AIR ARMS XTi-50 (ACTION ONLY) - Delicious Walnut

Don’t tell anyone, but I was almost certainly the first person to sell an XTi-50. I’m not proud of the fact, and I want 12 other incidents to be considered M’lud, which is probably the number of classy guns I’ve let go over the years. Where the XTi-50 is concerned, there are most definitely mitigating circumstances.

Circumstances
Air Arms’ latest flagship match rifle, launched early on in 2023, immediately took a haul of silverware, winning the big FT shoots as the season opened. It’s fair to say they ended the year pretty strongly too, as top shot James Osborne won the national Grand Prix Series, and his incredible teammate, Jack Harris, took fourth. So yes, the XTi-50 seems to be a worthy successor to the EV2/FTP900 models.
So, what went wrong in my case? Why the change of heart? Well, it was agreed with the factory that I should have one to test and review very early on for the mags, and I got swept along against my better judgement on a tide of enthusiasm, to take the full original model with laminate stock, adjustable hamster mechanism etc.

Preferences
The trouble is, I am not really a fan of laminate, even though it’s now the dominant choice for competition-based guns and is widely used in the shooting industry due to its technical advantages, such as being warp-free, impervious to the elements, resistant to extreme temperature changes etc. I just prefer to drool over a tasty piece of walnut. It’s not just the looks though, as walnut comes in lighter. The downside of walnut can be that it can be a little unstable. However, the key factor with a PCP airgun is to relieve the wood underneath the cylinder up front, allowing for the inevitable expansion of metals, as the cylinder pressure changes through the charge. In short, as long as there is a reasonable gap between action and stock, along the forend, just leaving contact with the receiver, then all will be fine. So, walnut can be acceptable.

HFT regulations
Another factor for me with the XTi-50 concerns the on-board hamster. Undoubtedly, the one-touch, fully adjustable hamster mechanism is a truly astonishing piece of engineering, and for Field Target shooting it’s a game changer for many. However, in the world of Hunter Field Target shooting, the fundamental rule that prohibits the shooter from adjusting the rifle or scope throughout the shooting session, renders the hamster feature fairly redundant. For me, carrying around the weight of the beautiful mechanism, yet being forced to have it locked into its lowest setting, just seems crazy, and I’m really not sure why Air Arms didn’t sanction an HFT version with a radically simplified stock and hamster.
I did consider going down a similar route as my FTP900 project a few years back, to reduce weight on the XTi-50, remove the hamster mechanism, and hack about the stock where I could. But it would never quite fire me up.
Air Arms had always hinted that they would offer the XTi-50 as an ‘Action Only’ option at some point, and once this was formally announced, I just knew it was the easiest route to my ideal gun. I sheepishly found a buyer for my full factory rig, then equally sheepishly phoned the factory to order an XTi-50 action. A delay was mentioned, as they were frantically trying to get orders out, so I took the opportunity to plan my next move, stock-wise.

Free agent
That’s the exciting thing about the action-only route, of course. What sort of stock is sourced is down to us, and it is a golden opportunity to arrive at a gun that really is unique. Custom Stock of Sheffield crossed my mind, and I’ve had a couple of stocks from them over the years, but their business model tends to be a list of off-the-peg stock designs, offered primarily for very popular guns that sell in big volumes.
Form Riflestocks are gaining traction in the market, and they would have been an option. They tend to use laminate, but I’m reliably informed that they will consider other mediums. Their latest CR2 fully adjustable match stock puts them in a strong position too, so one for the future, maybe.

Warren Edwards
I was aware of Warren Edwards Custom Stocks from the FT circuit, and this, in the end, was the route I took. A call to Warren confirmed he had an XTi-50 action, and this meant he could use it to set his machine and replicate the pattern to cut out the basic relief where the action sits. Music to my ears. Warren works in laminate, walnut, and other timbers too, so I took a trip up to see him in Rotherham for a basic measure-up and a briefing on my requirements. My brief here was simple really, as I wanted a stock with fully adjustable elements, including a hamster under the forend, a cheek section, and a butt section. Also, I wanted to relieve and remove all unnecessary wood from anywhere else. It was a rather casual request really. He mentioned the upright hand grip that he tends to favour unless a customer specifies otherwise, and also the squared-off edge along the cheekpiece.
As for stock blanks, Warren had a few lying about, drying and seasoning until just the right state of readiness. These looked pretty dark and featureless if I’m honest, but as Warren will tell you, it’s only when you get started into the project that the true nature and figuring of a particular stock blank shows itself.

Waiting game
Warren is a busy chap, and there is a waiting time for his work. I’m not normally a worrier, but I have to confess, I did start to fret as the months went by. However, once the action from Air Arms had the green light, Warren’s handiwork wasn’t too far behind, and come the day to drive and collect it, I was champing at the bit. I’ve been in this game a long time, but it’s fair to say I still get massively excited about seeing a new gunstock, and to say I’m happy with Warren’s work is an understatement. I wasn’t expecting anything special, as I’d only opted for a standard blank, but there are plenty of rich swirls and enough tasty grain patterns in places. The stock has been treated to multiple coats of Birchwood Casey Tru-oil, and the end result is a rich oil finish that really shows off some of the figuring. It’s not an amazing piece of wood, but some of the areas, around the grip in particular, are wonderfully complex.
As for the configuration, for me, it’s genuinely very close to my ideal rifle. First up was the paper test to prove that expansion gap under the forend. The paper slid right along and stopped at the receiver. Perfect. The hamster can be slid along the rail and uses tension rods that connect to the accessory rail. Warren has ensured the raiser stays less than 150mm deep, measured from the centre of the barrel to the base, so as not to foul the HFT rule. Both the cheek section and butt pad feature ball joints and whilst I’ve removed the rear one as an experiment, it’s great attention to detail from Warren. A metal butt hook assembly can be specified, but I opted for a pad.

Results
So, we’ve established it all looks amazing, but has it helped my shooting? Well, since you asked, I’ve had two outings so far. The first time out was the UKAHFT National round 1 at Misfits, and whilst I started well, earning the respect of my shooting buddies, it all ended fairly badly. Yes, there were some top scores on the day, but equally, and perhaps tellingly, many top shots posted poor scores. Plenty of intermittent wind snaking around the course was the reason, so I told myself just to write this one off, and reserve judgement. I heard that….be fair!
UK Round 2, up at the National Shooting Show, Harrogate, was indeed a different story, and I was over the moon with a 57ex 60, apparently taking 4th place. I say ‘apparently’, as I was already heading for the hotel! Anyway, it was the big score and boost I needed to endorse my project. So yes, I’m encouraged so far, and looking forward to the season. Game on indeed!