flush-fit ¼ choke tube already screwed into place but what is unusual is that the extra, extended and ported choke tube is also a ¼ although with non-toxic both of them tighten up to ½ whilst the ported tube reduced the muzzle flip. Chokes aside, the Revo Field features a black synthetic sporter stock complete with a thick, honeycombed recoil pad and a slim ambidextrous grip with a medium radius and moulded checkering. Almost at juxtapositions to the stock the forend is big, rounded and oversized with deep rounded ridge serrated grips, the rear of the moulding widening out to allow it to slide either side of the black anodised and dovetailed alloy receiver.

Externally, the only ornamentation is the words Revo and Field picked out in white, even the bolt covered in a matte black surface. The usual cross-bolt safety is housed in the rear span of the trigger-guard, the bolt release to the left side of the front span with the trigger-blade tucked tight to the rear of the guard. It’s underneath the forend where the difference over the norm comes into play. Anodised with a vented, 7 mm cross-cut rib the 3” chambered 29” barrel is held in place via the barrel ring that fits over the magazine tube and the long extension that locates within the receiver. Between the ring and the receiver is the action or return spring that compresses as the twin runner slide or forend is drawn rearwards, the spring’s purpose being to send the slide forward again as quickly as possible.

The upside is that the cyclic time is reduced as the slide constantly wants to launch itself forwards the downside being that unlike conventional pump-actions the bolt is constantly in battery or in the loaded position. So to prove to those around you that the Field is unloaded you’ll have to fit one of the orange semi-auto safety flags or as many shooters tend to do, jam a spent brightly coloured shell case in sideways and let the bolt sit tight up against it. The other positive is that since the forend and runners are an integral unit the bolt sits freestanding on a small platform allowing the shooter to dismantle the entire action in less than a minute.

Get A Grip

Firstly the Field’s physical size, the dimensions of which have ensured this 7lbs 8oz 12-bore will fit virtually anyone who picks it up. Working on the theory that you’ll have the extended, ported choke fitted which adds 1½” to the length the exact measurement is 49 ¾” with a 14 5/8” length of pull to the marginally heavy 8lbs release weight trigger-blade. Drops at comb and heal are 11 1/16” and 2 ½”. A moment or two with the Arrow Laser Shot indicated the Field was perfectly flat when mounted.

Loading

Now for the slightly unusual method of loading the Field, a method I readily suggest you adopt, given the action spring’s strength and urge to send the bolt into battery. Unlike most pumps that load as per the majority of semi-autos, since the bolt is always forward it means the shell lifter is always free to hinge. Instead of trying to hold the slide and bolt in the rearward position and dropping the first round in via the ejection port, just push your first round into the magazine tube. Then depress the bolt release and cycle the action by getting a good grip and pulling back the large, oversized slide as far as it’ll go. The reverse forward movement will automatically chamber your first round as the forend moves forward and the bolt goes into battery.

Then load your second shell (and third if required - or up to five in Section 1 guise) into the magazine tube.

Another suggestion is to keep the Field reasonably clean along with an occasional spray of suitable lubricant such as Ballistol Universal, my own personal preference.

The other thing is practice for a few minutes, the fact the slide is assisted initially making the Field at first seem unusual. Likewise, by operating the bolt release with the gun mounted you will start to gauge and feel just how much pressure is required to cycle the gun with it against your shoulder or as I used it, the sense of grip and movement needed to carry out the full cycle with the gun dismounted between shots. Unusual at first for those who’ve never shot a pump or tried a spring assisted version, but something I promise you’ll soon get the hang of.

Range Time

Shooting wise when you walk away from the first stand with a perfect score, never having used this gun before, you at once appreciate a shotgun’s abilities and physical makeup. And so it was with the test gun - the first twenty clays all shattering courtesy of the Revo Field and 28 grams of Eley VIP Sporting cartridges before increasing the charge to 30 grams with Eley Pigeon and then 42 gram Eley Alphamax. Apart from the slight increase in felt recoil with the 42 gram loads the Field remained comfortable to shoot throughout whilst the quality of the extended choke’s pattern was excellent, a fact proven when tested at 30 yards on a patterning card.

The Field balances well directly beneath the chamber; the stock is a decent size, the butt pad dials out all but the most severe magnum ammo recoil and acts as a cushion during recycling.

The slender grip ensures the gun remains fluid whilst the big ridged forend ensures a good firm grip even when wet. If I had a problem it was on the one occasion I failed to pull the slide all the way back to eject the empty case, the end result being a stovepipe I caused myself. Apart from that the Field ran flawlessly no matter what was asked of it and shot with easy and superb accuracy no matter what ammunition I fed into it or how purposely unpleasant the conditions were. Likewise, once you’ve tuned yourself into the spring loaded slide you’ll have your next round chambered within seconds of the last round being discharged, cranking the action becoming a personal art form.

Section 1 Version

The test gun was actually a 5+1 shot Section 1 (firearm) version of the Revo Field and had a magazine restrictor fitted allowing no more than two shells to be loaded in addition to the one chambered (2 + 1), but since the restrictor could be easily removed this actual test gun remains a Section 1 firearm and not a shotgun. In 5+1 format this gun comes into its own for pigeon shooters and the like, and this is where the Field comes into its own. More importantly as a Section 1 the Field also has an additional application as a Practical Shotgun so increasing the gun’s versatility yet again.

So if you want the shotgun version of the Revo Field (covered by a standard Shotgun Certificate) make sure you ask for the fixed three-shot version.

Cash Injection

If you’ve never tried or owned a pump-action then the Revo Field has to be the perfect opportunity. At £250 for easy reckoning it’s the sort of shotgun that you can afford to buy for the sake of it but once you’ve got one and got used to how it works and operates you’ll start to appreciate why pumpers were and still are as popular. Admittedly with the spring assisted forend the Field is unusual compared to most pump-actions but apart from the long coil that sits beneath the slide the gun personifies the simplicity of the design.

Equally, once you’ve got the hand of the Field you’ll soon discover just how quick this type of shotgun is to use. Similarly the convenience of being able to chop and change ammo dependant on the immediate circumstances along with the fact the gun’s cyclic system isn’t dependant on load size or length is a genuine advantage when out and about especially when it comes to vermin. In other words providing the shell is no longer that 3” and it’s a 12-bore round, in it goes.

From my own perspective the Field never missed a beat apart from one small glitch that was my fault but until you experiment you’ll never know how quickly you can cycle each individual pump. But once you’ve clicked with the Field off you go, clays, crows, pigeon, ducks and anything else, all fair game for Revo’s Field, yet another 12-bore that really begs the question, ‘How do they do it for the price?’ GM